Concern in Miami-Dade Universities: They Are Centers of Knowledge – Not Political Trenches – or Hotbeds of Terrorists: 2025

Concern in Miami-Dade Universities: They Are Centers of Knowledge – Not Political Trenches – or Hotbeds of Terrorists: 2025. Let’s Prioritize Education, Not Ideology

Public universities should be spaces dedicated to rigorous study, scientific research, and the training of professionals who drive progress. However, in recent years—especially in Florida—several institutions of higher education have been co-opted by partisan agendas, radical activism, and political events that have little to do with academic excellence. In Miami-Dade, both the University of Florida (UF) and Florida International University (FIU) have become the stages for a larger battle: will common sense and neutrality be restored on campus, or will covert ideological control be consolidated?

This article offers a critical analysis of the most recent episodes at both institutions: leadership changes directly linked to political interests, the presence of faculty with ideological profiles, and a constant succession of events and protests organized from within the campus itself. Each point is grounded in concrete evidence to show how, on occasion, classrooms and academic spaces have been instrumentalized for causes unrelated to the university’s educational purpose.

Radical Activism and Ideological Symbolism on University Campus: The “Miami Beach Pride” and YDSA-FIU Case

“Trans people exist, billionaires shouldn’t”

At the end of March 2025, Miami DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) organized an event at FIU titled “Trans people exist, billionaires shouldn’t,” with the following program:

• March 31, 2025 (10 a.m.–4 p.m.) | FIU Modesto Maidique, Graham Center Lawns
  • Free distribution of clothing (beyond students, to anyone).
  • Free distribution of Plan B.
  • Live music and drag artist performances.
  • Sale of T-shirts with slogans critical of Trump, Musk, and “billionaires.”
• April 5–6, 2025 (12 p.m.–9 p.m.) | Miami Beach Pride, Lummus Park
  • Official booth with YDSA/DSA brochures.
  • Anti-capitalist messages and explicit criticisms of Donald Trump’s administration and Governor Ron DeSantis.

Evidence: Social media posts by Miami DSA and YDSA-FIU, where they promote eliminating “the capitalist class” and denounce a supposed “era of technological feudalism.” In addition, photos and videos were circulated showing the distribution of clothing and the handing out of Plan B in the middle of the university area.

These events are far from academic forums: they are “anti-billionaire” rhetoric, gender-identity celebrations, and socialist activism on a public campus. One does not see the same facilitation of conferences on scientific advances, robotics competitions, or aerospace engineering seminars. The university infrastructure—classrooms, lawns, meeting rooms—is used for political campaigns and ideological protests without adding direct academic value.

University or Ideological Trench: Annual Miami DSA Convention at FIU

In January 2025, Miami DSA convened its “Chapter Convention” within the FIU campus, with the following description (circulated on social media):

“We are preparing to fight against the capitalist class and the far right! We will hold political discussions and vote on resolutions that will guide our course for the next year.”

Nature of the Event:

• Socialist-aligned political convention.
• Sessions to vote on internal resolutions.
• Activism strategies against the federal government (direct mentions of Donald Trump).
• Venue: FIU campus rooms and spaces (in collaboration with the South Florida AFL-CIO office).
• Participants: FIU students as the core organizers, but also external individuals (not necessarily enrolled at the university).

Evidence: Miami DSA’s publication on Instagram and Discord, specifying that they accept virtual attendees and that they use channels like Discord to organize resolutions. No simultaneous forum was offered for ideological counterpoints (for example, by conservative students), confirming the strictly partisan nature of the gathering.

This type of convention is not an academic seminar nor an event open to plural debate. It is a political act by an ideological party, which uses the campus as its continuous operational base throughout 2025.

University or Party Headquarters: YDSA-FIU and Its Cycle of Political Events

“YDSA 101”

• Date: March 21, 2025, 6 p.m., Room GL 165 (FIU Modesto Maidique).
• Declared Objective:
  • Recruit members for the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA).
  • Spread socialist doctrine: “If you believe in healthcare for all, reproductive rights, labor and immigrant justice, you are part of us.”
  • Coordination with the “Free Plan B” campaign as an initial draw.

Evidence: YDSA-FIU’s Instagram announcement, showing that the event was held in a university classroom and describing the political agenda (recruitment and socialist ideology), without mentioning any formal academic content.

Partial YDSA-FIU Events Calendar (2024–2025):

• Trans Day of Visibility Clothing Drive (March 31, 2025): Distribution of clothing and drag performances.
• Walkout Against Interim President Jeanette Núñez: Demonstration in rejection of the political appointment at FIU.
• Protest Against ICE: April 2025 event questioning federal immigration policies.
• Miami Beach Pride (April 5–6, 2025): Official booth of YDSA/DSA with socialist propaganda.
• Palestine Day of Action (March 26, 2025): Demonstration in solidarity with Palestine, demanding “immediate freedom” and denouncing “student repression.”

