How Florida State University quietly dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion office

Amid the DeSantis administration's push to gut diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education, Florida State University quietly dismantled its DEI office.

But the university did it mainly by changing title names and reclassifying positions of employees who were already working in DEI to give them different roles — an approach that did not require laying anyone off.

The revelation of FSU's moves came a few days after the University of Florida in Gainesville very publicly announced that it got rid of its related programs by firing all of its DEI employees.

Compliance of the universities follow Gov. Ron DeSantis’s conservative focus on education, where he signed a measure (SB 266) into law last year to remove DEI programs in the state's public colleges and universities.

Despite restless concerns from students and faculty members that were voiced through protests on college campuses and public comments during board meetings, the Florida Board of Governors approved a regulation in late January to fall in line with the state law and prohibit spending on DEI.

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What DEI-related changes did FSU make?

In August 2023, FSU President Richard McCullough told a group of concerned students who met with him in his office that he was "still waiting for the Board of Governors to know what the exact implementations would look like" regarding the anti-DEI law that DeSantis signed in May.

But while waiting for the board's official rules that were made final in January, the university began reviewing positions, programs and activities on its campus related to DEI after the 2023 legislative session to prepare for compliance with the Board of Governors’ regulation as it was expected to pass.

While a few positions were affected by the university’s review, no program administrators or employees lost their jobs, according to a university spokesperson. But FSU did confirm that it shut down its Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Office after being asked by the Tallahassee Democrat.

The Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance and Engagement was activated in October 2023 to replace the former office. Within the former office of the Human Resources department, the university found two positions that were DEI-related — EDI Coordinator and Chief Diversity Officer.

While the coordinating position was vacant before being eliminated, the Chief Diversity Officer position — which was established at FSU since 2020 and mostly includes compliance duties — was being filled by Michelle Brown Douglas, an FSU alumna who joined the university’s Human Resources team in September 2014.

With Douglas’s role and duties being removed last year, the compliance responsibilities of her position that made up 80% of the overall role were expanded, according to an FSU spokesperson.

In addition, a position at FSU formerly titled Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist has been repurposed and renamed as "Compliance Specialist." The position now focuses on compliance and engagement since DEI duties have been removed.

A few other components of the university’s old EDI unit that have been discontinued include DEI-related programming and activities, training and expenditures — including a DEI Mini-Grant program, memberships in DEI organizations and subscriptions to DEI publications.

But while expenditures in support of DEI programming and activities at the public colleges and universities across the state are being discontinued, student-directed organizations — including student union agencies such as FSU’s Black Student Union and Jewish Student Union — are allowed to continue functioning on campus.

The board's regulation states that student-led organizations can still use university facilities to meet and hold activities and events since "such use must be granted to student-led organizations pursuant to written policies or regulations of each state university."

FSU’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) program also is protected as the DEI law does not prohibit “access programs for military veterans, Pell Grant recipients, first-generation college students, nontraditional students, ‘2+2’ transfer students from the Florida College System, students from low-income families or students with unique abilities,” according to the board’s 9.016 regulation.

As one of the goals in FSU's 2023-2027 strategic plan is to commit to inclusive excellence and civil discourse, the President's Council on Inclusive Excellence and Civility is in charge of continuing efforts toward the goal while the university remains in compliance with the DEI rules.

Has FAMU made any DEI-related changes?

Unlike FSU, Florida A&M University has never had a DEI office, according to a university spokesperson.

The university’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Allyson Watson sent a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat, saying “it's important to note that diversity, equity and inclusion are not integrated into our programs.”

“We remain steadfast in our dedication to the mission of our institution, prioritizing student success and academic excellence,” Watson said. “Upholding the values and goals that define FAMU, we strive to ensure that each initiative — whether mandated by external regulations or born from our internal aspirations — furthers our mission of fostering intellectual growth, enrichment and the advancement of social mobility.”

At the same time, the university announced in October 2022 that Ella Kiselyuk was named Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration/Chief of Human Resources & Diversity Officer.

But the university’s employee directory site lists Kiselyuk’s position as “Associate Vice President, Human Resources” and does not include the Chief Diversity Officer part of the title.

It is unclear whether or not the university made the title change on its site recently to comply with the board’s new DEI rules.

“At FAMU, we are aligned with the directives set forth by the Florida Board of Governors regarding diversity, equity and inclusion,” Watson said.

Contact Tarah Jean at [email protected] or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Amid public push by DeSantis, FSU quietly dismantled its DEI office