The Stop W.O.K.E. Act was put in place in July. UF, the state’s flagship university, was the first to issue guidance to faculty, according to the United Faculty of Florida. It also has the most to lose financially from violations of the law because the university receives the most state funding.
In a sit-down interview with The Alligator, Fuchs shared his thoughts on how extensive he wished COVID-19 regulations at UF could have been, the scariest moment of his presidency and his personal disagreement with officials about perceived indoctrination on campus.
Underfunding is the center of why six FAMU students have filed a lawsuit Sept. 22 against the Florida Board of Governors, claiming the state has substantially deprived the HBCU of money for the past three decades.
Following Sasse's contentious selection as UF's lone presidential finalist, many alumni have taken to social media to express their disappointment or support of the choice. Hundreds of alumni comments flooded UF's official finalist announcement on Twitter, with many expressing concern with the university's direction.
Students gathered outside the Harn Museum of Art to express their frustrations surrounding UF’s presumptive president. Members of the UF Foundation Board attended a private event inside the museum as picketers surrounded the barricaded entrance.
The Oct. 6 UF press release that announced Sasse as the finalist mentioned the university courted a dozen highly qualified, diverse candidates — nine of them being current presidents of major research universities.
Negotiations have been open since September. The two groups met via Zoom Monday for the final bargaining session about the graduate assistant contract’s Article 8, which addresses what kinds of leave graduate assistants can take.
During Sasse’s visit, he’s scheduled to participate in open forums with the UF community. Outside Emerson Hall, student activists are planning to give their own feedback through organizing a protest against the Nebraska senator’s candidacy.
Search administrators have lauded Sasse’s experience in academic and public service, while student groups have blasted the senator for his political stances against gay marriage and abortion.
It’s been more than a month since Mark Law’s termination as UF Honors director, and UF administration still hasn’t begun a formal search for a new one.
Mark Law and UF administration are publicly at odds about the nature of his termination. Honors students say they were confused about the nature of Law’s firing, and some faculty who already distrusted the administration rallied to Law’s cause.
House Bill 7, dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act” by Gov. Ron Desantis, went into effect July 1, 2022. The law is an expansion on Florida Statute Section 760.10, now including language that prohibits certain material from being taught at universities in the Florida State University System.
The director of UF Honors Program was fired Monday. He said he wasn’t given an explanation by the Board of Trustees.
In the past two years, institutions such as Harvard University, State University of New York at Oswego, Pennsylvania State University and Temple University have undergone or are undergoing their own presidential searches.
A former student’s lawsuit arguing UF violated its contract when it required the student body to pay for on-campus amenities despite COVID-19 restrictions will see the Florida First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee July 20.
The UF presidential search remains a secret as it enters its fourth month. Public record bills passed in March permit the names of Florida schools' presidential candidates to remain private, but similar questions to recent state searches persist.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges determined Thursday UF has operated with integrity as they take steps to protect academic freedom.
During the final listening sessions amid the search for UF's next president, attendees voiced concerns about lack of transparency and trust with university leaders.
The university will host four listening sessions in the next two days as a part of the search for the next president. Faculty and students can provide input on qualities they want the presidential search committee and board of trustees to keep in mind Monday and Tuesday.
A tenured UF English professor is suing several faculty members, including President Kent Fuchs, under the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. He claims he was not granted his rights to free speech and due process.
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