U. Wisconsin Board of Regents Finally Accepts Deal With Republicans to Reduce DEI Staff in Exchange for Funding
“The regents passed the plan 11-6 during a video conference, capping an ugly five-day episode.”
I added an update to the post I did about this a few days ago, but I wanted to make sure everyone heard this news.
The Associated Press reports:
University of Wisconsin regents back GOP deal for funding in exchange for limiting diversity efforts
In a surprising about-face, the Universities of Wisconsin regents approved a deal Wednesday evening with Republican legislators to limit diversity positions at the system’s two dozen campuses in exchange for money to cover staff raises and construction projects.
Assembly Republican Speaker Robin Vos, who brokered the deal with Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, tweeted that the plan is the first step in a continuing GOP effort “to eliminate these cancerous DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) practices on UW campuses.”
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers issued a lengthy statement after the vote saying the regents’ decision has left him disappointed and frustrated. He accused Vos of negotiating by bullying, saying the entire affair was motivated by his disdain for public education at every level. The governor promised that he would “make damn sure” that UW campuses work for everyone.
The regents passed the plan 11-6 during a video conference, capping an ugly five-day episode. The board had previously rejected the deal on a 9-8 vote Saturday amid complaints from Democrats that it would sell out minority and LGBTQ+ students and faculty.
But after a closed-door regents meeting Tuesday led by Rothman, three regents who initially opposed the proposal voted for it Wednesday, including Karen Walsh, Amy Blumenfeld Bogost and Jennifer Staton. They said ahead of Wednesday’s vote that they opposed the plan at first because it needed more deliberation. Since then they’ve had time to review and discuss the deal, they said.
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Comments
DEI staff reductions means what exactly? They do linguistic gymnastics and change job titles? Does the DEI charade continue under different name?
For example, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, gets changed to People, Culture, Belonging?
Why give them any money at all? If they had to pay for things out of tuition, they’d dump the dead weight DEI staff in no time.
Either that, or they’d go broke in no time, all the while cursing those evil Republicans for being anti-education.
Either way is a win for decent people.
No chance this extra money won’t be used for rebranded DEI staff.
Of course not. How can you be so skeptical?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Vos told the regents, “Don’t like the DEI deal? How’d you like it if we just zero out all state funding instead?”