Student Services Finance Committee made cuts to the Vets for Vets budget and heard the budget for Student Leadership Program Monday night, while also unanimously removing Kyle Szarzynski from its committee.
Vets for Vets saw its proposed budget of $27,470 drop to $24,549. While its budget saw major cuts from airfare and office furnishing, it saw an increase in advertising.
Airfare was cut from the funds allocated to speakers flying to UW and to student representatives flying out to the Student Veterans of America Conference. The decision was made to keep the funds given to airfare consistent with past decisions.
The $2,500 Vets for Vets proposed for furniture was cut 20 percent on the grounds the organization already had enough furniture, as it is located in an office suite at the Student Activities Center and $2,000 was enough for office supplies.
The SSFC also allocated $500 to the advertising budget of Vets for Vets to increase campus awareness of the organization and better facilitate its direct service of providing speakers who can share their unique veteran experience.
The Vets for Vets budget also saw cuts from postage, meals for speakers and food provided at speaking events.
“I would like to applaud Vets for Vets for putting forth a very responsible budget,” SSFC Rep. Carl Fergus said.
SSFC heard the budget of Student Leadership Program and decided the budget of Vets for Vets at $24,549.60 with a 6-0 vote.
SLP highlighted a number of items in its proposed budget for 2010-11 that would improve its direct services. These included funds for computer hardware and keynote speakers at conferences held by SLP.
SLP has received funding from the Center for Leadership and Involvement in the past to connect to the Registered Student Organization networks, according to Stephanie Bergren, financial coordinator of SLP.
Due to CfLI budget cuts, the funding for the RSO network and other computer hardware formerly provided to SLP was proposed in its 2010-11 budget.
A number of off-campus retreats open to all members were proposed by SLP to focus on leadership and include camping trips to the Wisconsin Dells.
The Buckys program, which recognizes leadership excellence in University of Wisconsin students, is coordinated by SLP and includes a keynote speaker who encourages leadership and academic excellence on campus.
According to Susan Tran, SLP organization outreach coordinator, the keynote speaker in the past has been a member of the UW faculty. SLP proposed an increase in funding to hire a speaker from another university or area to bring fresh prospective on leadership.
The SLP budget — $75,340 for 2010-11– is an increase from the current year’s budget, which stands at $70,927. Additional items proposed by SLP for next year’s budget are advertising specific T-shirts for the All-Campus Leadership Conference and licenses to show copyrighted materials at their Emerging Leaders Program and Leadership Through Social Justice program.
SSFC also removed controversial representative Kyle Szarzynski from the committee due to attendance issues. Szarzynski had missed seven meetings since the start of the summer.
Szarzynski harshly criticized SSFC in the last month during meetings and on his blog for their decisions regarding Campus Women’s Center and Student Tenant Union, which counts Szarzynski as a member and one of its representatives.
