Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa’s attorney general is investigating comments a University of Iowa employee made in an undercover video about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming on campus. Governor Reynolds asked for the investigation after seeing the video, which aired on Fox News on Tuesday. The governor says the University of Iowa employee blatantly admits to defying the anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion law she signed in 2024. Sherry Bates is president of the Board of Regents, which oversees the university.
In the video, the employee suggests staff on campus are using the phrase “civic engagement” rather than DEI, and the governor says it appears the university has illegally maintained a DEI office. Attorney General Brenna Bird says the Regents universities must comply with state laws AND President Trump’s executive order on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, and she announced this (Wednesday) morning that her office has opened an investigation.
