A recent bill put forth in the Minnesota Legislature would change the way the universities in the state handle professors with foreign accents.

Rep. Bud Heidgerken, R-Freeport, authored the bill, which requests the Minnesota Board of Regents adopt a policy requiring "clear English pronunciation" as a condition for teaching university students.

Because the university system in Minnesota has constitutional autonomy, the bill needs approval from the Board of Regents to pass.

"This is a hot button issue," Heidgerken said of students being unable to understand their professors. "It's a problem that's prevalent in our country."

Heidgerken, noting his appearance on "Good Morning America" last week, said the bill has attracted much attention, which he said is evidence of the need for change in the university's policy.

According to the bill, any employee assigned to undergraduate instruction would be required to complete an oral interview with the chair of his or her department. A nod of approval for the instructor's clarity and pronunciation, then, would be necessary for employment.

"We're asking that they have the ability to speak in understandable English," Heidgerken said. "We have a lot [of instructors] who I think will have a hard time [passing an English] test."

Dan Wolter, director of the university news service at the University of Minnesota, does not believe there is a significant problem with unintelligible professors at the university.

Student complaints are not as frequent as they were 15 or 20 years ago, Wolter said, and the university now has mechanisms in place to help students communicate problems to department chairs when necessary.

Heidgerken, though, maintains unintelligible instructors continue to pose difficulties for students.

Concerned students, he said, have flooded his inbox with e-mails expressing their unease regarding professors with thick accents.

Heidgerken said his bill is designed to curb these issues; portions of the bill reflect action to be taken if a large number of students report problems understanding a certain professor.

If 10 percent of the enrolled students in a class express concern over the professor's pronunciation, the instructor is to be moved to a non-teaching position until his or her case is reviewed by a panel to determine if the professor's English pronunciation is up to par.

Further, written notification to the department chair and the dean of students from a student dissatisfied with a professor's ability to speak English would allow that student to receive full reimbursement of tuition for the class, along with withdrawal from the class without financial or academic penalty.

Heidgerken called this issue a "no-brainer," saying the intent is to ensure students with best education possible.

Last year, a similar policy was passed in North Dakota and has been in effect at universities in the state since.

Peter Johnson, media and relations coordinator for the University of North Dakota, said it has been more of an "awareness bill," mainly working as a reminder to the universities of their responsibility to hire qualified employees.

According to Johnson, the strategy UND used is working with the faculty member — who has been reported by students as being difficult to understand — is to "help enhance his or her ability to communicate."

Sandra Arfa, director of English as a second language at the University of Wisconsin, said UW has similar programs.

International teaching assistants undergo a spoken English test and go through speech training if needed; some professors self-select into the course to improve their skills.

Arfa acknowledged the university has a responsibility to ensure instructors are intelligible, but said there haven't been significant complaints from UW students.