Students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will have the opportunity Wednesday to vote on a proposed increase in their differential tuition to fund services offered through its Academic Initiative.

According to a statement released by UW-La Crosse, students would have to pay an increased amount of approximately $45 per year to keep certain resources available to students, including international research opportunities, the Academic Advising Center and the Violence Prevention Center.

“The increase of $45 was created by an assessment task force of what students were paying. The university used to match the amount dollar-for-dollar that the students paid,” said Eric Kahl, president of UW-La Crosse Student Association.

He added the fund created by the university to match the amount the students were paying will not be sustainable for the 2010-11 school year.

“The $45 is the amount we need for the year to maintain what we have,” said UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow.

There is also a second proposed referendum to expand the programs, which would be an extra $15 per year, Kahl added.

The UW-La Crosse Student Association facilitated the referendum for the increase. The referendum was presented at an open forum last Friday, where it was met with a general positive response from students, Kahl said.

The programs the referendum proposes to fund are offered through the Academic Initiative at UW-La Crosse. The initiative has four main areas of focus, including undergraduate research, diversity, academic advising and internationalization, according to Kahl.

Gow said this is not the first time UW-La Crosse students have voted on tuition increases. In fall 2008, students at UW-La Crosse voted on and ultimately passed the Growth, Quality and Access Initiative, which aims to make class sizes smaller and hire more faculty and staff members, among other services.

The program, which adds $500 to the tuition of each student, saw a turnout of approximately 2300 students, according to Kahl.

“We have a very strong tradition of giving students a voice in these decisions. It is risky because you have to have faith that the students are making informed decisions,” Gow said.

If the majority of students vote against the referendums to maintain and expand, UW-La Crosse administration will not forward the proposed increases to the UW System Board of Regents, Gow said in a statement.

If the referendum is passed, it will be considered by the Board of Regents for the final decision in February 2010.

“I don’t think students are typically able to have a binding vote on a tuition hike, but they have been able to do so for segregated fees,” said UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas, speaking on similar situations here.

Lucas said students have had an impact on the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates. Chancellor Biddy Martin looked for feedback from students and student groups before making her final decision on the plan.