This week the polls will open and students will cast their vote for an open seat on ASM's Student Services Financial Committee. This committee oversees the distribution of more than $19 million of student segregated fees, about 12 percent directly allocated by SSFC to various campus groups and another 72 percent by making recommendations to the Chancellor.

Given the importance of SSFC to campus life, we encourage all students to cast their ballots online this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The history of student segregated fees at the University of Wisconsin has been contentious, culminating in the incredibly important Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth ruling in 2000 — culminating, that is, but not ending the debate.

The Southworth ruling upheld the use of segregated fees so long as the body governing the distribution of these fees remained "viewpoint neutral." What constitutes viewpoint neutrality and whether or not SSFC has remained true to the spirit of Southworth are still up for debate.

More disconcerting for this board, however, is the intense partisanship and lack of discernment when distributing monies to student organizations. The SSFC approval process has proved to be chaotic and inconsistent at best, downright biased and unlawful at worst.

Whether it is backroom politicking by members to ensure that groups they are personally involved with receive substantial funding, the de-funding of groups due to their religious affiliation or approving large sums of money for new, untested groups with only minimal campus ties, SSFC has shown consistent contempt for proper process, honesty and viewpoint neutrality.

As has been illuminated by The Badger Herald and this editorial board on numerous occasions, questionable budget items have been approved over the years, often to the great consternation of UW students. Not ideologically questionable, but common sense questionable: excessive travel arrangements, excessive fees for hotel rooms and duplicate charges just to name a few.

These problems could be fixed by a SSFC that simply practiced clearer discernment.

We would like to see all UW students express their preference for a more accountable student government by casting their ballots this week. Participation in the process is the only remedy to a SSFC that has lost sight of its true purpose.

Mac VerStandig and Michael Robinson did not participate in the crafting of this editorial.