State of ASM
This spring, 14 members of Associated Students of Madison's 15th session presented a five-point plan focusing on internal reform.
After instilling a sense of optimism long missing in relation to UW-Madison's student government, Alex Gallagher, former Student Services Finance Committee chair and a prominent member of the reformers, announced his resignation, citing a need for new blood"" and the difficulties ASM will face in reforming.
Despite the formation of an ad hoc committee given the task of rewriting the ASM bylaws and constitution, no clear candidate has stepped forth to spearhead their five-point reform plan.
With ASM's spring election sporting an embarrassingly low 7.3 percent turnout, faith in ASM is declining. This summer, ASM will have to prove that change is a priority and make progress in addressing its accountability and visibility issues by the time students arrive on campus for the fall semester.
This editorial board holds the same cautious optimism it had after meeting with members of the 15th session in April. Some of the ""new blood"" listed in the five-point plan must step up this summer, though, and prove that ASM is more than a resume padder or a meaningless, all-or-nothing ""hook issue"" proponent like its failed textbook swap.
New Chancellor
Earlier this week, UW System President Kevin Reilly announced Biddy Martin would be recommended to the Board of Regents as the replacement for Chancellor John Wiley, who will be stepping down this September. As former provost and professor at Cornell University, Martin hopes to bring experience from both the administrative and instructional perspectives of the collegiate atmosphere.
However, Martin comes to UW-Madison at a time when these two disciplines are at odds. In a 2007-08 report on 12 peer universities, UW-Madison ranked last in full professor salary, seventh in associate professor salary and ninth in assistant professor salary, making it difficult to secure and retain quality instructors. To make matters worse, current UW-Madison officials are tied to a state budget that continually shies away from collegiate support.
In her interviews with campus officials, Martin promised to meet and address these growing concerns. ""We have entered an era of extraordinary competition not only nationally but internationally for the best faculty ... I think it is absolutely essential to keep pace with peers when it comes to salary. It's always good to be at the median,"" she said.
Martin may come with the balance of being both a former professor and a current university official, but she must find balance between supporting tenured professors and keeping Madison a well-funded and affordable public university. Martin excelled in drawing both public and private funding for Cornell University, and she must bring that same expertise to UW-Madison in order to aid the disparity in professors' salaries in relation to other peer universities.
