Note: I speak for myself and not as a representative of the University of Iowa.
Sometimes changing with changing times is a mistake. At a meeting on June 11, the Board of Regents (BOR) of Iowa’s public universities gave first reading to proposed policy 3.23, a policy that would prohibit faculty members from covering certain subject areas in their courses, regardless of how crucial those areas may be to particular disciplines. If enacted, this policy would mark a sharp retreat from several important BOR policies and from existing BOR practice, which has been to acknowledge and support the academic freedom of faculty members.
Since the content of the proposed policy bears a strong resemblance to two bills put forward by the Republican majority in the legislature this year, but not enacted into law, it would be hard to see the BOR’s adoption of the policy as anything other than a move to bring the BOR in line with current political trends in Iowa. Not surprisingly, the forbidden subject matters are diversity, equity and inclusion (as defined by the BOR) and Critical Race Theory…