inside “To save our universities, we need to ‘go back to the future,'” op-ed by Sen. John Johnson suggests we need to go back in time and dismantle the University of Utah’s general education curriculum. How far back should we go?
In 1970, the Office of Civil Rights recommended that the Ogden School District implement a desegregation plan. The district sought to address a widespread lack of consideration for minority students by increasing diversity across its curriculum and educators, and providing multicultural sensitivity training through Weber State University.
Ogden’s commitment to multiculturalism was synonymous with Utah’s education equity rules, which were eventually erased. The district’s intention to be more inclusive and representative is what Johnson calls “woke doctrine.” So “Back to the Future” must mean his pre-1970s, but that’s not Utah’s direction.
Rather than looking to the troubled history of Utah neighborhoods shaped by racial codes and redlining as inspiration, we should build on the progress and inspire our students to move forward.
Johnson’s bill (SB226) is not positive. SB226 emulates national efforts to embed conservative ideology into the core curriculum and suppress diverse perspectives. This effort contradicts Congress’ rhetoric about taking politics out of education.
Dr. Kevin M. Colous, Millcreek
Darlene McDonald, South Salt Lake