The University of Wisconsin Associated Students of Madison met Wednesday to discuss new resolutions, including a motion in support of local workers’ efforts to repeal Wisconsin Act 10, to pass a permanent hold on the committee’s “Hate Speech Isn’t Free” legislation and rename its Equity and Inclusion Committee.
In recent weeks, ASM has had difficulty meeting the quorum — the minimum number of members present required to vote on legislation. When it appeared that Wednesday’s session lacked the necessary attendees, ASM Chair Kevin Jacobson said he would be asking members not in attendance during the next few meetings to resign. After a short delay, another representative was called in and the meeting was able to begin.
During open forum, SSFC Rep. Shia Fisher apologized for his conduct during last Thursday’s Student Services Financial Committee meeting, where he and Rep. Ryan Thiele got into a heated debate about policy and recently appointed committee members, resulting in the meeting adjourning early when decorum could not be maintained.
“I acted in an unproductive, unprofessional manner and I let everyone down,” Fisher said.
ASM then voted to indefinitely table its “Hate Speech Isn’t Free” bill which calls for improvements to the UW’s policies on hate speech. After initially being introduced on Dec. 6 2023, this legislation has been debated and postponed at multiple ASM meetings this semester.
Created in response to racist incidents that took place on campus last spring, the legislation called on administrators to remove the phrase “Hate speech is free speech” from first-year instructional materials, and take a more active role in outlining the University’s opposition to hate speech.
ASM Secretary Jess Harlan, a cosponsor of the proposed legislation, said the aforementioned language has since been removed from “Our Wisconsin” curriculum, and said ASM’s Equity and Inclusion Committee will continue to work with UW officials to address some of the other issues mentioned in the bill.
“My intention is to move in a different direction and talk directly with administrators to see if we can align our stance on hate speech with other Big Ten schools through meetings, rather than trying to force something through legislation,” Harlan said after the meeting.
ASM also unanimously passed legislation renaming the Equity and Inclusion Committee to the Equity, Justice, and Belonging Committee, as well as unanimously voting in support of legislation expressing support for workers looking to overturn Wisconsin Act 10. Passed in 2011, Act 10 limits collective bargaining rights for public sector employees, preventing them from advocating better working conditions and wages.
The ASM resolution holds that the council will “promote the fundamental right of organization, assembly, and unionization wherever possible,” according to its text.
ASM’s next meeting will take place after spring recess, April 3 in the hearing room at the Student Activity Center on East Campus Mall at 6:30 p.m.
