The Student Services Finance Committee cut Collegians For A Constructive Tomorrow’s (CFACT) budget by $83,760 and listened to presentations from two other student organizations Thursday night.
SSFC members passionately debated over the requested 180 percent increase in budget proposed by CFACT.
SSFC made several cuts to the requested 2005-06 CFACT budget of $220,258, leaving the student organization with a final budget of $136,498. This remained an overall increase from the 2004-05 CFACT budget allocation of $78,141.
SSFC members spent a lengthy amount of time discussing an $18,752 proposed cut to CFACT’s professional staff salaries. SSFC member Barbara Kiernoziak said she thought the cut was necessary because she did not feel people with a college education would take a job not offering benefits, rendering the position unfilled. The jobs do not require a degree and therefore could be done by students, she added, saying CFACT did not present a hiring policy for these positions.
“These positions [professional staff members] never existed before. You [CFACT] do not get to start out with a professional staff,” Kiernoziak said. “An organization has to crawl before it can walk.”
SSFC member Eric Saar disagreed with Kiernoziak as members debated proposed budget cuts to office supplies.
“When an organization has nothing, they need something to get them off their feet,” Saar said.
SSFC made further cuts to CFACT’s proposal in program supplies for large speaker events, airfare to bring in speakers, office supplies and equipment.
SSFC Chair Janell Wise told committee members CFACT was one of four UW student organizations not required to report their spending through the dean’s office. This means, Wise clarified, money allocated to CFACT is given as a lump sum and does not necessarily get used the way the organization proposes it will.
Pete McCabe, CFACT executive director and former SSFC member, commented during a break that misuse of the budget would be highly unlikely because if the student organization were to use the allocated money differently than they originally proposed, it would be fraud and they could potentially be sued.
SSFC’s final approval of CFACT’s budget left organization representatives disappointed.
“It is part of the nature of the system,” McCabe said. “We felt we deserved what we asked for and the committee came to different conclusions.”
SSFC also listened to presentations from Campus Women’s Center and the SAFE program. Both budgets will be debated Monday.
Campus Women’s Center is requesting $74,589, a $3,124 increase from its 2004-05 budget of $71,465. Representatives said the increase was necessary in order to collaborate with other UW student organizations and equally fund events to increase sexual assault awareness on campus.
SAFE requested a 2004-05 budget increase of $9,636 from last year’s budget allocation of $295,602, totaling $305,238. The money would be used toward higher salaries and a new phone system in order to continue to provide SAFE ride, SAFE walk and free cab and bus services to UW students, according to SAFE representatives.
