The sounds of pens scratching blank pieces of paper filled the room as faculty, students, and alumni gathered in the Wisconsin Room to write letters to state legislators to oppose the proposed cuts to the UW System.
This event, organized by the Budget Communication Task Force, gave members of UW-Milwaukee the opportunity to voice their concerns to state legislators their personal stories of their experiences on campus.
Janice Mahlberg, member of UWM faculty and alumni, focused her letter, not only on UWM, but on the rest of the Wisconsin school system.
“We should not neglect the fact that in this budget, there are also cuts to K-12, and they’re also cuts to the vocational/technical system,” she said.
Mahlberg emphasized that, in order to keep our economy strong, we must continue to offer strong education to our citizens.
“We count on those grade schools and high schools to bring people into the university system and the vocational/technical system.”
The Budget Communication Task Force is encouraging everyone to share their stories and make the state aware of how important UWM is to the community.
“I did my masters here on campus, and then I was fortunate enough to get hired where I interned at the study abroad office. I mean, how many 26 year olds can say they have the best job ever in the field that they want,” Erin Kunert, Financial Specialist in the Center for International Education, said. “There are human beings behind all of this. I’m writing about how important what we do is, and how important we are to what we do.”