[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]In an autumnal setting in front of Lake Mendota, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., told a crowd of University of Wisconsin students Monday that they want to make college affordable for all hard-working students.

At the College Democrats of Madison's rally outside Memorial Union, Feingold — who said four years at UW cost about $10,000 when he graduated in 1975 — introduced Doyle as "a real champion of students and education." Feingold added Doyle, also a UW alumnus, had to make difficult cuts to education funding in his first budget because of mismanagement by state Republicans.

"None of those cuts would have happened if it hadn't been for the Republicans in the Legislature who were spending the state into a huge deficit," Feingold said. "But as soon as he had a chance, Gov. Jim Doyle started reinvesting in the university, and he will go even further to support this university in his next budget when we get him re-elected."

And on the national level, Doyle charged that the Republican-controlled Congress has restricted financial resources for education, making a $12 billion cut to student financial aid. Doyle added he has kept tuition competitive, while doubling student aid funding in his four years as governor.

"I'm proud of the fact that even though we have faced some pretty challenging issues with tuition, we have kept UW-Madison [at] the second-lowest tuition in the Big Ten [conference]," he said.

Doyle added he hopes the UW Board of Regents follow his recommendation to hold tuition increases around 3 percent, or about the rate of inflation, to make UW the least expensive university in the Big Ten, which he said his gubernatorial opponent U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis, also supports.

"But [Green] has said that he isn't going to give the university one more dime other than that small tuition increase," Doyle said after the rally. "And if that's what he does, that becomes a $100 million cut."

Green's campaign spokesman Luke Punzenberger attested that Green has pledged to hold tuition increases at the rate of inflation, but said Doyle's plan is "too little, too late."

"Part of Mark Green's proposal is that any future increase in tuition would be tied directly to an equal increase in student-aid funding to offset tuition increases," Punzenberger said. "Since Mark Green has been in Congress, funding for Pell Grants increased by huge numbers, and as governor, he wants to ensure that every Wisconsin student has a chance for a world-class education in the UW System."

In addition, Doyle addressed his Wisconsin Covenant plan. The Wisconsin Covenant is a pledge eighth-grade students would make to graduate high school, maintain a B average, take college-preparatory classes and stay out of trouble, in exchange for full tuition assistance to any Wisconsin college or university.

"The covenant between students and higher education has already been broken," Punzenberger said. "[Doyle] has increased tuition over 50 percent in just four years and decreased out-of-state tuition. He has also given out-of-state students with worse academic credentials than Wisconsin students priority with getting into the UW System on a number of occasions."

And before the crowd of students waving Doyle-Lawton signs, Doyle and Feingold stressed the importance of getting involved in the election and voting.

"You gotta make sure that people vote," Doyle said. "If people vote, then the true values of Wisconsin will be expressed. We need everybody of your age group to vote because this is your future."

And Feingold called Wisconsin students, particularly at UW, the "backbone" of his three U.S. Senate elections and noted the importance of every single vote.

"I won my first election to the state Senate by 31 votes out of 47,000, so do not let up; this [election] could get close," Feingold said. "We cannot take anything for granted."

With a week to go before Election Day, a Rasmussen Reports poll released Monday shows Green within the margin of error on Doyle, as the percentages are 48 to 44 in favor of Doyle.