Here & Now

UW System Campuses Prepare to Reopen

Frederica Freyberg:

With an annual budget of $6 billion, the University of Wisconsin 26 campus system is among the largest in the country. This week even as the system determines how to safely open for the fall semester, Governor Tony Evers announced $250 million in pandemic-related state spending cuts. This after a $70 million reduction in May. UW System President Tommy Thompson responded almost immediately saying the university system already absorbed more than its fair share of cuts last spring. This disclaimer, PBS Wisconsin is part of UW-Madison. Late this week I spoke with System President Thompson about the threat of further budget cuts. I also asked him about how the system was preparing for the safe return to campus instruction for the fall term. Secretary, Governor, now President of the UW System Tommy Thompson, thank you so much for being here.

Tommy Thompson:

Well, it’s my honor, Frederica. It’s always a pleasure to see you. I remember fondly our days when you used to interview me when I was governor. So I’m very happy to be back on your program and thank you so very much for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:

Well, thank you. Well, just to jump in, with K-12 districts in certain parts of the state deciding to go virtually for the start of the school year, how can the UW safely open to even a hybrid of remote and in-person classes safely?

Tommy Thompson:

We’re dedicated and passionate about making sure that our professors, our instructors, our employees, and above all, our students are going to be safe. You got to remember that I was secretary of health, and I would never put anybody in harm’s way if I can help it and we are doing everything. We’re preparing our classrooms. We’re making sure our large classrooms are not going to be utilized. We’re making sure that every student has to have a mask on when they’re inside. We’re also asking them to wear their masks outside if they cannot socially distance. We’re making sure that in our entrance and exits, a lot of them are only going to be one way. We’re making sure our classrooms got the highest cleaning standards put down by CDC. We are dedicated to that. We are putting instructions out daily as to how to make sure our classrooms are safe. We feel that we are going to have our classes and classrooms as publicly safe and as safe for our employees as we possibly can and above all, our students. So I feel very confident. We’re opening on September 2nd, and I’m here to tell you, I’m dedicated to make sure that everybody will be safe.

Frederica Freyberg:

Young adults, as you know, were in large measure responsible for kind of the most recent surge. How can the university manage their behavior on and off campuses?

Tommy Thompson:

Well, there’s no way that you are going to be able to, Frederica, manage students off campus but what we are doing is we are asking students to wear their mask. We’re putting out a lot of information. We are asking students to get flu vaccinated, and have the vaccine, you know, purchased so we can help students get vaccinated. We are putting out a lot of instructions. We are talking to a lot of students and we are encouraging students. And the most important way to do it having students talk to other students. Let’s be safe. Let’s be healthy. We are going to enjoy campus, but we have to be healthy to enjoy it. This is the message going out. And using my public health days, my public health hat on, I’m going to do everything I possibly can through social networking, through signs, through encouragement, using students, using our professors to make sure our students are safe both on and off campus.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, you are obviously deep into the books at the UW System. What kind of financial — what kind of financial hit is the UW dealing with because of closures last spring?

Tommy Thompson:

Well, huge. Amazing thing because we had to refund pro rata the share of the student dorms, the food we purchased. A lot of food we purchased for the full semester and then we had to give that away, so it was a financial really strong hit. Harder on some campuses than others, but overall, it was really tough for the system. And now, and we also got in the first semester, we also got hit by about $50 million from the state of Wisconsin. We are going to have to take another hit. So, University of Wisconsin System has financial problems. But I am confident. I am confident working with the governor’s office, working with DOA, working with my contacts in Washington that we are going to be able to get enough state and federal dollars, with the help of what we are going to do managing this problem at the system level, we are going to make it. We are going to make it and we are going to come out stronger next year than we are this year.

Frederica Freyberg:

Because as you mentioned, Governor Tony Evers has now announced an additional $250 million budget cut to state agencies and presumably the UW would have to take a portion of that. Is there any portion of that that you believe the system can take and still embark on reopening and providing all of the kinds of PPE, etc., that you need to do to do so safely?

Tommy Thompson:

Well, there are two pots of money we are talking about. The state money that the governor is talking about is money that can be lapsed by the governor and his office, and we are pushing back on that, but we are trying to accommodate the governor and the DOA. We are trying to show how difficult it’s going to be and why it’s probably going to be problematic for the system. But we are working with the governor and his staff and DOA. We want to be — we don’t want to be confrontational. We want to be cooperative and want to make sure that they understand our financial conditions. We are also working in Washington to get more federal dollars. And as you know, I’ve asked the governor for $110 million for personal protective equipment, as well as for tracking and tracing and testing. And we think, you know, with that money, if we could get $100 million, we would be able to definitely open. Well, we are going to open up. We’ll be safe. But it would be much more helpful if we had that extra money for testing and tracing and for purchasing the protective equipment.

Frederica Freyberg:

What do you think the likelihood is of getting that kind of money?

Tommy Thompson:

You know, it’s always an uphill battle. Nothing is easy when you are acting president of the University of Wisconsin System, I’m finding out. But we are going to do everything we possibly can. I am aggressively seeking money from the state and federal levels. I think that we are going to be — I’m cautiously optimistic. I come from Elroy, Wisconsin. You have to be cautiously optimistic just waking up in the morning. And so I feel that we are going to do it, and we are going to be — we are going to get through this. And we are going to be able to be stronger and healthier next spring than we are today. I am confident of that.

Frederica Freyberg:

We leave it there. Former Governor Tommy Thompson, now President of the UW System. Thank you very much for joining us.

Tommy Thompson:

Frederica, it’s always a pleasure. Thank you very much.