One of the last places I’ve been in the United States is at a university in Wisconsin, and it’s an honor to be a part of that. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a great place to be. The faculty and staff are fantastic, the academic resources are amazing, and I’ve loved every minute of my time here. I’ve loved the students too. I’m grateful for their energy, dedication, and willingness to work hard.
The lawsuit filed yesterday by two groups claiming that the school’s administration is intentionally suppressing diversity at the school is interesting, so I’ll try to keep it brief. The first group, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, claims that the school is intentionally limiting the number of women and minorities on staff, and that this is keeping other minority groups from serving on campus.
The second group, Art in Schools (AIS), claims that the school is intentionally suppressing diversity, and that this is keeping other minority groups from serving on campus. The main point of contention is over the amount of minority faculty members being hired. The school claims that it is in compliance with federal law governing diversity, and the lawsuit is trying to get them to admit that their actions are illegal because they are violating the law.
The problem with this is that Art in Schools is a prestigious two-year arts school. It is already a minority-majority school. There is no reason that one shouldn’t be serving on campus there as well. The other argument is that Art in Schools is paying a lot of money for the faculty. If they aren’t giving enough faculty diversity, they aren’t getting enough money either.
Art in Schools is only one of over 100 schools in the country that are majority-minority. It’s also the only one where the law (which requires diversity) is enforced. That means that unless there is a huge push for change, Art in Schools will continue to be a minority-majority school.
The other argument the faculty are making is that the University isnt offering a reasonable price for a faculty position. Its been found that Art in Schools requires a $6.35 million annual budget. Its also pretty obvious that the faculty arent paying that much for a faculty position. They have to pay for their staff salaries, plus other staff members’ salaries, and then the faculty have to pay themselves their full salaries as well.
Well, that sums it up. I guess that the faculty think theyre being unreasonable by asking for 6.35 million annually, even though they only have 3.4 million to spend on staff salaries. They feel like they aren’t being unreasonable for asking for 6.35 million, but we’re not in the least surprised that they seem to think theyre being unreasonable.
The faculty aren’t unreasonable. They are simply asking for a fraction of what they should be paid. In fact, I think faculty salaries are actually higher than the staff salaries.
The faculty are asking for a fraction of what they should be paid because they are unreasonable. They should be paid more. In fact, I think faculty salaries are actually higher than the staff salaries. The faculty probably have a point. If they were asking for the same salary as the current staff, that would be unreasonable, but they arent.
The faculty is asking for a fraction of what they should be paid because they are unreasonable. They should be paid more. In fact, I think faculty salaries are actually higher than the staff salaries. The faculty probably have a point. If they were asking for the same salary as the current staff, that would be unreasonable, but they arent.
