Bill codifying DEI directives at state universities passes out of subcommittee

A bill codifying the elimination and restructuring of non-essential diversity, equity and inclusion offices at the state’s public universities, among other DEI-related actions, passed out of a House subcommittee Monday.

The move came just hours before the university presidents provided updates to lawmakers on the completion of those and other recommendations made by the Iowa Board of Regents last fall.

House File 2327 would have the Iowa Board of Regents direct the universities it governs to  review and eliminate DEI-related offices and positions that are not required for accreditation or under federal or state laws, ensure all multicultural or diversity support services are available for all students and reflect that in promotional materials, and take steps to assure that no one on campus is forced to provide their pronouns, among other items.

These requirements align with recommendations approved by the Iowa Board of Regents in November, of which the universities will provide progress reports on in April.

Two ex-officio, nonvoting members of the state’s general assembly would be added to the Iowa Board of Regents under the legislation, designated by the Senate majority leader and House speaker. Members of the Board of Regents are appointed by the governor.

The bill would also cap tuition and fee increases for bachelor’s degrees at 3% and prohibit the universities from hiring any new employees to serve as administrators without board approval. It would also have the state universities and community colleges create a program for students to pursue a degree while working part-time for an employer registered in the program, who would pay the student’s tuition and wages.

Bill moves ahead with mixed support from panel, public 

Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, heard comments from the public on the bill Monday alongside Rep. Sue Cahill, D-Marshalltown, and Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City.

University of Iowa graduate Harry Manaligod, joined by other state university students and graduates, voiced her opposition to the bill because of its requirements related to DEI programs, saying she knows of teachers, programmers, scientists and others who would not be able to lead their promising careers without DEI programming.

Other commenters spoke about how utilizing DEI resources on campus helped them both academically and personally, making them feel safe and welcomed when others they interacted with made them feel the opposite.

“In Iowa we often talk about this brain drain from Iowa, where educated people leave the state and take their talents and skills elsewhere,” Manaligod said. “If this bill passes, the state will make it so that countless potential geniuses never get the education that they need to make our state a better place to live.”

Those who spoke in favor of the bill said those who attend or work at schools should not be made to feel negatively about holding opinions others don’t hold, or about the color of their skin.

Ryan Benn, representing The Family Leader, a Christian conservative group, expressed the organization’s support of the bill and said DEI policies are used to perpetuate racism.

“DEI policies have used race-based decision making, and then discriminated against people who are unwilling to affirm certain ideologies which were against those things,” Benn said.

Cahill said she was against moving the bill forward due to a lack of information and the fact that the DEI-related policies could clutter Iowa code, as the board of regents has already put them into motion at the universities it governs.

She also said opening DEI programs and services to all students could end up creating the necessity for them to grow, rather than shrink, in order to be able to fulfill the needs of more students.

Collins and Stone both voiced their support of the bill, and Stone said he’d save his comments for committee work.

Jillian Carlson, representing the Iowa Board of Regents, told the subcommittee that the DEI policies originally recommended in the board’s report became directives when they were approved in November, and that some language may need to be changed.

“We do want to note that some of the directives were one-time directives and they translate slightly awkwardly to code,” Carlson said. “So we’re happy to work with you on language that would make that provide a little bit more clarity for us on those.”

She also expressed concerns that the tuition cap could disproportionately impact UNI, as about 85% of its student body are Iowa residents, compared to about 40% at the UI and ISU. She said prohibiting hiring of administrators under the broad definition in the bill without board approval could have negative impacts, as those approvals would have to be made at a board meeting.

The bill moves to the full House Education Committee for further consideration.

University presidents give updates on DEI recommendations

Regents university presidents answered questions about the implementation of the DEI report recommendations at a House Education Appropriations Subcommittee meeting Monday after presenting information on their appropriations requests.

Each of the presidents stated that progress has already been made on some of the directives, including ensuring that no one is required to provide pronouns. In the meeting, Collins asked how lawmakers were expected to make appropriation decisions when they won’t see progress on those directives from the universities until April, when they will provide progress reports to the board of regents.

UNI President Mark Nook said the university has also already reviewed its DEI-related general education categories and changed names where necessary, but completing reviews and changes to all DEI-related offices and positions is a much loftier goal.

He said he’s confident the university will be able to follow the timeline the regents set and have information to share in April.

“Those are services that at the moment are serving a large number of students and on our campus, most of them really are open to all of our students,” Nook said. “But getting that messaging turned around, getting the position descriptions rewritten is going to take a little bit of time.”

ISU President Wendy Wintersteen said the university has also completed the directives of ensuring no one is required to make a DEI statement or be evaluated based on their participation in DEI activities. The university has also taken steps to show that services are available to all students, and is exploring new ways of advertising to expand diversity of philosophical and intellectual perspectives on campus.

“We are intent on doing what the directive is from the Board of Regents,” Wintersteen said.

UI President Barbara Wilson said the university has changed its performance review criteria to eliminate a question about how the reviewee has contributed to diversity, equity and inclusion to how they have fostered a welcoming and respectful workplace.

The university is also crafting an initiative to educate students about civic dialogue and engagement, which will start out as a pilot program implemented in residence halls.

“The goal would be to help students be better listeners, be better critical thinkers, be more empathic and also to engage in difficult conversations and stay at the table, even when they disagree,” Wilson said.

In response to a question from Collins about the fact that the task forces created by the universities to handle the directives are majority-Democrat and are made up of DEI-related staff members, Wilson said she was unaware of the political affiliations of the task force members and that they are the best people for the job.

“I don’t ask people routinely what their political party is. The people on our task force are people with the experience on diversity, equity and inclusion … We’ve asked them to be very critical and thoughtful about DEI, how we’re doing it, what we call it, who we’re serving, and they’re laser focused on student success and on patient care,” Wilson said.

Rep. Art Staed, D-Cedar Rapids, told the presidents that he will not “allow” their work on the DEI report directives to impact the funding they will receive from the state.

“I hope that is not a belief that the decision on the funding for the universities in the state are based upon the political philosophy, the political issue of diversity, equity and inclusion, which we differ here among the parties sitting at this table,” Staed said.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Harry Manaligod.