Wisconsin Student Government - Issues

Protect Financial Aid

From Conor Smyth:

The Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities has spearheaded an effort to advocate for the importance of maintaining adequate financial aid resources for students.  They have invited WTCS and UW System to participate in this effort.

There is a dedicated Web site for the campaign, which is titled “Protect Financial Aid:” http://protectfinancialaid.com/

Information is also available at the Protect Financial Aid Facebook Page located here.

If you have any questions about the campaign, you can contact Mark Rushton (605.256.7761, x 237 or mark.rushton@waicu.org), the Outreach Coordinator for the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU).  Mark is coordinating this effort and the Web site.  WTCS supports this effort and encourages you to get the word out to students as you see fit.

The Joint Finance Committee

Who: The Joint Committee on Finance is a statutory, 16-member standing committee of the Wisconsin Legislature. The Committee's primary responsibility is to serve as the principal legislative committee charged with the review of all state appropriations and revenues.  The Joint Finance Committee will receive Governor Walker’s executive draft of the budget and will then modify it by making cuts and appropriations as they see fit.  The budget is then voted on by the JFC, if it passes a majority vote it is passes on to the Governor to be vetoed or signed in to law.

Why: This year the state is facing a $5 million deficit and will look to make up that shortage by cutting items in the budget.  The Wisconsin Technical College budget request of $28 million could easily be on the chopping block.  The Wisconsin Technical College system responds and address local business needs faster than any other institution in Wisconsin.  The WTCS has done so even with continually dwindling State funding but, cannot do so any more.  This downward trend in State must stop for colleges to continue to provide the skilled workers that Wisconsin needs to grow the economy.

What you can do:

1. Coordinate with 3-4 members of the Student Senate of your college and have each pick an issue that is in the budget that affects you personally.  Two big issues that hit almost all students in the budget are WHEG grants and WTCS funding.
2. Prepare a statement that is 1-2 minutes long, the JFC will only give 3-5 minutes for each group, and share:    
1. The issue
2. How it affects you, and if possible those in your college and community.
3. Why it is important
3. In the end what we want is to demonstrate how technical colleges fit in between business and community, how investing in the Wisconsin Technical College System lays the foundation for local communities, businesses, and people to grow.

What you can do now before the Joint Finance Committee starts holding open hearings.

Wisconsin has a large freshman class of legislators coming to Madison in January.  Now is an extremely important time to establish relationships with new legislators in your district.  As you have heard many times, legislators who truly know what your college does and why will come to see the college as a key asset in their legislative district.  Legislators try to help - and will protect - their own district assets.  They will also want your input as they receive good information from you and build a relationship.

Please invite your legislators-elect to join you for a tour, to discuss your role in the community, to hear about your outcomes, to meet your leadership and faculty and students, and to become acquainted with you and others who they can count on for information and advice.  

Do your new legislators know about your record of graduate placement?  Do they know about your advisory committees and your connections to business and industry?  Do they know how much your communities count on you for nurses, police officers, and highly-skilled individuals in manufacturing, utilities, IT, and so many more professions?  Do they know why you levy what you do and how it's interdependent with state funding trends?  Do they know that you are the single most forceful engine we have toward Wisconsin's economic recovery and prosperity?  Do they know why our 100-year governance model works so well and can't be separated from our responsiveness and great outcomes?  

Do you know if the member-elect was ever a student at your college or had/has family attending your college?  What experiences do your new legislators have that you should know about and that help build a good working relationship?

Your new district legislators are listed in the "Legislators by Technical College District" document that was handed out with this document.  New members will not have offices in the Capitol until January 3rd.  To find their phone and address contacts, an alphabetical list of all state candidates and their contact information is available at http://thewheelerreport.com/lxn10/alphalist.htm.  You can also contact any of the executive board for assistance.

Veteran legislators reelected this week need attention too.  Please invest time and attention toward relationship building now.  New or veteran, our legislators may be making important decisions affecting technical colleges even before the session begins on January 3rd.

Credit Transferability

Credit Transferability is an issue that affects every Technical College student that wishes to move on to the University system. We are now collecting your stories about credit transferability you have encountered. Send your stories to our . Then read the stories of your peers here.

Every year various guest speakers appear at the Legislative Seminar held in Madison during the month of February. These speaker offer a valuable amount of information to college student during their presentations. Below you will find links to the speeches and words of wisdom that were offered during the 2010 Legislative Seminar. This will be updated as information is sent to us. Please feel free to contact your local representatives and ask them to send along their words of wisdom and encouragement to Wisconsin Technical College Students.

Senator Mark Miller

Mark Miller is serving his second term in the Wisconsin Senate.  He serves the 16th Senate District which includes parts of Dane County, Columbia County and the Village and Town of Merrimac in Sauk County.  He was elected on November 2, 2004 and was sworn in on January 3, 2005. He was reelected in 2008.

Senator Miller is the Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance and the Chair of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources.  He also serves on the Joint Audit Committee, the Joint Legislative Council Committee, the Joint Committee on Employment Relations, the Joint Committee on Policy Information and Technology and the Claims Board.

He also served on the Governor’s Task Force to Improve Access to Oral Health (2005), the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, the Child Welfare Program Enhancement Plan Implementation Team, and the Board of Health for Madison and Dane County.

Before being elected to the State Senate, Senator Miller served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from January of 1999 to January of 2005.  Senator Miller also served on the Dane County Board of Supervisors and was a military pilot in the Air National Guard, retiring in 1995 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Senator Miller is a leading advocate in health care reform and has led the fight to pass a statewide health care plan in Wisconsin.  He is committed to making health care both affordable and accessible.  He is the author of legislation requiring health care coverage be provided for Wisconsin residents and children.  He has continued to work to find effective and reasonably priced solutions to prescription drug costs and assure good quality health care for all Wisconsin citizens.   

Senator Miller is committed to sound environmental policy and conservation.  Mark strongly believes it is imperative to prevent contaminated drinking water, reduce runoff pollution into Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers and streams and make Wisconsin more energy self-sufficient.  He is the author of legislation that will reduce our dependence on imported energy, create jobs and encourage a cleaner environment.

Mark graduated from Middleton High School, received his Bachelor of Science from UW-Madison in 1973.  He also attended the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development in 1999 and the Fleming Fellows Leadership Institute in 2002.

Senator Miller is married, has 3 adult children, and two grandchildren.

Read Senator Miller's Words of Wisdom to the 2010 Legislative Seminar here

Return to Top of Page