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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Says It Will Ban TikTok After Congressional Warnings

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

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…

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University of Wisconsin System Set to Lift Mask Mandate

The University of Wisconsin system will lift its mask mandate for students and faculty in the coming weeks, according to a release from University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson.

According to the statement, Thompson is working with each schools’ chancellor to remove the requirement “as soon as March 1 and no later than spring break.”

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University of Wisconsin System Votes to Extend Test-Optional Admissions Process

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted to extend the system’s test-optional admissions process, which began during the coronavirus pandemic.

The process will allow students to choose if they would like to submit their scores for standardized tests, like the ACT or SAT, when applying to universities.

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University of Wisconsin System to Require Vaccines to Meet Federal Contractor Rules

The University of Wisconsin System doesn’t want to lose its federal grant money, so everyone who works there is going to have to get vaccinated.

UW President Tommy Thompson on Wednesday said the school will comply with President Biden’s mandate that all federal contractors require their employees to be vaccinated.

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