In a perfect world, elected officials would make education a top funding priority. They would realize that education is the key to Wisconsin’s economic future, and they would invest readily in the students of this state. Unfortunately, we do not live in this world.

Instead, we live in a state where Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed $250 million in budget cuts over the next two years for the University of Wisconsin system, the single largest cut to any state agency and the largest budget reduction ever taken by the university system.

This proposal means that UW-Madison, which makes up about 40 percent of the UW System’s budget, is facing a painful round of budget reductions. In a University Communications press release, Provost Peter Spear said cuts will likely lead to the elimination of 50-60 faculty positions, up to 300 courses and several research centers and academic departments.

Although UW administrators are in a difficult position, they must be cautious as they decide what classes and departments will be affected by these budget cuts.

It is important to remember that education is not a game of numbers. Simply because a class attracts the masses does not mean that it is more valuable than a much smaller class. Although classes like Food Science 120 may attract over 500 students each semester, they are not necessarily more important than learning to speak Arabic or taking a class in music performance. Classes with fewer students often offer more chance for discussion, more accessibility to the instructor and curriculum that covers more focused topics.

Smaller classes in communications, English, foreign languages, history, music, political science, sociology, statistics and psychology have already been cancelled. By eliminating classes like these, UW is losing much of the curriculum that flavors its academics and makes it a world-class university.

In an article in The Capital Times, Philip Certain, dean of the College of Letters and Science, said the university is protecting classes that students need for their majors. While this appears to be a commendable move on many fronts, it is also a dangerous one. We are not here solely to get a diploma. We are here to get an education. And many of the classes that make us see things in a new light, teach us things we thought we already knew and help us to become more well-rounded people have nothing to do with our major. They have everything to do with our education.

To their credit, UW administrators acknowledge the fact that cutting hundreds of classes will affect the quality of this university. Having done that, they must now look for ways to balance the cuts and maintain the qualities that make UW a world-class educational institution.

And they shouldn’t have to do this without the input of students. It is ignorant to simply shrug off the upcoming budget cuts as simply another bout of politics and pretend they don’t apply to you. Almost every student on this campus will feel the effects of the upcoming budget reductions, and students must be informed and involved. Every student should be an active participant in the molding of his own education, whether through the local or state level. Attending budget meetings, writing to legislators and even simply staying informed by reading the local media are all ways that students can be involved.

With such large budget reductions to be made, it goes without saying that classes will have to be cut. So will faculty members and research institutions. This is the inevitable result of a state budget proposal that puts higher education funding on the backburner.

What administrators must do now, however, is make sure they put the interests of students first and ensure a quality education for students who will later comprise a large majority of the state’s workforce. Only then can Wisconsin begin to move towards a brighter economic future.

Kari Bellingham ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in journalism.