Urbandale, Iowa — The board that governs the three state-supported universities is launching a comprehensive review of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at the schools.
The president of the Board of Regents has also directed the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa to pause implementing any new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Representative Taylor Collins, a Republican from Mediapolis, says he appreciates the Regents’ response to concerns, but it’s time to pass a bill that dismantles the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion bureaucracies on the campuses.
A bill that’s eligible for debate in the Iowa House would prohibit the state universities from spending any money on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion staff or training that discusses things like racial privilege or pronouns which do not represent a gender. Collins says it’s a woke agenda and he says he’s been shocked to hear from a lot of the faculty at the three universities.
It’s unclear how the House bill would impact the recent legal settlement with former Hawkeye football players. The university has agreed to hire a black studies professor from the University of Texas to oversee a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion action plan for Hawkeye athletes and coaches. Collins is a member of the panel that drafts the budgets for the state universities.
Senator Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, is chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He hasn’t seen the House bill on this subject.
Rozenboom does have concerns about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs on the campuses in Ames, Cedar Falls, and Iowa City.
Rozenboom says his approach has been to gather facts and figures and start investigating this year.
Advocates of the Regents’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs say they are intended to ensure people from different backgrounds and experiences feel welcome on campus.
