News

FH King to receive funding, after all

The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee reversed an earlier decision Monday night when it declared FH King Students of Sustainable Agriculture eligible to receive student-segregated fees.

Last Monday, SSFC voted against granting FH King eligibility based on the conclusion that the organization violated its own bylaws.

However, last Thursday, SSFC voted to reconsider the ruling. According to the ASM Student Judiciary, SSFC cannot make eligibility decisions based on whether a group adheres to its bylaws because it is not a judiciary body.

Committee member Sree Atluru said she supported granting FH King eligibility once the confusion about SSFC's capabilities was clarified.

"The organization provides … an educational service to campus that can't be found elsewhere," Atluru said.

SSFC also made eligibility decisions Monday for the UW radio station WSUM, the Tenant Resource Center, and Polygon Engineering Student Council. Polygon was the only group out of the three to be denied eligibility.

SSFC disputed issues such as accessibility to all students and uniqueness of services when contesting Polygon's eligibility ruling.

"I also question whether or not anything being provided here can even be considered a service," SSFC Vice Chair Kellie Sanders said, adding that having other student organizations make presentations to Polygon does not qualify as a service — but rather programming — which does not comply with SSFC eligibility requirements.

The counterargument supporting eligibility for Polygon highlighted what committee member Michael Manuel called "the coalitioning factor" — the view that organizations specialized by college or major are pertinent to students' experience because UW is a large university.

"It's an opportunity and an open forum for student organizations that are affiliated with the College of Engineering to work together and hopefully provide things that not necessarily everyone outside the College of Engineering knows about," Manuel said.

Sanders said the purpose of Polygon is too similar to other organizations on campus to be considered a unique service, and UW students would have the same campus experience without the group.

"I can't find anything in here that I can't find anywhere else on campus," Sanders said.

But SSFC representative Mike Look questioned whether other student organizations would "step up" in Polygon's absence.

Ultimately Manuel and Look's position was overruled, but according to SSFC Secretary Jackie Goessl, a student organization is able to remain as such without eligibility — the only distinction is it cannot receive student-segregated fees.

The Student Leadership Program, MEChA Chicano cultural education group and Cavalry Lutheran student groups presented eligibility hearings to SSFC Monday.

SSFC members asked Lutheran Cavalry to clarify whether they allow students of all faiths to join and to distinguish itself as a student organization rather than an extension of the Lutheran Church — two controversial issues that SSFC has recently faced with other Christian student groups.

SSFC will make eligibility decisions for those three groups Thursday.