Student organizations will no longer be allowed to apply to employ full-time professional staff after a decision by the student government Monday. 

The student government effectively suspended contract status for registered student organizations for the rest of the academic year during a meeting on Monday. 

 The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee voted to suspend contract status applications for the rest of the year as a result of a letter received from Chancellor Biddy Martin last semester that voiced disapproval of the process currently used. 

 Contract status allows student organizations to employ full-time professional staff to assist student members. 

The chancellor raised the concerns because SSFC could not generate or dictate the terms of contract status requests. 

Currently, student organizations come to SSFC and dictate the terms.
Manes said this could potentially lead to giving student dollars to non-student entities.
Groups that already have contract status will not be affected.
SSFC Chair Matt Manes said Martin’s concerns and her request in her letter trickled down from the University of Wisconsin System. 

Several SSFC representatives expressed concerns about suspending the contract status process.
SSFC representative Jair Alvarez urged the committee to postpone voting on the issue again. He said more time was needed to continue doing research on possible alternatives to suspending contract status. 

Alvarez said suspending might be the best option, but still felt the committee should look into other options.
Manes said the decision has already been made by Martin about the current process, but if members of SSFC were to develop another process, that would override the suspension. 

SSFC representative Cale Plamann said he was concerned about suspending contract status because he was not sure if SSFC had the authority to do it. 

The process that is currently used is drawn out by ASM bylaws, and suspending the process would not be in compliance with those bylaws, Plamann said.
Manes said he spoke with UW System lawyers and found that suspending the process would be a legal and legitimate move.
“[UW] System policy overrides the bylaws,” Manes said. 

ASM Chair Bandon Williams also presented the ASM internal budget to SSFC and fielded questions about the budget.
Aside from concerns about the suspension process, multiple members had questions and worries about a new ASM position: the government relations advisor. 

The salary for the government relations advisor, who will serve as a liaison between students and the city and state government and help students to lobby, was set at $60,000 in the budget. 

Representative Sarah Neibart said $60,000 might not be enough to attract a qualified lobbyist.
Williams said the position does not technically qualify as a lobbyist. Williams said, therefore, that the amount would be sufficient because of the set of skills ASM is looking for. 

 Manes also introduced the idea of ASM co-sponsoring the All-Campus Party and Homecoming.

 Instead of their committees applying for grants through the Finance Committee, the events would automatically be funded by ASM, Manes said.