At the 12 public universities in The Sunshine State, campus watchdog The College Fix confirmed they are following the requirements that are named in House Bill 931. That legislation, passed in May 2023, requires universities to host public-policy debates in order to promote free speech and a diversity of viewpoints.
Among the Florida campuses, the Fix reported the University of Central Florida held a panel discussion on immigration; Florida Atlantic University held a discussion on the Israel-Arab conflict; and the University of West Florida has hosted debates on mandatory voting, free speech, and the Electoral College.
Among that list the University of Central Florida is known for having one of the largest student populations in the U.S., approximately 69,800.
Additional public campuses, and their campus debates, were also acknowledged in the story.
Matt Lamb, associate editor of The College Fix, says the campus debates are beneficial to every student who attends one of the universities.
“Because when they go out into society," he says, "if they understand why other people think the way they do, they're gonna be more productive and more virtuous citizens."
On a college campus, right-leaning students and faculty know the Left uses “diversity” deceitfully to promote its own left-wing ideology. Not only that, many campuses condone the Left bullying conservative speakers and student groups in the name of promoting “diversity” on the campus.
In contrast to that left-wing tactic, conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro told the Fix the law is intended to "model civil discourse and present students with informed debate about controversial issues.”
Shapiro, a board member at Florida Polytechnic University, has participated in a campus debate. He debated the issue of academic freedom in February.
"I think the success of this, the implementation of these debates, should be expanded into many classes," Lamb states, "particularly classes such as political science, sociology, and history."
