NEWS
New rules apply for UW seg fees
Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.
Also by Carl Jaeger:
- Many eager to pick chancellor (December 11, 2007)
- Officials debate Wiley's legacy (December 10, 2007)
- 'No guarantee' in UW success (December 10, 2007)
- New rules apply for UW seg fees (December 7, 2007)
- Regents hear about booze, textbooks (December 7, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Regents create new segregated fee committee (August 31, 2007)
- Montana PIRG loses student funding (April 1, 2004)
- Organizations to fight for space (September 27, 2007)
- UW holding forum on segregated fees (November 26, 2007)
- New seg fee rules in regents' hands (November 28, 2007)
by Carl Jaeger
Friday, December 7, 2007
Student organizations cannot use segregated fees to pay for off-campus rent or salaries of non-University of Wisconsin employees, according to a final decision announced at Thursday’s UW Board of Regents meeting.
Despite all 26 UW System campuses and colleges collecting and distributing segregated fees, the policy changes will only affect student organizations on the UW-Madison campus.
Don Mash, UW System executive vice president, read a statement on behalf of UW System President Kevin Reilly, who was not at the meeting due to a family illness. The statement said Reilly agreed with the recommendations forwarded to him by the committee set up to review the issues.
Mash said segregated fees are "not intended to serve as a kind of United Way campaign for all kinds of causes, no matter how worthwhile they may be."
"Under the policy recommended by President Reilly … segregated university fees will continue to support important campus student opportunities and programs provided by recognized student organizations," Mash said. "The adoption of this financial administration policy will not harm the exceptional experience of UW students. Rather, it will preserve the proud tradition of shared governance while demanding equal levels of accountability for all university funds."
Students must work together with administrators to protect the system of collecting and dispersing segregated fees for student organizations, Mash said.
"We must be weary of increasing pressure from large, self-sustained nonprofit groups seeking to require additional funding for general operations not directly focused on the unique educational interests of UW System students," Mash said.
Reilly’s decision on the policy changes received mixed reviews from both the regents and members of the committee who submitted the policy changes.
"The definition of government is going to be an ongoing deliberation; it’s going to be case by case, and we just have to get comfortable with people operating on good faith, meaning the entities of government, students, and the chancellors," Regent Danae Davis said. "I’m hoping that this policy will in the end work at Madison, but I’m fully expecting that if it doesn’t, we will see it again."
Alex Gallagher, chair of the Student Services Finance Committee — the organization that allocates segregated fees at UW — sat on the segregated fee review committee and disagreed with Reilly’s decision, saying the method of creating the recommendations lacked "the type of dialog that is necessary to really prominent constructive policy creation."
"I really feel like in order to make the best policies here, the best course of action here would be to amend this back to Madison and encourage discussion, deliberation on the part of the chancellor, and on the part of the students," Gallagher said.
Gallagher also said he questioned only having one UW-Madison student voice on the review committee — him — as the changes and controversies were only an issue on the Madison campus.
UW-Madison Provost Pat Farrell said he hoped Reilly’s decision will settle the long-time issue.
"On the Madison campus, at least from the administration viewpoint, the frame that we tend to adopt is the one that recognizes these are state funds. There are statuary requirements about shared responsibility for deciding how they should be spent," Farrell said. "I think the policy, as written, and apparently as accepted, will help clarify a number of the issues that have been raised."
Regent Jeffrey Bartell said the new policy has a "lack of clarity and consistency," and recommended more time be spent on the issue. He also asked why the regents did not discuss the policy change before it was decided on.
"It would seem we play some role with respect to this policy," Bartell said. "I’m really puzzled as to why we are not being asked to participate in this discussion."
Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 2:19am):
I am thoroughly disappointed. I had faith that the seg fee committee, the Office of Dean of Students and President Reilly would be sensitive to the needs of UW students. The outcry over these changes has been monumental, and it has been made clear that the new changes will affect many organizations in an adverse way. Some student groups may even cease to exist, much less function in their present forms. These changes will not go over well, and the administration should prepare themselves for a rocky road ahead. The real tragedy here however is the inevitable loss of organizations that many passionate and dedicated students have poured their hearts into. Educations will suffer, and voices will cease to be heard. This is hard blow indeed.
Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 6:02am):
HAHA! I completely disagree! Students on SSFC wanted to keep all of the rules and regulations about student money extremely vague and that was only going to hurt the system of seg fees in the long run. Look at what trouble that vagueness has already gotten them... UWRCF! Administrators are trying to help students make seg fees a sustainable program, not something that is fought over in court every funding season.
The only people who were really up in arms about this whole policy change was WISPIRG because they realize their money will be CUT! They offer the student body nothing, but a way to funnel money away from programs that actually do something on campus. I'm the head of a student org that gets seg fee money and we provide a great service to campus whereas WISPIRG just funnels that money away from students to "represent" them at the capitol. WISPIRG is going to have to find some other way to fund a FULL-TIME LOBBYIST and their other ridiculous expenses.
The administration is looking out for students with this change and its a hard fact to face for student orgs that do NOTHING to help the student body in any conceivable way. So, WISPIRG, just drop the issue! Its only you who really cares about it anyways!
Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 8:11am):
I hope Carl's at the Regents meeting today, because it's not over yet! There have been some last-minute developments...
Patrick Elliott (December 7, 2007 @ 9:40am):
I am very concerned with Mr. Farrell's comments. These changes, especially the change to call seg fees "state funds," are going to cause major problems. The UW-Madison administration recently decided that it was going to deny funding for budget items that were religious in nature. The rationale given was because they are "state funds."
Needless to say, RCF-UW is challenging this determination in federal court. I must agree with them on this issue. The administration was making determinations not on the types of things to be funded but specifically on the content. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court are quite clear in saying you cannot make determinations based on viewpoint. That is exactly what the Chancellor has decided to do and now it has been codified in Seg fee policy.
Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 11:03am):
Hard blow to who... I'm guess WISPIRG! WISPIRG is essentially the organizaiton that is driving all of this controversy over the new policy.
The administration is looking out for the students and keeping the seg fees a viable option. They have essentially spun out of control and student orgs that don't deserve a dime are/were getting money! Its not fair to student orgs that are productive members of the student body to have their seg fees endangered by careless orgs, such as WISPIRG!
The administration is looking to wrangle the power back into the hand of students, because UW-RCF has shown everyone that the SSFC is unable to figure out their own vague policies, so the attorneys have had to figure it out for them. This will give student orgs and student government MORE power, not less.
Sorry WISPIRG!
Anonymous (December 7, 2007 @ 3:44pm):
I think the regent's decision was absolutely right. It's totally outrageous that non-UW faculty were living off of Student Segregated fees. As a student that pays all of my education expenses myself, it was awful to pay hundreds of dollars a semester on segregated fees knowing that the money was funding religious and political organizations. Find somewhere else from which to scam your money, not from the poor students pockets!
Anonymous (December 8, 2007 @ 10:16am):
I think student organizations that want to make real change in this world ought to be able to use student fees to do so. Any organization, REGARDLESS OF VIEWPOINT, should be entitled to a non-university employed staff if necessary. Do we not trust one another to supervise staff? We ought to be able to grow organizationally in whatever way they can, within the criteria set by SSFC. As a student body, we have to put our trust in SSFC, and if something goes awry, we can give them the boot.
And it's funny that lobbyists get such a bad rap. Most every entity--public or private--employs them, from small community non-profits to hedge funds. You can't do much policy-wise without them these days.
Anonymous (December 10, 2007 @ 1:38pm):
WISPIRG is that organization that truly violates the seg fee process. The money they receive is sent to their head office in Washington DC or wherever, and used to "train" new people and put into funds that "help" campuses around the nation. Is there not someone on any college campus that can "train" students to lobby and put on programs such as WISPIRG does without a charge or taking student seg fees off campus? It would seem to me that professors would WANT to involve themselves in this type of education! There are other campuses in the UW system who do not fund WISPIRG's requests for money. Policies of these campuses require the money to STAY ON their respective campuses which WISPIRG does not do. It is part of the process for applying for funds.
The part that scares me is that because this is happening, administration will be able to dictate how an organization spends their money. University support staff, which are part of annual student organization budgets, could potentially be elimiated from their postions if the Chancellor decides they are not necessary. This should concern all students because it could and will take a hard toll on the effectiveness of the organizaion.
I indeed hope that the students of the UW System stand up and take action on this issue and do all that is necessay to prevent administration from taking control of student funds! It is not their money!
Add a comment
We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.
Login...
Not registered? Sign up now.
It's quick, free, and the email address you provide will not be sold or solicited.
