Appendix B: General Student Budget Recommendations and graphs
Submitted anonymously by UW-Platteville Students and presented in unedited form by the
University of Wisconsin-Platteville Student Senate
Legend:
Green – Athletics
Red – Academics
Blue – PACCE
None at this time. Survey salaries of upper level staff? See if their pay is to par with the rest of the body.
I think they should definitely eliminate the athletic budget. I came here to study and get a degree not
funnel my money into sports teams.
You need to evaluate each major, and whether students currently enrolled in that major will be able to
graduate if their major program gets cut.
Funds to music department must stay!
Cut the bus. Cut wages professor who are ten year (tenured)
We as students as well as faculty and staff need to determine what are priorities and what things are
necessary to make this institution successful.
I am for budget cuts that do not affect people's studies. Cutting intramural sports is a good start but
cutting study abroad grants and cutting low attendance majors and minors in unacceptable.
No, cuts need to be made. More cuts to the nonsense of student service providers should be made.
Education should come first on campus not the extra fluff that makes a student feel more welcome.
I think we need to think about what is best for students not just what will be best to try to help the bottom
line look better. If citing certain programs is harmful to students than is that really the best plan pic action?
Keep forensic investigation Minor.
My biggest concern is how all of these budget cuts are going to affect tuition for the future generations of
this school after the current freeze is over. I also wonder how the system can pay to remodel some of the
dorms on this campus, but they can't assist in what we pay thousands of dollars for, education. And on a
side note there are some professors at this school who do almost nothing and are overpaid. Why don't
you evaluate them and pay them for what they are worth.
Are there areas of the university (ex PACCE) that could be funded in part by grants to reduce the strain
on the university budget while still.providing services to the students and/or faculty
Never cut out majors with low enrollments
We cannot afford to cut the education, it is key to everyone's success.
Stay away from education. We are a university. Universities ARE MADE TO EDUCATE STUDENTS.
Anything extracurricular should be on the cutting block first
Reducing number of majors is going to ultimately end up in students transferring out because they can't
do what they want here. Also, anything that will affect the education of individuals should not be cut. This
includes educational opportunities abroad and on campus. Education should be the number one priority.
Maybe Chancellor Shields should look at himself with how much the university pays for him on and off
campus before penalizing the students.
While many people view Media Studies as a small department that does not attract students to the
school, look at the number of students who switch to the media studies department for a major and minor.
The quality of our department is far larger than our quantity. Look at our rate of employment after college
and the success of the students, not the number of us in the department. UW-Platteville is a school where
you are not supposed to be a number, you are supposed to be a student.
1. How a bout charging less so that more people can actually afford to attend college?
2. You could simply stop bringing in more students that you can't afford or don't have room for.
3.If future students are looking for a major that is being cut, they will attend a different university which
would be counterproductive.
Well this is predominantly an engineering school, and engineering education should be top priority.
Stick to the main thing. Which is education not sporting events
Not enough information is given to the students, and this causes lack of knowledge to people on campus.
we are here for a good education, all extra curricular activity that promote good physical health should not
be effected and those that do not fall in that catagory should be subject to change upon budget cuts
Ultimately, I believe that in order to continue thriving as a University, it is essential for everyone (faculty,
students, professors, etc.) to be willing to compromise. This is easier said than done, but I think that when
we evaluate all factors involved, there is at least one we can compromise on.
Undergraduate programs will low enrollment should be cut, money should be focused on majors this
campus has a strength in, if a person wishes to have a specific major, it is only logical that this person
goes to a school that is known for that program. (ie. Platteville is known for its engineering program, not
it's music program). Sorry if it is something you don't want to hear
I especially do not agree with majors or minors being cut. I came here because of a specific minor that is
not offered many other places.
I am very concerned for the Arts Department on campus, specifically music and theater. We have
AMAZING faculty. I don't want to see any change. If anything I wish we had more support from this school
for these programs.
I'm concerned about the TSI program being reduced/cut
I think more surveys should be given to students and give us the choice of what happens since we pay so
much to go here. It should be up to us what happens, what gets cut etc since if the major we are in gets
cut, we have to move away from our home. I consider this place my home and I don't want to have to
relocate from my home and my family if I can make a difference and let my voice be heard.
I really don't want to see the cost of room and board go up just because there is a tuition freeze.
I strongly feel that nothing from the academic aspect should be cut. The things that make college
entertaining should be the first to be cut since the reason we are here is to attain a thorough academic
education. I am concerned that major/minor programs and will be eliminated, which will also dissuade
future enrollment.
Remedial courses should not be offered as much as they are. If people are not ready for the first true
college courses, they can prepare for them outside of the university environment.
