History

HISTORY, SYMBOLISM AND DEMONSTRATING BEHAVIORS CONSISTENT WITH OUR VALUES

A presidential task force will document the history of UF in relationship to race and ethnicity, particularly African-Americans and Native Americans.

Lead: Executive Chief of Staff

The University of Florida’s African and Native American History Task Force was created by President Kent Fuchs in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020.

This task force first convened on Oct. 20, 2020, and subgroups worked continuously to research and document its findings on this issue. It completed its report, which was subsequently submitted to the president, in April 2022.

The comprehensive report is available here.

A second presidential task force will review and recommend values, principles and reasons for establishing and maintaining honorary namings, both historic and current.

In full, this directive said: A second presidential task force will review and recommend values, principles and reasons for establishing and maintaining honorary namings, both historic and current.The task force will further recommend a process for individuals associated with UF to be identified and considered for future honorary namings in accordance with current values and principles, and may suggest individuals for future consideration.

Lead:Office of General Counsel, UF Advancement

The task force report is available here.

UF will remove monuments or namings that UF controls that celebrate the Confederacy or its leaders.

In response to this directive, UF identified one monument dedicated to a Confederate leader on property the university manages.

University of Florida Historic St. Augustine, which cares for state-owned properties in St. Augustine, relocated a monument dedicated to Confederate Major Gen. William Loring to private property on Aug. 24, 2020. Loring’s ashes were also relocated in accordance with the wishes of his descendants.

Although there is no evidence of racism associated with the “Gator Bait” cheer at UF sporting events, there is horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase.

President Kent Fuchs announced on June 18, 2020, that the University Athletic Association and the Gator Marching Band would discontinue use of the cheer, officially ending the chant.

UF IFAS is no longer using prison or jail inmates to provide farm labor.

UF/IFAS terminated all contracts with state and county correctional facilities in September 2020, ending use of inmate labor programs at university agricultural research sites throughout the state.