“The University community values people of diverse cultures, classes, races, ethnicities, sexes, gender identities, mental and/or physical abilities, citizenship, nationalities, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds, ages, epistemologies, academic disciplines, veteran status, life experiences, and identities,” is from the University of Idaho’s official Diversity statement.
If Senate Bill 1274 is passed, this statement, or any statement like it, will no longer be allowed in any higher education institution in Idaho for hiring and admissions processes.
The bill could change job and secondary education’s language in the hiring or admissions process for potential candidates.
The bill was written by the State Affairs Committee and has been passed through Idaho’s Senate and is now onto the House. It will be passed into law and made effective starting July 1, 2024, if approved there.
The bill’s purpose statement is as follows: “This bill will make clear Idaho’s state policy that hiring and admissions decisions must be made on merit. This bill will also guarantee that hiring and admissions decisions made by state agencies, including public colleges and universities, are not ‘conditioned on a requirement that applicants submit or ascribe to a diversity statement.’”
The bill details how no applicant should be allowed to make a diversity statement in the hiring process. Similarly, the bill states that any application shall not include the following: “The applicant’s or candidate’s race, sex, color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The applicant’s or candidate’s views on, experience with, or contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Social justice. Confessing one’s race-based privilege. Confessing one’s sex-based privilege. Partisan politics or religion.”
Furthermore, the bill goes on to clarify and acknowledge any diversity laws in place.
“Nothing in this section shall be construed to: To certify compliance with state and federal anti-discrimination law.”
If passed, the bill will permanently change the University of Idaho’s wording on any application that a student will fill out. For instance, if a student puts on their application that they had to deal with any discrimination, this will not be allowed to be accepted and considered by the University.
“Hiring and admissions decisions shall not be conditioned on a requirement that applicants submit or ascribe to a diversity statement.”
This would permit students and faculty to no longer agree with or sign a statement regarding diversity for the school.
“No public postsecondary educational institution in the state of Idaho shall require or solicit a diversity statement as part of an admissions process, employment application process, hiring process, contract renewal process, or promotion process or as a condition of participation in any administrative or decision-making function of the institution.”
The bill was first introduced on February 2, 2024.
There has been wide sponsorship regarding the bill throughout the Senate and it was passed with 27 ayes and eight nays.
While the impact this bill will have on the school is still unknown, this will greatly affect different departments like the Office of Equity and Diversity, the Women’s Center, the LGBTQA office, and the Center for Disability and Access and Resources.
Anyone who wishes to know more about the bill can visit the Idaho Legislature’s Website.
Andrea Roberts can be reached at arg-[email protected]
Patricia Dysart
I just found out about this. Thank God One of the states and it's the one that I live in is taking some measure against these this unrealistic woke BS. It's not the purview of the education system to try and change the culture. It's hard enough to try to teach these people how to read how to write and to do math than muddle their brains with whether their hair should be blue or pink or whether they're in a dress or not. Bless the folks who put this together!