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Weekend, February 9-12, 2017
Walker unveils full plan for UW budget Proposal—including 5 percent tuition cut, funding increase—leaves some ‘delighted,’ others critical Story by Andrew Bahl and Peter Coutu Gov. Scott Walker’s state budget proposal includes a 5 percent tuition cut for all in-state undergraduates in the UW System and $140 million more dollars in funding, with a significant portion of that increase tied to performance. While some cheered the funding proposal for the UW System as a means of reinvigorating UW following a $250 million cut in the 2015-’17 biennium budget, others expressed skepticism and even outright dismay at some of the smaller pieces of the plan. UW System President Ray Cross said in a statement that the plan shows the state and the system were aligned on many issues. “The UW System provides a great return on investment, and we appreciate the recognition of the role the UW System plays in Wisconsin’s economy and work-
KATIE SCHEIDT/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Gov. Scott Walker gave his biennial budget address to a Joint Session of state Legislature Wednesday. force,” Cross said in the statement. “The Governor’s proposed budget reflects many of the priorities outlined in 2020FWD, and we look forward to working with the Governor and the legislature in the months ahead.”
Walker unveiled his full budget Wednesday, which included additional details on UW’s funding. The legislature’s Joint Finance Committee will review his proposal and hear from state agencies in the coming months.
Questions persist about performance-based funding One key piece of Walker’s plan is a performance-based funding model that would dole out money based on each UW System school’s performance in a variety of factors,
including “improving affordability and attainability,” “enhancing work readiness” and “ensuring student success in the workforce.” Two additional metrics would be chosen by the Board of Regents. At least $42.5 million—the amount increase the UW System requested months ago—of the additional funding will be tied to these performancebased measures in Walker’s plan. Walker said each UW institution will have to publish a “Performance Funding Report Card” in order to ensure transparency. Both Cross and UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank have expressed skepticism about the plan, saying the consequences are uncertain, but both said they were open to the plan depending on its design. While Walker didn’t detail the exact metrics to be used or how money would be allocated, the proposal appears to give the Board of Regents some say in how the metrics would be chosen and applied. State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said she hadn’t seen
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Blank’s tranfer student plan gets largely positive reaction, some concerns
City council passes ‘safe place’ proposal
idea in theory. Joe Gow, the chancellor of UW-La Crosse, said he had not known about Blank’s proposal before her announcement, but he thinks it is a “wonderful idea.” “That’s a great deal, coming to UW-Madison for free,” Gow said. “I wouldn’t begrudge anyone for taking advantage of that.” UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt heralded Blank’s efforts to make college more affordable for students who need it most. “I firmly believe that college needs to be affordable and applaud efforts by UW System leaders across the state who are responding to this need on behalf of Wisconsin students and families,” Leavitt said. “Chancellor Blank is no exception, and I appreciate her efforts to provide more students access to educational opportunities.” A spokesperson for UW-Eau Claire, Michael Rindo, said the school currently has “no concerns” about Blank’s proposal. However, not all UW System schools are in favor of the proposal as
Earning the applause of an overflowing city hall, Madison’s legislative body unanimously condemned President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting immigration in a proposal Tuesday. The resolution, which also reaffirms the city’s stance on immigration enforcement, has been a controversial topic among Common Council members because of a clause declaring the City-County Building and Madison Public Libraries as “safe places” for immigrants to seek refuge and council. The City-County Building and Madison’s public libraries will now have translation services and will be a place immigrants can turn to for help without fear of deportation. More than twenty members spoke before the council voted, asking for empathy and emphasizing the need for a place for immigrants to turn to resolve the cultural, language and disorientation shocks that can be jarring to newcomers. Many were at risk of
By Noah Habenstreit THE DAILY CARDINAL
Following UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s unexpected tuition proposal last Thursday, chancellors from UW System universities largely praised the opportunity it would provide to students on their campuses, while some questioned if the plan would decrease enrollment at smaller system schools. Blank announced she would seek to provide free tuition for at least one year to first-generation UW-Madison students who transfer from community colleges. Transfer students who qualify for Pell grants would be eligible for two years of free tuition under the proposal. “[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. Some members of other UW administrations said the proposal caught them off guard, but most expressed support for the
By Claire Lancaster THE DAILY CARDINAL
MADELINE HEIM/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
UW-Lacrosse’s chancellor said the tuition plan is ‘a wonderful idea.’ it stands. Bob Meyer, the chancellor of UW-Stout, expressed worry that his school would lose a substantial number of students if it is approved. “We have 1,093 current students who fit into the category of being first-generation transfer students from Wisconsin. That is 11.3 percent of our current enrollment of 9,619,” Meyer said. “It only stands to reason that we would lose some of those students if they could attend UW-Madison essentially free.” Meyer said that if the proposal moves forward for consideration, “It should be designed to help students
in similar circumstances on other campuses, like UW-Stout.” Even though he supports the idea of Blank’s policy, Gow also said he is not sure where funding for such an initiative would come from. “It obviously would require some pretty substantial resources, so I’m not sure what the funding would be for that,” Gow said, adding that he did not know whether the state would offer money for the proposal. Blank said Thursday that her proposal hinges on receiving financial support from the state government.
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”