BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Students should get their money back if they can't understand lectures delivered with thick accents and quirky pronunciations, says a lawmaker who wants to outlaw unclear English in the classroom.
"The number one priority of higher education is instructing the student, the paying customer," said Rep. Bette Grande, R-Fargo.
Grande is sponsoring legislation that would bar teachers from undergraduate courses if they cannot clearly speak English. Students who complain in writing about a teacher's diction would be refunded their tuition and fee payments for that course.
Higher education officials said the measure is intrusive and would spur a flood of questionable refund requests.
"Our students are very bright and will soon learn to use this law as an excuse to drop any class with a bad grade to receive a complete refund," said Michel Hillman, a university system vice chancellor.
Grande's legislation requires instructors to prove their command of English in an interview before they're allowed to teach. The measure also says teachers must be pulled from the classroom if 10 percent of students in a class complain about the teacher's speaking ability.
Sarah Beck, a lobbyist for North Dakota State University students, said she got dozens of responses to an e-mailed request for students' experiences with teachers who are not native English speakers. But NDSU gives students plenty of opportunity to complain, she said.
Students must learn to work with people who speak in different ways, and colleges shouldn't be expected to hire teachers "that only speak with a Midwestern accent," she said.
"The bottom line is that students must learn how to deal with accents," Beck said.
Hillman said the university system already has policies to ensure English speaking skills and procedures for lodging complaints, but Grande said the system is not working.
She said constituents have offered a number of complaints about teachers from other countries who have difficulty communicating ideas or understanding questions posed in English.
"The current process may be accomplishing the goals of research and diversity, but the question needs to be asked whether these need to be a priority over educating students," Grande told members of the House Education Committee.
The committee did not immediately act on the measure Tuesday. The House will vote on it later.
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The bill is HB1364.
