The UW System will restructure DEI positions at universities after a GOP threat. Will any jobs be lost?

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents backed a deal Wednesday on diversity positions and pay raises, reversing course on the plan it had rejected less than a week earlier.

While conservatives have labeled DEI offices as racially divisive and a waste of taxpayer money, campuses argue that DEI employees support students, such as veterans, students with disabilities and students of color.

The UW System Board of Regents voted 11-6 on Dec. 13 to approve the deal. UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and UW-President Jay Rothman agreed the deal was imperfect but said their commitment to diversity wouldn't waver under the plan.

What does this change mean for campus diversity efforts? How will admissions processes change? Here's what you need to know:

Will any diversity employees lose their jobs?

The UW System will reclassify a third of its DEI positions −43 employees −to areas with a primary focus on "academic and student sucess."

No one will lose their job, UW System President Jay Rothman has said.

Can UW campuses hire any more employees?

The UW System will freeze the total number of employees from 2024 through 2026, according to the deal.

Exceptions to the employee cap include faculty, as well as staff who support students or research. This means the freeze will apply primarily to administrative and DEI positions.

There's language allowing for the total number of positions at a particular campus to increase if student enrollment is growing. But that must be offset by a campus with declining enrollment to keep the total number the same throughout the three-year freeze.

Additionally, the deal allows UW-Madison to establish a new faculty position focused on conservative political thought, classical economic theory or classical liberalism. The job would be supported through donors, not taxpayer dollars.

How will campus diversity efforts change?

It's unclear at this point. Republicans have painted the deal as their first step in dismantling DEI programs on campuses. UW leaders have said their committment to diversity will remain a top priority.

In addition to restructuring DEI positions, the plan would end a UW-Madison hiring program at the end of this school year that has been used to diversify faculty ranks. The university will replace it with a different hiring program for faculty who've demonstrated their ability to work with underrepresented students.

Which campus buildings got funding?

The deal requires the Legislature to pony up nearly $200 million for a new UW-Madison enginneering building.

The $347 million project was the top priority across the UW system. The GOP decision to block it baffled the business community because the building would allow the College of Engineering to expand its capacity from 6,350 students to 7,500 students. About 8,550 students applied last year for one of 1,200 spots in the freshman class.

UW-Whitewater will receive $78 million to renovate two academic buildings, Winther and Heide Hall. Rothman said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Burlington, requested the project. Vos is an alumnus of the university.

The UW system would also receive $45 million in one-time money to demolish some aging facilities, and money to renovate three UW-Madison dorms − Kronshage, Jorns and Humpphrey halls.

The Legislature must approve the funding before the session ends in February.

When will UW employees get their pay raises?

A legislative committee must approve the pay plan by Dec. 31.

Employees will see a 4% bump in their salary backdated to July 1, 2023. They can also expect a 2% raise on July 1, 2024.

How will UW admissions process change?

The deal would guarantee UW-Madison admission to the top 5% of Wisconsin high school students and guarantee admission to other UW campuses to the top 10% of in-state students.

Also under the plan, diversity statements would be removed from the student application process.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How far will Wisconsin GOP go to end UW System DEI efforts?