The Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly is blocking pay raises for UW employees unless the university cuts diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) spending by $32 million, the Associated Press reports. The move comes amid the Democratic governor’s calls for lawmakers to spend even more on higher education.
In June, the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Legislature cut funding to the UW System by $32 million, which was the amount Republicans identified as going toward so-called DEI efforts at UW’s 13 campuses over two years. At the same time it cut that funding, the Legislature approved pay raises for 34,000 university employees of 4% this year and 2% next year.
Gov. Tony Evers used his veto to save 188 DEI positions at the university, but the funding cut remained.
The budget that the Legislature passed and Evers signed also included the pay raises for UW and state employees. But those raises would still need the approval of an eight-member committee of legislative leaders that is controlled 6–2 by Republicans.
The co-chair of that committee, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, last week said he would not approve the raises until UW shows that it has cut DEI programs and staff by $32 million. Vos has argued that DEI programs are a waste of public funding and that the university should be focused on other priorities.
UW President Jay Rothman has walked a fine line publicly while advocating for the pay raises and trying to get additional funding. The university plans to make a case next month to get back $15 million of the funding that was cut, using it on the priority areas of nursing, engineering, computer and data science, and business.
