University of Wisconsin La Crosse Chancellor, Joe Gow held an open forum handling questions from both UW-L faculty and the students. The event gave all an opportunity to hear about new developments currently affecting the school, as well as how they will impact the future.

Topics covered ranged from the search for a new university provost, to budget cuts, building developments, and student inclusion on campus.

The search for a new provost had been narrowed down to five candidates. With the departure of Dr. Paula Knudson, the search for a new Dean of Students has begun.

The recent budget cuts and newly proposed state budget were a popular topic as well. Infrastructure repairs have become a focal point of Governor Scott Walker’s new budget, and the money associated with them has greatly taken away from other state funded areas such as universities.

“Politically it’s a challenge for us because I think the average person would rather finish a road than add a building onto a UW campus,” explained Gow.

The priorities of the university don’t always align with interests in Madison, as the budget encompasses so many aspects that affect residents of Wisconsin. With several organizations vying for state allocated money, UW-L often is forced to wait in line.

Gow reminded attendees that even without necessary funds, the university is still developing and transforming its campus to the best of its’ capabilities. The construction of the new science building was noted to be ahead of schedule, with development on the third level already being started. The over 187-million-dollar project is expected to be completed in summer of 2018 as opposed to fall.

The need for more diversity and inclusion became a focal point towards the end of the forum. Numbers of enrolled international students had dropped from previous years. Gow proclaimed, “Last year at this time we had 180 international students, this year we have only 130, maybe a few less.” He noted that due to inflated prices for international students that replacing them with in-state or regional students simply was not sufficient, creating an issue the university needed to work on.

The conversation then shifted towards inclusion and safety of minorities after candid questions by attendees. Students hoped to hear what the chancellor would do to ensure safety of those who felt discriminated against. Gow and members from campus police spoke about issues such as hate crimes and hate incidents, and the challenges both can pose for a university in enforcing and intervening.

The Open Forums serve as an opportunity for student, staff and faculty to ask questions of Chancellor Gow. Look for more Open Forums to occur in the future and these issues to be further discussed.