Iowa Board of Regents Approves New Policy Aimed at Stopping Indoctrination in Higher Ed

Iowa Board of Regents Approves New Policy Aimed at Stopping Indoctrination in Higher Ed

The left has been allowed to rule higher education across the country for decades now. It’s beyond time for a change.

The College Fix reports:

New Iowa policy prohibits professors from indoctrinating students

Professors at public universities in Iowa may no longer give students just one side of the story — a new board policy requires that scholars avoid “indoctrination of one perspective.”

The Iowa Board of Regents approved the policy on Tuesday, scaling back an earlier and controversial proposal that would have prohibited mandatory courses filled with diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory. That proposal had prompted massive protests and was accused of violating academic freedom.

Instead, the revised policy states faculty “may teach controversial subjects when they are relevant to the course content” but instruction “should be presented in a manner that fosters critical thinking and avoids indoctrination of one perspective.”

“Faculty are expected to … present coursework in a way that reflects the range of scholarly views and ongoing debate in the field,” the new policy states, adding grades must reflect students’ “mastery of course content and skills, not their agreement or disagreement with particular viewpoints expressed during instruction or in their work.”

“If some controversial policy is taught, students should be informed that this is controversial and they should have an understanding of both sides of it,” Regent David Barker said during the meeting. “But this policy is not about censoring. It’s not about saying there is anything that shouldn’t be taught. It’s that things should be taught in a balanced manner.”

Regent Nancy Dunkel, the sole vote against the revisions, said the policy still restricts academic freedom and raised questions about what can be considered controversial, according to Iowa Public Radio.

“If a professor has to present both sides to an issue, does that mean a marketing professor must also include anti-capitalist arguments to students? Do anti-evolution arguments have to be presented in biology classes? How do we present both sides of the Holocaust?” Dunkel said.

To ensure the new regulations are followed, at least every two years an audit must be conducted under the policy; syllabi must also be made public, and universities must remain institutionally neutral.

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