Posted on 03/14/2023 7:30:40 AM PDT by Jacquerie
The House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Subcommittee approved a proposed committee substitute for HB 999 Monday, replacing the language of the original bill.
Republican lawmakers are proposing to expand legislation that would further limit majors and minors available to Florida university students.
The legislation also would further undermine tenure protections for professors.
The bill in question is HB 999 and it’s called Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions. Lawmakers will be discussing an updated version at a Monday committee meeting, where they will decide whether to accept or reject new expanded language in the bill.
The American Association of University Professors said that the proposed language would “enact the most draconian restrictions on higher ed in US history. It bans all majors & minors in ANY critical theory & allow unqualified political appointees to call for post-tenure review of any faculty member at any time,” according to a Saturday tweet.
Lawmakers will consider an expansion to the bill Monday which would direct the Board of Governors to “provide direction to each constituent university to remove from its programs any major or minor that is based on or otherwise utilizes pedagogical methodology associated with Critical Theory, including, but not limited to, Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Studies, Critical Ethnic Studies, Radical Feminist Theory, Radical Gender Theory, Queer Theory, Critical Social Justice, or Intersectionality, as defined in Board of Governors regulation.”
The current version of HB 999 says that the board of trustees at a university can issue a review of a tenured professor at any point “with cause.”
But the new proposed language adds broad definitions for what would constitute as cause, which includes but is not limited to “poor performance, negligence, inefficiency or inability to perform assigned duties, insubordination, violation of any applicable law or rule, conduct unbecoming a public employee, misconduct, drug abuse, or conviction of any crime.”
Monday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a “roundtable discussion” about his administration’s plan to eliminate critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at universities and colleges. He referenced HB 999 and its Senate version, SB 266, during the roundtable.
He also discussed a provision in the legislation that would prohibit universities from requiring employees “pledge” any statement about “diversity, equity, and inclusion, Critical Race Theory rhetoric, or political identity or ideology.”
If they actually do so, they deserve to be bought a round of drinks.
It would be more effective to simply fire every “educator” in the university systems and start again from scratch.
State colleges use taxpayers money to create these stinking nests for leftists. This is one of many reasons that decent, rational people resent paying taxes.
Federalism — it is a very beautiful system.
The members of the “American Association of University Professors” have all their panties in a wad. What a shame. Just breaks my heart.
And abolish every single “studies” department. Let the kids get something useful out of their college years that will lead to a productive profession and career and a fulfilling life.
Getting trained to be a professional agitator and leech hurts the kids and, more importantly, hurts society.
Actually I do have a problem with this. No, I get the whole private vs public universities argument. But people should be able to study whatever they want. If the students want to take on debt for Critical Race Theory or Gender..,whatever then go for it. Just don’t ask the public to bail you out for your stupidity.
The government, State or Federal, should keep their nose out of colleges. If the government can prohibit things from being taught, then they also have the power to mandate what should be taught. Keep this in mind when Dem wins the governorship which will happen one of these days.
I like it.
And then we can have multiple BOOK BURNINGS like they did in the 1930’s. Book burnings are great.
You don’t have to ban them, just deny scholorships and state funding for the majors.
Tell the critics to get a job.
Gov. Ron DeSantis .......the GOPe RINO deep state soros puppet strikes again. 👌
I wonder if the Florida universities got wind of this and that’s the reason that Ben Sasse was named president of the University of Florida, the state’s flagship university? On paper, anyway, he would have some pretty good credentials to take on the Florida Republicans. However, in a political dogfight, I would definitely bet on DeSantis over Sasse.
I agree with you. We must push back against Critical Race Theory, etc. It’s dangerous stuff. But an outright ban at the college level seems like a Big Brother move. For who is to decide when a course has too much CRT in it? Some government official, I suppose.
Then it becomes something like what we have now. Some professor somewhere says the wrong word, and then the next thing you know he’s cancelled.
I would prefer fighting bad ideas with good ideas. Perhaps every college student should be required to take a yearly one credit seminar on the importance of free speech and the free exchange of ideas. Then let students decide for themselves.
Just be sure to have the seminar designed by folks who actually believe in free speech!
I’m uncomfortable with banning the useless majors. Better to dis them in the manner that they deserve, along with fixing the college loan problem by requiring colleges to back student loans. College admins know beyond doubt that these silly majors will produce only ditch diggers, homeless people, Democrat politicians, and DEI administrators.
Anything critical is a crock. People should learn to just accept things at face value.
There is a very successful model for that-- Hillsdale College in Michigan. They have their own group of private lenders who actually loan at better rates than Fedzilla for the simple reason that the default rate of their graduates is damn near zero.
The State of North Dakota has a state owned bank that makes their loans. Again, the default rate is damn near zero because (1)all institutions of higher learning in the state are bargain tuition rates compared to their peers; (2)loan amounts are very limited for unmarketable majors or students not progressing through the system at a normal rate.
Tenured professors should NOT be above review for cause by the university board. People frequently take liberties when there is no accountability and what accountability is there really for tenured professors?
I have personally seen problems in tenure. On the one hand, someone who had no business being employed by a university (student harassment, unpreparedness, poor management of coursework) yet granted tenure and in another case a solid, well prepared, professor who was initially denied tenure that students organized and fought for successfully. As time had marched on, I recognize one knew how to play the social game (even openly advocating students follow that route) and the other was about the work of educating students.
Keeping the appeals courts at bay, not unlike the situation surrounding the AG DeSantis suspended/sacked, helps tremendously.
Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Studies, Critical Ethnic Studies, Radical Feminist Theory, Radical Gender Theory, Queer Theory, Critical Social Justice, or Intersectionality and many other “liberal arts/science” majors are bull shite studies.
Any parent allowing their child to major in this idiocy is part of the problem. If the stupid kid wants to major in this unprecedented BS, let the stupid kid pay for it and I don’t want to hear whining from the stupid brat that they can’t get a good job with a degree in a Bull Shite major.
If it’s a public university\college, it is taking public (state) money with the understanding that there will be a return on the state’s investment. The return is both in money - taxes from improved incomes and something ethereal & unmeasurable - good citizenship. As long as the institution is stat sponsored the “state” should have a say in what maximizes is ROI!
Private college\universities call teach nonsense if that’s what their alumni association and board wish!
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