Last week, University of Wisconsin students passed a
referendum recommending a $1 tuition increase to pay for five Iraqi students to
study here. While the Campus Antiwar Network and a sliver of the student
population may have found the measure to be a worthy exercise of charity, the
implementation of such a project at this university would be inappropriate.

The Iraqi Student Project is honorable in its mission:
giving students of a war-torn region the opportunity for higher education is an
undoubtedly admirable goal. Had this been executed by way of a private
fundraising enterprise or occurred at a private university, the Iraqi Student
Project might well have been a viable option.

But not at UW. A state institution should not overlook its
immediate priorities for the sake of a proposal with hazy logistics and the
equally vague justification of showing “solidarity” with Iraqi
students.

Contrary to CAN’s reasoning, the UW administration has no
duty to help educate the people of Iraq. Chancellor John Wiley and the Board of
Regents are not politicians and the students are not their constituents; the UW
administration’s job is to act in the best interests of the educational mission
of this university.

This proposal is far removed from that priority. Using
tuition increases to boost financial aid for Wisconsin citizens, increase
professor salaries or fund other worthy projects focused on improving the
performance of this university is justified. However, raising tuition — even
slightly — to give a full ride to five Iraqi students, simply because it would
be an “honorable” thing to do, would be a misguided endeavor for a
public university.

Furthermore, one can hardly argue this referendum —
approved by only 4 percent of UW students — represents a mandate from the
student body. And even if the entire student body is willing to contribute
another dollar to tuition, it is ultimately the Board of Regents, not the
students, who should decide how tuition dollars are spent.

We recommend the Board of Regents keeps the needs of this
university in mind first and simply declines to consider this proposal. If CAN
wants to bring five Iraqi students here and has enough student support, they
should create an independent fund rather than expect this university to venture
into territory in which it doesn’t belong.