As UW-Madison tuition continues to rise, how students pay for college is becoming an increasingly thorny issue. Higher education costs can be particularly challenging, especially for members of the working class.
This is where UW-Madison’s Working Class Student Union comes in. The organization supports and advocates for working class, nontraditional and underrepresented students on campus. WCSU was approved for GSSF funding eligibility by the Student Services Finance Committee Monday.
WCSU provides workshops for student organizations on campus who may be interested in learning more about working class issues or how to support nontraditional students. These workshops are tailorable to the group’s needs or interests, but WCSU has four workshops they conduct regularly.
Workshop activities include conversations related to privilege, discussions on the meaning and importance of social class and two educational workshops for students dealing with financial aid or food share programs, according to WCSU’s website.
The Working Class Student Union also makes it a priority to educate students about the resources available to them, be it healthcare, food pantries or financial aid. They do this through giving students hands-on aid. For example, a representative from WCSU may accompany a student to the financial aid office, help them apply for food stamps or help them through the process of applying for BadgerCare.
“At WCSU we really gauge the success of our programing through the success of our students, so we are really constantly putting students at the forefront of our minds,” said Hong Trinh, WCSU finance director. “The things that we really pay attention to are what are our students need and how can we most help them to achieve their goals on campus.”
October is Class Awareness Month, and WCSU celebrates each year by putting on the Working Class Celebration Month. This month of events includes an art night, collaborations with other student organizations and a display on Bascom Hill.
“During this month WCSU really tries to engage students both in a celebratory and in an educational way,” Trinh said.
This year’s celebration month will culminate with a Nov. 4 address by keynote speaker Patrick Rothfuss, a New York Times best-selling author. All UW-Madison students are invited to attend the talk by Rothfuss.
“We’re really driven to create dialogue about different aspects of classism on this campus,” said WCSU Outreach Director Samuel Park.
