Hunter
03/15/23
The State Board of Regents have announced all diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the University of Iowa, Iowa State, and the University of Northern Iowa will be reviewed and new programs will be paused.
The Daily Iowan reports that proposed bills in the Iowa Legislature, which would defund, investigate, and restrict DEI programs at Iowa’s public universities, prompted the regents’ pause. These bills come from the Republican majority looking to study what they call the “wokeism” in the DEI programs.
Last Wednesday, DEI executive officer Liz Tovar discussed the programs at a Johnson County Republicans event, saying that her office gives critical resources to students and meets requirements for diversity programs through the federal government that is required to meet many grant requirements.
However, Johnson County Republicans Vice-Chair Donald McFarlane told the DI at the event he believes the DEI program tends to suppress research, lead to more failure, encourage a sense of entitlement and victimhood, and punish success.
Tovar countered by saying she doesn’t think the purpose of any DEI office is to tell people how to behave or what to think, but provides information on what it takes to be the best human being you can be and how to support other human beings.
Regents president Michael Richards appointed a three-person regent panel to review DEI programs. David Barker, Jim Lindenmayer, and Greta Rouse will report their findings and recommendations following their review.