Pushback? Deal between Republicans and Wisconsin University to shift away from DEI
Failure theater: In a deal worked out suddenly between the board of regents at the University of Wisconsin and the state legislature, the university will get $800 million for infrastructure improvements and pay raises in exchange for imposing some limited reductions in its Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI) programs.
The deal also requires UW system campuses to refrain from adding new DEI positions through December 2026. Administrators must also reassign at least one third of their current DEI-focused employees to roles dedicated to academic and student success. Mandatory DEI statements in admissions and hiring are also to be abolished under the deal, and efforts to fund a conservative professorship at UW-Madison must be launched, according to the terms.
You can read the actual language of this deal here [pdf]. The deal also requires the university to replace its Target of Opportunity Program (TOP) — which established systems to favor hiring minorities over others — with a new “alternative program focused on recruiting faculty (regardless of their identity or ethnic/racial background) who have demonstrated the ability to mentor ‘at risk’ and/or underrepresented students to achieve academic success and who have demonstrated academic and research excellence.”
Does this deal do what it appears to, reduce or eliminate the very racist DEI program at the University of Wisconsin? Hardly. That program, in all its glorious bigotry still exists, and is not going to be eliminated in any way. The deal merely requires the board of regents to slowly reduce its staffing while no longer demanding each new teacher swear to uphold its bigoted policies. Moreover, the new program replacing the racial quotas of the TOP hiring program will still place great emphasis on favoring minorities, because it will require any new hires to demonstrate that they care more about those students.
Is this therefore another example of failure theater by the Republicans in Wisconsin’s legislature, or a real victory? It would seem it is a little of both. Initially in July the Republicans who control Wisconsin’s legislature had passed a budget that cut the university’s full DEI budget of $31 million, while demanding the elmination of 188 DEI positions. If put into action that plan would have accomplished much to remove racial bigotry from the state’s public universities.
That budget however was vetoed by Democrat governor Tony Evers. And since it passed on party lines, with all Democrats opposing it, the Republicans did not have the votes to make it law. They had to compromise, and unfortunately, they made this somewhat weak deal, reflecting what we see from most Republican majorities in legislatures at all levels of government, from school boards right up to Congress in Washington.
This weakness is not entirely the Republicans’ fault. They are hampered by divided majorities and a Democratic Party unified in favor of racist quotas and anti-American policies. Plus, we have an electorate that demands that funding to these colleges continue, no matter what. If the Republicans had threatened to shut down the university rather than fund its racist DEI programs, they would have quickly faced demonstrations inside and outside the statehouse, some violent, and all covered sympathetically by the mainstream press (no matter how violent some of those “mostly peaceful” protests were). This coverage would have caused many in their own Republican base to buy into the lies of the left that condemned the Republicans as being “mean-spirited” and against “education.”
As a result the Republicans weren’t powerful enough to get even close to what they wanted. All they could get is a weak deal that makes tiny changes, most of which are superficial and accomplish little.
This is how it has been now for decades. The Republicans are not strong enough to force real change because too much of the voting public still stands strongly behind its large government programs, and will not countenance any real cuts. This fact explains why Wisconsin has a governor, attorney general, and secretary of state who are Democrats, and a legislature that though controlled by large majorities of Republicans (22-11 in the Senate and 64 to 35 in the Assembly) still has enough Democrats to block any change.
It must once again be underlined how unified the Democrats now are in their advocacy of racial quotas and favoritism. All they need is have just one vote more than necessary to support a veto, and they get their way every time, even if they are a small minority. This is a party of power-hungry bigots, which will brook no serious compromise. It must have what it demands, and is willing to fight hard to get it, using any means necessary.
Worse, its supporters increasingly buy into these bigoted policies.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Failure theater: In a deal worked out suddenly between the board of regents at the University of Wisconsin and the state legislature, the university will get $800 million for infrastructure improvements and pay raises in exchange for imposing some limited reductions in its Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI) programs.
The deal also requires UW system campuses to refrain from adding new DEI positions through December 2026. Administrators must also reassign at least one third of their current DEI-focused employees to roles dedicated to academic and student success. Mandatory DEI statements in admissions and hiring are also to be abolished under the deal, and efforts to fund a conservative professorship at UW-Madison must be launched, according to the terms.
You can read the actual language of this deal here [pdf]. The deal also requires the university to replace its Target of Opportunity Program (TOP) — which established systems to favor hiring minorities over others — with a new “alternative program focused on recruiting faculty (regardless of their identity or ethnic/racial background) who have demonstrated the ability to mentor ‘at risk’ and/or underrepresented students to achieve academic success and who have demonstrated academic and research excellence.”