Cutting all low-enrollment majors while disregarding other factors may prevent fledgling majors from
growing, and turn certain departments into machines that just pump out easy grades to keep enrollment
up.
Funding for academics should take priority over funding for sports teams.
Logically, eliminating the most underused or unbenneficial activities that are not directly education related
seems to make the most sense as what we pay for, as students, is an education. We need to preserve
the quality and cost of our education.
I am part of the tri state initiative and I don't want the tuition cost for that program to increase
I think that we should try to elminate expenses in athletics before we start elminating programs. How can
we morally justify losing a major while we continue sports that not only cost more but bring in much less
as well. It just doesnt seem morally right to me.
There are a lot of things that I do not care about when it comes to budget cuts but something that angers
me is the cutting of grants because students such as myself, need that money to help pay for college
because college costs enough as it is. Athletics should be cut because many athletes in Platteville get
into trouble and there schooling is still paid for.
Athletics do not deserve to be cut. They are the hardest working students and staff here.
The programs with "low" student enrollment a lot of times are a niche market and how a need for
graduates in that field. They are necessary and attract students
I am a reclamation major and I know that my major is on the chopping block. I don't believe that the
program should be based on the number of students in it. UW Platteville has the best program for
reclamation around and the students that are in the program have nothing but good opportunities and
jobs once they graduate. The program is amazing and the enrollment being low only means that it is a
very specialized and specific interest for a certain group of people.
I feel like athletics is over funded and has not produced and it is pointless to throw good money at bad
Look for systematic errors and wastes. Throwing out individual items, groups or classes will not fix longrun problems if the system itself is flawed in its spending habits. Unnecessary expansions, for example,
are just that- unnecessary and can wait until the budget is comfortable again without overburdening the
students.
Absolutely do not cut low enrollment minors. This is a shortsighted move, decreasing revenue long-term.
I think it is absolutely ridiculous to be considering cutting the Nanotech program. Nanotech is the future
and if we want to continue to be competitive as the College of EMS in the future, cutting this would be
detrimental. We need to continue to offer this program, as it attracts students and is unique to our
university.
Education abroad is super important, we can't cut its funding.
state funding cuts are a necessity, people always freak out when they happen, stuff works out. I was in
the military and dealt with this on a much larger scale.... stuff works out and you figure out how to make
due
I believe the cuts should be made be all colleges and the administration equally without cutting programs.
Keep as much educational opportunities available because that is what people come here for!
Don't get rid of Reclamation as a major. It is a fantastic major and sets up a good future for many
students on campus.
Please do not consider cutting the food service programs here at UWP that employ students. While pay
does come from UWP for the employees, most of it comes back to the campus through tuition or other
means.
DO NOT GET RID OF RECLAMATION!!!!
We need to stop looking at things being cut, and start looking at way to earn money. The more things that
are cut the more people that don't attend UWP. The more people not attending UWP, the more money we
lose.
In regards to the last question, I think it is extremely unfair that majors are being valued by how many
students enroll in the program. Just because a certain major has less students does not mean it is not a
successful program! If they make cuts to a program with low enrollment I suspect future students would
be hesitant to go into the program adding to the issue. Also, I think future plans (for new buildings in
example) which are not set in stone should be revisited.
Keep the music programs!
The university needs to focus on its core competency, STEM, and if that means cutting programs to get
sufficient funding to keep the vital programs running, I am all for it. This University has been great, but
going downhill with many outstanding professors leaving in the past few years. We need to reverse that
course and build up a solid teaching staff within the university that is compensated well for their efforts.
Freeze administration position salaries until 5yrs in the green!
Get rid of unecessary clubs first. There are still christmas cards in some of their mailboxes. Only fund
active organizations. CHARGE LESS FOR FOOD AND MORE PEOPLE WILL GET MEAL PLANS. I dont
want to pay $6 for a salad which will really be a snack. Also, this is a DIII school athletics wise. The
atheletes do not need to be pampered. Take some money out of their budget. We are not DI so not many
people will watch the games anyways besides locals and fans.
Do not cut new majors or minors with low enrollment as they are new and have not yet had the chance to
flourish and experience increased enrollment.
People really need to listen to what students have to say about budget cuts, we're the only the reason this
university is still here.
The major problem I see is their are a few to many professors on campus that don't do their fair share of
work. I have talked to many professors that seem to work hard and have asked them how many times
professors work really hard in their opinion. And 90% of them said, fewer than should be allowed. Eric
Rimel is one professor I have high remarks for. He is always either teaching, at a meeting or helping
student in the metals lab or in his office. He gets to campus by 8 if I am correct and leaves around 10:00
pm or even midnight some days. That's what I expect from a professor. One professor I know does little
work is professor Tabrizi. I had him for synthetic and composites and he got to campus at 10:00 for class.
