Orlando, FL – On June 27 and 28, the Florida Board of Governors held a meeting at the University of Central Florida Student Union. On June 27, various subcommittees met to discuss measures that would be voted on the next day. One of these included providing $100 million in funding for UCF's football department, even though teachers and faculty learned last semester that they would not receive a raise.

On June 28, about ten speakers came to the Board of Directors meeting to provide public comment on numerous agenda items, including the update of Florida New College's “master plan” and the Board's decision to remove “Foundations of Sociology” from the list of core courses earlier this year.

The elimination of the course means it no longer meets the general core requirements of students. Nearly all speakers, including a member of UCF Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), had their microphones cut off for “not taking a position on the agenda items.” Public comments lasted no more than ten minutes, and the Board continued the meeting without acknowledging the comments of those in attendance.

Several members of the audience who made public comments spoke out against the Board, stating that it was absurd to be interrupted when they had driven for hours to attend the meeting and not even be acknowledged. The members of the audience who expressed their opinions were asked to leave the meeting and were escorted out of the room by police.

That same day, at 10:30 a.m., more than 25 students, including listeners who were cut off, gathered outside the Student Union to protest the Florida Board of Governors' support for cracking down on pro-Palestinian protesters and attacking diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Several attendees traveled from other universities in the state, such as Florida State University and the University of Florida. One attendee held a sign that read “Fund DEI, not genocide.”

Muahbohn Dahn, an organizer with Florida Student Power, explained the impact of bills like SB 266 on students and their education, stating, “Not only does this bill defund our offices of diversity, equity and inclusion in the state, but it attacks our courses in general. Any courses that have to do with critical race theory or critical gender theory have been removed from our catalog because they know that if we are able to sociologically examine the systems that have been built around us, we will see the ways in which they continue to oppress us.”

Ladara Royal, educator and union leader of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, continued, “They say public education is the great equalizer. But that dream is under attack in Florida. There is no innovation when everyone in the room looks and thinks the same.”

Despite the intense heat and police presence, students gathered in front of the Student Union for an hour after the Board of Directors left its meeting.

Marcus Polzer, a UCF SDS organizer who was among those interrupted during the public hearing, stated, “The Florida Board of Governors poses as a supporter of higher education and students, but cannot take more than 15 minutes every three months to listen to public comments. This board has the power to eliminate entire degree programs. We students are an important part of this university and we will not be silenced.”

Madalyn Propst, a student at FSU, further spoke out against the board's recent undemocratic decisions, stating, “They believe it is their God-given right to govern against the interests of students. We will not bow to their hatred; we will not stand idly by while they take away our rights.”

The rally and press conference were hosted by Florida Student Power and Youth Action Fund in partnership with the UCF Divestment Coalition and UCF Students for a Democratic Society.

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