Statement from UW–Madison on Homecoming video

Homecoming should be a time when all students and alumni feel welcome to come back to UW–Madison and celebrate together.

We know that, both historically and today, students of color and other under-represented groups do not feel as welcome on our campus as majority students. As a community, we must commit to and invest in ways to change this. One important way is to ensure active participation and authentic involvement by Badgers of many different identities in all aspects of campus life.

Unfortunately, as the student Homecoming Committee and the Wisconsin Alumni Association have acknowledged, a student video promoting Homecoming failed to do this.  The student committee took down the video after the concerns were raised and the committee and the association have apologized.

We, too, are sorry for the pain this has caused. We also understand the need for action on these issues and will be engaging with students about the work that we need to do as a campus community.