Tuition, online course fees, and campus area safety were themes in last week’s State of the Students address.
The speech, delivered by UW-Milwaukee Student Association President Jay Burseth, was the first of its kind since Feb. 21, 2005, despite the fact that the SA Senate bylaws requires a State of the Students address each year.
In attendance were students, staff and faculty members of the SA and even UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago. The address was given last Wednesday in the UWM Union’s Wisconsin Room.
Burseth began by addressing political allies and enemies alike, posing a question about participatory democracy among UWM students.
“During Obama’s election, the nation resonated with the words ‘yes we can,’” said Burseth. “But what needs to be asked today is ‘yes we can, what?’ Who’s we, and what can we do?”
Burseth then moved on to specific issues facing UWM students, like the rising cost of tuition, online course fees, and safety around the campus area. He made reference to three UWM students who died over the summer months, two of which were murdered in the Riverwest neighborhood, where Burseth resides.
“While financial insecurity is increasing, so is an expanding crime rate,” he said. “Not only do students have to exhaust themselves with too much work, they also do not feel safe when they return to their homes.”
The student government leader also addressed online course fees at UWM, saying that the SA will do everything it can to lower those fees. He called the idea of charging a fee for online classes “ludicrous”, criticizing the UWM administration for having such a fee.
“A growing weight on student finances is the nearly $300 fee that students must pay in order to take a single online class,” said Burseth. “While tuition is going up and online class enrollment is rapidly increasing, it is ludicrous to ask students to pay even more money than they already are in order to take a class which is inconveniently not on campus.”
Burseth said students are finding it more and more difficult to pay tuition, buy textbooks, having time to rest, and “in some cases, staying alive.” At one point during his speech, Burseth criticized UWM administrators for not focusing more on the lives of students rather than initiatives like the campus Master Plan.
“You cannot be neutral on a moving train,” said Burseth, quoting the name of a documentary by Howard Zinn, author of “A People’s History of the United States.”
A number of SA officials wrote e-mails to Santiago, voicing their disapproval of what they deemed as out-of-line comments made by Burseth directed at the chancellor.
“I have never seen such despicable, unsubstantiated comments made in a public address by a Student Association President as I did tonight during Jay Burseth’s State of the Students Address,” wrote SA Sen. Tyler Kristopeit. “His comments did nothing to advance the student agenda nor build partnerships with those who can help make his ‘vision’ a reality.”
**To download a transcript of the speech, click here.**
..I don’t get it. The story seems INCOMPLETE.
What were the “despicable” comments that Kristopeit is referring to?
Why even mention this comment without stating the upsetting comments for all readers to note?
According to the transcript, Burseth criticized the chancellor and other administrators for being prone to “forget why (they) have a job.” I suppose refusing to accept lower salary instead of telling the Board of Regents, “No, use my salary increase to fund this academic department,” was selfish in Jay’s opinion… While Burseth accepts an $8,000 stipend in student fees that could have gone to the resource centers and student orgs. Call him Kettle Jay, why don’t we?
Actually, President Burseth accepts $9500 for his services as SA President – the highest paid in the UW System. Not bad for a guy who ran for President promising to lower SA salaries (let’s not forget that he takes home more than his predecessor).
Here is where I am concerned: “…the people who are supposed to be working for us are looking to expand our university’s footprint, while students are getting stepped on.” This is laughable. Not only does this premise assume the Chancellor doesn’t care for students – but that expanding the University goes against the students’ interests. I guess expanding Undergraduate Research and improving the academic experience at UWM, just to name a few, is anti-student. The Chancellor’s plan is basically being done privately and outside the bounds of the tuition increases set by the Board of Regents (unlike Madison where they approved a special student fee to fund their Chancellor’s vision…). While I agree there is much work to be done in the area of Student Life, burning bridges is no way to go about getting things done. President Burseth left no bridge unburned with the State of the Students address – and that’s why he’s on an island to himself.
You are a lightbearer, Mr. Kristopeit! Thank you for the illuminati-ation!
You are a lightbearer, Mr. Kristopeit! Thank you for the illuminati-ation!
You are a lightbearer, Mr. Kristopeit! Thank you for the illuminati-ation!
I hope the ol’ chancellor doesn’t see zombies in his ‘vision’!!! Egads…
Jay got twice as many votes as I did, I’m going to bitch about the person who beat me… Whine whine whine. Would you have cut your salary Tyler? Kyle and other members of your platform seemed to have indicated otherwise… Still, at least it’s convenient in this sense that you got your ass kicked in the election.
Well of course, because zombies are a convenient way to lower the appraisal value of the surrounding neighborhoods, allowing UWM to buy out that land (Michael Cudahy and Joseph Zilber willing).
As long as Jay is quoting System of a Down in news news stories, how about everyone just BYOB and eat some Chop Suey!
Wow..
Things sure have changed since I went to college. What happened about fighting the war? What happened to the good old days?
The student body need to come together and stop this bickering.
Seconded! We can then eat all the grass that we want because accidents happen in the dark.