The Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee discussed Monday how it could reach out to state officials regarding its recent tuition affordability campaign.
With the midterm elections over and budget talks about to begin, committee members started discussing which state officials to contact for assistance.
“We’re focusing on who we need to reach out to that could help us along the way,” Chair Tom Gierok said.
Members also discussed how to garner support from state officials for the campaign as well as which questions to ask officials regarding upcoming state budget discussions.
They planned to sit down with officials and discuss the potential effects of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed extension to the UW System tuition freeze.
Walker called for a two-year tuition freeze in 2013 across the UW System in response to a $648 million surplus of unrestricted funds. In April this year, he proposed extending the freeze for another two years.
Mainly, members want to know how this freeze could ultimately affect students and whether there would be a heavy financial burden for them to bear.
“One of the biggest issues we have, and that our students have, is affordability,” Gierok said.
In addition, committee members decided to talk to officials regarding past tuition figures and trends, including how much students have traditionally had to pay.
Members determined these steps would help to reach the committee’s goals of holding the state accountable for tuition funding and establishing definite payment ratios between students and the state in tuition.
Legislative Affairs will continue its campaign efforts in the coming weeks.
