It started with students.
On a cold winter morning, February 12, 2011—the day after Governor Scott Walker introduced his now-infamous “budget repair” bill—students gathered outside Memorial Union. It was a ragtag and hastily assembled bunch of Teacher Assistants’ Association, The Young Progressives and College Democrats, but the crowd of about 80 students listened intently as the groups explained how important immediate action was. Then, on Monday—Valentine’s Day—over 1,500 students descended on Walker’s office in the Capitol Building to deliver wheelbarrows full of cards protesting the proposed cuts to the University of Wisconsin. Thus began the protests that would soon grow to 70,000, 100,000, and, finally, 150,000 people filling Capitol Square.
Today, over eight months later, we stand on the verge of finally being able to remove Scott Walker from office. Two weeks from today, volunteers across the state will begin collecting signatures to recall the governor. Grassroots activist groups and individuals throughout all of Wisconsin—including on UW’s campus— will have sixty days to collect a minimum of 540,206 signatures, though they aim to collect over 700,000. “We’ve done the math ... and Wisconsin can’t afford any more days with Scott Walker as governor,” said Mike Tate, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair. Former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has also lent his voice to the recall movement, saying “Scott Walker has attacked the rights of Wisconsin workers, passed an undemocratic voter ID bill, and done the bidding of the Koch brothers and his deep-pocketed corporate backers at every turn.”
And UW students have the opportunity to be the vanguard of the recall effort. In the intervening months between the protests and today, Walker has cut over $300 million from Wisconsin’s universities, and halved the technical school budget—the largest cuts to the UW system in the history of the state. However, on campus, students and organizers have only 33 days to collect signatures before students leave for finals and winter break. This makes it especially important that students not only sign, but also volunteer to help reach out to their classmates in this shortened period.
Students need to make their voices heard. “The future will not belong to those who sit on the sidelines,” said the late populist U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone.
On Saturday, November 19, working people from across the state will gather on the Capitol Square. Students, led by The Young Progressives, will gather on Library Mall at 11:00 a.m. before marching to the Capitol to add our voices in opposition to Scott Walker.
Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines. UW students have a vested interest in the removal of this governor from office, and we have only a short time to make our presence felt. Join us on November 19, and talk to your friends and neighbors about why it’s so important to be involved. Just remember: The movement started with that group of students on February 12.
It can end with students, too.
Steve Hughes is president of The Young Progressives. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
