Ladies and gentlemen, I have come to you today to address the state of the UW freshmen, and today I can tell you the state of the UW freshmen is strong.
Well, for the most part.
All things considered, now is a choice time to come to UW, and as entering students the freshmen of 2009 have a lot to look forward to. One of the more notable advantages is the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates championed by Chancellor Biddy Martin. Thanks to the recently approved initiative, it will be easier for students to get in at the ground floor of their majors. The initiative's funding will open up additional sections in courses that typically turn hundreds of students away every semester, such as ""Introduction to Organic Chemistry"" and numerous levels of Spanish.
Numerous benefits arise from this. With additional space open for these courses, it should be easier for prospective Spanish majors and pre-med students, as well as other majors who encounter this problem regularly, to graduate on time. In addition, the added funding will help the university keep quality professors and increase career counseling, so appointments with advisors won't need to be scheduled weeks in advance.
But these benefits aren't like Happy Meal toys; freshmen don't get them for free with their purchase. The initiative will raise tuition $250 every year for in-state students and $750 a year for out-of-state students. In total, this means the initiative will cost an in-state student a total of $2500 over four years and $7500 for out-of-state students. Granted, those who qualify for financial aid and whose families make under $80,000 a year are exempt from the yearly fee, so at least they can be happy about skirting under some arbitrary cutoff while the rest of campus bemoans their empty pocketbooks.
Of course, the university is spending money on plenty of other things incoming students will get to enjoy as well. All over campus there are shiny new toys under construction. For one, come 2011 that prodigious hole on Johnson Street will be a brand new Union South. Its completion won't come in time for upperclassmen, but UW rookies will get to see the union's new movie theater, climbing wall and other amenities, all in a building that doesn't look like the concrete sponge cake that was the old Union South.
Even more development awaits just across the street from the Union South cavern at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Much of the building's focus will center on research and graduate students, but it will have plenty to offer for undergraduates as well. Part of the building's allure is in the Town Center, which will take up much of the first floor and serve as a crossroads for the center of campus. As a combination of a union-esque area and high-tech conference center, the Town Center will show off everything UW has to offer.
And the best part about the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery? Unlike the new Union South (which is paid for with student segregated fees) and the initiative for Undergraduates, the WID is paid for without student funds.
However, the incoming class of 2009's greatest advantage has nothing to do with additional class sections, campus crossroads or climbing walls. This class has the benefit of good timing. Madison is often described as ""78 square miles surrounded by reality,"" and with the current recession, reality is exactly what many people want to get away from. While graduates are now venturing into the dark abyss that is today's job market, incoming freshmen have four years to learn and grow as human beings-—and maybe party a little bit, too. If all goes well, graduates in the year 2013 will be entering a much more hopeful economy, complete with the advantages provided by a prestigious University of Wisconsin degree.
Of course, there are some negatives. With UW unable to provide enough housing for all freshmen, some will still be forced into cramped makeshift residence hall rooms. And despite Madison's lack of ""reality,"" it will still be pretty hard to find a decent part-time job that hasn't already been taken by a laid-off investment banker.
But looking at the big picture, this isn't a half-bad time to be a UW freshman. Some great things are in the pipeline, and the administration seems to be doing its best to make sure the Wisconsin brand stays valuable. So go forth, freshmen, and enjoy your years at UW, for the state of your union is strong.
Todd Stevens is a junior majoring in history and psychology. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com
