Diversity programs at Iowa public universities to be reviewed by board

[cigaretteman]

Friggin' asshole Republican morans! What the hell do they have against common respect and human decency?:

All diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Iowa’s public universities will undergo a “comprehensive” review, and no new DEI programs will be allowed to start during the review, the state board that governs the three schools announced Tuesday.


Iowa Board of Regents President Michael Richards issued the statement Tuesday as Republican state lawmakers are proposing legislation that would prohibit Iowa’s public universities from funding workers for diversity, equity and inclusion programs.


The announcement also comes just days after a court settlement, reached in a case involving allegations of racial discrimination in the Iowa football program, included a new hire to oversee the implementation of DEI programs at the school.


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The University of Iowa on its website says the goal of diversity, equity and inclusion is to “enhance a welcoming, respectful and inclusive campus environment for all.”


On its site, Iowa State University describes diversity, equity and inclusion as fostering a climate in all the ways people differ, and where all individuals have access to education and work, and have a sense of belonging through support and respect.


Conservatives in Iowa — and across the country — have decried DEI programs as the teaching to college students of liberal ideology.


“Over the next few months, the Board of Regents will initiate a comprehensive study and review of all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and efforts at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa,” Richards said in a statement.


Richards said regents David Barker, Jim Lindenmayer and Greta Rouse will lead the study, and the group will report its findings and make any recommendations to the full board.


“As a result, I am directing Iowa’s three public universities to pause the implementation of any new DEI programs until the study is completed,” Richards said.

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A proposal in the Iowa Legislature would prohibit Iowa’s public universities from funding DEI staff positions, and would allow students, staff or alumni to take legal action over a violation.


State lawmaker Taylor Collins, a Republican from Mediapolis who has been overseeing the legislative proposal, said Tuesday that he appreciates the board’s intention to review DEI programs, but expressed his preference that the proposed legislation also continue to advance through the legislative process.


“While I appreciate the regents taking this issue seriously, as many Iowans have, I think that we still need to move this legislation forward to continue to dismantle these bureaucracies and make sure this taxpayer money is actually being used for the true benefit of students,” Collins said. “So while I appreciate their efforts, we would like to see further action on this issue.”


Collins’ bill, House File 616, has been approved by Republicans on the Iowa House’s education committee, and is eligible for debate by the full House. It has not yet been considered in the Iowa Senate.


One of the terms of a $4.2 million settlement between the University of Iowa, the Board of Regents and 12 former Hawkeye football players is that the university hire Leonard Moore, an American history professor at the University of Texas at Austin and former vice president of diversity and community engagement to implement its five-year DEI plan.

Diversity programs at Iowa public universities to be reviewed by board

A state lawmaker said he plans to still move legislation that would dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa

www.thegazette.com

 

[FlickShagwell]

What are David Barker, Jim Lindenmayer and Greta Rouse’s qualifications?

 

[GarryO37]

I don’t have an issue with DE&I programs. They are fairly common place in the private sector. Below probably has a bit to do with the why this is happening.​

Lawmaker questions​

The bill comes two weeks after lawmakers pressed Iowa’s university presidents on their campuses’ diversity, equity and inclusion spending. The board’s request for $35 million more in appropriations marks its highest funding increase request in nearly a decade.

“Between your three institutions, all your DEI efforts cost about $9.7 million every single year,” Collins said at that earlier hearing. “Does it require somebody to make $247,000 a year to make a strategic plan for diversity? I don't know anybody in my district who makes north of $250,000 a year.”

Before that hearing before the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee, lawmakers sent regents a list of questions — including how many such staffers the campuses employ. The universities have a combined 128.5 employees “who work full-time in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.”

“These employees are in roles that directly support students with disabilities, military affiliated students, multicultural students, women majoring in STEM disciplines, and other historically underrepresented populations,” according to the board. “They also support international students in obtaining visas, compliance with federal employment regulations, and adjusting to life on campus.”

