Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998
Students protest mining bill
By: Brett Krzykowski
The controversy surrounding the Crandon Mining Project continued Monday as protestors from across the state staged a sit-in at the state Capitol in response to the newly amended mining moratorium bill.
Approximately 60 students representing Green Bay, LaCrosse, Eau Claire, Menominee, Madison, Keshena, Oshkosh, Oneida, Stevens Point, Milwaukee, Ashland and Mole Lake showed their support for the sit-in, a precursor to the planned Senate vote on the bill Tuesday. By the time students were forced to vacate the Capitol at 6 p.m., 35 students were on hand.
The students' outrage centers around the amendment to the mining moratorium bill. After passing through the Senate, the bill was sent to the Assembly, which added the amendment Jan. 22. The amendment redefined the term ""pollution,"" permitting a water source to be deemed unpolluted despite the presence of chemicals such as cyanide, arsenic, acid and other toxic chemicals in the water.
Members of the Assembly and proponents of the amendment could not be reached for comment about the protest.
Eric Brakken, a spokesperson for the protestors, gave his view of the action as substituting a legal definition for the scientific one.
""It limits the definition of pollution so that it's only what has been litigated in court,"" Brakken said.
According to [UW-Madison student Samantha] West, 40,000 people have contacted representatives to ask them to amend the controversial amendment.
In the nine hours the protestors were present, no legislators came to attempt to explain why the amendment was added, further frustrating one of the protestors.
""I'm sure if I came in here with a label and a large sum of money somebody would listen to me,"" Adriana Villasenor, a UW-Stevens Point student said.
Friday, Jan. 31, 1986
Cuts still face business school
By: Mark Pitsch
More than $27 million in proposed state budget cuts may be a factor in determining the future size of the University's School of Business, according to its dean, James C. Hickman.
Since specifics aren't yet known and the department has little time to study the problem, honoring the cuts may be easier than expected, he said.
""Most budget cuts are absorbed in a convenient way. We may just not replace people, even though they leave in high-student demand areas,"" Hickman said.
He said the school ""has, unfortunately, an enormous faculty turnover,"" including the loss of nine members since last fall from a staff of fewer than 80.
Hickman said further limiting enrollment into the school may also be needed, depending on the severity and permanence of the cuts. ""We're already servicing 1,200 students with a smaller faculty than a few years ago,"" he said, adding that an enrollment cap established ten years ago keeps the student number consistently at about 1,200.
According to the fall semester enrollment report issued by the office of the registrar, 1,219 students are in the business school, an increase of 2.5 percent over the previous year. However, 2,959 students, primarily first-year students and sophomores, are classified pre-business, according to the report.
Hickman quoted a Wall Street Journal story stating that 24 percent of college students in the nation—compared to 20 percent at the University—seek a business education. Only 7 percent of University students are in the business school.
Hickman said he believes most students unable to gain business school acceptance stay at the University and earn degrees in related fields. ""There's a lot of people who want a business education that can't (get one). The funding ... has to keep up with demand,"" he said.
