This past week, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted to raise the enrollment cap on out-of-state students who desire to enroll in the University of Wisconsin System. While these changes are systemwide, they will almost entirely affect one university: the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Now as a Wisconsinite and student here, I was originally upset upon witnessing the vote, which not a single regent opposed. Why should we admit more students who are much more likely to leave Wisconsin after they graduate? I understand the desire to broaden our horizons, and I recognize students from across the country can augment our university’s wealth of knowledge, experiences and perspectives. This is a worthy goal, and I think all Badgers will agree with it in principle.

However, this line of thought misses the reason behind the vote entirely. The true reason comes down to one word: funding. As out-of-state students will quickly tell you, they pay a significant amount more to attend this university, more than double what the average Wisconsin (or Minnesota) resident pays. Thus, we have finally come to the crux of the issue. By increasing the amount of out-of-state students, the university increases its revenue through charging these students higher tuition. 

Our state government has given our university the incentive to seek funding through other sources outside of our state. A continued decrease in university funding on a state level over the years, legislated by both parties, has forced our university to seek out alternative methods of funding. Frankly, our state government has given our university the incentive to find funding outside of our state. Worse yet, the burden has been placed disproportionately on students as compared to any other group. 

As a result of a different regent decision, this year marked the first year our tuition was more than $10,000. Student debt, on a national level, has reached over one trillion! One trillion! Seven out of every 10 badgers graduate with some form of debt. This debt has a serious impact on career decisions students make after graduation. 

We must call upon our state government to prioritize university funding and to stop the relentless funding cuts to our universities. Let us not forget about the unique educational opportunities we are given each day and all the people who are behind that education. Oh, and thank Bucky for Barry Alvarez.

Chris Hoffman ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science. He is the Chair of College Democrats of Madison.