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TAA Resolution on Legal Protections for Caste-Oppressed Communities

TAA UW-Madison Posted on November 4, 2021 Posted in General, International Students, Resolutions
Heading: TAA in bold with letters overlapping, Graduate Worker Union of UW-Madison | 520 University Avenue, Suite 220, Madison, WI 53703 taa@taa-madison.org | www.taa-madison.org November 3, 2021 Whereas, South Asia has various legal and institutional measures aimed at protecting caste-oppressed communities since caste-based oppression is a serious problem in the region; Whereas, caste-based discrimination also occurs within the South Asian diaspora, footnote 1, there are no legal protections for caste-oppressed communities in most countries (such as the United States) because caste is not recognized as a category distinct from religion, ancestry, race etc.; Whereas, this lack of legal protections allows for caste-based discrimination within South Asian diaspora in institutions in the US, as evident in the case of the Silicon Valley company Cisco recently; footnote 2 Whereas, a third of students in the US belonging to caste-oppressed communities reported being discriminated against during their education; footnote 3 Whereas, the number of students from India – most populous South Asia country – in the United States exceeded 200,000 in 2018 (constituting 18% of all international students) and is expected to continue growing; footnote 4, currently there are 796 students and 258 staff from South Asia at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; footnote 5, Whereas, at least one educational institutions in the United States has started including caste as a protected category, footnote 6, but currently, caste is not listed as a protected category, in the non-discrimination policy of University of Wisconsin; footnote 7 Whereas, on February 9, 2021, the Associated Students of Madison (ASM) voted to act on a resolution with similar requests; footnote 8 The Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA), the graduate worker union of UW-Madison, per the recommendation of the Stewards’ Council, do enact as follows: Therefore, be it resolved, the TAA requests that the Regent Policy Document 14-6 “Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation” of the University of Wisconsin System be amended to include “caste” along with the categories already outlined in the section on “Students,” namely, “race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, marital or parental status;” Therefore, be it further resolved, TAA requests that the Regent Policy Document 14-6 “Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation” of the University of Wisconsin System be amended to include “caste” along with the categories already outlined in the section on “Employees,” namely, “race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, marital or parental status, genetic information, arrest record, conviction record, military service, veteran status, use or nonuse of lawful products off the employer’s premises during nonworking hours, declining to attend a meeting or participate in any communication about religious matters or political matters;” Therefore, be it further resolved, TAA requests that efforts be made to understand caste-based oppression within the University of Wisconsin, such as by including relevant questions on caste in the Campus Climate Survey, doing townhall and listening sessions, etc.; Therefore, be it further resolved, TAA requests that efforts be made to institute fellowships, scholarships and other affirmative action measures to support students and staff in University of Wisconsin from caste-oppressed communities, Therefore, be it finally resolved, TAA requests for the UW–Madison administration to meet with the TAA International Student Caucus to discuss this matter. footnote 1: https://www.equalitylabs.org/caste-in-the-united-states footnote 2: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-07-02/california-sues-cisco-bias-indian-caste-system footnote 3: “Caste-oppressed” is a broad term, and here it refers to “Dalits,” the formerly “untouchable” caste in the lowest rung of the caste hierarchy. The statistic is taken from Equality Labs report: https://www.equalitylabs.org/caste-in-The-united-states footnote 4: https://in.usembassy.gov/number-of-indian-students-in-the-united-states-surpasses-200000-for-first-time/ footnote 5: “South Asia” is defined here as Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Data obtained from: https://tableau.wisconsin.edu/#/views/UW-MadisonEnrollmentReport-Preliminary/InternationalStudents?:iid=4 and https://tableau.wisconsin.edu/#/views/InternationalFacultyandStaffProfile_0/ByVisaType?:iid=5 footnote 6: https://www.brandeis.edu/human-resources/policies/discrimination/caste-statement.html ; also see https://www.brandeis.edu/president/letters/2019-12-17-adding-caste-to-our-nondiscrimination-harassment-policy.html footnote 7: https://www.wisconsin.edu/regents/policies/discrimination-harassment-and-retaliation footnote 8: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JwR6Z3GFscGF0MmYJAjRYzchnvNKGQkp/view

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