As you read this, a group of students are circulating a petition that, given the right number of signatures, could significantly change the way the segregated fees process works at UW-Madison.
Specifically, the plan proposes that a referendum be placed on the Associated Students of Madison election ballot in April that would give all students the opportunity to forego paying segregated fees for student organizations that they choose not to fund.
Should this proposal make it onto the ballot and be approved in April as it is currently drafted, students would soon see an addition to the online course registration process that would show a complete list of segregated fee-funded organizations. Students would then have the option to \check off"" organizations they personally choose not to fund. An additional caveat would then prohibit students who opt out of organizations to participate in those groups' activities for the following year.
While arguments can be made on both sides of the ""opt-out"" debate, our initial recommendation is to have the proposal advance to the April ballot to face the general student body's scrutiny.
Should the ""opt-out"" system become a reality at UW-Madison, a variety of effects may ensue.
An ""opt-out"" program may prove to be a system of checks and balances for segregated fee-funded organizations as well as ASM's Student Services Finance Committee, which currently approves and allocates segregated fees to groups.
In addition, giving the student body more of a say in the segregated fee eligibility process may serve as a sort of antidote to the high turnover and often over-politicized nature of SSFC.
On the down side, the ""opt-out"" option could leave some worthy organizations hanging out to dry at the mercy of a general student body that is largely less informed than SSFC should ideally be.
No matter how you feel about the issue, there is no denying the value of giving the student body an opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not ""opt-out"" should become a reality at UW-Madison.
