Voicing claims of an “institutional racism” in student government, a student organization has officially requested funding eligibility for the 2012-13 fiscal year in addition to a two-hour meeting this week with Interim Chancellor David Ward.

The letter sent by the Multicultural Student Coalition Friday said the group, which was denied General Student Services Fund eligibility by Student Services Finance Committee and was denied an appeal by Student Judiciary, has not been properly informed of the appeal procedures.

This appeal to Ward comes after an Associated Students of Madison Coordinating Council meeting in which resolutions from the Diversity Committee chair said SSFC and SJ failed to remain viewpoint neutral when making decisions on its eligibility.

The letter also asserts that at the meeting Ward and Dean of Students Lori Berquam attended that Berquam acted in an “unprofessional demeanor” and that her side conversations with SJ Chief Justice Kate Fifield and SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart “created distractions that were disrespectful” and seemed to be “attempts to pull [Ward] away” from listening to MCSC’s presentation.

MCSC also asserts in the letter that Berquam has not done her job to contact MCSC to inform them of the proper appeals process for obtaining 2012-13 funding.

In addition, MCSC asserts that Neibart has been furthering “her concerted group’s effort to end student of color organizing and programming,” and that this is part of a trend of diversity education organizations at the university being “strategically and maliciously eliminated by a concerted group of students who hide behind … shared governance.”

Neibart said SSFC’s original decision to deny funding to the student organization was because it did not meet the direct service requirement, and she added that this process is used with every other student organization.

She said the assertions in the letter were completely insulting to herself, Fifield and university officials, and that the claims of institutional racism have no support.

“They have very outlandish and false claims,” she said. “I understand that they do have a prerogative and it is important that they appeal this to Ward, and I think that’s great. However, their claims in their letter are false. We do our jobs very well.”

Vice Chancellor for University Relations Vince Sweeney said in an email to The Badger Herald that he did not know if a meeting has been arranged at this time.

Berquam could not be reached for comment.