Today, students from UW campuses across the state will march to the Capitol and ask the governor and the state legislature for a tuition freeze. Such a sentiment is understandable, since over the past four years in-state students have seen their tuition rise more than 60 percent. Higher education in Wisconsin is growing ever more expensive. In fact, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education recently gave Wisconsin a \D"" for affordability in its state-by-state report card on higher education.
We would like nothing more than to see a tuition freeze enacted. However, a one-year freeze would do very little in the long term. The following year another large raise would be possible. In fact, the last time there was a freeze was in the 2000-'01 academic year, and the rise in tuition from that year until now has been astronomical.
A more sensible plan would be to put a cap on the amount that tuition could rise each year. That would make the amount of a rise in any given year manageable while at the same time allowing for adjustments for operating expenses year to year.
Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed a cap of between five and 7 percent per year in his biennial budget request. This is a good start, as Doyle's proposal would allow the university to keep many of the services and programs that make it a world-class university. However, a cap of five to 7 percent could still be hard for many students to accept. If tuition increases by 7 percent each year-the most it could under Doyle's plan-the cost of attending a UW System school will still go up more than $850 by 2007.
The United Council of UW Students, which represents and lobbies for the interests of students throughout the UW System, would like to see tuition increases capped at no more than 5 percent per year. The United Council has backed a proposal by State Rep. Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, which would cap tuition raises at 3 percent. This would allow students and their families to know what to expect for two years at a time.
While Kreibich's plan would make things easier on Wisconsin residents in the UW System, it still has several shortcomings. For starters, it assumes the state would make up the funds lost by a lower cap on tuition increases. If state funding does not cover the difference, however, there would be a shortfall in the university's operating expenses. This would result in UW System having trouble staying competitive, as retaining quality faculty and a wide array of classes-something that UW is already having trouble with-would become even more of a problem.
There are ways, however, to make up for the shortfalls in Kreibich's proposal. One way to do this would be to take away several of the sales tax exemptions from businesses in the state. Currently, several types of businesses-including legal practices and pet groomers-are exempt from sales tax. Removing some of these exemptions would create more revenue for the state and encourage lawmakers to lower tuition since they could count on money from other sources.
Furthermore, Kreibich's proposal, like Doyle's, does not mention out-of-state students at all. Under either proposal, then, it would theoretically be possible to increase the burden on out-of-state students without limit. That is not acceptable. Each out-of-state student currently pays nearly three times as much tuition as Wisconsin residents. Another large increase for out-of-state students would make UW lose its competive edge on private universities, as tuition and room and board combined would be comparable in cost to private universities.
A cap on tuition increases must take into account out-of-state students, who provide diversity of ideas while helping to cover operating expenses by paying higher tuition as it is. Attracting more out-of-state students would actually be very beneficial to the UW System, and especially UW-Madison, in the long-run.
There is no easy solution to the UW System's monetary woes. Everyone would like to see a great university that is affordable to all students. However, given the current budget situation in Wisconsin, it is important to come up with creative solutions that allow the university to stay competitive and affordable at the same time.
As many students as possible should attend the rally at the Capitol today at noon. If legislators and the governor know students can be a political force, they will be more likely to take their concerns seriously. However, it is important to remember that the best solution to the UW's budget problems will probably involve concessions from all sides. While a freeze would be nice, it is by no means the only, or even the best, solution.
