Associated Students of Madison Finance Committee approved several grants including bringing a political speaker to campus, holding an annual literary conference and the showing of the movie “Belle.”

Young Americans for Freedom

The committee unanimously approved Young Americans for Freedom’s $4,500 grant request to host a lecture event.

In hopes of increasing their visibility on campus and attract students to talk about important current issues, Young Americans for Freedom asked the finance committee for a grant to fund a third speaker event this semester.

Last semester, the group held two speaker events, and this semester they hope to hold a third with Indian-American political commentator Dinesh D’Souza, group member Kara Bell said.

D’Souza will come to University of Wisconsin and discuss different campus-related issues, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, immigration and equality, Bell said. The event seeks to expose students to different ideas and ways of thinking as well as help them understand the issues from a conservative standpoint.

“[D’Souza will discuss] how proud he is to be a citizen here,” Bell said. “He is a really awesome speaker and we want to bring him on our campus.”

Committee approves funding for literary conference

The committee also approved a request from the Madison Undergraduate Society for English to sponsor their fourth annual Literati conference.

Literati is an event aimed at providing a space for the development of literary criticism. The conference will also feature a UW professor of communication arts as the keynote speaker, according to committee agenda.

Previous conferences have featured UW professors, as well as professors from around the country. This year’s conference theme focuses on the topic of movement.

The committee unanimously approved the $257.78 grant request.

“Belle” movie showing

In collaboration with the Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee the Mixed Race Student Union is seeking funding to show the 2013 movie “Belle,” along with a discussion following the movie.

The film is about an illegitimate, mixed-race girl, Mixed Race Student Union member Jacob Benford said.

Benford said he hopes the movie is big enough that it could draw a large crowd to discuss how mixed-race actors portray mixed-race characters and how they are essential to the plot of the movie.

Benford said the movie is also being co-sponsored by the Multicultural Student Center. The committee approved the requested grant of $396, which will help pay for the rights to the movie as well as shipping and fliers.

The committee also approved grants to Hmong American Student Association’s 2016 spring conference, Geet Purvai and The Clothesline Project.

Each grant will be reviewed at ASM’s next student council meeting Wednesday.