The dean of the library of the Florida college that state Republicans and their allies have overhauled has been placed on administrative leave following the disposal last week of hundreds of books, many of which featured LGBTQ+ themes, at a landfill.
A spokesperson confirmed to the media on Monday that Shannon Hausinger, the dean of the library at the New College of Florida, had been placed on administrative leave.
Sarasota’s New College, a small arts college, has made the most recent changes, including disposing of the books and removing Hausinger. In the past year, Gov. DeSantis has spearheaded a campaign to transform the school into the “Hillsdale College of the South,” a reference to the Michigan-based private, conservative Christian liberal arts school.
While many students and longtime faculty fled to other colleges, new leadership was implemented. After the new board discontinued the gender studies program, DeSantis applauded the college as “the first public university to push back on gender indoctrination.”
Hundreds of books were spotted spilling out of a dumpster behind the Jane Bancroft Cook Library on August 13. Images and videos of the heaping pile of books, many of which were on LGBTQ+ topics and religious studies, incited immediate backlash and extensive media coverage.
Along with the library books, materials from the Gender and Diversity Center, a student-run and student-curated library books on topics including women, Black stories, and the LGBTQ+ community, were also disposed of by New College. “When I Knew,” “Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate,” and “The War of the Worlds,” were some of the books discovered in the trash last week, a compilation of stories from LGBTQ+ individuals recounting the moment they realized they were gay.
As of Monday afternoon, the reason and duration of Hausinger’s departure remained unknown. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has been employed with the New College since February 2024.
According to Nathan March, the spokesperson for the New College of Florida, Hausinger’s leave was “taken after discovering that the library did not follow all of the state administrative requirements while conducting the routine disposition of materials.”
However, it is unclear which specific state requirements are not fulfilled. Florida Statute 273 was cited by New College in its original statement released on Thursday as the reason it was unable to donate the books rather than discard them. The statute does not say that the college sells or donates extra books.
Videos and photos from Thursday afternoon’s disposal have gone viral online, receiving millions of views on social media and nationwide media coverage.
Richard Corcoran, the President of the New College, addressed the public’s concerns and dissatisfaction about the book’s disposal situation in a message to the college students, staff, and teachers on Monday afternoon. He also criticized the media’s coverage of the issue.
Corcoran stated, “Unfortunately, much of the coverage has been sensationalized, catering to the narratives of our critics.” “While the optics of seeing thousands of books in a dumpster are far from ideal, it is important to understand that the disposition of materials is a necessary process in libraries, and ensures that our collection remains relevant, up-to-date, and in good condition for our community’s use.”
