Associated Students of Madison voted Wednesday to eliminate additional costs for online course materials like Top Hat and devices like clickers and approved a grant for Wunk Sheek’s spring powwow event.

Textbook affordability

Every semester students purchase required online codes and programs like Top Hat, in addition to the money they spend on textbooks and lab fees.

To eliminate the cost of these additional expenses, ASM voted to approve the textbook affordability resolution that would prohibit requiring students to purchase materials that could be replaced by less expensive alternatives.

Lauren Davidson, a supporter of the textbook affordability resolution, said she spent an additional $230 on required online courses for her classes that could have been replaced through programs UW already has, like Learn@UW.

“These expenses aren’t reflective in my financial aid,” Davidson said.

Several ASM representatives said they had spent small fortunes on textbooks only to have to spend additional money on online course codes they said they did not use.

Chair Madison Laning said she had spoken to Vice Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf about textbook affordability. Mangelsdorf said she was working with Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Steve Cramer to possibly create an online canvas with all of the online materials students would need.

Laning said there was a policy that did not allow the university to provide some of the learning modules to students, so that is why courses had to use alternative materials for classes.

Rep. Colin Barushok, who proposed the resolution, said he drafted the proposal with all students in mind and said that it did not make sense for students to be paying for additional fees.

ASM representatives approved of the resolution with a 21-0 vote.

Wunk Sheek’s spring powwow

ASM also approved the grant for Wunk Sheek’s spring powwow.

ASM representatives had previously mentioned concerns that Wunk Sheek had been advertising to outside sources for help organizing the event and that it was not orchestrated directly through students.

Wunk Sheek members said the event was organized entirely by students on campus who worked tirelessly on the project for an entire year.

Laning said Wunk Sheek had been receiving help from university departments like the Office of Diversity. These departments had been helping with Wunk Sheek by agreeing to fund part of the event with the belief that ASM fund the rest of it.

But Laning said ASM had not been properly informed or asked about giving Wunk Sheek a grant to go toward the event, and was concerned about other departments potentially misunderstanding ASM’s segregated fees process.

Laning said the group should not be judged upon the missteps of the UW departments, however, and that she would vote to approve the grant because the students had been working hard to put on the event.

The grant was approved with a vote of 16-2 with two abstaining.