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UWM Students React to Massive Cuts Each Campus is Beginning to Detail

Marti Mikkelson
Students gather at the UWM Union on Tuesday.

Campuses across the UW System are implanting massive cuts.Each university released documents this week outlining its plans. The cuts are in response to the $250 million cut Republicans made to the UW System in the state’s two-year budget.

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Robin Van Harpen, UWM Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administrative Affairs, offers a glimpse into how the university intends to absorb state budget reductions. She says all units across campus – administrative, academic support and the schools and colleges are cutting.

Students are hearing that they may face larger class sizes, fewer course offerings and a longer time to complete a degree.

We spoke with a few concerned people at UW-Milwaukee. Jose Lozano is eating lunch with friends at the UWM Student Union. He says some professors have already warned him of impending cuts.

“They say they aren’t allowed to hire new people right now because of the budget cuts and certain things like materials they need every year, they’ll need to cut down on that too,” Lozano says.

Lozano is a sophomore film student and finds the likelihood of fewer course offerings, distasteful.

“I came here because it’s one of the top 25 film schools in the country and if they’re telling me the program might change, then that changes my perspective of what the school is for me then,” Lozano says.

Sitting next to Lozano is Shirley Albiter. She’s says she’s upset about a plan that would consolidate the multi-cultural centers on campus.

“Students find comfort in going to talk to people who speak their native language or just any friends you have from back home,” Albiter says.

Albiter is double majoring in Criminal Justice and Spanish and says she does much of her research at the Roberto Hernandez Center on campus. Freshman KurthWittkopf is afraid some courses won’t be available to him and fellow students. He’s studying cultural anthropology.

“I think one of the things UW-Milwaukee has to offer is a lot of different options, like our architecture program and a lot of other great programs that the school has to offer. It would be sad to watch those go,” Wittkopf says.

UWM leaders say they have no plans to eliminate schools or programs, but the university will have to reduce courses offerings.

Credit UWM

Student AbdallahBadwan says the high cost of tuition is hard enough, and news of cuts adds stress. The business major says he also doesn’t like hearing that some class sizes could start bursting at the seams.

“When you have bigger class sizes, you don’t get the same attention you do when it’s smaller. Learning is more difficult because more people means the likelihood of you skipping class and people not showing a lot of interest,” Badwan says.

Fellow business student WalidLaasirisays he fears he might have to transfer, if he can’t get the courses he wants.

“If you see something with less, you’re going to have to go somewhere with more if you want to reach your goals. If it comes down to me graduating or not, depending on my classes, then yes I’d have to look at a different university,” Laasiri says.

Although Laasiri will find that all UW-System campuses are making cuts. He says he plans to take part in any demonstrations he hears about that call for politicians to put money back into the university system. A group of UWM students and educators is scheduled to travel to Madison today, to speak with legislators.

Marti was a reporter with WUWM from 1999 to 2021.
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