GOP Bill Requires UW to Admit Top 5% Of All High School Graduates
Including from all other states. How would this impact Wisconsin's low-income students?
![Bascom Hall on the University of Wisconsin campus. Photo by Rosina Peixoto (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://urbanmilwaukee.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Bascom_Hall_in_Madison.jpg)
Bascom Hall on the University of Wisconsin campus. Photo by Rosina Peixoto (Own work) (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara described the top 5% of Wisconsin high schoolers as students who have “gone beyond the call of duty.” Rep. David Murphy (R-Greenville) added, “We must let our best students know that we need them, and that we want them in Wisconsin.”
Murphy and other GOP lawmakers said that they’ve been unable to get answers as to why certain top performing students in their districts were rejected by the UW-Madison. Murphy said he requested the admissions policy, and received a 50-page, largely redacted document, which he held up during the Wednesday press conference. “Wisconsin students and their parents deserve to know what is expected of them,” Murphy said. “ What are the standards to enroll at our flagship campus?”
Other legislators gave examples of high-performing students they said had been rejected by UW-Madison and chose to go to school out of state. Murphy, who chairs the Assembly’s colleges and university committee, said that the bill will get a “swift hearing” once it’s formally introduced. Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie), who co-chairs the committee, said that UW-Madison must be transparent in its admissions policies, and reform its enrollment policy to prioritize students from Wisconsin rather than “non-residents.”
While the bill is intended to help high schoolers from Wisconsin, O’Connor said that it would also apply to out-of-state students, under a provision that admits the top 5% of high schoolers nationwide. “We want to import the best and brightest from other people in other states,” he told reporters. With UW-Madison experiencing an affordable housing shortage for its students, the question arises whether the college would have space for the influx of students the bill may create. O’Connor said that the GOP legislators supporting the bill had not reached out to the university, but he’s confident UW could “make this happen.”
Murphy stressed that “Republicans believe in merit.” But he downplayed concerns about whether the bill would negatively impact low income students. “The state of Wisconsin spends more money in K-12 education in minority areas than we do in other areas,” said Murphy. “I understand that maybe there is more that we could bring to the table there. Definitely. One of the comments that I’ve made over the years is the real racial issue of our time is the poor education of minority students. And I think we do need to improve that. The issue, though, is we need to improve sooner.” Murphy said minority students need to be prepared before they enter college. Students who enroll in colleges that “don’t match their academic standards,” Murphy said, “fail at a tremendously high rate. So sticking a student in a place where he doesn’t match well, academically, is going to harm him, not help him very much.”
The bill to guarantee admissions for certain students comes as Republican legislators move to cut $32 million from UW-Madison in the current budget plan, and as other campuses close. Speaker Robin Vos has attacked the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts saying he’s embarrassed to be an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin System because of UW’s equity and inclusion programs. “This is probably to me the single most important issue that we are facing as a people, as a nation, and really, humanity,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said at the state Republican convention.
Republicans push bill to auto-admit top 5% of students to UW was originally published by the Wisconsin Examiner.
I don’t suppose there’s any funding attached to this bill, is there? These legislators want to micromanage everything, don’t they? Teaching reading. Women’s health. UW admissions. Local elections. The WEC. The DNR. Rule making for every agency.
They cannot accept that while they represent a majority of districts, they represent a minority position in the state. Talking to each other, they reinforce their warped views on so many issues. When asked for comment, they say the discussion is over or they have no comment.
This behavior would be simply pathetic if it weren’t so consequential for the state’s residents and economic future.
“Speaker Robin Vos has attacked the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts saying he’s embarrassed to be an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin System because of UW’s equity and inclusion programs. “This is probably to me the single most important issue that we are facing as a people, as a nation, and really, humanity,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said at the state Republican convention.”
Robin Vos is an embarrassment to the state for this absurd and deeply immoral statement. I suspect facts don’t matter to Vos and the only thing that matters is his grievance against all inclusion programs in the state and a measly scholarship program for minorities.
