2020 Intellectual Diversity Report
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November 30, 2020 Governor Kristi Noem Sent via email South Dakota Legislators Sent via email RE: SD Board of Regents annual report on intellectual diversity and free exchange of ideas Dear Governor Noem and Legislators, This correspondence is in furtherance of the Board of Regent’s compliance with SDCL § 13-53-53, which requires the Board of Regents, on or before December first of each year, to prepare and submit to the Governor and each member of the legislature a report that: (1) Sets forth all actions taken by each institution to promote and ensure intellectual diversity and the free exchange of ideas; and (2) Describes any events or occurrences that impeded intellectual diversity and the free exchange of ideas. The attached report covers the period from November 1, 2019 – October 31, 2020. While the report reflects an abundance of activity on our campuses over the last year, I would be remiss to ignore the impacts of COVID-19. As you might imagine, the number of in- person activities were down, with many events conducted via remote technology and some simply cancelled. In addition, the challenges brought about by conducting operations in the midst of a pandemic certainly detracted effort and energy from a host of areas, and intellectual diversity activities were no exception. I say that not to diminish the importance of intellectual diversity, or even to make excuses, but rather to recognize the unprecedented obstacles encountered by our campuses over the last seven months and the toll it’s taken on nearly every facet of operations. Collegially, Brian L. Maher Executive Director & CEO South Dakota Board of Regents Annual Report on Intellectual Diversity and Free Exchange of Ideas (November 1, 2019 – October 31, 2020) (1) Actions taken by each institution to promote and ensure intellectual diversity and the free exchange of ideas. The following actions were taken by each of BHSU, DSU, NSU, SDSM&T, SDSU and USD: In Spring 2020, the campuses issued the Skyfactor campus climate survey to students. Across the system 23,653 students were issued the survey and 3,554 students responded. The system office worked with a representative from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) to help formulate questions related to intellectual diversity, and then consulted with Skyfactor on the best way to ask the questions in their survey format. The five selected questions that each university was required to ask related to intellectual diversity are provided below and a brief summary of the findings is included. The survey results showed that most students (67.1%) do not feel silenced at all from sharing their views, and only 7.2% of respondents felt that faculty at their institution did not respect their free speech rights. 25% of respondents did not feel comfortable expressing their political views with faculty. 41.9% of the students agreed that it was important for them to enroll in courses specifically designed to enhance their knowledge of different political views. Q1. To what extent do you agree with the following statement?: The culture at this institution discourages students from saying things they believe, because others may find them offensive. o 43% of respondents Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed o 12% of respondents Mildly Disagree o 20.1% of respondents are Neutral o 12.1% of respondents Mildly Agree o 12.8% of respondents Agree or Strongly Agree Q2. To what extent do you agree with the following statement?: During my time as a student at this institution, I have felt silenced from sharing my views. o 57.1% of respondents Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed o 10% of respondents Mildly Disagree o 13.7% of respondents are Neutral o 9.2% of respondents Mildly Agree o 10% of respondents Agree or Strongly Agree Q3. To what extent do you agree with the following statement?: Faculty at my institution respect free speech rights. o 3.6% of respondents Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed o 3.6% of respondents Mildly Disagree o 12.3% of respondents are Neutral 1 o 11.8% of respondents Mildly Agree o 68.7% of respondents Agree or Strongly Agree Q4. To what extent do you agree with the following statement?: I feel comfortable expressing my political views with faculty. o 14.8% of respondents Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed o 9.2% of respondents Mildly Disagree o 24.6% of respondents are Neutral o 15.3% of respondents Mildly Agree o 36.1% of respondents Agree or Strongly Agree Q5. To what extent do you agree with the following statement?: As a student, it is important to me to enroll in courses designed specifically to enhance my knowledge of different political perspectives. o 19.7% of respondents Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed o 8% of respondents Mildly Disagree o 30.4% of respondents are Neutral o 11.6% of respondents Mildly