Let the vote begin

12/9/2009
By Brittany Berrens
Web Editor

On Wednesday, December 9 and Thursday, December 10, University of Wisconsin - Superior students will vote on tuition referendum that could raise tuition by more than $200 each year.

The Differential Tuition Proposal consists of three components: Technology Enhancement, Inclusive Advocacy and Natural Sciences.

Technology Enhancement

The Technology Enhancement aspect would cost students the biggest chunk of money: $72.50 a semester, or $145 annually. The money collected would mainly go towards 160 new computers for Swenson Hall, which would fill a new Math/Computer Science classroom as well as general computer labs. The money would also help go towards more staff, which would allow Technology Services to have expanded support hours.

Money that is collected after this initial investment is made would go towards the updating and replacement of computers that are already on campus.

Chief Information Officer Mary Schoeler says having up-to-date computers on campus is vital for students’ success.

“The need for knowledge of technology is necessary to be competitive in the workplace,” she said. “Every discipline is touched by it.”

Inclusive Advocacy

Another aspect to the referendum is the Inclusive Advocacy component. Costing $66 a year, this would set up programs and support services for underrepresented student populations such as veterans, adult learners and others.

People like Jackson Katz, an anti-sexist speaker who presented at UWS last year, would be a part of the proposed Inclusive Advocacy Program.

Although UWS has sponsored programs and speakers before, it hasn’t been cheap. Dean of Students Vicki Hajewski says that the University paid around $11,000 for Katz to speak at the campus after travel, lodging and speaking engagement fees were paid. An increase in tuition would help fund similar programs.

Hajewski says the tuition raise would help an often overlooked group on campus: first-generation students.

“There are first-generation students that are coming in who don’t have the support at home. Those family members haven’t had the educational experiences that these students have,” she said.

Natural Sciences

The final portion of the tuition referendum is for Natural Sciences. How much a student would pay depends on how many credits of lab work they are enrolled in. The cost would be $10 per credit.

Because all students must take some lab science to graduate, every student regardless of their major would be paying in some way. The biggest contribution would be from Broad Field science majors, who could end up paying approximately $560 in additional charges throughout their college career.

Natural Sciences Department Chair Mary Balcer recognizes that this could be a hefty fee, but says the department is in serious need of this money, which would mostly be used to update lab equipment.

“The running joke is that the microscopes have been here as long as I have. Some of the equipment the students are using is from 1973,” said Balcer.

Balcer says this has put UWS at a major disadvantage when competing with other colleges in the UW system.

“Students out of high school are saying they have worked with better lab equipment,” she said.

The differential tuition money would also be used to help fund field trips. With the rising travel expenses, Balcer says professors have had to cut back on the amount of trips classes take.

“How do you have an environmental biology class learn if they can’t go out to a field site?” asked Balcer.

She also wants to supply undergraduate classes with upper level students to help with labs and studying.

The lab fees that students currently pay would be done away with, as the department has had difficulties with using the money for updating equipment. Money collected from these fees is only to be used on materials that students can take home, which doesn’t apply to supplies such as microscopes and specimens.

Caught off guard

Each of the groups asking for the differential tuition money cited the downturn in the economy as the reason for their new budget needs.

“We had no anticipation of the economy being this bad,” said Schoeler. “We hoped the general budget would be a lot better.”

Balcer recognizes that it is a tough time to be asking students for more money.

“This is the worst time ever to ask students for money, but if we can’t offer them better than high school, they’re going to be disappointed,” said Balcer.

Neither Balcer or Schoeler have a back up plan should the referendum be voted down.

Voting will take place in the Rothwell Student Center Concourse from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. For more information and to view the detailed proposals go to to the Student Government Association website.