In all these cases, FIU facilitated rooms, tents on lawns, and links on official university social channels, without distinguishing between cultural, academic, or purely political activities.

Evidence: Screenshots of YDSA-FIU and DSA social media posts (TikTok and Instagram), detailing each event and its political objectives.

The pattern is clear: a constant cycle of events that do not aim at academic formation in science, technology, or humanities, but rather aim to mobilize students around ideological causes and protests.

Pro-Palestinian Activism at FIU: “Palestine Day of Action” and Pro-Hamas

• Date: March 26, 2025, 12 p.m., GC Lawns (Modesto Maidique campus).
• Call to Action:
  • Solidarity with the “Palestinian cause” in the face of “Israeli escalation in Gaza.”
  • Rejection of the “political arrest” of Mahmoud Khalil and denunciation of “student repression.”
• Minor Participation: A small group can be seen, with several attendees who do not appear to be students (elderly individuals in wheelchairs).
• Diagnosis:
  • External ideological motivation?
  • Orchestrated compensation to ensure presence?
  • Lack of institutional counterbalance?

Evidence: A TikTok video showing banners with the message “Free Palestine” and flags, with most participants not displaying student credentials (images circulating on social media).

This event did not have an academic counterpart or a pluralistic debate forum, but rather issued single-minded slogans supporting an international cause unrelated to the university’s mission. Once again, the university served as a platform for radical demonstrations bearing no relation to the professional training of its students.

Covert Political Influence? FIU’s “Senior Leadership Fellows” Program

FIU has promoted for years its Senior Leadership Fellows program, which “brings to campus former heads of state and high-level officials to conduct seminars and mentorships based on their public experience.” At first glance, this may seem like a learning opportunity; in practice, recent examples illustrate an ideological bias:

• Laura Chinchilla (former President of Costa Rica), promoter of statist policies.
• Vicente Fox (former President of Mexico), critic of conservative stances.
• Juan Guaidó (former Interim President of Venezuela), a polarizing figure whose presence at FIU in January 2019 sparked debate among students and was linked to pro-Guaidó demonstrations.
• Loretta Sánchez (former U.S. Democratic Congresswoman), tied to progressive political platforms.

Although some of these profiles belong to Latin America’s center-right, most have trajectories associated with state-intervention movements and left-wing agendas. Students attend their lectures without ideological counterweights: no equally academic conservative figures are invited, nor are discussions balanced with formal counterpoints. The result is a perception of “ideological infiltration” from the very heart of the university.

Concrete Evidence: FIU’s official list of Senior Leadership Fellows (Spring 2025) includes figures such as Marshall Billingslea (former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury), Laura Chinchilla, and Paul Renner. In previous semesters, names like Juan Guaidó, Vicente Fox, Álvaro Uribe, and Martín Redrado appeared.

2025: Interim Presidency Appointment at FIU

Key Date: February 7, 2025.
The FIU Board of Trustees appointed Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Núñez as Interim President—an appointment that, according to several board members, originated directly from Governor Ron DeSantis’s office.

• Lack of Transparency: No open search or faculty selection committee was conducted.
• Questioned Profile: Núñez lacks a doctoral degree and prior university management experience.
• Reactions from the Academic Community: Professors and union representatives denounced that university autonomy had been infringed.

Evidence: Telemundo 51 news report (February 7, 2025) on Núñez’s appointment; statements by Tania Cepero López, Associate Professor and union representative, noting “concern over the absence of a legitimate process.”

As of February 17, 2025, Núñez assumed office, while critical voices demand that, for the selection of a permanent president, the traditional protocol—open search, independent committee, and clear academic criteria—be respected.

Protests at FIU: Social Justice or Symbolic Manipulation?

Demonstration Against ICE and Distribution of Plan B

In April 2025, a video circulated showing a protest on the Modesto Maidique campus of FIU, supposedly rejecting ICE policies (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and celebrating that Plan B (emergency contraceptive) would be “free for all students.”

• Unidentified Participants: Adults who do not appear to be active students can be seen (even people in wheelchairs and elderly individuals).
• Legitimate Questions:
  1. Are all attendees truly enrolled FIU students?
  2. Did they receive some form of compensation or external incentive?
  3. Was the protest spontaneous, or was there covert institutional coordination?

Evidence: Video screenshot from social media showing a small group of protesters—many of whom are not university students—on the GC Lawns, holding signs and shouting slogans.

