BOISE — An Idaho House member from Boise on Wednesday called on the Idaho State Board of Education to re-examine its rules on university tenure and gender discrimination, in the wake of controversial comments about women by Boise State University Professor Scott Yenor.
Yenor, in an Oct. 31 speech to the National Conservatism Conference in Florida, said independent women today are “more medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome than women need to be” and said women should be “secure with feminine goals of homemaking and having children” and shouldn’t be recruited into engineering or other professional fields like medicine and law.
The comments later went viral on social media and have drawn both national attention and a backlash of objections from Boise State students, faculty and staff.
Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, told the Idaho State Board of Education on Wednesday morning, “University and community college students should not be discouraged or prevented from pursuing careers that they choose, from pursuing academic disciplines that they choose, solely on the basis of gender. So it’s been very disappointing that suddenly this has become an issue in Idaho.”
Gannon, an attorney, said while he recognizes the rights to free speech and academic freedom, “I think it’s very important to recognize that students have a right to be free from bias or the appearance of bias in pursuing their education.”
“It is important for our state to send that message in a strong way, especially at this time in our history, long after the issue of whether women should be diverted from certain curriculum, long after that’s been decided in our country,” he told the board. “I don’t think any person with authority should be able to discourage or prevent a student from pursuing a career solely because of gender.”
He called for the state board to convene a task force to develop new guidelines and policies to “protect this important right of all students, and particularly women.” Possibilities, he said, include disciplinary provisions for tenured faculty who engage in discrimination, including prohibition on teaching courses that are prerequisites or are mandatory for graduation.
While the state board welcomed Gannon, and its president, Kurt Liebich, said he personally believes strongly that the role of prominent women in Idaho is among the causes of the state’s current economic success, the board didn’t promise any action.
“The board has not had an opportunity to discuss that recommendation,” board spokesman Mike Keckler said after the presentation.
He added that Liebich “believes that BSU is handling the matter appropriately, and that there are no plans for the board to get involved.”
After Yenor’s comments hit the news in November, BSU issued a statement saying, in part, “Boise State University understands that the open exchange of ideas, which is fundamental to education, can introduce uncomfortable and even offensive ideas. However, the university cannot infringe upon the First Amendment rights of any members of our community, regardless of whether we, as individual leaders, agree or disagree with the message.”
As the outcry built, BSU’s top officials sent an email to the university community Dec. 1 stressing BSU’s “long tradition of supporting women,” saying, “We defend their right to seek an education, to pursue a range of academic aspirations and dreams, and to make their mark in whatever ways they choose.”
Since then, the Idaho 97 Project, an advocacy group that seeks to counter extremism, has been encouraging women with concerns about Yenor’s conduct toward them on campus to file complaints under Title IX, the federal civil rights statute that prohibits sex discrimination in education.
Emily Walton, the project’s co-founder, said, “I’ve either talked with or communicated with 30 to 40 people. We are putting them in touch with a law firm who is helping them explore options around Title IX or other discrimination complaints.”
Mike Satz, the project’s executive director, said he’s aware of one Title IX complaint that was filed but rejected because it was outside the 180-day time limit for such claims.
“I know that they’re reviewing these complaints,” he said, but “the university is required to keep all this information confidential.”
Satz, an attorney, added, “He said these things outside the context of the university. … The real question is: Does that behavior bleed over into the classroom?”
Satz said he’s hoping the university will conduct the necessary reviews to determine that, including examining whether Yenor’s grading practices have discriminated against female students. “We want a thorough review of his conduct,” he said.
Yenor did not respond to a request for comment from the Idaho Press.
“Boise State cannot comment on personnel matters,” BSU spokesman Mike Sharp said in an email.
Asked about the university’s process for handling Title IX complaints, Sharp said, “Any student, faculty, staff or member of the university community can file a complaint against another member of the university community alleging behavior that may constitute sexual harassment or sex-based discrimination. ... Bose State takes these concerns very seriously and implements corrective action when appropriate.”
Gannon said he was pleased with his reception from the state board, even if they don’t immediately take action. “I think it is a cumulative thing,” he said. “I think the more people that put pressure, express their opinions and make these kinds of requests, the more likely it is that something will happen.”
Gannon told the board about his grandmother, who graduated from dental school in 1902 and was a practicing dentist for 30 years; she died in 1970, and Gannon said she was his mentor. “My law school class, class of ’76, was 50% female,” he said.
Liebich, in his comments after Gannon’s presentation, said, “I think part of the reason our economy is so great in Idaho is because of how well women have done in leading our organizations — I mean, half of this board is made up of highly competent women, half of our institutions are run by very capable, talented (female) leaders, many of the corporations in the state are run by very talented women. So I think it’s one of the reasons Idaho is doing as well as it is.”
He told Gannon, “I’ll go on the record personally agreeing with you on that point.”