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SSFC makes cuts to 3 budgets

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by Natalie Rhoads

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

The Student Services Finance Committee determined the 2005-06 budgets for three University of Wisconsin student organizations, cutting more than $35,000 from a College of Agriculture and Life sciences group and the Jewish Cultural Collective over the course of their Monday night meeting.

Debate by the SSFC left the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council budget at $21,222 after cutting funding for office supplies and events such as an annual picnic and the CALS Olympics. CALS had requested $25,074.

CALS offers leadership programs and events that are helpful to UW students, according to organization members.

“Cuts were completely reasonable,” Ryan Becker, representative for CALS, said. “SSFC did a good job working out what was best for UW students in terms of cost analysis.”

CALS did not receive any funding from SSFC last year because they did not meet requirements.

Representatives of the JCC said they hoped to be given a budget of $118,325, an 8 percent increase from the 2003-04 budget, at $108,866. Cuts made to the budget were for speakers for JCC film series and newspaper advertising for these events, among other expenses, lowering the total allocation to $84,535.

“I don’t think the benefit to campus is significant enough for the cost [of airfare for speakers],” Kevin Otten, SSFC member, said.

Joel Bennett, chair of JCC, said he felt the $20,000 cut for JCC events was unfortunate because it may “dramatically affect the number of speakers that could be brought in and lower the quality of events put on by the JCC.”

SSFC also reconsidered the University of Wisconsin Roman Catholic Foundation budget, which was originally decided on Oct. 14. SSFC questioned whether they could legally restore funds for the UW Roman Catholic Foundation for events that were considered religious, such as services.

“It is illegal for us (SSFC) to provide funding for mass, especially because people outside the UW are attending,” SSFC member Rachelle Stone said. “That would mean we would be funding people that don’t pay [segregated fees].”

The SSFC previously allocated $72,000 for the RCF Student Center. SSFC determined it could not provide funding for the foundation’s chapel. After amendments, the final budget was approved at $86,178.

“It is not a crime to scrutinize the given budgets, but if we said OK to everything, then we wouldn’t be here,” Janelle Wise, SSFC member, said. “I think we (SSFC) are doing our jobs the best possible way.”

In its budget presentation, the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group requested $114,000, a 20 percent increase from its 2004-05 budget of $94,720.

WISPIRG allows students to work on meaningful campaigns about issues that are important to students, according to WISPIRG chair Travis Bird.

The budget of WISPIRG will be decided on Thursday.

After determining budgets for CALS, JCC and the UW Roman Catholic Foundation, SSFC is halfway through determining the budgets for student organizations, according to SSFC member Janelle Wise.

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Anonymous (October 19, 2004 @ 3:29am):

Its not a cut unless it is a reduction from the year before. Hust because a group presents a bloated budget and gets that cut, if it is an increase from the year before that is in fact an increase were it matters for students, in their tuition check. In the end this system is messed up because it is built to forget the previous year and any minor cut from a currently increased budget is treated as a reduced cost for the students. Watch as it spirals out of control 10% at a time each year.

Anonymous (October 19, 2004 @ 3:30am):

That Eric Saar is one sexy piece of ace!!!! Can I get an Amen?!!!

Anonymous (October 19, 2004 @ 8:05am):

The SSFC violated viewpoint neutrality when they considered the religious nature of the Roman Catholic Foundation. The discrimination is simply amazing.

Anonymous (October 19, 2004 @ 12:24pm):

"The SSFC violated viewpoint neutrality when they considered the religious nature of the Roman Catholic Foundation. The discrimination is simply amazing."

Either they discriminated against the Jewish group, too, or there is no religious discrimination involved here. I think you're just whining about having to work to find money for your group elsewhere.

Anonymous (October 19, 2004 @ 1:40pm):

SSFC did discriminate against the Jewish group as well as the Catholic group. How many groups have had a real CUT from the previous year? What percentage of those cut groups are religious? Keep in mind that the standard for religious discrimination is strict scrutiny.

It is absolutely NOT illegal for student fees to fund mass. See the Rosenberg decision. Furthermore, if equally applied, the Stone "seg-fee paying students only" test should result in cuts for most every SSFC group. Instead, it only applies to religious groups.

UW's legal counsel ought to pull the dean of students and SSFC into the office ASAP to educate them on the law in this area. Discrimination cases are not cheap, and they really shouldn't be this easy to prove.

Anonymous (October 19, 2004 @ 2:47pm):

In my 5 years at UW I have not heard of one of the organizations described in this article. Perhaps if they are providing a service for the students they should let the students know about said service so it is utilized?

Anonymous (October 19, 2004 @ 4:20pm):

To SSFC members in the last five years, "service" seems to mean a bloated, useless, greedy, bureaucratic conglomeration of self-serving militant wackos.