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Interest group funds up in air
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A committee appointed by University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley voted Wednesday to recommend he not renew a student group’s contract for the next academic year, which would severely cripple its ability to operate.
By a vote of 4 to 2, the committee recommended Wiley not allow the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Group to obtain segregated fees to pay for their non-university staff.
According to an e-mail from committee member Bill Richner, associate vice chancellor of academic staff, the committee is made up of Alex Gallagher, Brittany Wiegand and Kurt Gosselin, who are all members of the Student Services Finance Committee.
UW Financial Services Supervisor Jeff Sailor and Associate Dean Drew Wielgus, along with Richner, represent the faculty on the committee.
After the rules regarding what student governments are allowed to fund were altered last fall by the UW System Board of Regents, groups wishing to receive “contract status” to pay for outside staff had to get permission from the Associated Students of Madison and Wiley.
Tony Uhl, UW junior and incoming WISPIRG board chair, said losing the contract would completely change the way the group would operate.
“That is a really big understatement,” Uhl said. “WISPIRG would not exist. There would be a group with the same name, but it would not be WISPIRG. The group could not provide the service to students as it does.”
Earlier this year, ASM unanimously voted to renew the WISPIRG contract, leaving the matter up to Wiley, who assembled the committee to make sure he made the correct decision, Uhl said.
According to the new rules, a group can only qualify for a contract if it meets four requirements. There must be a substantial need for its service, the group must serve all students on campus, the service must be one the university cannot provide itself, and the service must be vital enough to warrant the contract.
Richner said in his e-mail only Gosselin and Gallagher voted to approve WISPIRG’s contract while all three faculty members as well as Wiegand voted against it.
Uhl said WISPIRG is upset Wiegand went against the vote she cast on the ASM committee.
“This decision is very disappointing, especially Wiegand voting against her original vote,” Uhl said. “The administrators we expected, but we couldn’t provide a unanimous student voice.”
Gosselin said the debate at the final committee meeting centered on whether the university could provide the service and if the service warrants a contract. He added the majority ultimately felt WISPIRG did not meet the final criteria.
The majority and minority recommendations will now be submitted to Gallagher by May 2, and he will then forward the documents to Wiley, according to Richner’s e-mail.
Uhl said WISPIRG is not giving up hope, however. Wiley has the power to choose against the majority opinion, and if he does agree to deny WISPIRG’s contract, the group can still appeal to the Board of Regents.
“We’re going to pursue all avenues in the rule books,” Uhl said.
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Regardless of how you feel about the campaigns and ideas that WISPIRG promotes, it is one of the or arguably the most active organization on campus. They have more students and do more work then groups recieving twice or three times as much in funds every year.
Kudos to the committee for actually standing up to organizations that demand more and more of our hard-earned money. WISPIRG may be a nice little organization, but they should also consider funding themselves for a change.
Leave it an ASM girl to help crush the most progressive organization on campus. Thanks again, ASM!!
8:37— having a rich daddy counts as hard work now?
5:57— some groups (SLAC comes to mind) do considerably more work with far less money (like $400/year in the case of SLAC).
10:34 - When was the last time SLAC did anything but made the chancellor roll his eyes? Direct action is a LAST resort, not a first.
Without WISPIRG ASM wouldn’t exist. ASM seems to forget that. WISPIRG does so much for the university and the state that it is almost hard to believe that it being attacked like this. WISPIRG pushed the state into purchasing 10% of its energy from renewable sources by 2015. WISPIRG pushed the university into starting the we conserve campaign and increase its recycling efforts. WISPIRG hosts the largest student clean energy conference in the country every year. WISPIRG organizes a big service trip to New Orleans over spring break every year and raises thousands of dollars for local shelters with its hunger clean up. WISPIRG lead the get out the vote coalition last fall to register more than 4000 new voters. WISPIRG fights to lower textbook costs and protect students from predatory loan companies. WISPIRG pushed the state into passing important ethics reform laws. WISPIRG is the student voice in the state legislature and if WISPIRG loses contract status, the students lose their voice.