University of Wisconsin student activists showed in a rally Friday that rising tuition is an important issue that needs to be addressed. Some student organization leaders who helped organize and sponsor the rally felt it was, if nothing else, a step in the right direction.
Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group chair Travis Bird said he was pleased and impressed by the turnout, especially on a Friday afternoon.
“I really like the multicultural focus the event had,” Bird said. “A lot of culturally diverse [students] are the ones affected by tuition. It was great to see those groups more vocal and open to demands.”
Bird said he was not happy with some of the responses he heard from the state, saying they were not enough.
Although Bird said he recognizes many important priorities state legislatures have when deciding on the budget, people calling higher education a burden on taxpayers is not the case.
“They should be saying the taxes we’re collecting are going to relevant and important services,” Bird said, adding that his frustration with people who say that education is important, “but not that important, and we empathize with students but aren’t going to help.”
Bird said he has heard many of the arguments before and nothing has changed his point of view.
Ashok Kumar, academic affairs committee chair of the Associated Students of Madison, said he thought the rally was really successful, despite the fact he was disappointed more UW students did not attend.
Kumar called the speakers, who included students from around UW System schools and former UW Regent Nino Amato, the highlight of the event.
Kumar added although he felt the topic of diversity is an important one, the focus needs to be more on improving students with low socioeconomic status.
“Over the course of the past five years you can see … a drastic change,” he said. “This is a really dangerous trend toward privatization which will have detrimental effects on diversity.”
UW Board of Regents Vice President David Walsh said he thinks it is terrific that students are voicing their opinions.
“It’s very important that [students] be heard from — an important reminder that tuition increases are an issue,” Walsh said, adding if the board had it their way, there would not be any tuition increases.
He added that because the state is cutting back, students and the Board of Regents are going to have to battle constituents that the state legislator deals with, whose biggest concerns are not higher education.
“[This is] very simple — we either sacrifice quality [of education], raise tuition or improve the economy,” he said, adding the UW System is the largest economic driver in the state.
“We need to convince the legislature that investing in the higher-education system is the best thing for the Wisconsin economy.”
Kumar agreed that letting people in power know “this is an issue” is the best course for students.
Bird and Kumar both said student leaders would continue efforts until the UW Board of Regents budget meeting is held in January.
