In order for student organizations to receive funding from Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee, the Student Organization Office must officially approve them. This year, due to closer scrutiny by the SOO, it is taking significantly longer for student organizations to earn approval.
Registered Student Organization rules and regulations of recognition are now being more vigorously confirmed. The cause of this increased scrutiny is a state audit that is required of the SOO.
According to Special Assistant to the Chancellor Casey Nagy, the audit was ordered because of an ""increase in concern over how some of the expenditures seem to be deviating from regent policy and other applicable university systems and state policies regarding the use of state funds.""
The audit has spurred the SOO to more thoroughly investigate each student organization's application to ensure the potential organizations are in accordance with the rules.
""The audit that was done pretty much mandated that we exercise a closer degree of supervision over how student fees and other expenditures were being approached,"" Nagy said.
In order for a student organization to gain approval there are certain qualifications the organization must maintain.
One of the main criteria used to determine status is that students must maintain primary control over the organization. Another important qualification is the organization not discriminate when it comes to membership, including who is eligible to hold certain positions within the organization.
""[The qualification] doesn't, per se, have any effect on religious organizations as opposed to any other organization,"" Nagy said. ""I think some religious organizations have created different kinds of challenges because of membership requirements.""
Religious organizations, like all other applicants, have come under close inspection, but questions have been raised because some groups require the leader of the organization to be a member of a specific faith.
In protest of this increased scrutiny, a number of Christian student organizations have banded together this semester to create an alliance called United Response, comprised of Student Impact, UW-Madison's chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, The Navigators and New College Madison, an off-campus organization promoting dialogue on Christian contemporary local, national and worldwide issues.
""It seems like some people may be singled out—some of the more conservative religious groups might be more singled out, and so they wonder if the rules are being applied fairly across the board,"" said Director of United Response Vern Visick.
""We are quite comfortable with the fairness of the approach we have taken as it extends to all applicants for student organization status,"" Nagy said in response to religious organizations protesting their delayed status.
The SOO acknowledges the increased scrutiny has caused a delay in the organization recognition process, but this delay does not always have a negative impact on a student group's chances of becoming a Registered Student Organization in the future.
""To our knowledge, the activities of groups have not been impacted,"" said University Spokesperson John Lucas. ""If a group is not immediately recognized, it is not denied and unable to move forward with its application. Groups in various stages of review have been in constant contact with SOO to revise applications.""
The student groups that refuse to comply with the SOO regulations for approval can continue to serve students but will not be recognized as an RSO or receive funding from SSFC.
