As the University of Wisconsin System attempts to have its proposal for $775 million in building projects approved by the state's budget committee, the UW System may face a rare opposition to its requests for new building construction. According to The Badger Herald, Republicans within the Legislature may try to block some of the more controversial building projects on the UW campus, such as the construction of a new Union South. Some of the projects, like Union South, will receive little or no funds from the state and will be funded by raising segregated fees and private donations. Some members of the State Assembly, however, may block some of the building projects so that segregated fees do not rise and make UW even more expensive for the average Wisconsin family, many of whom struggle to pay the $17,280 in total costs to send their son or daughter to UW for a year.
It is no secret on this campus that UW and the UW System are having difficulties finding the funds to keep this university a world-class institution. Last Friday, the Board of Regents approved a tuition hike of an additional $500 per semester for business majors and $150 for students seeking a business certificate. The Engineering School is considering a similar measure to increase financial aid, recruit more faculty members and expand career and advising services. While few on campus are happy about the increases in tuition and the rising cost of our education, UW has little choice but to enact relatively drastic measures to keep the quality of an education at UW on par with the top public universities in the nation.
The Capitol is currently debating the 2007-09 state budget. As with the tuition hikes, it seems that everyone has an opinion about the budget that Gov. Doyle submitted in February. Gov. Doyle called his budget one for middle-class families and "[a]n opportunity budget … reflecting Wisconsin's values, protecting Wisconsin's priorities and investing in Wisconsin's people." The state Republican Party, however, has touted it as anything but a plan for working-class families due to the increase in property taxes that will hit the elderly and young families hardest. Sen. Michael Ellis, R-Neenah, has gone so far as to state that the budget is a disaster and that the Legislature will have to start over with it.
Local papers have had their opinions as well. The Capital Times has called on corporations to pay a higher share of taxes to relieve the burden of high state property taxes. On April 5, the Isthmus presented how complicated the tax picture is in Wisconsin due to different statistics being able to support any position a politician or lobby group wants to present to the voting public.
These budget and tax statistics are difficult to understand. While our sales tax is incredibly low, state property taxes and state income taxes are the eighth and ninth highest in the nation respectively. In addition, the state budget is 1,757 pages long, which would be difficult for anyone to read in its entirety, let alone understand every nuance. All of this makes it difficult for us at UW and in the state in general to understand what our politicians are actually doing at the Capitol with our tax dollars and how they truly intend to spend them in the next two years.
For many of us, the state budget means little besides a possible tuition rise in the fall or paying a little more in state income taxes. The budget does affect us, however, and will continue to affect us in the future. There are certain costs the state has little control over, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Programs such as these are costly to Wisconsin, and funding them will only increase as the population ages. These costs will not go away, and those of us who will stay in Wisconsin after we graduate will inherit them.
The state is accusing UW and the UW System of irresponsible spending; however, the state government must also spend responsibly. More than likely, our generation will inherit a huge debt from the federal government, which makes state and local spending for the future even more critical. Though UW did not truly seek input from the student body for its tuition raises, it did take a measure to insure that UW will have a better chance to have the funding it needs for the future.
We can only hope the state will take a lesson from UW and seek input from voters to develop a budget that will not bankrupt our future.
Jeff Carnes ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in linguistics.
