You
Here.
Regent Brankis.
Here.
Regent Cologne.
Here.
Regent Jones.
And you may need to unmute, sir.
We'll give him another minute.
Regent Jones.
Here.
Thank you.
Regent Krueger.
Present.
Regent Manyditz.
Here.
Regent Miller.
Here.
Regent Anderson.
Here.
Regent Prince.
Present.
Regent Reye.
Here.
Regent Sten.
Here.
Regent Sten.
Here.
Regent Sten.
Thank you.
Regent Tyler.
Here.
Regent Underley.
Regent Wachs.
Here.
Regent Walsh.
Here.
Regent Weatherley.
Here.
We have a quorum.
Thank you, Megan.
Are there board members who wish to declare any conflicts of interest regarding today's open session adjourned up?
And seeing none, we will proceed.
I'd like to start by making some remarks.
He'll allow me.
So last Saturday, this board faced one of its toughest votes in memory.
And it came at a time when our universities of Wisconsin campuses are being challenged as never before.
Our faculty and staff are best in the world.
And withholding their raises was wrong.
I read in several recent news stories that we are a deeply divided board.
I beg to differ.
My friend Regent Atwell has correctly pointed out many times we cannot escape that we are a board of political appointees.
But we are also a group of Wisconsinites with a deeply felt purpose to do what's best for the universities of Wisconsin.
Yes, we are appointees of two governors on opposite sides of the aisle.
But this is a highly interactive board.
We value communication both with each other and our constituents.
Not only do we work across the aisle with each other.
I honestly think we don't see an aisle in the majority of our work together in a state that can sometimes feel like the grand canyon of divides.
That's an achievement of which we are truly proud.
So why are we voting again?
It was clear last Saturday that the board did not have sufficient time to discuss this document and its potential benefits and pitfalls.
Since that vote, we have had the opportunity to discuss the proposal with each other and hear viewpoints from our chancellors, faculty, staff and students.
That's just good governance, not a defense of a particular ideology.
Our email and voice button mailboxes have been filled with passionate pleas on both sides.
A deliberate engaged board must have time to absorb this feedback and allow the process to play out.
I want to assure you of this.
Our commitment to students, faculty and staff of different races, creeds, religions, veteran status, socioeconomic status or political beliefs is a core value of the universities of Wisconsin.
This proposal does not put that in jeopardy.
We are not turning away from this core value.
You will see it in our strategic plan for the system and strategic plans of our campuses.
All are included. All must be made welcome.
We recognize that past efforts we've made have not had the results we hoped for.
So this is really an opportunity to reimagine our efforts and work with our campuses and communities to get better results.
Results that help everyone find their place, whether they are a farm kid from Plover, a student from a city like Milwaukee or Green Bay.
And yes, even a rural white girl named Karen from small town, Wisconsin.
That was a girl who entered her first big lecture class of 300 like a deer in the headlights because there were more people in that classroom than in her entire high school graduating class.
I was lucky. I found my place and my passion in the journalism school at Madison.
And this lucky rural school bus riding kid will here and now commit to contribute to the fund that will bring conservative thought leaders to the campus of my alma mater.
And I'll do it because it's in the best interest of our campus and everyone in it.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks is due to my fellow Regents, President Rothman, Chancellor Mnuchin and everyone who took the time to reach out to all of us.
You have given us a sacred trust and we will work tirelessly to deserve that.
And having said that, I will fall on Regent Rye to present the recommendation. Go ahead, Regent Rye.
Thank you, Regent President Walsh. My dear fellow Regents, I want to start off by saying thank you.
Although at times we might not always agree on the best path to get there.
I know that you all have the best interests of the universities of Wisconsin, its students, staff and faculty in mind.
I've seen an action at every meeting, every campus visit, and every Chancellor's surge that I've been part of.
Your dedication comes from the heart and it shows.
Each of us has our own unique story that drives our passion for the system.
For me, it's being a proud UW Panther.
It's being one of the first South Asians to hold the title of Regent.
It's being a father of a current blue walled and banter.
