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Re: Republicans vote to cut University of Wisconsin System's budget by $32M in diversity programs spat

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The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> wrote in 
news:slufst$b7a$241@news.dns-netz.com:

> Clinton Smasher Trump wrote
> 
>> Good, now fire the fucking woke professors.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers voted to cut the University of 
Wisconsin System's budget by $32 million on Thursday despite a projected 
record-high $7 billion state budget surplus, leaving the university nearly 
half a billion dollars short of what it requested.

The cut comes in reaction to Republican anger over diversity, equity and 
inclusion, or DEI, programs on the system's 13 universities. Republican 
leaders have said the $32 million is what they estimated would be spent on 
those programs over the next two years.

“They need to refocus their priorities on being partners on developing our 
workforce and the future of the state, and we’re hopeful that they’re 
going to be ready to do that as we move forward,” Republican state Rep. 
Mark Born, co-chair of the Legislature's budget-writing committee, said at 
a news conference.

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The university system could get the $32 million back at a later date if it 
shows how it would be spent on workforce development efforts, and not 
diversity, equity and inclusion programs, lawmakers said. The GOP plan 
also aims to cut more than 180 diversity, equity and inclusion jobs on UW 
campuses.

Democratic Rep. Evan Goyke called the plan “garbage" before the vote. "You 
are sending such a painful message to communities of color, people of 
color around Wisconsin,” he said.

The cut comes despite warnings from UW President Jay Rothman of tuition 
increases and possible campus closures if the system's budget was cut.

Rothman said in a statement that the cut “will diminish student access and 
affordability at our public universities. This is a missed opportunity and 
a significant setback to Wisconsin’s efforts to win the war for talent.”

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, a former member of the UW Board of Regents, 
threatened to veto the entire state budget if the university’s budget was 
cut. Evers has said that cutting the university’s budget given the state’s 
surplus would be “irrational.”

Republicans earlier this month rejected the university’s top building 
project — a new engineering building on the flagship Madison campus. Born 
left open the possibility that the project could be funded later, saying 
discussions about that would continue.

University leaders asked for a nearly half-billion dollar funding 
increase, citing financial difficulties stemming from a decadelong tuition 
freeze and inflation.

Evers proposed a funding increase of more than $300 million for the 
university system, an amount that already had university leaders saying 
they would have to consider raising tuition to make up the difference from 
what they requested.

The Legislature's Republican-controlled budget-writing committee passed 
the cut along party lines Thursday before finishing its work on the two-
year spending plan. The budget bill heads to the Senate and Assembly for 
votes next week, before going to Evers who can sign it, veto it or make 
partial vetoes.

Democrats on the committee slammed the cuts for UW as the latest in a 
series of budget decisions they say will hurt the state's economy.

“We reject the entire concept of what they’re doing, that the university 
system would be cut at a time of surplus,” Goyke said. ”I don’t see in the 
budget any initiatives that will catch the attention of young people to 
either come here or to stay here.”

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has been the loudest critic of the 
university's diversity efforts, saying at the state party convention on 
Saturday that he was embarrassed to be a UW alum because of it.

He called DEI “the single most important issue that we are facing as a 
people, as a nation and as, really, humanity.”

Vos calls the efforts a waste of taxpayer money that only sow racial 
division.

“For people on the left, (DEI) has become their new religion,” Vos told 
reporters last week. “They no longer go to church on Sunday, but boy, are 
they trying to make sure that everybody is evangelized on campus, that 
there’s only one acceptable viewpoint. That’s not what I think taxpayers 
should be funding.”

The university should not be “forcing these students to view the world 
through a lens of race, gender or economic class just to obtain one of 
these degrees,” Republican state Rep. Alex Dallman said when announcing 
the cut.

“UW System ought to be teaching them different things, such as critical 
thinking and problem solving, teamwork and collaboration, professionalism 
and communication skills,” Dallman said.

Rothman, speaking after a WisPolitics.com event prior to the vote, said at 
times that DEI efforts can sometimes go too far. Last month, Rothman 
ordered campuses to stop asking job-seekers to supply statements on their 
applications describing how they would support equity and diversity.

UW—Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said Thursday she fully supports 
the school's DEI employees. They “play a critical role on campus" by 
supporting veterans, students with disabilities, students of color and 
first-generation students, Mnookin said in a statement.

The fight reflects a nationwide cultural battle over campus diversity 
efforts. Republican lawmakers this year have proposed more than 30 bills 
in 12 states to limit diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher 
education, an Associated Press analysis found in April.

Chuck
8 hours ago

We don't need any more bureaucrats.  In the forty years my cousin has been 
a college professor, there are no more students, and no more professors.  
But the number of bureaucrats is doubling every decade.  And every 
bureaucrat  - plus staff - has to be paid with an increase in tuition plus 
tax-payer money.

https://news.yahoo.com/republicans-cut-university-wisconsin-systems-
200231325.html

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Re: Republicans vote to cut University of Wisconsin System's budget by $32M in diversity programs spat Woke scum <woke.scum@splcenter.org> - 2023-06-24 03:18 +0200

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