Countering the Hunger Strikes

Kevin reports that the UW's College Republicans planned to eat in the Capitol Rotunda today as a counter-protest to the student hunger strikes against proposed tuition increases. See here.

The University of Wisconsin College Republicans (CRs) has vowed to counter the Associated Students of Madison’s hypocritical hunger strike to lower tuition because of the student government group’s misappropriation and inflation of segregated student fees.

“As these students are fasting for lower tuition, they are raising student fees for the overall student population at UW Madison,” said Nicole Marklein, CR Chair. “It is hypocritical for them to say tuition is pricing them out of an education and then turn around to raise the only part of tuition students have control over.”

Segregated fees make up over $600 of every full time student’s tuition and the amount has risen steadily in recent years. The money goes to fund questionable organizations like Sex Out Loud, which distributes free condoms by utilizing nearly $50,000 of student fee money. Over $443,000 dollars go to the Multicultural Student Center for programs like trips to Miami and over $360,000 dollars for the so-called Diversity Education Specialists, and $94,000 dollars goes to the left wing organization WISPIRG. For a complete list of funded groups, please visit http://www.asm.wisc.edu/financial/gssf_groups.html.