UF has fired all staff in positions related to DEI.

If true, why the celebration? I thought the dems used to be proud of being the party of the working class. It seemed to serve the democrats well, too, come election time. So, why would a possible shift hurt the Republicans now? Is there a political point to be had here, or are we just having an intellectual tape measuring contest?

 

I really want to avoid making this another vaccine debate thread, but Ladapo could do a lot of things, like actually encouraging people to get their kids vaccinated against measles and not leaving it to the parents’ discretion on whether or not they feel the need for them to quarantine and stay at home or have them go back to school and expose everyone else, among many other things. Do you really trust some of these parents to make a smart, responsible decision? Come on now. Hes very, very bad at his job and a danger to the state of Florida. That’s going to be my last post about it on here because we need to get back on topic.

 

As someone who has worked in one for decades, gotta disagree with you there. For a lot of factual reasons. Not that most of you all bother with facts when you say stuff most of the time.

 

The shark got jumped a while back. The circus shark just jumped the other way. Pendulum politics because folks can’t be rational.

 

Could you please elaborate on how you're defining what constitutes a "solid program" and "progress"? Not arguing with your conclusions (I'm moderate politically, not far right or left), just trying to understand. Thanks.

 

It's quite obvious that several "contributors" to this thread don't give a rat's ass about UF's academic standing. With each subsequent post, the reason why becomes glaringly apparent.

 

I'm not defending anyone if that's what you're saying. Rather, I'm simply pointing out the FACT that the guy who started the Hunter Biden rumors has admitted he lied to the FBI and has been arrested. I'm not stating my opinion on anything related to the whole thing.

 

Not sure if you're referring to me, but I have 3 degrees from UF and care a great deal about UF's academic standing. More than most, I dare say.

 

I was not.

 

I’m guessing all of your degrees are related to English and the grading of papers?

 

How did you get that from my post? I simply stated the current demographics of today's student population. And that if the perception of a school is anti DEI, it could hurt student recruitment and possibly retention. Because again, the percentage of white males that are college students is shrinking. Plenty of capable students of all races, colors, creeds, religions, and gender.

Working in Higher Ed for a non-traditional university in the Marketing Dept, I can tell you, much of our DEI efforts are dog and pony. They mean little, and do almost nothing to move the needle when it comes to changing our student demographic population or numbers. But stop the DEI ads, and take them off our website, and I can assure you that would hurt our bottom line. Ask the University President and he'll say we take DEI seriously. Ask our DEI office and they will to. Our CMO? She'll say it's an important part of our advertising, and just having a diversity of faces on the website and on ads is all we really need to have a diverse population. Again, perception is reality.

There's also the professor side of things. I wonder if any professors may considering leaving UF because of this? Arizona, about 30 years ago, stopped pay raises for professors due to budget constraints. It resulted in a "brain drain" from state schools that cost the universities millions in research dollars. The U. of Arizona lost a Nobel Prize winning chemist who got a $50k/year pay raise at another university, and a year later, won a $10 million research grant. Arizona quickly learned that not paying professors well was penny wise, but pound foolish. UF may soon see if not at least paying lip service to DEI results in a similar fate?

 

I cannot believe you have ignored cdc guidance and are willing to put everyone at risk by not getting your covid booster! How selfish of you!

Can almost guarantee you there will be no response to this reality.

 

Zero liberal arts. But thanks for playing.

 

@urisdman it is 100% on topic for @HeyItsMe ...

He/She is the one who wants to make an issue of Ladapo and his policies while ignoring cdc guidance themselves.

It is comical. Really curious if they will respond. I expect silence as there is no answer to the position he/she has taken.

 

Desantis killed DEI but conservatives are using pronouns and avoiding misgendering now, so check mate. Woke has won.

 

I almost used “they” with a comment about pronouns lol. I should have just for you…

 

Very stupid. Ignorant people will celebrate this.

Some aspects of DEI certainly are window dressing. But DEI officers often play important roles for ensuring the university complies with state and federal anti-discrimination laws. That's beyond all of the other good things they do for students that I wouldn't call "window dressing."

 

That's incorrect. That's not remotely what equity means. If you treated me and a blind person "equally," it would mean that neither of us would receive an accommodation for not being able to see. Yet, that is clearly unfair to the blind person when they have a disability and I don't. Treating them equitably means giving them an accommodation to ensure we're operating on an even playing field. It's all about equality of opportunity.