The University Committee met Monday to hear from various University of Wisconsin leaders to discuss new committee resolution 3214 which condemns police violence taken against Pro-Palestine protestors last May. Committee members also discussed federal cuts to research grants and the U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague Letter released Feb. 14.

The resolution, sponsored by geography professor Keith Woodward, was first read at last week’s Faculty Senate meeting on March 3. The resolution outlines the police action taken against a peaceful encampment on Library Mall and highlights how the actions disproportionately affected people of color and women.

The resolution seeks to condemn such actions and restore a Protest Decision-Making Team along with a Protest Administrative Review Team, which would consist of a shared governance of faculty, staff and student oversight to review UW responses to protests.

Committee members showed dissent, including cardiovascular medicine professor Dr. James Stein, who said the resolution contained some biases on the claims that minority individuals and women were disproportionately affected, which he claimed there was no evidence of.

Provost Charles Isbell Jr. touched on federal cuts to research grants and potential solutions to aid graduate researchers and junior faculty members, including expanding tenure clocks, but no actions were taken.

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Lori Reesor briefly discussed student responses to the Dear Colleague Letter. The letter, released Feb. 14, prohibited institutions that receive federal funds from using race preferences in their admissions and hiring processes.

UW has already responded to the Dear Colleague Letter amid the uncertainty and emphasized a continued commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging, as previously reported by The Badger Herald.

The Faculty Senate is set to vote on resolution 3214 on April 7, but no official agenda has been set.