Wisconsin University approves deal limiting diversity roles

Jay Rothman, president of the University of Wisconsin system, framed the deal as a necessary compromise

The University of Wisconsin has approved a controversial deal which limits the number of diversity roles in its schools in exchange for staff raises and building projects.

Regents approved the deal, pushed by the Republican-controlled state legislature, on Wednesday evening.

The deal, worth $800m (£628m), freezes new diversity hires through 2026 and restructures 43 existing roles.

But the agreement has been criticised by the state's governor.

Tony Evers, a Democrat, accused Republicans of holding university funding hostage to push a partisan political agenda.

He added that the legislature's Republican Speaker, Robin Vos, had used "negotiation-by-bullying tactics, and general disdain for public education at every level".

In his statement, Mr Evers argued staff raises and campus development money had already been "discussed, negotiated, and approved" in a budget passed in July and that the state had resources it could have used to support the school and prevent layoffs.

The budget, approved by Republicans, included a six percent raise for thousands of state workers, but a Republican-led state committee later excluded University of Wisconsin workers from the funding.

"This vote today represents a vast overreach by a group of Republicans who've grown exceedingly comfortable overextending, manipulating, and abusing their power to control, subvert, and obstruct basic functions of government," Mr Evers said in a statement.

After the vote, university system president Jay Rothman told reporters the deal was a necessary "compromise".

Mr Vos told local outlet Milwaukee Journal Sentinel it was "just the first step in what will be our continuing efforts to eliminate these cancerous" diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices on University of Wisconsin campuses.

Regents voted 11 to 6 to pass the plan during a video meeting. They had rejected the deal with a 9 to 8 vote last week because of complaints from Democrats about the limits to DEI funding.

Some of the regents who flipped their vote said they had needed more time to review the proposal.

"We simply can't ignore the immense challenges facing our universities," said the board's vice-president, Amy Bogost, one of three who changed her vote in favour of the deal.

Regents who voted against the deal argued the way it was brokered set a bad precedent.

"I did not join this board to be thrust into political gamesmanship," regent Angela Adams said, according to the Associated Press. "Supporting DEI on campus is not something we should be exchanging, in my opinion, for dollars."

Several state Democrats also lambasted the deal, including Dora Drake, who called it "racist".

"It's discriminatory toward students, faculty and staff of colour, because their experiences should never have a price tag," she said.

The controversy comes after the US Supreme Court in June ruled that race can no longer be considered as a factor in university admissions.

The so-called affirmative action policies have been defended as a way to increase diversity at schools, but have been heavily criticised by many conservatives.