In order for Gov. Scott Walker to balance the state budget, the University of Wisconsin has been handed $46.1 million in cuts. As of yet, no UW group is sure how to shoulder the
setback, and right now, all anyone can do is plug leaks in the levy while the flood of
consequences is ready to break loose.

In a recent meeting with The Badger Herald Editorial Board, UW System spokesperson
David Giroux said budget cuts have led to lowered morale of faculty and staff and that there is a “palpable level of frustration” about having to make do with less. He
explained the budget cuts do not mean we’re going to be seeing signs on classroom
doors reading, “Class cancelled until further notice,” – just yet.

It’s easy to see why professors feel Walker’s breath on the backs of their necks. The
pared down budget will not take effect until next fall, but by then, academic positions go
unfilled and there will be fewer re-hires, Giroux said. This means less people to do the same amount
of work, which will translate to less class availability for students and fewer teaching
assistants. All of this will have a direct effect on the quality of education we receive at
UW.>

The boiling frog anecdote resounds with student committees as well. In a recent
meeting with the Herald Editorial Board, Shared Governance Committee Chair
Rep. Beth Huang said, “We’re not working to become more efficient just so they can
cut us more.” The Associated Students of Madison are in a fight to continue to allocate
funds to all the services we students have come to depend on and enjoy – but with less
available funding, it’s an even greater challenge.

This means they must be hyper-vigilant about their purse strings. This is evidenced
by recent Student Services Finance Committee decisions to table Rec Sports’ and
the Wisconsin Union’s budgets until they can provide stripped down and highly
itemized lists of what money will go where. Furthermore, they are trying to implement a Lobby Day for UW students to discuss with our
legislators what budget cuts mean for the education of UW students. It is important to note that this has
not been a part of the ASM’s agenda any time in recent memory because it’s been a
long time since the UW system was saddled with such detrimental budget cuts.

It’s unfortunate  our educational system is in such a bind. From meetings with both a UW administrator and student leaders, it’s obvious neither
managerial nor student policy-makers know how to proceed when so much is on the
line. They are both striving to make the best of a bad situation and salvage what can
be fixed, but at this point, there’s not much that can be done. Until then, both need to
continue to make their voices heard, and students should chime in whenever possible.
For education’s sake, recall election day can’t come soon enough.

Taylor Nye ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in archaeology, human evolutionary biology and Latin American studies.