Latest news with #HouseStudyBill53
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa House Higher Education Committee focuses on civics education in meeting, legislation
The Iowa House Higher Education Committee passed several bills to the House floor Wednesday after a presentation from the National Association of Scholars. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa's public universities are 'derelict in their duty' of teaching students about the United States, its history and ideals, a presenter told Iowa lawmakers Wednesday. The Iowa House Higher Education Committee passed four bills, most with amendments, during its meeting after hearing a presentation from the National Association of Scholars. House Study Bill 55 would require state university faculty to publish syllabus information online for public view, including the educator's name, course requirements, reading materials and class subject descriptions. Amendments added to the bill struck language requiring the subject matter of each lecture and discussion to be published online as well, and added a section saying these rules don't apply to courses that don't regularly meet in a classroom setting. Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport said despite the amendments, which were recommended by the Iowa Board of Regents, she was still concerned about the potential cost of complying with the law. 'I think that it represents an overreach that is undesirable,' Kurth said. 'I'm also concerned that it takes away the flexibility that might be needed within a course to address certain types of issues or problems as they come up.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Under House Study Bill 59, universities would also have to post online certain financial information. As amended, budget lines totaling $50,000 or more would need to be published online, as well as expenditures and vendor services that meet that same threshold. Each university administrative unit would also be required to share its budget, and expenditures for diversity, equity and inclusion would be made public as well. Kurth also voiced concerns about HSB 59, citing an email from the Board of Regents that suggests much of the information is already available online. Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, said the bill would make that information more organized and accessible to the public. House Study Bill 57 would bar accrediting agencies from taking negative action, such as removing accreditation, from public universities for following or refusing to violate state law. If authorized by the attorney general, universities would be able to bring a civil suit against accreditors who take action against them for that reason. The bill will head to the floor, but Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, said he has 'several concerns' about the Legislature's ability to block a nongovernmental organization such as an accrediting body from taking action against universities that fail to comply with their policies. Under House Study Bill 53, public universities would be prohibited from requiring students to take a course relating to DEI or critical race theory to fulfill general education or any academic program standards, with exceptions for programs with titles directly showing the main focus of the course to be on race, gender or sexuality. The bill also provides that universities cannot require or incentivize employees, appointees and committees to participate in DEI or critical race theory activities. Wilburn brought forward an amendment to remove this section, as he said it could have unintended consequences of not getting faculty the continuing education they need, especially in various medical fields. Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, urged the committee to resist the legislation, but said he'd like to speak with Wilburn more about potentially adding language relating to medical issues. The amendment failed to pass, but the legislation itself will move to the House floor. David Randall, director of research at the National Association of Scholars, told lawmakers students across the U.S., including those in Iowa, are not learning the necessary knowledge of the U.S., its government and history, in K-12 or higher education. According to a 2024 survey of 3,000 college students by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a minority of students were able to say when the Constitution was written and that the legislative branch can declare war, among other things. 'If you look at the general education requirements of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, you will see that Iowa's public universities are derelict in their duty,' Randall said. Randall said none of the state universities have general education requirements for American history and government, and civics courses are generally more focused on civic engagement rather than education. He added that the UI has a general education requirement in the category of 'Diversity and Inclusion,' which the university said will be changed to 'Understanding Cultural Perspectives' starting in the 2025-26 school year. Priorities Randall cited in improving civics education in higher education can be found in legislation already being discussed by lawmakers, including changing general education requirements and stopping accreditors from taking negative action against universities for following state laws. Another solution he proposed was to have universities establish 'administratively autonomous' schools that focus on U.S. history and government that would report to the Legislature itself rather than the university it is housed in, in order to 'ensure that civic education in Iowa's public universities is not entrusted to the radical university establishment.' Holt referenced the presentation during a subcommittee meeting on House Study Bill 56, which would require college students to take a course on American history and civics in order to earn a bachelor's degree. The course would need to include, but not be limited to, instruction on 'the study of and devotion to American institutions and ideals,' according to the bill, as well as the history and principles of U.S. government, founding documents like the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation and the Emancipation Proclamation, and landmark court cases. Iowa Board of Regents State Relations Officer Jillian Carlson said the board is registered 'undecided' on the legislation but could support the bill if the board was able to work with the Legislature on amendments. Members of the public questioned how certain topics, people and documents were selected as topics for the course and what the process was for choosing what and who would be included or excluded from the bill language. Brian Schurz, a resident of Norwalk who graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in history, asked why people like Ida B. Wells and Susan B. Anthony, among others, were not listed in the legislation, as well as topics like efforts to combat the Ku Klux Klan. 