Republicans grill top UW, DOA officials on DEI audit findings 

Top Universities of Wisconsin and Department of Administration officials defended their practices during a joint legislative hearing on audits of DEI within the university system and state agencies.

Meanwhile, Republicans during yesterday’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee hearing accused the UW of failing to live up to an agreement to curtail DEI and branded diversity efforts as discriminatory. 

GOP Rep. Dan Knodl noted the university had promised to eliminate DEI staff in exchange for financial priorities such as employee raises and funding for building projects.

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System President Jay Rothman responded that many of those staffers are still employed, but with a different position description. 

“So you may eliminate DEI programs, but you don’t eliminate the staff?” Knodl asked. 

UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said this was a “generalization,” and staff can be refocused to promote student success. 

The audit released earlier this month indicated that neither state agencies nor the UW track how much they spend on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The report by the Legislative Audit Bureau estimated costs to be in millions. 

UW last session made a deal with the Legislature last year to freeze DEI, realign positions to focus on academic and student success and to eliminate diversity statements in admissions in order to get state funding. 

The audit found UW had DEI-related positions not under the agreement. The overall number of positions was 167.8 as of May. That’s higher than the 123.3 filled positions of 144.6 total as of December 2023 when the deal was approved. 

Rothman argued UW had “exceeded” the terms of this deal, saying the university has 64.5 DEI-related positions, with 43.35 of which are supported by state GPR 

Committee Co-chair Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, said he’d heard there were many race-based scholarships at UW–Madison, and asked Mnookin whether that’s the case. 

Mnookin said the university previously considered race in admissions to a “modest degree,” but that is no longer the case following a 2023 federal court decision. 

“Nobody is getting a scholarship from UW-Madison on the basis of racial characteristics,” Mnookin said. “Race is no longer a direct consideration in any of those programs,” she added.

Wimberger said still UW is “an institution that spirals nonsense with the concept of inclusivity, because it’s all what they feel.” 

Rothman responded that UW is focusing on “freedom of expression,” “civil dialogue” and bringing students together from different backgrounds. 

Meanwhile, DOA Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld insisted the Evers administration is not hiring based on race or gender, arguing the DEI efforts outlined in the audit reflect the agency’s efforts to retain and attract employees. 

Republicans knocked Blumenfeld over the audit’s findings and the administration’s DEI policies. Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, noted the audit found agencies did not complete the majority of DEI-related actions the agencies said they would.

“I am encouraged by the lack of implementation of this based on just how discriminatory these DEI programs are,” Kapenga said. “It’s disgusting; it’s racist.” 

Rep. Sequanna Taylor, D-Milwaukee, pushed back on Kapenga’s remarks. 

“Diversity, equity and inclusion isn’t meant to be racist, it is meant to address things that have been racial inequities for years,” Taylor said. 

The audit released earlier this month indicated that neither state agencies nor the Universities of Wisconsin track how much they spend on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The report by the Legislative Audit Bureau estimated costs to be in millions. 

With Blumenfeld testifying, Kapenga said he didn’t understand how spending “millions of taxpayer dollars” on DEI had anything to do with retaining employees if DOA was not technically considering DEI in hiring. 

“There’s no benefits, just a ton of costs,” Kapenga said.

Wimberger challenged hiring efforts based on gender or race of employees. 

“Should the workforce end up like the composition of the state?” Wimberger asked Blumenfeld. 

Blumenfeld said the agency is trying to follow the law, which prohibits discrimination in hiring and requires agencies ensure equal opportunity for all candidates. 

The audit of state agencies found: two agencies spent an estimated $2.2 million in salary for 47 positions with DEI job duties; eight agencies spent $444,300 on actions listed in their action plans; 23 agencies spent an estimated $200,200 in salary for time spent attending DEI committee meetings; and agencies spent $705,300 for time spent attending DEI training. LAB said those costs can’t be simply added together because of some overlap.

The audit also found 89.2% of staff at 23 agencies completed equity and inclusion training required under Executive Order 59. However, the audit found the DOA did not fully comply with the order related to affirmative action plans and recommended agencies more regularly develop DEI action plans. 

Blumenfeld said she was concerned with the methodology of the audit, and the emphasis on Gov. Tony Evers’ 2019 executive order mandating certain DEI efforts. 

“Because EO 59 is built on existing programs and statutory obligations, these resources, costs and staff time cannot be fully attributed to the order,” Blumenfeld said. “Many of the activities covered in this report were already taking place under previous administrations and by state law.” 

She added that the costs within the audit may be “misconstrued,” and cited the example of Department of Workforce Development employees attending town halls with topics unrelated to the executive order. 

Blumenfeld pointed to the recommendations from the audit in her testimony, saying the audit actually suggested DOA lean into DEI efforts further with its action plan recommendation.