On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Student Association (SA) met to hear from Dr. Heather Walder and Dr. Melanie Cary on UW System general education (gen-ed) requirement changes, swear in new senators and discuss a proposed resolution to uphold diversity, equity and inclusion at UWL.
Dr. Walder from the Archaeology and Anthropology Department and Dr. Cary from the Psychology Department spoke for SA as concerned UWL faculty members in the wake of UW System-wide changes to gen-ed requirements.
A proposed policy, yet to be approved by the Board of Regents, requires that all UW universities have gen-ed requirements totaling just 30 to 36 credits. It also introduces a category system that all gen-ed courses must fit into. UWL currently has a 42-credit gen-ed program, which means several courses would have to be dropped from the curriculum.
Walder said that, as it stands now, universities can set their gen-ed requirements based on what is best for their students and on the expertise of professors. Just this year, the General Education Committee redesigned and implemented UWL’s gen-ed curriculum.
According to Walder, campuses across the state have been raising awareness of how the changes could negatively impact students and faculty. On Oct. 15, the UWL Faculty Senate passed a resolution “to protect the integrity of faculty control over the curriculum,” to oppose the changes formally.
“We see that this is being done in such a way that it is circumventing the shared faculty governance over our curriculum, which is supposed to be defined by the chancellor in coordination with the faculty. That’s what the state law says,” said Walder.
The proposed categories don’t exactly accommodate some of the courses in the current curriculum, such as global cultures, history, first-year seminar and foreign language, and limit the kinds of categories universities can offer, Walder explained.
She said, “We will be designing student learning outcomes to fit into these different categories and our wonderful [General Education] Committee is trying to figure out how to adapt our new gen-ed program to fit these ‘buckets’.”
Cary continued, “Nothing can be added at any university to individualize it to their university.”
Walder expressed concern over the speed of the edits and the lack of faculty input and university individuality. With that, the two opened to questions.
Senator Avery Ladd-Winders asked what the SA body can do to assist, apart from passing a resolution like the faculty senate did. Walder responded that concerned students and student groups should contact the Board of Regents and their representatives to share why they believe the changes would be harmful.
Next, Senator Alexis Rogness asked how the requirements would affect diversity and multicultural awareness on campuses if implemented. Cary answered that the provided categories don’t seem to support multicultural education, but that the General Education Committee is doing what it can to fit courses into the “buckets.”
Walder continued, stating that the changes to the gen-ed requirement are legally sketchy. 2025 Wisconsin Act 15, approved in July, requires UW-System universities to have a system that allows a student’s gen-ed credits to transfer when they change schools. According to Walder, that already exists.
She said, “This is being used as an excuse to redesign the gen-ed programs, and that begs the question: Why? The why, I think, is because some of these courses have been deemed ‘woke’ … and that may be a reason that the ‘buckets’ look the way they do … If I had to talk about the impact that it will have on our ability to teach those courses, I would say that it will limit that.”
Further, she said, “The fact that administrators are trying to tell us that we can’t set the curriculum as faculty at our university goes against Wisconsin state statutes … The Board of Regents can set a policy, but they can’t set the curriculum. And what they are trying to do here is set the way we define our curriculum.”
Senator Brady Horstmann asked whether, under the changes, discontinuing the first-year seminar requirement would result in any faculty members losing their positions. Walder answered that Instructional Academic Staff (IAS) faculty members in non-tenure-track positions would be the most vulnerable. If the policy reduced the required number of gen-ed credits from 42 to 36, she estimates that 15 to 20 IAS faculty members would lose their positions.
“Losing these gen-ed courses and losing the faculty who care about them, and who teach them, is detrimental for students who want to learn more about the world around them … That’s the whole point of gen-ed, to broaden you as a person. And so the loss of faculty who do that broadening is actually super concerning,” said Walder.
Once Dr. Walder and Dr. Cary gave their final remarks, SA moved on to officer reports. In Vice President Cisco Garcia’s report, he said he brought the petition to restore wellness weekend to the attention of Chancellor James Beeby. He also discussed the UWL Emergency Fund as a helpful resource for anyone who may be struggling to access food during the government shutdown.
In new business, SA unanimously passed a resolution to appoint two new senators. The appointees, Liberty Sprain and Camden Rafftery, were sworn in.
Next, Rogness introduced her resolution titled, “SA2526-009: A Resolution Upholding Diversity and Inclusion as a Priority for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Governance.”
Rogness said, “This resolution serves as a collective affirmation from the student senate that inclusion is not only a value but a shared responsibility. One that calls us to listen, learn and stand together in fostering a more equitable and welcoming university environment for all.”
In the discussion of the proposed resolution, Ladd-Winders said he did not sponsor it because he believed it was repetitive and that some sort of action would be a better solution.
He said, “Love the sentiment, but are we able to turn it into something a little more actionable? Because it just feels like all this stuff is getting shoved down our throats and it’s only symbols. It’s not anything we’re taking direct action on.”
Senator Tamiaya Cornelius spoke next, saying, “I think, especially … in this current administration, a reminder of how the university is dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion is important … You can never remind someone too much.”
Senator Jolani Lujan agreed, “I feel like because of how diversity is under attack right now, that … a little goes a long way … We want people to feel like they belong and we want to speak up for underrepresented or marginalized students on campus.”
Rogness said that while she would love to collaborate on creating a more action-oriented resolution, that isn’t the purpose of this resolution.
“My resolution is mostly just a reminder to my constituents, to myself, to all of you, that what is a pillar will be a pillar regardless of the current climate – that diversity remains a priority,” said Rogness.
SA will further discuss and vote on this resolution in their next meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
