Student representatives from the University of Wisconsin System gathered at the Capitol Tuesday, calling on legislators to take more action on education initiatives and participate in more dialogue with the UW System.
The “#WI Need to Talk” hearing featured 40 students from 10 UW System schools addressing the top education priorities of the students.
According to United Council secretary Beth Huang, students were not able to attend scheduled meetings with some legislators, who were either on the floor or in caucus throughout the day.
The first and most common complaint addressed at the hearing was Gov. Scott Walker’s $250 million in cuts to higher education, with an additional $46.1 million said to be on its way.
“Despite these debilitating cuts, the state continues to ask for more from the UW System,” United Council Vice President Dylan Jambrek said. “This is a time when tuition continues to climb 11 percent every budget cycle and student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt in the country.”
Jambrek also noted that at the end of the biennium, Wisconsin’s limitations on tuition increases are set to lapse. As a result, the Board of Regents will be able to set tuition prices to any amount.
Huang said tuition had not only increased a few thousand dollars since her freshman year, but she has also seen a decline in educational quality, with only half of UW’s undergraduate instructional courses being taught by faculty.
“At UW-Madison, we don’t simply have the problem of growing class sizes. We have the problem of shrinking class sizes,” Huang said. “Many students are prevented from taking courses due to restrictive class sizes, and then they are put on waitlists.”
Huang said because of this, students can’t take classes required for their majors, and as a result may have to pay tuition for another semester or year.
As a returning student and previous business owner, UW-Fond du Lac student body president Geoff Murray said his university’s accessibility attracted him to the campus. He said since many students have families, have to work and want to maintain decent grades, an affordable institution is key.
“Education isn’t just about getting a better job, or getting ahead in life. It’s about being a better person,” Murray said. “As we raise the prices of education, it’s getting more difficult for students to do that.”
UW-Marathon County student Ian Reese advocated for the support of two-year UW System campuses, which he said are often overlooked in the budget process.
Reese said for many Wisconsinites in rural areas, two-year campuses are the only way they can afford an education, particularly in the liberal arts.
A first-generation college student himself, Reese said UW-Marathon County provides him with a rigorous curriculum and high quality education that he would not be able to find elsewhere.
Student protests against education cuts have received attention from several Wisconsin legislators.
In a statement released following the students’ hearing, Reps. Sondy Pope Roberts, D-Middleton, and Fred Clark, D-Baraboo, released an updated “Save the Schools” budget proposal.
Based on Democratic legislators’ budget projections, the plan would give an additional $356 million to Wisconsin education and increase funding for 85 percent of public schools, according to the statement.
