Regents should change investments, reflect UW
UW-Madison is a public university whose mission is to educate and serve the community and the state.
Unfortunately, the UW System Board of Regents has allowed UW-Madison to violate the public trust, principles of ethics and its own policies by investing in companies whose behavior and products are morally and socially reprehensible. Makers of napalm and other weapons of war, sweatshop operators and human rights violators are among the beneficiaries of UW-Madison's, and therefore the public's, investment capital.
The Regents must have the courage and integrity to withdraw their support of companies that perpetrate crimes in other countries and denigrate human life. Those millions of dollars should be invested in companies who share the values purportedly held by UW-Madison and, ultimately, the citizens of Wisconsin.
Getting high returns from companies whose practices are so clearly unethical is a Faustian bargain no public institution should make.
Title IX hurts sports with little revenue
In response to the recent series detailing Title IX's effect on athletics at UW-Madison, I believe that the authors did not fully understand the true issues. I don't think many people disagree that women's sports should exist at a competitive level equal to men's sports. However, I do think that Title IX fails miserably at creating this equal balance of opportunity for collegiate athletes.
Players in football, men's hockey and basketball have been largely unaffected. Jane Albright has a very basic misconception about Title IX. It affects much more than just opportunities to play; it also dictates budgeting and recruiting in turn. Women's sports are easily added in many areas to allow compliance without sacrificing scholarships or roster spots on these money-making sports. Less spectator-driven sports, such as cross country, wrestling or men's crew suffer greatly from Title IX in both roster spots and budgeting.
Wrestling has had to cut more than 10 spots since 1982, and they only had 35 to begin with. As with all men's sports, that number is the maximum'if someone quits or gets injured, the team cannot add another member. Men's crew, the oldest varsity sport at UW-Madison, is the only nonscholarship varsity sport, while women's lightweight crew is. In fact, members of the men's crew team have to pay for their own mandatory winter training trip, while the women's lightweight team flies to sunny Florida, thanks to Title IX.
So while it may have been a blessing to some in establishing competitive women's programs, Title IX was and still is a curse to many nonrevenue generating sports. It doesn't solve the problem, it simply turns the blade around and cuts in the other direction.
