Gov. DeSantis, "and his crew", sets sights on university faculty

Stay up to date follow us on Twitter @RattlerNationFL

Florida officials have been on a public records binge, hitting state universities with a barrage of information requests as they push for major changes to higher education.

First came a late-December demand for details on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.Then universities were told in January to turn over records on any gender-affirming health care they provided over the last four years.

The latest request — for collective bargaining records — has some faculty concerned that their contracts with universities may be the next linchpin of academia to be targeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers.

On March 1, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues sent a request to presidents for details on the last round of negotiations with their two largest unions. He asked for the names of the bargaining units, the date of last the agreement, how long the negotiations lasted, the total cost of the effort and other information.
 
The universities’ responses were due on Tuesday.
 
Andrew Gothard, president of United Faculty of Florida, said the contracts also help create stability. 
 
“Students don’t need faculty constantly rotating in and out of these research programs and out of their labs,” he said. “They need stability so these programs can be maintained as they work through 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-year programs. We don’t need a revolving door of faculty, we need stability.”