Student representatives from the United Council of UW Students met with UW System President Ray Cross last Thursday to advocate for improved diversity measures and more support for students of color on campus.
After UW students staged a protest calling for a more inclusive racial climate at the December Board of Regents meeting, they looked for an opportunity to meet with Cross and Regent President Regina Millner to negotiate specific actions to achieve that climate.
Actions included creating mandatory racial inclusion training for all students at each UW institution, as well as establishing a task force to evaluate the experiences of students of color on UW campuses, which would look into university curriculums on diversity and allocation of student segregated fees for diversity organizations.
Additional demands were to increase funding from the UW System to hire mental health professionals of color, re-commit to executing goals from the 2008 Diversity Plan and have Cross and Millner issue a public statement addressing “the failure of progress on diversity within the UW System,” which Cross agreed to at the meeting, according to a statement from United Council.
The council said Millner was expected but not present at Thursday’s meeting, but she did agree to meet in the next few weeks regarding their demands.
Students who met with Cross said they would continue to work both on individual campus levels and between UW campuses, according to the statement.
UW-Fond du Lac student and Shared Governance Chair of United Council Lamonte Moore stressed the importance of continuous advocacy for a better racial climate.
“We are all tirelessly organizing on these issues on our own campuses,” Moore said in the statement. “We believe it is vitally important to also continue keeping the heat on the UW System Administration and on the Board of Regents. We plan to keep doing both.”
