Continuing his crusade against the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Republican senator on Wednesday called for the school’s funding to be cut over a program exploring masculinity that he says amounts to a “war on men.”
Sen. Steve Nass (R-WI) fired off an email to his fellow lawmakers arguing that the university was trying to convince male students that masculinity was a “social ill.” The email, which was obtained by the Associated Press, was titled “UW-Madison Declares War on Men and their Masculinity — Not a Joke.”
The Men’s Project is a six-week, voluntary program for students intended to allow students who identify as male to probe how their masculinity affects their attitudes towards sexuality, pop culture, and substance abuse. UW-Madison started the program in 2015, modeling it off a similar course at Washington University in St. Louis.
According to Nass, who teamed up with Rep. Dave Murphy (R-WI) in December to propose cutting UW-Madison’s funding for another course called “The Problem of Whiteness,” the elective program is proof of the university’s financial bloat.
“The supposedly underfunded and overworked administrators at our flagship campus have scrapped [sic[ together enough dollars to offer a six-week program open only to ‘men-identified students,” he wrote, according to the AP. “In short, the highly paid leaders at UW-Madison now believe that Wisconsin mothers and fathers have done a poor job of raising their boys by trying to instill in them the values and characteristics necessary in becoming a Man.”
Spokespeople for UW-Madison and Gov. Scott Walker (R) did not respond to the AP’s request for comment on Nass’ criticism.
Yet Walker, who is currently drafting the executive version of the state budget, declined to endorse Nass and Murphy’s December call to cut funding for the “Problem of Whiteness” course.
