IT’S PEANUT BUTTER PIZZA TIME
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Martin unveils tuition initiative, seeks feedback Undergrads would see an increase in both tuition and aid By Erin Banco THE DAILY CARDINAL
While experts across the nation are busy drafting solutions to deal with what some call a national economic crisis, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin is creating her own strategy for sustaining affordability and academic excellence. Martin unveiled her new plan, titled the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, to student leaders Tuesday. If passed by the Regents, the initiative would implement a supplemental tuition charge for all students to improve the quality of undergraduate education but still remain affordable, especially in comparison to other Big Ten schools. Every dollar increased by the initiative would be matched by funds raised through private funding by the UW Foundation. The plan would generate at least $20 million in additional need-
based financial aid—half of which will be from supplemental tuition and half from private funding—allowing more students who come from lowincome families a chance to earn a UW-Madison degree. Students whose families earn $80,000 or less per year and are eligible for need-based financial aid will receive grants to offset the tuition increase. “I think that the chancellor’s perspective shows the need to be attentive and proactive in terms of creating some kind of a policy and strategy that will help us advance our socioeconomic background,” Damon Williams, vice provost for diversity and climate, said. “I am fully supportive of it.” The money from the initiative will also serve to add faculty and instructional support, improve critical student services and preserve affordability of a UW-Madison education. Currently, UW-Madison’s tuition is at the bottom of the Big Ten conference. Martin said the plan would help UW-Madison remain competitive with other “peer” universities like Michigan and Minnesota. “Demand for higher education has
ALEX MORRELL/THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin spoke to student leaders Tuesday about her new initiative. She asked students for feedback and plans to continue the discussion within the upcoming weeks. grown fiercer world-wide,” Martin said. “The two things I care about most are the undergraduate experience and affordability. I think we need work in both, and we cannot wait.” The Chancellor and her team of administrators, including Mike Knetter, dean of the Wisconsin School of Business, called for a $250 supplemental tuition charge for in-state students per-year over a four-year period. Under the plan, out-of-state students will pay a supplemental charge of $750 per-year over a four-year period.
The Regents recently proposed a $174 million budget cut for the entire UW system, a 1 percent decrease across the board. Martin said the state’s budget cut would force UW-Madison to limit the amount of students who can enroll in several schools, like the College of Letters and Science, at UWMadison. University officials stressed the need for student discussion and input on the initiative. Dozens of student leaders gathered at Martin’s house Tuesday night to provide feed-
back on the proposal. Hillary Minor, the Associated Students of Madison secretary, said she is concerned about the duration of student involvement. “I think once a plan is already crafted there is not a whole lot of room for change … I hope upcoming forums will be really, really meaningful but I think often times they fall short,” she said. In December, Martin conducted martin page 3
Drug offenders could retain licenses By Molly Sheetz THE DAILY CARDINAL
CHARLIE BAKER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz continues to negotiate plans for a new hotel that would create a large parking structure next to Monona Terrace.
Negotiations continue for new hotel to serve Monona Terrace By Anna Bukowski THE DAILY CARDINAL
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz continues to negotiate plans for a new hotel to serve Monona Terrace and the downtown Madison area. City officials are engaged in negotiations with Marcus Corp., a company based in Milwaukee. The project would restore the Madison Municipal building and create a large parking structure adjacent to the Monona Terrace.
Monona Terrace Director Jim Hess said a new hotel could be a “significant boost and economic impact to the entire community.” The convention center saw an increase in revenue when the Hilton was built, but has leveled off, according to Hess. “We’ve reached a glass ceiling,” Hess said. “We know we can do more business, but we don’t have room.” hotel page 3
The Wisconsin state Assembly passed a joint resolution Tuesday allowing judges to decide whether drug offenders’ driver’s licenses should be suspended. Wisconsin is the 38th state to pass a resolution that removes itself from a federal mandate requiring judges to automatically suspend or revoke driver’s licenses of convicted drug offenders. The resolution passed with a vote of 86 to 12, a result that did not surprise state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, one of the co-sponsors of the resolution. “This is a no-brainer. This is easy.
It’s just giving [offenders] more time to pay [fines],” he said. “It’s a win for municipalities, and we get people back to work.” Although the resolution relates solely to suspensions for non-moving drug violations, supporters of the resolution hope it will help offenders keep their jobs. State Rep. Tamara Grigsby, DMilwaukee, said she co-sponsored the resolution because she believed it was important to get people back to work. “This is certainly not the bill that’s going to bring us out of the recession, but it’s one that will help people maintain their jobs,” she said. According to Eric Peterson, chief
of staff for state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, Taylor considered the federal policy overly restrictive and detrimental to offenders who are working to rebuild their lives. The issue originally caught Taylor’s attention when she learned that roughly 90,000 people in Milwaukee County did not have valid driver’s licenses. Taylor proceeded to work as the primary author of the resolution. Peterson said the resolution does not guarantee licenses will not be suspended, but said judges will now make the decision. “This is just one tool that is in the toolbox of keeping people driving,” Peterson said.
Students to host Day of Action for domestic partner benefits Students from the UW-Madison campus will gather on Library Mall Wednesday to participate in the Day of Action for the passing of domestic partner benefits in the state budget. Officials from the Associated Students of Madison will help host the event along with members of the Wisconsin Coalition for Domestic Partner Benefits. ASM announced their interest and involvement in a February Student Council Meeting. “This is a great way for students to learn about an important issue on
campus,” Chris Tiernen, chair of the ASM Academic Affairs Committee, said in a statement.“This is an opportunity for students to participate in government at the state level.” The Day of Action comes after Gov. Jim Doyle’s biennial budget proposal in February, which included domestic partner benefits. According to state officials, the benefits have been proposed in the past but dropped by the Joint Finance Committee. UW-Madison is currently the
only Big Ten school that does not provide domestic partner benefits. According to a coalition release, the UW System has been unable to recruit and retain faculty members because of the lack of domestic partner benefits. Students who choose to participate in the event will have the chance to call or e-mail their representatives using cell phones and computers. The event will take place in Library Mall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. —Erin Banco
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”