Professors fighting for academic freedom challenge Stop WOKE Act / Public News Service

Academic freedom advocates are fighting in court against the state of Florida’s claim that a professor’s speech is government speech, allowing them to block criticism of the governor.

The arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit last month raised concerns when prominent attorney Charles J. Cooper, representing Florida, said the state could “insist that professors not adopt or endorse views that are contrary to those of the state.”

Adriana Novoa, a professor of Latin American history at the University of South Florida, challenges the “Stop WOKE” law and warns people that they should be very concerned.

“It’s indoctrination, which is ironic because that’s what they say we’re doing right now,” Novoa said. “In fact, any governor — not just this one — any governor in the future can decide what views are going to be promoted in the classroom.”

The Stop WOKE Act, overturned but appealed, banned in-school education and workplace training, suggesting privilege or oppression based on race, gender or national origin.

Gov. Ron DeSantis criticizes DEI programs focused on race and sexual orientation, saying they are unconstitutional and discriminatory and has passed laws to avoid discomfort or guilt around these topics.

Henry Reichman, professor emeritus of history at California State University-East Bay and former vice president of the American Association of University Professors, said academic freedom is a professional norm upheld by respected universities. He warned that Florida’s approach was unprecedented and dangerous.

“This idea that the faculty member is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the government, that the government is the ventriloquist behind the scenes pulling the professor’s strings, then you don’t have education; you have propaganda, you have indoctrination,” Reichman argued.

Despite DeSantis’s continued campaign against what he calls “indoctrination,” a term he uses frequently at rallies and this week’s Republican National Convention, the state’s call for the Stop WOKE Act, or Individual Freedom Act, has raised concerns among academics and civil rights organizations about the lengths the state is willing to go to limit freedom of thought in classrooms.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Lumina Foundation.

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The nonprofit group Alabama Possible has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help increase FAFSA completion rates among students in the state.

Currently, less than half of Alabama’s graduating students have completed the Free Application for Student Aid. Delays and glitches in the government’s rollout of a new FAFSA system are largely to blame.

Chandra Scott, executive director of Alabama Possible, said the state has seen one of the largest year-over-year declines in FAFSA completion, making summer support urgent.

“Who’s going to be standing at the door to answer these students’ calls? They’ve suffered enough already,” Scott said. “The last thing they need to deal with is, ‘I don’t know who to call. I don’t know who can help me get through this.’ And we want to put an end to that.”

The most recent data from the National College Attainment Network shows that only 47% of high school seniors nationwide have completed the FAFSA form.

Scott noted that the grant has allowed her organization to upgrade its call center and hire more staff to help families. She noted that support will be available via phone, chat and Zoom, to ensure help reaches every corner of the state.

“They literally walk them through the process, question by question, to make sure they’ve done their job and are confident in the process,” Scott said. “They even follow up on the emails they were supposed to receive, to make sure they actually got them.”

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As some higher education institutions in Pennsylvania and across the country close, one Erie school has taken a big step toward making higher education more accessible and affordable.

Erie County Community College fills a need by serving an underserved county.

Chris Gray, the college’s president, said the challenges of poverty and economic decline in the region are being addressed in part by creating a foundation to help students with short-term unexpected expenses so they can stay in school and work toward their degrees and certificates.

“We call it an emergency fund,” Gray said. “It gives us a pool of money that allows us to step in and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got a medical bill, you had to get a tooth pulled or whatever, it’s $150.’ Whether it’s $50, $500, $5,000, it’s out of reach for so many people who live in poverty. It allows us, through the generosity of our donors, to step in and say, ‘We’re going to help you.’”

According to the school’s website, the college offers affordable associate degrees and technical certificate programs for jobs in fields that don’t require a bachelor’s degree.

Unlike many colleges, where enrollment is down, Gray noted that their numbers have skyrocketed since opening in 2021. He noted that they have welcomed nearly 600 students and are projecting an enrollment of 700 to 800 this fall. He added that some community funding has allowed some students to attend school for free.

“Thanks to the generosity of the county government, we were able to waive tuition for the first two years,” Gray noted. “And then, thanks to the generosity of a private donor, the Susan B. Hagen Fund, we were able to waive tuition for students. And it’s had incredible results.”

Gray noted that in addition to the emergency fund, the college also offers scholarships, both recurring and one-time. He added that in memory of his mother, they recently established a college scholarship.

“This is a larger gift,” Gray said. “We will use the interest on that and every year, with that gift, we will be able to give $1,000 to a student, every year, for eternity.”

Gray added that the school is preparing for a major health care renovation, thanks to a partnership between the county government and three hospital systems, which have committed more than $5 million to support the initiative.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Lumina Foundation.

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With just over a month to go until Indiana college students return to school, a new law affecting tenure for college professors is in full effect.

The law targets public universities, requiring diversity committees to review faculty, administration and policies on “cultural and intellectual diversity.”

Professors must be evaluated every five years. Administrators are required to accept complaints if professors fail to meet criteria related to freedom of research, expression and intellectual diversity, although the details are not detailed.

Ball State University student Michaela Ayeh said the law encourages bigotry.

“This is a perfect example of the excessive interference of the board of governors and the government, the restriction of academic freedom and censorship,” Ayeh said. “This bill is exemplary of the racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism and other bigoted ideologies that bigots harbor.”

Supporters of the law say it gives the board the ability to determine whether professors are eligible for tenure or promotion based on their performance in promoting intellectual diversity every five years.

State Sen. Spencer Deery — R-West Lafayette — helped draft the bill. He argued it addresses concerns about ideological bias at universities.

“The Pew Research Foundation conducted a study on the reasons for the lack of trust in our institutions of higher education,” Deery said. “The number one issue for Republican respondents was professors who advocated political views that were irrelevant to classroom life.”

Some academics are concerned about restrictions that could be placed on their freedom of expression, as their position is now at stake.

Some opponents say the law encourages conformity and may discourage teachers from taking on topics that might violate what they see as vague standards.

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