Even after reconsideration, UW-Madison’s student government is standing by its decision to deny funding to the neighborhood association governing the State-Langdon Streets area, which is heavily populated by students.
On February 26 the Appellate Panel of the Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary decided ASM was right not to grant the State-Langdon Neighborhood Association eligibility for the General Student Service Fund.
The State-Langdon Association, which voices residential needs before the City Council, went before the Student Services Finance Committee last semester with a request to be considered for funding. The committee deemed the association ineligible for funds, saying it is not a student service, after which the denied group appealed the decision.
ASM representatives hearing the case agreed with the original decision, citing criterion three in their bylaws:
“A student group must provide a specific and identifiable educational benefit and service to the students of the University.”
In January, the SLNA appeared before the Student Judiciary to appeal the decision. The neighborhood association’s president, Vance Gathing, said his group deserved funding because it lobbies on behalf of students in a similar manner to groups like United Council, which receives segregated-fee funding.
“Just as we have services representing the interests of veteran students, LGBT students and student parents, the United Council to lobby the state, and USSA to lobby Congress, student neighborhood associations are the voice for our needs as residents before the city council,” Gathing said.
He said the SLNA has gotten students and residents on the State Street business district, protected Peace Park, influenced the State Street redesign, supported tenant-rights and height-limit ordinances, and opposed a giant parking ramp next to houses.
He said he feels the SSFC was distracted by issues outside of its eligibility criteria.
“We may be no legal eagles over here, but we doubt that you will be able to explain to the courts how getting pregnant, or how changing majors, or how joining the military et cetera, is any more of a burden [to]?UW students than is moving down the block,” Gathing said.
However, the neighborhood association lost its case once again.
Vice-Chair of Student Judiciary Adam Goldstein said a major contention of the case was the issue of whether all students need to have complete access to a service in order for it to be eligible for GSSF funding, and that in this case, only students who live in the State-Langdon neighborhood can vote, and therefore control the policies of the organization.
“SLNA claims that there are other organizations that have targeted groups for a service, yet they still receive GSSF funding,” the Student Judiciary decision said. “The difference is that any UW student can participate fully in all of those organizations if they choose without any major obstacle to doing so. However, in the case of the SLNA, one actually needs to move into the State-Langdon neighborhood to actually receive all of the benefits of membership.”
The SLNA responded by saying the GSSF process is so burdensome that it discourages new organizations from requesting funding. Applicants for GSSF are required to fill out an eligibility and funding application, take part in a two-pronged hearing process and submit evidence of two years of operation. Groups must apply during the first month of the academic year and wait ten months for funding.
