The Governor's use of UW students to make a point about the delayed budget draws a federal complaint.
The UW sent emails to students who applied for but have not yet received state financial grants due to the state budget impasse. The emails asked if the students wanted to appear with Governor Doyle at a news conference today to make an appeal for a state budget that would give them their grants.
But the Wisconsin College Republicans feel it's not right for the school to use financial aid information as a way to single out certain students. Apparently, one student felt his privacy rights were violated and contacted the republican campus group.
So, Ryan Wrasse a UW-Stevens Point student and chairman of the Wisconsin College Republicans filed a Privacy Act violation complaint with the US Department of Education. Something he said should have been done even if a republican lawmaker requested the same thing.
Wrasse says the private information should not have been used to contact students about being part of a "political road show".
The University says it did nothing wrong in asking students if the wished to take part. No one was forced to show up for the news conference and no one would be penalized if they didn't.