EDITORS' CORNER
A paragraph offering special accommodations for “BIPOC,” “queer and trans students” on a University of Florida graphics design class syllabus has been removed, a spokesperson confirmed this week.
The Washington Free Beacon first noticed the problematic language on the syllabus for the spring semester “Workshop for Art Research and Practice,” a required class for graphics design majors.
Responding, university spokesperson Steve Orlando told the Beacon that the syllabus no longer includes that section.
“College of the Arts leadership was unaware of this syllabus but acted immediately upon learning of it,” Orlando said.
“The faculty members who teach [the course] informed us they inadvertently included material in the syllabus that had appeared in a previous syllabus,” he told the Beacon. “The newer syllabus has been removed and will be replaced with the correct one to ensure compliance with state law.”
The law prohibits preferential treatment based on an individual’s race, sex, or “gender identity.”
Originally, the syllabus included a paragraph labeled “Accessibility, diversity, and inclusion” under a section about “special considerations” for students with disabilities, according to screenshots published by the Beacon.
The paragraph indicated that special support also was available for “queer and trans students, BIPOC students, first-gen students, and students navigating complex lives.” BIPOC stands for black, indigenous, and people of color.
Peter Gouge and Flounder Lee, the course instructors, offered the accommodation in the form of “access riders.” According to the Beacon, these are “typically used by disabled students and professional artists to ensure legitimate special needs are met”:
A PowerPoint presentation curated by [the course instructors] gave the following examples and told students, quoting the artist Johanna Hedva, that “access documents are used by rock stars and divas all the time—they’re simply called riders and no one bats an eye. This is because they are helpful for everyone involved.” The presentation encouraged students to “normalise asking collaborators for access riders!”
• “No cis-heterosexism, racism, ableism, classism, transphobia, homophobia or fatphobia.”
• “No work calls after 5pm unless otherwise agreed. Always send an email beforehand.”
• “I am a sick person with an invisible illness and I use a cane sometimes. … Don’t ask me about my cane or police other people’s use of their medical aids. I encourage you to be mindful of your language, especially of ABLEIST SLURS.”
• “I prefer the event prices to be on a sliding scale or free for all.”
Recently, higher education authorities in Florida have been working to increase transparency efforts to shed light on what colleges and universities are teaching students.
This spring, Florida Board of Governors began requiring faculty to make their syllabi public, along with a list of required textbooks and instructional materials for each class, The College Fix reported previously.
MORE: Florida will require universities to post syllabi publicly starting this spring
