In response to Gov. Jim Doyle’s budget proposal, the Associated Students of Madison and the Student Labor Action Coalition held a press conference Thursday to express their anger over several of Doyle’s proposals.

“While ASM applauds the governor’s efforts to keep UW at a competitive fiscal level when compared with other Big 10 schools, it is essential that tuition not exceed the lower limits of Doyle’s recommendation of a 5-7 percent tuition increase,” ASM Legislative Affairs representative Krissy Fischer said.

SLAC member Joel Feingold urged Doyle and legislators to “take the knife out of our back” by refusing to cut 1800 state workers, restoring the funding for UW disability centers, reducing tuition costs and conferring with the Teaching Assistants’ Association.

“He’s starving this university,” Feingold said. “It’s our UW, not yours.”

Feingold said Doyle’s proposal to hold tuition increases between 5 and 7 percent for the biennial budget, a possible total increase of 14 percent for the two years, is “unacceptable.”

Doyle’s budget, unveiled Tuesday, includes increased funding for the university system and financial aid.

But UW tuition has increased by more than 33 percent in the past two years, and according to Fischer, “any increase in tuition signifies a substantial blow to struggling families.”

Fischer stressed the importance of investing in UW as a means of fostering economic growth. According to Fischer, US News and World Report in 2003 rated UW as the seventh best public university in the nation. Fischer added that the UW Research Park generates over 4,000 jobs with double the average state salary.

“UW-Madison’s impact on the Wisconsin economy is $4.2 billion-over 10 times the investment made in it by the state annually,” Fischer said.

Campus Accessibility Campaign volunteer Stephanie Biese said Doyle “demonstrated a disregard for the higher education of students with disabilities” in Tuesday night’s proposal. She said Doyle’s cut of $2 million would affect more than 4,000 students’ access to education.

“This line item’s exclusion is a giant step backward for the state of Wisconsin and its tradition of providing services for students with disabilities,” Biese said.

According to Biese, funding for students with disabilities is important for current and future students.

She said without the “relatively small” funding of $2 million, a number of services provided to students with disabilities would be cut, restricting many students from attending the university.

According to Biese, UW would be unable “to enforce the equality that the UW System believes is necessary.”

Feingold agreed cuts in funding for disability centers “are simply unacceptable.”

Kelly Egan, ASM chair of Legislative Affairs, said the organization would continue to meet with contacts in the governor’s office and also communicate their concerns with key legislators.

According to Feingold, the “Whose UW” group is arranging large demonstrations to bring attention to students’ concerns regarding Doyle’s proposed budget.

“It is now the responsibility of the state legislators to uphold the standards with which ASM and the UW student body has challenged them by supporting our amazing system, which will, with the proper means, continue to rise to the top,” Fischer said.