On Mar. 21, the Catalyst first reported on the removal of chalk art on campus, speaking with student workers tasked with clean-up efforts as well as Campus Police Department (CPD) officers. Despite this, community members have still felt confused by the academic and legal policies…
The word “woke” has become the centerpiece for culture wars across America. For conservative politicians and leaders, woke has become an ideology, which to them represents discrimination targeting white, cisgender, heterosexual people. Florida has been deemed “where woke goes to die” by Gov. Ron DeSantis,…
By Nat Kornblum & Chloe Rusek Florida’s educators have found themselves the target of an ongoing culture war. House Bill 999 has recently joined the itinerary of Florida bills centered on parental rights and educational freedom, which severely restricts women’s and gender studies courses and…
New College has faced various criticisms over the past few months for the seeming politicization of its leadership, starting with the DeSantis-appointed Board of Trustees (BOT) and their plans to hire FDOE Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran as Interim President, who also had no prior…
On Apr. 4, the New College of Florida joined other state universities in banning TikTok, WeChat and other “dangerous” apps from devices and networks owned by the campus. Students are no longer capable of accessing TikTok on their own private devices through campus WiFi. The…
It had been three days since the Board of Trustees (BOT) voted to dismantle the Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence (OOIE) on Feb. 28. As part of that decision, all former staff members of the OOIE would be transitioned into other departments. For former…
By Isaac Tellechea & Mark McDermott Navigating the conflicting interests of the campus is comparable enough to a minefield as-is, but students may have trudged over cultural tripwires without even taking notice—though authorities certainly have. Following the Feb. 23 walkout, the chalk impressions of resistance…
The New College Foundation—the direct-support organization that raises public and private funds for New College—has come under increased scrutiny this past month, starting on Feb. 13 when Board of Trustees (BOT) Chair Debra Jenks announced that the Foundation would be covering Interim President Richard Corcoran’s…
Last year, former President Patricia Okker kicked off the New College Challenge: a campus initiative described as “a path to address the issues of social, economic and environmental resilience—issues that have a direct impact on New College, our community and our future” on the New…
New College’s Valuing Inclusivity Program (VIP) Weekend was an event intended to bring prospective students of color on campus for a weekend stay in current students' dorms, giving them the opportunity to attend on-campus events and get a glimpse at student life. However, on Mar.…
