TAA Condemns Conservative Think Tank Attack on Diversity at UW-Madison

Joining with other campus organizations, the Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA) condemns the Center for Equal Opportunity’s attack on what they falsely claim to represent—equal opportunities for all students. The TAA strongly supports the diversity efforts of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its holistic admission policies.

TAA members will be joining with other campus groups at 6 p.m. today on Bascom Hill to rally in support of diversity at UW-Madison.

In reality, African American and Latino students remain underrepresented on the UW-Madison campus. In the fall 2010 semester African American students made up only 2.84 percent of the undergraduate student body.  In addition, only 3.87 percent of undergraduate students identified as Hispanic in fall 2010 (UW Data Digest 2010-11, p. 6).

“Students of color living in Wisconsin already have the odds stacked against them,” said Alex Hanna, TAA Co-President. “As a university and a state, we must stand united to fight attacks from organizations like CEO to ensure that quality public education is accessible to everyone.”

All students, regardless of their background, benefit from a diverse student population. Diversity enriches the UW-Madison campus and students’ ability to enact the Wisconsin Idea of improving quality life beyond the classroom in their communities throughout the state.

“Diversity is a necessary condition to promote the never-ending process of sifting and winnowing that makes UW-Madison an exemplary university,” said TAA Co-President Adrienne Pagac. “To answer this call to discover truth, we must do everything we can to ensure that a multiplicity of opinions, perspectives, and experiences are represented on campus.”

The Teaching Assistants’ Association is the oldest graduate employee union in the world and represents nearly 3,000 graduate employees at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 13, 2011

Contact:

Adrienne Pagac, TAA co-president, 608-772-4103, adrienne.pagac@gmail.com

Alex Hanna, TAA co-president, 608-466-0790, alex.hanna@gmail.com