The Associated Students of Madison Student Council met Thursday for the final meeting of this session to discuss three motions and reflect on the year’s work.
Among the issues ASM claimed as achievements this year were Campus Safety Week, the establishment of a tenants’ rights committee, passage of a summer bus-pass system, equal representation on the chancellor screening process, an agenda item in the state budget and front-page coverage in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Campus relations chair Scott Spector said thanks are due to his fellow council members as well as to the volunteers and interns that serve ASM.
In his farewell, Spector offered some advice and words of wisdom to future ASM council members.
“Take the time out to engage new members in committees and programs,” Spector said. “We also must thank the unsung heroes, the volunteers and interns who keep coming back to ASM.”
Spector’s opening remarks set the tone for the remainder of the final meeting of the eighth session of ASM, as each member said his or her personal thank-yous and reminded each other of the “great value” of their services.
As the session ended, ASM finalized each committee’s business. ASM Vice Chair Carl Camacho said the Student Services Financial Committee ended the year with all of its motions passed.
“The SSFC was very happy and gave their chair a great deal of applause at the end,” Camacho said.
ASM passed two pieces of legislation for the Finance Committee, both of which refer to the way in which ASM will allocate its funds in the 2002-03 academic year. ASM passed the budget cut, totaling $14,900, and the reversion spending bill, organizing the spending of leftover funds from ASM’s internal budget.
In addition, the bylaw changes regarding the ASM Nominations Board and Shared Governance were passed by a two-thirds majority after considerable debate about the benefits of shared-governance representation for all SSFC components.
Rebecca Pifer, ASM Finance Committee Chair, said the representation of such campus groups as UHS, Recreational Sports and WUD on SSFC is questionable in its current form because representatives from the auxiliary organizations outside of ASM have little incentive to become fully involved in the process.
Shared governance calls for these auxiliary representatives to the SSFC to be interviewed and very intensively screened by ASM before gaining seats on the committee.
Former SSFC member Matt Modell said shared governance makes ASM more political than is necessary.
“Shared governance doesn’t allow for the best representatives to serve,” Modell said. “We should let each group decide who will represent it.”
ASM Nominations Committee chair Jeff Pertl addressed the claim shared governance creates partisanship within ASM. “The implication that we will turn them into something partisan makes me very angry,” he said.
Without the passage of the bylaw, the current process of appointment will likely continue and result in poor attendance and lack of interest by auxiliary representatives, Pertl said. The bylaw passed with a two-thirds majority.
Council members also praised Chair Jessica Miller.
“The unsung hero of ASM is really the chair,” Pertl said. “Jessica got the flack, but her work was amazing. We have never had a better relationship with the chancellor or received more praise from the administration as we did this year.”
Legislative Affairs Chair Faith Kurtyka said there is far more to ASM than getting a bill passed.
“Victories are elsewhere . . . just keeping people involved is a huge victory,” she said.
