Opinion
UW tuition initiative good investment for all students
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Also by Emily Osborne:
- Podcasts on horizon; UW at forefront (October 21, 2009)
- BadgerCare Plus Core Plan was lacking in positives (October 8, 2009)
- Mifflin area more than just a street (September 13, 2009)
- Attorney General flip-flops on same-sex rights, discredits self (September 1, 2009)
- UW tuition initiative good investment for all students (April 9, 2009)
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Although largely scrutinized, Biddy Martin’s proposed Madison Initiative for Undergraduates will do more good than harm for the student body. It is easy to get riled up by numbers, but after hearing all of the fuss, I was surprised to find much of the commotion is over petty change. With tuition numbers in the thousands, it is hard for me to comprehend the impact $2,500 at most is likely to have on me in the long-run.
But I do know something that is likely to have an impact. Lecture halls filled to the brink, the loss of renowned faculty to a student body unwilling to fork out the money and the end of distinguished reputation in a school known for above-average academia. I have heard enough horror stories about seniors who are unable to graduate on time due to competitive majors. It is about time the student body put their money where their mouth is. Stop complaining about the bitter-sweetness of Biddy’s cookies and realize how fortunate we are to have an initiative that is looking out for our needs as students.
While tough economic times make it easy to understand the uproar concerning the tuition increase, students would be smart to dig a little deeper. These tough economic times are all the more reason why we need the tuition initiative. In an increasingly competitive workforce, where more students are earning degrees, it is important ours stand out. With the loss of professors comes the inevitable loss of reputation. We as students are making an investment, and by asking our school to maintain very low tuition rates, we are asking them to maintain a substandard education, one I know I’m not willing to pay for. If I am already putting out thousands, what is a couple more to really ensure I am getting the best possible education? Granted, out-of-state students will be hit a little harder.
The tuition initiative is essential to maintain a renowned faculty. Although some would argue the tuition money is largely going to fund the education of those making less than $80,000, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to suggest the money will largely be used to keep our professors here. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been facing a number of financial problems in the last few years, which has resulted in the loss of faculty in a number of departments. The Political Science Department was hit pretty hard in 2007 when Jon Pevehouse was just one of several professors who decided to leave UW-Madison after receiving a better offer from another university. Aware the average salary professors receive abroad is 30 percent more than the one here, I’m sure this was no difficult decision. While UW-Madison students are busy paying one of the lowest tuition tickets in the Big Ten, our professors are being forced to decide if they should — in the current economic crisis — accept a job that is willing to pay them more.
Ultimately, this initiative is going to save the student body money. By creating classes and majors that are more accessible — with further opportunities for advising — there is an effort, on the part of the initiative, to push students to graduate on time. This ultimately has the power to save students thousands of dollars in tuition money, which could be spent toward a semester in which second-year seniors are often forced to take freshmen-level classes to fill their requirements.
Without the initiative, professors will likewise have to decide if they should remain in a university where lecture halls are packed and where they, as teachers, are unable to deliver the one-on-one attention learning truly thrives in. The initiative will work to eliminate bottleneck courses which have been an ongoing problem in competitive majors, such as business and engineering. In addition, the tuition initiative will result in the creation of about 300 additional sections. That’s 300 more opportunities not to be waitlisted in a class you need in order to graduate. I’m sure we’re all pretty tired of the little “x” that indicates a class has closed, and the tuition initiative is yet again 300 more opportunities not to chuck my laptop out of the window. I am done waiting for classes that meet my requirements and am about ready to receive an education that can best serve me as a student.
Emily Osborne (ekosborne@wisc.edu) is a freshman intending to major in journalism.
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IP hash: bbec6364
“it is hard for me to comprehend the impact $2,500 at most is likely to have on me in the long-run.”
You will when the bill for your kid’s college reaches your mailbox! I hope you don’t have any student loans to pay off, kiddo. Don’t plan on retiring before you’re 80.
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Emily, it’s girls like you who give blonds a bad name! More tuition increases mean more financial aid needed for poor students, not to mention more borrowed in student loans. Ask you parents if they feel like paying more for your sheepskin. What if they raised tuition for Journalism majors?
IP hash: af76c4e0
I’m not sure where the writer gets the number $2500. The initiative includes an increase of 250 per year for in state students and 750 per year for out of state students for each of the next four years. If Emily, a freshman, has three more years this would cost her either 250+500+750, which is 1500 if she is from Wisconsin or 750+1500+2250, which is 4500 if she is from out of state. Also Professor Pevehouse is coming back this fall to UW and he went to the University of Chicago so why the author is mentioning him going “abroad” is inaccurate.
Check your facts.
IP hash: e21202e8
After this article I have to assume you aren’t paying your own tuition and I also have to assume you haven’t talked to anyone who does. First of all, saying this tuition increase benefits everyone simply is not true. Current juniors would have to pay a tuition increase next year, and the money simply woulnd’t be there long enough to get anything done that would benefit that class. Most likely, the same is true for current sophomores, who would end up having to pay even more in increases and would probably not see their money doing anything for them. But there is a point I agree with you one: it would be great if the money raised would go toward improving undergraduate education. However, in the current plan there is no mention of any form of accountability. More than likely, the money will be put in a general fund so the university can say they’re doing all these great things with it, when really it’s going to buy cookies for trying to win students over for the next bogus plan. You also mention that, “Without the initiative, professors will likewise have to decide if they should remain in a university where lecture halls are packed and where they, as teachers, are unable to deliver the one-on-one attention learning truly thrives in.” Bringing extra money won’t give teacher the opportunity to give one-on-one attention to students and to claim otherwise is absurd. You do realize how large this university is don’t you? 300 more sections will not do anything to impact one-on-one time with professors.
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Fuck off, 1:12.
