The New College of Florida, a small liberal arts institution, has once again found itself at the epicenter of a heated cultural conflict following the disposal of hundreds of books from its library. The Sarasota-based college, with a governing board dominated by appointees of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, became the focal point of controversy when books, some linked to the recently abolished gender studies program, were discarded in a dumpster.
Christopher Rufo, a DeSantis appointee to the college’s governing board, made headlines on Friday when he posted on X (formerly Twitter), “We abolished the gender studies program. Now we’re throwing out the trash.” His comment has drawn sharp criticism and raised concerns about censorship and the broader implications of these actions.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) swiftly condemned the college’s actions, labeling them as “a brazen act of censorship.” Bacardi Jackson, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, issued a statement comparing the situation to historical instances where regimes sought to control thought by destroying books. “These actions are nothing short of a cultural purge, reminiscent of some of history’s darkest times, where regimes sought to control thought by burning books and erasing knowledge,” Jackson stated.
The controversy stems from reports that officials at the New College of Florida, which serves around 700 students, had sent a large collection of books from the recently shuttered gender studies program to a local landfill. Social media quickly amplified the situation, sparking outrage and concern among students, faculty, and the public.
However, New College administrators issued a statement in response, claiming that the situation was being misinterpreted. According to the statement, two different batches of books were involved. The college clarified that the books removed and placed in the dumpster were part of a routine culling of the main library’s collection, aimed at discarding old and damaged volumes. The books related to the gender studies program, on the other hand, were placed outside the library and later claimed by individuals planning to donate them locally.
Despite the college’s explanation, the incident has reignited tensions on a campus already deeply divided by recent changes. A student, Natalia Benavides, who alerted her classmates to the book dumping, described how she found two large boxes filled with books at the student-run Gender and Diversity Center. The center, located in a building where staff were busy preparing for the new academic year, was in the process of being cleaned out. Benavides, a fourth-year student, noted that many of the books marked for disposal were from the library, stamped with “discard,” and covered a wide range of topics, from art history to psychology.
For decades, New College has been known as a progressive institution with a prominent LGBTQ+ community. However, it became a target for Governor DeSantis’s broader efforts to combat what he and his supporters term “woke” ideology. In early 2023, DeSantis overhauled the college’s Board of Trustees, appointing a majority of conservative members. The new board wasted no time in making significant changes, including firing the college president, dismantling the office of diversity and equity, and voting to shut down the gender studies program.
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Amy Reid, the professor who previously led the gender studies program and is now planning a yearlong leave of absence, expressed her disappointment but not surprise at the recent events. She believes that the removal of books from the Gender and Diversity Center, an independent student-run office, is part of a broader effort to reshape the campus and make it less welcoming. Reid noted that the center’s sign had also been taken down and speculated that many of the books likely ended up in the trash.
In their statement, New College officials confirmed that books “associated with the discontinued Gender Studies program” had been removed from a room “that is being repurposed.” However, the college declined to provide further details.
Zander Moricz, leader of the student activist group SEE Alliance, reported that books nearly discarded included volumes on slavery, Jewish stories, and even three copies of the Bible. He criticized the college’s actions and highlighted that campus police had prevented students from retrieving books from the dumpster, which was ultimately transported to a local landfill.
The American Library Association (ALA) generally supports academic libraries in culling books that are in poor condition or no longer relevant. However, the ALA’s guidelines strongly advise against removing books simply because they are controversial, a principle that is at the heart of the current dispute at New College of Florida.
