Fearless Sifting

After several weeks of being quite busy and over a week of not having my computer (Thanks DoIT), I’m back.

Reading this recent news release got me thinking…

Business magazine Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranked the University of Wisconsin-Madison No. 14 in a national ranking of the best values in American public universities.

Kiplinger.com analyzed records for about 120 universities, focusing on measures of academic quality, overall cost and financial aid availability. For example, the magazine looked at standardized admission test scores, student-faculty ratios and overall graduation rates to determine quality, while focusing on tuition, available need-based assistance and average debt after graduation to determine affordability.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was deemed the nation’s top value among publics. UW-Madison is the highest-ranked Big 10 campus, followed by Michigan (26th), Ohio State (27th) and Indiana (40th). UW-La Crosse (38th) and UW-Eau Claire (65th) also made the list.

UW-Madison ranked 14th in affordability for in-state students and 15th overall for non-resident students.

I think there is a growing consensus among UW administrators that tuition needs to be raised. Business School Dean Michael Knetter made comments saying exactly that in September and the current bargain of a UW-Madison education was his primary reason.

Knetter said there are two options for trying to solve the funding situation at UW: Raise taxes for residents or raise tuition for students.

Jacob Stamper, professor emeritus of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, said Knetter was trying to “brag” about the quality of programs UW offers, especially compared to how much other competing schools charge for tuition.

“[Knetter], I think, is looking at [tuition] like a corporate executive-type,” Stamper said, adding UW has the second-lowest tuition in the Big Ten, next to the University of Iowa.

“The popular perception in Wisconsin is [tuition] should be lower,” Stamper added. “In these hard times, when the Legislature does not want to give us any money, [tuition] is the place to get it.”

Biddy Martin has also not been shy about her desire to see tuition increase.

One of UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin’s top priorities is keeping the university affordable through need-based financial aid, she said Thursday in a speech at an event formally welcoming Martin to Wisconsin.Less important, she said, is an unrealistic goal of keeping tuition flat or decreasing it.

She said the university must raise more money for need-based aid and envisioned a sliding scale of college tuition.

“Those who can afford to pay more should pay more,” Martin said. “Those who can afford less should pay less; and those who cannot afford to pay anything should pay nothing in actual dollars but should be allowed to contribute to their own education through work study.”

The arguments for tuition increases are only going to get stronger as the troubled economy hinders the ability of the state to fund the UW System. Accessability and affordability are worthwhile goals, but should not at expense of the quality of the education. The UW needs to get money from somewhere and if the state isn’t going to provide it then some of it has to come from tuition.

I’ve been having some issues with my hosting service over the past couple of days, the servers have been down quite a bit. I’m in the process of getting the blog hosted in a different place. Hopefully it will be completed within the next couple of days.

In light of all of the recent criticism of ASM. I think there has been at least one positive development in recent days. Something Verbose already beat me to posting about it, but ASM Chair Brittany Wiegand has started her own blog. As she explains in her opening post:

So, I am starting a blog. Although I am technically a blogger on the Wisconsin Lounge, I’m starting my own site devoted mainly to ASM issues (although I may discuss local or state issues as they arise). ASM has discussed creating a blog for some time, but until we get that site up and running I will be writing here. It is my hope to post information about student council meetings, discussions at coordinating council, what I do on a daily basis, and other goings-on.

It seems to me that she has decided to take it upon herself to attempt to run as much of ASM by herself as she possibly can. A number of the few posts that have already been made make me wonder: why is the information she provides not available elsewhere? In my mind, her going above and beyond the duties of her position just highlights the failures of the rest of the organization.  For example, why is it that she has to advertise th e position of Campus Safety Coordinator? I would think that kind of thing out to be advertised on the “Get Involved!” section of the ASM website. Instead it just tells you “The easiest way to get involved with ASM is to attend the Kickoff on Wednesday, September 17 at 7:00 pm, TITU to find out more about the organization!” A big help at the end of October. I think it’s great that the agenda for Wednesday’s Student Council meeting is posted for students to view online. It’s just that somehow I don’t think that doing that is part of the job description of the ASM Chair. On a completely different ASM related note, the Badger Herald coverage of ASM is starting to get over the top trying to spin the “ASM is completely incompetant” narrative. Sure it’s fine to criticize ASM for only getting 5% turnout for the fall election, but I think continuing to criticize ASM because it

…only had 10 to 12 people show up at a Constitutional Committee listening session on the west end of campus mainly targeting medical students.

