[media-credit name=’JAKE NAUGHTON/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]

The
Student Services Finance Committee decided Monday to deny the University of
Wisconsin Roman Catholic Foundation funding for the 2008-10 school years.

After
RCF-UW?s third hearing for General Student Service Fund eligibility, SSFC made
their decision based on the group?s lack of ?a specific and identifiable
educational service that includes a significant component beyond event
programming and leadership development opportunities.?

The
decision was not a unanimous vote, as three committee members voted to grant
eligibility, five voted to deny it and one member abstained from voting.

According
to SSFC representative Carl Fergus, who voted in favor of the group, RCF-UW
demonstrated a significant component in their educational service to the campus
community.

?To me, the significant
component of this organization was their spiritual development opportunities
which allowed members of the organization and students on this campus to both
learn about and act out the values of the organization,? Fergus said.

The
debate over RCF-UW?s eligibility centered mainly on the educational service the
group provides and what exactly educational service is. But, as Fergus pointed
out, many members on the committee have different ideas of what educational
service is.

Based
on U.S. District Court Judge John Shabaz?s ruling Jan. 17, RCF-UW was allowed
to incorporate prayer, worshipping and proselytizing into their eligibility
hearing last Thursday as part of their significant component. But that addition
to their presentation only made a difference for some members of the committee.

?That is what swayed my
vote,? Fergus said. ?It was that they were allowed to use this spiritual
development in the form of prayer, worship and proselytizing.?

SSFC
Chair Alex Gallagher said after dissecting all parts of RCF-UW?s eligibility
hearing, the committee did not feel that anything presented altered their
eligibility status.

?The committee was very
willing to hear how those aspects of RCF?s program played into their entire
role,? Gallagher said. ?They were sympathetic to the fact that RCF didn?t have
the opportunity to, or didn?t feel they could, present this, but after
presenting it thoroughly? they still do not feel anything has changed.?

The
committee also approved the final General Student Service Fund budgets for
2008-09, including the Bus Pass budget, the Student Activity Center budget and
the Wisconsin Union budget.

The
Bus Pass budget was approved at $3,779,300. However, the committee was not
satisfied with the budget proposed by the Madison Metro bus company. SSFC vice
chair Katrina Flores proposed a 50 percent cut to overhead fees in an attempt
to send a message to the bus company that the committee would like to see more
justification next time.

The
Student Activity Center budget was approved at about $107,000, and the
Wisconsin Union received $7,626,000 for building maintenance and $3,589,000 for
the Union South project and the renovations at Memorial Union.