Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
AG needs to rule on new UW admissions policy
By Mary Lazich
Tuesday, Mar 20 2007, 12:24 PM
On February 9, 2007, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved a new admissions policy for freshmen students in the UW System that is very troubling. The policy uses race and ethnicity as factors in the process of selecting and rejecting applicants at 26 UW campuses. This policy is already in use for the fall 2007 semester.
I have signed on to a letter sent to Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen from several state legislators, requesting the Attorney General give a formal opinion on the new admissions policy.
In our letter, we state that the new policy is “a matter of grave concern to the families of Wisconsin” The policy approved by the Board of Regents includes both requirements and criteria to be used in a holistic review of every applicant to the UW System. The new policy specifically identifies the use of race and ethnicity as criteria in the decision-making process for admissions.
An admissions policy based on race and ethnicity may violate Wisconsin law. Wisconsin State Statute 36.11(3)(a) was established in 1973 and states:
36.11(3)(a)
(3) Admission of applicants.
(a) The board shall establish the policies for admission within the system and within these policies each institution shall establish specific requirements for admission to its courses of instruction. No sectarian or partisan tests or any tests based upon race, religion, national origin of U.S. citizens or sex shall ever be allowed in the admission of students thereto.
An admissions policy based on race and ethnicity may send the wrong message to parents and their children that classroom performance and student achievement are less important.
In our letter, we told Attorney General Van Hollen, “This matter needs your urgent review, since applicants will soon be receiving decision notifications from the UW System. It is clear that under the new policy, some applicants will be denied admissions and others will be admitted based on their race and ethnicity. The new UW System admissions policy will harm students and families based on factors completely outside of their control, namely race and ethnicity.”
Any application process for the UW System must be fair and balanced. The new policy approved by the Board of Regents and now in place for the fall 2007 semester is unfair and unbalanced and should be struck down.
