Jim Doyle has a tough choice on his hands: Should the major cities and major universities of this state have more say in how the University of Wisconsin System is run than their smaller counterparts?
Many are saying it’s unjust that Madison and Milwaukee residents currently occupy 10 of the 14 citizen seats, given the fact the Board represents the entire UW System. On this, they aren’t too far off.
However, this concept becomes more reasonable when we start breaking down the remaining four members. The two student regents are from Plateville and Eau Claire, and the other two members, the state superintendent and the technical colleges member, should not have any geographical ties. This makes the “10 of 14” an exaggeration and should be interpreted as 10 of 18.
Regardless, it is a high percentage; particularly considering about 40 percent of the state’s population resides in the metropolitan areas of those two cities. I agree the appointment system needs to be reformed. But the Senate’s plan is the wrong way to go.
Madison and Milwaukee are, without a doubt, the economic and cultural hubs of the state of Wisconsin. Their universities are the only ones that conduct research, and they are home to almost 75,000 UW students.
They are, therefore, worthy of higher representation on the UW System Board of Regents than their smaller, less influential counterparts. State Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, called the current system an “us versus them” scenario in an interview with KUWS-FM, the radio station at UW-Superior.
Higher education is a “statewide responsibility,” as Jauch also stated, and it’s only “us versus them” because gubernatorial appointments to the UW System Board of Regents have so frequently been the friends and donors of party leaders, who tend to be located in Madison and Milwaukee.
So rather than bullshitting about the geopolitics of this business, we must address the real problem. The UW System Board of Regents needs to answer to an authority higher than the governor or the Legislature. It must answer to the people of the state of Wisconsin.
The governor should veto this bill and tell the Legislature to come up with a new proposal next session that would allow regents to be chosen by direct election. This is not unheard of, and has been the topic of a fair amount of higher education research. Four states currently do this — Michigan, Colorado, Nebraska and Nevada.
Yes, I’m making a “more democracy is a good thing” argument. And as tired of that as everybody is, this is the most effective system to choose who should lead the state’s crucial higher education system, which year after year is becoming as important as who is running our local schools.
The main argument against this idea is it would politicize the system of higher education in Wisconsin. And while there is some validity to that line of reasoning, at the end of the day, direct election would provide for a better discourse on what is best for this system and give the power to the people instead of the lawmakers.
If signed, the bill on the governor’s desk will do nothing but force him to pick a buddy from Fond du Lac or Superior to take the seat. And given his accent, I’m sure he wouldn’t have too hard a time doing that.
My only concern is that hyperpolitical groups on the Far Right will see this as an opportunity to run somebody for the UW System Board of Regents who will come to Madison and stop the baby killing and gay rights movements we all hold so dearly.
However, I have faith in the people of Wisconsin, for some reason. I think residents of backwoods Wisconsin will conclude the needs of UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee are, ultimately, more crucial to the state’s success than the wants of the Far Right or UW-Podunk County.
But I’ve been wrong before.
Kevin Bargnes ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.
