UW-Madison Faculty Senate voted Monday to pass a resolution stating "no confidence" in the actions of UW System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents.
UW-Madison professor Chad Alan Goldberg originally proposed the resolution and explained that it details the lack of academic due process and protection of academic freedoms by Cross and the regents.
Monday’s resolution put forth revised language including a call for System leadership to “recommit themselves to the Wisconsin Idea” and work with faculty and legislators to strengthen the quality of the state university system.
Goldberg acknowledged warnings that passing the resolution would result in damaged relationships with Cross and the regents as well as political backlash, but said faculty have a responsibility to speak out on the matter.
“If fear of political reprisal or retaliation prevents us from simply speaking our minds, then our academic freedom is already lost,” Goldberg argued.
Several faculty members expressed concern about the words “no confidence,” saying the statement may appear whiny to Wisconsin residents, but an amendment to remove that language was ultimately voted down by the body.
Faculty also voted to add language to the beginning of the resolution about the impacts the university has on the state of Wisconsin as it directly relates to students’ education, as proposed by UW-Madison professor Chris Wells. Wells said the amendment could shift perceptions that the resolution is centered around tenure concerns.
“[This document] is not about tenure,” Wells said. “It’s about what the university means, and what the principles of the university have provided for years.”
After roughly an hour and a half of debate on whether the resolution would send the correct message, several faculty members questioned what it would take for others who were doubtful to declare no confidence in system leadership.
Cynthia Burnson, a graduate student in the School of Human Ecology and co-president of the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants’ Association, reminded professors that faculty governance groups across the UW System are watching this university. She said if the body voted down the resolution, it would send a message that the faculty are “unable, or unwilling, to mount any real resistance to the degradation of the University of Wisconsin.”
“The time has passed for quiet submission,” Burnson said. “The time has come to be fearless and united.”
In a statement released shortly after the meeting concluded, Cross said he disagreed with the resolution and said he takes his duties to work with state legislators and faculty very seriously. Regent President Regina Millner said in the same statement the Board of Regents has “total confidence” in Cross.
