“According to Kumar, the poorest 40 percent of the families in Wisconsin make up only 14 percent of the UW population.”
This is a ridiculous comment. How many of that 40% even applied to UW? How many of those kids even tried to go to college? And 14% isn’t that small of a number either when you consider the others from all other walks of like that attend here. We have a great school and if you compare our tuition to other big ten schools you’ll find our tuition is nothing out of the ordinary. Personally, and I am a student at UW, paying my way through, I don’t believe there should be any publically funded colleges. Sure through highschool the gov. should fund, but furthering your education is a private decision, and the state shouldn’t have to carry the costs. If you look at private schools you’ll notice that they all have HUGE endowments to allow poorer kids a chance at a great education. All private schools make it possible for anyone to attend, and even with UW’s current standing there are numerous ways to get the money one needs, so saying these increases don’t allow diversity in is just another way of saying these people are too lazy to look for the available money.

Oh boy, all the typical liberal babble rolled out for this issue: The “legalized neo-segregation”…those nasty “big business lobbyists”….and let’s not forget to mention that “racist system” this tuition hike engenders.

If these people had a clue what any of these things meant, and presented an alternative solution to why tuition needs to go up in the first place, maybe people would listen. And since when are hunger strikes turned into eight hour jobs? From 10am til 6pm? Common!!

Rational people just look at these things and shake their heads.

To all those participating in the hunger strike: Please continue. If you starve yourself you will be doing society a favor because it will not have to put up with your quixotic protests anymore.

Oh, boy. Those kids are going a WHOLE EIGHT HOURS without eating? That’s a hunger strike?!?! Eight hours?!?!?! You’ve got to be shitting me. It’s more accurate to call it an I’m-feeling-slightly-peckish strike. Gee, why doesn’t anyone take them seriously?

Someone should go walk up there with a bag full of Big Macs and see how long those suckers can last. Sometimes there are just hurdles in life, and the people who overcome the hurdles will be the ones who succeed. The ones who sit back and complain non stop and don’t just let the small things happen, they fail.

Most colleges offset costs with alumni funds. As a poor student who got a chance through the UW, I’m disgusted at alumni who have turned their back.

I know I won’t be that way.

But is tuition really THAT bad? You will make it back too many times over to count during your lifetime, so isn’t it worth it to take the hit now?

that is so great, a picture of elitists themselves sitting there with signs that say end this elitist institution. you guys are too funny sometimes.

Buddy, alumni don’t owe you a friggin dime. At the same time, I think if you actually did a little investigation you would learn that, in fact, UW alumni are very loyal and generous. You should be thankful to those that do dedicate themselves to the university rather than “disgusted” at those that cannot. Brat.

You are a bunch of bitter bitter jerks that feel that feel like they had a hard time of something everyone else whould too. Why not go out and get a job you enjoy instead of hanging around here and posting bigoted conservative comments all day? You are just pathetic losers and I feel sorry for you.

You are a bunch of bitter bitter jerks that feel like they had a hard time of something everyone else whould too. Why not go out and get a job you enjoy instead of hanging around here and posting bigoted conservative comments all day? You are just pathetic losers and I feel sorry for you.

Isn’t in-state tuition at Wisconsin pretty average for a Big Ten school?

And these students are going on a hunger strike for only eight hours a day. That’s weak. At Purdue a few years ago, sweatshop protesters went on a hunger strike for several days in a row without eating. Now THAT’S a protest. Kids today.

As for the poor student complaining about alumni “turning their backs,” I suggest you remember that at one time, alumni were also struggling students who somehow applied for financial aid and scholarships, worked jobs and managed to pay tuition. They earn every penny they make, and while many give money to the university (see the $35 million gift recently given by the CEO of Cisco), they don’t owe students anything. Not one dime.

I’m going on a hunger strike until you put Gumbel 2 Gumbel back on the air! Can you live with that? Huh? Can you?

You gonna eat that stapler? Wanna split it?

family guy rocks

Hey everyone! I’m gonna go on a hunger strike every night between 11pm and 7am. Yea, sure that is when im sleeping… and so I already do that every night… but I bet people will start to notice now that I called it a hunger strike!

Wow, 8 hour hunger strike… so what, you skipped lunch?

Let’s get some more fatties to participate in the hunger strike. Then at least the strike will have a point.

Um, the Capitol closes at 6 pm, so they have to leave. The participants will be continuing the hunger strike through the evenings, and it’s supposed to last three days. Just wait and see what these kids look like after three days, and you’ll know they stuck true. Yes, three days isn’t that long of a hunger strike, but it’s still difficult. All the comments ridiculing the 8-hour shift were made in ignorance. Those are just the hours in which they’re all gathered together, not in which they’re refraining from eating.

“All the comments ridiculing the 8-hour shift were made in ignorance.”

Or the inability of Sundeep Malladi to make that clear.

