In this time of transition to a new leadership for the University of Wisconsin, Interim Chancellor David Ward must not forget about the principles of shared governance. By shared governance, we mean not only our right for our voices as students, faculty and staff to be heard, but to be respected in our decision-making power.
Many issues confront the campus community this year. We are in the midst of a search for a new chancellor. We are facing a new state budget that could make UW less accessible to students. We are in a battle to cut ties with Palermo’s Pizza, a business which has disregarded workers’ rights. We are in a pending lawsuit regarding students’ rights to allocate segregated fees – the list goes on.
Although all of these issues are very different, the theme that ties them together is that the decision-making power cannot rest within the top tiers of the university. The decisions must be made by all shared governance bodies on campus, including students.
In just a few weeks, Ward will be presented with the budgets the Associated Students of Madison, a body elected to represent the entire student body, has approved for student groups and other campus services. Last year, students’ decisions on many levels were blatantly disregarded. Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, a student group that has been on campus since 1989, had its budget drastically cut despite strong student approval. ASM voted down budgets for the Wisconsin Union and Recreational Sports but Ward overturned ASM’s decisions. These decisions indicate a lack of respect for student decision-making power on this campus. These budgets are not the only instances where shared governance has not been respected on this campus.Ward has ignored shared governance committees throughout his second tenure, such as the Labor Licensing Policy Committee’s recommendation to cut UW’s contract with Adidas Group.
We cannot let the voices of a few administrators be heard above the voices of the entire campus community. We cannot let the voices of UW Legal, the legal counsel for administration and not for students or faculty or staff, control the decisions that are made on this campus. We must defend our right to shared governance and defend our power as students.
This starts by making sure the chancellor, whether it is Ward or his successor, respects the decisions that have already been made about the allocation of segregated fees by students. This is a university governed together, not from the top. It is a university that should demonstrate its commitment to democracy by practicing it. Let’s put Adidas Group on notice as recommended by the advising committee on UW apparel contracts. Let’s join the boycott of Palermo’s Pizza as recommended by shared governance committees. Let’s listen to student leaders in ASM and fully fund WISPIRG.
Leland Pan ([email protected]) is a UW undergraduate and Dane County Board Supervisor for District 5. Charity Schmidt ([email protected]) is a UW Ph.D. student and Teaching Assistants’ Association co-president.
