Between accusations and denials fell countless questions as the Associated Students of Madison meeting addressed the controversial issue of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan’s funding eligibility.

By a vote of 15 to 11, ASM decided against approving MEChA’s fund eligibility.

Over the past several weeks, a handful of events made University of Wisconsin students wary about discrimination on campus with relation to the funds given to specific organizations.

It started with the federal court ruling in favor of the University of Wisconsin System’s distribution of mandatory student fees to campus organizations and viewpoint-neutrality in the dispersal of fees to students groups.

Then, MEChA claimed to be unfairly discriminated against by the Student Service Finance Committee, and ASM ruled that SSFC had acted in a non-viewpoint-neutral manner towards the minority student group.

As a result, the ASM meeting Oct. 4 was slated to address the eligibility of MEChA to receive funding. However, only 13 of the council’s 30 members were present. It was rumored that the missing members boycotted the meeting so important legislation could not be passed.

MEChA demanded a retrial before the Student Judiciary and focused on several SSFC members specifically as the reason the group was denied eligibility.

In addition, MEChA requested that those members who discriminated against the group be removed from their position in office.

Despite a number of other agenda items, the majority of ASM’s Oct. 17 meeting was devoted to the MEChA hearing and debate among ASM members.

Adriana Barboza and Gladys Reyes, representatives from MEChA, presented a convincing argument that the ASM board conversed over for an extended period of time.

“MEChA works for cultural diversity in a not very diverse university,” said Reyes.

Reyes also said that because of MEChA, Chicano Studies has been implemented as a new program and major on campus.

The MEChA representatives argued that the incorporation of MEChA with other similar UW organizations would result in MEChA not only losing its mission, but also losing its identity.

Barboza said MEChA is “the only Chicano group” on the campus.

Barboza and Reyes asserted that with eligibility, MEChA can continue to provide a Chicano awareness with cultural, historical and current issues through speakers, workshops and lectures to further educate UW students about diversity.

The ASM board was given an eligibility form for MEChA that consisted of nine criteria the organization must meet in order to be granted funds from SSFC.

“By going through the criteria, I found that it is ‘yeses’ for every one,” said ASM Rep. Brian Jenks.

Other ASM representatives, such as Jacqueline Helmrick, disagreed.

“When a group walks in the door, we need to prove they don’t get [eligibility], and they need to prove they do,” said Helmrick.

She believed the services provided by MEChA were duplicated by other organizations, and she did not feel as though they deserved the funding.

The council majority agreed with Helmrick and voted not to grant MEChA fund eligibility.