Regents’ gay marriage stance defends UW interests
by Bassey Etim
Tuesday, October 10, 2006

As UW System regents voted to formally oppose a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in Wisconsin, critics accused them of partisan meddling. These detractors ignore the responsibility of UW leaders to protect the interests of Wisconsin universities and promote stances based on sound academic research. The regents had no choice but to oppose regressive policy founded on false conclusions.

It is unusual for an academic body to take an official stance on a polarizing political issue, and at first glance it is easy to claim the university has crossed the line into campaigning. A joint release from state Representatives Steve Nass and Mark Gundrum accuses regents of providing political cover to Jim Doyle. They note that UW has made this stand despite “poll after poll” indicating Wisconsin support for the amendment. This is a deceptive argument because the question at hand is not what polls indicate, nor is it the responsibility of academics to abide by them. Rather, the UW System has a unique responsibility to promote decisions based on sound academic research, especially when it will impact UW’s ability to recruit and retain key faculty and staff. the rest