May 6, 2015

Royal Purple Staff Opinion

Even with advising, four-year planning sheets, advice from professors and working hard to get good grades, graduating in just four years can be a difficult task to accomplish.

What happens if you aren’t sure what you want to major in yet? What if you want to study abroad?

There are so many different factors that come into play.

But even when someone comes into college knowing what they want to do with their major and sticking strictly to a plan, it can still be difficult to graduate on time with required classes having limited space available.

Unfortunately, with Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed 2015-17 biennial budget, things would only get worse.

In fact, UW-W would see “a total shortfall in excess of $7.4 million,” Chancellor Richard Telfer stated in an announcement on the UW-W University News site.

With the funding cuts to the UW System, and UW-Whitewater specifically, there will be many harsh changes with negative impacts on the students and professors alike.

UW-W is a university that prides itself on good professors and small class sizes.

Walker’s budget, however, will completely alter this for the university by chasing out the good professors – or completely over-working them – and making classes either less available than ever for students to get into, or increasing the class size numbers. Many classrooms on campus simply don’t have the capacity for this option to work out.

Though we as students can often feel helpless when it comes to the big picture, there are ways we can try to combat these issues. It all begins with making an effort, being informed and getting involved in some form or another.

It’s important for students to get involved and provide input on decisions like this one because it obviously has a huge effect on the entire campus.

Send an email, call a local representative, sign a petition, join in a rally, but just get involved in some way and try to help make a difference.

Beyond that, though, make sure you are doing what you can personally to ensure you are on the right track to a timely graduation.

As much as it is important for you to get involved and try to help make a change when it comes straight down to the politics, it’s critical to make sure you are prepared as an individual for the tough road ahead.

Take advantage of advising, four-year major plans, talking to professors and listening to their advice.

Know how many credits you have, how many credits you need, and which classes you will have to take as a pre-requisite for the others.

Also, when a class becomes full during registration time, don’t give up hope just yet – emailing the professor of the class or your major’s department can help slip you through the cracks to get into that required class.

Remember, UW-W provides so many tools to help you plan your college career, and there is always a way if you work for it.

Even if you are super involved, want to study abroad or even change your major, alternative options like summer and winterim classes are available.

Walker’s budget will undoubtedly affect the campus community and provide many struggles for students and professors alike, but rather than sit around and complain about it, we all must take any action we possibly can and try to prepare for any potential outcome.

Lastly, don’t forget to thank your professors for all the hard work they do – without them, UW-W would not be the same university that many of us proudly call “home.”