South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem tasks colleges with raising grad rates, no preferred pronouns

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Gov. Kristi Noem sent a wide-ranging letter to the South Dakota Board of Regents office Thursday on everything from China, history requirements, free speech and college affordability to prohibiting drag shows on campus and removing all references to preferred pronouns.

In the letter, Noem rails against states that have allowed “liberal ideologies to poison their universities and colleges” and points to institutions that were once “hotbed(s) of ideological diversity, debate and the pursuit of truth and discovery” that are now “one-sided, close-minded, and focused on feelings rather than facts.”

Noem also argues teachings on diversity and equity, and access to safe spaces on campus, don’t teach students to tolerate the disagreement, discomfort and dissent they may experience “in the real world.”

The letter tasks the SDBOR with the following:

  1. Raise graduation rates to 65% by 2028;
  2. Take more steps to partner with businesses on registered apprenticeship programs and offer the lowest possible credit rates;
  3. Remove all references to preferred pronouns in all school materials and any enforcement of such;
  4. Remove any policy or procedure that prohibits students from exercising their right to free speech;
  5. Prohibit drag shows from taking place on university campuses;
  6. Find ways to cut costs to ensure the affordability of college;
  7. Require a course in American government and a course in American history as part of the general education graduation requirements; and,
  8. Review all funding sources of university centers and all donations to ensure there is no money coming into our educational system from China.

Noem also wrote that she’s set up a whistleblower hotline that students, parents, taxpayers and anyone can use “to help keep our institutions accountable — and ensure that we are all aware of what is occurring at our taxpayer-funded colleges and universities.” The hotline is (605)773-5916.

More: Taking aim at drag shows, South Dakota Board of Regents pass ‘minors on campus’ policy

The SDBOR governs Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, South Dakota Mines, South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, South Dakota Services for the Deaf, BHSU-Rapid City and USD-Sioux Falls.

What has led up to this?

This isn’t the first time Noem has made her views on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) topics known.

Under Noem’s administration, the SDBOR mandated that all diversity centers on the state’s public college campuses must convert to opportunity centers, a literal and metaphorical washing away of the word “diversity” from premises.

Former diversity spaces on campus, like USD’s Center for Diversity and Community — which housed offices for student groups like the Union of African American Students, Spectrum Gender and Sexuality Alliance, African Student Association, International Club, Asian American Student Association, Latino-Hispanic Student Organization and Tiospaye Student Council — were converted to “opportunity centers” despite opposition from both students and faculty.

More: University of South Dakota students, faculty fret as Board of Regents mandate opportunity centers statewide

SDSU’s diversity office was also lost during this process, but its multicultural center was allowed to stay.

Noem has also taken aim at the perceived influence of critical race theory (CRT) in her state’s public colleges. CRT is an academic concept created by legal scholars and educators in the 1970s. Its core idea is that racism is embedded in legal systems and policies, is a common experience faced by non-white people in the U.S. and benefits white people.

Two years ago at this time, Noem was asking the SDBOR to preserve “honest, patriotic education” and to investigate whether funds were being used to teach CRT on college campuses. The SDBOR was already investigating that, it said at the time.

More: ‘Nobody teaches a class on critical race theory’: CRT’s perceived influence in South Dakota education

The second-term governor has also taken aim at CRT and divisive concepts by signing a law — House Bill 1012 — against their teaching in the state’s public and technical colleges in 2022.

At the same time as this push against DEI and CRT has come Noem’s vested interest in civics and history education, most widely publicized in her push for the new social studies standards. Parallel to this, Noem wrote in her letter that she wants two more courses added to college students’ graduation requirements: American government, and American history. A U.S. government class is already a requirement for high school graduation in South Dakota.

Where do graduation rates currently stand?

Noem wrote in her letter that the average graduation rate of all the SDBOR’s institutions is currently 47%, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which the Department calculates based on the share of students who graduated within eight years of entering a college for the first time.

Those graduation rates range from 39% at BHSU to 54% at SDSU, with USD at 53%, Mines at 52%, NSU at 47% and DSU at 42%, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Noem is now tasking the SDBOR to aim to raise graduation rates to 65% by 2028, five graduating classes away from now.

Pronouns actually affirm gender identity when used properly

In her letter, Noem cites the National Institute for Health, which “has stated that ‘intentional refusal to use someone’s correct pronouns is equivalent to harassment and a violation of one’s civil rights.’”

Noem says this has “created an exclusive environment for students who are ultimately compelled and coerced provide speech that they do not agree with.”

The NIH states pronouns are used to convey and affirm gender identity, especially for those in sexual or gender minority communities, NIH writes on its website, noting that this is especially true for those whose gender doesn’t align with the sex they were assigned at birth, or whose gender identity or expression doesn’t fall within binary constructs of gender.

More: ‘You aren’t the only trans kid in South Dakota’: Transgender youths discuss challenges, acceptance

“Using a person’s correct pronouns provides gender affirmation, signals mutual respect and creates a more welcoming and tolerant environment,” the NIH states on its website. “Being misgendered (i.e. being referred to with incorrect pronouns) can be an extremely hurtful and invalidating experience.”

The NIH also includes resources on its website on the use of the singular they/them pronouns as well as neopronouns like zie/zim/zir, sie/hir/hirs, ey/em/eir and more.

What free speech policies are already in place?

Noem also advocates for more free speech in her letter, pointing to a recent incident at Black Hills State University in which a campus safety official asked a student group who were surveying students about the Second Amendment to first fill out a form that wasn’t actually required before they could engage in free and open speech on the campus.

The campus official later apologized to the student group for the incident after they had informed the university president of what happened.

SDBOR policies already define academic freedom and responsibility (1:11), human rights complaint procedures (1:18), and commitment to freedom of expression (1:32), including intellectual diversity and free speech.

Drag shows have been held on South Dakota’s college campuses for decades

South Dakota’s public universities shouldn’t be hosting and/or promoting drag shows, regardless of whether they’re sponsored by a student organization, Noem wrote in her letter.

Drag originated in 19th century British theater and has heavy roots in modern LGBTQ+ culture for its performance and entertainment styles that challenge traditional assumptions of gender identity and expression.

Noem argues that “just as other dangerous theories have been allowed to thrive on college campuses, gender theory has been rebranded and accepted as truth across the nation.”

She said she believes those “theories” should be openly debated in college classrooms but not celebrated through public performances on taxpayer-owned property at taxpayer-funded schools.

More: Sioux Falls lost 10 points on a national LGBTQ+ inclusion ranking in 2021. Here’s why.

“Our universities should require the highest standards of behavior and decency,” Noem wrote in her letter. “These standards do not mean that free expression must be stifled.”

The SDBOR passed a policy earlier this month limiting non-student minors to campus only as invitees, participants or visitors who must be under the supervision of an authorized adult, parent or legal guardian or other chaperone.

This policy came as a result of consternation from some conservative lawmakers who were upset that the annual drag show held at South Dakota State University in November 2022 by the Student Gender and Sexualities Alliance was billed on the university website as family-friendly.

Some of those lawmakers pledged to bring bills limiting similar events in the future and limiting minors from being involved. The two bills they brought, taking aim at preventing such events from ever happening again on state-funded facilities, failed during this year’s legislative session.

More: South Dakota Senators put final nail in the coffin on this session’s anti-drag bills

Noem’s letter and comments made at the May SDBOR meeting indicate that drag could come up again as a topic of discussion in the 2024 legislative session.

Student groups at college campuses across the U.S., like Spectrum at USD, have held drag events similar to the one at SDSU for decades now. Spectrum has held one annually since at least 1991.



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