Two Democratic Representatives appeared on Library Mall Thursday to address the frozen financial aid of 4,708 UW System students, which has become a problem because of the state budget stalemate.
Spencer Black, D-Madison, and Joe Parisi, D-Madison, made the appearance to urge members of the Budget Conference Committee to commit to approving a budget big enough to cover those waiting on Wisconsin Higher Education Grants.
This is nothing short of cruel - o - oit's time to stop playing with people's lives,"" Parisi said in a statement.
An unusually high number of students are still awaiting grants because the Wisconsin Higher Educations Board is unsure if the unapproved budget will be able to fund all its applicants.
WHEB already issued $39 million in grants ranging from $674 to $2,730 to 4,342 low-income UW students whose families make less than $27,000 annually.
After that amount - o - oa figure by the previous biannual budget - o - oran out June 26, a waiting list started for students who applied after.
""I'm heartened that someone is standing up and saying this is a priority,"" said Susan Fischer, director of student financial services at UW-Madison.
Executive Director of HEAB Connie Hutchison also applauded the Representatives' actions, noting she has heard legislatures are getting calls from students.
Black and Parisi reiterated their message in a letter Thursday to leaders of the budget conference committee and plan to introduce legislation on student grants later this year.
""A great and proud tradition in Wisconsin is that if a person has the ambition and talent to pursue higher education, we will not let them be prevented from doing so by their family's financial circumstances,"" the letter said.
However, some Republicans, such as state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, say a darker truth about the budget may lie behind the Democrats' good intentions.
According to Nass spokesperson Mike Mikalsen, the committee has yet to approve K-12 funding, an item Republicans want finalized before deciding a budget for higher education.
Mikalsen said if Democrats continue to spend and then go back and agree on K-12 education, the end result could be raised taxes.
As of now, the Senate's $46 million version of the WHEG budget will be able to fulfill students on the waiting list, while the Assembly's $39 million one will not.
""I think most college students, even those on this waiting list, would also concur that in order to get to the university system, they truly [came to] understand how important K-12 education is,"" he said.
Hutchison, who has been contacted by both Democrat and Republican members of the committee, said the topic is of great interest to both sides.
Although a higher percentage of WHEGs are historically given to UW students at other campuses, only 75 UW-Madison students are awaiting money from the program.
Fischer said she would wait on the budget and not take action.
""I am not willing to open up any gates until we see something solid, it's just too iffy,"" she said.
