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Student Judiciary to hear sorority’s space request
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by Carolyn Potts
Friday, April 18, 2008
Student Judiciary is scheduled to hear today an appeal from a University of Wisconsin sorority regarding a denial from the Student Activity Center Governing Board to grant the group space in the new center.
Delta Sigma Theta applied in February for space in the Student Activity Center, which will open during spring 2009, and was denied because they did not meet the minimum number of active members required by the board.
According to Delta Sigma Theta President Devon Rembert-Carroll, the group had only nine active members at the time of application, one member short of the minimum member requirement set by SACGB. The sorority has since gained five members, making the group eligible for space in the center, she added.
“We just want them to reconsider us,” Rembert-Carroll said. “We think that the room space would be very beneficial for us because we have weekly meetings and for storing documents.”
Roxanne Watts, secretary of Delta Sigma Theta, said the sorority first brought the complaint to board, which informed them they must make a formal appeal through SJ.
According to Gestina Sewell, chair of Associated Students of Madison and a member of the governing board, any group must go through SJ if they wish to appeal the decision made by the board. But the group could also reapply for space this upcoming fall, she added.
There are 63 spaces available in the building to be allocated to student groups, and one third of those spaces have been set aside for fall applicants.
Governing board chair Lauren Vollrath said the board wants to make sure those groups requesting space in the fall have the opportunity to get it.
“If Student Judiciary overturns our decision, we will just have to put them (Delta Sigma Theta) back into the group of student organizations that we are allocating space to currently,” Vollrath said.
Delta Sigma Theta will also be requesting at the hearing that the board reconsider the member requirements when reviewing applicants.
According to the complaint filed by the sorority, the historically black fraternities and sororities have smaller numbers of members due to the campus demographics, but say they still need the space to conduct business.
Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 9:15am):
What business do you need to discuss with 14 people that requires UW resources? Ridic. Go to someones house. Pathetic.
Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 9:31am):
Wah wah wah... everyone on this campus is against black people. Its all just a conspiracy of the white "man." Get over yourselves, your sorority is apparently NOT THAT IMPORTANT. This is just like the time that the latino fraternity cried racism over the rap concert! STOP throwing the race card around, it gets sickening.
Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 9:35am):
The Student Judiciary? Is that anything like prostate exam?
Anonymous (April 18, 2008 @ 2:29pm):
To 9:31am,
I didn't see anyone tossing out the race card until your comment...I read that they didn't have the minimum number needed to apply for space, but now they do, so they're appealing...
Anonymous (May 8, 2008 @ 1:47am):
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. in no way, shape, or form made any comments or actions to imply that they are "that important". They simply said that they were going to appeal to get the space since now they have at least the minimum requirement of active members. If you are not a member of DST Inc. then you have no idea what kind of business these ladies are doing. They wouldn't request space that they didn't need. I'm sure that if the business that they need to handle could be done at someone's house they would have done that. Apparently thay need this space for some reason which frankly, if you're not a member, that reason is not your business. And before you make a comment stating that they are "not that important" maybe you should take a look at their history of outstanding service and leadership dating back to March 1913 with the Womens' Suffrage March and goes through to the present. Although these ladies are too humble and respectable to say it, I feel that it needs to be recognized that Delta women are important. Not only do they serve the community but also the nation at large as well as the world and have been doing so for an extraordinary 95 years.
*Rachael, LA*
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