UF is now ranked as a top-five public university in the nation, finally reaching its long-standing goal. Since 2017, the school has quickly risen the ladder of both public and private institutions. The U.S. News and World Report uses factors such as graduation and retention, social mobility, faculty resources, student excellence and alumni-giving to determine rank. Alumni giving is one of the biggest reasons behind UF’s placement. It’s promoted through the university’s annual Giving Day. Just last year, the university raised a record-breaking number of about $25 million. It comes as no surprise that students, faculty and administrators quickly shared their joy over the news. Whether you were an avid or casual social media user, your feed was likely bombarded by an ocean of orange and blue posts from fellow Gators marveling at UF’s new status.
As many students celebrate becoming a top-five public university, UF embodies many aspects that do not coincide with its top-five ranking. Issues including racial justice initiatives and public safety are yet to be properly addressed. While the U.S. News and World Report does not analyze these issues, it reveals UF’s true atmosphere and its values.
Diversity Initiatives
UF has a murky history in terms of racial equality. Black Thursday occurred on April 15, 1971. Seventy students marched to Tigert Hall to address six demands for racial equity to President Stephen O’Connell. Following the peaceful protest in O’Connell’s office, most students involved were arrested. In response to the arrests, 1,500 students protested that afternoon, which eventually pressured the administration to establish recruitment and retention initiatives. Black Thursday resulted in the establishment of the Institute of Black Culture in 1972 as well.
While the university recently commemorated Black Thursday’s 50th anniversary, many of the past and present-day demands Black students presented remain unresolved. During the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020, President Fuchs released a statement detailing actions to address racial inequity at UF. Some of the most contentious points not resolved include increasing Black student recruitment and retention and renaming buildings associated with prejudiced people.
Students from underrepresented minority groups have increased, yet Black student enrollment has decreased. UF’s enrollment data shows Black student enrollment continuously decreasing over the last decade and no improvement with freshman admits. Only 845 students, or 5.5 percent of UF’s admits, were Black. The issue with this number is that it doesn’t reflect local or national ethnic demographics. On a local level, UF poorly reflects Gainesville’s demographics because about 22% of Gainesville’s population is Black. UF falls short on reflecting national demographics as well because 13% of the U.S.’s population is Black. It is clear that the university has to exert more effort when recruiting Black students. In order to be one of the country’s top universities, UF should make education available to all students and reflect the communities that make up our nation.
UF has stood still at the mention of renaming buildings with controversial histories on campus. Students protested buildings such as the J. Wayne Reitz Union and Stephen C. O’ Connell Center in the past. In 2020, BSU issued a list of demands and urged the university to reconsider the Reitz Union’s and O’Connell Center’s names because the names’ were tied to UF’s racist and homophobic history. President Kent Fuchs stated that UF would not rename any buildings within the near future. Instead, a presidential task force would consider future names. Not only is this disappointing within the context of addressing racist legacies within higher institutions, but it fractures a promise Fuchs mentioned in a statement.
“There will be a process to review all historical naming to determine if they should be retained or removed,” Fuchs said.
Fuchs also personally committed to removing any Confederate monuments or names that UF can control. While President Reitz was not a Confederate soldier, he was responsible for keeping UF segregated and supported the John’s Committee, which targeted LGBTQ+ students. These names reflect the importance of UF’s values, which students have clearly opposed for years upon years. A top-five university should not uphold and defend these values.
With UF failing to address all these issues, it brings up one question: Who is UF is a top-five university for?
Public health
At the intersection of mask mandates and education, Florida is a breeding ground for controversy and debate. While this doesn’t stop at the swamp, the debate highlights values that UF promotes and considers important. It is no surprise that enforcing masks is not a priority and that vaccine mandates are a fever dream at this point. While statements from the university mention that masks are “expected”, UF fails to enforce laws that protect the health of students. Considering the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, and classes have resumed to near-normal capacities, public health is a concern for many students and employees. Over 700 employees have signed a petition to request that UF require vaccinations on campus. The Graduate Students United and United Faculty of Florida also protested to ask UF to require masks and vaccines for the fall term. The university has not listened to any request, demand, petition or letter requesting action to protect vulnerable populations and to prevent the spread of COVID. The university claims that it cannot go against state guidelines, despite other educational institutions doing so, such as Alachua County Public Schools.
UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan and University of Virginia, which all rank higher than UF, have mask mandates. Instead of protecting the health of its students and following the lead of fellow top-ranking institutions, UF decided to continue on its own path. While the debate continues, this is a matter of public health that UF fails to properly address.
While these issues seem to have no end in sight, students, employees and activists continue to highlight the areas UF should seek to improve. The university should strive to be a trailblazer within issues of racial equality and public health, not a sore thumb. It’s important to embody values that can guide students from our campus and beyond. Higher institutions are not just sites for education, higher institutions are also important catalysts for cultural change and history. Once these issues are properly addressed and amended, the university can truly become a top-five university for all Gators.