University of Wisconsin’s Student Services Finance Committee met Monday night to listen to budget hearings from Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics and decided upon the budget of Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan.
Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics
AHA brought President Nicole Niebler and Vice President Branden Statz to deliver the presentation. They requested a total budget of $72,301 for the 2016-17 year, with $23,570 of that for their programming.
The group’s two core programs are Secular Peer Support and Secular Issue Awareness.
Statz said the Secular Peer Support program supports students on campus who have questions about their faith and are seeking a group to discuss these issues.
The Secular Issue Awareness program raises awareness for secular issues of students and the secular community at large.
“Through our services and programs we seek to educate students on issues important to the secular community, encourage the personal development of one’s religious identity and provide a support group for those who may be struggling with issues regarding their faith or lack thereof,” Niebler said.
One of the biggest events the group holds is the Freethought Festival, Statz said, in which AHA brings prominent members of the secular community across the country to Madison to discuss social issues and educate students on campus.
Niebler said the more recognizable the names of speakers, the more students will come to the festival. The annual event is held at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery’s H.F. DeLuca Forum.
Committee Rep. Todd Garon asked if there were any other venues cheaper in cost in which the organization could host the event.
Statz said the reason for hosting the event at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery is because of its “beautiful” forum that many of people know about. Statz noted it also offers easy access to Union South, where speakers are housed.
Nibler added with the closing of Memorial Union, reserving space in Union South wasn’t an option.
The committee will vote on AHA’s budget at their next meeting Thursday, Oct. 22.
Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan
In the first budget decision of the year, the committee approved M.E.Ch.A.’s $87,247 budget for 2016-17 with a vote of 6-2 with one abstention.
