NEWS
Group fails to benefit ‘all students’
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Also by Joanna Pliner:
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- Judiciary revokes SAE's status at university (April 6, 2006)
- ASM weighs in on Halloween (September 4, 2006)
- FH King to receive funding, after all (September 19, 2006)
- UW says website causing 'ruckus' (October 9, 2006)
Related Stories:
- SSFC denies funding to CALS student council (September 16, 2003)
- Funding group shoots down earlier decision (September 29, 2006)
- SSFC hears MEChA, CALS budgets (November 8, 2005)
- SSFC puts stamp on largest budget (November 16, 2007)
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by Joanna Pliner
Friday, September 15, 2006
The University of Wisconsin Student Services Finance Committee denied funding to the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Student Council Thursday night by a slim five-to-three margin.
Committee members who voted in the majority did so on the grounds that the CALS Student Council would not provide a substantially unique service to the UW student body or accessibility to all students.
SSFC representative Michael Manuel voted to grant CALS Student Council eligibility, but to no avail.
Manuel said the accessibility requirement for funding eligibility calls for a group to provide access to all students — not equal access to all students — and the CALS Student Council's bylaws fulfill that obligation.
"It is not strictly for students involved with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences — it is students that are associated with it," Manuel said. "So that can be any student in any way, shape or form. You name it, they'll take it."
SSFC Secretary Jackie Goessl interpreted the bylaws differently and was one of the five members to vote against CALS Student Council's eligibility.
"Personally I don't think that there is an equal access clause to this," Goessl said, adding in order to satisfy an equal access statute, the bylaws must include the phrase "all students."
SSFC voted on Monday to deny eligibility to FH King Students of Sustainable Agriculture by a one-vote margin, but decided last night to reconsider the organization's eligibility standing.
SSFC will revisit the question of FH King Student of Sustainable Agriculture's eligibility next Monday.
"We believe we made a mistake in interpreting the final criteria and whether or not the organization is currently violating their bylaws," Kellie Sanders, SSFC Vice Chair said.
SSFC heard eligibility hearings from UW radio station WSUM, Tenant Resource Center and Polygon student organizations.
The committee did approve eligibility for Engineers Without Borders and Collegians For a Constructive Tomorrow.
