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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Republican legislator warned Thursday that a University of Wisconsin-Madison instructor's decision to assign an "offensive" essay on gay men's sexual preferences could have budget ramifications for the entire UW-System next year.
Steve Nass, vice chairman of the Senate's higher education committee and a frequent UW critic, said in a letter to UW leaders and regents that lecturer Jason Nolen assigned the essay to his sociology class this week. The 2011 article argues that gay men should be less discriminatory when selecting their sexual partners and contains profanity and vulgar references to oral sex.
Nass demanded UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, UW President Ray Cross and all the regents read the essay and give him their thoughts on it, warning that their answers will play a role in evaluating the system's 2017-2019 budget.
"Since students at UW-Madison are required to read this offensive material it is only appropriate that as leaders of the system you also read this offensive essay and respond with your thoughts on its educational value," Nass wrote. "Does it represent the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea? Is this what the people of Wisconsin should expect when paying taxes and tuition to support the UW System?"
Nolen didn't immediately respond to an email message. UW System spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis referred questions to UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas. He shared a letter that UW-Madison Sociology Department Chairwoman Pamela Oliver sent to Nass on Thursday afternoon defending Nolen as an award-winning instructor and pointing out the class, titled "Problems of American Racial and Ethnic Minorities," highlights sexual racism and the class syllabus warns students that course discussions could make them uncomfortable.
"Taken within the context of the course, the material appropriately pushes boundaries in order to spark discussion," Oliver wrote. "Among adult college students, analyzing how people talk about sexuality is considered appropriate material."
UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas declined comment when asked if leaders are worried about the budget ramifications.
The UW System has become one of Republican legislators' favorite targets since they took complete control of state government in 2011. They've frozen undergraduate tuition for four straight years, erased tenure protections from state law and cut $250 million from the system's 2015-17 budget.
Gov. Scott Walker's office also tried to replace the Wisconsin Idea, the system's public service mission statement, with the charge of meeting the state's workforce needs. The move drew a firestorm of criticism and Walker backed off, saying someone in his office misread his desire to add career readiness to the mission statement to mean dropping references to public service.
As things stand now, Nass doesn't sit on the Legislature's finance committee and has no direct hand in crafting the state budget. But he can influence his colleagues and his committee assignments could change when the next legislative session begins in January.
Spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos didn't immediately respond to email messages Thursday. Neither did Walker spokesman Tom Evenson.
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