System, students pour on budget pressure

by Carl Jaeger

Friday, September 28, 2007 00:00

The Wisconsin Budget Conference Committee received two letters Thursday expressing the necessity of appropriately funding the University of Wisconsin System.

UW System president Kevin Reilly’s letter outlined the repercussions if the funding is not granted.

"I urge you to preserve the University of Wisconsin System's current levels of academic excellence and provide us with resources to launch vital initiatives that will boost economic development," Reilly said in the letter.

The letter also said the Republican-controlled Assembly's biannual budget would fund only 20 percent of the UW System's standard budget adjustment, resulting in a $119 million budget reduction for all UW campuses.

Reilly also said the UW System's plan for the Growth Agenda Wisconsin — which has been heavily supported — cannot reach goals without sufficient funding.

"Students, business leaders, alumni, elected officials and working families support this plan," Reilly said in the letter. "They want these initiatives to be launched, but not at the expenses of UW's current educational offering."

UW spokesperson David Giroux said student, faculty and community members are rallying around a "common set of themes, a common idea and a shared vision like they’ve never had before."

"You can't expand by a factor of one when you're cutting by a factor of four," Giroux said. "We face some very real financial challenges at this university over the next few years, and we need legislatures to understand those challenges and to support us."

Giroux added the same message of high quality and affordability is being expressed throughout the state.

"All these voices who are speaking up about the state budget, they're all singing from the same hymnal," Giroux said. "Clearly, we're hopefully getting close to the finish line. If there's anyone holding back on how they feel about this, now is the time."

Student government leaders from every UW System university, as well as the two student Board of Regents members and members of United Council, also sent a letter to the Budget Conference Committee, asking the committee to consider their concerns and "make higher education a top priority."

"As we wait for a budget, we get more and more concerned that we're not going to be funding at a level that can meet the level of the education that we get now," said student Board of Regents member Collenne Thomas.

Thomas said the students decided to send the letter to show support for a sufficient budget at a system-wide level.

Thomas said that 31 student leaders across the state showed the importance of their message, and such complete UW System student support is "quite unusual."

Associated Students of Madison chair Gestina Sewell, who signed the letter, said it was a way to show legislatures students care about their education.

"Were putting this letter out there to make it clear that quality and cost are very important to us," Sewell said. "The truth is we care deeply about our education and our futures, and by getting an education, we're investing in our futures."

Josh Wescott, spokesperson for Budget Conference Committee member and State Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said the lack of a budget is starting to have "real-life consequences."

"We've been saying from day one that there's a lot on the line for college students in this budget," Wescott said, adding the Democrats have already agreed to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cuts.