Less than a day after Wisconsin residents voted to pass the controversial same-sex marriage and civil unions amendment, two Board of Regents members reacted by issuing statements of disappointment.
The two regents, board President David Walsh and Regent Chuck Pruitt, said the amendment's 59 to 41 percent passage sends the wrong message to current and potential faculty in the University of Wisconsin System.
"It's going to hurt us in recruiting," Walsh said in an interview Wednesday. "But we have a lot to offer, and I'm sure we can overcome it."
Walsh added UW must still focus on working to provide domestic-partner benefits to its employees. Their comments came just over a month after the regents controversially declared their opposition to the amendment in a formal resolution.
Pruitt, who chairs the regents' Business, Finance and Audit Committee, said his committee proposed the board's stance because of the amendment's future implications.
"It was our concern that [the amendment] might down the road restrict … domestic-partner benefits," Pruitt said in an interview Wednesday. "At this point, the amendment has passed, and I'm sure there will be a whole series of interpretation. We'll watch what happens there."
While Walsh was disappointed with the passage of the gay-marriage ban, he reacted considerably more favorably to the results of last night's gubernatorial race. According to Walsh, Gov. Jim Doyle's re-election over U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., is good for the UW System.
"It's very positive because Gov. Doyle has made an initiative to support the plans," Walsh said. "He has made a reinvestment — particularly with his Wisconsin Covenant program."
Doyle's Wisconsin Covenant plan would allow eighth graders in the state to sign a contract in which they pledge to maintain good grades and stay out of trouble in exchange for a guaranteed seat in a UW System school.
Throughout his campaign, Green criticized Doyle for allowing the regents — most of whom Doyle appointed — to approve a 50 percent tuition increase over four years while decreasing out-of-state tuition.
Pruitt praised Doyle's backing of regent initiatives, however, and said he looks forward to continuing to work with him.
"We obviously worked together with his office on the Wisconsin Covenant," Pruitt said. "We think we've got some important initiatives we'll work with him on."
Meanwhile, State Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, one of the Legislature's most outspoken critics of the Board of Regents, said though Green lost the governor's race, he hopes the regents will hear taxpayers' calls for tuition reform and increased communications with the state Legislature.
"I would hope that the regents receive the message loud and clear that taxpayers are frustrated with tuition increases and want real reform at the UW," Suder said.
Regents meet today and Friday
Walsh, Pruitt and the rest of the board will be gathering today in Van Hise Hall for their monthly meeting.
"We're going to do a couple things," Pruitt said of his committee. "We'll talk about the challenges of academic staff recruitment and retention as well as competitive salary and how our salary structure and system compares to the national market."
Pruitt said it's "too early to tell" whether the passage of the gay-marriage amendment will have a direct effect on the university's ability to recruit and retain quality staff.
Walsh said the board will also get a report on charter schools and another from the dean of the UW Medical School on Milwaukee initiatives. The board also plans to partly address the compensation of three UW System chancellors.
In addition, today from 3:30 to 5 p.m. the regents and the UW System will be holding their annual Forum on Public Investments. The forum is open to the public and will be held at 4151 Grainger Hall.
