Equal opportunity directors leave Iowa State; regent questions interim appointment

Just over a year after starting as Iowa State University’s director of equal opportunity and Title IX coordinator, Carl Wells left Tuesday to return to South Carolina to become associate dean for campus life at Newberry College, a 167-year-old Lutheran college.

The Board of Regents agreed Wednesday to appoint Mary Howell Sirna — who’s been an ISU police administrative adviser for a decade and serves on the Committee for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equity — as his interim replacement while the university intends to launch a national search for a permanent director.

Compliance with State Law

Before the board affirmed Sirna’s appointment, however, regent David Barker asked ISU President Wendy Wintersteen to explain how doing so complies with a new state law enacted earlier this year that bars Iowa’s public universities from spending any more to implement “programming, curricula, training, or related activities in furtherance of the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.”

Wintersteen said the appointment doesn’t amount to an increase in DEI-related spending, adding that the Office of Equal Opportunity director acts as ISU’s Title IX and disabilities coordinator — which is “required by federal law.”

“The university would not be able to maintain eligibility for federal funding if it did not have a functioning Office of Equal Opportunity,” she said. “We believe it is required for us to have a director of this office and critically important for the university to be able to function under these requirements by the federal government.”

Background and Salary

Before starting at ISU on May 16, 2022, Wells was senior adviser for civil rights and affirmative action for the University of South Carolina — amassing more than two decades on that campus in roles focused on equal opportunity, civil rights, affirmative action, Title IX and diversity and inclusion, according to ISU.

Wells’ salary was $230,280. Sirna will earn $164,554 in the interim role.

Recent Departures and Legislative Criticism

Wells’ departure comes just weeks after his second in the ISU office, Associate Director of Equal Opportunity and Senior Deputy Title IX Coordinator Jacob Cummings, left July 14 after just two years to direct equal opportunity and accessibility at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, according to his LinkedIn profile.

About Wells’ exit, Wintersteen said Wednesday he left “for a number of reasons,” but didn’t provide specifics.

During the Iowa legislative session that occurred in Wells’ first year on the job, lawmakers — while discussing public university funding — submitted a list of questions to regents, including one asking for the number of DEI or social justice employees on each campus and their annual pay.

In answering that question in February, the campuses reported employing a total 128.5 faculty and staff who work full-time in diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice areas — with ISU tallying the most at nearly 64.

Not among the positions identified in ISU’s list of DEI staff for lawmakers was Wells’ and Cummings’ posts atop the Office of Equal Opportunity — which, on its website at the time, characterized its role as “ensuring equal access to employment and educational opportunities” and advancing “diversity, equity, inclusion, and fairness.”

The office’s vision, according to its website in February, was summarized as ensuring “equal access to employment and educational opportunities in support of the university’s commitment to equal opportunity

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Identified in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
• Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

No specific indicators are mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: thegazette.com

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