Considering that only 10 people from the School of Medicine and Public Health even VOTED in the Spring 2008 election isn’t that pretty good? It’s definitely at least an improvement. It also seems to me that of all the things one can do to get involved with ASM going to a discussion of the constitution is hardly interesting. The reason to care about the changes in the constitution is that it is important, but considering the importance of studying for you next Med School exam it’s not hard to imagine why it wasn’t too high up on the list of priorities for to many medical students. I also think there is an unrealistic expectation from both the campus press and the student body at large for ASM to get students interesting and involved before and during the reform process. Both from Gerald Cox and with the Ed Board’s call for an expedited reform process

But there’s a bigger reason for doing this: legitimacy. One of the reasons people look at ASM and shrug is because there is no sign that the efforts of our student representatives go the distance they need to. There are always explanations, excuses and reasons why our student government fails us. But if they failed us in this regard, no one could argue they didn’t give it a near monumental effort.

This viewpoint is putting the cart before the horse. If any action of ASM caused large numbers of students to be interested, involved or gave ASM a semblance of legitimacy then there wouldn’t be a need for reform in the first place. The whole reason for reform in the first place is that the post-reform version of ASM is supposed to increase voter turnout, establish a more legitimate form of student government and engage the average student. If ASM did these things now there would be no need for reform. The sucess of ASM’s reform will not be measured by how students respond to the reform process, as that is a measure of the sucess of the current format of ASM, but rather by how students respond to the post-reform version of ASM.

From Alison Page, Democrat running for the 10th district Senate seat:

She stressed more support for higher education, saying university professors and administrators are “being raided and lured elsewhere” in the country.

“The UW-System is the crown jewel of our state. It’s a treasure to be maintained. The number of college degrees a state produces drives the strength of our economy.”

Despite uncertainty earlier this week, Blue Band members will play at Saturday’s football game at the University of Wisconsin, a Wisconsin official said Tuesday.

But Penn State’s 17-member pep band could be the only band at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday …

…

Blue Band Director Richard Bundy said despite the pep band’s smaller size, its members are still excited about the game on Saturday.

“A small band in a big stadium isn’t going to have the kind of impact that the full Blue Band has. But our students will be, I’m sure, very enthusiastic and create as much support for Penn State as they can,” he said.

Just remember the valuable lesson learned from recent events: the actions of a small group of people can reflect poorly on the group (or university) they represent or are associated with. Considering the increased attention payed to the bands recently, please keep this in mind when you interact with the Penn State band this weekend. This means not only not doing anything inappropriate yourself, but also speaking up when you see someone else doing something they shouldn’t. Ever wondered why the UW band travels to some away games, but despite the unique environment of a game in Camp Randall, no bands ever come to Madison? To put it mildly, the reputation of our fans does not exactly encourage them want to come. I know I’m not alone when I say that I would love to see 2 marching bands perform on a Saturday in Camp Randall. Hopefully this Saturday can be a positive experience that will help make that happen. For those of you who like watching the band, having 2 bands there makes it just that much better.

They made every argument I would have.

Supposedly, the reforms were made to respond primarily to serious crimes such as sexual assault or battery, but the new code states the university may act whenever a student “demonstrates a pattern of behavior that seriously impairs the university’s ability to fulfill its teaching, research or public-service missions.” This decidedly vague wording gives campus officials a considerable amount of discretionary power previously restricted by distinctions between university jurisdiction and state and municipal jurisdiction. According to supporters of the plan, the measures were taken to more effectively combat off-campus malfeasance by holding students accountable for actions traditionally left to the realm of police officers and judges.

This is an issue that directly affects students and I think there ought to be some sort of student movement to stand up for ourselves. This does seem to be right up ASM’s alley.

Article III: Object

The object of the ASM shall be:
(a) to ensure the greatest participation by students in the immediate governance of and policy development for the University at all levels, including the exercise of all rights students by Wisconsin State Statute 36.09[5];
(b) to control all Segregated University Fees and all other funds which constitute substantial support for campus student activities;
(c) to organize events for students;
(d) to receive complaints from students, investigate the problems of students, and participate in academic decisions concerning students;
(e) to take action on behalf of the student body in general, and to specifically work for:
i. The expansion of student power in all aspects of student governance;
ii. The recognition of access to education as a basic human right;
iii. The enforcement of civil rights guarantees in all aspects of university life and policy;
iv. The guarantee of the ability of students, staff, and faculty to function without undue financial stress;
v. The protection of public education;
vi. The defense of the right of students and campus workers to organize in their own interests;
vii. The protection of full student autonomy over student life, services, and interests.
(f) to provide an official voice through which the opinions of the student body may be expressed;
(g) to develop ASM policies in a fair and open manner; and
(h) to inform all students of ASM activities and encourage participation in them.

Seems to me that this would fall under a, c, d and parts of e. I’m not sure exactly what action ASM could take, but this could be the issue to signal to students a new revitalized ASM. It would make a nice addition to ASM’s list of “Victories and Notable Accomplishments.”

Or this might not be a bad project for some on the far left, PD spectrum of things. If you can stand up for the rights of illegal immigrants, I would think standing up for your own rights as a student wouldn’t be too hard. Grassroots mobilization would come in handy and it could be an issue that could help some more mainstream students become exposed to some of the far left activists.

