Regent seeking confirmation questioned on controversial Iowa legislative issues

DES MOINES - Iowa Board of Regents member Michael Richards got caught in a political crossfire at the Capitol Monday, dodging questions about fetal tissue research, guns on campus and the political affiliation of university faculty members.

The questioning took place during Richards' Senate confirmation hearing. He met for nearly an hour with senators who will decide later this session whether to confirm him to the Board of Regents.

Richards, a retired Des Moines physician and Mitchell County native who is a longtime friend and political ally of Gov. Terry Branstad, has served on the board that oversees Iowa's three state universities and two special schools for nearly a year - replacing Mary Andringa after she stepped down in April 2016. He needs 34 affirmative votes to meet the two-thirds majority it takes for confirmation by the 50-member Senate.

The interim regent was asked about a GOP proposal to ban Iowa university researchers from using fetal tissue. He did not address the issue directly but told committee members, 'I haven't opposed the current research that's at the University of Iowa.”

On another GOP proposal, which would allow Iowans with a firearms permits to carry their weapons at regent universities in Iowa, Richards said he thought the decision was best up to the institutions, subject to review by the Board of Regents.

'The primary concern is keeping our students and faculty and staff safe,” he said. 'We do currently have the safety officers armed. I think that's working and I'd like to keep it that way.”

Another issue of interest for Democratic senators was a bill introduced earlier Monday by Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, that would require political diversity among university professors and institute a hiring freeze if the number of registered Republicans and Democrats among faculty on the three state university campuses was not within 10 percent of each other.

Chelgren said in an interview the intent of the bill was to bring partisan balance to university faculty similar to the political balance requirements for the regents nominated by the governor and to make students aware of 'the political slant” that might be coming their way during classroom instruction.

'This extends that same concept to the professors at the regent universities asking them to identify their political affiliation and, if the political affiliation of one party over the other is in excess of 10 percent, there's effectively a hiring freeze until those disparities are reconciled,” Chelgren said.

'We want diversity of thought and diversity of opinion and diversity of political expression, this would balance the regents universities that receive taxpayer dollars so that students who attend those regents universities hear from both sides of the political spectrum,” he added.

During Monday's committee hearing, Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, asked Richards if he agreed the universities should be 'keeping tabs” on political affiliations or restricting hiring based upon faculty political affiliations.

'I think it's virtually impossible for the universities to interview people and find out exactly what their political affiliation is,” Richards said, adding that the universities should hire a diverse group of professors who are academically best suited in their areas and political affiliation is 'none of their business.”

Regent spokesman Josh Lehman said the board 'expects that our public universities will hire the most qualified faculty to teach our students.”

The universities do not have political-party requirements for faculty members, but the Board of Regents is required by Iowa code to have no more than five members in the same political party. Critics say the board right now is violating the spirit of that law, in that its nine members include five Republicans, three independents, and one Democrat.

Quirmbach called Chelgren's bill 'very disturbing” and 'a great interference of academic freedom.”

'I think it would be an ominous intrusion,” he added.

'That would be a great way to destroy our fine public universities and I'm glad to hear that you are not happy with that idea,” Quirmbach told Richards.

l Comments: (515) 243-7220; rod.boshart@thegazette.com

- Vanessa Miller of the Cedar Rapids Gazette contributed to this report