Facing the threat of losing segregated-fee support, several student organizations have been spending this week reevaluating their long-term financial plans.
Diversity Education Specialists and the UW Infoshop have filed appeals with the Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary Committee seeking to reverse the Student Services Finance Committee’s decision to deny them funding for the 2003-2004 school year. If their efforts are unsuccessful, however, they will be forced to find alternative sources of income or face extinction.
UW Infoshop member Kurt Ellison said it would be difficult for his organization to obtain outside funding.
“The reality is that there aren’t a lot of organizations that support the kind of work that we do, and that’s why we have looked to the university for funding, because we represent a point of view that often doesn’t speak for the concerns that have money to give,” Ellison said.
In absence of university support, Ellison said the Infoshop would probably begin charging a membership fee or a service fee for previously free resources.
Hoping to continue offering its services for free, however, the Infoshop filed a preliminary appeal with the judiciary committee yesterday.
“We’re appealing on the idea of viewpoint neutrality and that [SSFC] members violated viewpoint neutrality when making our decision during the hearing,” Ellison said.
“There’s also the procedural problems with our hearing where members of the committee failed to acknowledge federal law or interpret law correctly,” Ellison added, referring to several questions from SSFC members regarding the Infoshop’s political agenda.
Friday, DES also appealed SSFC’s decision to deny funds to their organization, refuting the charge that they violated an ASM by-law and arguing that despite the existence of other diversity-related programs on campus, the DES’ services are still unique and necessary.
“There is nothing like this,” DES staff member Michael Franklin said.
Franklin predicted that permanently losing university funding would mean the end of the organization.
“At this point, all of it’s kind of up to the students,” Franklin said. “It would seem that [if the DES is] permanently denied, then I should start looking for another job.”
The UW Labor Center, also declared ineligible for student funding last week by the SSFC, was unable to be reached for comment.