Whatever fuels our passion on this board, I know we all have the same goals.
Much has been said about the resolution before us. We received divided feedback from so many constituents.
It's hard to know what the right answer is.
I wouldn't expect that this juncture anything I'm going to say about the resolution would change your mind.
I voted the way I did on Saturday and we'll vote the same today because I feel it's my fiduciary duty to put the needs of this system in front of any personal opinion I may hold.
Hopefully, no matter the outcome of today, we all find a way to move forward together with a renewed dedication to our roles and to the system.
That we move forward knowing that for us to succeed in our positions that we must directly engage with the decision makers who have authority over components of what the system needs to be successful.
The only path forward in a divided world is finding opportunities for partnership and compromise.
For those reasons, I now move for the approval of the resolution before us today.
Thank you, Regent Wetherley.
I second that motion.
Okay, did you want to say anything, Regent Wetherley?
I was going to wait a little bit, but now is as good a time as any.
So here we go.
I think now would be great.
Wonderful.
Thank you, Regent President.
I don't love this deal.
I don't even like this deal.
And I certainly can see that reasonable, good people, people I deeply respect can disagree.
But I continue to support it, and this is what guides me.
No matter what we do tonight, these things will still be true tomorrow.
In Wisconsin, low income students are 40% less likely to attend college and underrepresented minority students are 18% less likely to attend college.
And underrepresented minority students are 18% less likely to attend college.
At our own universities, low income students are 14 15% more likely to drop out after the first year.
And underrepresented minority students are 14% less likely, more likely excuse me to drop out after the first year.
In addition, low income underrepresented students are both 22% less likely to graduate in six years.
And those are just the stats.
In the last few years, I have had the privilege to speak to hundreds of high school and college students who have shared their heartbreaking experiences, giving names, faces, and foregone dreams to those stats.
In short, we need to do better offering opportunities to underserved Wisconsinites and not just a little, but a lot.
In my opinion, we are failing them, and in turn, failing the state.
This state, this deal distasteful, though it is in my judgment and on balance, gives us a better ability to serve not only those students, but all students.
Finally, and only mildly relatedly, this deal makes me and many of us angry, and we have some healing to do.
But I also hope we harness some healthy portion of that anger to redouble our efforts and ensure opportunities for every Wisconsinite.
We must do better.
Thank you. And again, I will second Regent rise motion.
Thank you, Regent Weatherly. Before I open the floor to my fellow Regents for comment, I understand we have a couple of chancellors who wish to say something.
And I'll start with Chancellor Mone from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Thank you, Regent President Walsh. And good evening. Can you hear me? Okay.
Yes.
Okay. I appreciate this opportunity. This is vitally important to UW Milwaukee's future to our students and our employees.
This is a very troubling matter. It's deeply politicized.
And I fully agree that there is no real when this is an imperfect choice.
I do also believe that compromise in terms of state by any budget matters is the reality that we have had, and we'll always have.
At the end of the day, I'm very pragmatic.
And I'm trying to uphold UWM's ability to serve students and our community.
And I believe that the best decision is that which supports a campus that is the only campus in the system has a dedicated access mission and a public commitment to close the opportunity and achievement gap for all of our students.
I also believe that there's nothing about this resolution that changes UW Milwaukee's goals and commitments to inclusion, belonging and access, and we absolutely can make this work.
With that background, I'll make three quick points. Number one, the cut that we've already experienced of $32 million is real.
That has compromised our campus in a time of already difficult financial straits.
The restoration of those funds alone will give us investment in growth areas that will enable all of our students, especially those at UWM.
Where we first population in the state.
Port them in areas of health, technology, engineering, where I have significant millions of dollars in scholarships.
If I don't have the programs, the scholarships will go wanting and we could have increased social mobility for those.
So please don't hold those and all of our students back.
Second point, we have many employees who have already earned these raises.
They will be much more inclined to stay and help with higher morale and more ability to serve the students of UWM.
Honestly, in worlds of IT and HR, many key faculty roles in other areas.
I'm very concerned about the retention of talent.
This is vitally important.
