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As a former chair of the State Higher Board of Education, I am greatly concerned over pending legislation. The political overreach of the legislature in the second amendment to SB 2030passed by the ND Senate now being considered in the Houseis inappropriate and the harbinger of nightmares to come for higher education in the state of North Dakota. The amendment purports to affect only one grant; in reality, it threatens academic freedom for every single professor and graduate program in our public colleges and universities. Successful research cannot happen if government interference is but one legislators whim away.

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The amendment seeks to punish North Dakota State University for a federal research grant that has been in place for many years because it is highly successful and meaningful for North Dakota adolescents, including New American, Native American, and at-risk teenagers. Included are youth in foster care, youth with HIV/AIDS, victims of human trafficking, and pregnant and/or parenting youth who are under the age 21. The subject matter of the grant is sex education and preventing teen pregnancy. Parental permission is required and parental involvement is sought. The well-received curriculum actually is not in question. It's the federally approved curriculum provider for the grant that the legislature objects to.

If state funding for our institutions of higher education can be withdrawn because legislators dont approve of one research grant (or in this case, one facet of one research grant) the institutions of higher education as we North Dakotans know them--and take such pride in them--will be no more. The second amendment to SB 2030 must be scrapped.

Kristen Bakke Diederich served on North Dakota's State Board of Higher Education from 2010 to 2015 and served as board chair from 2013 to 2015.

This letter does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Forum's editorial board nor Forum ownership.

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Letter: The second amendment to SB 2030 must be scrapped | INFORUM - INFORUM