The embattled UW Roman Catholic Foundation met another roadblock over winter break after it was denied contract status—a status that would enable the organization to fund its full-time employees.
The Associated Students of Madison's Student Services Finance Committee, following an order by the ASM Student Judiciary, reheard the UWRCF request for contract status Dec. 14.
UWRCF Director Tim Kruse said the organization will lose funding for many of its full-time employees for the 2007-'08 academic year due to the denial.
Kruse said the same SSFC members who voted ""nay"" on UWRCF's contract status request initially voted ""nay"" again.
""It's clear to us that it was an ideological vote,"" Kruse continued. ""Basically, the case that we were supposed to prove was that our mission would be advanced, and it's pretty difficult to see how all these other organizations' missions are advanced and yet the largest organization on campus doesn't need full-time staff?""
The Judiciary ruled in December 2006 that SSFC was to devise a system of hearing organizations' contract status requests. UWRCF was the first organization to have its request heard under the new system.
Kruse said UWRCF is looking toward other sources of funding for 2007-'08.
""We write grant [proposals] like any nonprofit does to all sorts of places,"" he said. ""We also ask parents of our students to help support it—so we'll do a fund drive with the parents and the alumni.""
UWRCF filed a federal lawsuit against UW-Madison and the UW System last semester, on the basis of religious discrimination.
