The Student Services Finance Committee convened Thursday evening to discuss the proposals for funding from the General Student Services Fund, which is money drawn from the Student Segregated Fee and allocated to Registered Student Organizations, made by The Black Voice and Effective Altruism UW–Madison.
The committee also voted on GSSF eligibility of Badger Catholic and Wunk Sheek, who made their proposals Oct. 17.
SSFC first addressed the approximate $3,000 increase in budget for The Black Voice — the only Black-run student publication on campus. The presentation by the publication’s editor-in-chief Tatiyana Benson, listed the need for a copy editor as the foremost reason for a budget increase.
Wisconsin Science Festival partners with Madison Night Market for ‘Science on the Square’
“As a publication, it is extremely important for us to have a copy editor,” Benson said. “Even though we are receiving works from writers that are turning them in to be published, a lot of times there are certain things that need to be edited so that it can look well for the website’s format.”
Besides being used for the addition of the salary for the copy editor, the money — if granted — would be used for a new camera, food and beverages for their writing lab and a speaker for their Black Journalism Matters program.
The Black Voice proposed an increase from $14,950 which was their approved budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year to $17,650.
The committee posed questions regarding the purpose of the honoraria budget, the lack of spending in previous years, the process for student requests and the time dedication for the publications magazines.
First Nations Cultural Tour grows to meet increasing demand at UW
Secondly, Effective Altruism proposed a budget of $68,360 in the presentation led by the organization’s financial coordinator, Casey Vetter. While a national organization, the Effective Altruism chapter at UW dedicates its resources to providing tools for students to create a social impact.
“Our goal is to make it easy for students to learn about doing good and build themselves to put what they’ve learned into action,” Vetter said. “Our role on campus is to fill this niche organization that helps students form evidence-based and impact-focused career paths.”
The primary concerns the committee posed regarding the budget included the purpose of their listed core programs, types of advertising the organization utilizes, how Effective Altruism differs from other organizations and many others.
Addressing business from the previous meeting, the committee passed the budgets for the Badger Catholic Organization in a 7-8 vote and Wunk Sheek, which was approved unanimously.
Voting about the eligibility of The Black Voice publication and the Effective Altruism organization will be held Monday, Oct. 23.
