Higher Education Slammed, Two Weeks Until Next Deadline
By all accounts, this was a rough week for higher education, both private and public. The Iowa House of Representatives passed several bills in its continued attack on diversity and social justice efforts, while claiming this clamp down on DEI discussion is actually an effort to preserve free speech on campus. The party line votes sent the following bills over to the Senate:
- House File 269: The “Freedom from Indoctrination Act” prohibits all Regents universities from requiring or incentivizing a student to take a class in a diversity, equity, inclusion or critical race theory in order to get their degree, including any general education degree. A professor’s teaching of DEI related concepts cannot be taken into account in a teacher’s salary, promotion or tenure. There are exceptions for degrees that are focused on racial, ethnic, or gender studies.
- House File 295: The “Accreditation Autonomy Act” prohibits any federally recognized education accrediting agency from taking action against a higher education public institution for refusing to violate state law. Sanctions by any accrediting body would be subject to civil action, effective immediately upon signing.
- House File 401: The “Core Curriculum Act” requires Regents universities to include new core courses in their undergraduate degree programs, including western heritage (British literature, Greek philosophy, western civilization) and American heritage (American history, Iowa history, American literature, American government). Applicable beginning July 1, 2027 (so would apply to current freshmen classes).
- House File 437: This establishes a Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa, because for sure they’re not limiting free speech and intellectual freedom in any of these other bills. Of course, the Center is limited in what it can teach: research in historical ideas, traditions, and texts that have shaped American constitutional order and society. No funding is appropriated, the University would need to fundraise for it. This bill is no on the Senate Calendar because it had a companion already there. It’s just one Senate vote from becoming law.
- House File 440: The “College Affordability Act” requires decisions to increase tuition at state universities to be done by April 30 for the next college year. It also requires each institution to offer at least one BA/BS degree that can be completed in three years. Each institution is also required to implement at least one work study program where the students works part-time and attends classes part-time. Requires the Board of Regents to study a tuition freeze guarantee (four years at same tuition).
- House File 856: Prohibits all governmental bodies, including local governments and community colleges, from using any funds to support DEI offices or staff, effective immediately upon enactment. It also makes any private college with DEI offices/staff ineligible for Iowa tuition grants.
- House File 865: While not a higher education bill, they did slip this one in the middle of debate on all the other bills listed. This changes the definition of bullying in K-12 schools to repeated and targeted acts toward a student, instead of including “based on any actual or perceived trait or characteristic of the student.” It also strikes the very DEI sounding definition of “trait or characteristic” of the student. School officials say this makes the definition more vague and less enforceable.
The Senate Education Committee now has two weeks (by April 4) to send these bills through the subcommittee and committee process or the bills will be tabled until 2026. Several other education bills also passed over dealing with math instruction and assessments, but they received bipartisan support.