The Student Rights Coalition petitioned Thursday to protest UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley's memo to the Student Services Finance Committee to disallow funding for student organizations' off-campus rents.
The Students Rights Coalition formed about two weeks ago in response to Wiley's memo and began with students from organizations that have been affected by the memo. Members are currently aiming to raise awareness of Wiley's cuts that appear to be in abuse of students' shared governance rights.
Wiley and school administration first objected to funding the UW Roman Catholic Foundation in October 2004. UWRCF re-applied in Fall 2005 after discovering other student organizations were still being funded for off-campus meeting rooms. After being denied funding once again, UWRCF brought the issue to the Student Judiciary who later overturned the administration's decision.
UWRCF Director Tim Kruse said this is what spurred the ongoing issues in relation to the funding of other student organizations on campus.
Associated Students of Madison SSFC member and UW-Madison junior Alex Gallagher said he was concerned for student rights in the decision-making process.
""It should have gone to the students and we should have been the ones figuring out what to do with this,"" Gallagher said. ""But instead the chancellor made the decision unilaterally.""
Chair of Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, Rachel Butler, a UW-Madison sophomore, said she also was concerned with the effects of the decision-making process on voices of student organizations on campus.
""It sets a precedent for the administration to tell the students what they can and cannot do,"" Butler said. ""That takes away power from students.""
A lack of on-campus meeting space has also raised concerns for student organizations that may not be able to afford to meet off campus.
""As of next year there really isn't any space on campus for these student orgs. to go,"" Butler said.
Currently, the decision to cut funding for off-campus rents will be implemented for the 2007-'08 school year—SSFC edited off-campus rents out of several budgets during one of its November meetings.
Student organizations must now take this policy into account when drafting their 2008-'09 budget proposals to be submitted to SSFC next year.
