The Student Inclusion Coalition gathered Friday in front of Bascom Hall with campus members in support of the group’s list of demands to the university.
The newly-formed student group is calling for action with five core demands: improving support systems, ensuring permanent and increased funding for institutions and student organizations that primarily service and include predominantly marginalized groups. The comprehensive list of demands can be found on SIC’s Twitter thread, and university leaders and student governments responded.
“While we acknowledge that University has stated its desire to better campus relations with marginalized communities… words alone are not enough, we demand action,” SIC’s tweet said. "We want to see the University of Wisconsin-Madison commit to supporting the educational, professional and personal growth of marginalized groups on campus.”
The Associated Students of Madison released a statement noting their support for the SIC.
“The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) recognizes the lack of equity on our campus and supports SIC in its mission to hold the administration accountable to meeting the needs of all students,” the statement said. “We encourage the rest of the UW-Madison community to follow the lead of SIC.”
The ASM statement continued to list three organizational commitments. Among them are to increase ASM’s outreach via leadership structure, reevaluate funding processes and hold ASM to higher standards of knowledge and action around issues of identity and inclusion.
Another SIC demand called for a “permanent funding structure for student organizations that primarily service and include predominantly marginalized groups, with funding allocated through the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs or Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion.”
Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion Patrick Sims responded via social media.
“We appreciate the passion and commitment of the members of the Student Inclusion Coalition,” Sims said. “We see you. We hear you. We support you. And we will continue to partner with you moving forward.”
SIC finished their list of demands by announcing the implementation of a student task force to ensure timely implementation.
“The University of Wisconsin-Madison has the resources to execute each one of these demands,” SIC’s tweet said. “It is now on the administration to not only start creating a home their marginalized communities deserve but to cultivate a higher standard of the Wisconsin experience for ALL students. We will no longer settle for less.”
