House Bill 1087, a measure to promote intellectual diversity at certain institutions of higher education, which had been deferred from 24th Legislative Day to allow legislators time to review the new version of the bill, is scheduled to be voted on this afternoon.
8 thoughts on “Intellectual Diversity Bill back on House calendar today”
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If your car has serious mechanical problems, should one be grateful your mechanic only fixes the cigarette lighter when you get your car back? Or do you just get a new mechanic who actually understands priority?
While at least it has been amended so it no longer will suppress free speech and speech interaction in the public square, read the bill and see if it will have any impact on the diversity of the professors, the curriculum, or what is taught in the classroom on a day-to-day basis.
This bill is a pandering to intellectual diversity to get you to think they are doing something. In ten years, you will not be able to see it had any impact on the hegemony of progressive thought. It’s a hard problem with hard solutions. No silver bullet.
I would suggest drafting a bill (or many bills as you correctly state there is “no silver bullet”) to provide solutions to the problems you state and share them with the Legislature. I’m sure the supporters of reforming the BOR would be happy to hear you out.
As a wise man once said: “Fix the cigarette lighter.”
FYI: The “Education Committee” bill version on the LRC website is not the current version. The current version of the bill is the “House of Representatives Amendment,” which strikes all bill text after the enacting clause of the bill and substitutes new language.
MLW, my comments refer to the amended version (which at least doesn’t do overt and direct harm to free speech like the original draft).
LCD, drafting bills as a solution is how liberals operate (control behaviors with rules, especially rules hard to enforce and measure). This is a problem of personnel and management. It is a fools game to even pretend the Legislature can have ANY impact at these levels by making rules (passing legislation that would be hard to measure and enforce) but the legislators want you to think it will make a difference so you’ll vote for them.
The Legislature has only three practical tools: Senate approval of BOR candidates and re-appointees, power of the purse, and engaging alumni associations.
The requirement that the BOR report to the legislature is, in part, an effort to have more info when it comes to using their power of the purse.
I understand this bill is no silver bullet, but from my perspective it is a step in the right direction. Particularly, the free speech protections.
PS LCD: We always say “We don’t need more gun laws. We just need to enforce the gun laws we have.” Well, we have a Legislature that has never, ever used its existing powers to correct this problem that is now out of hand. They have more than enough tools at their disposal which can actually effect change.
And, I note nobody has addressed my question above: It will have absolutely no impact on diversity of professors, curriculum, or what is taught in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. NADA. ZILCH.
Another car analogy: I take my car to the body shop after a head on collision. When I go get my car, the body shop puffs out their chest showing me how they buffed out a scratch on my trunk while doing nothing on the front-end.
I think there is a lot of merit in what you describe. That said, by good management it can be overcome. I once had a self-described hedonist, atheist, socialist as an economics teacher who was excellent as he taught the subject matter with integrity. After a Federal Reserve meeting when they outline the different metrics, I still use my notes from his class to discern what was done/said.
The problem that has permeated universities is ideology has transcended the subject matter. And that is a management problem- President managing Deans, Deans managing professors.
Having a balance of liberals and conservatives where ideology is preeminent isn’t the solution. It is a environment where subject matter is preeminent. This will only be accomplished by a change of personnel beginning at the top who will result in professors who aren’t ideologues but objective lovers of their subject matter.