The Associated Students of Madison passed a motion to lobby against Wisconsin Senate Bill 317 during a meeting Wednesday night.

The bill, intended to end the collective-bargaining rights of University of Wisconsin teaching assistants and project assistants, received opposition from many ASM members.

The council heard from educational psychology teaching assistant Tina Kemp at the meeting's open forum.

"The bill is a malicious attack on the university by Sen. (Tom) Reynolds," Kemp said, adding Reynolds, R-West Allis, is proposing the bill because he is angry about the 2004 Teaching Assistants Association strike.

Kemp noted many classes are taught by teaching assistants and UW's dependency on those workers saves the university money.

Kemp argued that the TAA's contract proposal, which entails competitive wages and health insurance, allows the university to find the best teaching assistants across the country and, in turn, gives UW academic prestige. Conversely, the state's current contract offer is an insult to organized labor, she said.

"This, in the labor world, is akin to chopping off somebody's head because they stole an apple. … This is an attack on labor and the UW System," Kemp said.

When the issue was brought to debate, several ASM members agreed with Kemp.

"I think it's important to support the teaching assistants, and I think it's important that the university respects its workers," ASM representative John Bruning said.

ASM representative Robert Fryst agreed that teaching assistants deserve council support.

"It is important for the TAs to see that students are supporting [the assistants'] rights — that they will go to bat for the TAs," Fryst said.

The majority of the student council felt it was necessary to support the university's teaching assistants because they have supported ASM in the past.

When voted upon, the council passed the resolution 17-1-3.

ASM members also heard reports from various special committees, including Support ROTC, which has established many goals, including plans for a Veterans' Day parade and a veterans' alumni directory.

The ASM committee Support ROTC also told ASM members it wants to create more awareness about veterans.

The committee feels a majority of students define a veteran as an older man or woman who served in a war decades ago.

Instead, the definition of a veteran is any person who has served on active duty, ASM representatives said.

Additionally, representatives noted the registration office claims only 60 students on campus are veterans, but, in actuality, the number nears 600.

Consequently, Support ROTC wants to recognize the growing number of campus veterans, committee members said.

ASM also heard from Plan 2008, the committee designed to attract more minority students and faculty members to the university.

The committee's main focus this year is to impact this summer's SOAR program and organizational summits.

The council heard from the standing board overseeing the University Health Services' Student Activity Center.

The committee said it plans to do more outreach this semester and is finishing designs for a larger building that will provide additional room for student organizations.