Keeping a consistent vision at UWM

When Scott Walker's budget came out last week, many people asked how UWM would adapt to the massive changes scheduled to blow through the campus.

Under the last line of the "Education" section of the budget, Walker lists his vision for our campus. UWM is to begin implementing reforms that will lead to us becoming a "private authority," Think Marquette. Now as most of us know, UW-Milwaukee doesn't quite have the millionaire-alumni backbone that Marquette does. If we want to build on campus, we pay for it ourselves by taking out loans that cost us for decades. We don't get building donated and we don't survive off of handouts from the rich. Milwaukee is solidly middle-class, and proud of it.

We educate more Wisconsin residents than any other University in the State, and our goal is to shape the minds of our future lawyers, doctors and teachers. We cannot be who we are, who our community NEEDS us to be, as a private school. Our tuition will rise, our state funding will diminish. The diversity and multiculturalism we hold dear will disappear as middle-class and lower-class students are priced out of an education in their home city.

If elected this April, ASAP will fight to keep tuition affordable for our students. We will ensure that even if UWM makes moves towards privatization, the quality and mission of our campus will not change. We will do everything within our power to resist a fundamental change to our University.

In the meantime, I'll try to avoid harping on and on about the coming attempts at privatization. ASAP has a dedication to improving life on campus in many other ways, and although we certainly will have a important battle on our hands, we will not forget our pledge to RENEW, TRANSFORM and PROGRESS our campus.

I'll update sometime next week when the ballots are finalized.

Alex.

P.S. ASAP has finished the signature process, and has a membership of 37 senatorial candidates, making us the largest party ever!

A proxy of our website is currently up at:

www.asap2011.digitaldbo.com

The Death of the UW System?

If things go as planned for Governor Walker in the next few days, UW-Madison will be cut from the UW System, and established as a "Public Authority." Madison will continue to operate in a similar way as before on the outside, however major changes are coming. Heavy privatization is set to take place, with the Chancellor taking part in direct hiring and salary decisions. A separate board of regents will govern Madison, and Madison student's tuition money will stop flowing into the rest of the UW System. Aside from this breaking up the system and rising tuition here at UWM, the news is most disturbing for our students because Walker has stated the while "Madison is up to bat, Milwaukee is on deck."

This upcoming year is going to be very important for the Student Association of UWM. If we're broken off of the UW System, everything we know about our college WILL change. Our tuition levels will be directly affected and our shared governance capabilities, protected by Wisconsin state law, will be horrendously affected. Even the focus of our University will be affected. I'll quote an all-student email Interim Chancellor Lovell sent out today:

"Our momentum is outstanding
and I am greatly concerned about the possible impact on UWM that might
result from changes in UW System organization. I told the Regents one of
three scenarios may play out:

1. UW-Milwaukee and UW-Madison may both be separated from the UW System
at the same time. We would certainly be the weaker of the two
institutions and would have trouble getting a reasonable share of
available resources.

2. UW-Milwaukee would remain as the only doctoral research university in
the UW System, meaning we would have very little in common with the 11
comprehensive universities left behind.

3. UW-Milwaukee would, immediately or at some time in the future, be
separated from the UW System in a similar public authority status as
UW-Madison. This could be the most challenging, considering UW-Madison
is better able to afford such an arrangement given it has a much larger
endowment, much more research revenue and students’ families with
significantly larger incomes. This has been alluded to by the governor,
but we have seen no details."

Undeniably, the UW System is going to be drastically changed. The effects this split has on Madison are going to be important to study, so that UWM can decide what course of action to take. I'm personally concerned mostly with the loss of 36.09.5, the state statute that allows us to govern ourselves independently of administration. If we are no longer part of the UW System, 36.09.5 may no longer apply to us. In reality, with a split in the System, the statute would have to be completely rewritten, which I doubt would happen during Walker's tenure in office. If we're split, we could see an end to students allocating their own segregated fees, and end to student resource funding, and an end to our ability to make important decisions at the administrative level. If this happens, Students will be second class citizens at our own University.

