Before signing the state budget July 25, Gov. Jim Doyle used his powers of veto to restore $43 million to the UW System. But a $1 million cut the legislature passed specifically for UW-Madison stood and UW officials stressed that the small increase in funding the system received is not near enough to counter rising costs.
Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, credited Doyle for improving what he called a budget that was \very poor in many regards,"" but said that the university is still not receiving the funding it needs.
He pointed to the rapidly rising costs of fuel and health care and said that ""a budget that essentially doesn't provide any new funding for the university means a cut in services for the university.""
The budget the Board of Regents passed in July calls for a 6.9% increase in tuition this year and a 7% increase next year as well. This is on top of a 35% tuition increase that university students faced over the last two years.
Regent President David Walsh said the underfunding of the UW System is the cause of tuition increases and could lead to a need to decrease enrollment in the future.
""The more support we get [from the state], the less we'd have to charge in tuition,"" Walsh said. ""The percentage of our budget coming from the state has decreased every year.""
The UW System will have to cut and reallocate $90 million in order to meet its obligations in the 2005-'07 biennium, according to System spokesperson Doug Bradley. Bradley noted the UW System absorbed large cuts in the 2003-'05 budget and asked for more funding this time around.
""An investment in this university is one of the best things this state can do to grow the economy, to build its future, to get an educated workforce,"" Bradley said. ""So we asked for a substantial increase and when all was said and done we didn't get it.""
But some lawmakers say the problem lies not in the amount of money that the UW System receives but how it spends the money it has.
Bob Delaporte, spokesperson for State Assembly Speaker. John Gard, R-Peshtigo, said, ""We're concerned about some of the things they're doing with the money."" He pointed to a recent controversy regarding a policy that ensured some UW system employees backup positions as an example of the UW System mismanaging money.
The $1 million cut to UW-Madison is viewed as partly symbolic by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
""The concept behind that was to specifically punish [or] send a message to UW-Madison administration that their behavior in the Barrows matter was unacceptable to the Legislature,"" said Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for Rep. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater. Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Paul Barrows has been on paid leave since Nov. 2004.
Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, took issue with the cut and said state Republicans should find other ways to show their displeasure with UW-Madison.
""Why not take a look at [the controversies] as separate issues to be dealt with in terms of policies but not penalize the university's operations and stature in the U.S. and even the world through pettiness,"" she said.
