While it may come as no surprise to new and returning students that yet another tuition hike has changed the ever increasing cost of UW-Madison, the fact that its inaction was decided while heads were turned leaves students justifiably puzzled.
Although the summer may have brought the distraction of farmer's tans and mosquito bites for the majority of students, it also acted as a window of opportunity for the UW Board of Regents.
Throughout the summer months, the regents held a budgetary meeting to discuss financial matters facing the UW system. The end result raised tuition for every UW school across Wisconsin, and failed to initiate even a sliver of an uproar. An additional $638 is being added to UW-Madison's annual bill and its enaction was done somewhat quietly for what is to most, a significant amount.
One can argue that the increase is a fair and suitable decision that is necessary for UW-Madison's growth and reputation. The money is even said to be budgeted towards faculty needs, and what is a campus without a happy and healthy staff. These reasons, paired with the fact that many students on summer vacation were completely unaware that this decision was being put into effect paved a virtually obstacle-free path for the board when making the potential hike a reality.
We as students should not be surprised that our education is costing us more than just a pretty penny, but need to be alarmed by the fact that the Board of Regents made the decision to empty our pockets right under our noses. And while it may seem like students have a minimal say individually, collectively Badgers do leave an impression and ultimately have the opportunity to impact the opinions of important decision-makers around us.
It's time for students to make this school year one where Badgers have a voice. With tuition hike after tuition hike and new building after new dorm after new cafeteria, it seems as though students are paying to attend the golden city of Eldorado rather than an institution of learning. As far as I, my parents, aunts and uncles are concerned college was a time of poverty, complete with dirty clothes crusted in beer, rat and mouse infested flats, and a constant .20 blood alcohol content rather than sparkling dorms home to walk-in closets and chipper bellmen.
While I understand the importance of new facilities, proper student outreach and adequate pay and benefits needed to staff the university, it seems that the growing cost and continual campus construction is starting to eliminate the financial diversity on campus. UW-Madison is becoming not just a community for learning and experiencing but one suited and tailored for the wealthy.
I think I speak for all students on campus when I say that we don't need a completely new and refurbished gym or a reconstructed cafeteria that is completely funded through segregated fees. We are a group of poor college students, not a community of retired millionaires looking to blow our life savings on things we don't need like golden scooters or Lakeshore dorms resembling five-star hotels. The School of Education was financed completely via private donations; the way all new facilities should be funded. Students should pay for an adequate education not an endless series of unecessary construction. Rejecting the Nat-Up campaign was a step in the right direction for most Badgers and should remain a trend
While tuition increases like the Madison Initiative and the Board of Regent's recent hike may come wrapped in dolled up excuses and promises of smaller class sizes and better benefits for faculty, they also accompany insurmountable amounts of student debt and add more financial weight on already struggling students and families.
Students may have lacked to chance to truly voice their opinions over the summer months, I can only hope that the upcoming semester and reintegration into the UW system will allow Badgers to finally express their displeasure. Yes, it is necessary for sacrifices to be made in order to maintain structure, but must students always take on the burden? Even Biddy Martin has to agree that the answer to this question is an unarguable ""no,"" and this year Badgers across campus should to go out of their way to remind her.
Samantha Witthuhn is a junior majoring in political science. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
