Question of the Week: Are colleges going too far in removing DEI terms from web pages?
Colleges and universities scrambled this week to remove any trace of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) language from their web sites and curriculum to fall in line with an executive order from President Donald Trump for fear of losing federal funding.
Two web pages addressing diversity, equity and inclusion run by Florida Tech were temporarily taken down this week as the university reviewed the executive orders. Some schools are taking it a step further.
In Tallahassee, Florida State University started scrubbing its websites of a long list of keywords including "advocacy," "woman," "segregation" and "ethnicity."
Here in Brevard County, Eastern Florida State College officials said they completed a "careful review" to ensure they were following state and federal guidelines but didn't take any drastic measures.
You can read more about the issue here: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2025/03/06/how-are-brevards-higher-ed-institutes-handling-trumps-anti-dei-orders/81635094007/
This week's Question of the Week is:
You can simply cast your vote on the ballot above.
You can scan the QR code that is hopefully on the print edition page. Please leave a comment telling us why you voted the way you did. In order for your comment or email to be published on our website and in next week's print edition, you must include your first and last name.
You can also shoot me an email with "DEI" in the subject line. I look forward to reading your responses.
Last Sunday I asked you whether you would be willing to pay more taxes in order to help fund Brevard County firefighters, who are seeking more pay. Your response was overwhelming and I tried to include as many of your comments as possible.
Are you willing to pay higher taxes to fund raises for Brevard County firefighters?
Yes: 79.1 percent
No: 20.9 percent
Thank you for your article on our Brevard Firefighters! Having had first-hand interaction and help from them more than once, I'd be in favor of higher taxes to bring their wages up to a more sustainable and appropriate level. They've rescued my husband from several falls at our home, with the last one being severe when he fell into a stonework fireplace and severely tore his leg and arm, and even saved our American Flag from the rooftop after some incredible winds ripped it out of it's holder. They are heroes on so many levels, and we have the BEST here in Brevard! Now let's let them know how much they're needed and appreciated.No...Brevard firefighters have always been well funded by taxpayers, but has devolved into bloated, inefficient government agency ― like most current American municipal fire departments.
A third of Brevard's fire personnel & fire stations could easily be eliminated with no loss of actual fire protection to citizens. Structure fires are dramatically less common than 50 years ago, due to modern construction methods & codes. A typical Brevard 'Firefighter' spends well less than 10% of overall duty time fighting real fires, directly or indirectly ― thus the primary mission workload is relatively light.
All Brevard government agencies need a strong dose of "DOGE"-type scrutiny.We do need to give firefighters a raise. They provide essential services not available in the private sector. But we don't need to raise taxes to give them a raise. We have a bloated budget of $2.3 billion for this fiscal year. First of all, stop all grants to nonprofits. Second, get rid of at least half of the 300+ county vehicles and only provide them to people that really need them. Third, get rid of the county vehicle maintenance department and contract the services out to private shops and dealerships on a competitive basis. Fourth, get rid of at least 50 percent of the supervisory staff in each department. Keep the worker bees that actually do the work, but cut out the bloated middle management and have each supervisor support more employees.It is ludicrous that people who have such a crucial, important job helping the people of Brevard and, in many cases saving lives, are so underpaid and underappreciated. My family has been helped by them a number of times. With the increasing population, it is vital that we provide the services needed.Yes, I would gladly pay higher taxes for firefighter pay.
A necessary service of very brave and highly trained people. What would happen if they didn't show up when someone called? A BIG fuss by the public. We must pay people what they are worth, and they are pricelessto me and my family.It's past time for Brevard County to bring the department up to 21st century standards for wages and benefits. These people lay it on the line 24/7 to protect taxpayers lives. 'Thank you for your service' without showing them is a disgrace. If it weren't for all the retired snowbirds living off the residents and (complaining) about taxes, we would have a very advanced county instead of the inept county that exists. We used to have the top rated public schools in the state. But the snowbirds keep voting everything down and then leave for the summer. There should be a law that if you don't live here year round you don't vote for the rest of us that do!Firefighters put out fires that can destroy a lot of property and kill people and animals. They are our heros, yet their starting inhire wage is $15.00 an hour.
This is the same amount that fast food employees get for flipping burgers. Why can't we raise taxes and start firefighters at $20.00 an hour for a 90 day probationary period and if they meet required standards raise salary to $25.00 an hour. Give them an incentive to perform this work and provide our protection.No. My reasoning is not because they don't need more pay, I believe the budget should just handle this increase easily because if you look at all the new construction in our county, each new home pays property taxes and that increases the budget exponentially. Where does all that new money go? Use some of it to take care of all our country workers including firefighters.Please add me to the people who say the firefighters and EMT,s are drastically underpaid and I approve property taxes being increased so their pay will be in line with the services they provide for everyone.
