Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowa’s public universities last year used a waiver process to bypass open searches to fill jobs — designed to attract a diverse pool of qualified candidates and ensure applicants have an equal opportunity to compete for positions — in more than 150 hires, most of which involved the University of Iowa. UI processed 106 search waivers in 2021, according to records the university provided the Gazette after being compelled to do so by the Iowa Public Information Board — which weighed in after the newspaper filed a complaint over the UI’s initial refusal.