ARR, me hearties! Th' UW regents be gatherin' 'pon a failed deal wit' th' lawmakers 'bout DEI rollback!
2023-12-12
Arrr, the blokes of Wisconsin Universities' board of regents did convene in secret on a Tuesday, af'er bein' left high 'n dry by a scallywaggin' deal o' diversity spendin' with them Republican landlubbers in the state's Legislature.
The head of the Universities of Wisconsin system, Jay Rothman, refused to disclose the details of a closed meeting held by the school’s regents. This meeting occurred after a controversial deal with Republican lawmakers collapsed. The agreement would have required the universities to cut diversity positions and eliminate an affirmative action program at UW-Madison in exchange for employee raises and funding for construction projects. The regents met in a closed video conference to discuss funding proposals and matters, but Rothman declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting.This meeting took place just three days after the regents rejected a funding proposal from Assembly Republican Speaker Robin Vos. Vos had offered to provide funding for a 6% employee raise over two years and construction projects, including $200 million for a new engineering building at UW-Madison. However, in order to receive this funding, the universities would have had to freeze hiring for diversity positions until the end of 2026, shift current diversity positions to focus on "student success," eliminate statements supporting diversity on student applications, and end the affirmative action faculty hiring program at UW-Madison.
The regents ultimately rejected the deal with a 9-8 vote. Democrats criticized the agreement, arguing that it would be detrimental to students and faculty. Meanwhile, Vos, who controls the Republican-controlled Legislature, has blocked the funding in an effort to reduce diversity positions. He believes that such positions only lead to division within the universities.
Overall, the collapse of this deal highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding diversity and affirmative action in higher education, as well as the power struggles between lawmakers and university administrators.