Diversity, equity and inclusion have been a hot topic in Florida.
This month, the University of Florida eliminated 13 full-time employees and 15 administrative positions connected with DEI initiatives on campus.
On Wednesday evening, the Steamboat Institute Campus Liberty Tour made the first of five national stops at the University of South Florida for a debate on the use of public funds for DEI in higher education.
The debate was hosted in partnership with the First Amendment Forum, College Republicans and College Democrats.
Event organizers promised a civil and cordial event, even with the polarizing topic. And those expecting fireworks or screaming and shouting were left disappointed.
Carrie Sheffield moderated the debate. President of New College of Florida Richard Corcoran spoke in favor of banning such funding, while Ameshia Cross, the communications director for the Education Trust, spoke against the bans.
Corcoran went first — citing the bill Gov. Ron DeSantis signed banning DEI initiatives in higher education, despite pushback from faculty unions and students statewide.
“DEI is completely — I agree with the governor — it is discrimination, it is absolutely exclusion and it's indoctrination," Corcoran said. "And that is what we are replacing at New College ... and the results speak for themselves.”
Corcoran likened DEI at universities to the George Orwell novella "Animal Farm," a story where animals revolt against a human farmer to become equal and free but instead end up with a pig dictator and a situation just as bad.
"What DEI is saying is get rid of individual rights. And now we're (going to) go about group identity rights," Corcoran said. "And if you're in that group, you're in good shape. But if you're not in that group, you're not, and you're seeing it manifest itself throughout the country.”
Cross followed, speaking about the importance of DEI on college campuses and how many people it can assist — particularly first-generation and underrepresented students.
“DEI in higher education is under assault. Make no mistake, it's an ill-advised campaign. And it's dangerous," Cross said. "It's one that affects not only Black people, but brown people, disabled people, undocumented people, military people, LGBT, and other underrepresented members of the community and the student body.”
Cross also spoke about the diversity of USF — but added the caveat that diversity alone is not enough to give everyone an equal chance.
“The University of South Florida is a very diverse campus," Cross said. "But the presence of diversity in and of itself does not automatically equal equity.“
While Corcoran and Cross disagreed on the question of DEI, they found common ground when discussing early education and the K-12 systems. Both agreed that literacy and quality education are needed to set college students up for success.
"The greatest threat to our country is we are failing to educate our youth well, from birth through college," Corcoran said. "And if we don't fix that, no matter how much we get everything else right, we will cease to be a constitutional republic in no time at all."
Event organizers polled the online and roughly 100 in-person attendees before and after the debate. The more than 70 respondents were about 50/50 on the issue beforehand and remained nearly unchanged afterward.
The Steamboat Institute has four upcoming debates, each on a different topic. All will be live-streamed and open to the public.
- March 21: University of Tennessee, Knoxville – Is the American dream dying?
- April 9: University of Colorado, Boulder – Is AI a threat to democracy?
- April 10: Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction – Does the United States need more nuclear energy?
- April 23: Cornell University, Ithaca, New York – Are universities failing to provide a culture of free speech and open inquiry?
