118 HRES 608 IH: Recognizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education.
U.S. House of Representatives
2023-07-20
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IV
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 608
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 20, 2023
Mr. Veasey (for himself, Mr. Allred, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Payne, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Ms. Velázquez, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Mr. Green of Texas, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Soto, Ms. Barragán, Mr. Cárdenas, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mr. Evans, Ms. Brown, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. McGarvey, Mrs. McClellan, Mr. Carson, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Takano, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Horsford, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Frost, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. García of Illinois, Ms. Strickland, Ms. Kuster, Ms. Stevens, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Sánchez, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mrs. Beatty, Mrs. Torres of California, Ms. Porter, Ms. Plaskett, Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Titus, Mr. Lynch, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Case, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Casar) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education.
Whereas one of the primary goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education is to create a learning environment where all students, faculty, and staff succeed and thrive;
Whereas, while students of color receive the greatest benefits of having educators that look like them, diversity benefits everyone;
Whereas, when students experience a sense of belonging on campus, their academic, health, and engagement outcomes improve;
Whereas having different and divergent perspectives can create positive learning outcomes;
Whereas academic freedom is a cornerstone of a college or university’s mission, allowing faculty, staff, and students to pursue their curiosity and interests, free from political interference or intrusion, and advance the public good;
Whereas diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts strengthen an institution’s ability to recruit, hire, develop, promote, and retain the Nation’s talent and remove barriers to equal opportunity;
Whereas providing full opportunity to the Nation’s talent is vital to the health of the Nation’s economy and crucial to addressing the ongoing critical needs in the Nation’s businesses, hospitals, classrooms, and other economic and social endeavors;
Whereas historically disenfranchised groups have faced barriers in participating in the classroom setting as students, faculty, and staff;
Whereas a growing body of evidence demonstrates that diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplaces yield higher performing institutions of higher education;
Whereas strong higher education programs help educators recognize the value and unique aspects of what makes each student different, and help them embrace those differences in the classroom;
Whereas many institutions of higher education across the country, including minority-serving institutions such as historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions, struggle to recruit and hire a more diverse teaching workforce;
Whereas investing in and providing guidance on cultural competence and antibias trainings and resources for hiring managers help develop initiatives that increase the racial diversity of the workforce;
Whereas States can improve retention of teachers of color by investing in programming that provides ongoing support and growth opportunities, and improves poor working conditions that disproportionately impact teachers of color;
Whereas State legislatures are attempting to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at institutions of higher education;
Whereas the notion that diversity, equity, and inclusion policies favor one demographic group over another ignores Federal antidiscrimination law; and
Whereas prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, as well as related trainings and consideration of race, gender, or ethnicity in hiring decisions, threatens the academic mission of institutions of higher education and the ability of institutions to provide a diverse and inclusive learning environment: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
recognizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at institutions of higher education;
(2)
acknowledges the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion pursuant to the House rules of the 118th Congress;
(3)
champions diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, including implicit bias training, common ground training, facilitated conversation, cultural sensitivity, community engagement, and antioppression training in higher education; and
(4)
supports and acknowledges the importance of academic freedom for faculty, staff, and students at institutions of higher education