By Derek Woellner —11048685_n

Welcoming cheers greeted a group of University of Wisconsin–Stout students as they met with other UW students and alumni for a System-wide political rally.

The 15 concerned students boarded a coach bus near the MSC on Thursday, April 2. The Stout Student Association provided the bus to give students a chance to show their opposition of the budget cuts to the UW System.

Gathering in front of the capital at the end of State Street, students representing four UW schools captured the attention of multiple media outlets as rally organizers and UW alumni took their turn at a megaphone.

The rally consisted of about 40 people, most being from University of Wisconsin–Stout, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, University of Wisconsin–Marinette and University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The UW Students Against Education Cuts organized the rally. They handed out information packets to rally members that listed three goals: Eliminate/reduce proposed budget cuts to the UW System, preserve shared governance in state statute – Wis. Stat. § 36.09(5) and protect UW System State of Purpose “The Wisconsin Idea” – Wis. Stat. § 36.01(2).

Students were also given rallying cries that they yelled as they marched down State Street to the UW–Madison campus. They screamed, “The budget sucks. We’re no fools. Say no to cuts, and save our schools!” and hollered, “What’s good for us, is good for the nation. Invest in us, and fund education.”

Members of the public were drawn out of stores to watch and take videos of the rally.

Stout senior Chloe Fetter attended the rally because she believes the cut will prove to be detrimental to Wisconsin. She encourages everyone to, “call your representatives and tell them not to cut our education because we are the future of Wisconsin.”

At the end of the rally, some student signed postcards that called for “more investment in public education, not less.” The postcards were sent to the representatives for each student’s district.

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