Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) said the University of Florida needs to go "back to the drawing board" after essentially selecting Santa Ono to be its next president. Ono has come under fire for past remarks as president of the University of Michigan, where he praised diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and expressed other views that conflict with Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign to rid Florida of DEI.
"I don't know how this guy became the only finalist, but no, they need to go back to the drawing board," Donalds recently said on Fox Business. "Governor DeSantis has led our state to be the number one university system in the country, part of it is getting rid of DEI, and the crazy ideology of the left."
While speaking at Michigan's Inauguration address in 2023, Ono had this to say on DEI to students and faculty.
"In January, we released the results of our DEI 1.0 initiative, which made it clear that while we have made progress, and we have, that we still have much more to do," Ono said. "So, as we look to DEI 2.0, let us strive to nurture thoughtful and understanding citizens."
Along with commending DEI, Ono called racism one of America's "original sins." He even threw his former school, which paid him a hefty salary, under the bus for harboring it.
"The University of Michigan has not been immune from participating in racism. We have excluded and segregated individuals because of their race or their gender, ethnicity, religious faith, or sexual orientation," Ono added.
To complete the woke trifecta, Ono also called the climate crisis the "existential challenge of our time."
Rep. Donalds wasn't having it.
"Just based upon what I heard, that president has no business being the president of the number one university in the State of Florida. We need to do better. It's time to go back to the drawing board," Donalds said.
So what can be done?
According to Donalds, Ono is not yet there as UF's next president, leaving the door open for a possible change.
"We have been clear about DEI not being a pillar of our educational systems in Florida. I fully support the governor's position on that," Donalds said. "UF needs to go back and figure out somebody else. Don't know this man, but based upon that speech and all the other things he said in the background, it just does not comport with the values of the State of Florida."
