In a decision that came down to content over process, Student Council approved the $1,118,204.05 Associated Students of Madison internal budget for 2010-11 at its Wednesday meeting.
The committee debated at length whether passing the budget for the approval of Chancellor Biddy Martin would be fiscally responsible considering the programs added Sunday by the Conference Committee, which reviewed the budget after ASM failed to pass a budget last week.
Student Services Finance Committee Chair Brandon Williams said a budget alteration requires less scrutiny than the process the budget goes through, and the budgets passed by the council and SSFC undergo more scrutiny than the additions made at this stage in the budget process.
The General Student Services Fund budget was passed with almost no debate. The only addition was $16,000 to cover tuition remission for Greater University Tutoring Services and approximately $1,000 to cover a webmaster position for the organization.
There was some discussion about pushing the date with the chancellor back for further discussion about the internal budget.
Williams said he has tried to push the budget back, but Martin will be gone for most of the middle of March. However, he said it would have been possible to call an additional Student Council meeting before the meeting with the chancellor.
The general sentiment of the council was the internal budget that came out of Conference Committee was better than the original budget passed by Student Council in November 2009.
However, Rep. Max Love strongly spoke out against approving the budget, urging the council to send the budget to Conference Committee for another session before being presented to the chancellor.
He said he felt while some of the added programs may be of value to the University of Wisconsin campus, because they were added in Conference Committee, the budget cannot be approved.
“I’m quite frankly disturbed by some of the comments I have heard. We have to vote on whether or not we approve this budget as it stands, [not against the November budget]. I don’t think we have spent enough time on this budget,” Love said.
Finance Chair Matt Beemsterboer said he felt he was sure most of the members knew how they were going to vote on the ASM internal budget before they reached the meeting.
The additions made to the budget were minimal compared to the amount students pay for UHS, Recreational Sports and renovations to the Natatorium if it is approved, Rep. Matt Manes said.
According to Chair Tyler Junger, the change from what was originally approved by Student Council from Conference Committee was approximately $9,000.
Manes said students care less about the process through which the budget passed rather than what actually does get passed.
“I’m not thrilled with every choice the council has made, but by and large, the conference committee came back with a budget close to what we wanted,” former Badger Herald staff writer Rep. Erik Paulson said.
The budget passed with a vote of 16-6-0.
At the next meeting, Student Council will discuss a number of amendments to the ASM constitution proposed by Paulson, who will be resigning from council in the coming days.
