BOCA RATON, Fla. — With Gov. Ron DeSantis signing controversial legislation to defund diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Florida Atlantic University students are sounding off on the new law.
Sarah Romeo and Daniella Coby said they worry campuses across the state won't be as welcoming for people like them.
"It's creating a divide that doesn't need to be there between every single community," Coby said, "which honestly sucks because we've worked so hard in the past to get to where we are, and it feels like we're taking 50 steps backwards."
SB 266 prohibits institutions from spending federal or state dollars on what his office calls discriminatory initiatives like DEI programs.
"What this does is reorient our universities back to their traditional mission, and part of that traditional mission is to treat people as individuals, not to try to divvy them up based on any type of superficial characteristics," DeSantis said. "We're going to elevate merit and achievement above identification with certain groups. "
Nicole Morris, the chair of government relations for FAU's staff union United Faculty of Florida, defined DEI and how it affects people like them.
"It's an effort to ensure that our institutions are welcoming and accessible to all," Morris said. "Historically, people like myself, a queer person assigned female at birth, we have not been invited into institutions and of course for people of color that's even compounded by the legacy of discrimination and segregation."
Both Romeo and Coby agree that seeing DEI initiatives go away across the state makes FAU and Florida seem less accepting.