Tag: University of Wisconsin System

Wisconsin University System Accepts $800 Million Deal in Exchange for Slashing Diversity Efforts

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The University of Wisconsin System accepted an $800 million deal with the state legislature on Wednesday that requires them to slash their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) departments, according to the Associated Press.

The UW Board of Regents originally voted 9-8 against a deal that would give the university system $800 million for new infrastructure and employee pay raises in exchange for freezing the total number of DEI positions in the system. The board later reversed the decision and voted 11-6 in favor of the deal, which also orders the system to stop requiring diversity statements on student applications and will require UW Madison to end a race-based hiring program, according to the AP.

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Wisconsin State Lawmakers Block Raises for University Workers in Fight Against Diversity Spending

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Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled legislature withheld pay raises for employees of the University of Wisconsin System (UW) over  its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) funding, according to the Associated Press.

Wisconsin Republicans voted in June to cut the UW System’s budget by $32 million, which is the estimated amount it spends on DEI over a 2-year period. Wisconsin Republicans denied the raises Tuesday in a bid to pressure the system to cut the spending, according to the AP.

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Wisconsin Lawmaker Predicts Legislation Coming to Deal with University of Wisconsin’s Free Speech Problem

M.D. Kittle

It’s no secret that Wisconsin’s taxpayer-funded colleges and universities are dominated by liberal thought and dogma. A University of Wisconsin System survey released earlier this year showed free speech under assault at the Badger State’s institutions of higher education. 

The question is, what are lawmakers going to do about it? 

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Report: Wisconsin Gov. Evers’ Building Plan Includes $62 Million in ‘Pork Barrel’ Projects

The Center Square

Most of Gov. Tony Evers’ building plan is earmarked for the University of Wisconsin System, but a new report says there are also millions of dollars dedicated to non-state agency “pork-barrel” projects.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty released its report on the governor’s capital budget on Thursday. It details how Gov. Evers plans to spend $3.8 billion for construction, remodeling, maintenance, and renovation in the next two-year state budget.

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Commentary: A Recent Survey Shows That There Are Two Different College Experiences Based on Students’ Politics

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The University of Wisconsin System recently commissioned a study to examine students’ views on free speech issues. Roughly 10,500 students across 13 campuses responded. The survey offers numerous findings—some good, some bad—that merit deep consideration. One finding, however, is abundantly clear. There are two very different college experiences based on students’ views. Right-leaning students report that they are silenced, are pressured to agree with instructors, and face unwelcoming environments. Left-leaning students, on the other hand, enjoy a friendlier environment with fewer obstacles. These results call for significant institutional reforms. 

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University of Wisconsin System Survey Shows Free Speech Under Assault on College Campuses

M.D. Kittle

Nearly half of the University of Wisconsin System students who responded believe administrators should ban the expression of views that some students feel cause harm to certain groups of people, according to an extensive survey on campus freedom of speech released Wednesday. 

Some 68 percent of those surveyed say students should report an instructor who says something in class deemed harmful to certain groups. 

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University of Wisconsin System Says It Will Ban TikTok After Congressional Warnings

M.D. Kittle

After Gov. Tony Evers finally relented and ordered TikTok banned from state government devices, Wisconsin’s Republican congressional delegation asked University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman to follow suit. A UW System spokesman on Wednesday said the schools will follow part of the lawmakers’ request and restrict TikTok from UW System-owned devices.

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University of Wisconsin System Closing Richland Campus, Just 60 Students Enrolled

The Center Square

by Benjamin Yount   The University of Wisconsin is all but closing one of its smallest campuses. UW President Jay Rothman said in a letter Tuesday the UW-Platteville will end all in-person classes at its Richland campus. Rothman ordered Platteville’s chancellor to end the degree program at the Richland campus because only 60 students are taking classes there right now. “While the University of Wisconsin System remains committed to the branch campuses and to providing as broad of access for students as possible, there comes a time when financial pressure and low enrollment makes in-person degree level academic instruction no longer tenable,” Rothman wrote in his letter. Next year the 60 Richland students will be transitioned to either the Platteville or Baraboo campuses. No one is saying what will happen to the faculty and staff members teaching at the Richland campus. And Rothman isn’t saying if this will be the last or only small UW campus to close. “Each of the branch campuses have a different strategy about what it’s going to look like going forward,” Rothman said earlier in the week. “But we’ve got to address [enrollment], and we have to have the branch campuses be sustainable in the…

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