After a memo from Chancellor John Wiley released to the Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee Chair Zach Frey Thursday stated SSFC cannot fund off-campus rents in student organizations' budgets, the committee may need to reassess all of its previously approved budget decisions.
Wiley allowed a one-year exemption last year for funding the rent and utility costs of student organizations that were not on university property. This was because the budgets of these groups had already been approved for the 2006-'07 academic year.
This confirmation effectively makes many of the budgets that were decided on by the SSFC previously now likely to be reviewed. An example is the budget of the Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group, which was to be decided Thursday. Now it is postponed until Sunday due to the rental issues.
A few budgets did pass without incident despite the rental issues during the meeting, as they likely do not have offices off campus. The Jewish Cultural Collective's budget was approved at $153,419 and the budget for the Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment group was approved at $64,099.
The budget for the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan was decided at $57,099. The Child Care Tuition Assistance Program's budget was also approved at $673,100.
The budget for the University of Wisconsin Roman Catholic Foundation was to be decided on Thursday, but as of press time SSFC was still working on the budget for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council.
Numerous members from the UWRCF were present at the meeting's open forum, and appeared upset over the fact that SSFC denied the Foundation contract status, a move that will cut all 14 of UWRCF's full-time positions for the 2007-'08 academic year.
""We're not just producing students, we're producing leaders in society,"" said UWRCF dorm intern Carolyn Averill.
SSFC members expressed some concern over recent lawsuits filed by student organizations, such as the one filed Wednesday night by the UWRCF against SSFC. Frey stressed the committee members should not allow concerns regarding the lawsuits enter the debate over budgets.