'Our process of America, of where we came today, is kind of ugly, and there were people that were taken advantage of, and it's important to have those conversations in an open and honest forum,' Schurz said. 'By using this prism as we're trying to pass laws in the state of Iowa, I don't want to call it McCarthyism in the 1950s but if it's something that you don't like and somebody gets upset about it, then we're trying to shout each other down or legislate someone to be quiet. So I think we have to be very cautious with this.' After reading a quote from former President Ronald Reagon about how 'freedom is never more than one generation from extinction,' Holt said the presentation cited data from a recent study that showed half of respondents would flee the U.S. if it was invaded. This is why it is so important to teach young people about the topics outlined in the bill, he said, and added that despite what was suggested in the meeting, this legislation does not prevent any topics from being taught in the classroom. Subcommittee chair Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, said he looks forward to working with the Board of Regents to come to an agreement on language in the bill, but the fact of the matter is that students need to be required to learn what is touched on in the legislation. If people don't unite to tell one story about the U.S. and its history, Wheeler said, multiple versions of the country will continue to be taught in schools. 'Why in the world … do we have an education system if we're not going to be able to utilize it to make sure that kids know basic things about our country, things that they should know?' Wheeler said. The bill will head to the full higher education committee for consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
USA Today
30-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Iowa higher ed bills would block required DEI instruction, add transparency measures
Iowa's three public universities would be forbidden from requiring students to take or compelling faculty to teach classes involving diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory under an Iowa House bill that would expand GOP lawmakers' restrictions on what they consider "woke" ideology. President Donald Trump's return to the White House has given GOP lawmakers another runway to double down on ending DEI efforts in higher education, building on their legislation passed last year requiring the universities governed by the Iowa Board of Regents to shut down DEI offices. The bill, House Study Bill 53, states it shall not be construed to "limit the academic freedom of any individual course instructor to direct the instruction within the instructor's own course or to limit the free discussion of ideas in a classroom setting." But critics called it an "ideological" proposal targeting instruction on historically marginalized communities. It prevents mandating instruction on topics related to systemic or institutional racism, allyship, unconscious bias and race or gender-based diversity, equity and inclusion. Universities could not promote "the differential treatment of any individual or groups of individuals based on race or ethnicity in contemporary American society" or "the idea that a student is biased" based on their race or sex. The Board of Regents could grant an exemption from the requirements if a course of study is primarily focused on racial, ethnic or gender studies. The prohibition on DEI requirements also applies to any workshop, training, seminar or professional development. The proposal from Rep. Taylor Collins, a Mediapolis Republican who is House Higher Education Committee chair, advanced out of subcommittee Wednesday. Jillian Carlson, state relations officer for the regents, said the board backed this legislation because the regents and federal government are already moving in this direction. Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, supported the proposal and said organizations pushing such 'divisive concepts' has the opposite effect of promoting inclusion. 'Racists exist and they suck. The problem with all of this is there's zero proof that this is helping make people less racist," Wheeler said. "… We would unify in America around the Constitution, around the Bill of Rights.' Danny Carroll, a former Iowa GOP chairman representing the Family Leader, said "Iowa nice" is real and spoke in support of the bill. 'DEI, CRT and all of the baggage associated with that and the assumptions built into it are offensive to the Iowans who are nice and respectful because it takes that and tries to force it upon them,' he said. '… They have finally said, 'We've had enough.'' Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, shared that he faced lynching threats after writing a letter to the editor about a Trump visit to Iowa. 'For some of us, 'Iowa nice' has two different meanings," he said. Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, said the group opposed the bill. 'Diversity is a part of the fabric of American life, and not being able to share and to make sure our students are aware of it is problematic for us," Andrews said. "It's ignoring a big part of who we are in terms of our history.' Higher education institutions could sue accreditors Accrediting agencies could not take "any adverse action" against a public higher education institution in Iowa for complying with a state law under a bill advancing in the Iowa House. House Study Bill 57 would let the Iowa attorney general allow schools to bring a civil lawsuit against an accrediting agency that penalizes an institution for "refusing to violate" a state law. Colleges have to be accredited so students are eligible for federal student aid, including loans issued by the Education Department and Pell Grants awarded to students from low-income households. 'It does protect our institutions from being unjustly not accredited because of state laws," said Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake. The Iowa Board of Regents is registered in support of the legislation. The bill does not explicitly make reference to the state's laws restricting DEI initiatives, and GOP lawmakers on the subcommittee that advanced the legislation insisted it had nothing to do with DEI. But accreditors have been caught in the crosshairs while DEI often remains part of accreditation standards. