The Arizona Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill that would cut state funding for universities and community colleges that teach diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
That means classes that cover anything related to institutional or systemic racism, whiteness, race or gender-based inclusion as related to contemporary American society. It has exceptions for historical events.
Republican Sen. David Farnsworth sponsored SB 1694.
"I'm not opposed to diversity training. And I realize there is prejudice in the world. But we just have to do it very carefully and make sure it's correctly done without a bias on one side or the other," Farnsworth said.
Opponents worry it undermines the First Amendment. Alberto Plantillas with the Arizona Students Association urged lawmakers to vote against it.
"This bill threatens free speech and undermines the diversity that defines America. It promotes a conformist revision of history, ignoring the country's ongoing issues with discrimination and violence against marginalized groups," Plantillas said.
The measure needs final approval from the Senate before it goes to the House.
All this comes as higher education institutions are scrubbing references to DEI in its programs and websites under the threat of losing federal dollars.
The University of Arizona already has removed two diversity-related websites. And it just deleted the phrase "committed to diversity and inclusion'' from its statement acknowledging that it sits on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
There is a lot of money at stake.
The University of Arizona currently gets $334.7 million from the state general fund, with $377.8 million to Arizona State University and $127.7 million to Northern Arizona University. Community colleges overall get $88.5 million.
Farnsworth cited readings he saw while taking a community college course.
Farnsworth told members of the Senate Education Committee, which first reviewed the bill, that he is a believer in the idea of diversity, equity and inclusion.
But he said he got an eye-opening lesson when he signed up at Rio Salado Community College to go after his bachelor's degree in elementary education.
"It was recommended I take a course on cultural diversity,'' Farnsworth said. That required he purchase a copy of Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society.
And Farnsworth read to colleagues some of what he found.
"Through the hidden curriculum of value-laden rules, both the formal and hidden curricula often reinforce the values of the dominant culture which includes white, middle-class, heterosexual, English-speaking, able-bodied and Christian norms and values,'' he quoted from the book.
"And this is teaching teachers so they can teach our students,'' Farnsworth said.
The senator said people should be sensitive to the feelings of others and treat each other as brothers and sisters. But that, he said, is not what's being taught here.
"I believe strongly that this course, this required course, does not encourage acceptance or, as Martin Luther King Jr. said -- I'm not going to quote -- to appreciate each one of us for the value of our character and not the color of our skin,'' Farnsworth said.
No one from either the university system or the community colleges, whose state funding would be at risk, turned out to testify against the measure.
A spokeswoman for the Arizona Board of Regents would say only that members "are actively engaged at the legislature and working close with lawmakers and the governor's office on bills relating to our universities.''
But it did draw draw questions from Sen. Catherine Miranda.
The Laveen Democrat pointed out that Farnsworth has said he does believe in diversity, equity and inclusion. So why, she asked, does he want to financially penalize community colleges and universities that teach such concepts.
Farnsworth said the issue is what is taught here.
"If we offered a course that was fair and unbiased and stimulated the value of appreciating diversity, I would be totally supportive of it,'' he said. This, Farnsworth said, isn't what the book says.
"I was shocked,'' he said. "This book is biased.''
The only person who did testify against the measure was Plantillas.
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