While students face an increase in tuition, state budget cuts continue to force the university to eliminate course offerings and increase section size.
According to a recent analysis, the number of sections offered in fall 2003 dropped 3.1 percent from fall 2002, producing an average increase in size of 2.6 percent, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
\We're not able to offer as many sections of courses as we would like to offer because of the budget cuts,"" said Gary Sandefur, dean of the College of Letters and Science.
And while enrollment did not drop, classes grew in size and many students were unable to enroll in their desired classes.
Sandefur said gateway courses such as biology and chemistry as well as sections of Spanish have faced special difficulty related to the budget cuts. Of the 300 courses eliminated, L&S dropped 200 course offerings.
""There's a big demand with limited amount of lab space,"" Sandefur said.
""We just can't offer as many sections as the students would like to have,"" UW-Madison chemistry Professor Charles Casey said. ""We're trying to balance resources and the kind of courses students really need.""
Students and parents alike have voiced concern as students are unable to enroll in necessary courses and are packed into large classes while paying more for tuition.
""The first day we showed up, every seat was filled and there were even kids standing,"" UW-Madison freshman Nate Greenbaum said of his introductory biology course. ""The environment isn't conducive to learning when you have 400 people in a room.""
Although many courses are full and have hundreds on wait lists, Sandefur said L&S will respond quickly and efficiently to students' needs to make sure they are not delayed in their respective programs.
UW-Madison endured $38.5 million of the state's record $250 million cut under the current budget, which terminates June 2005.
""We're hoping that the next biannual budget will be better for the university ... and we'll be able to correct some of these problems,"" Sandefur said.
""But if the budget situation doesn't get better then we're going to continue to face problems in trying to meet the needs of the students,"" he said.
