My Proposed Agenda Items for 4/26 Board of Trustees Meeting
Here is a copy of the e-mail that I send to our Board of Trustees Liason before every meeting:
I ask to pray to start our meeting.
1. Gender Studies
Whereas DEI offices are used as the administrative mechanisms to push Critical Race Theory, Critical Social Justice, and Gender, Trans, and Queer Ideologies, Gender Studies programs and courses are the academic mechanisms by which these ideologies promulgate.
Whereas steps have been taken to remove these destructive ideologies from New College of Florida, to wit the office of DEI has been closed, its resources redirected, and its personnel reassigned, now the same must be done with NCF’s Gender Studies program and courses.
I move that we direct Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Brad Theissen to work in tandem with Counsel Galvano to draft a policy that will result in the removal of the Gender Studies program, Gender Studies courses, Gender Studies majors and minors, and interdisciplinary Gender Studies majors and minors from New College of Florida’s academic programming and curricula, and to present draft policy, including existing policy at the next Board meeting.
2. Create Socratic Debate Series
See the e-mail for the 2/28 meeting for the accompanying text.
3. Create Curriculum Review Committee
4. Declare Wokeness as a Religion and define guidance for Curriculum Review Committee.
I move that we as a board provide the following framework to be further developed and then brought back before this board and then used as a guide to the curriculum review committee:
Wokeness is a set of beliefs concerning the nature of the universe containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs, ergo religion.
A. Aspects of wokeness that are shared values. These aspects should be incorporated and included in our curriculum. They should also be supported in extra-curricular programs and activities. Diversity and inclusion, for example, we should not and clearly would not throw out any curriculum that describes the beautiful aspects of America’s diversity. This should be celebrated. And America’s triumphs in creating this melting pot should be recognized. And the shared values that unite us should be highlighted.
B. Aspects of wokeness that are dogmatic. These aspects should not be incorporated into a curriculum nor supported through school-sponsored programs or activities. One example of a dogmatic expression of wokeness is the assertion that America and its institutions are systemically racist and must be torn down.
C. Aspects of wokeness that are, in essence, pledges of fealty. These aspects should be actively fought against; furthermore, curriculum, programs, and activities should be made that express the dangers of these aspects and equips students to fight against them in defense of Florida’s constitution. Through either coercion or intimidation, these pledges of fealty are antithetical to Floridian’s shared values. One such example of a pledge of fealty is the demand for woke pronouns.
5. Task Campus Police with Threat Assessment Recommendation to be brought before this Board.
6. Seek Legal Opinion Regarding Expanding Transparency for On-Going Discussions on-line.
7. Add New Business Section to this and EVERY meeting agenda going forward.
You might wish to define "religion" before starting a Holy War against "Wokeness." The reality of millions of USians who share a certain understanding of the errors of this nation, which is still quite young, and to some extent ignorant of its own darker passages need not be elevated (or degraded) into a "religion." It's kind of surprising in fact that you are so free with the term. Millions are passionate about baseball, Drake, Ayn Rand, etc. - that doesn't make them religions. In fact by using a term that normally involves a tradition surrounding a divine being, rituals and a narrative that informs the practices handed down from higher powers, you are debasing the very notion of religion. If you fail to exhibit tolerance AND wish to ban a religion, are you any different from the Taliban?
Richard, wokeism is a term that means different things to different people and I think we need to move past using it. I have said this to Eddie elsewhere, but if the goal is productive conversation, it would be helpful to be more precise with language to say what you mean, rather than using pejoratives that are only meant to make people have an emotional response about a collective “enemy.” It’s like if someone on the left said that they wanted to issue a formal declaration stating that all Trump followers are part of a racist personality cult. What good would that do other that stoking flames of anger?