Concerns about increased funding for UW-Madison student organizations were evident at the Associated Students of Madison's conference committee meeting Saturday. Members of the committee disagreed on how to cut the budgets of five campus groups eligible for segregated fees, but eventually compromised on budgets for each organization.
The bipartisan committee, composed of members of ASM Student Council and the Student Services Finance Committee, convened to decide the budget requests of the Safe Arrival For Everyone, Wunk Sheek, Asian Pacific American Council, Multi-Cultural Student Coalition and Diversity Education Specialists. Each group's budget had been voted down by the Student Council and returned to the committee for revision.
The SAFEwalk Escort program requested a budget of $59,175 for 2003-'04 but was granted $51,000. The committee cited concerns with SAFE's efficiency as the main factor in reducing its budget. Some members calculated that every SAFE escort currently costs between $80 and $120.
\We have some problems with how SAFEwalk is being run,"" SSFC Chair Roman Patzner said. ""[This budget] still shows commitment to SAFE and its services.""
Tensions rose during consideration of Wunk Sheek's budget request when members discussed which individual items to reduce. They lowered the salaries of several employee positions and cut advertising, software and program supply allowances to bring Wunk Sheek's budget down from $80,378 to $57,244. Members in favor of the cuts said the young organization needed to restrain its spending. Several felt Wunk Sheek's request for funding to advertise in tribal newspapers was an inappropriate use of student segregated fees.
""We shouldn't be funding advertising that reaches zero students,"" ASM Representative Jackie Helmrick said.
SSFC Representative Rob Welygan, however, felt the program cuts were ""far too significant.""
""If we're going to be taking away that money from them ... we should be telling them why such-and-such an event isn't important,"" he said.
APAC, MCSC and DES also sustained substantial cuts by the committee, mainly in the areas of employee positions and office and program supplies. The APAC and MCSC budgets were reduced by about 50 percent.
The revised budgets will now go to the SSFC for approval and continue to the Student Council for authorization. Members said they hope these groups will appreciate the compromises effected by the conference committee.