Wait, that ASM guy’s name is Kumar? Awesome!

In all fairness, I don’t think that the people who comment about how ridiculous this “hunger strike” is are the ones who are ignorant.

I think peope should stop blaming “liberal types” for this hunger strike. I’m about as liberal as they come. I think GW is a horrible prez and that war is wrong. And I think these cry babies have too much damn time on their hands and that they don’t appreciate how much of a steal UW is. It is constantly ranked as one of the best values in the nation. In state tuition is one of the lowest in the big ten. Fortunately for you in state people out of state continues to soar to U of Michigan prices. Unless you hunger strikers are all out of state why don’t you quite your bitching.

I think peope should stop blaming “liberal types” for this hunger strike. I’m about as liberal as they come. I think GW is a horrible prez and that war is wrong. And I think these cry babies have too much damn time on their hands and that they don’t appreciate how much of a steal UW is. It is constantly ranked as one of the best values in the nation. In state tuition is one of the lowest in the big ten. Fortunately for you in state people out of state continues to soar to U of Michigan prices. Unless you hunger strikers are all out of state why don’t you quite your bitching.

Here’s a thought. If they have so much to be able to sit around not eating, they could have very easily taken another course.

Who knows, maybe they’d be able to graduate in 8 semesters instead of 9. Now that would actually make a difference in their wallets!

Higher tuition means more money out of student’s pockets. Lower tuition means higher taxes which leads to higher rents. Looks like students will pay either way.

What does Harold think?

Only higher property taxes lead to higher rents. Higher income taxes, which the state can also levy, would have no impact on the rent structure. Higher corporate taxes (say, making Wisconsin in the middle of the road nationally, up from second lowest) would have no impact on the rent. So, no, students don’t have to pay either way.

Only problem is that Governor Doyle is unwilling to tackle this issue head-on.

“Only higher property taxes lead to higher rents. Higher income taxes, which the state can also levy, would have no impact on the rent structure. Higher corporate taxes (say, making Wisconsin in the middle of the road nationally, up from second lowest) would have no impact on the rent. So, no, students don’t have to pay either way.”

If you raise tax on property, then rent will go up. If you raise the income tax on Wal-Mart, then Wal-Mart’s goods will go up.

The rise in cost of living would be much less than the tuition hike so the student would win, but the student is the one gaining from the education so the student should pay.

As a side note, did you know that the average corporate tax in the nation is roughly 35 percent? Does that not bother you? Another way of looking at that is to say that the state owns 35 percent of each corporate firm on average. I don’t think raising corporate taxes is the answer if you look at society as a whole. Good for Wisconsin on being second best.

Second lowest corporate tax rate? Where are you getting your numbers from. Let me give you a little help.

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/corp_inc.html or

http://www.taxfoundation.org/corporateincometaxrates.html

It look like we are middle of the road to me. Do you really think a state with two democratic senators, a democratic governor and voted democrat every presidential election since Reagan would be second lowest in corporate taxes? Hell, we even voted for Dukakis.

This isn’t an uber-lefty issue. Everyone in this state benefits when higher education is accesible to everyone. Forget the corporations- why is everything about corporations!? Public universities are an investment in the future of the state, pure and simple, and for whatever reason, UW hasn’t been a priority.

This alum did all he could - sent his kid to UW at the out-of-state rate. I’ll be 77 when I finally pay off the loan, so don’t whine to me again about the tuition!

"legalized neo-segregation."

FLASH WORLD ENDS TOMORROW Minorities hardest hit Corporations suffer least

Why is everything about minorities? I don’t think some of the white kids from small post-industrial towns have it so good either.

By the way, I was supposed to stay here another semester. I talked to the Dean of Students and my advisor very nicely about how the hike was going to affect me. The ‘big bad’ UW helped me make arrangements to replace the last 3 classes I needed with others.

As for alumni — WE ALL SHOULD GIVE in some way once we graduate and we should all be grateful to have gone here. The ones who complain the most will be the ones who won’t give back.

Thank you to those who do give…my lawyer who did all the copyright stuff for me on something I designed was UW alumn.

I hate that it’s getting expensive too. Know what I’m gonna do? Make a crapload of money so I can give money to financial aid for discretionary scholarships.

our legislature is controlled by the republican party in both houses.

“why don’t they pick up another course?” - we’re still going to class and to work… most of us are very active, but we’re sacrificing things, mainly all of our free time to be at the capitol.

we found out today that the 14% over two years stat that asm and slac gives is bogus. don’t get to excited, righties… it’s more like 21% because of hidden costs doyle threw into his budget.

and yes, we are keeping the fast while we aren’t at the capitol. besides the hunger pains, i don’t feel any different. but others can tell that we haven’t eaten in a while. the mood in the rotunda is very lethargic, as we really don’t have a lot of energy.

I should order them a pizza.