Associated Students of Madison has a strange idea of ""representative student government."" Apparently, ASM intends to serve UW-Madison's student body by subverting UW System Policy and weaseling banned money into a budget that strictly prohibits it. ASM's decision to send its ""dirty"" budget to Chancellor John Wiley illustrates the association's immaturity and Wiley's lack of foresight regarding available office space.
Let us clarify: Last Wednesday, ASM ""flipped the bird"" to Wiley in approving a budget that includes the cost of off-campus rent for Registered Student Organizations. The key issue is off-campus rent—Chancellor Wiley has repeatedly and explicitly clarified that the university cannot legally fund rent or upkeep of a building unless it is owned or partially leased by the university.
The off-campus rent controversy first arose in spring 2006 when Wiley denied funding to six RSOs, five of which held offices in non-university buildings. In the contentious process that ensued, Wiley authorized a one-year rent exemption for the five off-campus groups.
ASM, the five RSOs and Wiley presumably knew the rules—one year, and the free rent coupon expires.
Ideally, these RSOs would have found on-campus or university offices in which they could convene. This did not happen. