A committee appointed
by University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley voted Wednesday to recommend
he not renew a student group’s contract for the next academic year, which would
severely cripple its ability to operate.

By a vote of 4 to 2,
the committee recommended Wiley not allow the Wisconsin Student Public Interest
Group to obtain segregated fees to pay for their non-university staff.

According to an e-mail
from committee member Bill Richner, associate vice chancellor of academic
staff, the committee is made up of Alex Gallagher, Brittany Wiegand and Kurt
Gosselin, who are all members of the Student Services Finance Committee.

UW Financial Services
Supervisor Jeff Sailor and Associate Dean Drew Wielgus, along with Richner,
represent the faculty on the committee.

After the rules
regarding what student governments are allowed to fund were altered last fall
by the UW System Board of Regents, groups wishing to receive “contract
status” to pay for outside staff had to get permission from the Associated
Students of Madison and Wiley.

Tony Uhl, UW junior
and incoming WISPIRG board chair, said losing the contract would completely
change the way the group would operate.

“That is a really
big understatement,” Uhl said. “WISPIRG would not exist. There would
be a group with the same name, but it would not be WISPIRG. The group could not
provide the service to students as it does.”

Earlier this year, ASM
unanimously voted to renew the WISPIRG contract, leaving the matter up to
Wiley, who assembled the committee to make sure he made the correct decision,
Uhl said.

According to the new
rules, a group can only qualify for a contract if it meets four requirements.
There must be a substantial need for its service, the group must serve all
students on campus, the service must be one the university cannot provide itself,
and the service must be vital enough to warrant the contract.

Richner said in his
e-mail only Gosselin and Gallagher voted to approve WISPIRG’s contract while
all three faculty members as well as Wiegand voted against it.

Uhl said WISPIRG is
upset Wiegand went against the vote she cast on the ASM committee.

“This decision is
very disappointing, especially Wiegand voting against her original vote,”
Uhl said. “The administrators we expected, but we couldn’t provide a
unanimous student voice.”

Gosselin said the
debate at the final committee meeting centered on whether the university could
provide the service and if the service warrants a contract. He added the
majority ultimately felt WISPIRG did not meet the final criteria.

The majority and
minority recommendations will now be submitted to Gallagher by May 2, and he
will then forward the documents to Wiley, according to Richner’s e-mail.

Uhl said WISPIRG is
not giving up hope, however. Wiley has the power to choose against the majority
opinion, and if he does agree to deny WISPIRG’s contract, the group can still
appeal to the Board of Regents.

“We’re going to
pursue all avenues in the rule books,” Uhl said.