MADISON (WKOW) -
UPDATE: MADISON (WKOW)--Police at the University of Wisconsin were called to Bascom Hall on Tuesday evening after a group of protesters refused to leave the building.
A statement from UW Police said around 35 people began their protest against the proposal to split UW-Madison from the rest of the UW system at 1 p.m.
After a 90 minute meeting with Chancellor Biddy Martin, police say the group continued to protest and refused to leave when the building closed at 6 p.m.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam tried to convince the protesters to leave, but they refused.
The police statement said officers then arrived and the protesters agreed to leave.
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University of Wisconsin-Madison students are now involved in the question of privatizing their university.
Some students held a sit-in at Bascom Hill Tuesday afternoon in protest. The students say the new Badger Partnership would mean an increase in tuition and more corporate control over research.
Alex Hanna, a student protesting Badger Partnership, said "It's going to give the Chancellor and the board unlimited and unregulated abilities. It's going to make access to this University inaccessible."
Kevin King, a UW-Madison Junior, said "A lot of people associate the Badger Partnership with whatever (Governor) Walker is doing, and he's had a lot of negative things said. But that's two entirely different things."
University leaders say the move would allow them to face a $125 million budget reduction.
