An internal document recently circulating around the University of Wisconsin System threatens to eliminate students’ shared governance power. It would allow System schools to dip into students’ tuition in order offset the recent budget cuts. These discussions, which currently do not involve students at any level, need to stop until our voice can be heard on what the System should do with our money.

The “All Money is Green” document was created by the chief business officers of the UW System schools to evaluate all the universities’ different sources of revenue in order to find additional funding in light of the recent budget cuts.

The document provides the UW System schools to use one of four options for greater funding flexibility:

• Complete use of students’ segregated fees and all operating revenues
• Use of the same funds, excluding allocable segregated fees
• All university operating revenues, excluding all segregated fees
• Use of funds transfers or loan funds from auxiliary and operating revenues.

Options one and two pose the greatest threats to students’ funding and power over the funds. If passed, they would result in the decrease or total elimination of the Associated Students of Madison’s shared governance power as established in Wisconsin statute 36.09(5), something students on this campus have worked hard for years to preserve and strengthen.

Fortunately, the UW System chief student affairs officers quickly denied the use of options one and two. However, while they are theoretically off the table, no final decisions have been made.

Options three and four still hurt students’ power. Option three could result in increasing auxiliary unit funding, which in part is funding by segregated fees. Because the each school’s funding allocation committees only has limited review power, their ability to stifle this threat is limited. Option four would take a currently university-centered decision, which students have a voice on through shared governance, and put it solely in the hand of the Board of Regents president, taking students completely out of the equation.

While these ideas are still in the early stages of planning, students have yet to be brought to the table. In fact, one member of the UW System said students would not be brought in until a recommendation had been made. However, by that point it will be too late.

The System must take a step back and put a halt to discussions until students are included in the conversation. This is our money and our System. We deserve a voice in the discussions.