Here & Now

Nass Continues Support For UW System Tuition Freeze

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THE UW BUDGET BATTLE TAKES PLACE AT BOTH ENDS OF STATE STREET IN MADISON. UP AT THE STATE CAPITOL END REPUBLICANS ARE CLEARING THE WAY TO EXTEND THE UW TUITION FREEZE. REPUBLICANS LIKE STATE SENATOR STEVE NASS, THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE UNIVERSITIES AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES COMMITTEE. HE JOINS US NOW FROM WHITEWATER. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

STEVE NASS:

YOU’RE WELCOME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY DO YOU WANT TO EXTEND THE TUITION FREEZE IN PLACE NOW SINCE 2013?

STEVE NASS:

IT’S BEEN A GREAT BENEFIT TO STUDENTS. THE AVERAGE STUDENT HAS SAVED ABOUT $6300. AND IF WE LOOK AT THE COMPREHENSIVE CAMPUSES IN GENERAL AND RIGHT HERE IN WHITEWATER, THAT’S ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OR ACTUALLY 75% OR SO OF THE COST OF A YEAR OF TUITION. SO IT’S A SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS. DEBT CONTINUES TO CLIMB. DEBT RIGHT NOW IS — EXCEEDS $1.3 TRILLION AND IS EXPECTED TO CLIMB TO $1.6 TRILLION BY 2020. THE AVERAGE STUDENT LOAN COMING OFF THE CAMPUS WITH A DEGREE IS ABOUT $30,000. THAT WOULD HAVE GONE HIGHER HAD WE NOT HAD THE FREEZE. OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE FREEZE THAT HAS GONE ON, PRIOR TO THAT THE 10 YEARS PRECEDING THE FREEZE, TUITION WENT UP 118%. SO IT HAS BEEN A GREAT BENEFIT. THE MONEY IS THERE. THE UNIVERSITY I WOULD ARGUE HAS NOT CUT TO THE BONE. SO WE CAN — IN FACT, INSTRUCTIONAL PART OF THE FUNDING THAT THE TAXPAYERS AND THE STUDENTS PROVIDE, THAT PORTION OF FUNDING ACTUALLY WENT UP IN THE YEAR WE JUST ENDED BY $29 MILLION. WE CAN DO IT. WE CAN DO IT AGAIN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, I KNOW THAT YOU JUST SPOKE TO PRIOR YEARS WHERE TUITION WENT UP TRIPLE DIGITS. BUT WHY SHOULD THE CURRENT UW ADMINISTRATION KIND OF BE PUNISHED FOR TUITION HIKES AND RESERVES OF THE PAST?

STEVE NASS:

I DON’T SEE ANY INDICATION THAT IT WOULD CHANGE. WE DO HAVE A NEW LEADER, RAY CROSS. I LIKE RAY. WE HAVE SOME DISAGREEMENTS, OF COURSE, BUT GENERALLY HAVE BEEN VERY CIVIL ON THOSE. WHEN WE LOOK AT 118%, THE HISTORY, AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE HISTORY. WE HAVE A FEW MEMBERS THAT ARE NEW TO THE BOARD OF REGENTS. I HOPE THERE WILL BE SOME BACKBONE THERE. I’M NOT SURE. AND SO I CANNOT TAKE A CHANCE AND JACK UP TUITION. ALLOW IT TO GO UP ON THE BACKS OF THE STUDENTS AND HOPE THAT THE BOARD OF REGENTS WILL HOLD THE LINE AT A 1 OR 2% TUITION INCREASE ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS TALK NOW OF AN INCREASE IN SALARIES. 1 AND 2% IS NOT GOING TO DO IT. YOU CAN’T RIDE ON HOPE. WE’VE GOTTA JUST DO ANOTHER FREEZE. THE MONEY IS THERE. IN FACT, OUTSIDE OF THE TUITION MONEY, IN ADDITION TO THAT THERE IS ABOUT $6.2 BILLION THAT THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM HAS IN ALL FUNDS. WHEN YOU SET ASIDE THE $2.5 BILLION IN TUITION AND FEES AND WHAT THE TAXPAYERS PROVIDE, OUT OF THE REMAINING THERE IS PROBABLY ABOUT A BILLION DOLLARS THERE THAT THEY CAN SHIFT AROUND. THEY WILL ARGUE WE CAN’T DO THAT. IT’S ALREADY DEDICATED FOR OTHER SPENDING AND PROJECTS. YES, YOU CAN SHIFT IT. YOU CAN. MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES SHIFT THEIR BUDGETS AROUND. BUSINESSES SHIFT THEIR BUDGETS AROUND. THE UNIVERSITY CAN, TOO.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT ABOUT THE ARGUMENT THAT BUDGET CUTS AND TUITION FREEZES RESULT IN STUDENTS POTENTIALLY NOT BEING ABLE TO GET INTO CLASSES. THERE ARE FEWER COURSE OFFERINGS AND THEN THEY DON’T GRADUATE ON TIME WHICH COSTS MORE, LIKE A WHOLE OTHER YEAR OR TWO OF TUITION COMPARED TO, SAY, A 2% TUITION HIKE WHICH WOULD BE ROUGHLY $200 A YEAR?

