Several Iowa State University faculty members have created a petition supporting the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office.
The petition was sparked by recommendations from the Iowa Board of Regents, which has instructed the state’s three public universities to eliminate all staff positions focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion that are “unnecessary” for the school’s accreditation.
The local petition, created by ISU employees Chelsea Harbach, Brady Hubbard, Amy Popillion and Tara Fisher, seeks to guarantee employment for staff at the DEI office, even if the office is eliminated.
In May 2023, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law requiring the board to review DEI programs at Iowa State, Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa.
The Regents have directed the schools to craft plans to adhere to the rules, which are due by the end of April.
Dr. Harbach is a plant disease diagnostician at Iowa State, while Hubbard is the director of Larch Hall. Papillion is a professor in ISU’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies. Fisher is an academic advisor in the Iowa State College of Business.