(C) Florida Phoenix This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Students anxious about higher ed changes didn’t get clear answers from the FSU president [1] ['Jackie Llanos', 'More From Author', '- August'] Date: 2023-08-01 Five months after requesting to meet with Florida State University president Richard McCullough, student activists finally got the chance Tuesday to voice their concerns brought on by one of the state’s newest higher education law — a measure that essentially abolishes diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Members of the university’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society prepared a list of questions for their long-awaited morning meeting with the president, said Cas Casanova, the organization’s president, in a phone interview with Florida Phoenix. Still, they came out of the meeting with no clear answers regarding the future of existing ethnic studies and diversity programs and campus multicultural student-led organizations. “We’re all waiting for the other shoe to drop because the university keeps on saying that everything is fine, that nothing’s going to happen,” Casanova said. “But the truth is we don’t believe that. So, it feels like we’re waiting for the bad thing to happen without any sort of guidance from the university president or administration. It’s really tense, it’s scary, it’s anxious.” A university spokesperson told the Phoenix the meeting was a civil and productive conversation. “I’m disappointed to hear that the students felt that way. That’s not the impression they gave us,” wrote Dennis Schnittker, assistant vice president for university communications, in an email to the Phoenix. “The president and his staff spent an hour listening to their concerns and answering their questions.” A video recording was prohibited during the meeting, according to the students. It felt underwhelming As students get ready to start the new academic year at the end of August, there is a sense of fear among some, Casanova said. That fear stems from the law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May targeting diversity, equity and inclusion. Under the statute, which went into effect on July 1, higher education institutions won’t be able to spend public funding for DEI initiatives. The law also weakens tenure protections and prohibits any instruction based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States. “Honestly, it felt underwhelming. A lot of what they were saying sounded really nice,” Casanova said. “‘We have plans, we just can’t tell you what they are,’ or, ‘Don’t worry, we’re working on it every day.’ But the truth is: We won’t know if any of that is true until the change happens. Casanova added: “We want the university to be proactive and to address these problems now, instead of waiting until they have to implement the bill. … They’re not willing to give us real answers, to give us concrete solutions. They’re just not willing to address the problem in a public manner, and it’s disappointing.” As of now, FSU is evaluating the legislation to determine actions its Board of Trustees must take to comply with Florida law, Schnittker wrote in a statement. “The Florida Board of Governors and its staff are also analyzing these bills and will issue guidance to the 12 universities in the State University System,” according to the statement. Once the fall semester starts, the Students for a Democratic Society plan to continue demanding transparency about the potential changes, Casanova said. [END] --- [1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/08/01/student-anxious-about-higher-ed-changes-didnt-get-clear-answers-from-the-fsu-president/ Published and (C) by Florida Phoenix Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/floridaphoenix/