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to fire accreditors for not protecting college students from schools that are 'dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics.' The Heritage Foundation, a rightwing think tank that created the Project 2025 conservative manifesto, has criticized accreditation processes as "costly and intrusive" while offering little in quality control, while mandating "'woke' policies and practices within universities." Collins said some regional creditors have tried to penalize states for minor changes. He did not cite a specific instance, but the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has come under fire for what some GOP lawmakers suggest was meddling in several university presidential searches within the region. Collins said he is not aware of specific threats to pull accreditation from any Iowa public higher education institution, but it could be a problem in the future. The state's three public universities are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. "I think it's just important that the Legislature assert the authority," Collins said. "We have the ultimate say, not out-of-state, unelected, unaccountable, institutional creditors." Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for One Iowa, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy group, said accrediting agencies are run by experts who have a holistic view of what universities need to be to maintain accreditation. "I'm concerned that this kind of puts us in a tipsy-turvy situation where, rather than trying to analyze our laws to see if they're going to put our universities in compliance with the accreditation, that now we are just kind of saying, 'Well, we don't care,'" Crow said. "'We're going to do whatever we want.'" New measures target transparency Other proposals pushed forward Wednesday in the House aim to boost transparency for students and taxpayers. House Study Bill 55 would require Iowa's public universities post undergraduate course syllabi on their website. Each syllabus should include the instructor's name, a brief description of each major course requirement, any required or recommended reading material and a general description of the subject matter of each lecture or discussion. It would take effect Dec. 31, in time for the spring 2026 semester. Amber Williams, with Inspired Life, said the proposal will help students make informed enrollment decisions and improve academic planning. "It's going to provide transparency, access to students, parents and taxpayers, to course content and expectations," Williams said. Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, said a syllabus is not a legal document, but rather is an agreement between the student and instructor outlining expectations and how students will be evaluated. Course plans also are fluid and may change as the course goes on. She feared that members of the public would be "pulling down pieces of it and making a big deal out of something that they don't really know a lot about." Collins said this legislation was "common sense" and suggested universities could use some of the dollars they have saved from cutting DEI programming to cover any costs of posting syllabi. "Quite frankly, I'm not sure why we even have to consider something like this," Collins said. "It should have already been happening." A subcommittee also advanced House Study Bill 59, which would require regent universities post on its website all written contracts and any expenditures exceeding $1,000 or any vendors used that provide more than $1,000 of goods or services, unless disclosure is otherwise prohibited by federal or state law. Universities would have to post an annual budget for each of its administrative units; a report on budgeted salaries; information on DEI expenditures; and a transaction register containing all funds spent. "I think there's a lot of good direction in this bill, that information that would help the public and give us just more transparency in institutions" said Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham. Carolann Jensen, representing the Board of Regents, suggested increasing the disclosure threshold to $100,000 and clarifying which contracts would be subject to the requirements. "We get what you're going for," Jensen said. "I think we need some conversations about how to get there and make it manageable." Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email atmjpayne@ Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers scrutinize DEI, transparency issues in series of higher education bills
Iowa House Higher Education Committee members moved a number of bills relating to public universities to the full committee Wednesday. (Photo by Perry Beeman/Iowa Capital Dispatch) In the last of several higher education subcommittees Wednesday, Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, shared a personal story of discrimination he experienced in order to explain why the tenets of diversity, equity and inclusion matter. After writing a letter to the editor in response to a visit from President Donald Trump, Wilburn said he received death threats from a woman in Des Moines, saying he should be lynched and calling him the N-word. He asked the crowd of people at the meeting to think about his experience when they think about diversity, equity and inclusion and its importance. 'This notion that it doesn't matter, that we are excluding others, that people in this limited definition of diversity … need to get over it or (are) given some advantage, I just encourage you to consider the experience I shared,' Wilburn said. Members of the Iowa House Higher Education Committee heard from lobbyists and members of the public Wednesday on a number of bills relating to the courses and information within state universities, as well as the bodies that regulate them. Diversity, equity and inclusion was a much-discussed topic among visitors and lawmakers. