As the semester comes to an end, the Multicultural Student Coalition will receive a break from the continual criticism rolling out of campus press editorials. Not a week went by without the Multicultural Student Coalition hearing that it was a drain on student tuition or abusing the segregated-fees system. So-called \fiscal conservatives"" ranted on and on about how the MCSC is taking advantage of majority students on campus. One of the most offensive criticisms against the MCSC was that it serves only minority special interests and the rest of the student body (mostly white) should revolt.
The rhetoric of lost white privilege used by campus conservatives is nothing new. They use this type of divisive language to oppose civil rights. When Republicans campaigned to cut federal assistance benefits to the poor and to noncitizen immigrants, they also argued that American (white) taxpayers were being cheated by blacks, immigrants and the poor. Meanwhile, they were helping wealthy corporate campaign donors walk away with billions of taxpayer dollars.
Instead of targeting students of color on campus for rising tuition costs, attention should be focused on the corrupt influence of corporate lobbyists in our state government. Republican tax cuts to corporations in the state budget amounted to more than $200 million, and now the Republican state budget shortfall of more than $1 billion is going to further raise tuition and defund public schools. Forget that the same college Republicans who are trying to defund the MCSC are members of a party that has wasted taxpayer dollars in favor of their corporate paymasters. Instead the ""fiscal conservatives"" want students to rise up against people of color groups.
Conservatives are calling for Chancellor Wiley to repeal the Associated Students of Madison student government budget. The chancellor is not an elected official. He was appointed by the UW System Board of Regents who are themselves unelected and unaccountable officials appointed by former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. While conservative students on campus may not like Associated Students of Madison, student government members are elected and accountable to the student body. Students can vote out candidates they don't like, but the chancellor we can't change.
??Elected student representatives may not be perfect, but they certainly are preferable to not having any representation at all. The Board of Regents can decide to increase tuition costs or give themselves a raise without fearing an electoral recall of their appointed seats. Student governance at UW-Madison is constantly changing hands.
MCSC has not only actively lobbied the state Legislature to reduce tuition costs for all students, it has lobbied the UW-Madison Associated Students of Madison Student Council to address the need to improve campus climate. UW-Madison administrators have not shown much effort to replace the money a Republican-dominated state government has taken out of education or diversity programs. MCSC has been alone in guaranteeing that Plan 2008 stays on track.
Accountability forums with the chancellor and state-wide rallies with United Council are just some of the MCSC's campaigns. MCSC members don't just sit around planning ways to spite majority students on campus as many conservatives would have you believe. MCSC members have better things to do. If students on this campus are upset with ASM, then run in the next election. Making MCSC a scapegoat for everyone's rising tuition frustration will not stop the tuition hikes by the governor or the Board of Regents.
