University of Wisconsin-Superior student representatives are rallying in Madison for a higher education budget, highway expansion and the Minnesota tax reciprocity at Superior Days on Feb. 21-23.

Superior Days is described on its website as a grassroots community-based effort to bring issues of importance to Northwestern Wisconsin to the attention of State Legislators. It is an opportunity for students to bring up issues and concerns to state lawmakers. Swenson Hall is a product of Superior Days lobbying for UW-Superior.

“We are really looking to build relationships with the Legislators we meet with and try to show them who we are up in Superior,” said Student Body Vice President Katelyn Baumann. 

This year, six student representatives from the UW-Superior Student Government Association will be presenting three major community issues in Superior Days; the first issue being the concern of cuts in K-12 and higher education budget.

Hanna Durfee, a student representative, said that of all the counties in the state, the counties represented in Superior Days have an overall higher poverty rate in Wisconsin.

“If these funds are reduced any further we will face lower quality education and potentially feed that poverty rate,” said Durfee.

The second issue represented in Madison for Superior Days is the concern for the expansion of U.S. Highway 2. Being a main route for tourism, commerce and Wisconsin residents alike, Durfee and other UW-Superior student representatives will be lobbying for the state allocating more resources towards expansion.

The third and final issue represented is tax reciprocity between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“There are currently 57,000 Wisconsin taxpayers who work in Minnesota,” said Durfee, “and not renewing this agreement will make it more costly and complex [with the two tax forms they will fill out] for these workers.” Students from Minnesota will keep their in-state tuition if only this agreement resumes.

The issues being represented in Madison this year are important for UW-Superior participation.

“UWS has students from all over the country, all over the world, and from all different walks of life,” Durfee said. “It helps to know that as students we have a strong foundation to fall back on in this area.” The six representatives will spend time both at the Capitol and the Concourse Hotel discussing such issues with State Legislators.

“This will help our University by showing everyone in Madison that the students at UWS are active and engaged citizens in political processes,” Baumann said.

“We’d love the student body to get more involved in such an activity,” said Durfee. If students have an interest in Superior Days, they are welcome to stop by the SGA office to be added to an email list for next year’s lobbying efforts.

Participating in Superior Days helps keep strong ties with the community explained Durfee, “We’re able to let the community know we care.”