UW-Madison’s Working Class Student Union, a student organization focused on providing support to “working class, first-generation and low-income students,” presented their budget proposal for the 2017-’18 fiscal year to the Student Service Finance Committee Monday.
After returning $9,000, or 19 percent of the previous fiscal year’s budget, the organization requested a 4 percent decrease for the coming year in an attempt to be “fiscally conscious and conservative,” according to WCSU member Hong Trinh.
Increases in the new budget include a wage increase from $9.19 to $10.50, in addition to a $100 increase in printing in order to promote new programming, a $50 increase in transportation spending for their Cultural Showcase and a $40 increase for supplies during kick-off events.
The increased spending for Cultural Showcase transportation is derived from bringing in live drummers to accompany UW-Madison’s African dance team during their performance at the event. According to Trinh, the team has been performing at the WCSU Cultural Showcase for roughly four to five years, and the WCSU hopes to further that relationship on campus.
The $40 requested increase for kick-offs will go toward the series of kick-off events that the organization has chosen to hold at the beginning of the school year, rather than hosting one large event.
Decreases in the budget include a $50 decrease in Art Night spending due to the organization no longer needing to rent space for the event in light of their new, larger office space, and a $100 decrease in funding for the Resource Library, as WCSU hopes to focus more on updating the library rather than building it.
