(Des Moines) Despite concerns about vague language and potential impacts reaching beyond targets of the bill, an Iowa Senate subcommittee on Wednesday advanced legislation to establish statewide general education requirements for public universities.
House File 401, which passed out of the Iowa House of Representatives in mid-March, would require state universities to develop new general education standards for students, requiring study in English, math and statistics, natural and social sciences, the humanities, western and American heritage.
According to the legislation, these courses cannot “distort significant historical events or include any curriculum or other material that teaches identity politics or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States of America or the state of Iowa.” However, language directly after this section states course instructors’ academic freedoms and the free discussion of ideas in class will not be limited.
Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy at One Iowa, asked the subcommittee during public comment to strike the section of the bill including “identity politics,” due to the lack of a definition of the term and its vagueness. Under his interpretation of the bill language, Crow said instructors would not be able to teach students about the civil rights and women’s liberation movements or the Stonewall uprising.
“I understand that a lot of this leaves room for interpretation, and maybe folks don’t agree with my interpretation, but that’s kind of my point,” Crow said. “My interpretation is just as valid as yours. Since there’s no specificity, I don’t think that’s a positive thing for educational institutions.”
Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, agreed with Crow’s comments and added that with the current language stating instruction cannot be based on ideas that systemic oppression is inherent to U.S. institutions, teachers would also be prohibited from teaching about slavery or the time when women could not vote.
“The hypocrisy of this bill is blatant,” Quirmbach said. These two sentences are side by side … you have freedom of speech, you have academic freedom to talk about anything you want, as long as you don’t talk about things we don’t want you to talk about.”
Subcommittee chair Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, said he doesn’t see anything in the legislation that would stop the teaching of the facts of U.S. history, including slavery and segregation. Since the bill puts its restrictions in the present tense, he said it only prohibits teaching the idea that systemic oppression is still inherent to U.S. institutions.
He concurred that the term “identity politics” should either be defined or removed from the bill, since it is broad.
“I know what it is, I know when I see it, but that’s different than putting it into Iowa code and specifying what it is,” Taylor said. “I think we have to have better guidance for the institutions.”
Representatives of community colleges and the Iowa Board of Regents shared concerns during the meeting that articulation agreements between colleges and universities would need to be reworked, as new standards would change what courses community colleges need to offer to ensure students are completing their general education before going to a four-year school.
Community Colleges for Iowa is registered as unopposed to the bill, and Iowa Board of Regents State Relations Officer Jillian Carlson said the board has changed its stance from “undecided” to “in favor,” as the House took many of the board’s suggestions in refining the bill.
Another concern Carlson reiterated from previous meetings was the different definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion listed in different pieces of legislation. Carlson asked for clarity on the issue.
Taylor said he understood the articulation agreements would need work if the legislation passes, which could pose problems, adding that he appreciated the addition of American and western history as general education requirements.
He and Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, signed the bill to move it to the full Iowa Senate Education Committee.
“It’s possible that the bill may need to be tweaked a little bit before it reaches the floor, but I would like to see the bill continue to move forward,” Taylor said.
