“College students should never feel they have to self-censor for fear of receiving a negative grade simply because their beliefs run contrary to those of their professor’s,” Caldwell said. “Nor should they think they’ll get a better grade by agreeing with the opinions or beliefs of those grading their assignments. The purpose of higher education is to teach students to think for themselves and be able to express their ideas within the academic context.”
Caldwell said the legislation came from a recommendation by the Oklahoma Free Speech Committee, established under the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The committee came through House Bill 3543, enacted in 2022, also authored by Caldwell.
“Currently, only one of the state’s 25 colleges and universities has a policy that clearly states what is now contained in this law,” Caldwell said. “It should be a foundational standard that every student should expect to be graded only on their academic performance. With this legislation, when students decide to enroll in an Oklahoma college or university, they can now rest assured their First Amendment rights will be honored.”
Also signed into law is House Bill 3701, which would require the State Regents of Higher Education to review college degree programs on a five-year cycle. Any program determined to be “low producing,” as defined in the measure, would trigger an annual review by the Regents, who must then consider suspending or deleting the program. The program could continue if it meets certain exceptions, but it would be placed on probationary status for three years and must submit a plan for improvement.
Caldwell said this bill simply codifies into statute the Regents’ existing procedures for consolidating low-producing programs. The State Regents earlier voted to eliminate 41 low-producing degree programs and suspend 21 others.
Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, serves District 40 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of Enid in Garfield County.
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