The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute (GI) announced Monday that it, in collaboration with Speech First, is unveiling a model legislation called the “Freedom from Indoctrination Act” (FFIA), which could ensure college students are not forced to receive instruction involving activism ideologies if they do not wish to.
“This legislation would strengthen the Arizona Board of Regents’ existing requirements that Arizona public universities provide education in American Institutions by stressing the importance of the nation’s founding documents and principles. It would also build on the Goldwater Campus Free Speech Act, which the Arizona legislature enacted in 2018 to protect free speech on college campuses. Importantly—considering we’ve already seen Northern Arizona University require students to take classwork in Critical Race Theory (CRT)—this legislation would also ensure that no student attending an Arizona public university would ever be forced to take courses in ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or CRT as a condition of getting a degree,” a GI spokesperson said in an email to The Arizona Sun Times.
DEI DETOX!
Higher education should be free from indoctrination. That's why today, Goldwater and @Speech_First released a plan to protect students and faculty from #DEI dogma: https://t.co/xgzLxnhVMj
— Goldwater Institute (@GoldwaterInst) April 3, 2023
Specifically, the FFIA states that a student attending a public university cannot be required to take DEI-CRT-related courses as a requirement of a degree program in which the student is attempting to attain a degree or minor. The act defines DEI-CRT-related courses as those that promote differential treatment of any individuals/groups based on their race or sex or ideas such as race-based privilege or systemic racism.
However, this does not restrict the academic freedom of any university or an instructor’s ability to teach their class. Universities can still teach DEI -CRT-related courses and students can still choose to take them; they just cannot be forced on students who do not wish to take them. The act also does not prevent the discussion of historical events, such as American slavery, Native American removal, the Holocaust, or Japanese-American internment in college courses.
Furthermore, the FFIA would also ensure that universities are promoting free speech. During a freshman orientation program, universities must include a program telling students what the campus’s free speech policies are and why they are important.
“University campuses should be places of higher learning, academic exploration, debate and civil discourse. Not centers of woke dogma that trains activists who feel justified using violence and destruction to reach their political aims. This model legislation would ensure students and faculty will be protected from this type of coercion and intimidation currently dominating campuses,” said Speech First Executive Director Cherise Trump.
Additionally, the GI spokesperson told The Sun Times that for members of the public who want to see this model legislation adopted, “[s]haring and building awareness of such tools is critical if we are to see meaningful reform.”
Furthermore, Speech First released a report which showed that 91 percent of freshman orientations mentioned DEI topics while only 32 percent mentioned freedom of speech. The report stated that this is an intentional choice by universities, which places an “undue burden on students’ shoulders,” who must walk on eggshells to avoid upsetting others rather than exploring and challenging all ideologies.
As reported by The Sun Times, a January report from the GI showed that it is not just students at public universities being exposed to DEI ideologies. The GI found that many job positions at Arizona’s public universities required a diversity statement. Additionally, Northern Arizona University (NAU) stated it is crucial to incorporate DEI into its educational system, which includes hiring those who engage with the ideology in their professional endeavors.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “University Classroom” by Edwin Andrade.
