University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley discussed issues surrounding the Labor Licensing Policy Committee, anti-war activity, diversity, animal research and his support of the Mifflin Street Block Party to take place May 7 at a press conference Thursday morning at Bascom Hall.
After a short digression where the chancellor defended the university’s record of graduating students in four years, Wiley addressed the friction the LLPC and his office have experienced as of late.
“There is a bit of a disagreement, but it’s not that we have any disagreement about the goals,” Wiley said, adding he always takes the recommendations of the advisory committee into consideration.
The comments come after he refused to sign a letter to UW licensees written by LLPC members during a meeting in March. Wiley stated he writes his own letters — no matter the significance — which prompted four committee members to resign their positions.
Though he said it is important to keep the university at the forefront of promoting good labor policies, he said some students “wildly exaggerate” what kind of influence one university has on the apparel industry.
UW sophomore and Associated Students of Madison Academic Affairs Chair Ashok Kumar, however, criticized the process Wiley takes to come to his decisions, calling the chancellor an “authoritarian.”
“He’s disregarding the advisory committee that was put into place for a reason,” Kumar said in an interview, adding he believes the boards should be elevated into a place of direct influence over administrative decisions.
Kumar went on further to describe UW officials as sidestepping shared-governance state laws, but Wiley said during the press conference he believes and follows the idea of shared governance unique to the UW System.
Wiley said that after his office reorganized following Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Paul Barrows’ resignation to tend to family matters, he noticed the need to “ratchet up” efforts to increase diversity at UW.
“Diversity has to be one of the highest priorities for the university and the community,” Wiley said, adding “it’s very clear that” a good economy and ideas thrive in a diverse community.
Wiley also said the ability of military recruiters to stay on campus is a free speech and expression issue, and students should be allowed to make the decision to meet recruiters if they want.
The chancellor stayed on the topic of free speech, noting he expected some discussion of animal-research experiments and their necessity.
Wiley also pointed to professor John Webster’s research that will involve using Taser guns on pigs to survey their effects on the animals, saying the university must always go through a review of every experiment to be done on animals and follow all federal rules.
Wiley also put his support behind the city of Madison’s reserving May 7 — UW’s official study day, one day before final exams start — instead of April 30 for the annual Mifflin Street Block Party.
“I see no reason whatsoever why students who want to go to this party can’t go party responsibly, have a good time and still be in sufficiently good condition to take their final exams the next day,” Wiley said. “Anyone who’s left all their studying for the last day of the semester is in worse trouble than the Mifflin Street party [will inflict].”
