Diversity, UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin

UW-Madison has shuttered the equity and well-being department in its human resources office, which worked to retain LGBTQ+ and employees of color.

The university established the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Employee Well-Being in spring 2021 to offer consultation and promote inclusive policies and environments, with a focus on support for traditionally marginalized communities.

Carina Campbell, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, got to UW-Madison’s campus freshman year and wasn’t exactly acing calculus.

As a Network for Development and Growth of Indigenous Scholars fellow, she qualified to get peer tutoring through the university’s Academic Coaching to Thrive and Succeed, or ACTS, program.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is set to “sunset” its standalone Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement and move those programs and staff under the umbrella of different offices, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin wrote in a message Wednesday to the campus community.

UW-Madison eliminated fewer than 10 positions in the division that were duplicative and non-student-facing roles in the areas of administrative support, event support and communications, Mnookin said, but will still support certain diversity programs and reshuffle other employees.

Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee may deal the Universities of Wisconsin the system’s biggest cut in nearly a decade, to the tune of $87 million.

The cut was first reported by Civic Media on Monday night. By contrast, the UW system had requested an increase in state aid of $856 million. The committee had been slated to take up the UW system’s budget on Tuesday but punted it for unspecified reasons.

A conservative nonprofit has filed a complaint against UW-Madison over a minority grant program restricting eligibility based on race or ancestry, but the federal Department of Education does not appear to have opened a formal investigation into it, despite it being filed more than two weeks ago.

On April 9, nonprofit Defending Education, also known as Parents Defending Education, filed a complaint with the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights over UW-Madison’s Lawton Undergraduate Minority Retention Grant program. Though only UW-Madison is named in the complaint, the Lawton grant law applies to all Universities of Wisconsin schools and has been codified in state law for more than 40 years.

UW-Madison leaders are limiting the freedom vice chancellors and other officials have over their budgets following the discovery of thousands in “questionable” expenses by the former chief of the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Under the new rules, vice chancellors can no longer carry over more than 10% of their budgets from one year to the next. That’s partly how former Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Attainment Vice Chancellor LaVar Charleston was able to give out $236,250 in bonuses last year, as well as reimburse staff for thousands of dollars in travel, lodging and conferences that UW-Madison leaders said was not in line with other departments.