The smoke the UW-Milwaukee reaction to the pro-Hamas protests hasn’t cleared at all.
Looks like the haze is going to stick around for a while.
Let’s consider the Mark Mone watch well underway.
It’s fair to say his capitulation and outright embrace of the messaging of the tent city trespassers was not well received by many of his students, faculty nor the head of the UW System.
Well, it’s pretty clear it wasn’t UW System President Jay Rothman, as he made clear Tuesday afternoon on the social media platform X.
In a series of posts, Rothman expressed his concerns over UWM’s response to the pro-Hamas tent city squatters.
During the illegal encampments at our universities, I condemned the violation of law while expressing full support for the First Amendment.
Our universities must be committed to providing an environment where issues can be vigorously and passionately debated, but students must be free from harassment and intimidation.
We understand that the current situation is challenging, complex, and not subject to easy resolution. Our public universities have a responsibility to focus on the educational mission in support of all of our students and the state of Wisconsin.
Maintaining viewpoint neutrality on challenging public issues is critically important, especially in situations where students and other university stakeholders on multiple sides of an issue are in vehement disagreement
We also need to ensure that there is accountability and responsibility for actions taken on our campuses
I am disappointed by the course taken by UW-Milwaukee, and I am continuing to assess the decision-making process that led to this result.
In a joint statement, Hillel Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, and the Anti-Defamation League Midwest strongly criticized UWM Chancellor Mark Mone’s statement on the agreement with protesters and his stance on a complex issue.
They claim Mone has refused to meet with Jewish students over concerns of antisemitism and provided no meaningful support to those students.
“I think the reason you’re struggling to hear from Jewish students is because they’re scared. They do not want her face and names in the media because they’re feeling targeted,” Herman explained.
The State Senate was back in action Tuesday but their effort to override several vetoes may prove futile as Assembly Democrats could thwart any similar effort in that house.
On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted to override nine vetoes from Gov. Tony Evers, including the vetoes that scuttled PFAS clean-up money, millions of dollars that were earmarked for hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls and a plan that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to work more independently.
“The legislature has passed hundreds of bills to solve problems facing Wisconsin businesses and families. Most of these bills were signed into law, but many were vetoed by a governor more focused on politics than policies that help everyday Wisconsinites,” Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said Tuesday. “Overriding the governor’s obstructive vetoes is the last, best way to address these critical issues.”
The override votes came one day after Evers sued the legislature over nearly $200 million that is attached to some of his vetoes.
Most of that money is the $125 million that’s supposed to go toward PFAS clean up in Wisconsin.
“For the fifth time this legislative session, I voted to provide Wisconsin families with the largest investment in clean drinking water in state history – five more times than every Democrat legislator in this state combined. The bill that Gov. Evers vetoed (SB 312) would have created a grant program that targets this critical funding to areas of the state most heavily impacted by PFAS contamination while protecting innocent landowners from financial ruin,” Sen Duey Stroebel, R-Cedarburg, said.
Evers has accused the legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee of obstructing his plans to clean up Wisconsin’s drinking water, and of delaying his other actions across the state.
LeMahieu said Evers is simply playing the game.
“While Gov. Evers plays politics, the legislature will continue to do the right thing on behalf of the people of our state,” LeMahieu added.
Well, the Men’s basketball coaching position at UW-Green Bay wasn’t vacant for long.
Longtime basketball radio analyst Doug Gottlieb will make his college head coaching debut next season at Green Bay.
Green Bay announced Tuesday that Gottlieb will take over for Sundance Wicks, who left the Phoenix after one year to take over Wyoming’s program. Green Bay went 18-14 in Wicks’ lone season after posting a 3-29 record the year before his arrival.
Gottlieb will have his introductory news conference Wednesday morning.
Funny how universities like UW-Green Bay can make decisive actions regarding college athletics, but the chancellors at UW-Madison and Milwaukee dithered for weeks over the Hamas Glampers.