Third and final point, saying no to this resolution is a loss in two ways.
I've already identified the financial aspects.
I haven't talked about buildings. I haven't talked about reciprocity, demolition funds.
Those could all be talked about, but it's at scale of $800 million.
And that's keep in mind for students oftentimes who historically have not had access.
But equally important, I believe that rejection of this resolution could be used to justify further cuts.
For example, some could say, if they don't need these funds for raises or buildings or operations, what else can be reduced?
So I'm very concerned about the immediate and the future impact of this resolution on all of our students and employees.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Thank you, Chancellor Mone. Chancellor Wachter of UW-U Superior.
I'm sitting at an airport. Sorry about the background.
Thank you for permitting me to provide a few comments.
Saturday, we're going to hold a graduation walk to recognize the achievements of our students who are earning their degree.
There is no more powerful reminder watching the students with parents and spouses and children and friends cheering them on,
but the sheer diversity of ages and identities and experiences with the hurdles overcome and the kudos earned.
There is no more powerful reminder of our commitment to their success.
That commitment does not and will not change under the current agreement negotiated by President Rothman and Chancellor Mnuchin with Speaker Voss.
Opportunity and success is all that we have ever wanted for each and every student that comes to us,
regardless of the multitude of values, identities and backgrounds that they bring.
And just that each of us has a different set of values, identities and experiences by which to view the agreement that makes it more or less challenging.
The agreement is such that we can work with it to continue to provide opportunities for each student to be successful.
It means that our employees who support those students are recognized with due compensation.
That real dollars can be applied to programs and initiatives that are desperately needed on our campus and by our employers in the community and region.
Thus, I ask most respectfully that for the future and success of our students, of our employees, our communities and our region that you support with an affirmative vote, the resolution in front of you today.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chancellor Walker, UW Whitewater, Chancellor Corey King.
Thank you to the Board of Regents for providing me this opportunity to share some thoughts.
The proposal that has come from President Rothman and Chancellor Mnuchin have garnered support in a pathway of moving forward.
I will not deny that these are challenging times and finding pathways can be difficult in many circumstances.
However, we must continue to press forward and we can make this work.
Sitting here on the UW Whitewater campus, let me be clear that our collective commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and belonging is unwavering.
As a professional in this space for nearly 30 years, I am confident that the work will prevail.
I realize that renaming programs to avoid politically sensitive terms such as diversity will not work for us.
We must have programs and activities and initiatives for students with intentional outcomes and real results and we will support them.
The opportunity to continue to offer programs to our students, we must embrace successfully and also reimagine the space to ensure inclusivity and belonging, allowing us to continue the work we are committed to do.
Our faculty and our staff continue to dedicate themselves to the success of our students and they deserve their pay plan increases.
I want our faculty and staff to know that I see them.
I see their passion.
I see their impact and I see their care and concern for the work that we do every day and it inspires me.
The pathway forward to give them what they have earned is imperative.
I will be the first to say that we do need more resources.
We must commit to the investment in our resources to guarantee that our students success is bright.
Through much needed, much needed educational facilities, expanding innovation and the deepening workforce development, we must remain on the cutting edge.
It is the Wisconsin idea.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chancellor Kang.
Before I turn to Regents, were there other chancellors who wish to speak?
Okay, I'm not seeing any more than we'll turn to Regents.
Regent Kaloney, you are first.
Thank you so much, President Regent Walsh.
I appreciate the opportunity to share a few words here today.
First of all, I want to commend my colleagues for their passion, for their intentions and the rationale on how they voted for this proposal.
And although we are divided on this proposal, I believe that this challenge can unite us even more than ever as friends, as colleagues, as leaders of the UW system.
But today, I'm even more convinced that we should move forward in accepting this proposal, especially after hearing from the Chancellor's vote today as well as yesterday.
They were overwhelmingly in support of us moving this forward.
And throughout this process, I've heard of three themes that have emerged relating to concerns for this proposal.
One is the perception this will give to underserved population.
Two, that these buildings, the engineering, the devolution project and other capital projects, they will get done.
And three, that this thought of are we turning our backs on the underserved.
Let me provide some perspective on some of these three points.
First, perception.
I prefer reality.
I think reality is more important than perception.
And what we do versus what we say is more important and actions will speak louder than words.
And we know that we as a board, all of us can influence how we move forward and I'm confident that we will.
These projects, the engine point to about the projects, engineering, demolition project and other capital projects.
The thought that the market will demand that these will get done.
And I agree.
These things will get done to the detriment of student success to the detriment of equity, diversity, inclusion, and to the detriment of the people we intend to serve and help because there are only finite resources, but we can't do it all.
This thought of us turning our backs on the underserved population pains me.
I know nobody on this board would believe that of me.
We know each other very well, but there could be some out in the community that think we're doing that.
And I just want to say that I'm full commitment of equity, diversity, inclusion.
But so is this board.
100% of this board.
Because it's in our strategic plan and point number one.
Where we want to advance equity, diversity and inclusion. So that has already been stated that has already been determined.
And we are moving forward with that.
In our strategic plan. So this allows us to reimagine.
How we do equity, diversity and inclusion. I would argue with better results with better outcomes.
And we could do this.
Through our values.
Through our beliefs.
And through our actions.
So that all feel a sense of belonging, no matter your background, no matter your situation or where you come from.
We will have a sense of belonging.
I want to share quickly the duties and responsibilities of us as board members and regions.
There's three duties, duty of care, duty of loyalty and duty of obedience.
I want to highlight two of these duties. First, the duty of care.
That we, we should ensure the organization's assets are used.
With prudence and with care.
The duty of loyalty that we should ensure that the board makes decisions.
Based on the organization's best interest.
I think voting for this proposal.
Will help us adhere to two of those duties.
With that said, I just would like to ask a question of Jay.
I want to understand.
Jay, your commitment.
To equity, diversity and inclusion specifically as it relates to our strategic plan.
And a follow up to to that question is, can this board get reports throughout the year regarding our efforts and our progress relating to this goal.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share these words.
Regent President Walsh, may I respond to Regent Colm's question.
Yes, of course.
Thank you, Regent Colm for your question.
As you know, when I started in my role in June of 2022, the first thing that I started working on was a strategic plan.
And that strategic plan through many discussions through the leadership.
Both within all around all of our universities, but also with the Board of Regents, resulted in a plan being adopted last December.
That plan has specific goals around the number of issues, including ensuring that we do a better job.
Around dealing with underrepresented students, dealing with students of lower socioeconomic needs.
The IE Pell eligible students dealing with students who are first generation students to create an inclusive environment.
We're all are welcome on our campuses and have that sense of belonging.
There are specific targets that this board adopted relative to closing gaps in terms of retention and graduation rates for students from underrepresented groups, students who are Pell eligible students who are first generation.
All of those are critical in our elements that I expect that this board will hold me and ultimately my team responsible for achieving.
As we have done since the plan was adopted, we have continually updated the board on various elements of the strategic plan and we will continue to do that.
That strategic plan is our North Star.
And we will continue to execute it under the oversight of this board as we have been doing.
And we are committed to that.
Every single measure of success in that strategic plan is something that I am personally committed to.
And I think my team and our universities are committed to.
Thank you, Jay.
Thank you.
Regent Cologne.
Did you have another question?
No, I was just going to say thank you.
Okay.
Very good.
Regent Vice President Bogost in Thailand.
You are next.
Thank you very much, Regent President Walsh.
I just wanted to say that we find ourselves in this very unusual position to reconsider our vote on this compromise resolution with the legislature after our initial discussion, which was uniquely emotionally charged because of the direct human implications.
This compromise addresses.
To move this proposal forward has required much more deliberation when we originally thought that we could achieve.
After further discussions with stakeholders, many stakeholders from every campus, I have decided to support this resolution.
We simply can't ignore the immense challenges facing our universities.
It is clear that this compromise resolution, which includes a much needed increase for our university's employee compensation among other things will allow the universities of Wisconsin to continue to pursue opportunities for all underserved students.
As delineated in the very first clause, which we've been talking about in our 2023-2028 strategic plan and direct additional attention to its proper stewardship.
President Rothman and Chancellor Mnuchin have reassured this board to continue to honor the commitment to diversity.
We will hold their feet to the fire on this end by adopting this resolution.
It does not reduce or eliminate that accountability for them or for us.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Regent Vice President Bogas, Regent Atwell.
You're muted, Regent Atwell.
There we go.
Thank you, Regent President Walsh, Karen.
You've often made me laugh, but tonight you made me cry just a little bit, just remember I'm a banker.
But thank you for your generosity and for your leadership.
I don't think we expect it on Saturday that the resolution would fail.
I also don't think we expected that we would be meeting again today with the eyes of the state, and to a certain extent, the nation watching us closely.
As Regents, we've experienced a lot of emotion in the last week.
But our emotion is not like the concrete consequences of our decisions and non-decisions on the people who work and study on our campuses.
Our faculty and staff have suffered a steep decline in the purchasing power of their pay in the last several years.
And we know that by any reasonable standard, they were underpaid before COVID, before that COVID inflation wave hit them.
Most of us on this call inflation is an annoyance.
For our faculty and staff, it's a steep pay cut that we must address.
Political junkies may want to watch the Supreme Court, the governor and the legislature do get out over their respective constitutional roles. I don't.
The problem with our pay levels is one of many issues that we never really seem to get to the heart of, and to be blunt, we are better at deploring things than fixing them.
The whole battle over DEI is both a substantive disagreement and a symbolic battle.
Like all my fellow Regents, I am concerned that we do more to remove barriers to success for those who identify as underrepresented groups.
Regent Cologne is correct that we're united in that.
I differ from many in that I think pouring money into administrative positions is neither effective nor compassionate.
And this whole controversy is not just about DEI as we label it.
As President Rothman has consistently pointed out, our participation rate is very low.
This moment isn't so much about who we are serving.
We are serving. It's about who we are not serving.
And statistically, our largest underrepresented group is men of all colors.
Occasionally, we acknowledge that problem, but we quickly paper it over with unexamined assertions about why we think they don't buy what we sell.
We have a whole basket of demographic problems, the greatest of which is the declining number of high school graduates.
For UW Madison, this is a curious fact.
To the other 12 universities, it's a very present existential threat.
How long can we support these 12 campuses serving across 24 locations when a handful of counties with the exception of a handful of counties, the population is aging and declining at alarming rates.
President Rothman is right that participation rates aren't merely a social and economic issue.
Their life and death struggle for nearly all our locations.
We just aren't very good at dealing with elephants in the room.
It's a lot of money to be released upon the approval of this resolution.
And I wish that all our problems could be addressed by money.
I am confident that this money will help under under represented and cross all our campuses.
And in a strange way, I'm grateful for the storm we find ourselves in the eye of.
This is an opportunity for greater humility, generosity and authenticity.
As Karen pointed out, we regents are not a political.
Every one of us is a political appointee.
And politics is the way the sausage is made, unless we prefer tyranny.
And there are always some who do.
What if the political process isn't failing us because politicians don't represent us, rather because they do.
We shouldn't be afraid to look in the mirror.
Just so we don't dwell on the beauty, we all wish we embodied.
There's a lot of good there, but it's probably more fruitful to work on the things we need to work on.
For the chaos, pain and divisions of this state are laid bare in this situation.
I have no problem acknowledging the darker chapters of our history.
And the comments of those of our regions from underrepresented groups are very moving to me.
And I know that the impact of some of the darker aspects of our history have impacted racial and ethnic groups and individuals differently.
But I refuse to throw the baby out with the bath.
The purpose of confession is to rise from our knees would resolve to redress the wrongs and to begin again as many times as we need to.
This is a very beautiful, if troubled state.
I remember when most of the people in the state understood that we pay high taxes, but we have clean sidewalks,
efficient government, great schools, and friendly neighbors.
And I know there were exceptions. There are always exceptions in human history.
But I'd love to see us recapture the best of our state and to treasure it, nurture it, carry it forward,
teach it to our children, do a better job of dealing with each other.
Our aspirations toward genuine diversity, toleration, inclusivity, understanding, and belonging are needed.
But we aren't addressing them toward the entire state effectively.
And this shows in public attitudes towards our universities.
There are many things we should be proud of in our universities, but we have many ways we must improve.
Telling people how wonderful we are and pinning unflattering terms on our critics isn't the answer.
Listening to the voices of our critics, especially our non-customers,
takes the kind of courage we have to find to do our part for the good of all the people in this beautiful state.
These things are about politics, money, and programs.
But the road to recovery runs through the human heart.
This isn't just about money and job titles. We have to be better people.
And there's no amount of words or money that can replace the respect, understanding, tolerance, and generosity
that fails to flow from the human heart, from our hearts, from my heart.
So however this vote goes, they ask us all to value both diversity and unity.
Let's be a model of respect, good humor, and genuine affection for each other and for all the people of the state.
Thank you.
Thank you, Regent Statton.
Yes, can you hear me?
We can go ahead, please.
Thank you, Regent President Walsh. I would like to make a statement as well.
DEI is not only intrinsic to the UW system, but also to large business strategies.
When businesses implement this strategy, it has been proven that they outperform their peers.
But I don't see them being attacked for using the same strategy.
Speaker Voss' definition of DEI is division, exclusion, and indoctrination.
He says, and I quote,
This is the single most important issue that we are facing as a people, as a nation and as really humanity, end quote.
What rock is he living under?
He has lost touch of the reality of how people are actually living.
Because to be honest, we aren't walking around arguing about DEI.
He has created and perpetuated this battle here in Wisconsin.
That's his world of politics, which we all know is a very small percentage of our population,
and therefore his opinions are statistically insignificant.
I also ask him, what does he know about indoctrination other than the definition?
I am a non-traditional student veteran Hispanic woman, and the only indoctrination I have ever received is when I was in the United States Army.
Because it was necessary.
It was necessary to be able to provide medical care to anyone.
Let me emphasize that.
Let me be frank, the enemy.
But it was also necessary to provide that care when a nine line came from my husband's unit with no battle roster number.
And in the back of my mind, I had to prepare.
That's how I trained as a medic, because I wanted to be able to save his life.
It meant something to me.
And then I evolved and thought that's the medic I wanted to be for anyone's spouse, sibling, or child.
So let me speak to Speaker Voster directly, because not only am I a veteran, I'm a military spouse.
Don't you dare sit there and use that term as an inflammatory tool for your political game.
When my husband and myself have sacrificed so much, not only for our country, but for the Army.
And we are still making no sacrifices today over 16 years later, and we are only one family of many.
I said before, the Army saved my life.
The things I learned provided not only a direction, but a purpose.
It gave me confidence, a self-worth.
In that confidence, I learned how to be a leader in one of the most diverse working environments.
NCOs have a creed.
And in that creed, leaders say, all soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership.
I will provide that leadership.
I know my soldiers and will always place their needs above my own.
If I exchanged the word soldier to student, it would still apply.
I was reminded after this that the people at Parkside that have supported me will still be there.
They will be there because they believe in the mission.
I understand that they are supporting the future of Wisconsin and will continue to place the needs of students above their own needs.
From what I've seen and heard from all the multiple board meetings I've had the privilege to attend is that this is inherent at all of the universities of Wisconsin.
We have heard from all of the chancellors, and they have asked for our help.
And right now, I will place their needs above my own.
They are the leaders of their campuses, and we have entrusted them with this leadership.
The reality is, without this resolution, Parkside may not be here in the years to come.
Parkside is not alone in this fear.
I said I would fight for my home, and I will, because I know the mission there won't stray.
They are dedicated and selfless in it.
I've seen and experienced it.
Our core values and our strategic goals are clearly articulated in the strategic plan.
And I have full confidence in our president, the chancellors, faculty, and support staff in continuing this fight
so that we can continue serving the people of Wisconsin and the generations to come.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Regent Staton, Regent Miller.