I was shocked when I read their starting pay is $15 an hour.
Don't people realize we are putting our life's on the line every time we call 911, or like myself, push the Mobile Help button. When the EMT's arrive, my life is in their hands and I feel very safe as soon as I see them. They know what to do, when to do it and when it means take me to the hospital.
So please, property owners, let everyone know we support our firefighters and EMT's and it is only fair their pay represents the services they provide to all of us.Respectfully, numbers can be Presented many different ways. So are you telling me that starting firefighters make $31,000 a year? Or do they have many other incentive pays at add onto that much like the military has. I fully support trying to pay first responders adequate pay for their job but as an outsider looking in you always have to wonder what aren't they telling me.
If we look at their IRS tax returns at the end of the year, no I'm not asking for them. Are they really gonna show 40, 50 or $60,000 Due to other hidden incentives and they're just playing a game by saying $15 an hour. Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at facebook.com/FTjohntorres.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: DEI on college campuses is the focus of this week's question
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Sometimes a Parade Is Just a Parade
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San Francisco Chronicle
24 minutes ago
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Here's what to know about American Samoans in Alaska who are being prosecuted after trying to vote
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Here's what to know about American Samoans in Alaska who are being prosecuted after trying to vote
WHITTIER, Alaska (AP) — FOR MOVEMENT AT 9 A.M. EASTERN ON SATURDAY, 6/7. WITH VOTING-AMERICAN SAMOANS MAINBAR. They were born on U.S. soil, are entitled to U.S. passports and allowed to serve in the U.S. military, but 11 people in a small Alaska town are facing criminal charges after they tried to participate in a fundamental part of American democracy: voting. The defendants, who range in age from their 20s to their 60s, were all born in American Samoa — the only U.S. territory where residents are not automatically granted citizenship at birth. Prosecutors say they falsely claimed American citizenship when registering or trying to vote. The cases are highlighting another side of the debate over exaggerated allegations of voting by noncitizens , as well as what it means to be born on American soil, as President Donald Trump tries to redefine birthright citizenship by ending it for children of people who are in the country illegally. Here's what to know about the prosecutions in Alaska and the status of American Samoans when it comes to voting. What is the Alaska case about? The investigation began after Tupe Smith, a mom in the cruise-ship stop of Whittier, decided to run for a vacant seat on the regional school board in 2023. She was unopposed and won with about 95% of the vote. That's when she learned she wasn't allowed to hold public office because she wasn't a U.S. citizen. Smith says she knew she wasn't allowed to vote in federal elections but thought she could vote in local or state races, and that she never would have voted if she knew it wasn't legal. She says she told elections workers that she was a U.S. national, not a citizen, and was told to check a box saying she was a citizen anyway. About 10 months later, troopers returned to Whittier and issued court summonses to her husband and nine other American Samoans. 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For that reason, Smith's lawyers argue, American Samoans must be recognized as U.S. citizens by birthright, and they should be allowed to vote in the U.S. But the islands' residents have never been so considered — Congress declined to extend birthright citizenship to American Samoa in the 1930s — and many American Samoans don't want it. They worry that it would disrupt their cultural practices, including communal land ownership. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cited that in 2021 when it declined to extend automatic citizenship to those born in American Samoa, saying it would be wrong to force citizenship on those who don't want it. The Supreme Court declined to review the decision. People born in all other U.S. territories — Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam — are U.S. citizens. They can vote in U.S. elections if they move to a state. American Samoans can participate in local elections on American Samoa, including for a nonvoting representative in Congress. Have other states prosecuted American Samoans for trying to vote? Supporters of the American Samoans in Whittier have called the prosecutions unprecedented. One of Smith's attorneys, Neil Weare, suggested authorities are going after 'low-hanging fruit' in the absence of evidence that illegal immigrants frequently cast ballots in U.S. elections. Even state-level investigations have found voting by noncitizens to be exceptionally rare. In Oregon, officials inadvertently registered nearly 200 American Samoan residents to vote when they got their driver's licenses under the state's motor-voter law. Of those, 10 cast ballots in an election, according to the Oregon Secretary of State's office, but officials found they did not intend to break the law and no crime was committed. 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It would also allow the Department of Homeland Security to waive personal interviews of U.S. nationals as part of the process and to reduce fees for them. ___ Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska, and Johnson from Seattle. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
