University of Florida protesters demand new president Ben Sasse disavow DeSantis' anti-woke 'attacks'
Students and faculty have reportedly voice demands such as commitments to 'inclusivity, equity and diversity'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Students and faculty have planned yet another protest as former Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., prepares to take leadership of the University of Florida.
UF President-elect Sasse recently won approval from the Board of Trustees to become the school’s next president. He is one of many Republicans and conservatives who are taking up positions in Florida’s academia amid a much larger push against woke politicization of education.
The Gainesville Sun, a local Florida newspaper, reported that the incoming college president "will be greeted by protestors Monday afternoon outside the school's administration building as he officially takes the helm of the top-5 public university."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Protesters will reportedly demand Sasse commit to an agenda with demands such as, "Market equity raises for staff," "Publicly disavow attacks from Tallahassee on academic and free speech," and "Maintain pre-existing commitments to inclusivity, equity and diversity."
Then-ranking member Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, at the U.S. Capitol on April 27, 2021. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis-Pool/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA STUDENTS PROTEST, SAY REPUBLICAN SEN. BEN SASSES POSES ‘THREAT’ AS PRESIDENT
Sasse was escorted inside a police car for safety when he visited the campus amid protests in the fall.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A local organization, UF Graduate Assistants United, tweeted footage of Sasse entering the police vehicle as an onlooker said, "We don’t want you here," and screaming could be heard. The organization tweeted, "This is what a coward looks like. This will be your life every day if you accept a position here. @BenSasse."
Sasse commented on the protests at the time, "Obviously, I wish they didn't have the position they had, but I strongly support the right of people to protest and exercise their free speech rights. So I won't say I precisely welcome the protesters, but I sort of intellectually and constitutionally happily welcome the protesters."
Students protesting the nomination of Ben Sasse as University of Florida president. (Fox News/Ophelie Jacobson)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The UF protesters' reported demand to "Publicly disavow attacks from Tallahassee on academic and free speech" seems to be aimed at the state's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis on Tuesday unveiled new legislation to cut funding for critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state colleges. This comes after the DeSantis administration requested in late December that all state universities report expenditures and resources used for campus activities that relate to CRT and DEI initiatives.
Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to dismantle CRT and DEI programs at state universitites. (Ron DeSantis via Twitter)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In early January, DeSantis appointed six new right-leaning board members to the New College of Florida, the designated honors college of the state university system, after saying the school has been "captured by a political ideology that puts trendy, truth-relative concepts above learning."
Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.