The Student Services Finance Committee approved $656,822 for the

Associated Students of Madison’s internal budget at its Monday

night meeting. SSFC approved the budget in a relatively quick

meeting lasting not quite two and a half hours after about 50

minutes of open forum.

Debate on the ASM budget began concerning the proposed10

liaisons for different groups representing people of specific

sexual orientation or ethnicity. One of the main aspects of the

liaison position is to attend and have a voice within ASM, but not

to vote. ASM’s budget originally proposed six liaisons, with a

stipend of $3,579 each, representing minority students, LGBT

students, women, female minority students, LGBT minority students

and disabled students, who ASM feels are traditionally

underrepresented. The proposed liaisons were just “incarnations of

the words” to create the 10 new positions, according to SSFC member

Peter McCabe.

The amendment providing these new positions, surprisingly passed

at last Wednesday’s meeting, was introduced to show the point that

some liaisons could be considered unnecessary and could snowball

into more obscure liaisons in the future, according to some SSFC

members.

“When we create these positions, what doors are we opening?”

McCabe, usually known for his fiscal conservatism, said.

The 10 additional liaisons were unanimously withdrawn from the

budget, and a motion to remove every one of the original proposed

liaisons except for disabled students was struck down as well.

ASM currently uses $567,256 for its budget for the 2003-’04

fiscal year but budgeted $661,000 for the 2002-’03 fiscal year.

Last year’s reduction of nearly $100,000 came from what student

council vice-chair Sharon Lee called help from the Dean of Students

office; she stressed, however, that the Dean’s office could only

offer the money and services for one year.

During open forum, six individuals spoke on behalf of keeping

the original six liaisons while asking to axe the 10 additional

ones. Multiple council members spoke on why the 10 were introduced

or why they did not vote on the issue Wednesday.

SSFC delayed the decision for the Child Care Tuition Assistance

Program until next Monday’s meeting. Three people spoke on behalf

of the program in open forum, with two women bringing their babies.

The program offers assistance to families for childcare based on

various factors.

Some speakers emphasized the importance of this program due to

legislation put into effect by Gov. Doyle that lessens the

assistance previously available for parents with bachelor’s

degrees.

“You can never go wrong with funding the childcare,” one speaker

said, adding she found childcare more expensive than rent in

Madison.

SSFC also approved reallocation of funds to the College of

Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council and the WSUM student

radio station. CALS moved money from its student-wages line item to

program supplies to pay for a leadership-building event.

WSUM moved money to pay for equipment upgrades and shelves to

house compact discs. WSUM general manager Dave Black said it was

just a reprioritizing of line items. Neither CALS nor WSUM’s budget

received any additional student dollars.