Madison — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled this week that the University of Wisconsin System can ban a former student from its campuses for engaging in activities considered to be harassment.
UW System Board of Regents petitioned the state Supreme Court to consider their decision to seek an harassment injunction against Jeffrey Decker, a former student of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Decker, a 2005 UWSP graduate, re-enrolled to the university in 2010 to challenge the university’s management of segregated fees. He contends that these fees are improperly regulated by UW System officials and not allocated to students as they should be by law.
The justices ruled that the injunction the university system secured against Jeffrey Decker — the son of former state Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker — was overbroad and must be reviewed by a Dane County judge.
Decker has protested how university officials use student fees, alleging they have illegally misappropriated those funds for years.
Barred from all UW property, Decker continued to protest on campuses across the state throughout 2011. He engaged in many protest activities during this time against the UW System.
Because of these protest actions, UW Board of Regents sought a harassment injunction against Decker, which was eventually issued by Dane County Circuit Judge John Markson on the grounds that Decker’s behavior served “no legitimate purpose.”
The university’s Board of Regents says it has handled student fees appropriately and Decker’s conduct has been disruptive. UW-representatives have held their ground, maintaining that more focus should be put on Decker’s conduct rather than his speech.
