To the editor,

While I hate to see pay raises for my colleagues in the UW-System so unjustly blocked by a backward thinking Wisconsin Republican legislature, I applaud the vote of the UW Board of Regents in turning down the deal that to end the block, they would be required to freeze hiring for diversity positions, drop an affirmative faculty hiring program at the UW-Madison, and create a position at Madison focused on conservative thought.

To Speaker Robin Vos in particular, shame on you. You are willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get your way. I have spent my career as a UW-River Falls professor seeking to educate my students to think, appreciate diversity, and take advantages of all the educational opportunities we offer. I’ve especially worked hard to teach my students about the systemic racism underlying our socioeconomic structures and the disparities in all areas of education, employment, income, housing, healthcare, and criminal justice. Knowing their marginalized positions, I’ve sought to highlight opportunities for students of color to study abroad and overcome the constraints leaving them far underrepresented. My research has been used as a model across the country.

Conservatives suggest there is some evil conspiracy resulting in generally progressive faculty members. In fact, it is quite a bit more basic—university faculty have higher educational levels. As we become more educated, we become more open-minded and enlightened. We become critical thinkers and reject the simplistic thinking of those who “don’t like them illegals,” believe affirmative hiring is unimportant, and espouse replacement theory (“poisoning our blood”—a term not coined by Trump, just borrowed from Hitler).

Today in Wisconsin, and tomorrow in our nation, don’t be fooled by the fools who lack the education and intelligence, or the plain common decency, to tell the truth and seek the good of all.

Dr. Jacqueline Brux

Town of River Falls