The United Council of UW Students responded Monday to comments by a state politician regarding the student group’s meeting with UW System President Ray Cross.
State Sen. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, released a statement Friday voicing his opposition to Cross hearing United Council’s demands to make the UW System an inclusive environment for minority students.
“President Cross needs to stop wasting time appeasing the political correctness crowd demanding safe-spaces, safe-words, universal apologies for hurt feelings, and speech/thought police,” Nass said in the statement.
United Council’s meeting with Cross follows their protest of a UW Board of Regents meeting in December. Their demands for systematic improvement include mandatory racial awareness training for all students and employees in the UW System and a re-evaluation of the system’s diversity goals.
After meeting with Cross, United Council said the system president agreed to issue an apology for a lack of progress in diversity in the UW System. Nass took particular issue with the apology, saying the UW System should work on behalf of the whole student body, not just one group.
“Cross needs to prioritize the educational interests of all students,” Nass said. “By promising to issue an official apology for unsubstantiated charges of racial injustice, he further damages the system’s already tattered credibility with the public and further divides the citizens of this state.”
In their response to Nass, United Council said he had failed to recognize that their demands would help the entire student body.
"Heeding the demands of minority students for a more supportive environment is prioritizing the educational needs of all students," United Council said in a statement. “The demanded reforms will not only improve the educational experience of Black students and of students of color, but they will profoundly impact the value of every student’s respective degree."
