University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Wednesday, February 4, 2015
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UW faculty declares proposed budget potentially harmful The UW-Madison Faculty Senate released a unanimously passed resolution Monday stating their disapproval of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million budget cut to the UW system.
“... the state will have tarnished a legacy that took literally generations to create.”
James Baughman professor UW-Madison
EMILY BUCK/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Gov. Scott Walker unveiled his biennial state budget proposal Tuesday, including a $300 million cut to the UW System budget and an expansion of school voucher programs.
Gov. Scott Walker calls for education system reform in state budget By Andrew Hahn THE DAILY CARDINAL
Gov. Scott Walker put major changes to Wisconsin’s education system on the table Tuesday as he introduced his proposal for the state budget to the state Legislature. Reminiscent of his recent State of the State address, Walker’s speech outlined a few major policies included in his proposal as he showed off veterans, students and workers in the chamber as examples of past successes of his economic policies and what he hopes to improve. As expected, Walker’s proposal included a $300 million funding cut over the next two years for the UW System, coupled with autonomy measures to give the System authority currently granted only to the state Legislature. “For years, supporters of the University of Wisconsin sys-
tem said freeing them of being directly under the state government bureaucracy would help reduce costs in multiple areas for the System,” Walker said. “This budget includes a bold proposal to provide new governance through an authority, similar to the one used for the UW Hospital and Clinics.” Many lawmakers, including some of Walker’s own party, said they have concerns about what less state oversight of the UW System would mean for students. “I have some concerns about just giving an open-ended ability to raise tuition,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said. On the overall cut to the System’s budget, however, Republicans are more united. “The UW budget … is $6.1 billion, this reduction is 2.5 percent of that,” State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said.
Faculty Senate, which had not released an official statement prior to Monday, expressed its “strong opposition” to the proposed cut, which would cause a 13 percent drop
in the system’s state-financed operating budget in addition to past decreases in state support. Chancellor Rebecca Blank said in a release during the budget proposal that the cuts may be too large for the system to handle. “This cut to higher education, the largest in state history, goes too far, particularly given the previous reductions in state support in past state budgets,” Blank said in the release. Some UW faculty members expressed additional frustration at Walker’s comments last week that the impact from budget cuts could be reduced by faculty members working extra hours, according to a university news release. UW-Madison professor James Baughman said he
faculty page 3
Common Council prolongs billboard debate, looks toward police body cameras
“When you look at our number of state employees, 70,000 state employes, 35,000 of them come from the UW System. So if we’re going to look at belt-tightening, the UW System is obviously one of our number one areas where we can do that.” UW System President Ray Cross said in a statement he approved of the autonomy measures in Walker’s proposal but added the accompanying budget cuts would be a challenge for the System and its schools. State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said Walker’s cuts would “decapitate” the UW System. The state’s education system will face other major changes should Walker’s budget be approved. While the state Legislature has been debating two versions of a “school
By Irene Burski THE DAILY CHARDINAL
Madison’s City Council failed in its second attempt to override a mayoral veto blocking a new billboard ordinance at its meeting Tuesday, despite testimony from community members favoring the addition of billboards. Ald. John Strasser, District 14, who was absent from the Council’s last meeting, asked for reconsideration of the ordinance, which allowed those opposing the ordinance’s rejection to try again
to acquire the two-thirds majority needed to override Mayor Paul Soglin’s veto. Opponents of the ordinance, which would allow for current billboard refurbishment as well as freeze the number of billboards in Madison, argued that the ordinance did not serve Madison’s tradition of fully eliminating billboards. “Council after council, for decades, we have worked con-
council page 3
budget page 3
Past offender arrested for trafficking marijuana UW-Madison police officers and detectives arrested a well-known Madison drug dealer Monday after a two month investigation, according to a UW-Madison Police Department incident report. UWPD worked with the Dane County Narcotics Task Force to arrest Zachary Czerkas, 23, for charges of delivering marijuana and maintaining a drug
trafficking establishment. Police obtained a search warrant for the residence of 917 Haywood Drive where the officers and members of the task force arrested Czerkas without disturbance. A drug contact near the UW campus tipped off the investigators. Czerkas has no relationship to UW-Madison, nor were any students involved, Public Information Officer Mark
Lovicott said. Czerkas was arrested in early 2010 for growing more than 600 marijuana plants in his residence and has since been on federal probation. Czerkas is currently being held at Dane County Jail on charges of delivery of marijuana and maintaining a drug trafficking dwelling, as well as probation violation for manufacturing marijuana.
Tangerine
Eldorado Grill
serves up sizzling fajitas
THOMAS YONASH/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Mayor Paul Soglin defends his veto, arguing the proposed billboard ordinance is a step backward for Madison as a city.
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”