The University of Wisconsin Associated Students of Madison Student Services Financial Committee met Monday, to cast their vision for the future of the General Student Services Fund.
A portion of the Student Segregated Fee that each UW student pays goes to funding student organization programs through the GSSF. Applications to the GSSF open each year in the fall and prospective RSOs must meet specific eligibility criteria in order to receive funding.
SSFC Chair Quinn Wakley reignited last Thursday’s internal policy review discussion by asking the committee what they think the purpose of the GSSF is and how to set it up for long-term success.
The committee then went into a recess to come up with purpose statements within their small groups, to later compare with the formal purpose statement laid out by the Associated Students of Madison bylaws.
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SSFC Rep. Alex Beer brought attention to the necessity of maximizing efficiency within SSFC.
“Turnover is a major obstacle to our long-term success,” Beer said. “As of right now, I am the only person on the SSFC, who was actually here last school year … it’s hard [to function] if we’re replacing the whole committee.”
Another issue brought up in the open caucus was the broadness of the eligibility criteria, specifically looking at a portion of the General Student Services Fund, which says prospective programs must have educational benefits not provided by the university in order to receive funding.
SSFC secretary Rishita Kilaru made the point that what’s considered an educational benefit is completely subjective. This makes allocating funds, especially to those seeking funding for the first time, difficult, as the committee wants to support communities on campus but fears that the lack of clarity might intimidate or mislead potential beneficiaries.
The SSFC has plans to formally meet with the Eligibility Criteria Review Committee to refine policy soon and will be interviewing candidates for SSFC later this week.
