Students enjoyed a frank question-and-answer period with UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley Monday night as part of the \Cookies and Milk Series"" sponsored by the Wisconsin Union Directorate's Community Services Committee.
The topic that drew the most interest was the university's budget process, which came up during the discussion of current renovation plans for the east side of campus.
Wiley said although the university is receiving less money from the state to use toward tuition, there is still enough money to continue renovations because this money came from private donations.
Wiley explained most donations and grants are ""dog-eared"" for specific purposes and cannot be used for tuition. He added the university is ahead of schedule in raising the desired $1.6 billion it needs for renovations and other projects.
""When he explained [the segregated budget], it was kind of an eye-opener for me,"" UW-Madison senior Logan Beveridge said.
Wiley expressed concern over the UW's lack of diversity, stating the biggest problem lies in the campus climate minority students face. Many Wisconsin minority high school students are tracked into special education programs that deter them from attending college.
However, Wiley pointed out that the Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence and other programs are slowly helping to reverse the problem by preparing minority high school students for college and networking minority students with one another.
The chancellor shared his thoughts on the importance of student involvement in the Madison community and described a typical day for a chancellor.
Wiley said the event was a great way for him to keep in touch with students, something he tries to do as often as possible. Student response was also positive.
""I think that keeping an open channel between administration and students is crucial,"" UW-Madison junior Dave Ponce said. ""To take an active role in any community you need to understand it.\
