[media-credit name=’SUNDEEP MALLADI/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]In their final Student Council meeting of the year, representatives from the Associated Students of Madison unanimously passed a resolution supporting a nationwide climate change initiative.

The American College and Universities' President's Climate Commitment is a highly regarded effort to get higher education institutions across the country to commit to the issue of global warming.

The PCC requires universities to develop committees to achieve climate neutrality through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Joe Silberschmidt, Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group visibility chair, 193 universities have signed the PCC to date, including Arizona State University, the University of Florida and six University of Wisconsin System schools.

In an effort to push Chancellor John Wiley to sign the PCC as well, Silberschmidt said it is important for UW students to take on a statewide and national leadership role in pursuing aggressive conservation efforts.

"If we want the university to take a stance on climate control, it's going to take a loud student voice," Silberschmidt said.

WISPIRG, a student organization concerned with environmental protection, said it is hoping the ASM endorsement is the solution needed to pass the PCC.

"WISPIRG is largely going to be leading the charge on this," ASM representative Steve Lawrence said. "Putting an ASM stamp on this issue should help in the effort to try and get Chancellor Wiley to sign this."

And the endorsement of the PCC was a quick "aye" vote for many ASM Student Council members.

"There are very few people out there who oppose reducing our carbon emissions, and that's why it's frustrating we haven't signed this commitment," Lawrence said.

While dealing with a plethora of topics, ASM also passed a resolution supporting Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's budget proposal, including the controversial domestic partner benefits package that was effectively removed from the budget last Friday.

According to representative John Tao, many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students are concerned that UW remains one of the only schools in the Big Ten not offering domestic partnership benefits.

Representative Sree Atluru said she agreed with Tao over the lack of policy, which continues to hinder UW in its ability to maintain a diverse learning environment.

"We have already lost a professor in engineering because we don't offer these benefits," Atluru said. "Before the start of next year, we could lose anywhere from five to seven faculty members over this issue."

ASM representatives were unanimously in favor of the governor's budget proposals.

"Political ideologies aside," representative Zach Frey said, "this is about retention of quality faculty members, not how you view gay marriage."