As I See It
Threatened campus cuts show more intolerance
What do they have against higher education? Republicans, who control the Wisconsin Legislature’s finance committee, slashed millions of dollars in funding for the University of Wisconsin System. They cut $32 million from the system’s budget request, part of which would have gone to fund Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts on system campuses. Apparently, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos doesn’t like the idea of DEI, calling them “divisive.” But isn’t inclusion the opposite of divisive? His decision is short-sighted and offensive. It will also have detrimental and far-reaching consequences for the state. Major corporations have embraced DEI. According to a recent survey, Wisconsin is already viewed as intolerant. Cutting back on diversity efforts won’t help that perception. The same committee already slashed other UW funding, including money for a long-coveted new engineering building on the UW campus, as well as the second portion of a science center at UW-La Crosse. The decision to cut funding will do nothing to address the current workforce shortage, and will likely lead to cuts to university programs, and threatens to force campuses to raise tuition to balance their budgets. Cutting funding for UW is bad for our system of higher education, its students and the perception that Wisconsin is intolerant.
Richard
June 15, 2023 at 6:03 am
Just more of the democrat narrative of hate division lies misinformation and hypocrisy…
Tom Fitzpatrick
June 15, 2023 at 8:00 am
The UW system used to be one of the best university systems in the country. It is still good but not as top notch as it could be. It generates millions of dollars for the Wis economy; it attracts brilliant faculty and students. A drive around Madison demonstrates the positive economic effects on Madison. Those economic effects are present in other cities with UW schools. Republican adversity to education will continue to harm this state unless the voters choose otherwise.
Bob
June 19, 2023 at 10:54 am
Why do you constantly LIE ?
Char
June 15, 2023 at 11:12 am
Unless and until we stop this CRT and DEI nonsense, everyone suffers because all it does is divide us. We are all one race, i.e. the Human Race. Just because we have different characteristics, doesn’t mean we are anything other than human. It only means our ancestors came from different parts of the world.
As far as education funding goes, we need to know where the current funding is being used and use the endowments for education that schools have before we give any schools, no matter what level, more money!
Kent Porter
June 15, 2023 at 3:24 pm
32 million dollars of our tax money to teach diversity and inclusion to young adults. ? THAT IS A WASTE OF TAX MONEY.
walden
June 15, 2023 at 3:32 pm
Notable but unsaid is that the University and its spendaholic progressive backers are unable to articulate any substantive justification for spending these enormous amounts. Most of this lavish proposed spending, in my opinion, would be pure waste and overkill.
UWL has gone from 1 to 3 science buildings in the last 20 years while student headcount is the same as 40 years ago (yet admin headcount has doubled). UWL is a teaching institution; not a research university. Two of the largest research institutions on the planet are within 150 miles of La Crosse (UW and UM). If you are serious about research you should choose accordingly. If you want to have teachers that are actual professors instead of TA’s, then La Crosse is the place to be.
Kudos to the legislature for keeping Gov Evers under control.