The Badger Herald, the paper founded in 1969 as a conservative response to the protest-hungry Daily Cardinal, supports the student walk-out, telling UW students to drop everything and protest the budget repair bill at the Capitol.
We commend those students for their catalyzing presence and urge the rest of the student body to make their own appearance today as a part of the walkout. Whether or not you support collective bargaining rights, protesting this bill really comes down to condemning the egregious process Gov. Scott Walker has followed to get the bill before the Legislature. Such sweeping measures absolutely deserve proper time and input, and both have been shockingly absent.
The Cardinal also seems to tacitly support the walk-out, although it's not as clear as the Herald. This is an end to a long editorial denouncing the bill:
We applaud the Associated Students of Madison and the Teaching Assistants' Association for their success in rallying support against this bill, and encourage Chancellor Biddy Martin to quit rubbing elbows with the governor and to start using her political sway to support the state workers she represents as the face of the university. However, there is much more to be done. Back to the Capitol!
The College Democrats also sent out an email urging students to leave class:
Please join the College Democrats and students across this entire campus in a "Walk Out" TODAY at 10:00 AM. At this time, undergraduates throughout Madison will stand up and leave their classes, meet in Library Mall, and march down to the Capitol. This will show the united strength of the campus community in opposition to the assault on our University and the working class employees across the state.
When I spent a semester abroad in France college students went on strike, on and off, for two months. They were protesting what they saw as the "Americanization" of universities. We Americans always said to each other that we couldn't imagine students doing the same here.
I just can't wait to see what the next step is after Walker unleashes his next policy. It's only a matter of days before we see students waving signs, "Down with the bourgeoisie!"
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