The Student Services Finance Committee approved one organization’s budget, cutting only $148 from its request, and heard one other in a meeting Thursday night.
The majority of time during the meeting was spent debating relatively small amendments to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Campus Center 2004-05 budget, which was approved at $58,964. Two cuts were made to the budget, totaling $148.
Two other proposed cuts totaling less than $200 failed after heated debate with two committee members, who claimed they felt resentment toward other members’ discussion points.
“This (SSFC) is way beyond any of us … it is unnecessary for us to feel offended,” SSFC member Barb Kiernoziak said mid-debate.
Following the dialogue, chair of SSFC Janell Wise told the committee the importance of maintaining a consistent level of examination for every budget presented.
“Our level of scrutiny has been [shifting] from organization to organization — that’s wrong,” Wise said.
To begin the meeting, the Student Leadership Program presented its budget request of $47,228, which is up nearly $12,000 from their 2003-04 allocation.
SLP is an organization designed to help teach leadership skills to University of Wisconsin students and student organizations, coordinator Alison Hamer said during the group’s presentation.
Hamer added the group uses events, programs and subcommittees to improve student leadership.
The large budgetary increases are due to “enormous demand” and an increase in membership, which is up approximately 300 percent this year, according to Hamer.
The increased membership led to the creation of added programming, coordinator Katie Rowley said in a phone interview.
One such program focuses on increasing diversity in leadership positions, coordinator Jamie Koeppen said during the presentation.
“We’re definitely not satisfied with [diversity in our leadership] … this is an urgent goal for us,” Koeppen said.
SSFC will decide on the SLP budget in a meeting Monday.
The meeting began with an allocation of $1,050 in unallocated funds to the Legal Information Center.
The request was provided to buy a new computer and phone, which were stolen from the office.
“Most of the [LIC’s] research is done only with computers,” SSFC member Drew Dorshorst said, adding the absence of a computer would hamper the LIC’s operating.
Unallocated funds are not used by any organization and can only be used when an organization needs unforeseen support, according to Wise.
