The College Fix

University of Wisconsin-Madison students didn’t have a normal class day, if they had class at all.

The Teaching Assistants Association (TAA) at UW turned class schedules around after it organized a Tuesday, Feb. 22 teach-out for students, faculty and staff.

The teach-out requested members of the UW community gather at 11 a.m. in Madison’s Library Mall to walk to the state capitol and protest Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to curb collective bargaining.

TAA estimates that close to 2,000 students and faculty left class to support the movement, according to William Scott, a TAA spokesperson.

Scott said the TAA is not encouraging TAs to cancel class.

Instead, he said, the TAA is trying to convince faculty, staff and TAs to move classes elsewhere.

“We’re holding teach-ins at our libraries, moving discussion sessions to local coffee shops or in and around the capitol,” Scott said.

The TAA is attempting to keep the Wisconsin capitol occupied “until all voices are occupied,” Scott said.

The TAA is against Walker’s proposal because they believe it would negatively affect teaching assistants.

“Specifically, the language is that there would be an end to fair share, “ Williams said. “We would have to annually recertify, which would be very difficult.”

The bill, according to Williams, would not allow teaching assistants to collectively bargain for health care or tuition remission. According to the TAA website, the loss of tuition remission bargaining would be a detriment to recruiting graduate students.

Williams said the organization has received overwhelming support.

“We’re getting money donations, food donation from all over the state, all over the country,” Williams said.

Still, Williams admitted that there have been a few parents and student complaints about the change in class schedules.

The university has not supported or opposed the teach-out.

The provost did, however, release a statement to the UW community about class schedules during the teach-out.

“We encourage you to engage in this debate,” Provost Paul Deluca said in a statement. “We have a statutory and institutional obligation to provide the educational opportunities our students expect and have committed precious resources to obtain.”

The press release does not describe any sort of penalty or objection to missing class in order to participate in the protesting but does encourage students to stay informed on the events.

Students, faculty and graduate students worked in collaboration with firefighters and prison guard unions to keep the capitol occupied today.

“Right now, we have the local firefighter union, prison guard union marching around the capitol in force,” Williams said. “The firefighters actually slept in the capitol last night with the TAA and undergraduates.”

Williams did not say whether future teach-ins will be sponsored by the TAA.

He did say TAA was partnering with several undergraduate groups, including the Student Labor Action Committee, to endorse further opposition to the bill.

“We’re gearing up for a long-term fight,” Williams said.

Amanda Seitz is the campus editor of the Miami Student. She is a member of the Student Free Press Association.

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter