ALSO MOUND TO OBEY THE LAW.
DESPITE THAT, MORE THAN 50,000
PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED A PETITION
CALLING FOR THE STUDENT IN THE
RACIST VIDEO TO BE EXPELLED.
HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT ALL OF
THIS IS INTERIM PROVOST ERIC
WILCOTS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> MY PLEASURE.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> TELL US WHY THE UNIVERSITY
CANNOT DISCIPLINE THIS STUDENT.
>> IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND ONE
WE GET A LOT.
I KNOW FOLKS ARE NOT HAPPY WITH
THE ANSWER, BUT LET ME POINT A
COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE IS WITH FEDERAL LAW,
PARTICULARLY SOMETHING CALLED
FERPA, WE CAN'T SPEAK ABOUT THAT
INDIVIDUAL CASE.
THE OTHER THING IS WE HAVE SEEN
CASES AFTER CASE, AND IT'S
REALLY ESTABLISHED CASE LAW OF
INSTANCES AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
WHERE THIS KIND OF SPEECH, AS
ABHORRENT AS IT IS, AS HORRIBLE
AS IT IS, IS PROTECTED SPEECH
UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE NOT ABLE
TO GET -- ACT ON THIS, EVEN
THOUGH THIS SPEECH IS ABSOLUTELY
HORRID BECAUSE IT IS PROTECTED
SPEECH UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT
OF THE COUNTRY.
>> BLACK STUDENT LEADERS TOLD US
THAT THEY WERE DISAPPOINTED IN
THE RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION BY
THE CHANCELLOR.
AS IT DIDN'T FEEL, THEY SAID,
LIKE A CALL TO ACTION.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> I THINK THE CHANCELLOR'S
COMMUNICATION AND RESPONSE
STARTED OUT FIRST BY SHE AND THE
ENTIRE LEADERSHIP TEAM ARE
DEEPLY, DEEPLY HURT BY THIS.
THIS IS HA ABHORRENT, AND WE DO
APOLOGIZING TO THE STUDENTS AND
OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY
WHO ARE OFFENDED BY THIS.
THIS IS HORRIBLE.
SUSTAIN THAT, THEN WHAT IS IT
THAT WE CAN DO GOING FORWARD TO
BE BETTER?
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE AS A
CAMPUS, IF WE REALLY DEDICATED
TO, PARTICULARLY OVER THE PAST
FEW YEARS, WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF
GREAT DIRECTIONS IN THIS SPACE.
I WANT TO POINT TO THE REBECCA
M. CENTER, THE CENTER THAT WE
HAVE, SO WE'RE MAKING STEPS.
WE HAVE INCREASED THE DIVERSITY
OF THE STUDENT BODY OVERALL OVER
THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND I DEEPLY
RECOGNIZE.
I'VE BEEN ON THIS CAMPUS 27
YEARS.
WE HAVE NOT MADE GREAT PROGRESS
IN INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF
BLACK STUDENTS ON OUR CAMPUS AND
WE NEED TO DO BETTER AND WE WILL
CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS DOING
BETTER.
SO WE ARE MAKING STEPS.
THE STUDENTS HAD -- IN THEIR
DEMANDS A SET OF ISSUES WHERE WE
AS CAMPUS LEADERSHIP REALLY WANT
TO SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT HOW
CAN WE MOVE FORWARD ON A NUMBER
OF THINGS THAT WE ARE INTERESTED
IN AND THAT'S THE CONVERSATION
THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE GOING
FORWARD.
>> YOU JUST SPOKE ABOUT THE KIND
OF LACK OF DIVERSITY,
PARTICULARLY DIVERSITY OF BLACK
STUDENTS.
ON THIS CAMPUS AND SYSTEM-WIDE,
SYSTEM-WIDE, IT SITS AT
SOMETHING LIKE 2.9% OF THE
STUDENT POPULATION.
SO HOW DO YOU CHANGE THAT?
>> WITH A LOT OF HARD WORK, AND
I THINK SOME OF THAT HARD WORK
HAPPENS ON OUR ADMISSION SIDE,
ON OUR OUTREACH INTO DIFFERENT
COMMUNITIES TO RECRUIT STUDENTS
TO COME TO UW MADISON.
PART OF THAT IS OUR ABILITY TO
BRING SCHOLARSHIP AND OTHER
DOLLARS TO THE TABLE TO TAKE
THAT FINANCIAL CONCERN OFF THE
TABLE, TO BE ABLE TO RECRUIT
STUDENTS.
PART OF THAT IS WHAT KIND OF
PROGRAMMING DO WE HAVE, WHAT
KIND OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS DO WE
HAVE THAT EXCITES STUDENTS ABOUT
BEING HERE.
I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ABOUT TO JUMP
IN.
>> I WAS GOING TO ASK, IS PART
OF THAT THE CULTURE.
>> PART OF THAT IS THE CULTURE.
IF YOU LISTEN TO MNOOKIN'S
WORDS, A CLEAR FOCUS ON WHAT SHE
IS CALLING FLOURISHING, AND THAT
IS THAT NOTION THAT WE ALL
BELONG AT UW MADISON, REGARDLESS
OF OUR RACE AND ETHNICITIES, TO
GET THAT SENSE OF FLOURISHING.
HOW DO WE DOOR THAT?
HOW DO WE BEGIN TO CHANGE MINDS?
AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT HAS EMERGED OVER THE PAST
48 HOURS, AND I'VE SEEN A LOT OF
EMAIL FROM DIFFERENT ACADEMIC
UNITS ON CAMPUS DOING A BIT OF
THAT SELF-REFLECTION, SAYING,
OKAY, WHAT IS IT THAT WE NEED TO
BE DOING WITHIN OUR PARTICULAR
UNIT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR
CLIMATE, OUR CULTURE IS ONE THAT
IS WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE OF
ALL.
>> HOW MUCH DOES THIS KIND OF
THING SET ALL OF THAT BACK?
>> IT'S A DING.
IT'S A DING.
WE WILL HAVE TO -- IT'S A STEP
BACK WASHED.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP
CHARGING FORWARD AND I THINK
WE'RE ALL DEDICATED TO DOING
THAT.
I'VE BEEN A DEAN FOR THE LAST
FOR YEARS, BUT ON CAMPUS FOR 27
YEARS.
I'VE SEEN IN MY COLLEAGUES A
REAL COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION
TO NOT JUST THAT
DEXTROMETHODEMOGRAPHICS,IT'S EAE
OUR NUMBER, BUT HOW DO WE MAKE
SURE WE'RE CHANGING THAT
CULTURE.
>> I WANTED TO GET YOUR REACTION
TO THE IDEA THAT THE REPUBLICAN
LEGISLATURE WOULD LIKE TO
ELIMINATE CAMPUS DIVERSITY
OFFICE IN RETURN FOR STATE
FUNDING.
>> I THINK THAT'S A HORRIBLE
IDEA, AND I THINK THIS INCIDENT
PROVES THE NEED THAT WE NEED TO
FOCUS ON MAKING SURE OUR
CAMPUSES ARE OPEN AND WELCOMING
FOR EVERYBODY AND THAT REQUIRES
DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE
IN THESE POSITIONS WHO ARE
ALLOWING US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
ARE THE BEST PRACTICES AND
THAT'S WHAT THESE ROLES CAN
DELIVER FOR OUR CAMPUS AND