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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2025
VOLUME 119 - ISSUE 20 Not officially associated with the University of Florida
Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Why are politicians purging ‘identity politics’ from UF’s general education curriculum? A STATE-MANDATED REVIEW STRIPPED GENERAL EDUCATION DESIGNATIONS FROM HUNDREDS OF COURSES
By Zoey Thomas & Garrett Shanley Alligator Staff Writers
Last spring, Anna Peterson’s syllabi went under the microscope. Administrators and state officials spent the last year painstakingly examining the UF religion professor’s courses — along with hundreds of others in the university's general education catalog. The review, driven by the state university system’s Board of Governors, ensured the courses fell in line with a GOP-backed law targeting perceived left-wing bias in higher education. The Board of Governors, a majority of which are appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis, finalized the review in January, voting to whittle down UF’s general education catalog from more than 1,200 courses to just under 300. More than three-fourths of courses cut came from humanities and social sciences. Starting the next academic year, UF students won't have general education options for any foreign language. As a department, languages lost over 40 courses in subjects ranging from Japanese to Spanish. Women’s studies — one of the Republican-dominated legislature’s most frequently criticized programs — is losing all eight of its general education courses. Likewise, all of UF’s environmental engineering and African-American studies courses will become electives. The religion department had the
SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT
Meet cute Story description finish with comHow Gainesville couples found ma, pg# love. Read more on pg. 6.
second-most courses removed after languages, although several still remain available. A rule barring upper-division courses from the general education pool ousted scores of courses. Others had already been requested for removal by UF’s academic departments or hadn’t been taught in years. But the logic behind some cuts — and who made those calls — remains hazy. The 2023 state law that triggered the review says state universities’ general education catalogs — made up of courses in communications, math, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences — “may not distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics.” It also outlaws “unproven, speculative, or exploratory content” from the general education curriculum and requires humanities courses to include selections from the Western Canon. The committee defined the canon as foundational works that shaped Western development. Peterson said her department doesn’t know why some general education offerings, like an introductory course on the New Testament, didn’t fall within the new standards. She speculated her course “Religion and Social Movements,” which investigates religion’s social role in the U.S., Britain, Asia, Latin America and Africa, was “too woke.” “We’re all just pretty baffled,” Peterson said. Florida Republicans and conservative academics have praised the purge as a remedy for what they see as progressive orthodoxy in higher education. Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the state university system, said in an
SEE GEN ED, PAGE 3
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) shoots the ball in a basketball game against Auburn University on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Auburn, Ala.. Read more in Sports on pg. 12.
‘They can’t go back’: Florida immigrants anxious amid deportation crackdowns COMMUNITIES GRAPPLE WITH LEGAL VARIABILITY AS SHIFTING POLICIES THREATEN LIVES BUILT IN THE U.S.
By Vera Lucia Pappaterra Alligator Staff Writer
Andres, a 60-year-old immigrant from Venezuela with a 30-year background in mechanical engineering, works 60 hours a week as a Lyft and DoorDash driver. When the Venezuelan military started harassing Empresas Polar, the company he worked for, Andres
The Avenue: Super Bowl LIX
The rise of online sports betting, pg. 8
lost his job. The Venezuelan government accused the company, the largest food and beverage distributor in the country, of creating false scarcity. Andres, whose last name is omitted due to his immigration status, was no longer able to be employed in Venezuela. He sought asylum in the United States three years ago, he said. “Leaving the country, that’s the hardest thing,” he said. “After that, you tell yourself, ‘You have to be strong, [and] you have to overcome adversity.’” Andres started a new life in the U.S. under asylum. Now, he fears the life he has worked to rebuild in
America might be stripped from his grasp as President Donald Trump's administration escalates deportation efforts. Until he finds out what his future holds, Andres spends his days navigating Gainesville’s streets, picking up passengers and delivering food far from the factory floors where he once worked as an engineer for Empresas Polar. Although he works legally while his asylum case remains pending, Andres doesn’t feel secure while he waits for a decision on his application, which could mean being
SEE DEPORTATION, PAGE 2
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Flu outbreaks take over UF’s campus, pg. 5
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