Students concerned about funding cuts for College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council successfully voiced their frustration before the Student Services Finance Committee Thursday causing the funding group to overturn its previous decision.
More than 20 students attended the open forum to speak in defense of the eligibility of CALS Student Council to receive funding from the General Student Services Fund controlled by the SSFC. Eligibility for funding was denied by SSFC earlier this month.
CALS supporters explained they felt the denial of funding eligibility for CALS Student Council was an issue of interpretation of the bylaws by council members.
"When you look at it, if it's an interpretation of the bylaws, it is not so much the bylaws, it's more the opinions of the SSFC members," Associated Students of Madison Representative Andy Peterson said in an interview with The Badger Herald.
The bylaws, which dictate the eligibility of organizations to receive funding from SSFC, decide eligibility based on a number of criteria. The two criteria called into question by SSFC in the CALS Student Council funding case were the accessibility of the organization to all University of Wisconsin students and the possibility that services offered by CALS may be duplicated by other organizations on campus, and are therefore unnecessary.
SSFC previously voted CALS Student Council was only accessible to students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Yet Tyler Wilkinson, a Letters and Science major, wrote in opposition to the SSFC ruling. "Though I am not a CALS major, the student council has invited me to be involved in a number of projects and events and has welcomed me with open arms," Wilkinson wrote.
Many other students involved with the CALS Student Council, but not enrolled in the College, agreed with Wilkinson on behalf of the council and joined in letter writing.
"Denying CALS Student Council necessary funds will have an adverse effect on the college and possibly the university," Wilkinson added.
After an official appeal presentation by the president of CALS Student Council Ryan Scannell, SSFC debated and agreed to overturn the previous decision — with four votes in favor of funding the CALS student council and three against.
"I think, in the end, the right decision was made," Scannell said. "We are an organization who opens its arms up to all UW-Madison students, and we're glad that they recognized that."
SSFC also decided to maintain its earlier decision to cut funding for the student veterans' organization Vets for Vets, saying the group is not accessible to all UW students. Vets for Vets has been on campus for over 30 years and provides guidance to students currently or previously involved in the military.
"No organization can be everything to everyone," Marine Corps veteran and returning adult student Matt Kirpschack said. "If you're going to cut funding on that basis, you'll pretty much have to cut funding for everything."
Kirpschack said it's helpful for him to have Vets for Vets on campus.
"Anytime I've had problems, I know I've got a place I can go for help," he added.
Despite opposition, SSFC held its position that Vets for Vets is an organization run "for veterans and by veterans."
