Wisconsin Right Now

The new policy comes after last spring’s campus protests over the war in Gaza and accusations the chancellor at UW-Milwaukee sided with protesters against Jewish students. The University of Wisconsin is telling school leaders not to pick sides in political debates after adopting a new viewpoint-neutral policy at all of its campuses. “The Board acknowledges that “different ideas in the university community will often and quite naturally conflict,” and stipulates that, in instances of such conflict, “It is for the members of the university community, not for the institution itself, to make those judgments for themselves,” the policy states. “In accordance with RPD 4-21, and in order to uphold and protect academic freedom, freedom of expression, and an environment in which competing ideas can be freely discussed and debated by all members of the university community, it is necessary that all official statements issued in the name of and on behalf of the institution are limited to m...

The president of the University of Wisconsin says young people are not choosing the university’s branch campuses. President Jay Rothman told a crowd in Milwaukee the demand is simply not there for the UW’s local campuses like it once was. “We had to accept what was market reality,” Rothman said at an event at the Milwaukee Press Club. “The attendance at those campuses have dropped drastically in the past 10 years, far more than any of our universities. We have to accept consumers aren’t looking at those branch campuses the way they once were.” Rothman said online options are making things difficult for small, local campuses. “If you’re in a branch campus, or somewhere hard to reach, online availability has changed the landscape,” Rothman said. Rothman’s comments came after UW-Green Bay last week said it will end in-person classes at its Marinette campus at the end of the current semester. UW-Milwaukee County ended in-person classes at its Washington County campus, and UW-Os...

  University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned Saturday, just days after her testimony at a Congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., about antisemitism on campus and the university's timid response was widely criticized. "It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn's vital missions," Magill said in a Saturday statement. She is expected to remain on staff at the university as a faculty member at Penn Carey Law, according to an email sent Saturday afternoon to the campus community. Magill and other university campus presidents have faced a growing wave of criticism after allowing campus protesters to call for the genocide of Jews in response to the ongoing Israeli war against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. At Wednesday's hearing, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y, asked the presidents of the Mass...

A University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy professor is waving a red flag on the impact that artificial intelligence could have on next year’s elections. Ethan Bueno de Mesquita has written a white paper that he said provides an overview of the potential impact of generative AI on the electoral process. The  paper offers specific recommendations for voters, journalists, civil society, tech leaders, and other stakeholders to help manage the risks and capitalize on the promise of AI for electoral democracy in the hope of fostering a more productive public discussion of these issues. “The No. 1 issue that we need to be thinking about are the ways in which AI is going to matter for elections and the ways it poses risks of degrading the information environment for voters,” Bueno de Mesquita said. The Federal Election Commission has been investigating the possibility of regulating AI-generated images known as "deepfakes" in political ads ahead of next year’s el...

The University of Wisconsin is all but closing one of its smallest campuses. UW President Jay Rothman said in a letter Tuesday the UW-Platteville will end all in-person classes at its Richland campus. Rothman ordered Platteville’s chancellor to end the degree program at the Richland campus because only 60 students are taking classes there right now. “While the University of Wisconsin System remains committed to the branch campuses and to providing as broad of access for students as possible, there comes a time when financial pressure and low enrollment makes in-person degree level academic instruction no longer tenable,” Rothman wrote in his letter. Next year the 60 Richland students will be transitioned to either the Platteville or Baraboo campuses. No one is saying what will happen to the faculty and staff members teaching at the Richland campus. And Rothman isn’t saying if this will be the last or only small UW campus to close. “Each of the branch campuses have a diffe...

The free speech survey was supposed to ask students about speech on campus, and whether students felt there were any problems. It looks like University of Wisconsin schools won’t be asking students about free speech after all. On Wednesday, the professor who organized the free speech survey told the UW System he wants to wait a while. Timothy Shiell with the Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation at UW-Stout sent an email to the UW’s new president, explaining that he is going to wait until the fall to send the free speech survey to all 13 UW campuses. “Given current circumstances, I must delay the launch of the ‘Student Perceptions of Campus Free Speech, Viewpoint Diversity, and Self-Censorship’ survey launch until Fall 2022,”  Shiell wrote. “The extra time will enable us to answer fully and accurately the avalanche of questions arising and lay the groundwork for a successful survey.” The free speech survey was supposed to ask students about speech on cam...

Rep. Rick Gundrum said the idea of reining in Critical Race Theory at UW schools simply means telling students they don’t have to subscribe to a teachers’ political philosophy. The head of the University of Wisconsin-Madison wants Gov. Evers to scuttle two plans aimed at Critical Race Theory and free speech on campus. UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the two plans are bad for the university. “As a university, our aim is to graduate well-rounded, critical thinkers; to teach our students not what to think but how to think,” Blank said in a statement Wednesday. Both plans were up before the Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday. Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, said the idea of his legislation is to do just what the chancellor claims she wants. To teach people how to think, not what to think. “Our colleges and universities should be a place of higher learning where all schools of thought can come together,” Moses said Tuesday. “However, our campuses have become increasingly hos...