Did his lecture for an hour, let us go in the lab for another hour and left campus after or even befor class
ended. A majority of the time, 20 min into our lab time, he had left already. His office hours were also slim
to almost none. That is a professor that I belive deserves to be relived of duity. If you cut down on access
staff that don't work hard, you will save a lot more money that any of the suggested cuts you have
mentioned in the survey. Also, your budget company was called ignorant by UW madison. So you might
want to think about getting a new on pe of them.
I would like to see campus closed a week during the summer and over winter break. I also strongly feel
that the Athletics programs need to see a budget reduction. The amount of money being wasted in the
department on staff is very high.
I think funding for the Pioneer Academic and Transitional Help(PATH) Center, formerly First Year
Experience, should not be cut. That office is extremely helpful to students, provides great assistance to
first year students with time management and just transitioning into college life. Without them we would
most likely have higher drop out rates. Also, funding for the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs should
not be cut because with the low amount of diversity on campus as it is, it would not be beneficial to
remove the office that helps students that may feel like they do not fit in.
While I understand everyone needs to take a hit during these hard times, I also believe that the cuts
should be least evident to the students. We are the only people who are paying to be at the university,
therefore we have purchased the privilege to have these cuts affect us minimally. If we are not careful the
momentum that this university has gained in the past decade could very easily be negated. It is your job
as our student representatives to protect this, do not let us down...
The Reclamation and Environmental Conservation major may have low enrollment but it uses classes
from a lot of different departments. It is also the only program like this in the country.
Reduce RA benefits including getting rid of stipends
I believe cutting low student enrollment minors/majors is the best way to reduce the budget. This will
focus the campus and reduce the budget.
You need to do what you have to to inshure the university dosent go in debt. Even if people will be hurt by
it
I am concerned with what will happen after the tuition freeze 2 years from now and how that will impact
not only me, but also many other low-income students and interested students that would want to attend
UW-Platteville.
Since I am a freshman, I am concerned with the raise in tuition that may occur in 2017. I would like to still
have the same opportunities to achieve success and be able to afford my higher education. I hope these
cuts don't interfere with the quality of education as well.
If the university system would look at where the majority of the money goes they would find that the least
amount goes to improving education. It seems as if we have strayed from the actual purpose of university
and instead replaced it with athletes and useless spending.
Athletics/fitness facilities could be used for a small fee. Charge a small about for entrance to sporting
events ($1 or $2). Don't cut any success programs.
PACCE is an indispensable program as there are few others that provide as much value to the students.
It is misleadingly represented as an expense on the budget sheet, when in fact it is revenue. That
revenue is my money as a student and I say it should stay where it is.
Platteville has a young but thriving entrepreneurship program. That this program is facing elimination is
unthinkable.
If I am in a major that does get cut, I would like a full assurance that my credits would fully transfer to at
least an instate school so that I could believe the university actually cared for my education and not just
my money. That being said I would also not appreciate that their is a similar major that I could take, I
came here for a specific major and if it was no longer offered, I would no longer attend this university.
Use your best judgment.
do not update things that don't need to be updated. TV's are not needed in every room for classes, most
just use smart boards or projectors, which are useful. Making the breaks such as April break and
thanksgiving break longer and have most things shut down to save money. 1 week out earlier for
Christmas break and shut everything down would save a lot of money, especially for heating.
This committee and decision making on the budget cuts should have been made years ago. The fact that
the debt chart continued to grow and it took this long for people to take action on a remedy of the situation
is absurd. The past is the past, but clearly decision making on the budget needs to be vastly improved to
keep the quality of education that is displayed. Either someone did not do their job or their is a lack of
leadership, but this starts at the top and the students should not have to suffer for the ignorance and lack
of knowledge by the heads of UWP. Budget cuts should come from their salary first.
I think that some professors should be let go. There are a lot of departments that have poor professors.
While I think that eliminating some majors or minors woyld save some money, I think its important that
they are not eliminated. College is a place to learn and grow as an individual. While some areas of study
are not for everyone, it doesn't mean that they are not important. Finally, I think that maybe some
department mergers could be a solution for those programs that lack the number of students that other
programs have.
Cutting Athletics makes sense; D3 schools shouldn't waste so much money on sports. Students come to
schools this size to learn, if sports are that important go to a bigger school
Don't cut things that make our campus different or that would eliminate opportunities for the students.
After all its about the students and their experience otherwise enrollment will start to decline.
