Eric Wilcots on Racism and Protests by UW-Madison Students

ALSO MOUND TO OBEY THE LAW.

DESPITE THAT, MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED A PETITION CALLING FOR THE STUDENT IN THE RACIST VIDEO TO BE EXPELLED.

HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS INTERIM PROVOST ERIC WILCOTS.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

>> MY PLEASURE.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> TELL US WHY THE UNIVERSITY CANNOT DISCIPLINE THIS STUDENT.

>> IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND ONE WE GET A LOT.

I KNOW FOLKS ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE ANSWER, BUT LET ME POINT A COUPLE OF THINGS.

ONE IS WITH FEDERAL LAW, PARTICULARLY SOMETHING CALLED FERPA, WE CAN'T SPEAK ABOUT THAT INDIVIDUAL CASE.

THE OTHER THING IS WE HAVE SEEN CASES AFTER CASE, AND IT'S REALLY ESTABLISHED CASE LAW OF INSTANCES AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY WHERE THIS KIND OF SPEECH, AS ABHORRENT AS IT IS, AS HORRIBLE AS IT IS, IS PROTECTED SPEECH UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT.

BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO GET -- ACT ON THIS, EVEN THOUGH THIS SPEECH IS ABSOLUTELY HORRID BECAUSE IT IS PROTECTED SPEECH UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT OF THE COUNTRY.

>> BLACK STUDENT LEADERS TOLD US THAT THEY WERE DISAPPOINTED IN THE RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION BY THE CHANCELLOR.

AS IT DIDN'T FEEL, THEY SAID, LIKE A CALL TO ACTION.

WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?

>> I THINK THE CHANCELLOR'S COMMUNICATION AND RESPONSE STARTED OUT FIRST BY SHE AND THE ENTIRE LEADERSHIP TEAM ARE DEEPLY, DEEPLY HURT BY THIS.

THIS IS HA ABHORRENT, AND WE DO APOLOGIZING TO THE STUDENTS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE OFFENDED BY THIS.

THIS IS HORRIBLE.

SUSTAIN THAT, THEN WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN DO GOING FORWARD TO BE BETTER?

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE AS A CAMPUS, IF WE REALLY DEDICATED TO, PARTICULARLY OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF GREAT DIRECTIONS IN THIS SPACE.

I WANT TO POINT TO THE REBECCA M. CENTER, THE CENTER THAT WE HAVE, SO WE'RE MAKING STEPS.

WE HAVE INCREASED THE DIVERSITY OF THE STUDENT BODY OVERALL OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND I DEEPLY RECOGNIZE.

I'VE BEEN ON THIS CAMPUS 27 YEARS.

WE HAVE NOT MADE GREAT PROGRESS IN INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF BLACK STUDENTS ON OUR CAMPUS AND WE NEED TO DO BETTER AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS DOING BETTER.

SO WE ARE MAKING STEPS.

THE STUDENTS HAD -- IN THEIR DEMANDS A SET OF ISSUES WHERE WE AS CAMPUS LEADERSHIP REALLY WANT TO SIT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT HOW CAN WE MOVE FORWARD ON A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN AND THAT'S THE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE GOING FORWARD.

>> YOU JUST SPOKE ABOUT THE KIND OF LACK OF DIVERSITY, PARTICULARLY DIVERSITY OF BLACK STUDENTS.

ON THIS CAMPUS AND SYSTEM-WIDE, SYSTEM-WIDE, IT SITS AT SOMETHING LIKE 2.9% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION.

SO HOW DO YOU CHANGE THAT?

>> WITH A LOT OF HARD WORK, AND I THINK SOME OF THAT HARD WORK HAPPENS ON OUR ADMISSION SIDE, ON OUR OUTREACH INTO DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES TO RECRUIT STUDENTS TO COME TO UW MADISON.

PART OF THAT IS OUR ABILITY TO BRING SCHOLARSHIP AND OTHER DOLLARS TO THE TABLE TO TAKE THAT FINANCIAL CONCERN OFF THE TABLE, TO BE ABLE TO RECRUIT STUDENTS.

PART OF THAT IS WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMMING DO WE HAVE, WHAT KIND OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS DO WE HAVE THAT EXCITES STUDENTS ABOUT BEING HERE.

I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ABOUT TO JUMP IN.

>> I WAS GOING TO ASK, IS PART OF THAT THE CULTURE.

>> PART OF THAT IS THE CULTURE.

IF YOU LISTEN TO MNOOKIN'S WORDS, A CLEAR FOCUS ON WHAT SHE IS CALLING FLOURISHING, AND THAT IS THAT NOTION THAT WE ALL BELONG AT UW MADISON, REGARDLESS OF OUR RACE AND ETHNICITIES, TO GET THAT SENSE OF FLOURISHING.

HOW DO WE DOOR THAT?

HOW DO WE BEGIN TO CHANGE MINDS?

AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS EMERGED OVER THE PAST 48 HOURS, AND I'VE SEEN A LOT OF EMAIL FROM DIFFERENT ACADEMIC UNITS ON CAMPUS DOING A BIT OF THAT SELF-REFLECTION, SAYING, OKAY, WHAT IS IT THAT WE NEED TO BE DOING WITHIN OUR PARTICULAR UNIT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CLIMATE, OUR CULTURE IS ONE THAT IS WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE OF ALL.

>> HOW MUCH DOES THIS KIND OF THING SET ALL OF THAT BACK?

>> IT'S A DING.

IT'S A DING.

WE WILL HAVE TO -- IT'S A STEP BACK WASHED.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP CHARGING FORWARD AND I THINK WE'RE ALL DEDICATED TO DOING THAT.

I'VE BEEN A DEAN FOR THE LAST FOR YEARS, BUT ON CAMPUS FOR 27 YEARS.

I'VE SEEN IN MY COLLEAGUES A REAL COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO NOT JUST THAT DEXTROMETHODEMOGRAPHICS,IT'S EAE OUR NUMBER, BUT HOW DO WE MAKE SURE WE'RE CHANGING THAT CULTURE.

>> I WANTED TO GET YOUR REACTION TO THE IDEA THAT THE REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE WOULD LIKE TO ELIMINATE CAMPUS DIVERSITY OFFICE IN RETURN FOR STATE FUNDING.

>> I THINK THAT'S A HORRIBLE IDEA, AND I THINK THIS INCIDENT PROVES THE NEED THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON MAKING SURE OUR CAMPUSES ARE OPEN AND WELCOMING FOR EVERYBODY AND THAT REQUIRES DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE IN THESE POSITIONS WHO ARE ALLOWING US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES AND THAT'S WHAT THESE ROLES CAN DELIVER FOR OUR CAMPUS AND