The New College of Florida, a small liberal arts college with a governing board largely appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, faced backlash when reports surfaced of books being thrown away in a dumpster from the college’s library. Christopher Rufo, a DeSantis appointee, made a controversial statement suggesting that the removal of the books was related to the abolishment of the gender studies program. The American Civil Liberties Union condemned the college’s actions, comparing it to a cultural purge reminiscent of historical book burnings.
However, New College administrators clarified that the books removed from the library were part of a routine culling process to discard old and damaged books, and that books related to gender studies were set aside for local donation. A student, Natalia Benavides, raised concerns after seeing boxes of books being moved to the library parking lot near a dumpster. She and other activists were able to save most of the Gender and Diversity Center’s books before they were disposed of, which included a variety of topics such as art history, aesthetics, and psychology.
The decision to discard books at New College sparked controversy due to the college’s progressive reputation and history as a campus with a prominent LGTQ+ community. The college had been targeted by Governor DeSantis in his war on “woke” culture, leading to the overhaul of the Board of Trustees with conservative members. The removal of the gender studies program and other changes implemented by the new board have been met with criticism and resistance from faculty and students who feel that the campus is becoming unwelcoming.
Professor Amy Reid, who led the college’s gender studies program, expressed concerns about the removal of books from the Gender and Diversity Center, which she believes is being shut down. The center, an independent student-run office, had a collection of books that may have been discarded. Amidst the changes on campus, student activists like Zander Moricz of the SEE Alliance tried to salvage the books that were nearly thrown out, including volumes on slavery, Jewish stories, and copies of the Bible.
Campus police reportedly prevented students from retrieving books from the dumpster, which ultimately got taken to a local landfill. Despite guidelines from the American Library Association recommending the culling of books in poor condition or outdated, the removal of controversial books is discouraged. The fate of the discarded books from New College’s library and the Gender and Diversity Center remains unclear, raising concerns about academic freedom and censorship on campus. Efforts to preserve knowledge and protect intellectual diversity continue amidst the ongoing cultural disputes at the college.