I believe that athletics should be one of the areas we should really look into making cuts in.
I believe they shouldn't cut down things that help expand our knowledge and programs that help us
develop great qualities.
As students we shouldn't have to suffer majors or minors being cut.
Don't eliminate things that help students grow and prosper
Of any program on campus, PACCE has had one of the biggest and most positive impacts on my
undergraduate career. In my four years at UW-P, I have been part of seven different PACCE
projects/internships. Because these projects are based around community engagement, I have had a lot
of real-world experience thanks to PACCE. Although my education inside the classroom is very important,
being able to apply that information in the field while being supported and mentored by campus faculty
and staff has been absolutely invaluable to my growth as a student.
PACCE is really important to me.
Do not take away opportunities from students such as PACCE, study abroad, or intramurals. PACCE not
only impacts the lives of students, but helps contribute to the community. When college students
positively influence the community it portrays our University in a positive way to the public and also helps
students become more prepared for their future career. Studying abroad can also help students with their
future careers and will reflect positively on their resumes. Intramurals, although they are not necessarily
that big of a deal on a resume, should not be taken away from students. If a fee is charged then I feel that
it could eliminate them from being taken off of campus. Almost every student owns his or her own laptop,
so eliminating a few computer labs would be logical. It would also work to make the labs smaller, except
for the Bear's Den. I do not think that physical education should be required for general education.
At this point, if professors are being cut I feel like no professor should be tenered (or whatever that phrase
is). No professor should be safe if cuts are going to be made. Speaking from a student in the Ag
department (Russell) there are a handful of professors who are quite possibly the worst professors and to
think that they would be safe over professors who are not tenierd but actually care and teach is simply
sad. Some of the greatest professors are either 2-8 years along and aren't safe. Everyone should be at
risk. Also, PACCE funding, really? You would be stunting our educational abilities and not giving all that
could be offered to us. look around, search, there are other things, less important that you can cut. Dig
hard. I'm a graduating senior so this budget cut won't affect me. But it'll affect my friends and my
professors, and it's for that reason I am filling this out. Take into consideration our recommendations
because it is the student body who will be affected after all.
All of these things is what makes UW-Platteville a great campus for learning and also making college a
good experience. Being an IE major we travel a lot for classes and with out PACCE all that money would
be out of our own pockets. We already pay tuition which pays for our classes I don't agree with spending
more money out of pocket to get a good grade.
I think the renewable energy department on campus should be involved in the budget and promoting easy
ways for campus to save money rather than cutting educational opportunities.
Cut the salary of anyone making over 150,000 especially administration.
programs being cut with low numbers of students eventually adds up and will be detrimental to the
university, losing students means losing funding because we do help run the University, all of the talk
about extra money last semester was controversial, now since the budget cuts have come of light where
has that money gone? shouldn't we be protected? cutting programs will hurt the reputation of the school
as I am concerned with my future here.
I'm have a difficulty with the return of the Chancellor's assistant at the cost of $120,000 /year. This money
could be better spent elsewhere and the position could be filled by students who perform on a work study
basis.
This could be the issue for a number of staff positions throughout the entire U.W. system. Students would
benefit by employment with the U.W. at a greatly reduced salary or by no salary and reduced tuition.
Save on salary; Save on benefits; Save on vacation; Benefit to student from extracurricular training;
Working for tuition or board credit; Working outside the department of their major also better motivates
intercollegiate understanding of faculties and staff.
There should be no cut to teachers but office staff should be cut. I think there are more office staff than
great professors in the campus.
The PATH and OMSA are two office departments that I really love! They have both helped me extremely
in my success so far, and would love if they continued to be a part of UWP. Not only do they make me
stronger in my academics, but they also help me become a great leader as well!
Included below are the quantitative results of the Student Budget Survey which ran during the month
of February 2015. To access a full, interactive version of the survey, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/UWPStudentBudgetSurvey
During the analysis of the responses, two key items were realized:
1)
On certain questions, there was a distinct difference in between students who self-defined as
“Moderately” and “Very” knowledgeable regarding budget cuts, and those who self-defined as
“Not very” and “Not at all” knowledgeable. One example in which this was especially true was
regarding the elimination of the car fleet – the more informed the students were about the
budget situation, the less they felt the need to eliminate the car fleet. This logic also held true
for reducing the number of campus labs.
2) There is still a large population of students who are interested in being further educated on the
topic of the budget, and feel that Student Governance should take a more proactive position on
budget matters moving forward. In response to this, Student Senate will be creating a budget ad
hoc to further analyze both student controlled (seg fee) dollars, and other recommendations
from Faculty Senate.