It is hard to remember that Iowa once was a solidly-purple state, politically speaking. For example, Iowa was one of the first states to recognize gay marriage. During my 14 years in the state, I remember a strong commitment to its citizens and a deep pride in its children, education, and state universities. Business leaders, […]
It is hard to remember that Iowa once was a solidly-purple state, politically speaking. For example, Iowa was one of the first states to recognize gay marriage. During my 14 years in the state, I remember a strong commitment to its citizens and a deep pride in its children, education, and state universities. Business leaders, educators, and policy makers came together regularly to wrestle with key questions like How do we prepare our students for a technological future? and How do we combat our state’s ‘brain drain,’ which is one of the largest in the country?
Since I left in 2016, Iowa has moved sharply and quickly to the political right, as it apparently tries to outdo Florida, Texas, Alabama, and other deeply conservative states. The Republican Governor and legislators now regularly pass laws that limit civil rights and attack public schools, unions, women, and LGBTQIA+ persons, among many others. I’m glad that I’m now in Colorado.
Now the Iowa legislature has decided to mandate undergraduate student participation in the so-called Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa. The Center was created last year by Iowa legislators to counteract the ‘liberal indoctrination’ that they stated was occurring on college campuses. However, very few students actually chose to register for the Center’s new courses. Instead of leaving course offerings and enrollment in the hands of students and faculty, where they have always lived, the legislature decided to intervene by requiring that every student participate in conservative indoctrination.
The irony of requiring college students to take particular classes that are mandated by an authoritarian legislature in the name of ‘intellectual freedom’ is lost on no one. Iowa has decided that students exercising their intellectual freedom to NOT take the courses is less important than political posturing and wasting families’ money. As Iowa Senator Janet Petersen said for a recent article, “We saw that no students really wanted to participate in that program, but this legislation will require families who are paying for college education for their kids, which is not cheap, that they would be forced to take these freedom classes. Six hours at the University of Iowa and that comes straight out of student and parent’s checkbooks.”
I feel both sad and embarrassed for my alma mater. University of Iowa students and faculty deserve better than this idiocy.
