The Associated Students of Madison Coordinating Council met Wednesday to discuss the group’s upcoming plans for the semester.
ASM Chair Madison Laning informed the council about a provision within Faculty Policies and Procedures for a budget committee, which had previously existed at UW-Madison but was discontinued due to “ambiguity” about its function.
“It fell apart because there wasn’t a strict enough charge about what it was supposed to do,” Laning explained.
The proposed committee would include equal student and faculty representation serving terms as long as four years and will be discussed further this March among UW-Madison governing bodies.
Council members also discussed the online voter registration bill that recently passed in Wisconsin state Senate.
Laning said the bill would function well for the average Wisconsinite. However, people would need a Wisconsin-issued driver’s license, requiring proof of residency from the city clerk’s office, if the address on their license is not their current address.
“It’s completely not allowing any student to register and vote on campus,” Laning said. “Even if they have a Wisconsin driver’s license like me, it still has their old home address.”
Council members discussed drawbacks to the bill, including inaccessibility for people without computers.
Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair Mariam Coker also discussed her efforts with Joshua Moon Johnson, director of the UW-Madison Multicultural Student Center, to lessen incidents of hate and violence on campus.
Coker said that while it may seem like only a few instances, UW-Madison is a large university and there are still multiple incidents per week. Many cases also go unreported, she added.
Coker and Johnson are working to reduce these instances on campus, as well as encourage students who have experienced hate and bias to come forward and report.
The council will attend a racial climate talk at Gordon Commons Feb. 24 in place of their next meeting.
