Legislature, Regents should focus on fairness in government

The Iowa Legislature and the Board of Regents are acting in ways contrary to the U.S. Constitution to prohibit speech they find uncomfortable and “divisive.” How ironic. The Board of Regents requires all students, staff and faculty in the three regents universities to annually undergo mandatory free speech training. Here is a direct quote from the mandatory training that evidently doesn’t apply to Iowa legislators or members of the board of regents:

“Freedom of expression and intellectual freedom are foundational to higher education because they are essential to inquiry, discourse, and learning that characterize the community of scholars. We are committed to the principle that debate or deliberation must not be suppressed merely because the subject matter is controversial and the viewpoints presented are considered by some or even by most members of the campus community to be unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive.”

Excellence in education reinforces skills enabling students to productively engage in conversations, even — or perhaps especially — with people who hold different viewpoints. Free speech is fundamental to a free society. If you are uncomfortable that DEI teaches about how laws have been used to benefit some and to the detriment of others — based on race, sex, age, ethnicity, religion and other characteristics — then perhaps you ought to consider working now for fairness in government laws, for example, fair housing rental laws and laws affecting who gets health care. We don’t need the next generation of lawmakers feeling uncomfortable about the laws being made now.

Merceded Bern-Klug

Iowa City