Facts; 2.23 % enrolled in UW system are Black or African American. 7.12% are Asian . 6.11 % are Hispanic or Latino, Two or more races 2.23% American Indian or Alaskan Native .0694% Native Hawaiian
WHITE : 64.6%
Apparently Vos thinks the percentage of white students should be higher? Probably.
So inclusion programs are the most important issue facing humanity? Perhaps within the white grievance bubble he’s created.
“While the bill is intended to help high schoolers from Wisconsin, O’Connor said that it would also apply to out-of-state students, under a provision that admits the top 5% of high schoolers nationwide. “We want to import the best and brightest from other people in other states,” he told reporters. With UW-Madison experiencing an affordable housing shortage for its students, the question arises whether the college would have space for the influx of students the bill may create. O’Connor said that the GOP legislators supporting the bill had not reached out to the university, but he’s confident UW could “make this happen.”
Correction : O’Connor backtracked from his desire to automatically admit every student in the USA in the top 5% percent of their class. That requirement would mean 186,000 students would have been guaranteed admission. Do these lawmakers ever think about the consequnces of their bills? Did O’Connor consult with the LAB.
O’Connor thinks this will reduce the brain drain of high-achieving students leaving for other states. Gee I wonder why they are leaving?
Could it be the constant cuts to the UW sytem like the $34 milion cut because Vos wants the universtiy to be less inclusive.
Or the refusal to fund a desperately needed new Engineering building.
How about the archaic abortion law the GOP has refused to address causing incredible confusion among doctors and the women they serve.
How about the dorm room availablity on campus because the GOP has refused to fund building of additional dorms on campus.
The bottom line – the GOP has created a political atmosphere due to their gerrymandering that has branded this state as regressive, non inclusive, anti teacher, anti union but pro voucher private school.
Why would a young person want to invest thousands in an education here knowing that they’ll probably not want to settle down in a state with so many negatives.
Don’t forget about our so called “right to work” law. This doublespeak law has suppressed wages making it difficult to attract the best and the brightest. Our neighboring states offer better wages, more amenities like public transit, quality health care, etc, resulting in companies looking outside of Wisconsin to locate. Voss and company may think the state welcomes businesses. In fact, Wisconsin doesn’t have what businesses need to attract knowledge workers. Forcing UW to solve the problems they created, is simply stupid arrogance.
I truly wonder if the republicans ever think about anything they propose?
I finished the article ruefully laughing so I wouldn’t cry.
Cut funding to upgrade dorms and build new ones.
Cut programs and drive top researchers to other universities – taking their research grant money with them; lowering the reputations of the University in the process.
Refuse to build a new Engineering building.
Sure sounds like the republicans want to attract ONLY the top students – all of whom have plenty of other opportunities for top tier educations. Ones that don’t include rotten housing and outdated infrastructure.
Do the republicans ever think before they speak or do they rely on everyone to have forgotten their previous and contradictory policies.
God help us because the republicans sure won’t.
The Republicans also cut funding for the Wisconsin Promise Program. This program paid for tuition and fees from students from families making $62,000 and less a year. The crass, cruel irony of this is that a student attending a choice school for their entire elementary and secondary school career would have easily received for a $100,000 in tuition payments. Once these same students enroll at UW, they are not useful for the Republicans in their efforts to undermine public education so they lose their value and get no support for tuition and fees.
Republicans have refused to allow tuitions increases at the UW- Madison campus. So the only recourse the University has is to enroll as many out of state students possible who generate more revue in tuition.
Tuition before aid for resident : -16 K
Tuition for nonresident: 55K
These Republicans in the legislature are the least educated bunch in the state’s history. I encourage any of them who may have been in the top 5% of their own high school class – to step forward. My guess is there may be three of four who meet this own test. We have people not qualified for admission to UW – Madison micro-managing it. That is why they do it so much. Small-minded and inferior in education, hammering away at the UW system makes them feel good. It’s sick and here we are.
ZeeMan — Your quote “These Republicans in the legislature are the least educated bunch in the state’s history.” — Do you have a source for that? Not questioning it — the clowns in the legislature prove their stupidity every day — just wondering if someone did some sort of survey of their educational “attainments.”