The MultiCultural Student Coalition is asking for $25,511 less than their previous budget.
MCSC, the University of Wisconsin student group with UW’s second largest budget, requested $323,243 from the Student Services Finance Committee, a 7.8 percent decrease from the 2008-09 academic year.
“We are hoping that they can view our budget and see more of the impact we have on the campus, not look at the size of it because we are a rather large organization.” said Alimatu Sirleaf, UW senior and MCSC executive member.
Also on the agenda for the meeting were the budget decisions for F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture and the Working Class Student Union, a new organization requesting funds from SSFC.
F.H. King received $44,094, nearly $1,000 less than they requested, but approximately $12,000 more than last year, after denying funds for the student food and beverage line for the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference.
There was the small matter of wage policy exemption for the position of a student as full-time garden director. There is a prohibition for students working more than 20 hours per week, according to SSFC Vice Chair Carl Fergus, and the wage policy exemption was an important item since the position called for 40 hours per week.
“I do see the need for this group to have this position, not only to work that land but to have that person out there at all times of the week,” Fergus added.
The exemption was passed after clarification from a member of the group, Dana Hanson, that the student would not be taking classes but instead focusing on the position of garden director.
SSFC approved $63,275 for WCSU, $7,513 less than the group requested. WCSU provides advocacy and support for working class students and first generation college students. The group also educates other students on broader class issues, according to UW senior Chynna Haas, a WCSU member.
“We went to two meetings for eligibility, one for our hearing, and like, two others,” Haas said. “I think this is my fifth in a row. They should give me a T-shirt or something. I think overall we are pretty excited that we got the money that we did.”
After nearly two hours of discussion over the budget proposal for Movimiento Estudantil Chicano de Aztl?n of $79,814, SSFC funded MEChA at $63,250.
Based on time contingencies, SSFC called to move the budget decision for Wisconsin Student Lobby to Thursday’s meeting. WSL has requested $68,908 for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
SSFC weighed increases to the Campus Women’s Center’s requests for increased funding for computers, printing and advertising in the 2009-10 budget from Oct. 31.
SSFC voted to increase CWC’s funding to $100,582, up from $83,548 for the CWC’s 2008-09 budget, about $7,000 less than the group requested.
The committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on MCSC’s budget.
— Cameron Connors contributed to this report.
