A Proposed Regulation Restricting Academic Freedom

The Florida State University System Board of Governors has just proposed a Prohibition of Discrimination in University Training or Instruction regulation mirroring the "Stop Woke Act", which enumerated a list of things that shall not be taught, from "Members of one race, color, national origin, or sex are morally superior to members of another race, color, national origin, or sex" to "Such virtues as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, neutrality, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or sexist, or were created by members of a particular race, color, national origin, or sex to oppress members of another race, color, national origin, or sex."

Readers may recall that both the UFF and the USF General Counsel had advised taking precautions when preparing classes, such as adding a disclaimer to syllabi, such as:

Students are encouraged to employ critical thinking and to rely on data and verifiable sources to interrogate all assigned readings and subject matter in this course as a way of determining whether they agree with their classmates and/or their instructor. No lesson is intended to espouse, promote, advance, inculcate, or compel a particular feeling, perception, viewpoint or belief.

The only enforcement mechanism in the regulation is that if university administrations don't enforce the regulation, their funding will be cut. What university administrations do about this is apparently up to them.

Members of the public have until Saturday, July 16, to post a comment on the legislation. And members of the public have a right to comment on regulations that affect them.

Incidentally, this regulation has a direct bearing on academic freedom, which is addressed in the contract, which says:

Academic Freedom is the freedom of an employee to discuss all relevant matters in the classroom, to explore all avenues of scholarship, research, and creative expression, to speak freely on all matters of university governance, and to speak, write, or act as an individual, all without institutional discipline or restraint.

And the USF Administration's responsibility to maintain academic freedom is also addressed.

On the part of the Administration, Academic Responsibility implies a commitment actively to foster within the University a climate favorable to responsible exercise of freedom, by adherence to principles of shared governance, which require that in the development of academic policies and processes, the professional judgments of employees are of primary importance.

The union's position is that the Board of Governors cannot make such a change in the terms and conditions of employment unilaterally: it must be bargained. But members of the public may submit comments of their own choosing.

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Getting Rowdie About the Contract

UFF members are celebrating our new contract! The Rowdies are playing at Al Lang Stadium on August 6, so click here and let us know if you are coming and how many are in your family group. (If you are not a UFF member, you can join now - and there will be membership forms at the game.) The Dugout Field Suite [see the bottom of the page] holds fifty persons maximum, so sign up now. The kickoff is at 7:30 PM, and the UFF party will include a pregame tailgate with food and fun. We need to sign up now to reserve the spot, so please RSVP before July 14 to see the Tampa Bay Rowdies take on Detroit City.

If you are interested, please let us know by July 14.

USF United Support Fund for Food Pantries

Many of our students are struggling during this crisis, and the USF Foundation is supporting the USF Food Pantries to help out. They are accepting non-perishable donations, but one can also make monetary donations for the pantries at St. Petersburg, Sarasota / Manatee, and Tampa.

LOGISTICS

The nest Chapter Meeting will be on Friday, July 22, on Zoom.

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