The Student Services Finance Committee, also known as SSFC, met Monday to address the budget eligibility of two student groups, focusing on Muslim Students Association’s fiscal year 2023 budget and Sex Out Loud.

The SSFC debated and passed the amendment to change the MSA Vice President’s summer salary from $525 each president to $315, a decrease of $210.

Poor wifi connection, strong emotional connection: Finding love on Zoom

Secretary Erin Tritz presented an amendment to the MSA budget line. According to Tritz, the SSFC should give MSA a per diem to cover costs of some of its core programming, specifically the group’s Workshop Program, which provides access to speakers that classes cannot provide. 

Tritz said the committee needs to be more proactive with its segregated fees because it “looks bad on the university when other [universities] offer per diems” to cover the cost of hiring speakers to come to the University of Wisconsin. The amendment failed to pass.

The committee approved the MSA’s 2023 Fiscal Year budget at $36,348.50, which is $210 dollars less than the MSA’s requested FY23 budget of $36,468.50.

The second item on the agenda was a presentation from student organization Sex Out Loud’s representatives Anthony Cattani and Ky Romero. The group advocated for General Student Services Fund eligibility for their org before the committee.

Romero mentioned Sex Out Loud’s core programs, beginning with its comprehensive sex education program.

“Comprehensive sexual education allows us to fulfill the educational benefit to peer-to-peer mentoring that’s provided to all university students, and that creates a sex-positive environment on our campus between us our general members and the entire student body,” Romero said. “Our goal is to make sure students are educated and informed, so they can make informed healthy choices regarding their sex lives, communication, as well as interpersonal relationships and sexual activities.”

$80,000 added to Dane County’s 2020 budget for sex trafficking prevention efforts

SSFC Chair Maxwell Laubenstein repeated twice the committee’s policy requiring the popularity of a program is not a factor in determining eligibility for programs.

The SSFC will reconvene next Thursday, Oct. 28 to vote to approve Sex Out Loud’s budget.