The University of Wisconsin will have an on-campus food pantry for low-income students after an Associated Students of Madison committee approved funding for the project Thursday.
The Student Services Finance Committee amended and passed proposed budgets from ASM, Student Learning Program and the ASM Green Fund.
ASM Student Council Chair Genevieve Carter and Vice Chair Derek Field returned to answer questions about the group’s plan to create an on-campus food pantry for low-income students struggling to afford the cost of tuition, rent, and other expenses.
Several students in favor of the proposal described the on-campus food pantry as a necessity to provide for the needs of students living on campus, and said to think not in terms of the monetary costs of the program, but the social costs.
SSFC Chair Devon Maier also spoke in favor of the food pantry program, saying giving back to students through the food pantry is one of the most important things students can do for others on campus.
Maier said he recognized SSFC’s part in ensuring the next step in helping the food pantry.
“SSFC is the realist body as opposed to the student council who is more the idealist body,” Maier said. “We need to look at how to practically make this successful while also respecting the 42,000 students on campus who pay segregated fees.”
Vice Chair Thuy Pham said it was important to recognize SSFC was fully supportive of the food pantry program, but wanted to see what the optimal way to fund the program would be.
SSFC budgeted $19,115.20 for the two paid positions the food pantry program requested, as well as $3,000 for supplies and advertising. A motion to reduce funding for the project failed 8 to 6.
SSFC unanimously approves VETS budget, hears proposals from SLP, ASM
Following discussion of SLP’s budget and proposals to strike five hours off of all summer every summer position while retaining the $9.19 wage and removing $500 from SLP’s program budget and $200 from its emailing budget, SSFC unanimously approved the group’s budget for $54,706.40.
SSFC also heard from the chair of the ASM Sustainability Committee Kyla Kaplan about the proposed budget for the Green Fund.
The Green Fund, which advocates for and raises awareness of environmental issues, answered questions concerning their proposed $50,000 budget.
SSFC Secretary Brett Ducharme raised questioned how the Green Fund came to the proposed budget of $50,000.
The amount was proposed after Green Fund became more aware of the policies within the university, and had faculty members get on board to rewriting some of the bylaws the Green Fund had difficulty with the previous year, Kaplan said.
The Green Fund hopes to have $3,000 passed for projects that fit their current financial progress, Kaplan said.
The SSFC approved the Green Fund budget as it was sent.
