http://http://vimeo.com/9374289

ASM celebrates SAC anniversary, roasts pork
Students celebrate the opening of the Student Activity Center with a festive pig roast, corn on the cob, baked beans, chips, soda, a University Housing-catered birthday cake and gallons of Babcock Ice Cream.

With musical performance by a cappella group, Fundamentally Sound.

A decision on the Associated Students of Madison internal budget for 2010-11 was postponed during the Feb. 10 Student Council meeting.

The meeting allotted three hours for approval of a number of budgets, including the Student Judiciary, Student Services, Student Activity Center Governing Board, General Student Services Funds and ASM internal budgets.

Of the budgets, only Student Judiciary was passed by the committee during the Wednesday night meeting. The rest were pushed to the next Student Council meeting.

The Student Judiciary budget for 2010-11 was approved at $50,070.

The only alteration made to the budget was adding $3,000 to the advertising line item.

The advertising line item was increased because the council determined good advertising correlated with good student turnout.

As examples, Finance Committee Chair Matt Beemsterboer referenced the Student Activity Center birthday and pig roast that took place that same day, which he said had a good turn out.

At the start of the meeting, Beemsterboer predicted the Student Judiciary budget would be passed with a “rubber stamp.”

While it was approved, the passage was not as easy as predicted.

“We just spent an hour and a half debating the simplest budget we have,” Brandon Williams, chair of SSFC, said.

Included in the budgets, Williams said barely a majority of all stipend positions in ASM received increases for the next academic year.

“I’m going to support the work SSFC has done. We’re increasing stipends for people working here when people in this state are having their salaries frozen and facing furlough days. People should be aware for what it looks like,” Rep. Colin Ingram said.

SSFC Secretary and Rep. Matt Manes explained to the council a formula he devised to calculate stipend increases.

Manes said the formula takes into consideration the rising cost of tuition, the maximum amount of Stafford loans a student can receive and the opportunity cost a student would forgo to take a position as chair of an ASM committee.

Carl Fergus, former chair of SSFC, said it takes a lot of work to be the chair, and he worked three jobs during his position as chair.

“I simply could not afford school. I wish I didn’t have to work three jobs. Student government is a huge commitment and we do a lot of work for students. Raising stipends does look bad,” Fergus said.

Fergus said the increase in stipends, which coincide with tuition increases, allows all students to be able to work for ASM.

Tina Trevi?o Murphy, program director of the Campus Women’s Center, spoke in open forum during the meeting to push back the GSSF budgets to the conference committee in case CWC was granted another chance to apply for eligibility.

“I think we need to keep the process open for the CWC on the off chance SJ rules that they may be eligible,” Fergus said in open forum.

Also at the meeting, Williams, current ASM Shared Governance Chair Melissa Hanley and newcomer Brian Deichl were sworn into Student Council as voting members and served their first night.