In light of a recent ""mock lynching"" incident near campus, UW-Madison administration and student groups are discussing diversity on campus and the effects racist acts have on UW- Madison students.
The incident occurred last Thursday, when a passerby noticed a lifelike black figure hanging from a noose outside of an apartment building on Langdon Street.
By the time UW-Madison Associate Dean Kevin Helmkamp and Vice Provost Damon Williams had contacted the landlords of the apartment, the residents had taken down the doll.
According to Helmkamp, at least two of the residents of the apartment are alleged to be UW-Madison students.
UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam and Vice Provost for Diversity Damon Williams said although the act may have not been intended to oppress anyone, it was far from harmless.
""The consequence of this seemingly harmless ‘joke' has left some students, staff and faculty feeling appalled and shocked,"" Berquam and Williams said in a statement last Friday.
In the statement, Berquam and Williams urged students to take an active role against such oppressive acts.
The Associated Students of Madison, along with other student groups, criticized the university administration's response to the incident.
""The administration defended the intent behind the mock lynching while minimizing the impact it had on marginalized students,"" ASM said in an email sent to students Friday.
The email said the details surrounding the incident and the administration's response was unclear in the statement made by Berquam and Williams.
Student leaders of ASM, Multicultural Student Coalition, and Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán (MEChA) requested administrators send an email more directly explaining the implications the incident has on campus.
The email said the administration's response exemplified the failure of ""Plan 2008"", an initiative that, in part, was intended to improve accountability and campus climate with regards to diversity.
The ASM agenda for Saturday includes a proposal that would create a shared governance committee to evaluate the office of the Dean of Students and Office of Diversity and Climate.
The legislation states the failure of ""Plan 2008"" and the ""inadequate"" response provided by Berquam and Williams contributes to the need for the committee.
