Wisconsin Assembly's top Republican wants to review diversity positions across state agencies

From the Article:

The Republican lawmaker who forced the Universities of Wisconsin to reduce diversity positions called Tuesday for an in-depth review of diversity initiatives across state government and repeated his claim that he has only begun to dismantle equity and inclusion efforts in the state.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos made the remarks after the Legislature’s employment committee voted to release $107.6 million to cover a 6% raise for about 35,000 UW employees. The vote resolved a six-month battle over the raises; the state budget Republicans approved in June included funding for the raises, but Vos refused to allow the employment committee to release the money, using it as leverage in his fight against campus diversity initiatives.

Vos and Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman finally reached an agreement earlier this month. The deal called for the regents to freeze diversity hires, re-label about 40 diversity positions as “student success” positions, drop an affirmative action faculty hiring program at UW-Madison and create a position at the flagship university focused on conservative thought. In return, Vos agreed to hand over the money for the raises as well as tens of millions of dollars for construction projects across the university system.

The regents voted to approve the deal last week despite intense criticism from students and faculty that they were selling out students of color and LGBTQ+ students. Vos, who is white, said after the regents’ vote that he had only just begun to remove “these cancerous DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) practices” from UW campuses.