Restore UF's Living Learning Communities
UF President Kent Fuchs, UF Housing and Residence Life, UF Board of Trustees
On February 17, 2025, The University of Florida (UF) indefinitely “paused” all activities for non-academic Living Learning Communities (LLCs). LLCs consist of on-campus housing communities for students with similar studies, interests, and experiences. The six paused LLCs include the Black Cultural, First-Generation, International, Lavender (LGBTQ+), Arts, and Out -of-Stator Gator (Out of State) Living Learning Communities. Notably, most of the paused LLCs represent underserved and marginalized groups.
As a result of this ban, many queer and gender nonconforming students will lose access to safe housing this fall. Additionally, already vulnerable groups like Black, first-generation, and International students will face hardship as they lose another safe space to find community.
This ban came soon after the Trump Administration banned academic institutions from considering race in their decisions. Instead of finding ways to protect vulnerable students in this politically uncertain time, UF has decided to side with those attacking the rights of students.
Cancelling the activities of marginalized LLCs follows a long history of UF stripping protections from vulnerable students. This includes dismantling on-campus safe spaces, banning faculty from recruiting international students, and using the police to threaten peaceful protestors. It is clear that this latest attack on safe housing is only part of a larger plan to transform the UF campus into a space that is no longer safe for marginalized groups. LLCs will not be the last protection to be targeted.
Despite the role of students in funding this institution, UF has demonstrated that the safety and well-being of students is not their priority. We as students — who are part of the multicultural community of Gainesville — need to show the university administration that we are what keeps UF flourishing.
Please sign this petition and demand the University of Florida to reinstate Living Learning Communities. Show them the power of our community and remind them that the people are what keep this university thriving.
Petition by
To:
UF President Kent Fuchs, UF Housing and Residence Life, UF Board of Trustees
From:
[Your Name]
Living Learning Communities are among the few spaces for students of marginalized identities and vulnerable populations still present on campus, and are incredibly vital for providing communal places to live among those that students feel safe around. You know LLCs are important, because you didn't dismantle all of the LLCs, but specifically targeted those relating to queer identity, racial identity, immigrant status, and socio-economic status. Without these LLCs, students of these identities may now be placed with any roommate, which puts them in danger of facing prejudice in their own home. The student community demands that you reinstate these LLCs and show us that you care about safety and equity