Iowa Board of Regents president directs universities to scrub websites of DEI
Iowa Board of Regents President Sherry Bates, right, attends a meeting Feb. 27,2025. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa Board of Regents President Sherry Bates directed state universities Thursday to remove all online mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion and begin campuswide academic program review, emphasizing that while plenty of work has already been completed, there is more to do.
'All of us — regents, university administrators, faculty and staff — must examine what we are doing now and what we will be doing going forward to ensure that we are following the spirit of the laws and executive orders, not just the words on the paper,' Bates said. 'The time is now to make sure we complete our work.'
In a statement read to the board, Bates said she is directing the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University to take down all web pages, either current or archived, relating to DEI. Once they are down, Bates said universities can work with the board office to determine whether they need to be put back online.
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Bates also referenced proposed legislation that would have the board and universities conduct a review of all academic programs and report whether they should be changed, remain the same or be eliminated after comparing them to workforce needs. She said the the board office and universities should begin this review now and have a report ready by the board's November meeting.
'We do not need to wait for a bill,' Bates said.
Universities must also comply with a letter sent by Gov. Kim Reynolds Feb. 24, which included a directive to identify all federal contracts with 'DEI provisions,' Bates said, and record dates of agreement, dollar amounts, contracting groups and how much work must still be completed.
Universities have already spent a lot of time working on state and board directives, Bates said. These efforts have led to program closures and position eliminations, and universities have moved more than $2 million from DEI programs so far.
Bates said during the meeting that after its monthslong review of campus programs, the University of Iowa is discontinuing three Living Learning Communities, or LLCs, at the end of the academic year.
UI Public Relations Manager Chris Brewer confirmed in an email the Living Learning Communities scheduled to end at the end of the semester are 'Unidos,' 'All In' and 'Young, Gifted and Black.' Each of these are listed online as 'open to any student who seeks to strengthen knowledge and empowerment of' Latinx students, LGBTQ+ students and Black students, respectively.
Meaning 'united' in Spanish, 'Unidos' is described online as a community that 'explores the varied cultures and experiences of Latinx students and partners with campus resources and organizations to help create a strong foundation for Latinx-identifying students in their first-year and beyond.'
'All In' was founded by LGBTQ+ students with the goal of creating a LGBTQ+-friendly housing option, the LLC's website states, where students can 'explore and celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and identity.'
The university states online that the 'Young, Gifted and Black' LLC was founded by Black UI students 'with the objective to aid in the transition of incoming Black students at the University of Iowa.'
'We understand that some are upset, but to comply with recent decisions, this is a path forward,' Bates said. 'But we do have more to do.'
Another example Bates gave of the university system preemptively working on issues identified by lawmakers was among the last of the board's agenda items for the day — an update to admissions forms to eliminate any sex options other than 'male,' 'female,' or 'prefer not to answer.'
Work was already being done on this topic before the board received a letter from Sen. Lynn Evans and Rep. Taylor Collins requesting they make changes, and within three days, the options for students to choose when identifying their sex were updated.
'For some, it may look like nothing has been changed,' Bates said. 'This is not the case, but the changes must be made.'
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