Issues of shared governance between the student government and the administration could hinder a referendum that aims to ensure a living wage for UW-Madison employees and goes to a student vote Tuesday.
This is a matter of shared governance and different interpretations of what shared governance means,\ said UW-Madison senior Josh Healey, a member of the Student Labor Action Coalition, which has sponsored the referendum. Shared governance is supported by Wisconsin State Statute 36.09(5), which allows students' input in decisions affecting their education.
The referendum proposes a new Associated Students of Madison bylaw saying ASM will not approve the budgets of those organizations that do not pay their workers at least $10.23 an hour. Currently the proposal would affect the student unions, University Health Services and Recreational Sports.
If the measure passes, ASM will cede all control of these budgets to Chancellor John Wiley, according to Vice Chancellor Darrel Bazzell, who said he is neutral on the outcome of the referendum.
""It appears that the sole impact would be limiting ASM from participating in the budgetary process for non-allocable seg fees, but in no way prevents the budgetary process from going forward,"" Bazzell said.
Healey said if the referendum passes and the student government rejects the budgets of those who do not raise employee wages, the chancellor should not then review them.
""If they appeal to the chancellor, the chancellor should also say no, because otherwise he will be contradicting the ASM bylaw that we have passed,"" Healey said.
Healey said students should have control over allocation of segregated fees, which come from a portion of each student's tuition. The unions, Rec Sports and UHS all use some seg fees within their budgets.
Traditionally, ASM's Student Service Finance Committee reviews budgets and then the chancellor approves them.
SSFC can only review the budgets of UHS, Rec Sports and the unions, whereas it can modify the amounts given to student organizations and student services, Bazzell said.
""The chancellor usually honors each and every decision student government makes with respect to student organizations,"" he said.
ASM Chair Eric Varney said the referendum, similar to one with the same goal that was passed last semester, would take power from students.
""I have the same concerns that I had in the fall when I sued and had this referendum overturned,"" Varney said.
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