The Wisconsin Union Travel Center—established in 1976 as a student market for discounted bus tickets to Chicago, non-UW study abroad advising and discounted passport and visa photos—will close in Summer 2007, Wisconsin Union administrators announced Thursday.
Wisconsin Union Associate Director Hank Walter, Social Education Program Director Heidi Lang and Assistant Director for Social Education Susan Dibbell addressed Center employees Thursday morning, saying the Center has financial problems, does not fit the Wisconsin Union Directorate's mission and can easily redirect its services through other Union or UW-Madison resources.
""How students get information, how they choose to travel is just very, very different,"" Dibbell said. ""And so we're really responding to changes in the industry.""
According to Dibbell, many students now turn to online resources rather than the second floor office of Memorial Union for their travel plans. She said the Center does not anticipate offering spring break packages this academic year.
""The most immediate change is that the center will no longer advise students on study abroad,"" according to a Wisconsin Union statement released Thursday. ""Students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to contact International Academic Programs or the Office of Admissions.""
UW-Madison junior and Center employee Jesse Allhands questioned where students should go if they are interested in non-UW-Madison programs and said the university profits when students go abroad through its programs rather than independent programs.
Additionally, STA Travel, ""the world's largest student, youth and budget travel organization,"" according to its website, has a satellite office in Memorial Union.
""They provide the Travel Center with a large portion of our budget,"" Allhands said of STA. ""Their rent—STA's rent—goes directly into our budget.""
Both Allhands and Dibbell said the Union renegotiated its contract with STA after the company complained of high rent and said it would stay only if the Union decreased its rent.
""And so then they lowered STA's rent very significantly,"" Allhands said.
Dibbell stressed STA has ""been really a terrific partner in the Union,"" but added STA's reduced rent ""absolutely"" decreased the Center's ability to function and led to a marked decline in its services this academic year.
""It's really disappointing,"" Allhands said, emphasizing the Center's interest in giving advice and information about things like European rail passes rather than making a profit. ""I could care less about my job—I'm more concerned about what the students are going to be losing now.""
Dibbell said the Union will be conducting focus groups to see how the Center's services can be reapportioned throughout the university and emphasized no services will disappear—they simply will not be centralized.
