STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) seems to be one of the defining buzzwords of the early twentieth century. Yet, there is still a long road ahead of the United States if we aim to top our competitors in these fields. University of Wisconsin recently released a video showing the deterioration of its chemistry facilities. The featured speakers talk of their embarrassment when showing prospective students the facilities and how it may impact their choice of attending the university. Unfortunately, the Chemistry program is not the only program within UW that is being neglected.

This video comes at a time when the university faces major budget cuts. It’s clear that many university faculty and students are committed to doing away with the draconian cuts, but I believe this is not enough. It’s incumbent upon the general public to protect the integrity of all our public institutions, which includes the flagship university. Many hold a sour taste in their mouth when trying to swallow the proposed Gov. Scott Walker budget, but public pressure toward our representatives is the only way to restore our deteriorating facilities.

Another important step is to become familiar with the university’s budget. The administration should be held accountable for how it spends funds, but this cannot be done with a student body that is ill-informed about these issues. It’s the application of our American civic duties to our educational life that will help improve the standards of our university, because in truth we as students are citizens of our own educational community.

Like any community, there are many issues citizens are passionate about. There are facilities that foster dialogue among different interest groups on campus that can be used to reach compromise. It’s tough to decide what should be done concerning a budget already under tight scrutiny, because any reallocation of money is likely to disadvantage someone. However, we must decide what’s important, and the upgrading of our basic facilities would be a very beneficial maneuver, not only for our school, but for Madison and the state.

-Nichalous Pogorelec ([email protected]) is a sophomore studying sociology.