With the proposed budget changes expected to be coming to UW-Eau Claire over the next two years, some students remain either uninformed or unconcerned about the issues that might affect their financial situation in coming semesters.

Freshman Peter Macky said that he has not followed the proposed budget cuts very closely and is not worried about tuition increases because he is certain he will be able to cover the additional expenses.

“My parents have plenty of money to furnish college,” he said.

The lack of understanding among students worries sophomore Dawn Frank.

“Nobody ever seems to know what’s going on,” she said. “Even though the information is out there, most people really don’t seem to care enough to find out how (the budget cuts and financial aid increases) are going to affect them.”

Special education professor David Franks agreed.

“Students need to fully understand the implications of the budget,” he said.

Professor Martin Wood, chair of the English department, said students must stay on top of how these decisions are affecting them.

“It’s vital that (students) be informed,” he said.

Wood said he also believes students should be aware of the costs of their education at the university.

“Students who have gone to no school other than UWEC probably cannot guess how much better their educational experience is here than it could be almost anywhere else,” he said. “But this excellence has not been inexpensive.”

Freshman Jeremy Simon said the possibility of a tuition increase is mostly an annoyance.

“(The tuition increase) isn’t like a lion eating you, it’s more like a mosquito bite,” he said.

Simon said he sees the changes associated with budget cuts to be a potential benefit.

“I don’t mind gigantic classes,” he said, adding that then the class usually just leads to tests being the basis of a grade.

Wood warned that while the effects of budget cuts may seem like a minor inconvenience or even a blessing, their effects could hit students in a number of areas.

“The effects (of the cuts) could range from unpleasant to devastating,” he said.

At the milder end of this range, most students would graduate on time but without the courses they were really hoping to take, Wood said.

“At the more severe end,” he added, “students could find themselves needing five years and longer to graduate … (and) watching the best faculty depart for states that are more willing to pay for educational excellence.”