The Badger Herald
Letters to the Editor
Wednesday, November 3, 2004
Wiley's real stance
In response to Chancellor Wiley's "wake-up call" reported in the Oct. 21 Herald that he stands with students against rising tuition, I want to remind people of the title of another article from two years ago (12/3/02): "In financial crunch, Wiley supports in-state tuition increases." The situation was the same then as it is now, with Gov. Doyle, state legislators and the Board of Regents saying that due to the state budget crisis, students need to brace for tuition hikes because of reduced state spending for the UW.
Rather than stand up for us and try to convince the politicians to not balance the budget on the backs of students, Wiley basically said, 'That's too bad that the state is cutting our budget. Looks like we're going to have to raise tuition again.'
Given the chancellor's rhetoric about ensuring diversity and access to the university, why would he support raising tuition? It's simple: it also raises his salary. The regents, who two months ago proposed hiking tuition another 9 percent over the next two years, are set to vote on Nov. 5 to increase pay scales for top UW administrators, including Wiley. The sheer hypocrisy of the regents and the chancellor in all their talk about affordable higher education is too much for me. Last month's legislative audit showed that 25 percent of all UW employees are engaged in "administrative positions." That extra $1,400 per year in tuition we pay now doesn't substantially go to new classes or services for students; it goes to pay raises for the university's head bureaucrats.
Many students will be protesting the regents' two-faced proposal on Nov. 5. I wonder if Chancellor Wiley will be by our side and testify against administrative pay raises. Given his history, something tells me he will not.
Josh Healey
MultiCultural Student Coalition
Student Labor Action Coalition