Members of the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents will consult with attorneys Tuesday about a lawsuit challenging the power of the Legislature, a move that comes just days after the board rejected a deal with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos involving pay raises and limits on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
December 12, 2023
Top Stories
In days leading up to vote on diversity deal, UW President Jay Rothman floated resignation
University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman knew the vote on a deal over campus diversity efforts was critical.
In fact, in the days leading up to it, he floated resigning if the vote failed, according to UW student Regent Evan Brenkus.
UW Regents to meet again on funding dispute; Robin Vos says it’s his final offer
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Monday that Republicans “are not changing one thing” in the compromise plan the Universities of Wisconsin Regents rejected Saturday to roll back diversity efforts in exchange for staff raises and a new engineering building and other infrastructure improvements.
Higher Education/System
UW Board of Regents to hold another special meeting after denying DEI plan
The salaries of more than 34,000 University of Wisconsin system employees are in limbo because of a few on-campus programs.
‘A deal is a deal’: Vos done negotiating with UW System after failed agreement
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Monday the deal was his final offer and would prefer if the UW System moves forward with the deal despite Democrat opposition.
Rejected DEI funding deal could be reconsidered at special Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting Tuesday
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents could be positioning itself to reverse a surprise decision made over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the board will meet in a special session and is expected to discuss the rejection of an $800 million funding deal.
How diverse are University of Wisconsin campuses?
For months, the Universities of Wisconsin and Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos have been at odds over diversity initiatives on public campuses.
UW System regents to discuss Evers’ lawsuit as GOP leaders refuse further negotiations
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing fight over funding after the regents voted to reject a deal with Republican legislators that would have traded money for concessions on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Wisconsin GOP leaders say they’re done negotiating with university over pay raises, diversity deal
Wisconsin’s top Republican lawmakers said Monday that they are done negotiating with the Universities of Wisconsin over a deal that would have given the university system’s employees a pay raise and paid for the construction of a new engineering building in exchange for reductions in staff positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
After Hours Work Could Hurt Productivity, Big Labor And Big Tech Partner On AI And More
Another battle over diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses has reached a fever pitch. After a long standoff with Wisconsin’s Republican-led state legislature, the University of Wisconsin agreed on Friday to freeze all new hires related to diversity, equity and inclusion in exchange for $800 million for pay raises and a new engineering building on the UW Madison campus.
State news
Wisconsin has country’s highest death rate due to falls
Dr. Gerald Pankratz, an associate professor and geriatrician at UW Health, said the most common injuries from falls are innocuous and might include a few bruises or cuts.
“On the more serious side, we’re definitely concerned about fractures of the big bones, the hip, most predominantly — there’s a marked increased risk in mortality and institutionalization in the months after having a hip fracture,” he said.
Athletics
Wisconsin men’s basketball makes schedule change for volleyball Final Four viewers
The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team will start its Thursday matchup with Jacksonville State one hour earlier.
Business/Technology
Ask the experts: Is it fair for car insurance companies to consider gender, age or occupation when setting premiums?
“The challenge that insurance companies face is that since they do not have the same information as drivers, they must set higher insurance premiums that consider the average risk of drivers,” says Jordan Van Reign, assistant teaching professor and MSPO Associate Director, Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics (AAE), University of Wisconsin–Madison. “If insurance companies could have the same information about risk as drivers, they could set individual insurance premiums that better match the risk of each individual. This would improve overall market efficiency by reducing overall rates and better matching rates to the risk of individuals.”
What happened at the UN climate conference?
Nations were divided over whether to create a timetable for eliminating fossil fuels at the latest United Nations’ conference on climate change. We learn what happened from Sumudu Atapattu, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor attending the conference.