Kathlyn Hotynski

Are you paying too much for tuition? Do you ever worry about how you will pay back your $20,000 in school loans? If you are like the majority of students on campus, you are working one or two part-time jobs while taking out incredible loan debt to finance your public education here at UW-Eau Claire.

Tuition has risen over 70 percent on all 26 UW campuses over the last six years and even more on the 13 four-year campuses, such as Eau Claire.

While the economy has led to budget deficits over the last four years, the UW System has taken a disproportionate cut to its budget and tuition rates have exploded. To make matters worse, financial aid has not kept up. In fact, the composition of financial aid packages has reversed over the last 30 years so that the average financial aid package now is 75 percent loans and only 25 precent grants. This is pricing many students from middle-class and low-income families out of an education. Students come to college for an education and spend more time working than in class.

Many students on campus and around the state have had enough and are organizing to reinvest in higher education. This past November, students in the student government, working with United Council, the statewide student association, ran a comprehensive Students Vote! campaign that resulted in student voter turnout increasing over 50 percent since the 2002 mid-term election.

Students in Eau Claire have been credited by both political parties for electing state Rep. Jeff Smith and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout.

Students voted for candidates who committed to make higher education a priority, but they are not stopping there. Students are organizing on campus and around the state through United Council on the Wisconsin Needs Higher Education Reinvestment campaign that is working to secure a fully funded tuition freeze and increased financial aid for students.

Gov. Doyle is beginning to reinvest in higher education after making some tough choices in the face of two consecutive budget deficits. We are happy that Doyle proposed increasing financial aid, expanding

the tuition tax credit and improving

campus climate through offering domestic

partner benefits.

While this is a good start, much more can be done. The reality is that tuition has almost doubled for students over six years. Students need relief. The governor proposed over $280 million for the Department of Corrections. Once again, the state is investing more in jails and prisons than in education. This is a disturbing trend.

The Eau Claire student government will be working with students across the state through United Council to secure a tuition freeze and increase financial aid. We will also work to improve the campus climate through establishing domestic partner benefits and strengthening Plan 2008.

Students on campus will be working to achieve these goals by attending two Student Lobby Days in Madison to meet with our elected representatives, coordinating a Statewide Day of Action, attending Joint Finance Committee meetings, with one next door in Chippewa Falls on March 27 and building grassroots power on campus.

Students can win in this budget and we must. We cannot afford to have classmates drop out of school due to economic barriers or work more than study. If you want to get involved to make increased higher education reinvestment a reality in Wisconsin, please drop by the student government office in Davies Center.

McCure is a sophomore psychology major and a columnist for The Spectator.