National media are paying close attention to Scott Walker's outrageous attacks on the University of Wisconsin System. Walker is facing close scrutiny as he attempts to pay for tax breaks for his wealthy donors by cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from the UW System, with in-depth articles in both the New York Times and the Washington Post in recent days. The article in the Times describes the "furious backlash that crossed party and regional lines" that has followed Walker's attacks, much of which has been organized by AFT-Wisconsin members on campuses across the state. It's paired with an impassioned defense of the Wisconsin Idea by Christine Evans, assistant professor of history at UW-Milwaukee.
The Washington Post is on the scene as well, with Robert Samuels reporting from Saturday's protest on the UW-Madison campus sponsored by the Teaching Assistants' Association (AFT local 3220) and United Faculty and Academic Staff (AFT local 223). In it, TAA co-president Eleni Schirmer issues a warning to Walker not to sacrifice the UW System for his own ambition: “If he has presidential aspirations, we’re going to show what he is willing to put at stake to get there, and that is the life of the university.”
Protests, phonebanks, and campus meetings are ongoing across the UW System as AFT-Wisconsin members continue to mobilize in opposition to Walker's attacks on Wisconsin's students. To share what's happening in your area, please contact AFT-Wisconsin Communications Director Aaron Bibb.
(Photo of UW-Madison's Agricultural Chemistry Building by James Steakley, used under a Creative Commons license.)