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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Richard Luscombe in Miami

‘Far from ideal’: DeSantis’s war on ‘woke’ colleges goes painfully awry

a side-by-side image of Ron DeSantis and discarded books
Ron DeSantis’s war on the New College of Florida has resulted in, among other things, the dumping of thousands of library books. Composite: Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock, Sarasota Herald-Tribune via AP

It has been a rough month for Ron DeSantis’s rightwing rebranding of higher education in Florida. Embarrassments at two high-profile universities where the Republican governor has been waging his culture war against “woke” have forced his administration into something of a cleanup.

Sarasota’s New College, the once liberal arts school subjected to a “hostile takeover” by well-rewarded, ultra-conservative DeSantis allies, was exposed by the city’s Herald-Tribune for dumping thousands of library books, including a clear-out of its gender and diversity center.

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