Thank you, Regent President Walsh, and thank you to my fellow Regents for their thoughtful comments.
I will vote against this proposal again, because I reject its very premise, which is that the legislature can withhold funds for university supported building projects.
Regent University supported building projects and pay raises for the committed employees of our universities for the sole purpose of making a political statement.
It is wrong.
I fear that acceptance of this tactic will only embolden its adherence, leading to a never ending cycle of brinkmanship.
Simply to extract a politically motivated policy concession that they don't have the power to legislate.
In this case, reaching into the university's buildings to meddle with an employee's title and how they allocate their time.
What will be the concession next time?
President matters, and this sets a bad one.
In my nearly three years as a Regent, this bipartisan board has never felt the desire to wade into any political conflicts.
But this one was brought to our doorstep.
The Board of Regents does not have the authority to appropriate money or to grant pay raises.
That power rests appropriately with the legislature.
The legislature does not need the Board of Regents approval to fully fund all the projects enumerated in this proposal.
I implore the legislature to confine their political battles to the capital square and leave the business of running our universities to our exceptional chancellors and the devoted employees that we trust to educate and support the next generation. Thank you.
Thank you, Regent Miller, Regent Walks.
Thank you, Madam President.
I'm going to be voting against this because I'm worried about the precedent.
I live in a world of precedent, and I live in a world of doing the right thing as I perceive it and doing the right thing for the little guy, little gal.
I live in a world of fighting massive insurance companies, corporations and the like, trying to redress the root moons that people have gotten.
But one of the things that I'm most concerned about here is A, the message being sent.
The message being sent to folks that need our help.
And B, this precedent. What's it going to be next year? What's what will happen in the next budget?
What's the political game going to be at that point?
I will continue to vote against this.
I want to say that I respect very much my fellow Regents.
I have come to, I believe I can say that all of you are our friends of mine at this point.
But this time, there's a political game that was pushed into our court.
We have, we have bipartisan support of darn near everything we do on this board.
But, you know, confronted with the political question like this, being brought into this board, being forced upon us.
I'm voting against this. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you, Regent Walks, Regent Adams.
Thank you, Madam President.
I said before, and I'll say again that the very premise of this deal is a non-starter.
I did not join this board to beat the rust into a political gamesmanship.
DEI and supporting DEI on campus is not something that we should be exchanging, in my opinion, for dollars.
And I will, I said no before, and I will say no again. Thank you.
Thank you, Regent Adams. Other comments from Regents?
Seeing none, I will call the question. Meghan, could you please do a roll call?
Regent Adams.
No.
Regent Atwell?
Yes.
Regent Foggis.
Yes.
Regent Brankis.
No.
Regent Colone?
Yes.
Regent Jones?
Yes.
Regent Cruz-er?
Yes.
Regent Manides?
No.
Regent Miller?
No.
Regent Peterson?
Yes.
Regent Prince?
No.
Regent Herai?
Yes.
Regent Statton?
Yes.
Regent Tyler?
Yes.
Regent Underley?
Regent Loffs?
Regent Oxley may need to unmute?
No, Ms. Mabel?
Regent Walsh?
Yes.
Regent Weatherward?
Yes.
11, yes.
6, no.
The motion carries.
Thank you, Meghan.
I'd like to now call on Regent many deeds for concluding remarks.
Thank you, Regent President Walsh.
I have not changed my vote for the recent stated during our discussions Saturday before our first vote.
And I will never speak of those things again.
As is it my duty as a Regent, under Regent policy, I will accept and support the decision of a full board regarding approval of this resolution.
We have heard now pledges from the system, the campus representatives and the Board of Regents that they are all committed to improving and reimagining the spirit of diversity, equity and inclusion.
It is my intent to make sure that that happens and that the intent and spirit of DEI will not be abandoned. I promise you that. Thank you.
Thank you, Regent, many deeds. May I have a motion to adjourn?
So moved.
Thank you. Second. All right. Thank you very much to everyone and enjoy the rest of your evening.
Thank you. Bye, everyone.
Thank you.