NEWS
SSFC doles out minimal funding
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by Matthew Dolbey
Thursday, October 23, 2003
by Matthew Dolbey, Campus Writer
The Student Services Finance Committee earmarked more than a quarter of a million dollars Wednesday night to two groups that provide services to students.
Wunk Sheek, a student group focusing on the Native American population and culture on the University of Wisconsin campus, was allocated $81,739 in a 9-0 vote, down from the group’s proposed total of about $99,000. Cuts came from the proposed budget with respect to salaries, color-printing services, food and t-shirts promoting programs that some committee members thought would not provide direct presence to the UW community.
The Asian Pacific American Council received larger cuts to its program in a 6-2 decision. The group’s proposed budget was slimmed down from $254,000, with salary cuts totaling more than $60,000 from what they proposed, SSFC’s response to the group’s request for some new positions and extended hours. Even though the committee allocated money to several new positions offered, the finance committee lowered some wages to $8.52 an hour and $8.77 an hour. Other reductions came in the form of costs for food and t-shirts.
Though the proposed budgets did see decreases, the overall total for both budgets were raised from previous years.
Though Wunk Sheek representatives seemed pleased at the outcome of the SSFC meeting, a co-president of the group e-mailed The Badger Herald to say that the group felt its budget was lacking.
“I feel that the amount of services our organization could have provided was limited by SSFC,” Holland LaFave said.
The UW Roman Catholic Foundation and the Rape Crisis Center had budget hearings at last night’s meeting, with decisions set for next week’s Wednesday-night meeting.
Associated Students of Madison Student Council chair Austin Evans spoke in open forum preceding the budgetary matters of the committee, saying he was “appalled” by several of the decisions handed down and the process in which it took place.
Committee member Peter McCabe said he was taken aback by this comment and following Evans in open forum by stating, “This isn’t what we’re here for,” and apologizing to the audience for what appeared to be “bickering.”
Several SSFC members said they would call for Evans’ resignation from Student Council chair in Thursday’s council meeting.
