Following last week’s meeting of the 18th session of Associated Students of Madison Student Council last week where the Multicultural Student Coalition’s fight for funding came to a successful end, some members of student government have petitioned for a reconsideration of the approval of the group’s eligibility.
Six members of the Student Services Finance Committee, the committee which originally denied MCSC’s funding, have petitioned the Student Judiciary to hear their allegations that several Student Council members committed viewpoint neutrality violations during last week’s meeting, where the MCSC’s funding eligibility was approved in a 10-9-4 vote split by Chair Allie Gardner.
The petition calls for SJ to either negate the votes of several members who allegedly made viewpoint neutrality violations and mandate a recount, remand the hearing back to Student Council so three members have to recuse themselves or mandate that all committee members mark “no” on the question of MCSC’s intentional policy violation.
SSFC Rep. Cale Plamann, who filed the petition, said the situation is so unprecedented that he wanted to provide a few possible remedies, but that any of the suggestions would render Student Council’s decision void.
SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart, one of the petitioners, said it was necessary to file the complaint to ensure that the decision made last week would be effectively null and void.
“At the decision there were multiple viewpoint neutrality violations and much unbridled discretion was used by members of Student Council,” Neibart said.
The complaint alleges that Gardner violated viewpoint neutrality by using her control over procedures to influence the proceedings to aid MCSC in multiple ways. According to the petition, this included manipulating the parameters of voting and debate and selectively enforcing lobbying rules.
The complaint also said viewpoint neutrality violations were committed by several other members as demonstrated by their votes and words during the hearing and decision.
Neibart said it does not matter who committed the most or “biggest” viewpoint neutrality violations, but rather that they occurred at all.
“They just can’t happen at all,” she said. “The Student Council chair was not even able to remain viewpoint neutral, so how could she expect her council members to remain so as well”?
In an email to The Badger Herald, Gardner said she can verify that no viewpoint neutrality violations were committed during the training process, eligibility hearing or the eligibility decision.
Neibart added that on Monday the Conference Committee will determine the budget for MCSC, but if SJ decides to hear the complaint, things would need to be worked out at the latest by July 1, when the UW System approves the final budget.
SJ Chief Justice Kate Fifield said the matter will be addressed at their next meeting on May 8, and that after the meeting a panel will be assigned to the case to deliberate whether to hear it.
Additionally, MCSC sent a letter to ASM this weekend apologizing for what they called an “inflammatory remark” that one of their members made during last week’s Student Council meeting.
The letter says MCSC is dealing with the issue and that this occurrence, along with a council member “giving the Chair of ASM two middle fingers,” only added fuel to a volatile situation.
MCSC’s letter says the group will work hard moving forward and that any grievances must be put aside in order to work with the administration and ASM.
Complaint on MCSC decision filed in Student Judiciary
