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The University of Wisconsin's
Alliance for Programming and Equity met
Tuesday to clarify and refine the procedure in which student
organizations can plan events in campus unions.

Though plans are not finalized, union
officials agreed more student and UW Police Department involvement is
essential to help prevent event cancelations and safety hazards.

Guest selection, advertising techniques
and room capacity are also issues APFE hopes to improve, said Amanda
Green, vice president of public relations for the Union.

The revisions meeting was sparked by
the cancellation of a Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity's party,
which was planned to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and Mexican
Independence Day Sept. 15. UWPD claimed to have canceled the event
because of crowd control issues, but national Lambda Theta Phi
officials accused UWPD of racial profiling later that month.

"We really want this issue to end,"
Green said. "It's resurfaced several times, and this is it. We're
going to fix it and get it done with."

According to APFE, the main goal is to
simplify the registered student organization process to prevent
further mishaps. Quoctrung Bui, the Union music director, suggested
streamlining the procedure so students have a basic idea of their
role in the process.

"There is a basis of consensus of
what should happen at every large scale event," Bui said. "Yet
there's a lot of legal jargon."

According to Shayna Hetzel, former
Union president, students at other universities can obtain brochures
at their student centers on how to plan events based on the
organizations’ nature.

At UW, various events, including
fundraisers, multicultural parties and events with alcohol are given
specific instructions for successful planning.

"I think that for the user groups,
[the former procedure] is too much and not digestible," Hetzel
said. "From our standpoint, we need to tailor this information to
the student programmers and make it understandable."

The main solution being discussed is
the formation of two boards comprised of both students and faculty
who would aid the process of event planning.

One board will be modeled off the
Registered Student Organization Security Board and would assist
students in planning events. The other, possibly called the Shared
Governance Board, would serve as a student organization policymaking
body and would handle conduct and discipline, Green said.

These two boards could also work with
the Student Organization Office to try to gain a broader perspective
on event planning and student participation. According to Yvonne
Fangmeyer of the Offices of the Dean of Students, the Student
Organization Office would be more than willing to work with students
to solve this matter.

Concerns from various student
organizations, including Lambda Theta Phi, arise regarding the policy
of who is and is not allowed to come to Union events. Currently,
students from all UW System schools, Edgewood College and Marquette
University are technically invited, though it is unclear if they need
a special invitation. According to Green, APFE will work on forming a
special invitation format and approval process.