The University of Wisconsin Student Services Finance Committee met Thursday to discuss the future of the General Student Services Fund.

The meeting did not have enough representatives in attendance to vote on new legislation. Instead, the committee took the meeting time to discuss revamping the GSSF application process. A few representatives from student organizations that receive funding from GSSF added input.

The GSSF is a funding source for the annual operating budgets of qualifying student organizations. The budgets cover student hourly wages and operational and programming costs. Currently, the GSSF funds 15 student organizations. 

To apply for funding, organizations must fill out an eligibility and budget application. Representatives of GSSF-funded organizations noted during the meeting that filling out the application can take weeks.

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Sex Out Loud Chair Lissy Kettleson said organizations that are new to applying to the GSSF could have a difficult time filling out the application due to how long and extensive it is. 

SSFC Rep. Kevin Jacobson suggested removing questions that asked about recruitment efforts and trends in student participation, as they are irrelevant to SSFC when they consider whether organizations will be GSSF recipients. Jacobson also suggested combining questions in order to make the application more concise.

Kettleson said she would like more distinctiveness between the eligibility and budget parts of the application in order to make the application easier to fill out. The idea to separate the application into two separate ones — an eligibility application and a budget application — was suggested but turned down. 

Associated Students of Madison Funding Advisor Abbie Wagaman said two separate applications could make the overall application process longer for both applying organizations and SSFC members who would have to review both applications. 

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But, Wagaman and SSFC members were open to finding a way to make a clearer differentiation between eligibility and budget on the application.

Adventure Learning Programs Student Director Ryan Wade also made a proposal to have a word count for answers. He said this will make it easier for organizations to know what kind of detail SSFC is looking for while they are filling out the application.

These proposals and the future of the GSSF will be further discussed in the next SSFC meeting March 9.