Clear-English Legislation to Get Hearing in Minnesota Legislature
MINNEAPOLIS
For Scott Jilek, a freshman at the University of Minnesota, a bill that would ensure that professors speak clear English in the classroom is clearly needed.
Jilek, a business student, says he’s disappointed in his algebra course because he can’t understand his professor. “It has gotten to the point where I don’t go to lecture anymore unless there is a midterm,” he says.
The legislation — scheduled for an April 5 presentation in a House committee — would require schools in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to ensure their undergraduate instructors can speak clear English. It would request the same of the University of Minnesota, which the Legislature has limited authority to regulate.
Critics say teachers shouldn’t have to speak perfect English. MnSCU officials say few international students teach undergraduates. At the UM, officials say the school already has measures in place to ensure that instructors speak acceptable English.
But Rep. Bud Heidgerken, R-Freeport, the bill’s sponsor, says students like Jilek show there’s a need for the bill. He says some professors speak English as a second language very well but that others need more help.
