I am writing to correct inaccurate information that appeared in a recent opinion column by Eric Kleefeld. It is unfortunate that Kleefeld did not check his facts before submitting his column.
In his column, Kleefeld stated that Gov. Scott McCallum opposed a bill to match financial aid to increases in tuition. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was McCallum who championed this initiative on behalf of United Council and all UW students. It was McCallum who signed this initiative into law.
Kleefeld, a former Democratic Party activist, also failed to mention that it was McCallum who signed into law a proposal that caps the amount that the UW can raise tuition. In addition, McCallum has consistently increased funding for financial aid for UW students.
Kleefeld said McCallum has done nothing to increase diversity at UW. Again, Kleefeld's blind ambition to attack McCallum didn't let the facts get in his way. In the last state budget McCallum increased funding for the Minority Pre-College Scholarship Program by $500,000. McCallum also increased funding for the Lawton Advanced Opportunity Program, Minority Undergraduate Retention Grants and the Minority Teacher Loan programs'all initiatives that help to increase diversity in the UW System. Furthermore, McCallum signed into law a provision that matches financial aid increases for the Lawton Minority Undergraduate Program to increases in tuition.
Kleefeld also forgot to mention McCallum's appointment of Tommy Jones as student regent'the first minority student ever to be appointed to the Board of Regents.
Kleefeld's praise for Jim Doyle conveniently left out several key pieces of information that students should consider when they vote Tuesday. First, Doyle has promised that he will lay off 10,000 to 12,000 state employees. Students may not realize 45 percent of all state employees are UW System employees. Which of your professors and your academic advisors will be laid off under Doyle's plan for Wisconsin?
Kleefeld also offers no explanation for why Doyle is the only candidate for governor that to date has refused to sit down and meet with representatives from United Council. Is it because he doesn't want to tell them firsthand what the impact of laying off 5,000 UW System faculty and academic staff?
In the future I hope Kleefeld will do a better job checking facts. Even though he may not be interested in making an educated decision when he votes Tuesday, that doesn't mean other students on campus share his apathy.
