UW System officials reacted Friday after the state budget passed through the state Assembly early Friday morning, saying results would be \devastating"" if the budget is implemented as is.
Erik Christianson, a UW System spokesperson, said the system would be forced to lay off between 500 and 600 faculty and staff if the budget were to pass in its current condition.
The appointment process of the UW System Board of Regents was also questioned Friday by Gov. Scott McCallum, following a system-wide enrollment freeze, the board enacted in reaction to the state budget situation.
The freeze touched off what has become a publicized disagreement between the Board of Regents and certain state politicians as to how university officials are handling an unclear budget predicament.
The enrollment freeze was followed by a system-wide hiring freeze, announced March 12 by UW System President Katharine Lyall.
Currently, members of the Board of Regents are appointed by the governor for seven-year terms. McCallum said he was ""giving thought"" to proposing that regents be elected, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Much like the divide that exists between Republicans and Democrats in the state Legislature concerning the university's position related to the budget, representatives of the College Republicans and College Democrats were also divided along party lines.
""The budget that was crafted and passed by Assembly Republicans is a blatant attack on students,"" said Jason Stephany, a UW-Madison sophomore and state chair of the College Democrats of Wisconsin. ""It adds yet another offense to the list of anti-student initiatives the GOP has forced upon us over the past few years.""
A member of the College Republicans said he also felt students were being hurt by the budget, but by the UW System, not the Assembly.
""The UW System is using students as human shields in a search for more money,"" said UW-Madison senior Nick Cekosh, a representative for the College Republicans. ""I want to know when the UW System will start to work responsibly with the Legislature and stop their scorched-earth tactics.""
The UW System will have to cut enrollment by 8,100 students for the 2003-'04 school year if the current state budget is implemented, according to Christianson.
He added that the current version of McCallum's Budget Reform Act reduces the UW System's budget by $108 million.
""[These cuts] would have a devastating effect on these communities and Wisconsin,"" Christianson said.
But not all share in the UW System's concern.
""It seems [the UW System] has had the belief they should be off limits to budget reform for some time now,"" said Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater.
The UW System faces a 7 percent budget decrease, while other state agencies are receiving a 14 to 15 percent decrease in state assistance.
