Board chair says Americans have lost confidence in higher education because ‘colleges indoctrinate students with privileged ideologies’
The Iowa Board of Regents postponed a vote Wednesday on a policy prohibiting mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory classes after critics said the measure would restrict academic freedom.
During a public comments period, faculty and students urged the board to reject the policy, We are IOWA reports.
“It removes critical tools for students to understand the world around them,” University of Iowa Ph.D student Will Tjeltveit told the board. “By saying that the primary principles of DEI and CRT cannot be part of required classes, you’re limiting what discourse and what learning can take place.”
Tjeltveit, (pictured) who is studying history, said CRT and DEI are “inseparable from an accurate telling of American history.” He also said the policy would result in infamy and “shame” for the university, and drive students away.
University of Northern Iowa Professor Chris Martin, who teaches communications and leads the faculty union, said the policy is “illegal” because it restricts free expression and academic freedom.
“The end result will be censorship by the government,” Martin said.
Clara Reynen, the unity chair of the University of Iowa graduate students’ union, described the policy as “authoritarian.” She said she now feels “embarrassed” to tell colleagues that she graduated from the University of Iowa.
The board, which oversees Iowa’s three public universities, decided to delay the vote until its July meeting, according to We are IOWA.
According to the policy proposal, “A student shall not be required to take a course that has substantial content that conveys DEI or CRT to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor or certificate unless the Board has approved it as an exception.”
These include concepts such as “cultural appropriation,” “microaggressions,” and “heteronormativity,” according to the policy.
It also defines critical race theory as “an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society and is embedded in laws, policies and institutions.”
Board of Regents Executive Director Mark Braun said Americans have lost confidence in higher education institutions because of “the belief that colleges indoctrinate students with privileged ideologies,” The Gazette reports.
“We need to do something about that, and some version of this policy will be an important first step,” he said.
However, Braun also said some of the language in the policy is vague, and revisions will be made for the July meeting.
The Gazette reports more from the meeting:
“We’ve received dozens of emails about this policy,” regent David Barker said. “Some of the emails were helpful. To be frank, I found some emails to be on the pompous and arrogant side. But even some of those emails were helpful. Others, I think, showed a misunderstanding of the policy. But the helpful emails convinced me that we can improve on this first draft of the policy.” …
“Our goal is not to shut down a point of view,” regent Barker said about the policy, which is coming back to the board for a second and final reading next month. “Our goal is to prevent instructors from presenting contested, controversial ideas as settled fact. We shouldn’t be doing that, particularly in required courses.”
In late May, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law enacting similar DEI restrictions on public entities, including universities, the Des Moines Register reports.
The law, which goes into effect July 1, prohibits “policies and procedures designed or implemented to encourage preferential treatment of or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity.”
Iowa lawmakers also passed a law last year prohibiting public universities from spending money on DEI offices and personnel — however, the legislation did not restrict curricula.
Shortly afterward, the University of Iowa announced plans to close its American Studies and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies departments and eliminate its social justice major, The College Fix reported at the time.
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: University of Iowa Ph.D student Will Tjeltveit speaks out against a policy to restrict DEI during an Iowa Board of Regents meeting; Iowa Board of Regents/YouTube
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