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UW-Milwaukee expels student government
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by Tom Schalmo
Monday, October 23, 2006
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee administration shut down the school's student government Friday after police began an investigation into whether a student leader embezzled $10,000.
Leaders of the student government, which includes UWM Student Association Speaker Russell Rueden, refused to release financial information to the university and authorities, resulting in the government's suspension.
As the leader of the Student Association, Rueden is the student in charge of the government's financial transactions. However, for legal reasons, university officials will not confirm or deny whether he is central to the investigation. They did confirm that one particular "student leader" is being investigated.
Before the suspension, student government officers were in charge of delegating student fees and the use of university facilities.
UWM Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jim Hill told the Associated Press he tacked a note on the student government office door Friday banning students from continuing with financial operations.
The Student Association refused to release information but told administration they would conduct an internal audit. University officials were not satisfied with the offer and instead decided to suspend the government's actions.
UWM spokesman Tom Luljak confirmed to the AP that investigation findings were brought to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office in late September, but officials were told to gather additional information. There is no word as to when this additional knowledge will be brought back to the DA.
UWM students contacted Sunday had not heard of the investigation and do not think the university should have completely shut down the student government.
UWM sophomore Megan Stewart said the government has been helpful to her in the past and expressed disappointment with its loss.
"I feel they need really good evidence to shut it down," Stewart said. "More investigation should be done."
Jordan Brenegan, another UWM sophomore, echoed Stewart's sentiments and said he believed an investigation alone would have been sufficient rather than a complete shutdown.
"I think [students] should choose more wisely how they elect their representatives," Brenegan said.
While UWM's Student Association shutdown is causing a stir in Milwaukee, student government leaders at UW-Madison are not expressing any worry over a similar situation occurring here.
Dylan Rath, chair of the Associated Students of Madison, said the type of financial scandal that is being investigated at UWM would not happen on the Madison campus.
"At the Associated Students of Madison, that would not be possible," Rath said. "We have a very strict system for approving payments."
Included in the system, Rath said, is an entire financial staff that maintains records of student government payments.
As of press time, neither Rueden or Luljak returned messages left by The Badger Herald.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Anonymous (October 23, 2006 @ 2:29pm):
Doesn't it seem a bit weird to anyone that financial transactions were refused to be released? What are student leaders tring to hide? What are they worried about? If students don't start paying attention, asking where their money is going to and seeing updates of SA's financial transactions, whose holding student leaders accountable? There is too much against Russ Rueden and people cannot turn a blind eye to the hard facts that are in front of them. What was Russ thinking when he thought it would be okay to take a check for $10,000 from an organization that he didn't even belong to anymore for two years? I believe, for one, that the University did the right thing in suspending the SA. In fact, it's about time.
