Now Hear This: Irie Sol's "Roccupy the Dome"

If you don't know about the current political turmoil in Wisconsin, allow us to introduce you to Joel Pace. In addition to being a member of the reggae-fusion band Irie Sol, Pace is a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. His school, one among many, has fallen victim to Governor Scott Walker's drastic budget cuts. Walker's policies have been viewed by the masses as attacks on unions and public education. Over the past six months, the backlash to Walker's policies has been so severe, Wisconsinites have gathered enough signatures to bring about a recall election in the spring. In support of the recall effort, Irie Sol released the single,  "Roccupy the Dome." Professor Pace explains the inspiration behind the track and the experiences that lead to its creation.

Your band consists of UW teachers and alums. How did you guys come together?

The majority of us are UW alums. University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire has a great jazz program that attracts people from all over. Our founder moved from Jamaica to Providence, Rhode Island, and then to Wisconsin. He gathered us together. It was his vision to start a band that mixed musical genres.

How was "Roccupy the Dome" conceived?

The thing that spurred the recording was that our founder Junior Williams’ son was visiting from Gambia. We wanted to go in the studio and cut a track and there was a lot of rancor in the state because of Governor Walker's cuts to education and collective bargaining. It ignited a spark in the studio. We decided to make a play on words — to record a cut to protest the cuts.

As a state employee, it had been weighing heavily on my mind. I had a dream about the song's chorus, “You have a right to be free, you have a right to equality." I woke up and dialed my voicemail to record it. I guess I was having educational-cut nightmares. Some people dream in different languages. That's the first time I recall dreaming in music.

What message are you striving to express with this track?

Oprah once said “education is the door to freedom” and our message is that this door is being shut in the face of 99% of Wisconsin, and the dead bolt is sliding into place worldwide. When funds for public education get cut, tuition increases and education becomes less accessible. That directly impacts people’s freedom.

What do you want listeners to take away from "Roccupy the Dome"?

We want listeners to add their own verses to the song. If they’re poets or rappers, they can be literal verses. If they’re political activists, those verses can be signatures on a recall petition. Mainly, we want people to continue the vibe of the song through activism in their own lives.

Where can people get the track?

iTunes.

What do you love most about teaching?

Interaction with students. I have 30-plus live brains in the classroom weighing in on issues. Similar to what Pharrell was saying in his interview about curiosity. Seeing young people in touch with things they’re curious about, seeing that passion develop and lead to lifelong devotion and expertise... it blows my mind.

How have you noticed the education system change since you first became a part of it?

In the 10-plus years I’ve been teaching, programs for the arts, humanities, and sciences are slowly and quietly diminishing. You almost don't notice because the steps are incremental. Now there are fewer seats in terms of major availability and class numbers are ballooning so teachers can’t give as much attention to each student.

The governor has also signed off on nearly $2 billion more in cuts for the next few years.

Recently, a budget lapse was declared and the state university system had to return millions more. I think it was 46.1 million, and 19.7 million for our next academic year. It’s disproportionate, and it’s not just the university system. Locally in Eau Claire, the music program that produced our resident international music superstar just got cut. Now there’s only one music teacher who has to drive between two high schools because that’s all the local system can afford. That’s sad. When you see someone from those programs get famous, you know the programs are great, but they’re getting cut anyway.

People have been retiring or quitting at higher rates and they're blaming the loss of collective bargaining rights. Has this affected a lot of people you know?

Absolutely. Since Walker pushed through the law to remove unions' rights to collectively bargain, there’s been a rush to retirement. Making matters worse, the unwritten script is that there isn't enough money to replace retiring faculty members, so it's resulting in fewer teachers and swelling class sizes.

What’s it been like trying to compensate for these changes?

A lot of faculty look tired and stretched. You can tell no one's getting a decent night’s sleep because what cannot happen during these budget cuts is teachers ceasing to care about students. To be asked to do more with less means you put in more time and effort. Students matter. That's why people get into this profession.

The custodian in my building is wondering how he’s going to pay for college for his daughter. A former colleague of mine, who's no longer teaching because of these cuts, had to give up his house and find an apartment. He’s wondering what he’s going to do for a living. These issues also manifest themselves beyond the classroom.

What's your advice for students who are moved by the issue and interested in getting involved, but unsure where to start?

For those in college or on the verge of attending, this matters directly to them. They can do anything from spending more time with their favorite teachers to asking about how they’re doing personally and how they’re affected by budget cuts. Make sure you approach your mentors and run your dreams past them so they can help you discover how best to follow that path.

There’s been lots of rallying for Governor Walker’s recall. Can you speak about the general sentiment toward him right now?

The recall effort collected a million signatures and it needed half that to force the recall. People are angry at the governor. The platform he ran on has nothing to do with what he's actually done since he's been in office. People are mobilizing. They want him out. Despite all the setbacks, people are optimistic about the future of education in Wisconsin and beyond. It’s exciting because people are fighting for what they believe in.

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