Flunking Yet Another Leadership Test
This is an opinion piece by Shale Horowitz
Another semester, another leadership failure. UWM Chancellor Mark Mone continues to speak with a forked tongue, carefully parsing statements to please all sides, while in practice aiding and abetting anti-Israel activists in breaking university rules.
On September 5, UWM lifted the temporary suspension of anti-Israel student groups just in time for the start of the new semester. The groups’ July 19 Instagram post, which led to the suspension, stated that, “ANY organization or entity that supports Israel is not welcome at UWM…. Any organization that has not separated themselves from Israel will be treated accordingly as extremist criminals.”
UWM justified the decision by stating that the post’s “intimidating language” falls within free speech protections. UWM claimed to “strongly denounce” the post, while promising to “ensure that individuals and organizations comply with the law and our conduct codes.”
Since no other action is mentioned, the implication is that the post is not deemed to have violated UWM’s code of conduct. The distinction between what is illegal and what violates the UW code of conduct is crucial. The code of conduct includes sanctions such as suspension and expulsion because punishing only what is illegal may not suffice to protect UW universities’ “teaching, learning, research and service” missions, which require “living and learning environments that are safe and free from violence, harassment, fraud, theft, disruption and intimidation.”
UWM now says that nothing will be done about the online threats. But shouldn’t we rest assured that UWM, as promised on August 21, will “regulate speech based on the time, place and manner” if it “disrupts campus activities and operations,” and suspend or expel those who shout down others’ points of view or physically harass and intimidate others on campus?
Unfortunately, we already know that Mone cannot be relied upon to enforce such rules. On April 17, 2024, the UWM Jewish student group, Hillel, held a campus event promoting Israeli culture. According to Hillel’s Rabbi, Joshua Herman, the university allowed anti-Israel groups to protest within a few feet of the Hillel event, which ended when “the protestors surrounded us and began screaming a variety of slogans, including ‘From the river to the sea…’ and calling for ‘intifada.’ I made the decision to get everyone out, and the UWMPD and our Federation security accompanied us to safety off campus.”
In a letter to Rabbi Herman and other Jewish community members, Mone euphemistically referred to protestors “chanting” and to non-specific people who “circled around,” before concluding that “UWM Police and the Dean of Students monitored the interaction and did not witness any violations of the law or UWM’s code of conduct.”
Mone’s letter also stated that “UWM is only able to intervene when protected speech crosses the line into incitement or threats of violence.” Here Mone seems to be saying that he interprets code of conduct violations as occurring only when speech or acts cross the line into illegality. This is the same approach that Mone took to the recent Instagram post. UWM will do nothing because the post is interpreted as protected speech.
What the student groups already did once on April 17 is exactly what the Instagram post promises to do going forward. Mone’s inaction signals that the student groups can go ahead and intimidate and harass others with impunity as long as the law is not clearly broken.
Under Mone’s leadership, UWM educational missions thus exclude Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of Israel. Given Mone’s official endorsement of the anti-Israel groups’ rhetoric and methods at the time of UWM’s illegal encampment, this should come as no surprise.
There are two takeaways. First, while the UW Regents appear to have pressured Mone to resign as of July 2025, that will be too late. Mone’s leadership train wreck must end now, before even greater harm is done to UWM’s students, educational missions, and reputation.
Second, Mone’s failure shows that UW System universities must be more directly accountable to the governor and legislature. Public university leaders should no longer be chosen from within.
The governor and legislature should appoint leaders who will reliably uphold the educational missions identified under Wisconsin law. Even after these leaders are selected, they must remain accountable to elected officials with authority to overrule their decisions and, if necessary, replace them.
*Shale Horowitz is a professor in UWM’s Political Science Department.
