University of West Florida moves to close DEI center, remove DEI references from student code of conduct
UWF is considering removing references to sexual orientation and gender identity from its student code of conduct, focusing sexual harassment definitions solely on sex-based conduct.
The university has also closed its Office of Campus Culture and Access, continuing a statewide shift away from DEI initiatives.
The University of West Florida (UWF) is considering removing references to “sexual orientation or gender identity” from its student code of conduct.
The amended student code of conduct would redefine sexual harassment to focus solely on sex-based conduct, removing references to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” according to the Pensacola News Journal.
UWF interim Vice President and Dean of Students for Academic Engagement and Student Affairs Mary Anderson said the updates were open for public comment through Sept. 3. The Board of Trustees is scheduled to review the potential changes on Sept. 18.
The proposed changes come as interim President Manny Diaz Jr. reshapes the university’s administration to move away from diversity initiatives.
In a related shift, UWF has closed the Office of Campus Culture and Access—formerly the Office of Equity and Diversity—and removed its senior director, Aurora Osborn.
These moves follow Diaz’s broader track record in Florida, including eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and reducing sociology requirements statewide.
In 2024, while he was Florida Commissioner of Education, Diaz stated that higher education must return to “academic integrity” and move away from “destructive ideologies.”
“Higher education must return to its essential foundations of academic integrity and the pursuit of knowledge instead of being corrupted by destructive ideologies,” Diaz said in a January 2024 announcement of new rules against public funding of DEI programs. “These actions today ensure that we will not spend taxpayers’ money supporting DEI and radical indoctrination that promotes division in our society.”
This is far from the first time that a public university in Florida has stepped away from controversial DEI initiatives.
In February, following President Trump’s anti-DEI executive order, the University of Florida directed staff to halt all DEI-based federal grant programs, citing federal law.
Later, in March, Florida State University announced it would remove DEI-related terms like “Antiracist” and “Systemic” from its websites to comply with federal and state directives, secure government funding, and reflect prior eliminations of DEI offices and programs.
This summer, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the creation of the Commission for Public Higher Education, a new accreditation agency aimed at challenging “activist-controlled” DEI policies, promoting outcomes-based standards, and partnering with other state university systems to influence higher education nationwide.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of West Florida for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