Collins noted during that hearing that the University of Iowa’s executive officer of diversity, equity and inclusion earns $255,000 a year; an Iowa State University’s vice president earns $247,131; and the University of Northern Iowa’s chief diversity officer and director of diversity, inclusion and social justice make a combined $200,000-plus.

“If my math is correct, that's about $750,000 for four people,” Collins said. “Do you believe that's a good use of taxpayer money?”

The university presidents said yes, spelling out their focus on student success, the increasing diversity across the state and their campuses and the broader population covered under the diversity umbrella — including veterans, disabled students and those from other countries.

UI President Barbara Wilson and ISU President Wendy Wintersteen also noted the need to compete for top faculty and leadership.

“I can appreciate your concern about salaries,” Wilson said. “But we really are in a national marketplace. I can't underscore enough how much we're fighting for talent at Iowa. We're being raided all the time by peer institutions, for faculty, for surgeons, for researchers, and we are always calibrating our salaries according to the national marketplace.”

Support for bill​

In debating the bill Wednesday, Kyle Clare — a student senator with the UI Undergraduate Student Government — urged the university to “fire” its diversity, equity and inclusion officer because she is paid six figures “so she can vilify and make white, male, straight and other students feel like oppressors.”

With that money, Clare said, the university could grant at least 27 scholarships and ditch hourslong training “which implicitly teaches white students that they are wrong if they question the teachings of critical race theory, and they must atone for their privileged identity and become an anti-racist.”

“UI offers implicit bias training with its implicit bias task force, which is based on the idea that even if you're not openly racist, and you don't think you're racist, you're still a racist because all white people are socialized to be racist, and you must actively expel your internal racism,” he said. “Iowa taxpayers are footing the bill for that.”

 

[cigaretteman]

What are David Barker, Jim Lindenmayer and Greta Rouse’s qualifications?

They were appointed by Reynolds?

 

[Tom Paris]

Friggin' asshole Republican morans! What the hell do they have against common respect and human decency?:

All diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Iowa’s public universities will undergo a “comprehensive” review, and no new DEI programs will be allowed to start during the review, the state board that governs the three schools announced Tuesday.


Iowa Board of Regents President Michael Richards issued the statement Tuesday as Republican state lawmakers are proposing legislation that would prohibit Iowa’s public universities from funding workers for diversity, equity and inclusion programs.


The announcement also comes just days after a court settlement, reached in a case involving allegations of racial discrimination in the Iowa football program, included a new hire to oversee the implementation of DEI programs at the school.


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The University of Iowa on its website says the goal of diversity, equity and inclusion is to “enhance a welcoming, respectful and inclusive campus environment for all.”


On its site, Iowa State University describes diversity, equity and inclusion as fostering a climate in all the ways people differ, and where all individuals have access to education and work, and have a sense of belonging through support and respect.


Conservatives in Iowa — and across the country — have decried DEI programs as the teaching to college students of liberal ideology.


“Over the next few months, the Board of Regents will initiate a comprehensive study and review of all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and efforts at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa,” Richards said in a statement.


Richards said regents David Barker, Jim Lindenmayer and Greta Rouse will lead the study, and the group will report its findings and make any recommendations to the full board.


“As a result, I am directing Iowa’s three public universities to pause the implementation of any new DEI programs until the study is completed,” Richards said.

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A proposal in the Iowa Legislature would prohibit Iowa’s public universities from funding DEI staff positions, and would allow students, staff or alumni to take legal action over a violation.


State lawmaker Taylor Collins, a Republican from Mediapolis who has been overseeing the legislative proposal, said Tuesday that he appreciates the board’s intention to review DEI programs, but expressed his preference that the proposed legislation also continue to advance through the legislative process.


“While I appreciate the regents taking this issue seriously, as many Iowans have, I think that we still need to move this legislation forward to continue to dismantle these bureaucracies and make sure this taxpayer money is actually being used for the true benefit of students,” Collins said. “So while I appreciate their efforts, we would like to see further action on this issue.”