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wow you are an idiot. maybe if you were out of state and had an opinion i would listen. seriously, this article is garbage. way to go kid. garbage.
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“It is hard for me to comprehend the impact $2,500 at most is likely to have on me in the long-run.”
Get a job right now, Emily, and earn the $2500 for yourself. That will give 2500 opportunities to learn the responsibilities of being an adult. Then you will have a firm reference point to clarify your current lack of comprehension.
“It is about time the student body put their money where their mouth is. “
Couldn’t agree with you more about that, Emily! Put YOUR MONEY where YOUR MOUTH is! Don’t steal it from someone else, like Karl Marx and Barrack Obama advocate. Get off your free loading socialist wannabe butt and go earn it for yourself. It will make you and our Nation a financially healthier and psychologically more sane place for all to live and work!
It’s time to take a stand, fellow Citizens! It’s time…
IP hash: cdcb8838
why are these boards always full of ad hominem attacks?
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THINK for a second!
The problems with your articles is you cite every half-reason you can possibly think of for supporting this Initiative. It’s like you’ve said, “OK, I know I support this. Now let me convince myself I support this.”
As a result, all the half-way decent arguments for the initiative are BURIED underneath a deluge of idiotic arguments and meaningless cliches.
Just focus on the ACTUAL, GOOD arguments to found on your side of the debate, not every half-cocked idea that enters your head.
Example:
“our professors are being forced to decide if they should — in the current economic crisis — accept a job that is willing to pay them more.”
WHAT the heck does the economic crisis have to do with this professor??? Clearly, since they are CHOOSING between two positions at ESTEEMED universities, they aren’t feeling the pinch of increased unemployment and recession TOO badly.
And seriously. How much money do you think the average college student has earned in his or her lifetime? MAYBE $2500? Get real, girl.
IP hash: e97298bd
“I’m sure we’re all pretty tired of the little “x” that indicates a class has closed…”
What? Oh, you mean the Blue Square on Student Center that looks nothing like an “x.”
“It is hard for me to comprehend the impact $2,500 at most is likely to have on me in the long-run.”
I’m sure Daddy can’t comprehend it either, but I sure can. Come visit the real world the next time you want to write an article, it may turn out better.
IP hash: d65e63b4
“The tuition initiative is essential to maintain a renowned faculty.”
That statement and the paragraph that followed are entirely wrong. The administration has been quite clear that this money will not be used to increase salaries of current faculty members. In fact the UW Board of Regents will not approve tuition increases of this nature to be used for that purpose.
IP hash: 06953b97
First off, you other commenters all need take a deep breath, stop hyperventilating, unclench your fists, and settle the heck down. None of you raise even a single somewhat convincing point. In fact, I’m willing to bet most of you are the same people who respond negatively to just about anything that has to do with UW spending. There are a lot of you.
Anyway, you all forget the fact that we have one of the lowest tuitions in the Big Ten - in state and out - despite being the 3rd highest ranked among the schools. Like it or not, but ranking is extraordinarily important, especially in this generation of people who want simple guidelines and directions rather than having to forge their own path.
Every other school in the Big Ten (besides Mich and NU) would love to be ranked where Wisconsin is at. This is part of the reason that we currently offer one of the lowest tuition rates in the Big Ten. We are incredibly fortunate to be part of such a great, quality institution. However, schools like Minnesota, Illinois, and others would love to take a piece of Wisconsin’s pie, and if we do not raise tuition, we are basically just handing them a free slice.
The fact is, a tuition increase is simply absolutely, unquestionably necessary to attract the best professors and students, as well as maintain the quality (and compared to our peers, bargain) education that make us all so proud to be Badgers.
Oh, and like I said, expect almost every other major University in the entire country to raise tuition as well.
IP hash: e97298bd
“If I am already putting out thousands, what is a couple more to really ensure I am getting the best possible education?”
Don’t you mean if your parents are? JK But seriously… That is some really faulty cause and effect. You really ensure NOTHING, just that you pay more. Your education will be exactly the same, guaranteed, and in the minds of engineering students, business students, some sophomores, and all juniors and seniors, this is a huge waste of money.
“Without the initiative, professors will likewise have to decide if they should remain in a university where lecture halls are packed and where they, as teachers, are unable to deliver the one-on-one attention learning truly thrives in.”
If you need to have a 1 on 1 environment to learn, you may want to drop out now to save some money. Not to mention most of the professors don’t give a shit as long as they get their research funding or get their book written while teaching on the side. I don’t resent them for that, but some people do, and you will end up being one.
“Stop complaining about the bitter-sweetness of Biddy’s cookies and realize how fortunate we are to have an initiative that is looking out for our needs as students.”
This statement is false, students are complaining about something that benefits almost no one currently attending. Juniors see no benefits, sophomores see very little if any. Freshmen will see them assuming it even works, but 9:09 was right with the point that there is no accountability and it will probably get put into the general fund with no direct positives for students
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Sounds like someone isn’t paying their own tuition…
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To the statement posted on April 11 @ 1:19-
“The fact is, a tuition increase is simply absolutely, unquestionably necessary to attract the best professors and students…”
What about the students who will be unable to afford these increases? Do they not fit into the category of the “best” students? Yes, I understand that there will be an increase in aid directed at these students and their families. However, I’m sure it will be relative to the hike in tuition, and we will ultimately miss out on what many of these bright minds have to offer.
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I’m confused—there’s a lot of anger on this board from students who, based on their vitriol at poor Emily, I presume pay their own tuition. If this is the case then wouldn’t you, as independents, all benefit from this initiative AND be exempt from the tuition increases? Just trying to get a sense of how individuals will actually be affected. If you’re not considered an independent, and your parents make more than $80,000, and your parents don’t help you with tuition, then shouldn’t you be angry with your parents?