Yesterday Fox News published an undercover video of an administrator at the University of Iowa admitting the school was superficially complying with the elimination of DEI buzzwords but simultaneously “finding ways to operate around” efforts to end DEI practices.
The official, Drea Tinoco, assistant director for Leadership and Student Organization Development at the University of Iowa, pointed out in the undercover recording how in early spring the university’s leaders began directing an end to DEI initiatives and policies.
However, as Tinoco points out, that didn’t stop her or others at the school from continuing to advance the discriminatory measures.
“We’re essentially finding ways to operate around [the bans], so that was our solution. We were like, ‘Oh, okay, we can’t use that word? Okay – “civic engagement.”‘ I think that’s a lot of what we’re doing, it’s like, ‘Oh, okay, we’re not allowed to use this word. Oh, okay. We’re just going to do this,'” Tinoco can be heard saying in the video. “That’s why you’re not going to see DEI listed on any University of Iowa website … but there have been transitions and things that they’ve done, so they’re not like getting rid of certain things.”…
“It definitely is still here, it definitely still exists,” Tinoco can be heard saying on the undercover recording. She also suggests her superiors are supportive of defying orders to dismantle DEI policies at the university, and says that when collaborating with other schools in the state, the University of Iowa staff are typically the most “combative” when it comes to standing in the way of getting rid of DEI policies.
Unfortunately, I can’t embed the video at the moment but you can click on the link in this tweet to view it.
WATCH: DEI still in place as college ‘finding ways’ around ban, official admits: ‘Proud of the fight’:
FIRST ON FOX: An official in the University of Iowa’s Division of Student Life openly admits in a new undercover video obtained by Fox News Digital th… https://t.co/76OM6Z4MO4— Elwin Sidney (@ElwinSidney) July 30, 2025
The video has created an immediate backlash, including from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and AG Brenna Bird.
Gov. Kim Reynolds late Tuesday condemned a video she saw on Fox News in which a University of Iowa employee “blatantly admits to defying DEI restrictions I signed into law on May 9, 2024.”…
In her comments Tuesday, Reynolds referenced a letter she sent the Board of Regents on Jan. 23, “reminding university representatives to comply, not only with state law, but an executive order signed by President Trump ending implementation of DEI policies at public institutions.”
“I will be referring this matter to Attorney General Brenna Bird for her review as it relates to Iowa’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Act,” Reynolds said Tuesday…
In response to Reynolds’ referral, Bird on Wednesday said, “Regent universities must comply with our state laws including the Iowa Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) Act — Iowa Code Chapter 261J, Iowa Code Chapter 19, and also an Executive Order signed by President Trump on January 22, 2025.
“We have received the governor’s complaint against the University of Iowa and have opened an investigation.”
And that’s not all. In the video, Drea Tinoco also made a point of dismissing the University Regents, who are appointed by the governor to serve six-year terms, as “just a bunch of white people.” The regents didn’t take that too well.
The Iowa Board of Regents met virtually on Wednesday, July 30 for its regularly scheduled meeting. Regents President Sherry Bates started the meeting by reading a statement in response to the video of the alleged UI employee and the statements from Reynolds and Bird. Bates said the video “is unacceptable.”
“Following the law is not optional, nor is working around the law. Any attempt to skirt the law needs to be dealt with swiftly,” Bates said. “The board fully supports the Attorney General’s review and will take any action needed to correct this very problematic situation.”
The University President also got on board with the state investigation:
University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson also responded to the video and investigation before presenting the University of Iowa’s fiscal year 2026 budget on Wednesday. She addressed the allegations and noted that the university will comply with the attorney general’s investigation…
” If at any point we find the policies or laws have been violated, we will take the necessary corrective actions without hesitation,” Wilson said. “I also want to emphasize that while personnel matters must remain confidential, our approach to this situation, like all others, will be guided by our values of integrity, compliance, and responsibility to the public we serve.”
Basically everyone seems to be lining up to put this person out of a job.
There should be full accountability at the University of Iowa after an employee admitted that she and others at the university are skirting both Iowa & federal law that ended DEI at public institutions. I applaud Governor Reynolds for taking quick action to shut this down.… https://t.co/UGG7G8xod3
— Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) July 30, 2025
This is far from the first time a university employee has been caught on video admitting that their compliance with anti-DEI rules was only skin deep. In May I wrote about a similar situation at UNC (which resulted in the employee being fired). Ed wrote about similar videos involving two universities in Tennessee last week. How many more schools are rebranding DEI work and carrying on like usual? My guess is nearly all of them. At some point, they’ll be smart enough to stop admitting it on camera, but not this week.
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