This type of action uses the campus as a platform for specific causes unrelated to the academic schedule or to programs such as engineering, science, or humanities. The result is an environment where symbolic protest is confused with an act lacking any anchoring in the real needs of students (employment, research, professional training).

The Possible Arrival of Santa J. Ono at UF: An Academic Respite or a New Political Trench

At the University of Florida (UF), Dr. Santa J. Ono is projected for 2025 to become president under a contract (five years, up to $15.4 million plus benefits) that directly concerns the fulfillment of reforms promoted by Governor DeSantis. The “key metrics” of that contract contemplate:

• Cooperation with the Office of Government Efficiency (“Florida DOGE”).
• Prohibition on spending funds on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
• Appointment of deans and vice presidents aligned with the governor’s “conservative philosophy.”

For many, it is the “last bastion” to restore academic neutrality and expel ideological programs that foster campus activism. For others, it represents “political loyalty” to state power.

Evidence: Garrett Shanley’s article in the Miami Herald (May 31, 2025), which details the “loyalty pledges” (political commitments) included in Ono’s contract, comparing them with the previous treatment of Ben Sasse (former UF president).

If Ono assumes without allowing the resurrection of activist chairs, UF may focus again on cutting-edge research, technological development, and academic leadership. However, it remains to be seen whether this appointment will spur a genuine rollback of politicization or translate into another mechanism of ideological alignment—albeit of a different stripe.

Education vs. Propaganda

The evidence amassed at FIU—from the “Senior Leadership Fellows” program to the continuous cycle of YDSA and DSA political events—shows that a significant portion of this public campus has become an instrument of ideological activism. The appointment of Jeanette Núñez at FIU and the contract of Santa J. Ono at UF exemplify a broader phenomenon: trying to curb political power’s influence in university leadership, with the explicit or implicit aim of shaping ideological agendas within the classrooms.

Universities must be:

1. Centers of Knowledge: Neutral spaces where critical thinking, scientific research, and pluralistic debate are cultivated, far from partisan logic.
2. Engines of Technological and Social Progress: Institutions where engineers, scientists, and professionals are formed—capable of taking humanity to new frontiers, from space missions to medical and energy solutions.
3. Strongholds of Academic Freedom: Where every professor and student has the right to express their ideas without the campus becoming a trench for political propaganda.

Basic Demands to Restore the University’s Purpose in Miami-Dade:

• Conduct an audit and review of all academic programs and fellowships with ideological profiles.
• Restore transparent processes for appointing authorities (presidents, deans, vice presidents).
• Prohibit the use of university spaces and resources exclusively for partisan activities.
• Ensure that any political event on campus is carried out under criteria of pluralism and balance, with invited counterparts and rigorous academic debate.
• Prioritize scientific, technological, and academic excellence: Concentrate resources on laboratories, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs, and research projects with real impact.

The student community, faculty bodies, and society in general must raise their voices so that Miami-Dade’s universities become what they should be: beacons of knowledge, not political trenches. Those who seek to engage in partisan activism have the streets, the political parties, and social media; honorable students and professors deserve an environment where academic rigor, freedom of thought, and critical analysis prevail over any imported ideological agenda. Only then can our institutions of higher education fulfill their foundational mission and contribute to society’s sustainable development.

References and Evidence Used:

Instagram/TikTok announcements of YDSA 101 events (March 21, 2025).

Senior Leadership Fellows — Official FIU listing (Spring 2025 and previous semesters).

Telemundo 51 (February 7, 2025): “Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Núñez is Appointed Interim President of FIU.”

Social media video (April 2025): Protest against ICE and distribution of Plan B at FIU.

Miami DSA and YDSA-FIU publications (March–April 2025): Documenting the “Trans people exist…”, “Miami Beach Pride,” and “Chapter Convention” events.

Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald (May 31, 2025): “Loyalty pledges”: Santa J. Ono and ideological clauses in his UF contract.

Audiovisual recordings and screenshots of “Palestine Day of Action” (March 26, 2025) at FIU.

caplinnews.fiu.edu (Friday, March 7, 2025): “Post-7/10 Surge of Antisemitism: How University Students in Florida Are Experiencing It.”

Your world, just a click away:
News that connects, informs, and challenges.
Did you know? We do.

#AlwaysFirstNewsMiamiDade

Information without borders, truth without filters:
Your newspaper in the digital age.
Read today, lead tomorrow:
The latest news in your hands, without waiting for the paper.
Real-time news, unparalleled analysis:
Your digital advantage.
Did you hear it? We’ve already published it.
👉 newsmiamidade.com 👈