To begin with, no outlet has even described the unique way New College operates. It’s modeled after the New College of Oxford University in England. There are no grades: all courses are pass/fail. The student is responsible for his or her entire course planning, and there are no required courses. There’s few organized sports, and no fraternities or sororities. This school is only for the most highly motivated students who have the maturity and intellect to chart their own path and create their own approved course structure. New College has always scored at the top of national rankings, such as The Princeton Review and Forbes; and has ranked fifth in U.S. News & World Report’s annual review of public schools for higher learning. It is a very small school, with under 1,000 students, but has produced more Fulbright scholars than either Harvard or Yale.
Consistent with the MAGA desire to destroy all things that frighten and confuse them, Florida Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Desantis has been attacking New College for months. Because one of the things fascists do is take over the schools. In America, this right-wing takeover has been ongoing for decades.
DeSantis appointed six right-wing extremists with no background in education to New College's board on Jan. 6 of this year in an effort to completely transform the school. They wasted no time abolishing offices and programs that support minorities, and recently denied tenure to all eligible professors.
New College 2023 graduates, whose graduation ceremony was last month, protested the official ceremony and held their own. The official commencement speaker was Dr. Scott Atlas, a right-wing radiologist and anti-vaxxer who served as a COVID-19 adviser to both DeSantis and Trump. Not exactly a good speaker for any student body interested in the truth.
These graduates are the lucky ones, as they're getting out before the school's total transformation into the "Hillsdale College" of the South. (Note, that nickname is NOT a good thing.) Those who remain are likely to abandon the school as fascists convert it into a right-wing parody of education.
There's a lot more to the story of New College and it's a fascinating read. Check it out at the link below:
Fight American fascism. Vote for Democrats.
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