Renovations at the Memorial Union on Dipity.
Members of the Student Services Finance Committee weighed the deadline for a multicultural student organization’s decreased funding request, since the budget will now have to fall under the set $250,000 cap.
Members of the Multicultural Student Coalition will now have until noon on Oct. 17 to prioritize programs and direct service in a budget that was originally valued at $1.27 million. Their final budget will be due Oct. 31 at noon.
Committee members found themselves in uncharted territory, owed to the fact that a student group has never before had to resubmit their final budget.
The debate in the committee comes after the group’s waiver, a form required for budgets over $250,000, was automatically denied for being submitted past deadline. MCSC will now have to resubmit a budget that falls under the cap, which will be a reduction of nearly four-fifths the originally proposed budget.
The organization’s eligibility hearing is currently set for Oct. 17, with a decision to be made on Oct. 20.
SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart said it would be necessary to provide MCSC leadership with sufficient time to reexamine their budget, a luxury she said would have been offered to any other group in the same position.
Committee member Cale Plamann said the revised timeline should allow sufficient time for student leaders to meet with SSFC financial staffers, although it would be helpful for representatives to have the budget completed before the eligibility begins.
Plamann also proposed the group could not make substantial changes to direct services or its programs before the final budget was due.
During open forum, MCSC members presented on two expenses contained in their budget: an art gallery and commemorative months, which aim to promote a more inclusive climate on campus.
“The commemorative month gives students the chance to display pride and learn from each other,” Nneka Akubeze, a member of MCSC’s Executive Board, said at the meeting.
The committee also heard a presentation from representatives from the Wisconsin Union, a body in the non-allocable funding stream. Although the final budget likely will not be due until early March, Niebart said these groups are required to present background on the funding they were approved for last year and an initial overview of the budget.
According to documents provided to SSFC members at the meeting, the Union would be requesting $9,120,800 in student segregated fees for the next fiscal year.
Union Associate Director Hank Walter said this request would still leave the body with a budget deficit of $2,237,700.
“We’re not trying to make money, but we’re also not trying to lose it,” he said.
Walter added the current Memorial Union renovation plans, which aim to strike a balance between the needs of the Hoofers, the Union Theater and other groups using the facilities, could be completed by early November at the earliest.
SSFC also approved eligibility for Adventure Learning Programs, a student group that fosters team-building exercises on campus, and Supporting Peers in Laid-back Listening, which facilitates open and anonymous support for students on campus.
