Board of Ed dilemma: university diversity

An Idaho State Board of Education member expressed concerns Thursday that proposed diversity, equity and inclusion directives from the state may negatively affect university student programs.

The SBOE held a meeting to discuss a number of proposed policies centered around DEI and freedom of expression in higher education. No vote or action was taken.

One of the directives states that “institutions shall ensure that no central offices, policies, procedures, or initiatives are dedicated to DEI activities.”

It is unclear exactly how this may affect the University of Idaho, as the school has an Office of Equity and Diversity. This office oversees a number of organizations that promote diversity including an Office of Multicultural Affairs, an LGBTQA Office, a Women’s Center, the Black/African American Cultural Center and the College Assistance Migrant Program.

SBOE board member Kurt Liebich said he is worried this language is so broad that it could be interpreted “in a way where we get rid of stuff that really makes a difference for students.”

As an example he pointed to programs that support Native American students, veterans and first-generation students.

Liebich agreed that every student deserves the chance to be successful, but said the board has to recognize that every student comes to Idaho’s campuses “from a different starting point.”

He said those students need academic support as well as the opportunity to “find their people.”

Liebich suggested the board vet the language of these directives with university and college presidents before going forward with them.

Board member David Turnbull said he did not read anything in the language “that would indicate those kinds of things would have to be done away with.”

SBOE Executive Director Josh Whitworth said the board plans to discuss these directives with university and college presidents, provosts and state legislators. There could be a vote on these directives as early as the SBOE’s Dec. 18 meeting.

The Idaho Legislature has formed a task force focused on DEI. Whitworth cautioned the board that DEI has not yet been clearly defined in Idaho.

Under the new directives, institutions must also ensure that student success centers are dedicated to all students, that no employee or student is required to declare gender identity or preferred pronouns, and that institutions “shall establish and maintain equality of opportunity for all students regardless of personal identity characteristics.”

On this point, Whitworth said there’s a movement among institutions across the nation to make sure that their student centers are “about all students.”

“What I see our institutions doing here is not just renaming things, … actually making structural adaptations that mean we support students holistically,” he said.

Another resolution the SBOE is reviewing relates to academic freedom on campuses. It states that schools should “maintain institutional neutrality, protect speakers’ rights to free expression, protect the safety of those participating in constitutionally protected speech, introduce campus communities to diverse viewpoints, and establish programs designed to educate students and faculty about the institutions’ role as the marketplace of ideas.”

Many of these directives are an attempt to reaffirm existing SBOE policies, such as the policy to protect academic freedom.

“I think this really represents the intent of our institutions to promote an environment where we support free speech to its fullest extent,” Whitworth said.

These policies are based on existing ones in Utah and Texas, according to Whitworth. Utah earlier this year passed a law that prohibits DEI programs and offices at universities.

The Idaho SBOE already prohibits colleges and universities from requiring diversity statements in hiring. The Idaho Legislature recently adopted laws prohibiting diversity statements in hiring and admissions at the institutions.

Also on Thursday, the SBOE approved the UI’s proposed $163 million housing renovation project.

The project is meant to improve student housing for the UI’s growing student population, which just saw record freshman enrollment numbers.

The university plans to demolish and rebuild its South Hill Apartments on Taylor Avenue. The new apartments will include 251 new beds for single-student housing and 150 new beds for family housing.

There will also be renovations to the Wallace and Theophilus Tower dormitories and the Elmwood Apartments on Elm Street.

According to the UI, initial utility and street preparation on South Hill began several months ago. Students living in those apartments were notified last spring that their contracts would not be renewed, but they could begin new contracts in available apartments in the unaffected area of South Hill. The new apartments are scheduled to open in August 2026.

Renovations of Theophilus Tower and Wallace Complex will be done in phases, with completion happening from August 2025 to August 2027.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.