A Florida university administrator appears on video seemingly talking about how to avoid the state's DEI law. (Getty/USF/Accuracy in Media)
Klišanin responds, "Yeah, and even our students, we just have to make sure, like any of our programming and things like that, is mostly done through student government because if it's student-funded, they can’t stop it. But like, our departments can’t spend any money on that."
Klišanin went on to explain that she has students who do "outreach and education" on DEI issues, but the department can no longer directly fund those efforts, "but if they partnered with student government and student government paid for it, then we can."
Klišanin described the loophole as "red tape" but said "Yeah" when asked whether the school administrators could still have a "supportive role" in the DEI efforts.
"Loopholes?" the undercover individual asked.
Florida’s new attorney general, James Uthmeier, says he is working to make his state a place where "woke" ideologies like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), are unwelcome. (Zoom screenshot | George Rose/Getty Images)
"'Federal funds' are those funds provided to the university or direct support organization for a university directly or indirectly by an appropriation by Congress," the Florida regulation states on the university system's website.
"This includes financial aid provided to the university by or on behalf of a student attending the university if that financial aid is provided to the student via a governmental aid or grant program. State and federal funds do not include student fees to support student-led organizations notwithstanding any speech or expressive activity by such organizations which would otherwise violate this section, provided that the student fees must be allocated to student-led organizations pursuant to written policies or regulations of each state university, as applicable."
Later in the video, Klišanin says, "We're not going to stop supporting the students that we've been supporting in that space and right now it's student-funded, so even if a name changes, they won't have to take away the support."
The video also shows AIM President Adam Guillette confronting Klišanin, who denies she has been pushing to skirt the DEI laws.
"You're going to need to talk to Carrie O'Brion," Klišanin says, pointing Guillette to the school's communications director.
Later in the video, Guillette speaks to O'Brion, who seemingly acknowledges that something improper had taken place.
"That's not the policy," O'Brion said when confronted about the idea of switching DEI programs to student-funded efforts or changing the names of certain programs.
"DEI is a poisonous ideology that leads to division, hate and antisemitism," Guillette told Fox News Digital in a statement. "It has no place in our education system, and both Gov. DeSantis and the Trump administration must ensure these programs are rooted out of public universities and K-12 schools."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin told Fox News Digital, "Circumventing state laws & rules prohibiting DEI in public universities is unacceptable. We are looking into the matter and, to the extent public dollars are being used toward DEI, there will be consequences. 'Additonal training' will not be a sufficient response."
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "Circumventing state laws and rules prohibiting DEI in public universities is unacceptable." (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images)
The newly uncovered video comes weeks after Fox News Digital exclusively reported on a Florida professor bragging about how he too had found ways around the state’s DEI ban. The professor, Dr. Haywood Brown, former associate vice president of academic affairs at the University of South Florida, resigned shortly after Fox News Digital’s reporting.
"With the details of Mr. Brown’s actions and public commitments to violating state law and academic standards surfacing to our attention, our office has immediately ensured his relationship with our university system has ended," Griffin told Fox News Digital at the time.
"This individual’s employment at the University of South Florida is over today, and he is no longer welcome to work in Florida education."
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watchdog-group-exposes-red-state-college-administrator-shown-explaining-loophole-around-anti-dei-law