Students are calling out the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s decision to dismiss their Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and eliminate the position.
UW-Eau Claire’s Dean of Students, Gregg Heinselman, and Interim Chancellor, Dr. Michael Carney, dismissed Dr. Christopher J. Jorgensen on Sept. 16 and terminated the role of Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a position Jorgensen held since 2022.
Jorgensen was a strong advocate for student inclusion, particularly around the LGBTQ+ community at UW-Eau Claire. He served on several inclusivity committees on campus and visited institutions across the country navigating social justice.
He oversaw the Gender and Sexuality Research Center (GSRC), an inclusive place on campus for queer students. For students active in the GSRC, Jorgensen’s termination has been a punch in the gut.
“The majority of the decisions being made reek of cowardice and pre-compliance,” said Max Davis, a current UW-Eau Claire student and intern at GRSC. “It honestly makes me both disheartened and furious.”
When Davis first heard about Jorgensen’s dismissal, they quickly circulated a petition calling UW-Eau Claire’s decision "abhorrent.”
Without Jorgensen, students are worried that programs such as the annual trip to San Francisco Pride in the Q-Fest program and the Fire Ball, a drag show that raises money for the GSRC as well as a campus food pantry, will “indefinitely cease.”
The Fire Ball currently funds most of GSRC’s budget. With the status of the Fire Ball up in the air, Davis said GSRC’s maximum intern hours have been reduced from 10 to five hours per week. “[It’s] to preserve our resources as best as we can…finances are one of the biggest concerns [now],” Davis said.
Money raised for GSRC funds various programs across campus that help marginalized students at UW-Eau Claire. Alongside advising and counseling resources, one example is Fostering Success, a program that provides resources and support for students who were or are unhoused, were in the foster care system prior to college or may lack family support.
“With Chris’s termination, these programs are going to struggle. I’m not saying go away, but definitely have financial support cut back and withdrawn,” Jay Pischke, another student intern at the GSRC, said. “It’s going to be hard to provide resources and support for students who are in need of these programs.”
UW-Eau Claire is known for its inclusivity and support for marginalized communities, being repeatedly named one of the best LGBTQ+ inclusive schools, according to the Campus Pride index. Cory Quinn, GSRC intern and Q-Fest Programmer, said he applied to UW-Eau Claire because of the university’s historic outspoken support for the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think those in positions of power…don't understand just how much money is provided in tuition from queer students and students of color,” Quinn said. “I love my job, and I love the queer community we have built on campus, but I am angry.”
The reason for Jorgensen’s termination is still unknown, but GSRC interns say Carney told them it was due to “position reconstruction.”
UW-Eau Claire did not respond to a request to comment on Jorgensen’s dismissal or GSRC financial concerns.
Davis’s petition gained encouragement since its publication with more than 1700 signatures. Davis said they hope the petition will educate people on what’s happening at the university despite knowing it may not provide immediate changes.
“When institutions take away DEI, their goal is to isolate and silence the marginalized,” Quinn said in an open-mic night on Sept. 25 at UW-Eau Claire. “We must remember the vitality of community…We need to help each other carry the weight of these changes so we can start making our own. If you are as heartbroken and angry as I am, let them hear it.”
Jorgensen was not able to be reached for a comment.
Quinn drew comparisons to the elimination of Jorgenson’s position to the reversal of several other diversity positions and departments across the UW System, mentioning the deal the UW Board of Regents approved with the state legislature in 2023 to freeze DEI positions in order to receive funding for building projects and wages across the system.
The deal also eliminated diversity statements in application processes and featured a required freeze on hiring DEI administrators and employees for three years. The Trump Administration has also attacked DEI in higher education, attempting to dismantle the Department of Education with an executive order that states any education system seeking federal financial assistance should discontinue programs that fall under DEI.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, more than 400 universities, programs and centers that promote DEI, including the University of Wisconsin System, have been eliminated or rebranded.
Downsizing DEI across the UW-System
The elimination of Jorgensen’s position is far from the first threat to DEI-related programming across the UW-System.
In January, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chief Diversity Officer Dr. LaVar Charleston was demoted to his previous position as a clinical professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis after an audit revealed financial mismanagement in the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement (DDEEA), which he oversaw.
Later, on July 5, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced the DDEEA would close and have its resources and staff transferred to the Division for Teaching and Learning.
The DDEEA had previously served around 5% of the student population with its scholarship-linked student support programs, Mnookin said in an all-campus email. “Students in these programs will continue to have access to robust support,” she said.
Most recently, on Oct. 3, UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas announced in a statement provided to Madison365 that the Department of Equity, Inclusion and Employee Wellbeing (EIEW) has ceased operations.
EIEW was established in 2021 in recognition of a bridge between DEI and staff wellbeing. The programs the department provided helped certain staff members from traditionally marginalized communities, including people of color and LGBTQ+ members.
“This change reflects UW-Madison’s commitment to reimagining employee support frameworks to make them more integrated with other programs and services and accessible to all,” Lucas said.
Lucas attributed the closures to the duplication of resources in other divisions and programs, similar to the explanation given for “sunsetting” DDEEA. Lucas told The Daily Cardinal this decision was entirely unrelated to the closure of DDEEA.
In its now archived website, EIEW was described as prioritizing “equity, inclusion and well-being in all policies, systems, environments, practices, procedures, services and programs to transform and improve the employee experience.” The discontinuation of EIEW follows the termination of BIPOC Network gatherings intended to aid retention of staff and faculty members of color, which had been facilitated by EIEW since 2022.
Despite these changes, Lucas said diversity is still an important aspect to UW-Madison. “I can share that diversity of all kinds, including diversity of viewpoint and diversity of identity and background, remains a core value of our university.”
