Associated Students of Madison’s Student Services Finance Committee denied CFACT’s eligibility by a vote of 13-0 and approved the eligibility for Medieval Warriorcraft League by a vote of 8-0-5.
CFACT is a non-profit organization that seeks to inform students about issues like global warming or the effects of government regulations through advocacy campaigns.
Ultimately, SSFC denied funding to the non-profit for the 2012-2013 fiscal year after ruling that the organization violated university financial policy.
SSFC previously decided CFACT violated policy by failing to return SSFC-owned equipment. SSFC denied funding for the non-profit for the 2011-2012 fiscal year after ruling that the organization violated UW financial policy.
CFACT appealed the decision made over the 2011-2012 fiscal year to the Student Judiciary, who maintained SSFCs original decision.
When CFACT then brought the decision to federal court on the basis that SSFC should not have denied their eligibility because they thought the said policy violation was invalid, the court sided with SSFC.
In the meeting last night, SSFC members expressed confusion over which aspects of CFACT’s programming qualified as direct services and over the question if direct services were the primary focus of the group at all.
CFACT member Patrick Sullivan said students receive a direct service through their program.
“Campaigns represent the largest scope of the services we provide,” Sullivan said.
SSFC Secretary Jonathan Harris said the committee was not able to identify the non-profit’s direct services to university students.
“I think they have elements of a direct service, but they don’t have it all together yet,” Harris said.
SSFC Rep. David Vines said he found the programming listed as direct services in the group’s application to be falling below the requirements of direct services. He said what CFACT claimed to be a direct service was mostly events, speakers or bringing people in to teach students which is not considered a direct service.
According to Vines, CFACT advocacy campaigns could be considered direct services, but were not counted as them by the organization in their application.
SSFC Rep. Kyle Quagliana said he saw a lot of potential for activities that could be considered direct services, but the eligibility application did not acknowledge them.
SSFC Chair Ellie Bruecker said the decision should not be interpreted as meaning the organization does not do important things.
“The decision on CFACT shouldn’t be interpreted as unimportance, but rather that it didn’t fit set criteria in order to be eligible for GSSF funding,” Bruecker said.
According to an ASM statement, CFACT will explore other options for funding their programming.
In the meeting yesterday, SSFC also granted eligibility to MWL.
SSFC brought up some similar concerns regarding the Warrior Training Program as a direct service during the eligibility discussion of MWL.
Due to the physical activity aspect of the program, committee members expressed concerns that it could not be tailored to all students.
MWL representative Matt Manes said the program as a whole can be tailored to all students. He said everyone can learn the information and the moves even if they cannot physically participate.
Vines said he believed the group makes a strong effort to accommodate for this concern.
SSFC Rep. Richard Rolland expressed concern that the Warrior Training Program can only train 20 people at a time, but overall committee members determined this did not disqualify the program as a direct service.
The decisions reached on CFACT and MWL marked the end of eligibility hearings for the SSFC for the semester.
