University Universityof ofWisconsin-Madison Wisconsin-Madison University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Blank proposes to give first-generation transfer students free tuition By Noah Habenstreit and Peter Coutu THE DAILY CARDINAL
Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced a proposal Thursday that would provide at least one year of free tuition for Wisconsin firstgeneration students transferring to the state’s flagship university, but only if the state provides “sufficient new investment” for UW in its upcoming budget. “[First-generation students are] a substantial part of the Wisconsin population that needs more skills, and we want to provide them with that opportunity to come to UW-Madison,” Blank said. While the proposal, titled “Badger First-Generation Transfer Promise,” hinges on state financial support, the changes to the transfer contract will be made regardless. The transfer contracts are between UW-Madison and 14 twoyear UW campuses, as well as some
technical colleges. The new contract has several different requirements, like maintaining a GPA of 3.2, which is up from the previous requirement of a 2.8 GPA. Students would also need to complete two years of studies with credits that would transfer to UW-Madison, as well as signing the transfer contract in their first year. The proposal came at the end of a speech focused largely on problems the university is facing. Blank said UW-Madison is at a “crucial point for the university,” because of how it is starting to lag behind its peer institutions. “I’m going to do something that most chancellors don’t do in these presentations,” Blank said. “I’m going to talk about some of the things that worry me, and that have to turn around if we’re going to retain our top ranking.” She focused largely on the university’s falling rankings, which
have been a trend for years, and the university struggling to retain top faculty members. Before discussing the proposal, Blank stressed that the university needs additional investment from the state during the 2017-’19 budget if they are to remain a world-class institution. Blank said the proposal would help bring “world-class education within reach for more first-generation Wisconsin students.” If the proposal is approved, firstyear transfer students from other UW schools or certain technical colleges who meet the requirements of the contract would have at least the first year of tuition paid for by scholarships and grants. Students who also qualify for Pell grants would be eligible for two years of free tuition. Those who use this proposal could earn a degree for less than $22,000 in tuition and fee costs if they graduate in four years, according to university offials.
Over 1,000 converge on Janesville, picket Paul Ryan’s office
NINA BERTELSEN/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Associated Students of Madison representatives attended the UW System Student Representatives meeting at UW-Parkside.
Student representatives discuss segregated fee use and sustainability By Nina Bertelsen THE DAILY CARDINAL
Though all energy expenditures for UW System institutions are controlled by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, a new campaign seeks to alter this policy and allow schools to be 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. At a UW System Student Representatives meeting Saturday, representatives from UW-Stout proposed legislation seeking support from the body for the Seize The Grid campaign. The UW-Stout representatives said they hoped to purchase green energy but were told that they could not use segregated fees to purchase energy generated outside
of the University. “The city of River Falls just invested in millions in a solar garden, so why would we not invest in the solar garden,” said a representative from UW-River Falls. “Why would we not invest in that? I agree that it’s just another stupid regulation.” However, some raised concerns that chancellors would be reluctant to allow students to make decisions in energy purchasing, even for projects and buildings funded with segregated fees. Representatives from UW-Madison who attended the meeting said they were concerned about cost and responsibility being
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Walker proposes a $649 million increase in funding for K-12 schools By Lilly Price THE DAILY CARDINAL NOAH HABENSTREIT/THE DAILY CARDINAL
A crowd of over 1,000 protesters listened to speakers in Jefferson Park before protesting outside Speaker Paul Ryan’s constituent office on Main Street in downtown Janesville. By Noah Habenstreit THE DAILY CARDINAL
JANESVILLE, Wis.—In a demonstration that Janesville police said dwarfed any they’d seen, residents of south-central Wisconsin and beyond marched to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s constituent office Saturday to protest his stance on President Donald Trump’s immigration ban. About 1,000 people—most residents from the area but some coming from as far as Chicago and Eau Claire—convened at 12 p.m. to listen to speakers and then march to Main Street, where they held signs and chanted outside of Ryan’s office.
Ryan was among the first elected officials to publicly support Trump’s recent executive order, which bars immigration from seven Middle-Eastern countries, despite originally expressing concern about such a policy. Protesters said they thought Ryan should be more willing to go against Trump, especially on policies that could do great harm. “I believe Paul Ryan doesn’t believe in a Muslim ban, and needs encouragement from his constituents to stand by those convictions,” said Ellie Anderbyrne, a Beloit resident. “I hope this will send a clear message to him.”
Although a federal judge’s decision yesterday temporarily halted the travel ban, the facilitator of the protest, the Beloit chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice, said it was still important to “keep pressure on [Trump] to abandon his course.” Eight speakers, most of whom were from the religious community, took the mic in Jefferson Park to condemn Trump’s executive order. Martin Alvarado, an ACLU of Wisconsin board member,
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Three days before his official budget address, Gov. Scott Walker boasted Sunday that his 2017-’19 budget will invest more money into K-12 education than any other budget in Wisconsin history. Walker proposed $649 million in aid for all public, private, voucher and charter state schools, bringing the total educational investment to $11.6 billion. Per-pupil state aid will increase by $509.2 million, allowing general and categorical aid to reach an all time high, the governor said in a tweet. The per-pupil state aid grants money based on the number of students in a district. Currently, each school receives $250 per pupil, according to the Department of Public Instruction. Under Walker’s new plan, that number will increase
by $200 per student each year over the next two years. “What the governor is proposing is absolutely tremendous good news for public schools...his funding proposals are right in line with what we have requested,” said Dan Rossmiller, a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards in a statement. The substantial increase in educational funding is a stark contrast to the $1 billion Walker has cut from K-12 schools since 2011. Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shillings, D La-Crosse, said that only a full refund of the $1 billion cut will help families, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Walker attributes his ability to increase funding by such a large amount due to an unexpected
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