A bill that’s cleared the Iowa House would to prohibit the three state universities from requiring students take courses about diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory — unless the subject matter is directly related to their majors. Another House bill approved Tuesday would deny Iowa Tuition Grants to students who attend Iowa private colleges that have diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, called D.E.I. a destructive ideology. “I wish it taught us to celebrate our differences, but it doesn’t,” Holt said. “In my opinion, D.E.I. at its core is racist which is one of the reasons we are becoming so divided as a nation.”
Representative Ruth Ann Gaines, a Democrat from Des Moines, has traveled the country for 46 years as a diversity trainer and was recently asked to take the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” from the courses she’s developed. “Things are changing, quickly, and it saddens me,” Gaines said. “I feel that I am going to leave this world thinking that all the work that I have done is going to be eliminated.”
According to House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights says nine-thousand students got Iowa Tuition Grants this year to attend an Iowa private college or university. “It simply blows my mind that we’re telling private organizations and businesses what they can and cannot do,” she said, “and we’re punishing the students who get those grants.”
Representative Henry Stone, a Republican from Forest City, said as an Asian American, he understands prejudice and he called D.E.I. a treat to American society. “D.E.I. only wants to look at what can be viewed from the outside and not what the person brings to the table in terms of their skills and abilities,” Stone said.
The bills passed with the support of nearly all Republicans in the House. Other House bills that passed with GOP support calls for creation of a “Center of Intellectual Freedom” at the University of Iowa and call for a study of tuition rates at UI, ISU and UNI. A key lawmaker said the board that governs the three state universities has agreed to limit future tuition increases to be at or below the higher education price index.