CONTACT: Sen. Mary Felzkowski, 608-266-2509

Madison, WI- Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) issued the following statement after the top DEI Officer at UW-Madison was removed after University found “areas of concern about financial operations and fiscal judgements in the division”:

“It is appalling that LaVar Charleston, UW-Madison’s Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) and husband of Harvard’s plagiarizing DEI Chief, was trusted with taxpayer dollars. What’s not shocking, though, is that the University chose this busy news week to announce that Charleston has been essentially fired from his DEI role for financial mismanagement, yet will still be employed by the school. Between Wisconsin’s State of the State tonight, the beginning of the Trump Administration, and the looming completion of the State Audit of DEI, the University is clearly trying to hide this embarrassing revelation in a busy news cycle. I truly hope that the university takes this as a realization that the days of unrelenting and unrestrained DEI are over and returns to focusing on educating students.”