The Student Services Finance Committee unanimously approved three prominent student organizations for segregated fee funding Sept. 18.

The Multi-Cultural Student Coalition, the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program and Sex Out Loud received approval for student segregated fee funding for the 2006-07 school year.

SSFC also heard eligibility proposals from Wunk Sheek and the Asian Pacific American Council, but the eligibility for these groups will be decided at a later meeting.

After receiving eligibility, MCSC executive staff member Katrina Flores said she was appreciative of SSFC's support for their organization and efforts to work collectively to make the budgeting process a collaborative one.

"We're grateful that we were given the opportunity to be heard and we thought they were really fair in their decision," she said. "We're trying to look at our accountability to the campus and … our fiscal responsibility."

Flores added while MCSC had received some criticism during last year's hearings, this year's proved more congenial.

"It came out in the eligibility hearings and it came out in the budget hearings," she said. "[This year] we have made a strong commitment to programming that is accessible to all students."

SSFC Secretary Mike Puerner agreed MCSC has greatly increased its efforts to work with the committee this year, and it showed in budget proceedings.

"That is something that came up last year and last year it was asked of them and it's something they're doing on their own this year," Puerner said. "[MCSC is] holding their services accountable and making our job a lot easier."

Flores said she feels confident with MCSC's changes this year, adding the organization has cut $40,000 from last year's budget.

"We feel we put a together a solid budget and put a lot of effort to take a look at fiscal responsibility," she said. "I think it's going well."

SSFC Vice Chair Eric Saar concurred that MCSC-SSFC relations have improved this year.

"MCSC, particularly the leadership in charge this year, has been really great and they've made themselves really available to the committee," he said.

Saar added the entire budgeting process involving all student organizations, so far, has run efficiently.

"I'd just like to see it all continue throughout the process," Saar said. "I'd really like to see the commitment and dedication I've seen continue throughout the process."

Notably, SSFC representative Brad Vogel said he could not attend the meeting and he was curious as to why it would be held on Sunday.

"I find it interesting that there would be a Sunday meeting for some of the more controversial diversity groups," he said. "I thought it was interesting that it would be held on the one day it would be most difficult for students to attend."

Yet Representative Zach Frey said he saw no conflict regarding the meeting's date.

"I think that it would have been nice to know [further] ahead of time," he said. "But I don't see anything wrong with it."