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Bill Requiring Universities To Survey Students On Intellectual Freedom Passes First Stop

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Legislation that would survey university students on whether competing ideas and perspectives are presented and welcomed on campus passed its first committee stop today. Sen. Ray Rodrigues (R-Fort Myers) says the bill is needed to ensure students are hearing competing viewpoints.

"Students need to be asked in your college classroom are you being provided an environment that provides for viewpoint diversity and intellectual freedom," said Rodrigues. "Without asking that question we won’t have the data to know if what we know is happening in other states is happening in Florida.”

Opponents say the optional survey could skew the results. And lawmakers in Colorado, which approved a similar bill, said the results were not helpful in understanding the climate at universities.

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Blaise Gainey is a Multimedia Reporter for WFSU News. Blaise hails from Windermere, Florida. He graduated from The School of Journalism at the Florida A&M University. He formerly worked for The Florida Channel, WTXL-TV, and before graduating interned with WFSU News. He is excited to return to the newsroom. In his spare time he enjoys watching sports, Netflix, outdoor activities and anything involving his daughter.
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