(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . New College in Florida [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-06 "I want to share something I did Monday. Maybe, some of you would consider doing the same. I wrote a letter to every member of the Democratic caucus in the Florida Senate asking them to oppose the confirmation of the six appointments Governor DeSantis named to the New College Board of Trustees, as well as the appointment of Ryan Anderson, who was named by State University System Board of Governors. I did this even though I fully expect all seven Trustee appointments to be confirmed by the Republican majority in the upper chamber. I also believe the chance of rescuing New College from hostile takeover through reasonable dialog with the Board of Trustees is negligible. The Governor is invested in the takeover, he is at the zenith of his power and influence in Florida, and he is preparing to run for president. Does anyone believe DeSantis is not behind the ascension of Richard Corcoran (his former Education Commissioner and the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives) to the presidency of New College? Does anyone believe he is not also behind the selection of Bill Galvano (former President of the Florida Senate) to be the school’s General Counsel? The seven Trustees were chosen to give DeSantis his “Hillsdale of the South” on Sarasota Bay, and I don’t think he or they will pull any punches in the fight to do it. But if this is the situation, why did I bother writing the letters? https://www.facebook.com/.../permalink/3204973619720067/ The reason is that I think the main path in any strategy to rescue New College will be through the courts. As Howard A. Smith suggested in the Daimon on January 11, the Board is likely to go too far and do something that will run afoul of the accreditation process. (See) Eventually, it will expose itself to lawsuits from students, parents, and the faculty union. If the plaintiffs can gain traction in the courts, they will be in a much better position to resist DeSantis and, if necessary, negotiate with the Board from a position of strength. When the lawsuits begin, it will be important to have allies. Allies could draw attention to our cause in the media and in the court of public opinion. They might help New College build bridges to other campuses as faculty, students, and parents around the state watch what happens here. Perhaps, they could also aid the faculty as the Board tries to cow the NC chapter of United Faculty of Florida. The Senate Democrats would be a natural group from which to seek allies. Unfortunately, after last November, there are only twelve Democrats left in the chamber compared to twenty-eight Republicans. However, three of the twelve are black women, and three are black men. One of the black men, Shevrin Jones, is also the first openly gay person to serve in the Florida legislature. Four are white women, and one is a Hispanic man. If the caucus leans so heavily toward minorities and women, doesn’t it make sense that they might find the Board’s move this week against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion concerning? And as the highest-ranking Democrats in a state governed by someone who will soon run for the Republican presidential nomination, doesn’t it make sense that they would like to see the Governor thwarted as he tries to make New College into a model for how higher education would be “reformed” in a DeSantis presidency? I would think the Senate Democrats would have more than enough reason to join our side in the struggle over the direction of New College. The first thing the Senators could do to help us would be to obstruct confirmation of the seven appointees as best they could. They cannot and will not succeed in keeping the seven from being confirmed. But, perhaps, they could raise a good deal of fuss about them in public. For example, they could point out the hypocrisy of holding up Hillsdale as an example of wide-ranging debate when the school offers an online course entitled “The American Left: from Liberalism to Despotism” and uses it to raise funds. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/6/2151437/-New-College-in-Florida Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/