Last Monday, the state Assembly cast a devastating blow to the quality and accessibility to education in the state of Wisconsin. Over $108 million was cut from the UW System, particularly in the areas of travel and advertising. But even worse was the financial burden the Assembly chose to place on students: an 8 percent tuition increase for in state students and a whopping 23 percent increase for out-of-state students.
This anti-education budget puts the burden of paying for the deficit on the backs of out-of-state students. The Board of Regents and Chancellor Wiley have committed to improving campus climate, but the out-of-state tuition increase will only negatively impact out-of-state recruitment of students of color. Many areas with diverse, qualified students are not in Wisconsin. With the ridiculous hikes in out-of-state tuition, the UW System will close its door in the faces of all students deserving of a quality education.
This budget also showcases cuts to study abroad programs, sending the message to the student body that the state does not want to offer them the education experiences today's employers are looking for in job applicants. Eliminating the study abroad appropriation will mean that many students will not be able to go abroad to gain the experience of a lifetime in a foreign country and broaden their horizons. It cuts the travel budget, demonstrating that the state is not committed to its prestigious standards of research by denying faculty and students the resources needed to conduct studies away from their home campus.
We are asking the Senate and the governor to support higher education by reversing the damage done by the Assembly, and replace the tuition revenue with general purpose revenue. This includes getting rid of a 10 percent \one-time"" surcharge on out-of-state tuition, the 8 percent cap on tuition raises for in-state students and the drastic reductions in financial aid for study abroad and travel programs. We are also asking the Senate to schedule a public hearing in Madison during the first two weeks of April so that students can formally voice their opinions and concerns.
Now is the time to tell the state legislators that it is not OK to make out-of-state students pay for twice the cost of instruction at a school that already has the second highest out-of-state tuition in the Big Ten. Now is the time to let the state legislators know that they cannot balance the state budget on the backs of students and expect the students to let them get away with it. Now is the time to take a dynamic role in our education and now is the time to take action.
Today at 12:30 p.m., the Associated Students of Madison, your student government, will be rallying on Library Mall to protest the tuition hikes, and at 1 p.m., we will march up State Street to the Capitol to urge the State Senate to fund the students that are the future of the state they represent. Come to the rally to show your disapproval for these astronomical hikes and make the State Senate maintain the quality of your education at the University of Wisconsin.
Education is a sound investment. More money invested in education means greater economic success for the state. We, the students of the UW System, are the future of this state. Why aren't we its priority?
