University of Wisconsin-Madison officials said the university’s ethnic studies requirement will remain in place Wednesday, as a plan to standardize required courses across the University of Wisconsin System left the requirement in ambiguity.
The proposal, tied to reforms approved in the state’s 2025-27 biennial budget, created six broad categories of courses shared across the system’s universities aiming to ease transferring between UW System schools. While an ethnic or cultural studies requirement does not fit under any of the categories, UW-Madison leaders said they will preserve theirs.
“The Draft Regent Policy Document does not change or require changes to UW-Madison’s general education, school/college or major requirements,” John Lucas, UW-Madison spokesperson said in a statement to The Daily Cardinal. “We have heard the concerns about the future of the ethnic studies requirement. There is no current plan to change it from UW-Madison; it’s been an important part of the education we provide.”
Much of the recent worry stemmed from incomplete interpretations of the draft policy circulated by the Associated Students of Madison and The Badger Herald. Both suggested UW-Madison could be forced to drop its ethnic studies requirement, sparking outrage from students and faculty who saw the change as a rollback of hard-fought gains.
When asked why ASM believed the requirement would end under Act 15, ASM Chair Landis Varughese told the Cardinal they did not have confirmation from campus administration the requirement would cease and that a "professor reached out to an ASM member."
United Faculty and Academic Staff (UFAS) urged members to share their “outrage” and voice their contempt with the decision in an Instagram post Sunday.
The African American Studies Department at UW-Madison sent out a newsletter on Tuesday asking supporters of the ethnic studies requirement to fill out a testimonial to be considered in decision making.
“We know how important it is for all students to have access to representative and complex histories of the United States and its people. We therefore ask you to stand by us in protecting the Ethnic Studies requirement,” the department said in the newsletter.
Administrators clarified the draft does not eliminate the requirement at UW-Madison, and the Board of Regents does not prohibit campuses from keeping such courses.
Mark Pitsch, director of media relations for the UW System, said the proposal is designed to improve transferability across campuses.
“The intent of the Core General Education requirements is to ensure a seamless transfer of general education credits across the Universities of Wisconsin, helping students move between universities without losing progress toward graduation,” Pitsch told the Cardinal. “This student-centered approach is designed to provide broader consistency and transparency in general education requirements and reduce time to degree completion and cost of attendance.”
He added the Board of Regents does not require ethnic studies or cultural diversity courses, leaving that decision up to individual universities. “That autonomy is not subject to change,” Pitsch said.
Campus news editor Annika Bereny contributed to this report.
Alaina Walsh is the associate news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has covered breaking news on city crimes and a variety of state and campus stories, including the 2024 presidential election and the UW-Madison budget.
