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Chancellor draws out potential cuts

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Also by Kevin Bargnes:

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Residents will vote on City, Town of Verona merger (December 10, 2007)
Doyle to beef up agriculture funds (December 3, 2007)
Governor announces state BadgerCare approval (November 29, 2007)
Doyle, other governors vow to reduce emissions (November 19, 2007)

by Kevin Bargnes

Thursday, September 27, 2007

University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley warned the Joint Finance Committee Tuesday that if the university does not receive necessary funding in the new budget, serious midyear cuts will be made.

The current budget being pushed through by the committee would force UW to cut its spending by 6.56 percent for second semester.

UW System spokesperson David Giroux said this massive cut in funding could be the breaking point for UW.

"We have been tightening our belt for so many years that we can't do it anymore — it will start to hurt students now," Giroux said. "This will affect every student on campus."

According to a letter Wiley sent to members of the Joint Finance Committee, UW-Madison's biggest school— the College of Letters and Science — would face the biggest cuts if this Assembly version of the budget is passed.

L&S would be forced to cut 2,230 sections because with $7.9 million less funding, nearly half of the teaching assistants could not be paid.

Also facing a loss of $2.8 million, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences would be forced to save resources by not offering certain second semester courses, Wiley added.

The School of Pharmacy, the letter said, would have to remove the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology and Toxicology program from its offerings.

Additionally, the letter said the College of Engineering, the School of Education, the School of Business and the School of Human Ecology would be forced to cut dozens of courses.

Administrative and student service programs would be affected as well. Cuts and halts in hiring would have to be made from the UW Police Department, the Division of Information Technology, University Health Services and the Offices of the Dean of Students.

Josh Wescott, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said Wiley’s remarks are a perfect example of the negative effects of the budget impasse.

“Now we’re starting to see that UW and other things are impacted by the lack of a state budget getting done,” Wescott said. “There are a lot of things that are left in limbo, and that’s why we are getting to talk this week and hoping we can come to some kind of agreement here.”

But Mike Prentiss, spokesperson for Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau — a member of the Joint Finance Committee — said Assembly Republicans are unhappy that Wiley and UW expect to get a "blank check" from the state.

However, Giroux said the university is simply trying to learn its funding levels to continue operations.

"We've done nothing new. We kept doing exactly what we were doing last year, so we couldn't have gone back and waited for a budget," Giroux said.

Wisconsin remains the only state in the country that has yet to pass a 2007-2009 state budget.

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Anonymous (September 27, 2007 @ 3:26pm):

gee wiley, why don't you recommend taking a bite out of bloated administrative salaries instead of taking it out on the students

Anonymous (September 27, 2007 @ 10:54pm):

Yes. How much has been wasted on the Paul Barrows fiasco, the Steingass investigation (which was a total fraud,) and all these backup appointments? Last year's audit also showed consultants were getting millions of dollars in graft from UW. UW-
Madison needs a new Chancellor right now!

Anonymous (September 28, 2007 @ 12:56pm):

Yea, just because the Republicans have been cutting the UW system budget 5% every year for the last 10 years, there is no reason to think that with increasing costs, and reduced budgets there will ever be any impact on services. It is a good thing that the legislature is cutting its own salaries, and reducing its staff as well. Wait.. they are not?

How long is the Republican war on Education (higher and K-12) going to last in this state?

Anonymous (October 3, 2007 @ 8:23pm):

Until UW-Madison appoints a new Chancellor and starts cleaning up the mess.

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