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Sellery among options for Amazon location By Madeline Heim THE DAILY CARDINAL
THOMAS YONASH/THE DAILY CARDINAL
In a highly visible moment during a semester filled with incidents of hate and bias, roughly 400 students walked out of class April 21 to protest UW-Madison Police Department’s arrest of Denzel J. McDonald.
Sims stretched too thin as university’s diversity, inclusion efforts falter Story by Peter Coutu Within the past year, protesters at UW-Madison have struggled to achieve change. Actually providing the change they strive for on campus can prove to be a similarly frustrating pursuit for administrators. The person whose job entails fighting for diversity and inclusionrelated activities at the university is Patrick Sims, the chief diversity officer at UW-Madison. In an article titled “What is a Chief Diversity Officer?” Damon Williams, a prominent researcher on the position, describes it as someone who always treats diversity as a top priority, “where others [in administration] work on issues of diversity as a matter of second or third priority.” The equity and inclusion committee chair for Associated Students of Madison during the 2015-’16 academic year, Mariam Coker, said many students do not realize the dynamic between Sims and the rest of senior administration on issues of diversity “Something that students need to realize with Patrick Sims’ position is that he is the only person at the
admin level dealing with these types of issues,” Coker said in an April 10 interview with The Daily Cardinal. “This work is impossible to get done with just one person.” In addition to dealing with other members of the university administration, Sims also said he has to contend with the general public, who usually have “extreme positions,” when discussing diversity. He said the result is a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation.
“Students need to realize with Patrick Sims’ position is that he is the only person at the admin level dealing with these types of issues.” Mariam Coker equity and inclusion committe chair Associated Students of Madison
“There are those who say, ‘The university is not doing enough [to help diversity], it’s crap.’ Then there are those who say, ‘The fact that [the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement exists] is crap and we’re a waste of taxpayer resources,’” Sims said in an April 11 interview with The Daily Cardinal. “I live in between both of those extremes, pulling on me very hard every day.”
Michael Thornton—professor of African-American Studies and director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service—said Sims often becomes a “lightning rod for all of the racial issues on campus,” even though his position has “relatively little resources, and especially little power.” Thornton went on to say he was asked to apply for the position during a previous vacancy, but he declined, explaining that he has too little patience for the irritation that comes with being a chief diversity officer. “I can only imagine the frustration they must feel when they really want to do something, but they have to get approval from their boss, who would often say, ‘We don’t have the resources for that,’ or ‘That’s too touchy of an issue,’” Thornton said. To combat the lack of funding for diversity initiatives, Sims, who heads the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement, said he has spent an increasing amount of time fundraising. “[Raising funds is] a new challenge that wasn’t even a part of the position description when I came on board, and now it’s taking up at least a third to 40 percent of my time,” Sims said.
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UW-Madison students could be grabbing their Amazon packages from Sellery Residence Hall, Memorial Library or the University Bookstore, among other new options, for the corporation’s oncampus pickup point, student leader Omer Arain said Sunday. The search for a new location follows a push from shared governance groups across campus to nix the site’s original placement in the historic Red Gym, which houses groups like the Multicultural Student Center, Study Abroad Resource Center, Morgridge Center for Public Service and LGBT Campus Center. Representatives from Amazon mentioned the possible new locations during a meeting last Wednesday with Arain—who serves as chair of the Associated Students of Madison’s Shared Governance Committee—and ASM Chair Carmen Goséy, as well as ASM Outreach Coordinator Matt Wulf and University Committee Chair Amy Wendt. Arain said although there is no strict timeline to be followed
for when the actual location will be chosen, he expects the campus community to be fully involved in the decision—something that did not occur before the initial selection of the Red Gym. “At this point, I do expect that shared governance groups, and also constituents in wherever [the pickup point] would go, I would imagine, are going to be consulted,” Arain said. The Amazon representatives also reportedly said student employees at the pickup point would be paid the campus minimum wage of $9, something Arain said he would hold the corporation accountable for once the site officially opens. Arain said he appreciates Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Laurent Heller’s effort in reaching out to shared governance groups on the issue, adding that he will meet with Heller later this week to talk about the next steps. “He was respectful of shared governance and included us in the process, even if it was after the fact,” Arain said. “He was open to meeting with us. I’m very happy about it.”
KATIE SCHEIDT/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Student leader Omer Arain (center) said new options for the Amazon pickup point include Sellery Residence Hall and the University Bookstore.
Mifflin will close Tuesday The 400 block of West Mifflin Street, which sits between North Broom Street and North Bassett Street, will close Tuesday for utility work. Corex Excavation & Construction, the company that will be doing the utility work, expects the closure to last from 8:30 a.m. through the end of the
workday, according to a City of Madison press release. The city is also encouraging motorists to use an alternate route. Pedestrians and bicyclists will have access to the street the entire time, in addition to Mifflin Street residents. However, parking will be restricted in the work area.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”