A University of Wisconsin-Madison spokesperson on Thursday confirmed that the Office of Human Resource’s Department of Equity, Inclusions and Employee Wellbeing has officially ceased operations, according to Madison365.
The department focused on retaining people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals on UW-Madison faculty and staff, as well as supporting the health and wellbeing of faculty and staff from marginalized groups.
It was initially staffed with five people but reportedly has only two employees currently. UW spokesperson John Lucas declined to say whether any staff would be laid off as a result of EIEW’s elimination, citing privacy considerations.
“This change reflects UW-Madison’s commitment to reimagining employee support frameworks to make them more integrated with other programs and services and accessible to all,” he wrote in a statement.
“Programming will, where appropriate, be restructured within other Office of Human Resources areas with the goal of enhancing visibility and access to support services for all employees.”
