As more and more consequences of the budget impasse emerge, it is obvious that the situation is becoming dire, even for students. Oct. 4, the UW System Board of Regents had to make a tough call: after evaluating many alternatives, if the budget is not passed by spring semester, a not-yet-determined tax will be added to the 5.5 percent increase in tuition.

Reportedly, the tax would affect a significant portion of the students at UW-Madison. Although the initial reaction to this impending financial burden would logically be anger at the Board of Regents, it is better not to react this way; it is obvious that they did not have another viable option.

Clearly, this tax would be a worst-case scenario, but would also be necessary in order to preserve the livelihood of UW-Madison. Other options included restricting the operating hours of libraries, decreasing the number of academic advisors, reducing technological support for both students and faculty and reducing the number of class selections next semester by 10 percent.

As the Regents stated, these choices would be “unacceptable,” and they were correct. The other choices would infringe on students’ ability to experience a quality education, and education must not suffer. Fortunately, the Regents understood this.

In retrospect of this Oct. 4 meeting two things are clear: the tax was a policy the Regents had to choose and lawmakers, who are angering more than just the “common people” of Wisconsin, need to give themselves some constructive criticism if they continue to refuse to listen to everybody else.