NEWS
Decision on cycle coming Thursday
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by Nick Penzenstadler
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Student organizations at the University of Wisconsin may need to extend their fiscal responsibility and plan their budgets two years in advance, depending on the outcome of an upcoming finance meeting.
On Monday, a Student Services Finance Committee subcommittee chose to forward the idea of a two-year budget cycle to the entire SSFC at Thursday's meeting. The bylaw alteration idea was first brought to the table two weeks ago, and groups in the General Student Services Fund had the opportunity to speak at a forum.
The subcommittee reviewed feedback Monday and decided to continue the discussion.
"People don't like to change the way they do things," SSFC Chair Zach Frey said. "I think it's hard to take things away, but sometimes you have to try new things, so there's a positive and a negative."
Frey added with a two-year cycle, both student organizations and SSFC would have a lightened load and would spread the workload out so members appointed in spring could participate in budget decisions.
SSFC representative David Lapidus said he was against the change to a two-year process, but he added he was in favor of forwarding it to the full SSFC.
"In terms of providing services, there are definitely advantages and disadvantages as far as scheduling out events and programs two years ahead of time," Lapidus said, adding the plan could cause some "bigger problems down the road."
Once SSFC makes its bylaw decision Thursday, the alterations would eventually be confirmed or rejected by the Associated Students of Madison Student Council before April 11, Frey said.
SSFC representative Michael Kelly expressed his concern of feasibility with the potential requirement of presenting stringent budgets two years in advance.
"Overall, I think this would just be too hard for the groups," Kelly said. "Being so far removed from who it affects isn't a good idea."
Frey, however, said the budget deadlines could be pushed back, allowing more leeway for students who start at different times in the fall, as well as easing the pressure to meet over summer to compile budget information.
The subcommittee also considered setting stringent reprimands for student organizations that violate "accountability" measures as well as the advantages and disadvantages of looking at budgets' prior year proposals to make some decisions.
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