It was recently announced the University of Wisconsin would waive fall-semester tuition for students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. This decision was finalized after the UW Board of Regents discussed the matter with state legislators, after which it was decided that the temporary tuition assistance would be given to the displaced students.
This is a wonderful opportunity, and relief, for the Katrina victims. While dealing with issues such as damaged or lost homes and belongings, maybe even deaths of loved ones, being able to continue on with school for the semester will, it is hoped, bring a little normalcy, and new opportunities, to their lives.
University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly commented that, "Hurricane Katrina profoundly disrupted the lives of thousands of Gulf Coast residents, and UW campuses want to help as best they can." While regular out-of-state tuition is $10,142 per semester for undergraduate students, it has not yet been recorded how much this decision will cost the UW.
This unprecedented tuition waiver is undeniably a large step for the University of Wisconsin. And while one cannot overlook the devastating events that led to this decision, it must be asked why it takes such a disaster for the UW and the state to want to "help as best they can."
Tuition hikes are notorious at the UW, which has endured a 50 percent increase in tuition over the past two state budget periods. And with these increases, many students have not found their financial aid or state grants to be covering their costs. In fact, it was reported last Thursday that UW students who receive aid are still graduating with an average debt of $17,000.
This is an enormous amount of money for a 20-something-year-old to owe. And what's more, the ever-increasing tuition is cutting off the chance for some students to even begin to think about coming to school here.
Luckily, relief has been proposed by state Reps. Spencer Black and Joe Parisi, both D-Madison. As reported, this bill would make an additional $17 million available to UW students in aid grants. And although this is a great step, when compared to the $55 billion budget for the UW, this is still only a small step.
UW students, as well as prospective students, need financial assistance. This is a serious problem, and the lack of aid for our students should not be forgotten or overshadowed by the assistance the UW is providing for displaced Katrina students. Although this issue does not command as much media attention, attention does need to be paid to our students, and to the future of our campus.
As state Rep. Black said, "Fewer students now are coming from moderate- and low-income families … It would be a shame if the University of Wisconsin becomes a providence only of the well-to-do."
The bill proposed by Reps. Black and Parisi is something, but it is not enough. Many students are being denied the opportunity to further their education at our school because aid is not being provided to them.
The University of Wisconsin has done a great service in offering the fall-semester tuition waiver for the displaced Hurricane Katrina students. We also need to realize, however, that just because there is not constant media coverage of the situation, many, many more students are in need of tuition breaks. The state and the UW also need to focus their efforts on helping its own students "as best they can." The crushing debt and long-term burden borne by undergraduates is a serious threat to our school and its future.
Christine Fusaro ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in communication arts and political science.
