Florida
Florida scales back college general education classes covering systemic racism, privilege, sexism
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – General education courses at Florida colleges and universities are going to be significantly reduced.
The Board of Governors voted Thursday to approve a new course list that it believes is not based on theories of systemic racism and privilege, among others.
The board meeting, held in the student union building at the University of North Florida, got some pushback.
About 30 minutes before the six-hour meeting started, a group of professors and students protested the changes and wanted the board of governors to reconsider before voting.
The change to the course list dates back to 2023 when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law changes that allow the Board of Governors to have the authority to remove courses from the general education track that they find to be based on “theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United State and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequalities.”
During Thursday’s meeting, State University System of Florida Chancellor Ray Rodrigues mentioned a poll that was recently taken that asked if people had confidence in higher education and pointed out why a large number of people said they did not have confidence.
“If you did not have confidence, why did you not have confidence in higher education? There were three main reasons,” Rodrigues said. “The No. 1 reason was political agenda, a belief that higher education has turned into indoctrination and faculty members were pushing their own personal liberal agendas.
Rodrigues also mentioned the other two reasons in the poll, including people believing higher education had the wrong purpose. Some polled said graduates cannot find jobs and the degrees they are earning are meaningless. The other reasons were cost and debt.
Before Thursday’s meeting started, more than a dozen UNF professors and students gathered along the walkway of the student union building to express that they feel like they are being limited in what they can teach and learn.
Dr. Matthew Leon, a business professor, said he has already had to make a drastic change in one of his courses.
“I teach a bunch of human resources courses,” Leon said. “Right now, I have a disclaimer in my syllabus that students do not have to believe what I say, which is insane for me to say, ‘there is federal law that has been established for 60 years, but if you don’t like it, don’t let it stress you out.’ The world is a challenging place. We are doing our students a disservice by not giving them an education that allows them to navigate it.”
Leon said he attended the organized news conference to plead with the Board of Governors to rethink the choice it was bound to make.
“What I am here to do is really to ask the board to allow the experts and the people on the ground to give the education to our students in our workforce that they need to remain world-class,” he said.
During the meeting, Rodrigues also said the board is not prohibiting colleges or universities from offering all of the courses on those topics.
But none of the classes can be included as a part of any general education requirements in order to graduate from a state college or university.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Florida
South Florida faith leaders call for Miami mental health center to finally open
Florida
SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
Florida
GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
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