GOVERNMENT IN WISCONSIN. >> THANK YOU, SPEAKER VOS, FOR
YOUR TIME. >> THANK YOU.
>> THIS WEEK, UW-MADISON ANNOUNCED THE WISCONSIN TRIBAL
EDUCATION PROMISE PROGRAM. STARTING IN FALL 2024, MEMBERS
OF 11 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES IN THE STATE WILL BE ABLE
TO ATTEND THE FLAGSHIP CAMPUS ALL EXPENSES PAID FOR
UNDERGRADUATES AND FALL TUITION FOR LAW AND MEDICAL STUDENTS.
WE'RE JOINED NOW BY UW-MADISON DIRECTOR OF TRIBAL RELATIONS,
CARLA VIGUE. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> SO WHAT IS THE REACTION TO
THIS TRIBAL EDUCATION PROMISE PROGRAM FROM TRIBAL NATION
MEMBERS ACROSS WISCONSIN? >> I THINK EVERYONE IS REALLY
EXCITED. UW-MADISON, LIKE YOU SAID, IS
ONE OF THE STATE'S -- OR IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S
PREMIER UNIVERSITIES, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TRIBES FOR THE
BETTER PART OF A YEAR ON THIS PROPOSAL AND WE FINALLY BROUGHT
IT TO FRUITION. ESSENTIALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS IF
YOU ARE, LIKE YOU SAID, A RESIDENT OF WISCONSIN, A MEMBER
OF ONE OF OUR 11 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES AND YOU GET
ADMITTED TO UW-MADISON, WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THE FULL COST OF
ADMISSION, WHICH IS NOT JUST TUITION, BUT ROOM, BOARD, BOOKS,
FEES, AND A FEW OTHER LITTLE THINGS, TOO.
>> WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO ROLL THIS OUT, EVEN AS
SPEAKER VOS, WHOM WE JUST HEARD FROM, WORKS TO DISMANTLE
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAMS?
>> YEAH. I MEAN, THERE'S OTHER THINGS
HAPPENING IN THE STATE CAPITOL, BUT REALLY FOR US, WE SAT DOWN
WITH TRIBAL LEADERS MANY MONTHS AGO AND WE SAID WE HAVE THIS
IDEA. OR STATES DO IT.
OTHER UNIVERSITIES DO IT, AND SO WE TALKED TO THEM AND SAID THIS
IS AN IDEA WE HAVE AND HOW CAN WE MOVE FORWARD WITH IT.
WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE ALL 11 OF THE TRIBES CAME TO THE TABLE
AND SAT WITH THE CHANCELLOR AND I AND TALKED IT THROUGH AND WE
SHARED STORIES. ONE OF THE TRIBAL LEADERS TALKED
ABOUT SLEEPING IN HIS CAR WHILE HE WAS IN UNDERGRAD AND OTHERS
TALKED ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY AND OTHER THINGS, AND AS WE SAT
AROUND THE TABLE AND TALKED ABOUT THINGS, THIS IS WHAT WE
CAME UP WITH, AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD PROPOSAL.
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS HAPPENING IN THE WORLD, BUT THAT IS
SOMETHING WE WORKED REALLY HARD ON TOGETHER.
>> AS YOU MENTIONED, OTHER STATES DO THIS, BUT ARE OTHER
STATES OFFERING SUCH ROBUST KIND OF PACKAGES TO INCLUDE ALL OF
THE LIVING EXPENSES? >> MOST DON'T.
I THINK, LIKE I SAID, WE WEREN'T THE FIRST OUT OF THE GATE WITH
THIS PLAN BUT I THINK WE'RE THE BEST. MAYBE THAT'S JUST ME T
ALKING, BUT, YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW,
LIKE I SAID, WE SAT DOWN AND WE TALKED THROUGH ALL THE SCENARIOS
AND HOW MANY SEMESTERS AND WHAT IT SHOULD INCLUDE AND ALL OF
THOSE THINGS, AND I THINK WE CAME TO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE
TRIBES THAT THIS IS REALLY HOW WE SHOULD DO IT IN ORDER TO
SUPPORT NATIVE STUDENTS. >> IS IT UNUSUAL AS WELL TO PAY
TUITION FOR LAW OR MEDICAL SCHOOL?
>> YEAH. SO THAT WAS WHERE WE GAVE A
LITTLE SURPRISE TO THE TRIBES AT ONE POINT.
WE SAID WE SPOKE TO THE LAW SCHOOL AND THE MEDICAL SCHOOL
AND THEY BOTH AGREED THAT TUITION -- AND THERE ARE
DIFFERENT KIND OF STUDENT RIGHT THERE, THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT
OLDER, SO WE DIDN'T INCLUDE SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS, BUT
TUITION FOR LAW SCHOOL AND MED SCHOOL, THAT'S A VERY BIG DEAL.
