The Board of Regents will vote on tuition increases for University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse during their next meeting at UW Feb. 4 and 5.
The proposals are the BluGold Commitment, which would phase-in a $1,200 increase in UW-Eau Claire tuition over the course of four years, and UW-LaCrosse’s Academic Excellence Initiative, which would increase tuition $60 each year for five years.
According to Michael Rindo, UW-Eau Claire spokesperson, there was a motion made by the UW-Eau Claire student government to reconsider the increase in differential tuition. The motion failed, and the tuition proposal stands as is.
Not all students are thrilled by the proposal.
Students who had concerns on differential tuition at UW-Eau Claire formed a Facebook group, according to Rindo.
While most of the 1,100 members of the group did not completely renounce the BluGold commitment, they voiced their concerns on certain aspects of the proposal, such as financial aid or making sure the money went to the programs where it was promised, Rindo said.
At the Monday night student government meeting, Rindo said it was difficult to accurately represent how students felt about the proposal because only six or seven students spoke.
The original proposal was passed by the student senate in December of 2009 and will be presented to the Board of Regents Feb. 4 and decided on Feb. 5. If it is approved, the new differential tuition policy will be implemented in the fall of 2010.
The Regents will also hear another proposal from UW-LaCrosse regarding their Academic Excellence Initiative, which would double the amount of differential tuition they pay now.
If passed, UW-LaCrosse students would add $60 a year for the initiative for five years to the $60 they are already scheduled to pay. UW-LaCrosse Chancellor Joe Gow said after the initial five years of students paying the extra $60 each year, the Board of Regents would revisit the fee.
Gow said there are four major aspects of the initiative including internationalization, advising, diversity and undergraduate research.
More opportunities would be available for students to research and study abroad.
According to Eric Kahl, president of the UW-LaCrosse Student Association, a stipend for international students is part of the internationalization aspect.
If an international student accepts the stipend, they must agree to participate in three activities that cultivate diversity on campus, such as putting on a program to teach students about their home country, Kahl said.
UW-LaCrosse has two differential tuition programs circulating: Growth, Quality, and Access and the Academic Excellent Initiative. The Board of Regents hopes to consolidate differential tuition programs between campuses, according to Gow.
If the UW-LaCrosse proposal is approved, the two programs will be combined, Gow said.
Kahl said during the presentation on Thursday, members of the Student Association will be talking about the benefits of the services that the differential tuition provides.
Gow said in a student referendum, more than 3,400 students voted, and more than 80 percent of students approved the increase of fees.
