STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAU) — The state budget and how it affects university campuses remains a topic of discussion around the state.
UW System President Ray Cross has been traveling around to the UW campuses to listen, as well as share what he knows and some of the frustration he’s experienced in this budget cycle so far. Cross says he has been working with members of the Joint Finance Committee to try restoring the proposed 300-million in cuts the UW System is facing. He says the committee has certainly been open to hearing suggestions. “I’ve heard about a lot of ideas, and I’ve heard a committment to do their very best to do that, and we certainly appreciate that. Everybody is sensitive to that and hopeful, so we’re working with them to be creative to help them, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”
As Cross travels around the state, he’s hearing from students, faculty, and citizens of the college towns. Cross says he has no speech or agenda, but simply answers questions as best he can and shares his opinions as well. “The people are honest and upfront, and feel free to share their anger and frustration, and their concerns and anxieties, and that’s positive, because those are positive things.”
Cross says wherever he goes, the people attending the forums have the same concerns. “Most of them are rooted in the budget, or in chapter 36 Shared Governance and tenure questions, so that’s to be expected.”
Representative Katrina Shankland of Stevens Point was at the UW Stevens Point forum with Ray Cross Friday. She urges people to continue contacting legislators about UW funding, especially the members of the Joint Finance Committee. “Over the next few weeks, this will be a very critical window of opportunity for everyone in the Stevens Point community to advocate for UWSP to get the funding they need to not only survive the cuts, but also make sure that they can thrive. I think, especially students deserve to know where the budget is at.”
The Stevens Point campus has been pushing to add differential tuition, which would increase tuition about $200 dollars per semester to fund additional instructors in high-demand “bottleneck” courses that are required for graduation, but difficult to get into. Supporters argue the four year $1,600 dollar additional cost by far beats returning for another semester, which costs thousands more. Shankland is asking fellow legislators to support the differential tuition plan. “I’ve actually been asking legislators on the budget committee to introduce a motion to support differential tuition. UWSP is at a significant disadvantage compared to other four-year campuses, in that we don’t have differential tuition, and students want it. It will help them get out of college quicker and get into the workforce.”
Democrats including Shankland have been highly critical of the Governor Walker budget, and continue to push for Wisconsin to accept federal Obamacare expansion dollars to fund Badgercare, saying this will allow Wisconsin to free up millions for other priorities like education and transportation. Knowing Walker is unlikely to go that route, Shankland says there is still a way to fund the UW system. “We’re asking them to delay some tax credits that they have that are costing a few hundred million dollars more than expected. Don’t even take them away, just delay them a year to get us the funding we need in the first year.”
The Joint Finance Committee is continuing to work on the budget issues, but the UW System dollars may not be addressed until next month. Ray Cross is continuing to travel to the individual UW campuses to update people and answer their questions.
