UW-La Crosse’s new plan to promote diversity and increase student capacity will cost in-state students an extra $1,320 per year beginning Fall 2008, a tuition hike that garnered fierce student opposition in the past month.

The UW System Board of Regents’ decision to approve UW-La Crosse’s Growth and Access Agenda for the tentative 2007-2009 budget may prompt other system universities and colleges to adopt the plan, according to the Regents.

Racial diversity and a stronger sense of multiculturalism on campus have become bigger priorities for the UW System recently, as large corporations, including the General Motors Corp., are ceasing recruitment efforts at UW schools because of their lack of diversity.

The UW-La Crosse plan would cost $15 million over three years to allow for 1,000 additional students, 100 more faculty positions and expanded student services. According to UW-La Crosse officials, this staggered tuition increase was born out of the UW System’s difficulty obtaining state funding for higher education programs. Both governor candidates, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, and Gov. Jim Doyle, have condemned the plan, saying it will make the university less accessible.