STEVE NASS:

THAT’S BEEN ATTEMPTED IN THE PAST, TOO. IT’S MORE LIP RECEIVES AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED. I ASKED WHERE THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM HAS CUT AND SAVED MONEY. AND I’M STILL WAITING ON THAT. I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR TWO YEARS TO GET THAT ANSWER. I’VE HEARD THAT RHETORIC BEFORE THAT WE NEED MORE MONEY BECAUSE THE STUDENTS NEED MORE CLASSES. SINCE PROBABLY 2002 THE SYSTEM HAS SAID TO THE LEGISLATURE, WE’RE GOING TO GET STUDENTS OUT IN LESS THAN FOUR YEARS. WE’RE STILL WAITING FOR THAT, TOO. SO THOSE ARE JUST ARGUMENTS THAT THEY THROW OUT THERE, THE RED HERRINGS, THE SKY IS GOING TO FALL. THEY NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT STUDENTS THAT ARE GETTING INTO DEGREES THAT THEY CAN GET A JOB ON THE OTHER END. TOO MANY STUDENTS ARE COMING TO COLLEGE AND THEN WHEN THEY EXIT COLLEGE WITH A DEGREE AND ONLY HALF OF THEM ROUGHLY DO AT THE COMPREHENSIVES. THEY SIT THERE WITH A DEGREE THEY CAN’T USE OUT IN THE REAL WORLD. THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM AND THE BOARD OF REGENTS NEED TO LOOK AT THE DEGREES THAT STUDENTS ARE OBTAINING AND ARE THEY GOING TO BE WORTHWHILE OUT IN THE REAL WORLD. WE HAVE QUITE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT IS GOING ON ON CAMPUSES AND WHAT’S GOING ON OUT IN THE REAL WORLD. THEY NEED — THE DEGREES, THE CLASSES AND ALL OF THAT, I’VE TALKED TO SYSTEM — THE SYSTEM PRESIDENT AND OTHER PAST PRESIDENTS ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS ON ELECTIVES. THERE ARE STILL ELECTIVES OUT THERE THAT SEEM QUITE FRANKLY SILLY TO ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

LIKE WHAT?

STEVE NASS:

WELL, WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL BUT SOME OF THOSE ARE STILL AROUND, YOU CAN ELECT TO TAKE ARCHERY OR BOWLING OR DANCE. WHO THE HECK NEEDS TO DO THAT? THAT JUST COSTS MORE MONEY. THE UNIVERSITY IS ABLE TO RING THE REGISTER ON THE STUDENTS. IT TAKES THEM LONGER TO GET OUT. THERE ARE CLASSES OUT THERE WHERE THEY NEED TO REVIEW HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE TAKING THEM. NOW IF THEY’RE REQUIRED FOR SAY BUSINESS OR ACCOUNTING OR WHATEVER IT MAY, SO BE IT. BUT ON THE ELECTIVES WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS TAKING THE ELECTIVES, DUMP THE CLASS, DUMP IT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

LET ME JUST ASK YOU THIS. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE UNIVERSITY — THE UW BUDGET REQUEST FOR $42.5 MILLION MINUS THE COSTS TO CONTINUE? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT ASK?

STEVE NASS:

FIRST OF ALL, FINALLY, THE COST TO CONTINUE IS GETTING OUT THERE BECAUSE I HAVE STARTED THAT DRUMBEAT. THEY HAVE BEEN DISINGENUOUS WHEN THEY STARTED THE REQUEST FOR $42.5 BILLION BY NOT TELLING THE PUBLIC THEY DID NOT HAVE TO GIVE BACK THAT $50 MILLION. THEIR BUDGET IS STARTING WITH $50 MILLION MORE THAN IT OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE. $42.5 WOULD BE THE NEW REQUEST AND 1 TO 2% TUITION INCREASE IS ANOTHER 17%. THEY HAVE TO JUSTIFY IT QUITE FRANKLY. THAT’S SOMETHING THAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE. THERE WAS A BRIEFING YESTERDAY AT THE STATE CAPITOL. IT WAS ON THURSDAY, THURSDAY AT NOON AT THE STATE CAPITOL. AND THE ONE SIGNIFICANT THING THAT WAS POINTED OUT BY RAY CROSS IS THE COMPARISONS OF OUR CAMPUSES AND TUITION WITH OTHER CAMPUSES IN THE COUNTRY AND NEIGHBORING AND SO FORTH. SO WHAT THAT UNDERSCORED IS. “OH LOOK WHERE WE ARE. WE NEED TO RAISE TUITION.” JUSTIFY IT. THAT’S WHAT I’VE ALWAYS ASKED, JUST JUSTIFY IT. I REALLY QUITE FRANKLY DON’T CARE HOW WE RANK AMONG OTHER CAMPUSES. THAT’S NOT A JUSTIFICATION TO JACK TUITION UP ON OUR STUDENTS JUST BECAUSE WE CAN. JUSTIFY IT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

I NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE SENATOR STEVE NASS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

STEVE NASS:

YOU’RE WELCOME.