University of North Dakota student named to higher ed board
May 17, 2021 GMT
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) A University of North Dakota student has been named to the state Board of Higher Education, Gov. Doug Burgum announced Monday.
Gracie Lian, a senior studying business administration, will be the board’s student representative for a one-year term. She will join the group on July 1.
Lian has served as president of the North Dakota Student Association and as UND’s student body president. She is also a candidate for a Master’s of Public Administration.
The higher ed board has eight voting members appointed by the governor, including one student member, and two non-voting members who represent the North Dakota University System’s faculty and staff. The board oversees the system’s 11 public colleges and universities.
Petition to remove abortion-related amendments to higher-ed bill gains more than 1,000 signees grandforksherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from grandforksherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Since Tuesday, April 6, more than 1,000 people have signed the petition against the amendments. 2:00 pm, Apr. 9, 2021 ×
The North Dakota State Capitol. Forum News Service file photo
GRAND FORKS A petition asking North Dakota legislators to remove amendments related to Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions has collected more than 1,000 signatures as of Thursday, April 8.
The petition comes the same week the North Dakota House approved legislative amendments that would levy potential arrest for faculty or staff who sign contracts with organizations that perform abortions. This comes after lawmakers say North Dakota State University failed to heed the Legislature’s warning last session about its continued partnership with Planned Parenthood.
SB 2030 was originally about North Dakota’s Challenge Grant program, which matches $1 for every $3 donated to universities for scholarships under certain circumstances. This program is generally uncontroversial and popular among Republicans and Democrats alike. When it came up for a vote this year, however, it featured an amendment targeting North Dakota State’s link to Planned Parenthood.
The amendment s sponsor, Republican Janne Myrdal, told fellow senators that the legislation was in line with state code prohibiting the use of public funds for the “performance, referral and encouragement” of abortions.
“Any institution in North Dakota that gets taxpayer money should follow the laws that are already in the Century Code,” Myrdal said during legislative session earlier this year. Without referring to Planned Parenthood by name, she continued, “They say they teach children that are high risk. I would wager to say that what they teach is pretty high risk and I won