Will Boise State Dump Diversity?

Boise State University is in hot water again, according to multiple published reports. BSU announced last week that they had to hire a law firm to investigate itself?

Why would a well-known university like Boise State employ a law firm to investigate itself? Was it an allegation of misappropriation of funds? An investigation of a sports team by the NCAA? No Boise State University investigates itself because students were allegedly harassed and degraded, reports the Idaho Statesman.

Faster than calling a statue of liberty play in football, Boise State University has suspended UF Foundations of Ethics and Diversity classes. According to the Statesman article, the issue involved a discussion of white privilege during a Zoom class. Tweets were sent and deleted, according to the report.

What we know is that this is not good news for the Doctor Tromp Administration. The state board brought in Tromp to continue the work of the polarizing Doctor Bob Kustra. Whether it's Covid or good fortune, Kustra is proving to be a tough act to follow. Boise State took more hits this year than their 51-17 loss to BYU last year in football.

Doctor Tromp's first moves were out of the public relations handbook. Go out, meet people, attend football games and wear blue and orange everywhere. Those are wonderful feel-good moments if you're a booster, but not the university president. She now faces a 400,000 budget cut, students pressuring Big City Coffee to leave campus, kicking the football chaplain off the team, Covid cuts, loss of revenue from sports, continued criticism from elected officials over curriculum, and now this unthinkable mess.

What is the graduation rate of students attending Boise State is 44.9%. That's for students who took six years to get their degree, not four years. Instate tuition at Boise State is $8,060 per year. Idahoans will end up paying almost $50,000 for a BSU degree. Out of state students pay $24,980 per year and just under $150,000 after six years on the Blue. Is a Boise State degree worth that much money? Higher education is big business, and their business is hurting.

It's time for Boise State University to mirror the success of the Chris Petersen Football era. The Broncos focused on what they could control and were masters of the gridiron basics. Doctor Tromp must be the leader of change. She has publicly stated that all views are welcome at Boise State. Intolerance towards conservatism must be met with dismissal. Colleges are supposed to be a safe place for the healthy discussion of diverse views. Boise State must now live up to that promise, or Idahoans will continue to look elsewhere to educate, not indoctrinate their kids.