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX House Study Bill 53 would require the Iowa Board of Regents to craft a policy stating no state university can require students to enroll in diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory courses, and no one can require, encourage or otherwise incentivize faculty to participate in similar practices or offer corresponding content in their classes. Exemptions can be granted in instances where these topics are included in a course that clearly identifies itself as being about gender, race or ethnic studies. The legislation saw opposition from many of those who spoke during public comments, listing reasons of restricting academic freedom, limiting students' ability to learn concepts and gain skills that would help them with cultural competency, and creating a culture of fear of what is allowed to be said on campus. Wilburn emphasized that the bill does not bar any type of instruction, but rather its requirement or encouragement for students to take, and added that legislation using the 'limited' definition of diversity, equity and inclusion causes a lot of frustration and anger. These terms mean that all cultures, faiths and political backgrounds are embraced, he said. The Iowa Board of Regents and others voiced their support for the bill, with State Relations Officer Jillian Carlson saying it reflects legislation passed last year and the current trends seen in the federal government. Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison and Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, supported the bill and moved it forward to be considered in committee. Both expressed their apologies during the meeting for what Wilburn experienced, and Collins said there needs to be ways to unite people, but not through DEI. 'Racists exist and they suck,' Collins said. 'The problem with all of this is there is zero proof that this is helping make people less racist. There's actually a lot of people out there arguing it's doing the opposite of that.' Holt echoed Collins's statement, adding that the American people seem to be sick of 'tolerating what divides us,' which is what he said DEI programs are doing. Courses and activities involving DEI indoctrinate people to the idea of looking at everyone through the lens of race, he said, which he called 'Marxist' and 'destructive.' 'I proudly advance this legislation, and I would give a word of caution to our regents universities,' Holt said. 'I'm really glad to hear you're supporting it, because it's going to be done one way or another — the easy way or the hard way.' House Study Bill 57 would bar accrediting bodies from taking 'adverse action' against community colleges and universities for complying with or refusing to violate state law, and allowing institutions to take civil action against accreditors who have violated this with the authorization of the attorney general. People speaking during public comment were largely against the bill, with One Iowa Director of Policy and Advocacy Keenan Crow saying it is a bad solution to the problem of having state laws that violate accreditation standards that should be fixed another way. Iowa Board of Regents Chief Government Relations Officer Keith Saunders, however, said the board was in support of the legislation. Wilburn opposed the bill as well. He said he was concerned that students graduating from accredited private universities could have an advantage over those from public universities in getting a job, and he was unsure how the state could hold a national, non-governmental body accountable for removing accreditation from a school that violates its policies. Subcommittee chair Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, and Collins supported the bill and advanced it to the full House Higher Education Committee. 'I think it's important to note that the Board of Regents is supporting this bill, and I think it's important that the Legislature ultimately has the final say when it comes to these matters, not an unelected, unaccountable accreditor outside of the state of Iowa,' Collins said. Two pieces of legislation passed out of subcommittee Wednesday related to making certain information at public universities available to the public, including syllabi and financial data. House Study Bill 55 would require universities post to online the syllabi for each undergraduate credit course they offer, including the instructor's name and information on course material, recommended readings and lecture descriptions, among other things. Subcommittee member Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, said a syllabus is not a legal document, nor is it something that sets courses in stone. It is an 'agreement between the student and instructor, she said, that lays out an outline of the course and how they will be assessed. Kurth agreed with a member of the public's comments that people who aren't involved in higher education could go looking for pieces of syllabi to take out of context and make ' a big deal about something they don't really know a lot about,' she said. Subcommittee chair Rep. Heather Hora, R-Washington, and member Collins supported the bill and passed it forward to be considered in committee. Collins called the legislation 'common sense,' and said making syllabi available publicly is something that should already be in practice. 'As far as the cost and the burden of doing it, perhaps (universities) could allocate part of the over half a billion dollars we appropriate to the universities or the millions to be saved from DEI … to support these efforts,' Collins said. House Study Bill 59 would require state universities to post financial information online, like budgets items, expenditures and vendor contracts that equate to $1,000 or more. Salary reports and administrative unit budgets must also be published, as well as 'information on expenditures for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and similar commitments,' according to the bill. Information restricted from being public by state or federal law would be redacted, the bill stated. Carolann Jensen, Iowa Board of Regents state relations officer representing Iowa State University, said during the subcommittee meeting the Iowa Board of Regents has submitted suggestions for amendments to the bill, including raising the cited dollar amount from $1,000 to $100,000 and changing definitions listed in the legislation. Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, said the Legislature and the board of regents should be able to come to a nice middle ground between those two numbers, and he and Collins approved it to move ahead to the full House Higher Education committee. Kurth said she would oppose the bill until further information gathering and conversations can be had. 'I think there's a lot of good direction on this bill (with) information that would help the public and give us just more transparency on institutions,' Shipley said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
