At its April meeting, NADOHE’s Board of Directors approved the following public policy platform to guide the Association’s policy priorities for the remainder of this academic year and the 2023-24 academic year. The Public Policy Committee developed the platform and will continue to update it as needed as issues emerge, with the approval of the Board.
Platform
Whereas, NADOHE is committed to its work to investigate, influence and innovate to transform higher education so inclusive excellence thrives at the core of each institution worldwide. NADOHE supports its members to navigate the shifts in the legal landscape, understand the increasing emphasis on equity, and embrace the ever-present value of belonging for students, faculty, and staff.
Whereas, NADOHE is committed to the importance of racial diversity on campuses and will continue to provide guidance to assist members in designing inclusive, legal ways to promote that diversity. The Association believes that there is no adequate substitute for race-conscious admissions practices, which have been foundational to broadening access to higher education for students from historically marginalized communities. The Association urges the Supreme Court to recognize precedents set in its prior decisions and to affirm the legality and morality of race-conscious admissions practices.
Whereas, NADOHE recognizes a college degree makes a person more than four times more likely to rise to the top of the family wealth ladder, but financial barriers too often make this dream impossible for students from lower socioeconomic standing. This is a racial equity issue; to build diverse and inclusive campuses and boost generational wealth, higher education must be affordable and accessible. NADOHE urges Congress to double the Pell Grant and encourages legislators to work with the president for solutions that provide systemic ways to address the current student loan debt crisis.
Whereas, NADOHE believes students and employees at institutions of higher education must be protected from sexual misconduct and discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. The Association is committed to advancing policies that center equity to deliver on the full promise of Title IX. NADOHE applauds recent draft Title IX regulations for their clarity and expanded protections and calls for long-term consistency in the rules to maintain fairness and certainty for those on the campuses we serve.
Whereas, NADOHE recognizes that a student’s academic promise is not determined by their citizenship status. The Association calls for immigration reform, including legislation to provide a pathway to citizenship, to protect Dreamers permanently and to provide undocumented students with more access to educational, employment and other opportunities.
Whereas, NADOHE supports LGBTQ+ students and is committed to providing guidance to its members to foster inclusive campus environments for people of all gender identities and sexual orientations. NADOHE condemns the troubling increase of targeted violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as the recent wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that would restrict access to health care, athletics, and education about gender identities. The Association will continue its work to fight sexual and gender-based discrimination and to promote the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ people in the higher education community. NADOHE encourages policymakers at the local, state and federal levels to put in place greater protections for those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Whereas, NADOHE recognizes the critical role that tribal colleges and universities play in serving Indigenous and American Indian communities and urges all colleges and universities to assess and improve their support for students, faculty and staff from these communities. The Association calls for greater visibility and representation of these populations at institutions and in curricula, removal of financial barriers for Indigenous and American Indian students, solutions to food and housing insecurity, and more robust study of issues facing those in the Indigenous and American Indian communities.
Whereas, NADOHE denounces legislation that would advance censorship and prohibit discussions of race and gender; ban the inclusion of critical race theory in curricula; promote “viewpoint diversity surveys” that have the effect of chilling speech in classrooms; ban books, and otherwise inhibit the free exchange of ideas on college campuses. Efforts to suppress discourse run counter to the principles of education and to NADOHE’s values of diversity, equity, inclusivity and scholarship.
Resolved, that the above affirmations serve as NADOHE’s positions for the duration of the 2022-24 academic years.