A regent involved in the failed University of Wisconsin-Parkside chancellor search says he and his colleagues routinely lack enough information to make good hiring decisions.

Regent Michael Falbo says regent committees recommend who to hire for top campus jobs after interviewing the finalists for about 45 minutes each. He says that’s not enough to make informed decisions.

He told his colleagues Friday during a meeting in Stevens Point, “I think we all know we are not prepared when we are called on to do that job - enough.”

The regents are talking about improving the process they use to search for chancellors after the candidate hired at UW-Parkside resigned because he was under federal investigation.

It will never cease to amaze me how things like this never seem to come out until there is a federal investigation.

Today’s DC Ed Board piece on the ASM constitutional reforms has it all backwards.

Another major concern with the current state of ASM was poor communication with students—and as a result, student apathy toward ASM. If last night’s session, where only a dozen students were present, is any indicator, student interest in governance on campus is extremely low. Although committee members believe that holding a popular election for president will allow for media coverage and notoriety, more students must be made aware of these proposals. The lone e-mail advertising these sessions clearly didn’t gather enough student interest for a representative amount of feedback.

The goal of ASM reform is to increase student interest in awareness. If students were actively involved and engaged in ASM there would be no need for reform in the first place. As nice as it would be to have a whole bunch of student input and feedback, when the more heavily advertised elections can only get 7% of students to spend 3 minutes worth of time on their computers, I don’t think any amount of advertising could get more than a couple dozen students to spend an hour of their time showing up to discuss the ASM consitution.

Demanding increased student involvement in reform designed to increase student interest and involvement means reform won’t happen.

The response by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce to former Chancellor Wiley’s criticism of the organization has led to an interesting legal challenge by One Wisconsin Now:

One Wisconsin Now filed a complaint Tuesday with the state Government Accountability Board alleging that Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce didn’t disclose lobbying activity a WMC official referred to in an Aug. 20 memo.

The memo, from WMC Vice President for Government Relations James Buchen, was in response to an article in Madison Magazine written by recently retired UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley that was critical of WMC’s support of uncomprisingly partisan Republican legislators.

The second paragraph of Buchen’s memo says, ”WMC supported the University of Wisconsin’s budget as supported by Gov. Jim Doyle and passed by both houses of the Legislature. WMC actively lobbied for final passage of the UW budget.”

State law requires that lobbyists disclose lobbying activity by subject matter within 15 days after the lobbying takes place. One Wisconsin Now filed its complaint after reviewing Government Accountability Board lobbying records and finding no listing for WMC on issues concerning the University of Wisconsin.

Penalties for failure to file lobbying activity include monetary fines and lobbying license suspension.

“WMC will have to come clean,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now executive director. “Did they fail to follow the law, or did they do nothing to help the UW?”

A WMC spokesman Tuesday said the complaint is “without merit,” and WMC’s lobbying efforts were focused on the entire state budget, which included UW funding.

The WMC is looking at quite the double bind: admit they lied about lobbying for the UW budget or face legal consequences for failure to disclose lobbying activity. Ultimately I think the WMC will just continue to try to argue that their lobbying for passage of the entire budget which happened to include the UW budget means they lobbied for the passage of the UW budget. Technically speaking they aren’t wrong, but the more details that come out about this the more clear it becomes that the WMC was just trying to make it seem like they were a bigger supporter of the UW than they actually were and just goes to support Wiley’s orginal claims.

It was first reported on by the Daily Cardinal last Friday and the BH picked up the story yesterday. Now that I’m back from being letdown by the football team in Ann Arbor, I have a couple of thoughts on the grouping of red plastic cups and ping pong balls at the U-Square Walgreen’s.

The line of reasoning coming from University officials for why placing the two products together was inappropriate seems to be as follows:

Having red plastic cups next to ping pong balls reminds people of beer pong which is bad because it promotes alcohol consumption and binge drinking.

I have two main disagreements with Dean of Students Lori Berquam and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk on this one. First is that I don’t see why a private business ought to be discouraged from promoting drinking. The placement of the two products next to each other obviously suggests drinking, but substantially less so than the other bars, liquor stores, or Union which actually have alcohol. Secondly, if one believes that this campus has a pressing problem with alcohol consumption and binge drinking then this display is merely a symptom of that problem. This is at best a band-aid solution that does nothing to combat the underlying causes. There is obviously a student demand for red plastic cups and ping pong balls because students want to drink. The display might make that more obvious to the casual observer, but taking it down only serves to cover up the problem and placate ourselves by making us think something is being done to combat it.

The culture of drinking on campus won’t be easy to change, but if you truly believe it’s a problem, try to fix the problem itself, don’t just try to cover up the indicators of it.