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The Student Services Finance Committee of the Associated Students of Madison approved the budgets of two student organizations and heard a budget proposal from another.
The committee approved the 2013-2014 budget for the Working Class Student Union by a unanimous vote of 12-0.
During debate on the budget, SSFC Rep. David Vines advocated for staying consistent with previous budget decisions by adjusting the number of weeks and hours per week of salaried staff positions within the organization.
Vines asked the committee to lower the number of required weeks for each position during the academic year to 33. Additionally, the committee also voted to create 13 summer positions with reduced hours for each staff position.
Regarding the change, SSFC Rep. Devon Maier said, “Fewer hours are needed because there are fewer students on campus in the summer to service.”
Vines also addressed conflict regarding the funds allocated for bus advertisements in WCSU’s advertising budget. He said the organization was right to ask for the amount it did because it proved it got the best deal it could on the ads and the ads were important because they would reach a lot of students.
SSFC approved a final budget of $47,693.36 for the organization for the 2013-2014 fiscal year.
After tabling its budget decision for Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group in its previous meeting, SSFC ultimately approved the organization’s overall budget by a vote of 9-2.
The committee continued its debate regarding whether to approve the salary line for WISPIRG’s budget, with representatives expressing their concerns about the contract process required for the organization’s positions.
The committee eventually approved a motion to include a sunset clause for the salary line of WISPIRG’s budget.
SSFC Rep. Sarah Neibart explained the sunset clause would approve the positions and salaries until the chancellor renders the decision if they are able to contract out their paid staff positions to outside hires, she said.
The committee also heard a budget presentation from Adventure Learning Programs, a student organization that leads team- building workshops all over the University of Wisconsin campus throughout the year.
ALPs Summer Coordinator, Sarah Horwitz, spoke to several returns of GSSF funds made by the organization in the previous fiscal year in the presentation and highlighted how the organization will better use its funds in its new budget.
ALPs returned some of the money allocated for salaries in the previous year because it overestimated the time needed to fulfill certain tasks and lost several employees, Horwitz said. To address this problem, she said the organization asked for lower salaries for its academic year and summer coordinator positions.
“These positions need fewer hours than we previously anticipated,” Horwitz said.
The budget also included an increase in funds for fall and spring staff training from previous years. Horwitz cited this increase to increased food costs from sending more members to the training.
SSFC will vote on whether to approve the budget for ALPs at its next meeting Thursday, Nov. 15.
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