The student group Engineers Without Borders was denied general student service funding for the next fiscal year by the Student Services Finance Committee Monday.
To receive funding, student groups must prove they are accessible and available to all University of Wisconsin students, while also providing proof to SFFC of a principal direct service towards which to gear funds.
According to Eyleen Chou, EWB financial manager, the group’s service is to provide students with information and outreach on campus, and offer the opportunity to work abroad on community projects in developing companies.
SSFC Secretary Carl Fergus said solely offering instructive lectures and outreach to UW students does not fit the criteria of a direct service.
“Who are the beneficiaries? Are you benefiting simply by showing up and learning? Education itself is not a service,” Fergus added.
But SSFC Representative Zorian Lasowsky said EWB meets the requirement for both accessibility and accountability.
“The trips are the end result. Without everything that leads up to them, they would not occur,” Lasowsky said. “There are many opportunities for people to get involved. Looking at the whole project, there are many steps and terms of accessibility. Anybody can get involved, even on the smallest scale.”
SSFC also voted to postpone the eligibility decision for the Legal Information Center until Thursday because it did not provide adequate governing documents, including a mission statement and a list of leadership.
“We did not inform them, and I feel in fairness to the group, we should postpone this decision so they are not denied eligibility on the basis of not providing documents,” Fergus said. “I think it is fair we treat all groups the same.”
Additionally, both the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Group, an organization aimed at providing students the opportunity to get involved in political efforts, and the College of Agriculture and Life Science Student Council, a program offering educational outreach and mentoring, defended their eligibility to receive general student service funds.
WISPIRG’s direct service is to provide a forum for “real” political involvement, said Chair Tony Uhl.
“Everything we do fulfills that direct service,” Uhl said. “Whether it be lobby days, calling legislators or just raising awareness here on campus. We feel students have a voice and deserve a voice in the political process.”
According to Liz Seitz, co-president of CALS’ Student Council, the organization offers three major services to all students on campus, including freshman mentoring, peer mentoring and educational outreach. The representatives emphasized their service to non-traditional students, those who are not students in CALS.
“We are all going to college to get a better job than working at McDonald’s,” Seitz said. “Companies are now looking for experience — that you had real-world hands-on experience. We are providing and disseminating this information to students across the campus.”
Members of SSFC voiced concerns to CALS’ Student Council because they said the direct services the organization offered does not reach out to all students of the university.
“Besides just knowledge on the subject, how would a student leaving these workshops apply this knowledge?” Fergus said.
Eligibility decisions for CALS’ Student Council and WISPIRG will be determined Thursday.
