On a Catholic university campus, students and visitors see Christmas trees daily during the holiday season. With eight Christmas trees in Marquette's Alumni Memorial Union alone, most students don't think twice about the festive greenery. But it is quite a different situation in Madison's Capitol building.

The Assembly State Affairs Committee voted Tuesday on a bill that would change the name of the Capitol's decorative evergreen from the holiday tree to the Christmas tree. All committee members except for Rep. Charles Benedict, a Democrat from Beloit, voted in favor of the bill. The Rules Committee will now decide whether or not the proposal goes to the full Assembly.

According to Rep. Leah Vukmir, a Republican from Wauwatosa who registered in favor of the legislation, the bill will most likely be brought to the Assembly floor next week in an attempt to get the bill passed before Christmas.

Rep. Marlin Schneider, a Wisconsin Rapids Democrat, introduced the bill on Jan. 12, 2007. According to Schneider, the tree was called a Christmas tree starting in 1916 before the capitol building's construction. Legislators changed the name to a holiday tree in 1985.

"It became a holiday tree in an era of political correctness," he said. "Last Christmas it bothered me and, afterwards, I decided I would finally take an action to try to make a change."

Despite initial Assembly support, concerned citizen groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation oppose the change because of concerns about exclusion, fairness and offensiveness.

"It's not broken so it doesn't need to be fixed," said foundation Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "Calling it a holiday tree has been the precedent for 22 years now. I don't think tradition is an argument because many things were traditions—including slavery."

Gaylor said she and her organization also contest the name change because the tree is much larger than other allowed displays and receives more attention through its placement and lighting ceremony.

"Gov. (Jim) Doyle attending the tree lighting imbues it with more significance than the other displays," Gaylor said.

Other displays include an atheistic sign from the Freedom From Religion Foundation and a Jewish menorah.

"They have a menorah there and we don't call it a holiday candle holder," Schneider said.

Because such displays are allowed in the capitol building, Schneider said he believes a Christmas tree would not exclude anyone.

However, Heather Loomans, a junior in the College of Business Administration, said she did not notice any other holiday displays in the capitol on her visit there last weekend.

Aside from the issue of size and visibility, Gaylor and other critics further argue the state legislature has more important issues to address.

"This is a silly waste of time at the Capitol," Gaylor said. "The government (should) not have a position on religion."

In response to this critique of the bill, Schneider agreed.

"There are certainly more important things to be working on now, but I don't control the agenda," he said. "If I could exchange this for comprehensive health care, I wouldn't hesitate a moment to give this up."

Whether the bill is passed or not, visitors to the Capitol will most likely view the tree according to their own beliefs regardless of the official name.

"I'm getting sick of everybody being so politically correct these days," Loomans said. "For me, it is the Christmas tree, and it represents the religious aspects of the holiday even if it's called a holiday tree."