Students Service Financial Committee Thursday discussed the finer points of their auxiliary fund, listened to a presentation from University Health Services and considered Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan’s budget proposal.

Auxiliary fund proposal

SSFC listened to WSUM, Madison’s student radio station, explain its involvement in the auxiliary fund in order to determine what to do with the fund.

As it stands, the present language of the auxiliary fund is confusing, and simply consists of empty words, SSFC Chair Thuy Pham said.

SSFC has now offered two potential proposals to deal with the fund.

The first would create a two tier legislation to manage the fund, while the second would eliminate the language all together.

SSFC debates to ‘kill’ auxiliary fund

Pham proposed the second option, which would essentially allow SSFC to make the purpose of the auxiliary fund much clearer.

To help understand the current fund, which only houses WSUM, WSUM advisor Dave Black spoke to the committee about WSUM’s use of the fund.

Black agreed with Pham’s proposal to dispose of the current fund and create a separate fund.

Rep. Kyle Watter said he liked the idea of separating the auxiliary fund once and for all, and putting WSUM in its own “box.”

A written plan with new language for the auxiliary fund is planned to be drafted and discussed at SSFC’s meeting next Oct. 22.

UHS talks AlcoholEdu

Prior to discussing the auxiliary fund, SSFC listened to a UHS presentation about AlcoholEdu.

UHS offers multiple levels on how to prevent high-risk drinking. These levels offer information to people about the many outside forces that often influence individuals’ choices about drinking, Jenny Rabas, assistant director of Violence & Substance Abuse, said. 

UHS collects surveys about the student population, including surveys on Greek life, Rabas said.

Some of the data from these surveys has revealed that in comparison to national data statistics, UW often ranks higher in alcohol-related matters, community health specialist Reonda Washington said. 

For example, a survey of drinkers at UW showed that 43 percent of drinkers reported having experienced black outs, Washington said.

SSFC will make a decision on AlcoholEdu at their Monday meeting.

Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan budget proposal

After listening to UHS’s presentation, SSFC listened to their first budget hearing of the semester.

M.E.Ch.A’s mission is to promote higher education, liberation and self-detemination of the Chican@ people, President of M.E.Ch.A, Clara Huerta said. 

Last year M.E.Ch.A found they had more money than they needed. M.E.Ch.A meant to make revisions to their budget, but they missed the deadline.

M.E.Ch.A’s new budget asks for a decrease in funding areas to adjust to these changes.

SSFC will make a decision about M.E.Ch.A’s budget proposal at their next meeting Monday.