When the state assembly unanimously called for 100 percent tuition waivers for veterans in the UW system in 2005, they did not allocate funds for the program.,”Few legislators disagree that veterans should receive free tuition in the University of Wisconsin System. The issue is deciding who will pay for it.
When the state assembly unanimously called for 100 percent tuition waivers for veterans in the UW system in 2005, they did not allocate funds for the program. Until now, the UW system has absorbed this lack of funding, said David Walsh, president of the UW System Board of Regents.
"(The state said) 'Take care of this for a couple of years, and we'll pay you back,'" said Walsh, a veteran himself.
Walsh said the effects of this lack of funding have been escalated by the program's popularity and expansion. He said the position the Regents take is simple: If the state expands the program any further, the state should pay for it.
A number of proposals for the 2007-'09 budget have addressed this program, which is expected to give $42 million in tuition waivers to student veterans in the next two years, said David Giroux, director of public relations for the UW Board of Regents. One such plan proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle calls for UW System and Wisconsin technical colleges to absorb $14 million of the costs, Giroux said.
Rep. John Townsend, a Fondu Lac Republican said the Senate approved this plan, which also called that $5 million be given to the Higher Educational Aids Board in the 2007-'08 year. In turn, the UW system would be reimbursed the following year with the buy-in increasing to $6.6 million. It is estimated that $9.5 million of this $11.6 million would go to UW campuses, Townsend said.
Giroux said this doesn't entirely solve the problem.
"In the best-case scenario, there's still an $18 million hole," he said.
Walsh said the question is who should pay—taxpayers or students?
Jimmy Lee Wallace, a Veterans of Foreign Wars Field Rep. regarding Benefits for Veterans in the VFW, said the organization has no position on whether taxpayers or students should pay for this program. He said the only role the VFW plays is assisting veterans to file for benefits.
Todd Dennis, the Wisconsin state coordinator of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said he believes taxes would be the best way to pay for the program. Dennis, who is receiving degrees from University Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, said he is concerned that not all veterans will fully benefit from the program.
"They're only allowing students who use this program one degree and are severely limiting the program for grad students," he said.
Others said raising tuition may not be necessary to pay for this program. According to Townsend, if no new programs are enacted and taxes are not increased, there would still be $1.7 billion to spare. Townsend said he proposed that veterans would apply for a tuition waiver and would receive it on completion of their credits.
He also said he'd like to see the program extended to private schools.
"I think it should be extended to students who attend private colleges with reimbursement at the state rate," he said. "Veterans should be treated equally."
Walsh said it is difficult to say what course of action the state will take, but said he hopes the state understands the mutual benefits of this program.
"When you invest in the university, you're investing in the state," he said. "Increasing the number of graduates will increase revenue for the state. It's building income producers, and the higher the income, the more tax revenue."
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