UW System is currently in the process of
revising two of its administrative rules in order to bring them
into line with a
Board of Regents policy protecting freedom of expression.
Board of Regents policies are amended with
a majority vote at a single board meeting and do not have the
force of law; however, administrative rules do have the force of
law and are amended through a lengthy process that involves
public hearings, review by the Governor’s Office, and a passive
review process by the legislature’s Joint Committee for Review
of Administrative Rules (JCRAR).
UWS 18 deals with conduct on university property and
UWS 17 deals with the adjudication process for students who
are accused of violating non-academic university rules.
UW System
recently held a public hearing on the scope statement that
highlights their intention to revise UWS 17, unfortunately very
few people testified.
UW System is currently collecting written
public feedback on the
UWS 17 scope statement until Tuesday, August 20. I
highly encourage anyone who believes UW System could do a better
job protecting freedom of expression to
submit written comments before the deadline.
UW System will begin drafting a revision to
UWS 17 soon and hopes to wrap up the drafting process by
February 2020 so the regents can hold a public hearing on it
before they vote on the new rule in either March or April, after
which the rule would go to the governor and legislature. The
legislature does have the option to hold a hearing and full vote
on the rule if it makes it to this stage.
This week Reps. Horlacher, Vos, and I also
reintroduced a bill to implement important protections for
freedom of expression on University of Wisconsin campuses.
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