With the rollout of UW-Madison’s new cultural competency program, Our Wisconsin, and other inclusion initiatives developing throughout the UW System, some state Republicans are lamenting the overemphasis of political correctness.
Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, has repeatedly slammed system officials for spending money on cultural competency, calling funding for such programs “wasteful.”
For Our Wisconsin Facilitator Carmen Goséy, however, the funding for cultural competency programs should be “beside the point.”
Instead, she asks a question: Who would we be if we did not attempt to push back against hate and bias incidents?
Our Wisconsin, a hands-on learning experience that 1,000 students will take part in during its first year, was created as a direct response to the multitude of hate and bias incidents that occurred spring of last year.
“We haven’t seen hate crimes like that since the Jim Crow era,” Goséy said.
As a woman of color, Goséy said she understands that many students that come from underrepresented backgrounds do not feel safe walking the streets of campus.
Our Wisconsin presents a learning opportunity for those who may have never even thought about cultural competency before, Goséy explained.
And instead of trying to dictate what students should think or say—an argument of those who believe the program stifles free speech—she said it will instead allow students to consider how their words and actions affect others.
“Human contact is huge when it comes to this program,” Goséy said, contrasting it from other incoming-student initiatives like the Tonight program and AlcoholEdu.
As Our Wisconsin develops and expands, she said it will be important for the program to have state support, and the legislature should recognize that.
According to Goséy, state businesses want to see culturally competent employees, so it is beneficial for universities to promote safer and more inclusive campuses. She said if students want their own identities to be respected, they should want that respect for everyone around them as well.
