The University of Wisconsin Student Services Finance Committee met Thursday to discuss eligibility and budgeting for the General Student Services Fund for Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment and Wunk Sheek. Both groups’ eligibilities and budgets were approved during the committee meeting.
Additionally, Badger Catholic presented their budget requests in a GSSF eligibility and budget hearing.
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To be eligible for GSSF funding, Registered Student Organizations must provide substantially different content from programs offered by UW and must not require membership fees, among other requirements.
PAVE is a student organization that aims to help victims of sexual assault and dating violence. Wunk Sheek is an organization which serves Indigenous students as a way to promote community and connections, and Badger Catholic is a student-run organization that hopes to grow spiritual involvement on campus.
The committee voted on each group’s eligibility first, and then voted on or amended their budgets.
In the vote to determine whether or not PAVE meets criteria required for GSSF funding, the SSFC approved eligibility with six votes in favor, no votes against and three abstains. Following the vote on PAVE’s eligibility, the committee discussed the PAVE budget and voted to pass it as well.
During the discussion for Wunk Sheek’s eligibility, the committee discussed the nuances of a “substantial difference,” to UW services. SAC Governing Board Chair, Kevin Jacobson referenced times when UW created programming that overlapped with student organizations, resulting in student groups being ineligible for funding from GSSF due to unsubstantial programming differences.
“I think it’s a positive, honestly,” Jacobson said. “It’s the university recognizing that we recognized a need.”
During the vote on Wunk Sheek’s eligibility and budget, both were passed with zero contrary votes, though the budget was amended to include a $100 increase before its approval.
Badger Catholic wrapped up the new business at the committee meeting. Representatives from Badger Catholic gave a presentation on the organization and its mission during their hearing.
Badger Catholic president Max Sherwin, vice president Emily Tratar and treasurer Nathan Holzhauer presented their past budget allowances and the actual amounts they spent. They shared the reasoning for their budget requests and why they should be considered eligible for GSSF funding. When discussing “Ignite,” their weekly meeting, Sherwin described how Badger Catholic hopes to continue promoting community connections.
“We want to bring like-minded people together who want to live their lives in a certain way and bring them into a community,” Sherwin said.
The SSFC will vote on Badger Catholic’s eligibility and budget at their next meeting.
