The Badger Herald: News: CALS, Polygon Council propose funding rules

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CALS, Polygon Council propose funding rules

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By Amelia Vorpahl
Monday, December 8, 2008 12:00 a.m.

2 Vote 0 Votes

A group of students from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Student Council and Polygon Engineering Student Council created a proposal for the new Associated Students of Madison’s bylaws that would establish a new funding system for certain student organizations.

The Student Services Finance Committee denied funding to CALS Student Council Sept. 15, which prompted them to create this new bylaw amendment that would create a funding stream for student council groups like theirs outside of GSSF guidelines.

Liz Seitz, co-president of CALS Student Council, said the group did not get funding this year due to SSFC’s changing guidelines of what constitutes a GSSF group. She said they want legislation that will protect groups like theirs in the future.

When the group presented in September the organization claimed they offered three services to all students on campus, including freshman mentoring, peer mentoring and educational outreach. The representatives emphasized their service to non-traditional students, those who are not students in CALS.

To receive funding, student groups must prove they are accessible and available to all University of Wisconsin students, while also providing proof to SFFC of a principal direct service towards which to gear funds, according to SSFC Chair Kurt Gosselin.

“It was made very clear that CALS Student Council doesn’t fit with the new idea of a direct student service,” Seitz said. “Our opinion is that there is a flaw in the system.”

Former SSFC member Zorian Lasowsky advised the group on which language to use in the amendment, as well as ways in which SSFC might question or raise objections to the legislation.

“You want to set it up so that if you’re the one case they can judge, you can argue your way out of it,” Lasowsky told the group regarding extenuating circumstances where funds might not be used.

Criteria for funding in the proposed legislation include a group’s demonstrated ability to use funds, a reasonable funding request within a group’s stated objectives and demonstrated need for funding.

Lasowsky explained the eligibility criteria in the bylaw amendment states any student council needs at least 10 percent voter turnout of their college’s student body to receive funding. He said these guidelines are more neutral and unbiased than current eligibility criteria.

“Those criteria, they’re more open to abuse than the criteria for this proposal, which are numeric,” Lasowsky said. “That removes arbitrary interpretation problems we have now in SSFC.”

According to TJ Madsen, president of Polygon, the bylaw proposal benefits many students who receive services through their college’s student council.

“It’s a way students can see the direct benefit of segregated fees go back to them,” Madsen said.

Luke Lopas, co-president of CALS Student Council, agreed the proposal would benefit students if passed.

“ASM trying to serve 40,000 students on a grassroots level is kind of difficult,” Lopas said. “Student councils can be more effective.”

Seitz said the bylaw amendment will be proposed to ASM Student Council during their next meeting Dec. 10.

Gosselin said he supports the idea of the proposal, though there might need to be changes depending on the language or amount of funds requested.

“I think overall the idea itself is a relatively cost-effective way to reach out to these areas of campus,” Gosselin said. “It can help bridge the gap that ASM has traditionally had with students in those schools in particular.”

2 Comments | Leave a comment

Kurt M. Gosselin | December 8, 2008 1:52 AM | Reply
IP hash: aed2d4a6

I find it funny how the article says SSFC Chair Gosselin supports the proposal when he was an initial developer of the idea last May along with SSFC Chair Emeritus Alex Gallagher and Student Council Members Jeff Wright and Johnny Tackett.

Nonetheless, I brought the proposal to the SSFC who discussed for nearly two hours and decided against the proposal by a vote of 5-3 based primarily on fiscal responsibility grounds as well as the role ASM should play in outreaching on campus.

Although I support this funding stream, I think it is important for the Student Council and for the campus to have a debate as to whether or not this is a good use of our segregated fee resources. There is validity to arguments on both sides, and I hope anyone with potential interest will come to Student Council on Wednesday night (TITU) to discuss any concerns with or support for the proposal.

Furthermore, the criteria for the GSSF are not as black and white as numeric calculations; however, the GSSF criteria currently do not leave a considerable amount of room for interpretation. In fact, the criteria were applied very well this year by most committee members and have truly narrowed the GSSF to a stream intent on funding student services instead of large student organizations.