"The boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state." — Author unknown.

This is how the Wisconsin Idea was described by many people after it was coined in the early 20th century. In order to put into words what was already done in practice, UW President Charles Richard Van Hise and the author of the Idea, Charles McCarthy, worked to describe the relationship between the state and the university.

The University of Wisconsin is inextricably tied to the state of Wisconsin and vice versa. The Legislature works with the Board of Regents to make sure the university receives the funds it needs and the university works to benefit all citizens of Wisconsin, especially with medical and scientific research. The city of Madison is even designed to show the symbiotic relationship, with the Capitol and the university linked by a single street in the center of town.

But recently, it seems some people have forgotten all about the Wisconsin Idea. The link between the Capitol and the UW has broken down almost completely and there are now two separate entities working against each other. The university has some sick-leave practices that the state doesn't like and the state recently attempted to teach the university a lesson by not giving them full funding. There's a small-scale civil war going on in Madison, and the people getting hurt are the students. Students now feel that their legislators and their university are fighting each other without paying attention to how it affects them.

After one investigation already closed in the Paul Barrows case, Rep. Scott Suder, R- Abbotsford, and other legislators want another. They claim President Reilly "misled the Legislature and the public in the knowledge he had and when he had it in the Paul Barrows case," (Suder's letter to Regent's President Walsh). It now appears President Reilly knew of sexual harassment allegations earlier than he had previously admitted.

Legislators are now also questioning the report Steingass gave them and why it didn't have the information about Reilly they have now. Honesty and integrity are two values often said to be important to higher education and those in charge of the system are now being accused of dishonest practices. The search for someone to blame won't be stopping anytime soon. The state and the university are now pitted against one another in a public relations race of who can appear to have the best interests of the state in mind.

What happened to the open channel of communication between the state and the university? It is not only the Legislature who has forgotten about the Wisconsin Idea. The Board of Regents is just as responsible for this breakdown of communication. If there weren't anything to investigate in the first place, legislators wouldn't have had the opportunity to attack the system as they have. The entire relationship is now based on a blame game that probably won't end with everyone shaking hands and smiling, feeling good about what has happened over the past year.

The state needs the UW and the UW needs the state. We are a top-ranked research university that will bring investors and researchers to the state as well as benefit the health and quality of life for Wisconsin residents. The Legislature recently passed a budget that will force the university to cut a number of positions in the system. There is no way to get around the mutual dependence of the state and the school. There is also no way to get around the need for the two to cooperate and remember the Wisconsin Idea.

Julie Isen ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science.