Updated - A Scott Walker spokesperson confirmed yesterday that Walker intends to remove all references to the University of Wisconsin System from the Wisconsin statutes.
It is noted at this site that the Wisconsin legislative Finance Committee's proposed abolishment of the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) also would have the effect of nixing academic freedom guarantees contained in a section of the 1965 statute creating the Legislative Audit Bureau.
Hence, the assertion Walker's objective of destroying academic freedom would explain the bizarre call for the proposed demolishment of the LAB.
This assessment is confirmed yesterday by Scott Walker's spokesperson, Laurel Patrick, in comments made to Forbes Business online in a piece by Steven Salzberg.
Said Ms. Patrick to Forbes in an email: "... the Governor’s original budget proposal removed all references to the UW from state statute in order to allow for the proposed authority to create its own policies. This would allow the UW Board of Regents to address the issue of tenure going forward."
But Walker missed one huge reference in the LAB statute. Surrogates in the Joint Finance Committee took care of the omission.
Abolishing the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) and removing the statute does remove a major reference to the UW from state statute, one that specifically protects academic freedom, and gives previously statutory guarantees to the heavily Scott Walker-appointed and politically vetted UW System Board of Regents and of course politically vetted inspectors general.
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