Collins’ bill, House File 616, has been approved by Republicans on the Iowa House’s education committee, and is eligible for debate by the full House. It has not yet been considered in the Iowa Senate.


One of the terms of a $4.2 million settlement between the University of Iowa, the Board of Regents and 12 former Hawkeye football players is that the university hire Leonard Moore, an American history professor at the University of Texas at Austin and former vice president of diversity and community engagement to implement its five-year DEI plan.

Diversity programs at Iowa public universities to be reviewed by board

A state lawmaker said he plans to still move legislation that would dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa

www.thegazette.com

Why should I have any respect for these hateful people?

 

[Colonoscopy]

I've seen some pretty stupid stuff that falls under the heading of DEI. And this is a public institution.

At the same time... how much meddling are we comfortable with Universities at the state level? What are the boundaries for what's "too political" or "politically biased"? Or for what's a waste of money and administrative bloat?

That's the problem I have.

 

[markfromj]

DEI is a farce.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

I've seen some pretty stupid stuff that falls under the heading of DEI. And this is a public institution.

At the same time... how much meddling are we comfortable with Universities at the state level? What are the boundaries for what's "too political" or "politically biased"? Or for what's a waste of money and administrative bloat?

That's the problem I have.

Well since it's taxpayer funding I support strict oversight.

 

[Aardvark86]

I've seen some pretty stupid stuff that falls under the heading of DEI. And this is a public institution.

At the same time... how much meddling are we comfortable with Universities at the state level? What are the boundaries for what's "too political" or "politically biased"? Or for what's a waste of money and administrative bloat?

That's the problem I have.

Yeah, my reaction to the questions that seem to be asked is, "sounds sorta like oversight to me, and oversight of what is fundamentally an administrative function." My second reaction is, "would you rather be in Florida and have the regents try to jump directly into actual curriculum content regulation?"

(BTW, my third reaction is that it's probably a little disingenuous for the universities to try to wrap their DEI structures in the flag of veterans.)

DEI isn't going away any time soon. But like any other item of overhead, there's plenty of room for fair debate about its contribution and value relative to the bottom line ' outputs' of an organization, and it is very much within the purview of the oversight bodies to consider those issues, no matter what you may think of their politics.

 

[Aardvark86]

Well since it's taxpayer funding I support strict oversight.

it's not a crazy reaction.

 

[sober_teacher]

Well since it's taxpayer funding I support strict oversight.

I don’t mind oversight. The problem I have is that republicans currently are starting from the mindset that DEI programs are bad by default.

the complaint about the salary - yeah, that number quoted sounds ridiculous, but as the president stated, that’s unfortunately the cost of doing business if they want to recruit good talent.

we’ve talked ad nauseum elsewhere that university administrative salaries nationwide have gotten ridiculous to varying degrees…but it’s not something that can be solved by one university on its own. All it would do is put that college at a competitive disadvantage.

 

[Aardvark86]

I don’t mind oversight. The problem I have is that republicans currently are starting from the mindset that DEI programs are bad by default.

the complaint about the salary - yeah, that number quoted sounds ridiculous, but as the president stated, that’s unfortunately the cost of doing business if they want to recruit good talent.

we’ve talked ad nauseum elsewhere that university administrative salaries nationwide have gotten ridiculous to varying degrees…but it’s not something that can be solved by one university on its own. All it would do is put that college at a competitive disadvantage.

