User:Kensocialmovements/Save New College Movement

“Save New College” is a coalition to defend New College of Florida and educational freedom from a hostile political takeover. It was initiated through a collaboration between students and alumni of the public honors school New College of Florida in response to a series of events that began when Florida Governor Ron Desantis appointed six new trustees to the school. Its goal is to defend educational freedom.

On January 6, 2023, the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, announced the appointment of six new conservative trustees to a historically liberal liberal arts with the expressed intent to convert the institution into a conservative college, a la Hillsdale. These trustees fired New College president Patricia Okker and replaced her with Richard Corcoran, a former Republican speaker of the Florida State House with connections to Ron Desantis. This situation was a moral shock that united students and alumni in the Save New College movement.

Breakdown Theory states that social movements emerge in a time of social breakdown due to perceived threats and grievances, often in the form of systematic discontent that causes a moral shock.

On January 6, Ron Desantis hired six new conservative trustees to New College of Florida: Christopher Rufo, Jason “Eddie” Speir, Matthew Spalding, Charles Kesler, Mark Bauerlein, and Debra Jenks. On January 26, a seventh conservative trustee, Ryan Anderson, was appointed by Florida's Board of Governors. On the first meeting with the new trustees (January 31st), the board of trustees votes to fire former New College President, Patricia Okker, and hire interim president Richard Corcoran, inciting protests from students and alumni. On the second meeting with the new trustees (February 28), the board votes to abolish New College’s Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence. On March 3rd, Richard Corcoran's first act as president is to fire chief diversity officer, Yoleidy Rosario-Hernandez, without cause. On March 23rd, Provost Suzanne Sherman, who had publicly clashed with new trustees, is announced to be replaced by an interim provost. Additionally, Sydney Gruters, wife of Representative Joe Gruters, is named as executive director of the New College of Florida Foundation.

In the fall of 2023, more than 200 students were moved to hotels off-campus as a result of four dorm sectors being shut down and the influx of 338 freshman students (the largest incoming class in the history of the institution). These dorms had been build by prominent architect I.M. Pei, but due to mold problems became uninhabitable. A large number of students transferred to other colleges or universities as a result of the hostile environment. Although an exact number is unknown, it is believed that about a third of New College faculty left as a direct result of the recent events in 2023.

In late 2023, Richard Corcoran requested 400 million from the state to provide for the transformation of New College. Said adjustments include the approving of lower performance standards in hopes of increasing enrollment from 730 students to 1,200. Athletic teams were introduced, along with a master's program focused on combating "cancel culture" in education.

The movement adherents of Save New College consist of beneficiaries and conscience adherents. The beneficiaries are predominantly students and staff. Conscience adherents are families of students, and other pedagogical supporters. Biographical availability (how the identity of a person contributes to them being more or less able to participate in a movement) and resource mobilization theory apply in various ways to the Save New College movement. Many students live on campus, and the trustee meetings likewise take place on campus. As a result, many protests and rallies take place on campus, which is a result of biographical availability.

Reactive forms of protest involve rallies, sit-ins, and consciousness raising, both as disruptive and conventional forms of collective action. There have been many nationally streamed Save New College rallies, and disruptions of New College trustee meetings in the form of sit-ins. The goal of these reactive protests is to build community, spread awareness, and disrupt the mission of the cause of the movement's formation.

The Save New College movement involves different forms of protest. Many constituents have chose to participate in consciousness raising through technological communication. Members of the movement take to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media to spread awareness of what's being framed as a "hostile takeover" of the school. Exact details for collective action, such as protests and rallies, are shared online as well. There are support pages on social media, as well.

Alt Liberal Arts is a coalition that emerged from the Save New College movement. The academic members of the non-profit organization created a social media and website with a mission to provide alternative online education for students seeking further pedagogical support. So far, they have had lectures with Jonathan Friedman, Maya Wiley, Simone Criss, Clark Wolff Hamel, Elisa Waters, Michael Sadowski, Margee Ensign, Jonathan Becker, Naomi Oreskes, Neil Gaiman, David Hogg, Maisie Brown, Evan Malbrough, Brianna Cea, Masha Gessen, and Judith Butler.

Another form of consciousness raising is the aforementioned protests that have been nationally live-streamed.

The Save New College movement coincides with the LGBTQ movement (as some New College students, professors, and alum are queer) and the disability rights movement (as some New College students, professors, and alum are disabled). In fact, New College was on the Campus Pride Index until 2023. It was removed as a result of the "hostile takeover" that caused the Save New College movement.

Save New College is also supported by the Tampa sector of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Its goal of defending educational freedom is connected to the larger Education Reform movement.

New College is seen as a microcosm various movements and minorities, particularly generation Z queer students, in the state of Florida. Therefore, the takeover is a microcosm for countermovements towards said movements and constituents.

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/22/us/new-college-florida-desantis.html 

2. https://apnews.com/article/desantis-new-college-florida-woke-timeline-5a5bcd78230ddd2a1adb8021fea8a755 

3. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SRYc621aQI3iYuAIQNyGbqxFJBzpy0F5/view 

4. https://www.ncf.edu/about/leadership/board-of-trustees/

5. https://plexuss.com/u/new-college-of-florida/history

6. https://www.altliberalarts.org/about

7. https://savenewcollege.org

8. https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/news-and-profiles/2023/08/new-college-students-transfer-faculty-resign 

9. https://www.campuspride.org/new-college-of-florida-removed-from-campus-pride-index-of-lgbtq-friendly-colleges-and-universities/