As debate surrounding the proposed New Badger Partnership has continued to intensify, University of Wisconsin students have organized to raise awareness of the plan’s possible implications for students in an attempt to sway popular opinion.
As students in opposition to the plan continue to rally supporters, one group of students formed a new organization to centralize efforts to mobilize supporters of the measure.
Jon Alfuth, co-founder of Students for the New Badger Partnership, said the group was established in the absence of a unified voice for students in support of the proposal.
Alfuth, a second-year graduate student, said the group has worked to foster grassroots outreach efforts for nearly six weeks in order to give students the opportunity to express support for the proposal.
“As we’ve reached out to talk about the Partnership, we get people on the fence to consider it a big thing for students,” he said. “We want to debate the proposal based on its merits, not the personalities of people involved in discussions.”
While the organization has found support among a faction of students that favors the plan, Alfuth said the battle has proven difficult at times because there are a lot of issues currently competing for students’ attention, and some key aspects of the proposal, including figures for financial aid and tuition increases, remain uncertain.
As the debate surrounding public authority status has gained momentum, students have also intensified efforts to organization in opposition to the measure.
Beth Huang, a UW sophomore, said a loose coalition composed of members of different groups, including Student Labor Action Coalition and United Council of UW Students, has come together to oppose the separation of the campus from the System.
She said although a lot of students have heard about the proposal, most do not know how they feel about it and have expressed concern about possible tuition increases in the wake of the state budget’s extensive cuts to higher education.
“A lot of people do not like the idea of separating from the System and think it would undermine the mission to serve the state of Wisconsin,” Huang said.
She added points in opposition to the proposal have especially resonated with transfer students and students at other UW System schools.
Students hope to continue raising awareness with a rally scheduled for Tuesday on Bascom aiming to draw attention to the proposed public authority status and the “Briefcase Brigades” event on Wednesday targeting the state Legislature and the unavailability of quality jobs for college graduates, she said.
While Huang acknowledged certain students have been publicly singled out for their support or opposition to the Partnership, she said debate on issues important to every student, including financial aid, would remain respectful.
Alfuth said members of his organization have been targeted by both direct and indirect attacks in recent weeks, with members of the campus community also questioning whether the group was actually established by students.
He added the core membership of the group, composed of about 24 students, would continue to advocate open and constructive dialogue across campus.
