Tallahassee-April 4, 2022: A union representing faculty at Florida’s state universities urged its members not to take part in a survey conducted Monday which they say was aimed at finding out the political leanings of students and employees in order to learn the political climate on various state campuses.
The survey on "Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity" law was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
It requires public universities to conduct an annual assessment of viewpoints and freedom of expression on campuses. Supporters of the survey have accused state universities of drowning out conservative student voices.
United Faculty of Florida (UFF) characterized the survey as "ideological" saying it seeks to determine the political leanings of all faculty, staff, and students as well asking respondents to share their viewpoints on the politics of their friends, colleagues, and classmates. In a news release issued Monday UFF urged faculty to ignore the survey, saying it would create a chilling effect on free speech and freedom of association on campuses.
UFF represents "25,000 faculty members at all twelve Florida public universities, sixteen state and community colleges, four k-12 lab schools, and at the private institution Saint Leo University (https://myuff.org/about-uff/)."