The student government continued to hear cases for direct services funding from two student organizations at a Thursday night meeting.
Both Campus Women’s Center and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztl?n presented to the Student Services Finance Committee with details on how they would use SSFC funds.
CWC Support Services Coordinator Gethsemane Herron-Coward presented on the organization’s support groups and child care programming, both of which are CWC’s direct services for students.
According to Herron-Coward, CWC spent the majority of last year’s funds to fund materials for such programming.
CWC also presented its Kids’ Time program, which provides three hours of free babysitting for all undergraduate and graduate parents. According to Herron-Coward, the program also gives students who want to eventually work with kids the opportunity to gain experience as caretakers.
Along with Kids’ Time and holding support groups on a myriad of issues like body image and stress, all of which are available to any University of Wisconsin student, CWC also holds Condom Crawls, through which the organization provides contraceptives to UW residence halls, Herron-Coward said.
According to Herron-Coward, UW house fellows were banned from giving residents condoms after parents complained it promoted sexual activity. CWC has filled the gap by legally distributing contraception.
“Other orgs cannot provide free babysitting, or legally hand out condoms,” Herron-Coward said.
Herron-Coward added all these direct services CWC provides are not credit-producing in nature. Under SSFC guidelines, funding cannot be used for programs in which students gain credit for participating.
CWC is also hoping to acquire funding from Associated Students of Madison to increase the number of guest speakers.
MEChA also presented last night, giving the committee a taste of its culture program, CulturARTE, with a brief musical presentation.
The organization, which recently relocated to the Bernie’s Place day care center, has seen similar expansion in its number of members, CulturARTE director Jeanette Mart?n said.
According to Mart?n, CultureARTE is program that conveys culture and history through artistic expression, music and personal experience.
After the presentations, SSFC Chair Ellie Bruecker said in the future she would like to have the organizations provide a written account of financial records. However, as the eligibility cycle has already begun, that requirement must wait until the next round.
The committee will vote on the eligibility of both MEChA and CWC on Monday.