A hard fight lies before us. Next year we're going to have to make a stand to defend our rights. ASAP is up to that task, and I hope the students will give us the honor of doing so. ASAP has the right experience and passion to ensure students will not become second class citizens here at UWM.

-Alex.

P.S. ASAP's facebook page is now up. "Like" us!
http://www.facebook.com/asap2011

The Almighty "Rider Bill", SFC, and the fight for tomorrow

And as quickly as it had come, the first Student Association Senate meeting of the fall term was over. After the gavel sounded for the final time yesterday night, the Student Association began to travel down a new path.

As I explained in my last post, yesterday's meeting was important for several different reasons. It saw a new strategic planning committee confirmed, Senate Finance Committee positions elected, and a very special budget bill passed.

The meeting got off to an exciting start, Speaker McCall had to motion to amend the agenda to allow the SFC elections, and afterwards I had to further amend in order to add the last minute "Budget Adjustment Bill." While money did need to be transferred for the upcoming Constitution Day here at UWM, the end of the bill held a surprise, a referendum on UWM joining the United Council of UW Students. UC is a state wide, student-run lobbying group, as well as a type of state student government. It is funded by about $2.00 per student per semester in refundable fees. In 2008, after UC underwent some restructuring, UWM held a referendum, in which the majority of students decided they wanted UWM to opt out of UC membership. Currently, every UW school with the exception of Milwaukee and four others are members of UC.

Attempts have been made during last year's administration to hold a referendum, but legislation could not pass by the Senate. I have always respected UC's mission of student lobbying, and supported UWM's membership. Although UC already offers UWM some of its services, without membership, it's hard to find representation in the leadership. Becoming part of UC would give UWM students access to many benefits, and allow UWM students to take part in forming UC policy.

Student Association referendums can only be held during a time in which a campus-wide ballot is circulated, that means only in April, during the regular SA elections, and in September, during the freshman elections. We needed the Senate to allow the referendum, but during the usual legislative process, this would take two meetings, unless unanimously approved. (Impossible with Senator Walker threatening to filibuster everything the SA does unless this blog goes inactive.) Luckily, I suggested attaching the UC legislation onto a budget bill, which by the SA bylaws takes only one meeting, and a 2/3 vote to pass. The bill passed, and now we are looking forward to the results of the referendum. I sincerely hope we will be members of United Council by the end of October.

Later on, the Senate broke up into groups based on their school, in order to choose their SFC delegates. Myself and Senator Barth were chosen by the At-Large caucus. I cannot wait to start working on SFC. For too long the committee has been pumping money into sick and wasteful departments and programs like athletics. I believe this year the committee should carefully scrutinize every program, and cut the wasteful and irresponsible spending.

Afterwards, SORC Chair Barth requested an additional 14 days for the investigation from the senate, which was approved after my motion. Senator Krause did not seem pleased. We hope to meet within the next 72 hours. I will most likely not be able to report on what happened during the meeting, as it will be during closed session. I will write as much as I ethically can, however, and I would advise interested parties to look for updates to the investigation in the UWM Post.

On another note, I have noticed an absence from the man over at PantherTalk Live. Through the Chancellor resigning, to the Krause investigation, and now the UC referendum, the blog has remained silent. I suppose this proves what most of us already knew, that Duerstein's blog never attempted to cover real campus news, only a mixture of half-truths, mistakes, and lies.

The current "opposition" is similar, in that it doesn't attempt to unite around any specific, legitimate concern, only hatred for the present, and fear of the future. Student Association members like Senator Walker publicly threaten to hold up meetings and filibuster, and then time after time, go absent from the Senate meetings. I pity the students misrepresented by these people.

In the next week I will be heading up to Madison for the UC event with Senator Johnson, which I look forward to, and I also will be working on some new legislation concerning Greek Life, and library policy. The SA Corn Roast is coming up quick, and so is PantherFest. See you all soon!

-Red Menace out.