State Rep. Suzanne Jeskewitz,
R-Menomonee Falls, is always concerned about how to effectively spend
Wisconsin taxpayers' money.

Jeskewitz, a member of the state
Legislature's Assembly Colleges and University Committee, said she
is not a supporter of the various collective bargaining movements
University of Wisconsin System faculty have taken, and added the
unions that exist for technical college faculty are unfair to the
taxpayers of Wisconsin.

"Salaries are high for technical
college professors," Jeskewitz said. "I think in all fairness to
the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin, we need not to continue to
do this."

Jeskewitz said she understands the
state has an obligation to pay professors well, but all universities
are having difficulty with professors and their salaries.

In addition, Jeskewitz feels domestic
partner benefits are not a necessity to the state, again because of
the high cost to taxpayers.

UW College Democrats chair Oliver
Kiefer disagrees, saying Jeskewitz's position is very troubling,
and domestic partner benefits are essential for the university to
step forward and not lose ground.

"Domestic partner benefits are a
generational issue and not many older folks support it," Kiefer
said. "It proves how out of touch the Legislature leadership is
with the university community."

Kiefer said he agrees with Jeskewitz
that spending taxpayer dollars efficiently should be a priority, but
added professors and Wisconsin residents are going to go elsewhere if
too much damage is done to the UW System.

"You can invest in your community and
reap the benefits," Kiefer said, "or reap the consequences."

Jeskewitz said it is essential for the
UW System and the state of Wisconsin to continue to build a strong
relationship, though she believes the system needs to understand the
Legislature always has to balance their resources with all the needs
of the state.

Currently, Jeskewitz said she would
like further collaboration between the UW System and state in
actively developing a clear system on how credits transfer between
technical colleges and UW Systems schools, saying 60 percent of all
college students in the United States transfer.

Jeskewitz proposes that all state
system colleges and universities lay out their expectations and
accurately communicate these ideas to students. This way, a student
will know how to best transfer credits from technical colleges to UW
institutions.

"If we are a system, we need to be a
system," Jeskewitz said. "There are too many divisions in the
state, including the technical colleges, four-year colleges and UW
colleges."

Jeskewitz said although transferability
is becoming more accessible to students, it is unfair credits taken
at technical colleges are on average less expensive than credits
taken at UW System schools.

"There are different tuition
formulas," Jeskewitz said. "Technical college credits are a third
of the cost compared to the university system, and students need to
be paying a comparable cost to what the university would charge."

Jeskewitz approves of Wisconsin's
efforts to encourage "brain gain" in the state by offering more
high tech and baccalaureate degrees, but added the state does have
problems attracting high-paying professionals from other states.

UW College Republicans chair Sara
Mikolajczak echoed Jeskewitz's belief in "brain gain" and said
the state does offer benefits for students to stay in Wisconsin.

For example, Mikolajczak said students
who attend UW Law School are exempt from taking the bar exam if they
practice in Wisconsin, and the nurses who graduate from nursing
school are likely to get a job in the state.

"We need to try and keep highly
educated students in the state of Wisconsin," Jeskewitz said. "It
is the only way to continue to grow our economy."