In an attempt to gain visibility, approximately 20 student organizations set up booths on Library Mall this Wednesday to inform students about their respective groups and the services that they provide.

The Associated Students of Madison organized the event in order to provide the University of Wisconsin community with information regarding the student segregated fees that ASM oversees.

In addition to tuition, all UW students are required to pay what are called segregated fees each semester. Students must pay the fee or they cannot obtain final grades or graduate. These fees are categorized as allocable or non-allocable. Non-allocable fees are not distributed by student government and instead are given to the University Health System, the Wisconsin Union and recreational sports. Allocable fees are distributed by ASM and other overseers of the programs, clubs and organizations that ASM representatives think are important for the UW community.

Eileen Lalor, a sophomore member of ASM, was pleased with yesterday’s event.

“The reason we are here today is for people to realize the opportunities that they never knew about,” Lalor said. “The seg fees fund basic student services such as GUTS, SAFEwalk/ride, Sex Out Loud, and others. These programs are essential to a Big Ten university like UW.”

UW’s student radio station WSUM 91.7 had DJs playing music all day, and other organizations set up booths on Library Mall to show their support for ASM and how they have grown as an organization because of the funding ASM has provided them.

ASM has run into conflict with students who believe it is giving money to organizations that are not spending it responsibly. These students have proposed an “opt-out” system in which students can lower the cost of their tuition by selecting groups they do not want to sponsor. However, ASM representatives maintain that they are doing a good job that is represented by the many organizations that participated in yesterday’s event.

“We support the current seg fee system,” Lalor said. “We pride ourselves in the sense that all viewpoints will have the opportunity to be heard in an open forum of debate. This is what we call the ‘marketplace of ideas.’ The opt-out program would hinder viewpoints from being expressed.”

By having a variety of different organizations, students have the opportunity to learn from all viewpoints. ASM members have said that they are trying to promote a way in which students can effectively communicate ideas and that they do not want students to opt out of these ideas.

In a 9-0 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the University of Wisconsin’s mandatory fee system constitutional based on a stipulation that student activity funds were distributed on a viewpoint-neutral basis.

According to a recent release, UW senior Vicki Bomben believes the UW community as a whole has benefited from the programs that ASM funds.

“My education at UW has been enhanced by all of the great opportunities on this campus that are funded by student fees. The ability of students to pool our resources and, as a community, improve our school is one of the benefits of attending UW-Madison,” Bomben said.