Plan keeps degree valuable
Commitment will ensure competitiveness in UW system
Adam Sorelle
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
Future students will always know exactly where Blugold Commitment money is spent. If any project or proposal is deemed inefficient or wasteful, it can be placed on a probation list by students. Probation-listed projects will also have recommendations, written by students and administration, as to the changes they would like to see. If those changes are not met, the project can be phased out.
Our current tuition money is spent by administration through academic departments and administrative offices, all without student oversight. Eau Claire students have a unique opportunity with the Blugold Commitment to direct the funds to specific areas they want to support. If the administration had the opportunity to increase tuition without student approval, we would never have this level of oversight or opportunity.
Students come to Eau Claire for the educational opportunities and prestige associated with a degree from UW-Eau Claire. The vision statement of our campus states we will become the premier undergraduate learning community of the upper Midwest. The Blugold Commitment provides the financial support to achieve that goal.
There is no way we could ever achieve the goal of our vision statement unless a proposal of this scale is introduced. If you believe state funding - either current levels or increased - could accomplish this, you are incorrect. Over the last 15 years, both political parties have had their opportunity to increase funding to higher education, yet they have not. In economically prosperous and hideous times we have received less state funding. For example, while the UW System has been cut by the equivalent of $365 million since 1993-94, the Department of Corrections has seen an increase of more than that amount. There was never a policy or agenda to create this trend; it was a bipartisan effort.
If somehow a drastic increase did come to higher education, the increase in revenue must be equally distributed among our peer universities in the UW System. Eau Claire would get the same percentage increase as UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stout, UW-Platteville and UW-Superior.
Our current tuition money is spent by administration through academic departments and administrative offices, all without student oversight. Eau Claire students have a unique opportunity with the Blugold Commitment to direct the funds to specific areas they want to support. If the administration had the opportunity to increase tuition without student approval, we would never have this level of oversight or opportunity.
Students come to Eau Claire for the educational opportunities and prestige associated with a degree from UW-Eau Claire. The vision statement of our campus states we will become the premier undergraduate learning community of the upper Midwest. The Blugold Commitment provides the financial support to achieve that goal.
There is no way we could ever achieve the goal of our vision statement unless a proposal of this scale is introduced. If you believe state funding - either current levels or increased - could accomplish this, you are incorrect. Over the last 15 years, both political parties have had their opportunity to increase funding to higher education, yet they have not. In economically prosperous and hideous times we have received less state funding. For example, while the UW System has been cut by the equivalent of $365 million since 1993-94, the Department of Corrections has seen an increase of more than that amount. There was never a policy or agenda to create this trend; it was a bipartisan effort.
If somehow a drastic increase did come to higher education, the increase in revenue must be equally distributed among our peer universities in the UW System. Eau Claire would get the same percentage increase as UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stout, UW-Platteville and UW-Superior.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Debora Biasutti
posted 11/19/09 @ 9:55 AM CST
"The Blugold Commitment also includes a portion for financial assistance. Low- and middle-income students will receive financial support for this increase, but not all will. (Continued…)
Matt Sias
posted 11/30/09 @ 4:37 PM CST
The tuition waver for international students is based don the difference between the non-resident and resident base tuition. Because the majority of our international students do not have high financial need, there are no plans at this time to provide additional Blugold Commitment financial assistance for the differential tuition increase. (Continued…)
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