The Chanellors at UW-Madison and Milwaukee seem perplexed that their continued appeasement of the Hamas Glampers has not worked. They’re finally publicly expressing the exasperation the rest of the state has felt for weeks.
This comes as reports indicate the encampments are not the socialist utopia the protesters would have you believe.
Meanwhile a huge jobs announcement in Racine yesterday was overshadowed by politics, and the company that is bringing thousands of jobs to Wisconsin has only itself to blame.
Welcome to Thursday in Wisconsin and today’s Key Reads.
Yesterday afternoon we shared the UW-Madison police department’s reports on several incidents at the tent city on campus.
Madison protests a tinder box | Dairyland Sentinel
- On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, a student who was displaying a pro-Israel sign reported that an unknown man with a knife visibly attached to his waistband approached her on Library Mall and stated to her, “Jews shouldn’t be on campus.” The incident was reported to UWPD today (May 8) and is being investigated as a possible hate crime
- On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at approximately 3:50 p.m., a student reported that he was approached by an unknown male on Library Mall who threatened to kill him if he didn’t put away his phone. The victim walked away and reported the suspect followed him for a short time and continued to threaten him verbally.
- On Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at approximately 4:20 a.m., an assault involving the use of a large stick occurred between two individuals on Library Mall. As UWPD officers arrived, the fight had stopped and there was no longer a disturbance. UWPD continued monitoring the area for safety.
Despite an earlier vow to not engage with protesters as long as the illegal encampments were on campus, UW Madison “campus leaders” had been doing just that for more than a week. The protesters walked away from the cosplay negotiating table, however. Leaving the “campus leaders” looking more foolish than ever.
Pro-Palestine protesters, UW-Madison leaders at an impasse | The Cap Times
Pro-Palestinian protest organizers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and university leaders said Wednesday that they were at an impasse over the group’s demands for divestment and transparency and the administration’s insistence that protesters break up an encampment on Library Mall that’s entered its second week.
Organizers and administrators shared proposals with each other in recent days, they said, before protesters walked out of a meeting on Wednesday. While the two groups have not yet reached an agreement, both said they are open to further discussions. A meeting is possible on Thursday, according to the university.
The protesters’ proposal outlines specific steps they want to see UW-Madison take to divest from “unethical practices” and provide investment transparency in the future and during the ongoing war in Gaza. They also circulated an open letter, which they asked people to sign in support.
…In the university’s proposal, administrators reiterated that they lack “any direct authority over how the University of Wisconsin Foundation’s endowment is invested and whether investment decisions made by others are disclosed.”
Down at UW-Milwaukee, the Chancellor has allowed the encampments to grow (and be reinforced with a wooden barrier) since the first tents popped up at the start of last week. But he, too, seems shocked that his permissiveness has not led to the protesters’ acquiescence.
UW-Milwaukee protests, some demands ‘impossible’ to meet: chancellor | Fox 6
Protesters want the university to cut all ties with Israel, but UWM Chancellor Mark Mone said in a statement on Wednesday that some demands are “legally impossible” for the university to meet.
Mone also said action will be taken soon if the encampment does not end.
“Asking protesters to end the encampment in no way equates to asking protesters to be silent,” Mone’s statement read, in part. “On the contrary, our actions have shown how much UWM encourages and supports everyone’s right to make their voices heard. This will not change.”
A bit farther south, in Racine, Microsoft made a monumental jobs announcement. While they partnered with the White House in the middle of a hotly contested presidential campaign in making the announcement, there was very little new federal involvement in the project.
Thanks to infrastructure investments made by the state, Racine County and the Village of Mount Pleasant years ago, the site off of I-94 was attractive to such a large scale operation. Yesterday’s announcement comes on top of an earlier project announced by Microsoft. All total, it will be a $3.3 billion endeavor and bring thousands of construction jobs in the next few years and thousands more to Microsoft once the project is complete.
First, Microsoft will invest $3.3B between now and the end of 2026 to expand its national cloud and AI infrastructure capacity through the development of a state-of-the-art datacenter campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. The project is expected to bring an influx of 2,300 union construction jobs to the area by 2025, as well as providing long-term employment opportunities over the next several years. This new infrastructure will help enable companies in Wisconsin and across the country to develop, deploy and use the world’s most advanced cloud services and AI applications to grow, modernize and improve their products and enterprises.
Along with building a physical data center, Microsoft will partner with Gateway Technical College to build a Data Center Academy to train and certify more than 1,000 students in five years to work in the new data center and IT sector jobs created in the area.
…Second, to help build a thriving regional AI innovation economy, Microsoft will establish a manufacturing focused AI Co-Innovation Lab on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the first of its kind in the United States. This lab will connect Wisconsin manufacturers and other companies with Microsoft’s AI experts and developers to design and prototype AI and cloud solutions to improve and accelerate their work and grow their business. This lab will aim to serve 270 Wisconsin companies by 2030, including 135 manufacturing businesses.
The lab will connect with TitletownTech in Green Bay, which was co-founded in 2017 and is funded in part by Microsoft and the Green Bay Packers. Microsoft and the Packers are similarly partnering to help fund the new lab in Milwaukee, which will be staffed in part by Microsoft AI experts and venture experts from TitletownTech.
…Third, reflecting the critical role of education and training in AI transformation, Microsoft will partner with United Way Wisconsin, United Way Racine, and other community partners, to upskill more than 100,000 people across Wisconsin by 2030 on generative AI. This curriculum will help train residents to use new applications, including Microsoft Copilot, a suite of Microsoft AI services that enhance productivity and creativity.
In addition, Microsoft will work with Gateway Technical College to train and certify 3,000 local AI software developers and provide opportunities for 1,000 local business, civic and government leaders to participate in immersive bootcamps where they can learn how to effectively adopt generative AI into their organizations.
…And finally, a strong and vibrant economy isn’t possible without a strong and vibrant community. That’s why Microsoft will invest in a series of long-term local education and youth employment programs to support the very community that is supporting us.
In partnership with the Racine Unified School District (RUSD), Microsoft will work with Girls in STEM to expand its program to two additional RUSD middle schools. This expansion will provide access to STEM education for more than 500 middle school-aged girls over the next five years. Working with Racine County, Microsoft will support their Summer Youth Employment Program, matching at least 125 young people (16-18 years old) with local employers to receive soft skills and on the job training annually.
Microsoft will also continue to distribute Equity Through Technology and STEAM Grant Funds to the more than 12,000 people across Racine County engaged in United Way programs. Announced in 2023, these grants help local nonprofits address disparities and support under-resourced communities through the use of technology. Through investment and partnerships with local community organizations, Microsoft will look to contribute to a thriving and growing Southeastern Wisconsin, helping support a community where opportunity is available for everyone
The Foxconn deal did not pan out as anyone had hoped. However the tax incentives were tied to job growth, so the state was not on the hook when the jobs did not pan out. The state and local governments did invest heavily in roads and utility infrastructure however. Fortunately that investment wasn’t project specific and created a site that could attract such large projects like the ones Microsoft will now bring to Wisconsin.
Unlike the fantasy land of the campus tent cities, this long-term vision was based in reality. The projects may lean heavily into the development of artificial intelligence, but they will result in real jobs and real tech innovation.
Meanwhile the Hamas Glampers on campus think they will impact world events by skipping their final exams.
Let’s just hope they don’t disrupt the graduation ceremonies this weekend. Many who will receive a diploma on Saturday were denied a proper high school graduation because of the COVID lockdowns. It would be awful if their big day was ruined by the petulant protesters who have been coddled by the feckless ‘campus leaders’ in Madison and Milwaukee.
We’ll keep you posted.
