Saying they refuse to be political pawns in what they see as Gov. Ron DeSantis' unofficial quest for the presidency, about 75 Florida Gulf Coast University students gathered Monday evening to voice opposition to proposed legislation that would prohibit fields of study involving race and gender, and curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The bills working their way through the Florida Legislature could also change how state colleges and universities hire employees and would prohibit diversity statements in faculty hiring and student admissions.
Critics, say SB 266 and HB 999 are DeSantis-supported attempts to push universities and colleges to the political right.
FGCU students protest HB999 and SB266
“What is the ultimate goal? What's the reason? What's the plan? Is it to try to protect the children, as you say, or is it to actually harm us?” asked President of the FGCU Black Student Alliance Andrea Toles.
“In higher education, there's the benefit and the draw of academic freedom, the draw of going somewhere and learning about yourself and discovering because there's all these kinds of different people, all these different kinds of places."
“…And for you to say that I have restrictions on what I can study simply because you're scared of what I might do with my knowledge. Yeah, I'm not for that. So my question is 'why? And what are you so terrified of that I'm gonna do with all my power?'”
Former FGCU Student Body President Grace Brannigan thinks the bills are about control and trying to silence students.
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Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
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— WGCUFGCUBILLHB9903272023AM
Around 75 students and faculty at FGCU held a peaceful protest on the Library Lawn, Monday April 10, 2023, and to take a stand against bill HB999.
Andrea Melendez / WGCU
“I think that, fundamentally, it is about control. And it is about controlling the narrative of what the history of this nation is about what the history of the state is,” Brannigan said. “And I think ultimately all of these actions about higher education stem from a level of fear about the way that young voters tend to vote."
“… I think that a lot of this comes from the fear from the DeSantis administration and the legislature of what is going to happen in 2024, when young people overwhelmingly vote blue as they have for the last decade.”
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