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 ([email protected]) is a freshman intending to major in journalism.
