Although it is my exceptional privilege to be on a scholarship that covers my cost of education here at UW-Madison, I often feel that this campus has cost me much more than the $26,000+ in tuition I would otherwise have to pay. Following my heart and pursuing my student community’s rights has literally cost me my health. I’ve witnessed students of color with beautiful dreams and intentions be bullied by malicious people at this institution and on multiple occasions be pushed to withdraw or drop out of this university.
These are a few of the many issues I have experienced while trying to fit in at this university. While UW claims to support a diverse, inclusive campus, their “commitment’ to diversity typically does not extend beyond the mere presence of students of color and basic diversity programming. I feel as if my statistical worth is more valuable to UW-Madison than my experiences and that my mere presence fulfills UW’s expectation of itself. This is evident in the quality of diversity programming which often fails to effectively address the needs of students. UW has displayed an ability to at least conceptually understand the significance of diversity in higher education. Their decision to photoshop a black student’s face by the name of Diallo Shabazz onto an admissions brochure, for instance, is one of their deceptive attempts to demonstrate how much they actually embrace the concept. I make these accusations because I am one of the few students who has been able witness just how much has been taken from students of color at this university and how our existing resources have been manipulated and depleted.
We have been deprived of our own history. People forget student organizations including the Multicultural Student Coalition, the Black Student Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, Wunk Sheek and the Asian Pacific American Council each used to have budgets in the hundreds of thousands, and in a few cases the millions of dollars. We used to be able to develop job descriptions to pay ourselves for the work we did to facilitate change on this campus. Now, we’re starving for resources, competing for scraps, expecting nothing but pocket change. We consider a grant for $1,000 from our student government a win, yet a decent meal to serve our community in any Union space costs a few hundred dollars. Why has it become so difficult for students of color to simply sit and eat together?
These specific organizations that primarily serve multicultural communities have steadily been losing funding at a much quicker rate in comparison to other organizations. In addition, they have had their eligibility threatened often enough to pressure the majority of them to lose their GSSF standing and be brought down to an RSO status. As a result, these organizations have struggled to function effectively and build community among its constituents, further dividing the student of color community. Students hardly have the opportunity to experience quality diversity education in the classroom and the reduction of multicultural student organization resources does nothing to reinforce their professional development. Although there are systems of accountability that are put into place to protect these resources, their current effectiveness remains questionable.
One of these methods of accountability is the university’s diversity plan which, is updated every ten years or so. However, in an example of UW’s ‘commitment’ to diversity on this campus, our previous Chief Diversity Officer decided to ignore his duty in the development of a new plan to instead write a book on how to do it. He then decided to leave. Fast forward a year and a half later and what we are left with is a committee composed of few ethnic identities developing a draft that is more like a list of strong suggestions than an actual plan. It is my understanding that it was designed this way to allow different departments to be creative with their solutions to resolve these issues in diversity. However, in doing so, this plan provides little to no accountability should these departments fail to meet these guidelines and initiatives.
An example of this lack of accountability is the redundancy of one of the sections in the draft. One of the plan’s quoted goals is to “Integrate the principles of inclusive excellence into the fabric of university life.” To accomplish this goal, the plan then proposes to “Integrate the principles of inclusive excellence into the fabric of university life.” That’s about as credible as me saying that I feel comfortable that my university values diversity because they tell me they value diversity. The redundancy is maddening and a testimony to the weakness of the plan itself. Nowhere in the plan is inclusive shared governance discussed. We have a chancellor that has made a conscious decision to cease any increases in spending on diversity education, yet this plan does nothing to address the years of budget cuts nor even suggest a minimum level of funding for these programs. This document is supposed to help protect student of color rights here at UW. The Posse and PEOPLE programs came about from a diversity plan almost twenty years ago. At this rate, what significance will come of this one?
Students fought back when CEO came to UW and told students of color how we don’t deserve to be here. We respond back with harsh Facebook posts on the multiple occasions white students have written articles vilifying the concept of affirmative action and ignoring legacy students. So why are we not infuriated with all that’s been taken from us? It is apparent in how much UW has invested in diversity initiatives, but the existence of these programs on campus is simply not enough to assume inclusivity. We are currently at a significant crossroads in diversity education here at UW with the decisions on the diversity plan and the plan to consolidate each of the ethnic studies programs around the corner. If students don’t make enough noise soon, they will consider the current attempt for consolidation, and the subsequent cutting of funding and faculty, as a success in diversity education. If students of color don’t demand back our rights, then we’re saying that it’s okay for them to take away our student organization resources, so long as they do it with a smile. And if students don’t begin to pay attention to the current diversity plan being proposed, then for the next decade or so UW will be held to a very weak system of accountability on these key issues. If we as students of color don’t stand for our own rights, then who will?
What are your thoughts and opinions on the state of diversity on UW-Madison’s campus? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
