Chris Kemp

Students, legislators and UW system administrators gathered Tuesday in Madison to discuss a tuition cap proposed by state Rep. Rob Kreibich (R-Eau Claire).

“I think there was probably the best debate I’ve heard and general agreement that tuition in Wisconsin needs to be contained,” Kreibich said.

Representatives of the United Council of UW Students supported the bill, he said, while some System administrators, including Executive Senior Vice President and former UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Donald Mash, argued against it on the grounds it would financially cripple Wisconsin’s public higher education system. Mash could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Monday night, Student Senate passed a resolution supporting a tuition cap only if it were accompanied by an increase in GPR funding (general purpose revenue from the state), said senior Student Senate President Aaron Olson. An earlier resolution in support of Kreibich’s bill, authored by Senator Tom Burton, failed early in the current session.

“It’s a good notion to cap tuition, but in the end it hurts students,” he said. “If you cap tuition without also raising the GPR, the school won’t be able to keep its budget.”

Kreibich said the next steps for the tuition cap proposal will depend on the timing of the budget process. If the budget comes up for approval within the next two weeks, he plans to propose it as a budget amendment. If the budget takes longer, he will try to pass it as a bill in the state Legislature.

Between 2003 and 2007, UW System tuition will have increased 51 percent.

“That’s unacceptable, and it flies against the proud tradition we have in this state of making higher education affordable for our residents,” he said, adding that Wisconsin’s reputation must be maintained.

“We’ve got to quit apologizing for it and start bragging about it,” he said.

Olson agreed the increase endangers the UW System.

“Students can’t really pay much more than they are. I think we’re at the level of a problem where future students are not going to be able to come here,” he said. “We’re paying our fair share. If there’s a budget crisis, we’ll take an increase, but the state needs to take an increase too.”

Kreibich said despite his effort to quickly pass the proposal, his ultimate goal is to initiate a larger discussion about UW System funding.

“Until we cap tuition, we’ll never get to a debate about how high our tuition should be,” he said. “The trend will continue.”

Olson encouraged students to continue talking to state legislators about their tuition concerns.

“We’ve advocated for what we want,” he said. “Now it’s up to them.”