Margie Menzel

Protests on college and university campuses aren’t new. Student activism goes back decades, to the civil rights movement and Vietnam. Elected officials and administrators have long torn their hair over how to keep the issues of the day off campuses. Just last week, protests erupted at Florida universities against the actions of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE.

This year there are roughly 40 proposals before the Florida Legislature seeking to create exemptions to public records. Historically, the state has been considered a national leader in making its system of government accessible to its citizens — but no more. Open government advocates are dismayed by the many new attempts at whittling down the state’s transparency.