Agree o 30.3% of respondents Agree or Strongly Agree In response to changes in Title IX regulations at the federal level the Board of Regents (“BOR”) policies, which are applicable to each institution, were revamped at the BOR’s August meeting. The following policy revisions were directly relevant to intellectually diversity and the free exchange of ideas: o BOR Policy 1:17 (Sexual Harassment) included a revision to the definition of “sexual harassment” which shifted from the prior “…severe or pervasive…” standard to the “…severe, pervasive, and objectionably offensive…” standard. BOR Policy 1:17 received a “green” speech code rating by The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (“FIRE”) on September 18, 2020. o BOR Policy 3:4 (Student Conduct Code) included a revision to the definition of “harassment” which shifted from the prior “…severe or pervasive…” standard to the “severe, pervasive, and objectionably offensive…” standard, in addition to mirroring the sexual harassment shift noted above in BOR Policy 1:17. BOR Policy 3:4 received a “green” speech code rating by FIRE on September 18, 2020. The universities compiled a list of speakers on campus, which is set forth in Attachment I. In addition to the foregoing, the following actions were taken by the respective campuses. BHSU A comprehensive BHSU Policy and Procedure web site is active with many policies added and more underway. Of relevance to intellectual diversity: o 2:12 Syllabus Policy which requires a “Freedom in Learning” statement 2 o 3:2 Campus-Wide Posting o 4:3 Equal Opportunity, Non Discrimination and Affirmative Action o 4:8 Human Rights Complaints - this policy has not yet been posted but is under development o 9:3 Freedom of Speech and Use of Institutional Facilities and Grounds for Expression & Demonstration Lighthouse Services Subscription for Anonymous Reporting Black Hills State University has a partnership with Lighthouse Services, Inc. to provide an anonymous ethics and compliance hotline for reporting possible ethics and Title IX violations. The current agreement goes from March 16, 2020 through March 16, 2021. Online private and confidential reports can be made at Lighthouse. That link is accessible from the HR and Title IX pages (go to https://www.bhsu.edu/President/Title- IX/Report-Incident, and follow the link under “Confidential Reporting Options”). Reports can also be made over the phone via a toll-free hotline at 844-390- 0005 (English speaking) or 800-216-1288 (Spanish speaking). Lighthouse is an off- campus company who specializes in providing independent third-party ethics hotline services and people may choose to remain anonymous when providing information to them. Curricula Offered: o HIST 121 Western Civilization I, covers the study of Greece and Rome. It is a general education option and a required course in the major. o HIST 322 Ancient Greece and Rome, is an elective in the major which is offered every other year. o POLS 430, Constitutional Law, is an elective in the political science major. This course follows a conventional approach that does not assume either a liberal or conservative point of view. o POLS 100 American Government and POLS 210 State and Local Government provides an overview of constitutional history. o POLS 263 Introduction to Political Theory pulls from some of canonical works of political theory and philosophy. Title IX Compliance o BHSU completely redesigned its Title IX/Equal Opportunity webpage thereby offering multiple options to report concerns and/or make contact with conflict resolution resources. o Simplified private reporting is available through Information Report web form. All South Dakota College/University Women Presidents co-signed an Op-ed piece (attached) which ran in state-wide daily and weekly newspapers on or after August 18, 2020. The op-ed piece was entitled, The Right to Vote, The Right to Lead- 3 ---An Open Letter Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment. BHSU hosted a conference on Friday, October 23, 2020: Celebrating 100 years of Women’s Suffrage in South Dakota. SDSM&T and AAUW-RC Chapter were major partners in hosting the event. Approximately 70 registered and attended. Institutional Member of AASCU’s American Democracy Project o A key initiative for membership institutions is the Voter Education and Engagement initiative. This initiative focuses on comprehensive strategies to ensure that all areas are actively working to increase informed political engagement of our students. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement report, American Democracy Project (ADP) campuses have the highest voter turnout rates of all higher education. As a comparison, the national voter turnout rate for youth 18–29 was 46% and the national average for undergraduate students was 50.7%. ADP campuses had a voter turnout rate of at least 52%. o To implement the ADP at BHSU, the Human Services/Sociology Club held a voter-registration drive-thru on October 10 from 9-3.