In Wisconsin, a fight over DEI comes to a head
An unusual fight in Wisconsin over the fate of the university system’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts reached a messy conclusion last week. Instead of passing legislation, which at least five states have done so far, Republicans withheld money from the universities until the system’s Board of Regents agreed to a list of demands.
From the Chronicle reporter Erin Gretzinger:
Following months of negotiations behind closed doors, the university system and Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the state’s Assembly, reached an agreement to release millions of dollars for the system.
The deal clears the way for salary increases approved in the state budget but held up by Republicans, as well as additional funds for several campus building projects, notably a new engineering building on the flagship Madison campus. In exchange, the system agreed to realign at least 43 DEI positions through “normal attrition” and “active restructuring and reimagining” to “focus on academic and student success.”
The deal will also freeze the total number of jobs across the system through 2026, with exemptions for faculty members, student jobs, and some instructional and research posts. Under the agreement, the system will support direct-admissions legislation that will admit the top 10 percent of Wisconsin high schoolers to any campus in the system and the top 5 percent into Madison. The agreement also requires additional concessions from Madison: It must kill its program that aims to hire more diverse faculty members, and it must seek donations to fund a position that uplifts “conservative political thought, classical economic theory, or classical liberalism.”
The negotiations revealed how difficult it is to quantify and ban colleges’ efforts to recruit and retain students of color. It also pressure-tested administrators’ resolve that a diverse staff and student body is a laudable goal that should be incorporated into a university’s mission.
More from Erin:
The deal drew a backlash from students, faculty members, and Democratic legislators, whose chief critiques were that it sacrifices services for students of color in exchange for state funding. Criticism also focused on procedural concerns and the secrecy surrounding the compromise, which was made public just one day before the regents first voted on it.
From a damning letter from the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus:
The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus is appalled and ashamed that our state is going to such measures to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion from our educational institutions. We ask the question, Who was at the table making negotiations on behalf of our black and brown students on campus? Who decided to undervalue our students and staff of color by setting a price tag on their inclusion on our campuses? Were our students and students’ interests even considered?
Our students continue to demand for diversity, equity, and inclusion because they know its value. Our students understand they will be working in a growing global economy and they must be prepared.
Our students should have institutions dedicated to ensuring our campuses are a space for free thinking and learning free from racism and prejudice. And yet, here we are.
The political effort to ban, among other things, diversity statements, preferential hiring practices, DEI officers, and diversity training is not easy. Accreditors and federal agencies have DEI requirements, and public opinion is evolving on the efficacy of and need for DEI efforts.
Amid the news from Wisconsin, Oklahoma offered another example of politicians’ side-stepping the legislative process.
Last week Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, decreed that public universities there would no longer be able to use public funds for DEI efforts.
“In Oklahoma, we’re going to encourage equal opportunity, rather than promising equal outcomes,” he said in a news release devoted to his executive order. “Encouraging our work force, economy, and education systems to flourish means shifting focus away from exclusivity and discrimination, and toward opportunity and merit.”
The president of the University of Oklahoma later responded in his own release:
For many of us, this news evokes deep concern and uncertainty about the future, and in many ways feels like a step backward. Please be assured that key to our ongoing successes as the state’s flagship university — now and forever — are the foundational values that have served as our constant North Star: access and opportunity for all of those with the talent and tenacity to succeed; being a place of belonging for all who attend; dedication to free speech and inquiry; and civility in our treatment of each other.
The campaign against DEI on college campuses has ramped up in recent weeks, since Republicans have accused administrators of holding a double standard when it comes to antisemitism and racism. College administrators now must convince faculty, staff, and students that they’re still committed to fighting all forms of discrimination on campus.
This is the last Race on Campus this year. I’ll see you in 2024.
What I’m reading
- The Washington Post explores whether the attacks on Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, are racially motivated.
- A pending Supreme Court case could result in more successful workplace-discrimination lawsuits, The Washington Post reports.
- The Austin American-Statesman reports on how the University of Texas at Austin is complying with the state’s nascent DEI law.
