Working Class Student Union
Chynna C. Haas, President
wcsu.president@gmail.com /// 608-290-5311 /// http://wcsu.rso.wisc.edu/
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Dear UW Board of Regents,
I write to you today on behalf of the Working Class Student Union in regards to the recent passage of a 5.5% tuition increase for all undergraduate students attending the University of Wisconsin’s four-year institutions.
I cannot express the wide array of emotions felt when our community heard the news, though I can assure you that none of our sentiments were positive. The anger, sadness, frustration, and fear intensified once we heard that UW System President Kevin Reilly and UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin were given substantial pay increases. Not only have you pitted the needs of working-class students against those of returning veterans in the press, but you blatantly disregarded our struggles and the struggles of our families by passing such outlandish salary increases during a deep economic downturn. As the future of our parents’ jobs grows increasingly unstable, you have made the prospect of graduating from a four-year university even more out-of-reach. It is for this reason that we make the following demands of you:
1) Reverse your decision to increase undergraduate tuition at all four-year UW institutions by 5.5%.
OR
2) Increase financial aid for all working-class students* by the amount each individual’s tuition rose at their respective UW institution.
Working-class students are all different genders, races, ethnicities, creeds, and sexual orientations. We come from varied family structures, geographic locations, economic stratums, and life experiences. Some of us are married, some have children, and some work three jobs. Some have just graduated high school, while others come from the School of Life. Some of us are the first in our family’s history to attend a four-year university. Regardless of where we came from, we all are students in the University of Wisconsin System and we all want to graduate with a four-year degree. What stands in our way is a Board of Regents that continually raises our tuition, as well as a State Legislature and a governor who do not support our higher educational system with appropriate funding levels.
It has been repeatedly pointed out by various UW representatives that the tuition increase, as well as the increases of the previous years, has been necessary due to budget crises. Let me assure you, we understand economic downturns and budget crises. Many of us are from communities that are reliant on manufacturing. We have watched as the jobs of family members or ourselves are lost due to mass lay-offs or factory closures. As we learn from what the job market and economy has done to our families and ourselves, we realize that obtaining a four-year degree is our only chance at economic stability and prosperity.
We are not asking you for a handout or for charity, we are simply asking for you to protect our right to a higher education in the professions we desire. Many of us work more hours than you can imagine or at jobs that you would never even allow your child to work. Both us and our families sacrifice and struggle so that we can achieve our dreams on our own, but the tuition increases that rise much faster than our financial aid prevent us from succeeding. With that, we demand that you use your power to guarantee access to higher education for all students who seek it and its affordability so we can realize our dream of graduating.
In solidarity,
Chynna C. Haas President, Working Class Student Union
*”Working Class” is a term that encompasses individuals who come from a spectrum of backgrounds, with varied educational levels, occupations, income, and geographic origins. We see class as based on a combination of factors – what kind of work people do, how much they earn, their social and economic power, their education, lifestyle, and culture. We also recognize that class is closely related to race, gender, religion, and other social categories.
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