U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wisconsin, sent a letter to UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley Thursday, challenging the University's alleged efforts to persuade UW-Madison's Associated Students of Madison to withhold funding from the University of Wisconsin Roman Catholic Foundation. Green claimed withholding money from the UWRCF could violate Supreme Court rulings.
In the letter, Green said he was under the impression that Sex Out Loud and the Jewish Cultural Collective were funded, but Wiley's personal delegate to ASM's Student Services Finance Committee raised questions exclusively about funding UWRCF immediately before debate on the group's funding.
To the outside observer, the fact that you have questioned the foundation's funding on religious grounds, but not that of other similar organizations appears at best inconsistent, at worst discriminatory,\ the letter said.
University Communications spokesperson John Lucas said Wiley received the letter but has yet to respond to Green's allegations.
According to a letter Wiley sent to ASM and SSFC, UWRCF asked for $35,462 for expenses related to electricity, gas and water.
However, UW System General Counsel Pat Brady issued a memorandum Oct. 15, 2004, to UW System chief student affairs officers that confirmed, in part, a prohibition on the use of allocatable segregated fees to support improvements, maintenance or overhead expenses in facilities not owned, leased or otherwise controlled by the University.
After reviewing the proposal, Wiley said he could not approve the grant for UWRCF because the expenditures were for utilities on properties not controlled or owned by the University.
Questions also arose concerning Green's potential violation of the First Amendment.
""This is not a violation of the First Amendment. He is allowed to present his views as such, whether he is right or wrong about this,"" said Gerald Thain, a UW-Madison political science professor and specialist on the First Amendment. ""It is a First Amendment right to say what his beliefs are, although he is in a more powerful position than most.""
Green said the reason he wrote the letter to Wiley was primarily to learn more on the issue and to make sure UWRCF is not being singled out for its faith-based initiative.
Green said his concerns also derive from his position as co-chair in a faith-based caucus in the House of Representatives.
""I do happen to be Catholic, but I primarily have concerns about this because of my involvement in the faith-based caucus,"" he said.
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