The Iowa state legislature is considering a new bill that would penalize private colleges and universities that maintain Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices on campus.
House Study Bill 60, introduced on Jan. 22, states: “A private institution of higher education shall not, except as otherwise provided by federal or state law or accreditation standards, establish, sustain, support, or staff a diversity, equity, and inclusion office.”
[RELATED: Iowa universities have redirected over $2 million away from DEI offices]
Schools that violate this new regulation “shall be ineligible to participate in the Iowa tuition grant program as of the next academic year beginning thereafter.”
State Rep. Taylor Collins, Chairperson of the House Higher Education Committee, supported the bill in subcommittee and said: “DEI is DOA (dead on arrival) in the state of Iowa,” according to the Des Moines Register.
The bill has faced opposition from some quarters, with one Drake University student seemingly comparing ending DEI to instituting Jim Crow-era oppression.
“You’re trying to take us back to the 1960s . . . You’re trying to take us back to the time where Black folks, where gay folks were not allowed to speak out and have their time, so if you want to sit at a different lunch counter, you’re more than welcome to do that, but I will not be doing that,” she said, according to the Des Moines Register.
Critics of DEI programs, however, point out that such programs are often costly, cause division and polarization, and prioritize political indoctrination over academic value.
House Study Bill 60 mirrors state legislation signed into law in May, which mandates the removal of DEI offices in Iowa’s public colleges and universities.
Campus Reform has reached out to State Rep. Collins for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
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