Three University of Wisconsin elected student leaders issued a strong statement addressed to Chancellor Rebecca Blank in response to her statement on the potential formation of a so-called “alt-right” student group, which included a suggestion that criminal background checks should become a part of the admissions process for the university.
Associated Students of Madison Chair Carmen Goséy, Student Activity Center Governing Board Chair Katrina Morrison, and Representative Brooke Evans all signed the statement.
“Chancellor Blank is not dedicated to making this campus safe and inclusive for students of color,” the students said in the statement. “The University uses students of color to contextualize white students as employable and marketable due to their proximity to diversity. The discriminatory admissions policy change referenced by Chancellor Blank in her last email was ignorant and does not address the racism on campus.”
On Thursday, local media reported that Daniel Dropik, the student who had announced his intention to form a UW student chapter of the documented hate group Amercian Freedom Party, was convicted of setting fire to two black churches in 2005 and served five years in federal prison. Blank issued a statement to the campus community Thursday afternoon.
“Like many university systems, the UW System’s admission application does not ask for or allow us to consider a student’s criminal history as part of the admissions process,” Blank said in the statement. “This is intended to ensure that students who have made mistakes, but paid their debt to society, are not prevented from accessing education. In light of this situation, I will request that the Board of Regents consider a review of this policy.”
Student leaders did not agree with that response, noting that criminal background checks would disproportionately affect people of color, and may not have the desired effect anyway.
“We know that it doesn’t take a criminal history to determine the capacity for hate in the present,” Evans is quoted as saying in the students’ statement. “Why on Mother Earth would we think that considering criminal history in the admissions process would work now to screen out white nationalists—it never stopped them from getting here in the first place? I’m not concerned about how he got here—I know how easy it is for majority students to get here. What I’m concerned about is why he’s still a student here.”
The students also took issue with the chancellor’s characterization as AFP as an “alt-right” group.
“We demand that Chancellor Blank calls this group a white supremacy group. In addition, we demand that Chancellor Blank takes the time to thoroughly engage in a cultural competency program about oppressive language and craft tangible policies that actually address the racism that is perpetuated by students, faculty, academic staff, University staff, and administrators on this campus,” the statement concludes.
Urban League of Greater Madison CEO Ruben Anthony expressed support for the UW administration in a statement.
“I understand that disseminating political information or expressing objectionable viewpoints is not illegal,” Anthony wrote. “However, this student exemplifies the way in which objectionable views – when directed against groups of people – can turn into dangerous, criminal acts that threaten the safety of a community…I trust our UW leadership, I believe in their commitment to improving the racial climate on campus, and I pledge to work with them in support of their efforts.”
A university spokesperson told Madison365 this morning that the university will likely have more information later today.
