University of Wisconsin Votes Down Deal That Would Have Gutted DEI Office in Exchange for Faculty Raises, New Buildings

A board that oversees public universities in Wisconsin voted down a deal that would have restructured dozens of staff members from diversity initiatives in exchange for $800 million in funding for new buildings and faculty raises.

Republican legislative leaders in the state had agreed to give the University of Wisconsin system the funding only if it vowed to "reimagine" its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

UW System President Jay Rothman and UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin spent about six months negotiating the plan, which would have also frozen hiring for diversity positions for at least three years and created at least one position focused on conservative beliefs.

But in a contentious 9-8 vote, the UW Board of Regents rejected the deal, with the majority arguing DEI programs shouldn't be used as bargaining chips in funding negotiations.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos had repeatedly tried to pressure the system into getting rid of its DEI initiatives by eliminating funding for an engineering building on the UW-Madison campus and axing $32 million from the UW budget this summer.

“It’s a shame they’ve denied employees their raises and the almost $1 billion investment that would have been made across the UW system, all so they could continue their ideological campaign to force students to believe only one viewpoint is acceptable on campus,” Vos said after the vote.

Conservatives often argue DEI initiatives reinforce progressive ideological beliefs and ignore students who aren't part of a marginalized group. The argument has become even more pointed in recent weeks following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war and the presidents of some elite universities equivocating in their responses to the protests that followed.

Progressives, meanwhile, say diversity programs support students who have historically been neglected in the education system and help protect them from discrimination.

During the meeting, Regent Angela Adams criticized Republican lawmakers for allowing their political beliefs to influence decisions about educational funding.

"It's divisive, it's polarizing, and will ultimately lead to even more negative effects on the university system for decades to come," Adams said, per the Journal Sentinel.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Republicans would try to negotiate a different deal with UW's leadership in the months ahead. The fate of the planned engineering building and faculty raises is also now uncertain.