UW-Madison Student Government Group: White-Nationalist Group Doesn’t Belong On Campus

A University of Wisconsin-Madison student government group says people espousing hate speech shouldn’t be attending the university. The statement comes in response to a student convicted of burning black churches starting a local chapter of a white nationalist, political group.

The Associated Students of Madison is strongly condemning an attempt by 33-year-old student Daniel Dropik to create a chapter of the American Freedom Party, which promotes white-nationalism and a “return to white rule” in the United States. Dropik was indicted and convicted 10 years ago for setting fires at two black churches in Milwaukee and Michigan. But he claims neither he or his chapter of AFP are about hate.

“Neither one of these are centered around racial hatred or a desire to do harm to other people based on their racial and ethnic background,” Dropik said.

He said having a pro-white student group on campus will expand intellectual diversity and reduce race-related crimes against whites and members of minority groups.

Jason Klein, spokesman for The Associated Students of Madison, which represents student government, said organizations identified as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center don’t have a place on campus.

“There’s a clear difference between allowing free speech and a racially motivated, hate group. If you’re doing something that’s going to threaten students on campus, then it really shouldn’t be allowed here,” Klein said.

Klein said racial incidents are on the rise at UW-Madison and cited a fan at a Badgers football game wearing a mask of former President Barack Obama with a noose around their neck and a swastika that was drawn on the door of a Jewish student.

“It’s a really, really scary issue especially since incidents have been piling up over the past couple of semesters, hate incidents on campus,” Klein said. “So, people are feeling afraid to really attend this school right now.”

After news broke of Dropik’s past, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank sent a letter to the UW System President Ray Cross asking for a re-examination of a policy barring admissions officers from considering the criminal records of potential students.

“There are risks in remaining entirely ignorant of an applicant’s felony record. I believe it is appropriate now to engage in a broad discussion with stakeholders about how we balance campus safety, particularly in a time when we are working hard to ensure all students feel welcome and protected, with the rights of students who have committed violent crimes,” she wrote.

But Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, chair of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities urged UW leadership to use caution before changing admissions rules.

In a statement from his office Murphy said, “I do not agree with certain viewpoints expressed by the student in question, but as long as a member of the university community follows university policy and does not commit or advocate for violence, then I ask the UW to fairly apply its standards of academic freedom to protect students’ free speech that some might find objectionable.”

The Associated Students of Madison also objected to any changes in admissions policy and has demanded Blank label Dropik’s Madison chapter of the American Freedom Party as a white supremacy group.