Let’s start by talking about diversity, inclusion, and equity in the broadest sense. Diversity is bringing a variety of voices to the table. Inclusion includes everyone in the discussion. Equity gives everyone an equal voice. Not too tough, right? So why is Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Voss withholding 32 million in funding from the University of Wisconsin System in the budget this year? This is the amount he estimated the system spends on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. His statements regarding DEI have been loud, misleading, and wrong.
Let’s talk about diversity funding and how it is used. Funding supports veterans, first generation college students, people with disabilities, women, LGBTQ+ people, and others. It supports veterans' centers, TRIO efforts, multicultural centers, and LGBTQ+ engagement and provides assistance for single parents and people who are food insecure or lack housing. Diversity initiatives support our community and provide a path for people to make a living, support their family, and be civically engaged. These initiatives give people an education and a voice. They make people matter.
Robin Voss wants to maintain the status quo. He is not interested in building others up. He is disillusioned in his belief that Wisconsin is “color blind” and is good the way it is. He is wrong and lacks a basic understanding of structural racism and bias.
All of this is occcuring while Wisconsin has a record budget surplus. This is clearly an idological issue, not a funding issue. It is also important to understand that this not driven by the institutions. All UW campuses seek to be diverse to serve everyone in their communities and build a place for everyone in Wisconsin.
If our system is going to work, we need to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table, that everyone’s opinion is heard, and that everyone has an equal opportunity to be engaged. We all need to work to understand other voices.
I attended a Stephen Covey boot camp years ago. I learned that I needed to “seek first to understand and then to be understood.” The people who represent us need to take this to heart.
I appreciate diversity and always have, though I have a better understanding of the value as I age. When I applied at UW-Stout last year, I was required to submit a diversity statement. In hopes of avoiding budget cuts, the UW-System President eliminated the ability for institutions to require diversity statements for certain jobs. Unfortunately, the gesture did nothing to prevent the cuts. Below is the diversity statement I submitted.
Understanding why we lack equity requires a knowledge of the stereotypes and actions that underlie structural racism and classism. Our history of slavery, segregation, disenfranchisement law, prejudice, Native American reservations and boarding schools, immigration and naturalization law, and internment camps continues to inflict great harm by excluding, disengaging, and delegitimizing women, people of color, LGBTQ people, immigrants, disabled and others who aren’t perceived as having value and aren’t welcomed at the table, in the boardroom, or in other places that decisions are made.
So how do I react? How do I think that individuals and institutions should respond to the lack of equity and inclusion? We must recognize that people have been excluded, know that they are valuable, and make sure they are included at the table, in the boardroom, and in all places where decisions are made. As a technologist, I believe that technology must engage and enfranchise diverse voices and perspectives from the get-go. Inclusion fosters creativity, innovation, productivity, resilience, and excellence. It is an institutional and moral imperative that those served by an organization be included in its leadership, policies, and practices. Only by working together can we build a future that engages everyone for the benefit of all.
In my role as an academic leader, I have a responsibility to act. I commit myself to the success of my organization by incorporating diverse groups of stakeholders to design, create, and support our systems, and building partnerships that foster equity and inclusion. We must also train ourselves to recognize the implicit bias in the systems we create. At one point, technology was perceived as a leveler that would ignore culture, religion, race, and experience to produce outcomes that were free of bias and benefitted everyone. This was wrong. In addition to being untrue – research has found a lot of bias in technology – our experiences are central to who we are. If they aren’t included, they can’t benefit us. We need to stop pretending our current systems are free of bias, and design and deploy systems that include the ideas and contributions of all our stakeholders if we are to have an atmosphere of equity, collaboration, and mutual respect.
I am committed to participating, networking, and learning. I am an active member of the EDUCAUSE Diversity Constituent Group and have formally signed their Commitment on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I have dedicated my time and resources to diversity, equity, and inclusion through the participation in book clubs, volunteering for LGBTQ+ causes, participating in online discussion groups, being a voice who reaches out to my representatives, and participating in EDI activities in the workplace whenever possible.
As a polytechnic university, University of Wisconsin-Stout is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the effort to create a more inclusive and equitable society. Through our work and the work of the students we impact, there exists an opportunity to engage in the creation and innovation of information technology systems, procedures, and policy that will shape the future.
I am excited to be part of UW-Stout’s commitment to investing in, and ensuring access to equitable, diverse, and inclusive learning, student living, and work environments. Our students are assets. We affirm their identities and lived experiences and provide spaces that are emotionally safe and reflect who students are. We are recognized and valued as thought leaders on equity and inclusion and feel empowered to lead as experts in the field. Again, inclusion fosters creativity, innovation, productivity, resilience, and excellence. I also know there is work to do and am committed to developing myself as an individual and working with others to foster inclusivity in all of my endeavors.
Diversity is critical to the future prosperity of our nation. While divesity can be complex, taking basic steps to enable public servants to effectively serve a diverse community is easy. Get your act together, Wisconsin.