On Thursday, graduate students and undergrads at the University of Iowa joined more than 60 universities and high schools across 29 states for The Day of Student Action for Reproductive Justice, a student-led protest urging governments and educational institutions to ensure access to abortion, contraception, sex education and gender-affirming healthcare. The Campaign to Organize Graduate […]
Iowa Board of Regents
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Gov. Reynolds signs ban on COVID-19 vaccine requirements at schools, child care centers and universities
No public or private school, college or university, nor any licensed child care center in the state of Iowa will be able to require anyone attending it — from preschooler to graduate student — to be vaccinated against COVID-19 under a bill Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law on Tuesday. The CDC currently recommends everyone […]
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COVID-19: Almost 12,000 new cases, 64 more deaths; UI’s ‘few protections’ get national attention
In its weekly update on Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported another 11,723 confirmed cases of COVID-19, a 39 percent increase from the 8,408 new cases during the previous seven-day reporting period. The rate of new cases in this latest update is the highest the state has experienced since Jan. 11. For the […]
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Students die-in on Pentacrest, protesting the ‘perpetual state of stress’ caused by UI’s lax COVID rules
Around 50 people “died” on the Pentacrest on Thursday to protest the University of Iowa’s COVID-19 policies. The die-in protest was organized by Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS), the union that represents graduate student workers at the university. Protesters laid down on the Pentacrest’s sidewalk, as COGS members drew chalk outlines of their bodies. […]
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Iowa City mask mandate: UI and ICCSD say they can’t require masks; Mayor Teague discusses enforcement
The University of Iowa will not change its policy of encouraging but not requiring mask-wearing on campus, despite the mask mandate issued by Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague on Thursday night. As a state agency it is bound by state law, a UI spokesperson said shortly after the mayor announced the mandate. On Friday, the […]
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Board of Regents decides not to require COVID vaccinations for UI, ISU and UNI; Grinnell announces it will
Iowa’s three public universities will not require students or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Iowa Board of Regents President Michael Richards announced at the board’s meeting in Ames on Wednesday. “I’d like to make it clear that while we continue to strongly encourage members of our campus community to get vaccinated, the regents universities […]
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UI President Bruce Harreld says he’ll step down in May, Board of Regents will appoint interim president (updated)
Editor’s note: This story was updated with information from Board of Regents President Michael Richards’ statement, which was issued after the story was first published. Five months after announcing he was retiring as soon after the Board of Regents appointed his replacement, University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld said on Thursday his last day as […]
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Eliminating tenure, identifying Democrats, controlling spending: Republican lawmakers seek to change Iowa’s universities
An effort by Republicans in the state legislature to eliminate tenure at Iowa’s three public universities advanced this week, as the House Education Committee passed a bill to end tenure at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, and a Senate subcommittee approved the Senate version of that bill. […]
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Iowa Board of Regents receives almost meaningless penalty for violating the law in contract talks with UI grad student union
The Board of Regents acted in bad faith and broke the law during contract negotiations with the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS) in 2016 and 2017, the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) ruled last week. As punishment for its dishonest and illegal behavior, the Board of Regents will be required to post public notices at the University of Iowa
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Regent calls cuts to higher education funding an ‘attack on our three public universities’
The slashing of state financial support for Iowa’s public universities over the last two years is “the worst state government public attack on our three public universities” Larry McKibben has seen during his five years on the Iowa Board of Regents, McKibben said on Thursday. The lack of adequate state funding for higher education is […]
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Recent college grad Gov. Reynolds passes on chance to work on funding problems at Iowa universities
The governor’s office was one of several state agencies that declined to participate in a Tuition Task Force meeting. The Board of Regents cancelled the planned meeting due the lack of participation.
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Harreld issues call to action following proposed budget cuts to Iowa universities
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld issued a call to action Thursday following Gov. Terry Branstad’s suggested $34.3 million cut to higher education — the largest cut made as part of an effort to slice $110 million from the budget for the current budget year. “This cut, in the current fiscal year, is not without […]
