TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For the first time since the law creating them entered state statutes, Florida’s Department of Education is sending out the intellectual surveys on politics and education to college and university campuses. The surveys began hitting campuses on April 4.
There are two versions of the “Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity” surveys, designed by law to gauge intellectual freedom by political party and measure whether or not the freedom to express ideas enshrined by the U.S. Constitution is being respected on Florida’s campuses.
The surveys were created by 2021’s House Bill 233, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 22, 2021. In addition to the surveys, the law officially defined what Florida as a state considers intellectual freedom, viewpoint diversity, and what it means to shield students from diverse views. The law mandated that intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity means that both faculty and staff must be exposed to a variety of ideologies and perspectives.
The law defined the term “shield” as “to limit students,’ faculty members’ or staff members’ access to, or observation of, ideas and opinions that they may find uncomfortable, unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive.” It also explicitly stated that the Florida Board of Education may not shield students, faculty, or staff from free speech.
Each survey begins with a disclaimer:
“In spring 2021, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 233 to promote intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity within the State of Florida’s State University System and Florida College System. This survey attempts to discover the extent to which all viewpoints – conservative, liberal, and otherwise – are welcomed and provided appropriate attention on your campus and in the classroom.”
One version is for students, one for faculty and staff. The questions differ between the two versions.
For students, the survey asks them to rank their campus comfort level on the following factors.
- I feel that it is important to express my political viewpoints without fear of negative consequences.
- My college or university campus provides an environment for free expression of ideas, opinions, and beliefs.
- My college or university classes provide an environment for free express of ideas, opinions, and beliefs.
- I see examples of free and welcomed express (such as speeches, debates with other students or instructors, class assignments, etc.) in my classes regularly.
- My professors or course instructors use class time to express their own social or political beliefs without objectively discussing opposing social or political beliefs.
- If you “agree” or “strongly agree” that your instructors use class time to express their own beliefs, indicate the ideas and beliefs that are more prevalent.
- Students at my college or university are encouraged to consider a wide variety of viewpoints and perspectives.
- I feel comfortable speaking up and giving my views on noncontroversial topics.
- I feel comfortable speaking up and giving my views on controversial topics.
- My college or university is doing a good job when it comes to promoting or encouraging diverse political viewpoints.
- I would be concerned if most of my professors or course instructors held the same political beliefs.
- I have felt intimidated to share my ideas or political opinions because they were different from those of my professors.
The survey for students also asks if they believe their professors are more conservative or liberal, and if their college or university is “more tolerant” of either liberal or conservative ideas and beliefs, or both.
The version for faculty and staff takes a different approach to the questions, asking the following on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.
- I have felt intimidated to share my ideas or political opinions because they were different from those of my professors.
- I see examples of free and welcomed expression (such as speeches, debates with other students or instructors, class assignments, etc.) on my campus regularly.
- Students at my institution are encouraged to consider a wide variety of viewpoints and perspectives.
- Students at my institution are not shielded from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable or even deeply offensive.
- Employees at my institution are encouraged to consider a wide variety of viewpoints and perspectives.
- Employees at my institution are not shielded from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.
- I have felt intimidated to share my ideas or political opinions because they were different from those of my colleagues.
- My institution is equally tolerant and welcoming of both liberal and conservative ideas and beliefs.
- Students in my classes are exposed to competing arguments and multiple perspectives on a topic.
- I rarely inject my own political ideas and beliefs into my classes.
- An expectation of receiving continuing contract/tenure is that faculty ascribe to a particular political viewpoint.
The employee version also asks if they “disagree” or “strongly disagree” that the institution is “equally tolerant and welcoming of both liberal and conservative ideas and beliefs,” and to answer whether they believe the school welcomes liberal or conservative viewpoints more. They’re also asked if getting tenure is based on taking a particular political view at their institution.
Professors are also asked if they agree their “institution encourages research, publications, dissertations, etc. on topics that span both liberal and conservative viewpoints,” and if they “‘disagree’ or ‘strongly disagree’ that your institution encourages research, publications, dissertations, etc. on topics that span both liberal and conservative viewpoints, indicate the ideas and beliefs that are more prevalent or encouraged.”
Employees were asked if students may pursue projects, dissertations, theses or research regardless of if topics fall into political frameworks, based on defending conservative or liberal views, and whether or not they “disagree” or “strongly disagree” that the students are allowed to do so.
The law passed in 2021 requires the survey responses be compiled and published by Sept. 1 each year. However, a teachers’ union in Florida for college professors has urged for faculty, staff, and students to ignore the survey. The union, United Faculty of Florida, told their “more than 8,500 members” to ignore the survey and called the questionnaire itself unconstitutional.
“As you may have heard, your institutions will be distributing an ideological viewpoint survey on Monday April 4, which requests that all faculty, staff and students respond and share not only their own political viewpoints but what they perceive to be the viewpoints of their friends, colleagues and classmates,” UFF said in a statement.
Going further, UFF-University of North Florida chapter president Nicholas de Villiers compared the survey to McCarthyism and a 1950s era committee in Florida which investigated residents for alleged communist connections during the Second Red Scare of the Cold War.
“We don’t need or want a return to the dark days of McCarthyism and the Johns Committee in Florida. Academic freedom, freedom of speech, and exposure to diverse perspectives in the classroom are core values for our campus community,” de Villiers said. “Faculty do not welcome the interference of an explicitly partisan survey that infringes on our privacy and civil liberties.”
A day after the surveys went out, a lawsuit by UFF and others against the state of Florida to kill HB 233 in court was allowed to continue, despite efforts by the state to have the lawsuit dismissed.