Does this deal do what it appears to, reduce or eliminate the very racist DEI program at the University of Wisconsin? Hardly. That program, in all its glorious bigotry still exists, and is not going to be eliminated in any way. The deal merely requires the board of regents to slowly reduce its staffing while no longer demanding each new teacher swear to uphold its bigoted policies. Moreover, the new program replacing the racial quotas of the TOP hiring program will still place great emphasis on favoring minorities, because it will require any new hires to demonstrate that they care more about those students.
Is this therefore another example of failure theater by the Republicans in Wisconsin’s legislature, or a real victory? It would seem it is a little of both. Initially in July the Republicans who control Wisconsin’s legislature had passed a budget that cut the university’s full DEI budget of $31 million, while demanding the elmination of 188 DEI positions. If put into action that plan would have accomplished much to remove racial bigotry from the state’s public universities.
That budget however was vetoed by Democrat governor Tony Evers. And since it passed on party lines, with all Democrats opposing it, the Republicans did not have the votes to make it law. They had to compromise, and unfortunately, they made this somewhat weak deal, reflecting what we see from most Republican majorities in legislatures at all levels of government, from school boards right up to Congress in Washington.
This weakness is not entirely the Republicans’ fault. They are hampered by divided majorities and a Democratic Party unified in favor of racist quotas and anti-American policies. Plus, we have an electorate that demands that funding to these colleges continue, no matter what. If the Republicans had threatened to shut down the university rather than fund its racist DEI programs, they would have quickly faced demonstrations inside and outside the statehouse, some violent, and all covered sympathetically by the mainstream press (no matter how violent some of those “mostly peaceful” protests were). This coverage would have caused many in their own Republican base to buy into the lies of the left that condemned the Republicans as being “mean-spirited” and against “education.”
As a result the Republicans weren’t powerful enough to get even close to what they wanted. All they could get is a weak deal that makes tiny changes, most of which are superficial and accomplish little.
This is how it has been now for decades. The Republicans are not strong enough to force real change because too much of the voting public still stands strongly behind its large government programs, and will not countenance any real cuts. This fact explains why Wisconsin has a governor, attorney general, and secretary of state who are Democrats, and a legislature that though controlled by large majorities of Republicans (22-11 in the Senate and 64 to 35 in the Assembly) still has enough Democrats to block any change.
It must once again be underlined how unified the Democrats now are in their advocacy of racial quotas and favoritism. All they need is have just one vote more than necessary to support a veto, and they get their way every time, even if they are a small minority. This is a party of power-hungry bigots, which will brook no serious compromise. It must have what it demands, and is willing to fight hard to get it, using any means necessary.
Worse, its supporters increasingly buy into these bigoted policies.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
I graduated from U.W. Madison in the early 80’s. None of this crap existed then. Madtown has a highly accredited engineering school and it was tough. If you didn’t make it it had nothing to do with what you looked like or anything but your academic ability. When choosing, I seriously considered the Milwaukee School of Engineering, a private college. In today’s world, if I had it to do over again, it would be MSOE.
The problem is that, WAAAY more often than not, these deals are abandoned even as the ink dries. The school agrees to whatever is necessary in order to alleviate the pressure, and then continues on with business as usual. Much like the “compromises” we get from Democrats on the Hill.
I also attended UW Madison in the early to mid 80s. This crap was already there, just not as widespread or as in your face as it is today. An observation on whether this was in reality a failure for the Republicans: On the same day that the Regents revote occurred, UW Madison announced the creation of a new program that will cover the full cost of pursuing an undergraduate degree for Wisconsin residents who are enrolled members of federally recognized Wisconsin Indian tribes. If the timing was coincidental, it certainly was a happy coincidence for the UW administration…
Free tuition for Wisconsin Natives seems to be an in-your-face response to the other item of the agreement: Top 5% of WI high school grads are guaranteed admittance to UW Madison; top 10% are guaranteed to any UW school. That forced UW to admit ‘white guys’ and other groups not favored by the Woke.
Related: Bigots and an insistence on ignorance.
“How Ignorant, how mentally ill and irresponsible do those on the radical Left and within the Democrat party machine and some in the media demand you be? Well, lets find some of the most recent sterling examples.”
https://www.sigma3ioc.com/post/its-you-not-them-you-are-required-to-be-ignorant