The University of Florida has recommended United States Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) as the sole finalist for consideration to be the 13th president of the University of Florida. According to a UF press release, the recruitment process for the new UF president was an extensive process and “included outreach to more than 700 leaders within and outside of higher education.”
Before being elected into the senate, Sasse served for five years as the president of Midland University. The UF presidential search committee applauded his educational background. It must be noted, though, that the institution he was previously president of holds a much different dynamic than UF. Midland University is a private Lutheran university with 1,600 students, and UF is a public university with over 60,000 students.
Her Campus spoke to several UF students about the announcement, and some had major concerns — many of which lie with Sasse’s political views. In his reelection for the Senate in 2020, Sasse considered himself “one of the three most conservatives back there.”
Sasse has been vocal about his opposition to same-sex marriage. In 2015, after the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states, Sasse released a statement saying, “Today’s ruling is a disappointment to Nebraskans who understand that marriage brings a wife and husband together so their children can have a mom and dad.” Since UF’s announcement of Sasse being their sole finalist, students have been protesting against Sasse’s anti-LGBTQ past.
Sasse is also an outspoken pro-life advocate and has said “it’s deeply wrong to ask Americans to participate in an act that they know takes an innocent life” and that “Americans don’t want this kind of pro-abortion radicalism.”
Alexandra Morse, 20, a junior at UF, is particularly concerned about Sasse’s stance on abortion. “As a woman, it is concerning to know that the [potential] president of my university is against my right to choose whether or not I am ready to bring a child into this world,” she says. “Deeming pro-choice legislature as ‘radically pro-abortion.’ What does that mean for the affordable emergency contraceptive available on campus? What about those students who can’t afford to pay $50 for Plan B? It’s beyond just ‘using protection’ since condoms break, consent isn’t always given, and when under the influence, many aren’t in a clear enough state of mind to ensure they are being as safe as possible. It’s college, these things happen, and knowing students have accessible resources is crucial in creating a safe environment.”
Lexi Devescovi, 19, a sophomore at UF, is also deeply concerned about Sasse’s potential presidency. “I really don’t have the words to explain how blatantly disgusted I am with this school.,” she tells Her Campus. “This is not how you put your students first. This is not how you prioritize your campus. I feel worried for the future of our school and for the future of our minority students. [Sasse] doesn’t believe in gay marriage, doesn’t believe that gay couples can be good parents, denies climate change, and is anti-abortion,” she continues. “Things are about to go downhill quickly.”
Lexi is not the only student worried about the future of UF. “I think Sasse will make the campus an unsafe place and will bring his political views along with him. He is notoriously known for his stance against aiding addiction as well as his pro-life and anti-LGBTQIA+ views,” Grace Garrison, 21, a junior at UF, says. “With this and his involvement in politics, I believe it will interfere with student life on campus. We pride ourselves in being a top five university, yet it seems that the board of trustees cannot make a sound decision when it comes to picking a president. I hope this failure is recognized and rectified before making any major decisions. This is a school that prides itself in science and he has proven to be the antagonist against it.”
It’s not just UF students concerned with Ben Sasse becoming the new president. Her Campus spoke with Patrick Duchene, 21, a senior and a student senator for the College of Fine Arts at Florida State University. “Even as an FSU student, I care about the success of all of Florida’s universities. As the top school in the state, UF’s reputation draws attention to all of Florida’s universities,” he tells Her Campus. “The selection of Ben Sasse will have a devastating effect on student engagement and trust between the student body and administration and damage our state’s reputation. There is no reason why the preeminent university in our state should be selecting a politician from Nebraska to lead its future — especially one with such harmful views on issues like abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, gun control, climate change, drug abuse harm reduction, criminal justice, and health care. If the top 17 school (FSU) can recruit a Harvard VP, why was the top five school in the nation’s best choice a Republican Senator from Nebraska? It wasn’t. UF and our state MUST do better, and I stand in solidarity with everyone who will fight this choice.” Her Campus reached out to Sasse’s team for comment on these students’ feedback but didn’t hear back by the time of publication.
While most students Her Campus spoke to felt very negatively about Sasse becoming the next UF president, there were some individuals who had a different perspective. Alex Turner, a senior at UF, tells Her Campus, “His academic record positively reflects on the university’s ability to attract talented staff who want to better the university holistically. Although the student body seems dissatisfied, his seemingly ‘controversial’ background should be put aside for the sake of collaboration, having the student body achieving further academic success together.”
An anonymous student tells Her Campus, “I feel neutral because I have only done some brief research on who Ben Sasse is. Hearing that he was unanimously chosen out of a 700-candidate search should hopefully mean that the board sees good things in him. However, I cannot fully predict how well he will serve as our university president,” they say. “I am rooting for him to do good because I want nothing but good things for UF.”
Despite their differing views, all these students have one thing in common: They only want the best for the University of Florida.
According to the UF press release, students, faculty, and other university community members have the opportunity to share feedback about Sasse online through the UF Presidential Search website. This feedback will be reviewed by the UF Board of Trustees prior to interviewing Sasse for the presidential role at 10 a.m. on Nov. 1 at Emerson Hall. This event will be live-streamed.