In this essay, I reflect on my own experiences as a graduate student in applied anthropology working in the context of ongoing higher education legislation implemented under the DeSantis administration in the state of Florida. In particular, I focus on the ways Florida’s House Bill 7 and Senate Bill 266 have impacted my experiences as a graduate student teaching general education courses in anthropology. This commentary argues that these laws have promoted a culture of uncertainty and precarity by disrupting the academic freedoms of people in teaching positions, while potentially undermining critical and creative thinking in the classroom.