MIAMI — Holding signs with phrases like “We only teach facts” and chanting “Hey DeSantis we’re no fools, we won’t let you run our schools,” at least 100 students, faculty and others marched around the main campus of Florida International University Thursday afternoon to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education agenda.
In the past month, DeSantis has escalated his fight against the so-called “woke left” in higher education in Florida. He said he wants to defund and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses in the state. He required universities to submit detailed information on services they provide to transgender people seeking gender-affirming treatment. He also overhauled the leadership of New College of Florida, a small public liberal arts college in Sarasota, including appointing an interim president, Richard Corcoran, a former Florida House speaker who is being paid $699,000, nearly $400,000 more than his predecessor.
In response, students at FIU and the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida, the New College of Florida and other colleges and universities have mobilized, staging walkouts and protests. Some will also travel to the state’s capital, Tallahassee, when the legislative session starts on March 7.
