Future college students at New Faculty of Florida could have the privilege of casting their eyes upon a statue of supposed free-speech hero Charlie Kirk.
The school made the announcement Tuesday on X with a rendering that appears little like Kirk and extra like Robert F. Kennedy Sr.
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At this time, we introduced that we are going to fee a statue of Charlie Kirk to honor his legacy and unbelievable work after his tragic assassination final week. The statue, privately funded by group leaders, will stand on campus as a dedication by New Faculty to defend and struggle for… pic.twitter.com/uCPAlACq7S
— New Faculty of Florida (@NewCollegeofFL) September 16, 2025
Does Kirk have a specific connection to Florida or New Faculty? Probably not! Have the scholars at New Faculty been crying out for a Kirk statue? Doesn’t appear to be it! However the college has been the crown jewel in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ makes an attempt to wreck one of many nation’s most well-respected public college programs. Since early 2023, DeSantis has been turning the place into ChristopherRufoVille, so in some ways, there was all the time going to be a Kirk statue.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis indicators laws in Could 2023 to ban state funding for range, fairness, and inclusion packages at Florida’s public universities, at New Faculty of Florida.
DeSantis’ takeover of the college left it in a shambles. After DeSantis handed the keys to far-right activist Chris Rufo and his ilk, almost 40% of the school resigned. The transfer additionally destroyed shared governance, the requirement that school play a task within the administration of the college. And the school eradicated its gender research program after which threw tons of of books into the dumpster. DeSantis primed the pump right here for the post-Kirk world, the place the precise will destroy free speech within the title of free speech.
However absolutely all this new rigor has improved training, proper? Nope. After the DeSantis takeover, its nationwide rating has fallen by double digits for 2 years in a row. Gotta break some training eggs to make free-speech omelets, apparently.
In line with the college, the Kirk statue will likely be “privately funded by community leaders,” which is code for “We are building this regardless of support from the university community and are in no way asking whether they would like a giant statute of Bobby Kenn—er, Charlie Kirk on their campus.”
It’s a ridiculous transfer, if much less ridiculous than the proposal that Kirk get a statue within the U.S. Capitol.
With all this, New Faculty is the proper place to honor Kirk: a faculty that was as soon as famend for its dedication to free and open expression and exploration, however that has since been remodeled right into a laughingstock and a puppet of the conservative state.