Overseers will always have views on the relative merits and demerits of all kinds of initiatives. You're perfectly fine to not like these particular overseers' views, but they are the overseers you currently have, for better or worse, resulting from a popular election

Re: salaries, you're right, though you can debate about how much you want to spend on talent for a function that is somewhere between defensive overhead and offensive marketing. But usually, when I hear complaints based on raw numbers, I can't help but think of Martin Short's "Frank" character from father of the bride, when he says to Steve Martin, "Welcome to the 90s". From my perspective, the concern about admin staff is usually not so much salary as it is number of staff, and here, the 120 number for three large universities did not strike me as nearly as crazy as some that you hear.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

I don’t mind oversight. The problem I have is that republicans currently are starting from the mindset that DEI programs are bad by default.

the complaint about the salary - yeah, that number quoted sounds ridiculous, but as the president stated, that’s unfortunately the cost of doing business if they want to recruit good talent.

we’ve talked ad nauseum elsewhere that university administrative salaries nationwide have gotten ridiculous to varying degrees…but it’s not something that can be solved by one university on its own. All it would do is put that college at a competitive disadvantage.

There's been enough bad publicity to warrant a high level of skepticism.

And the salaries are egregious.

 

[ClarindaA's]

I still think diversity for the sake of diversity is overrated.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

(BTW, my third reaction is that it's probably a little disingenuous for the universities to try to wrap their DEI structures in the flag of veterans.)

Yeah that was laughable.

 

[sober_teacher]

There's been enough bad publicity to warrant a high level of skepticism.

And the salaries are egregious.

Sure but they’re egregious everywhere. You simply can’t demand our state schools cut those and still expect them to recruit top candidates.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

Sure but they’re egregious everywhere. You simply can’t demand our state schools cut those and still expect them to recruit top candidates.

The words "talent" and "top candidates" get thrown around. These aren't medical doctors, rocket scientists, etc... that were talking about.

 

[Aardvark86]

The words "talent" and "top candidates" get thrown around. These aren't medical doctors, rocket scientists, etc... that were talking about.

Well, the various "Studies" majors from various universities across the country have to work somewhere. And this is often where.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

Well, the various "Studies" majors from various universities across the country have to work somewhere. And this is often where.

It looks that way.

Do you support those salaries?

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

Honestly, I’m all for cutting administrative costs. Second only to cutting construction costs. The amount of stupid administration and infrastructure spending at the U of I is mind-boggling.

 

[sober_teacher]

The words "talent" and "top candidates" get thrown around. These aren't medical doctors, rocket scientists, etc... that were talking about.

They’re still job candidates that universities have to compete with others for - so clearly, SOMEBODY thinks these people are qualified.

One doesn’t have to be a doctor or a scientist to warrant high salaries.

 

[Aardvark86]

It looks that way.

Do you support those salaries?

While I don't have particular insight into the IA labor market, they don't strike me as shock-the-conscience high for 3 major institutions that, as a practical matter, are probably competing for talent in a market that is broader than IA.

 

[Huey Grey]

I only wish the Rs put in half as much oversight over private school funding as they have for diversity research.

 

[BelemNole]

Well, as long as the argument is fact based...

"In debating the bill Wednesday, Kyle Clare — a student senator with the UI Undergraduate Student Government — urged the university to “fire” its diversity, equity and inclusion officer because she is paid six figures “so she can vilify and make white, male, straight and other students feel like oppressors.”

Oh, forget what I just said....

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

While I don't have particular insight into the IA labor market, they don't strike me as shock-the-conscience high for 3 major institutions that, as a practical matter, are probably competing for talent in a market that is broader than IA.

What makes one "talented" in the DEI field?

 

[FAUlty Gator]

I don’t mind oversight. The problem I have is that republicans currently are starting from the mindset that DEI programs are bad by default.

the complaint about the salary - yeah, that number quoted sounds ridiculous, but as the president stated, that’s unfortunately the cost of doing business if they want to recruit good talent.

we’ve talked ad nauseum elsewhere that university administrative salaries nationwide have gotten ridiculous to varying degrees…but it’s not something that can be solved by one university on its own. All it would do is put that college at a competitive disadvantage.

They could be pushing back on the idea the left pushes- which is “meritocracy is bad”. And that it’s more important to have a transgender HHS Secretary and a gay minority as the mouth piece of the government than it is to have ones there because they’re good at their job. This is the shot that ended us up with Kamala a breath away from the Oval Office. I’m ok with getting away from that shit.

