Florida university has adopted 'radical DEI programming that segregates students by race,' critic claims

Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Chris Rufo posted on Twitter that the University of South Florida adopted a DEI program he says "segregates students by race."

"The University of South Florida has adopted radical DEI programming that segregates students by race and promotes the idea that white students should think ‘I feel bad for being white’ and ‘it's not my fault I’m white’ as part of their ‘racial identity development,’" Rufo tweeted.

He goes on to say in another tweet, "I have obtained a trove of public documents exposing USF's radical DEI programming, much of which, according to the Wayback Machine, the university tried to delete from its website following Florida governor Ron DeSantis's recent request for information about university DEI."

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Per a screenshot of the University of South Florida’s webpage, the documents include "Anti-Racist Resources" intended to provide opportunities related to "equity and inclusion for faculty, staff, and students." 

Rufo also posted "the endpoint of USF's DEI programming is left-wing political activism. As part of the university's official ‘anti-racist’ guidebook, diversity officials included materials promoting ‘reparations,’ ‘defund the police,’ ‘prison abolition,’ and rejecting ‘White, capitalist Jesus.’"

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"The university's DEI administrators offered the solution: racial reeducation. USF offered racially segregated counseling sessions and promoted ‘white identity development’ materials for white students to confront their ‘white privilege,’ ‘white guilt,’ and ‘white fragility,'" Rufo tweeted.

A spokesperson for the university sent Fox News Digital a statement saying the school "remains steadfast" in their support for academic freedom. 

"The University of South Florida is committed to fostering an inclusive community on our campuses and providing opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds. USF remains steadfast in our support for academic freedom, civil discourse, free speech and the open exchange of ideas," the statement said. "Some content and voluntary programs described on USF’s websites, much of which dates back to prior administrations, have recently been mischaracterized. As part of our long history of providing access to higher education, USF is proud to offer life-changing scholarship and financial aid programs to students of all backgrounds. USF follows state and federal laws regarding scholarship opportunities."

Rufo’s findings come after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R., last month unveiled new legislation taking aim at critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in state colleges. 

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DeSantis debuted the higher education proposal at a press conference in Bradenton. He said the reforms "must be grounded in actual history, the actual philosophy that has shaped western civilization."

"We are also going to eliminate all DEI and CRT bureaucracies in the state of Florida. No funding. And that will wither on the vine," DeSantis said. 

The reforms are expected to be taken up by the state’s Republican-majority legislature when its regular session begins in March. 

A potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, DeSantis has heavily criticized critical race theory, which examines systemic racism, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs, commonly known as DEI.

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Critical race theory, or CRT, is a framework for looking at U.S. institutions – particularly in the legal and educational realms – through the lens of racism. Legal scholars developed CRT in the 1970s and 1980s in reaction to what they regarded as the lack of progress following the Civil Rights era.

The article was updated to include a statement from the university.