The UW System Board of Regents evaluated the progress of Plan 2008 and made recommendations on a non-resident student tuition hike Thursday.
According to Kevin Boatright, assistant vice president of UW System communications, the regents were pleased with the progress made by Plan 2008, the system's 10-year program designed to draw minority students to UW schools.
'They briefly reviewed the progress report of Plan 2008, which is a diversity plan for the UW System,' Boatright said. 'There was a presentation and discussion on retention and campus climate for minority students ... [and] there seems to be pretty good satisfaction that progress is being made.'
Boatright said some aspects of the plan are difficult to measure progress in, such as one part of the plan that involves stimulating interest among fourth graders in attending college.
Jason Davis, Associated Students of Madison Plan 2008 campaign chair, said he thinks the plan is too vague to have a significant impact.
'The wording is very vague and obscure. Right then and there it will create problems. If you don't have a concrete plan ,' Davis said. 'You're already at a disadvantage before you've started.'
Davis said he also thinks the plan is poorly enforced, recommending a review board of students and administrators to check progress.
'It would exist [in] a shared governance form, and it would basically give students a voice, give administration a voice, and they would basically come before the board and report on what they've done,' he said. '[The] board would serve as an information source and facilitator for problems that come up.'
Davis added that the board could make university deans liable for results at their campuses.
'For us as students, to hold them accountable as students to wording that's ... sometimes incomprehensible, that makes it difficult for us as well,' he said.
Boatright said the regents also discussed a non-resident undergraduate tuition increase of 2.5 percent, which Gov. Scott McCallum imposed upon students in his budget vetoes.
'The governor, in a partial veto in August, caused tuition for non-resident students to increase,' Boatright said. 'The board was not able to incorporate that into bills this fall.'
He said even though the budget became effective upon signing, it is uncertain whether students will pay the increased cost for the fall semester.
'That's not really clear in the documents if there is a need to [bill for the fall],' Boatright said. 'If we add 2.5 percent in the spring, and make additional additions ... we can spread it out.'
He said the increase would amount to about $173 for the semester.
The board is expected to approve the tuition increase to comply with the governor's budget.
'The board really doesn't have any choice in the matter, the governor already required it,' Boatright said.
