A new year brings many new things. Sometimes, however, we get a chance to witness continuity from the previous year. In our case, Gov. Ron DeSantis’s political theater has been renewed for another season in 2023.

Having House Bill 7 –the Stop WOKE Act– land dead on arrival isn’t stopping our dear leader from continuing his tantrum against the sides of academia he disagrees with. He initiated his shakedown of all public Florida universities three days after Christmas. Called Memo # 23-021, it requires all state universities to list any diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) classes and programs that use state funds. 

In very sophisticated legal terms, this memo has no teeth. It is simply a “request for information,” in its own words. All it has done for Florida’s education system (and UNF) has bogged down already-overworked university faculty with more paperwork to fill out after the holidays. Apparently creating a “cost-effective” higher education system in Florida requires wasting universities’ time and money (that we, as students, help foot the bill for) on Ronnie’s silly little errands.

I’m not necessarily bothered by the blatant political virtue-signaling shown here. It’s par for the course in our modern political landscape. What I am bothered by is how this action does nothing to improve the quality of education in Florida. I mean seriously, does it matter if state funds are used for a 1000-level class on diversity? Conservatives always say that a college is a place for students to learn about the world around them. What they fail to understand is that sometimes, that learning comes from perspectives that might not be popular with Republicans.

If DeSantis and other Republicans wanted to improve the quality of Florida’s education system, why not support initiatives that make going to college a more feasible, affordable option to begin with? Perhaps by improving the school systems in central Florida’s poorest counties so that they can have more than 27 Bright Futures recipients? Or, because college isn’t for everyone, why not provide more funding and support for trade schools and certificate programs? There are problems with Florida’s education system, and they have nothing to do with DEI.

But we all know that our governor won’t do these things because he’s more interested in selling his supporters a distorted view of the world, one where the “woke mob” is controlling the minds of our youth and radical leftists are hellbent on destroying their way of life. He’s going to push this grift on Floridians all the way to his 2024 bid for president. Save us the trouble, Ron. We all know what you’re trying to do. 

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