As a college student and budding adult, one can be easily overlooked. In the University of Wisconsin System, however, ignoring the rights of a student is against the law.
“Wisconsin is a unique institution in which students have the right to be at the table in conversations that impact student life, interests and services,” University of Wisconsin-Madison senior David Gardner said.
Gardner served as chair of the 2013-’14 session of Associated Students of Madison, the governing body of UW-Madison that is responsible for representing students’ interests in university and system-wide decisions.
The existence of ASM and overall student rights in UW System decision-making is outlined in Wisconsin’s statutes, which mandate that students are entitled to a say in matters concerning their own education path and relevant policy changes.
But Gardner said state law is not always enough to ensure the presence of a student voice on issues impacting students.
In Spring 2014, on the tail of student approval for the Recreational Sports Master Plan, conversations with university leaders took place to decide a change to the plan that could have impacted student access to one of campus’s larger facilities, the SHELL.
Instead of Recreational Sports turning over the facility to University Athletics’ control for renovation in 2021, proposals were made to shift ownership in 2017, the same time the Southeast Recreational Facility is set to undergo construction, said Gardner. This would have put students out of two major facilities, leaving minimal opportunity for workout space and intramural access.
Through advocacy and organization, student groups worked with university leaders to express their desires and set a new date in 2019 that benefits students.
“At the end of the day, the student voice prevailed,” Darrell Bazzell, vice chancellor for Finance and Administration, said.
David Vines, 2014 UW-Madison graduate and former chair of ASM’s Student Services Finance Committee, said it is situations such as the SHELL incident that show how important it is for students who have a passion to further student advocacy and power to get involved.
“We have to make sure that people who care about these issues really see this as a place where they can advance and make this a better university; not just for themselves, but for the students that follow afterwards,” Vines said.
While Gardner said he was happy the SHELL situation was resolved and students could have their rightful place at the table, he said this is not the first time students have had to fight for their spot in shared governance, and students should not stop fighting.
“We are a part of this institution, we shape it,” Gardner said. “We have a responsibility to stand for our fellow students and for ourselves when decisions are made.”