>> IT'S A BIG EXPENSE. SO THERE ARE NO INCOME
RESTRICTIONS WITH THIS BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND IT'S ABOUT PROMOTING
UW-MADISON EDUCATION TO NATIVE STUDENTS.
WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? >> WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE
THINGS -- SO WHEN I FIRST SAT DOWN WITH THE CHANCELLOR WHEN I
FIRST TOOK MY POSITION, SHE AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS, AND FOR US,
IT'S BOTH ABOUT GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY BUT ALSO
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THIS UNIVERSITY THAT WE WORK FOR IS
BUILT ON LAND THAT WAS FORCIBLY REMOVED FROM THE TRIBE NATION,
AND SO BOTH OF THOSE THINGS IN COMBINATION OF JUST WANTING TO
DO THE RIGHT THING FOR NATIVE STUDENTS.
>> DESCRIBE FOR US WHAT YOU SAY IS AT THE HEART OF THE NATIVE
COMMUNITY AS IT RELATES TO THIS PROGRAM.
>> YEAH. I THINK WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT,
LIKE I SAID, IT'S REALLY ABOUT TAKING CARE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
I'M NATIVE AMERICAN, I GREW UP ON THE ONEIDA INDIAN
RESERVATION, I HAVE TWO LITTLE BOYS, HUNTER AND AUDO.
THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT COMMUNITY IS HOW DO WE GIVE BACK AND HOW
DO WE TAKE CARE OF THE NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS, AND SO IT'S
NOT JUST ABOUT DECISION THAT ARE GOOD FOR ME OR MY LITTLE BOYS OR
EVEN THEIR KIDS, BUT SEVEN GENERATIONS DOWN THE ROAD, HOW
ARE WE TAKING CARE OF THOSE SEVEN GENERATIONS.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MANY STUDENTS MIGHT
PARTICIPATE? >> WE DO -- NOT REALLY.
KIND OF. THAT'S A BAD ANSWER, BUT SO WE
HAVE SOME NUMBERS, BUT RIGHT NOW, PEOPLE SELF-REPORT.
SO ANYONE WHO CLAIMS NATIVE ANCESTRY CAN REPORT THAT THEY'RE
NATIVE. THEY DON'T HAVE TO. BUT WITH THIS PROGRAM, YOU'LL
HAVE TO NOW, YOU KNOW, SHOW YOUN ONE OF WISCONSIN'S 11: 11 TRIBE.
WE'LL GET BETTER DATA AS WE GO ALONG.
>> AND AS YOU SAID ABOUT OFFERING THIS PROGRAM, THERE WAS
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY SET ASIDE. DO YOU HAVE AN EXPECTA
TION AS TO WHAT THAT WILL BE?
>> WE'RE ROLLING THIS OUT IN DECEMBER AND THE APPLICATION
DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY, SO WE'RE NOT EXPECTING THIS FIRST YEAR TO
BE A HUGE NUMBER. I THINK WE'LL SEE WHAT THIS
FIRST YEAR LOOKS LIKE AND THEN BE ABLE TO BUILD FROM THERE.
THIS IS REALLY THE FIRST ITERATION OF THIS PROGRAM,
HOPEFULLY. MAYBE WE CAN GROW IT OR MAYBE
THIS IS GOING TO BE SATISFACTORY ENOUGH. BUT I THINK WE'LL HA
VE MORE DATA AFTER THIS FIRST YEAR.
>> HAVE YOU GOTTEN CALLS FROM STUDENTS SAYING TELL ME ABOUT
THIS? >> OH, I'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF
CALLS. MY PRIOR ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT
IS LIKE PROBABLY OVERWHELMED BY PEOPLE I'M SENDING THEIR WAY,
BUT IT'S REALLY FUN BECAUSE FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE REACHING
OUT, TOO, AND I'M GETTING TO SAY, YES, THEY'LL QUALIFY.
I WILL SAY I ALSO GOT TO CALL ONE OF THE STUDENTS WHO IS
ALREADY HERE ON CAMPUS, SHE'S A STUDENT NAMED CALISTA.
SHE JOINED US THIS WEEK WHILE WE WERE ANNOUNCING THE PROGRAM.
AS I WAS DESCRIBING THE PROGRAM TO HER, SHE JUST GOT SILENT AND
THEN VERY EXCITED AND I WAS EVEN A LITTLE BIT OVERWHELMED BY IT
ALL BECAUSE I JUST GOT TO TELL SOMEONE WE WERE GOING TO TAKE
CARE OF THEM. >> THAT'S AWESOME.