The Associated Students of Madison Shared Governance Committee discussed the disparity between rising tuition and state support of higher education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at a meeting Thursday.
Shared Governance Committee Chair Sarah Neibart presented a report comparing tuition and sources of funding from 2001 to 2011.
“Tuition has skyrocketed compared to inflation,” Neibart said.
According to Neibart’s report, state support for UW-Madison has shrunk primarily due to an influx in federal funds, but those funds will likely shrink. “In the future, federal dollars will decrease and state support will have to increase,” Neibart explained.
Neibart also announced plans to introduce a new shared governance committee to address barriers to student voter registration and the “miscommunication” between the university administration and legal advisers about whether faculty and staff are allowed to register students as part of their job responsibilities.
“I think it’s really important that individuals that work at this institution are public servants and they are registering students to vote and they are able to exercise that [right],” Neibart said.
Shared Governance Committee members then gave updates on their committees.
Ad Hoc Diversity Committee Student Representative Eric Schroeckenthaler spoke about the “dismal” lack of student participation in diversity plan listening sessions and advocated the use of social media to engage students, which some committee members have opposed.
“I just think [not using social media] is a loss not only to students but to other people that engage with the university online,” Schroeckenthaler said.
