Members of a student government committee voted almost unanimously to pass the budget of an advocacy-based student organization, though with several caveats, at a meeting Monday.
The Student Services Finance Committee debated aspects of the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year before approving it with a few changes.
The main area of discussion for the committee surrounded the issue of the group’s contract status, which it has requested but has not yet received a decision on from the University of Wisconsin administration. If the group were to obtain contract status, this would likely affect its funding and change the way its budgeting model works.
To account for this, SSFC Rep. Cale Plamann recommended a “sunset clause” which would stipulate that if WISPIRG does not attain contract status by the end of the semester, there would be measures in place to remove proposed funding that is dependent on this status.
This would mean striking funding in those areas and reinstating them if contract status were not attained, Plamann said.
After some discussion, this amendment was approved by members.
Rep. Justin Bloesch later motioned to alter the nature of the sunset clause so that the money will remain in the hands of the group and be revoked upon attainment of contract status by the end of the semester.
He said this would better represent the way contract status is up to SSFC rather than the administration.
“I think this sends a much stronger message to the administration,” Bloesch said. “I think just from a symbolic perspective, this would be better.”
The amendment was also approved.
Under the sunset clause umbrella, the committee voted to strike funding in the area of salary line items, as well as fringes, accounting and bank fees.
SSFC Vice Chair Chase Wilson explained that the area of accounting and bank fees is unique to groups with contract status, which the group does not currently have.
In addition, Plamann motioned to strike over $7,000 from funding in the area of WISPIRG staff development and said the body needed to remember that membership dues must offer funding that cannot be attained elsewhere, according to bylaws.
He said he felt the funding should not fall within the area of membership fees and that the budget requested was too high.
WISPIRG Chair Matt Kozlowski spoke to the issue of staff development and said the funding for training is necessary for organizers to learn skills for themselves and teach them to others.
“People don’t just magically learn skills; they need to be taught them,” Kozlowski said. “Finding somebody cheaper might be difficult.”
After debate, the body passed Plamann’s motion.
The body also voted to strike $1,000 from printing and photocopying in the proposed budget. Wilson had originally proposed striking it by $2,000, but others noted that with the election year coming up it would make more sense to scale it down less.
Also during the meeting, Vets for Vets, a student organization focused on veteran issues, presented its budget to the committee, asking for an overall 4.6 percent increase in funding. The committee will reach a decision on this budget during its Thursday meeting.