Knowledge, experience and being good at your job are still the gold standard in predicting efficiency.

 

[BelemNole]

They could be pushing back on the idea the left pushes- which is “meritocracy is bad”. And that it’s more important to have a transgender HHS Secretary and a gay minority as the mouth piece of the government than it is to have ones there because they’re good at their job. This is the shot that ended us up with Kamala a breath away from the Oval Office. I’m ok with getting away from that shit.

Knowledge, experience and being good at your job are still the gold standard in predicting efficiency.

Right, Harris was a total diversity hire devoid of the necessary requirements of office.
I mean, she was just:
District AG of SF
CA AG
CA Senator

Typically you want someone MUCH more qualified like a governor from a state you need votes from.

 

[sober_teacher]

They could be pushing back on the idea the left pushes- which is “meritocracy is bad”. And that it’s more important to have a transgender HHS Secretary and a gay minority as the mouth piece of the government than it is to have ones there because they’re good at their job. This is the shot that ended us up with Kamala a breath away from the Oval Office. I’m ok with getting away from that shit.

Knowledge, experience and being good at your job are still the gold standard in predicting efficiency.

which would be fine - I see your point, don’t totally agree; but they seem to be pushing that diversity is bad by default.

theres nothing wrong with meritocracy, but the point imo is that we need to be better at considering everyone, which means we need to see everyone and not just the ones we’re comfortable with.

we’ve proven consistently that left to our own devices we lean on the familiar to find answers instead of trying to obtain more than one perspective.

 

[globalhawk]

They could be pushing back on the idea the left pushes- which is “meritocracy is bad”. And that it’s more important to have a transgender HHS Secretary and a gay minority as the mouth piece of the government than it is to have ones there because they’re good at their job. This is the shot that ended us up with Kamala a breath away from the Oval Office. I’m ok with getting away from that shit.

Knowledge, experience and being good at your job are still the gold standard in predicting efficiency.

Are you stating that Rachel Levine and and Pete aren't qualified for their jobs?

 

[Aardvark86]

What makes one "talented" in the DEI field?

Well, talent here might include a number of things, including at senior levels basic management ability. Beyond that, don't get me wrong, DEI is probably the least ROI/outcomes-measured part of any organization, but there are in fact good and bad DEI programs and programmatic materials. The good ones are the ones that don't decide they're going to pay gobs of money to DEI consultants to come in and harangue the workforce/customers, and instead have coworkers themselves share their experiences regarding barriers, etc. Sadly, most of the ones I've encountered, particularly when they get off the ground at first, are really bad ones because (like their undergraduate education) they just follow what they perceive to be the playbook.

 

[FAUlty Gator]

Are you stating that Rachel Levine and and Pete aren't qualified for their jobs?

I’m not talking about Pete anywhere in that post. And are you suggesting that if Rachel Levine wasn’t trans she would have been the choice?

 

[FAUlty Gator]

which would be fine - I see your point, don’t totally agree; but they seem to be pushing that diversity is bad by default.

theres nothing wrong with meritocracy, but the point imo is that we need to be better at considering everyone, which means we need to see everyone and not just the ones we’re comfortable with.

we’ve proven consistently that left to our own devices we lean on the familiar to find answers instead of trying to obtain more than one perspective.

I think for these folks there’s way more issue with the E than there is with the D and I.

 

[globalhawk]

I’m not talking about Pete anywhere in that post. And are you suggesting that if Rachel Levine wasn’t trans she would have been the choice?

I thought he was part of the gay minority the runs the Democratic agenda. Rachel, maybe or maybe not. I would have to guess that her being trans was definitely attractive to the Biden Admin but she is highly qualified.

 

[sober_teacher]

I think for these folks there’s way more issue with the E than there is with the D and I.

To me they’re lumping them all in as “woke”, and therefore bad.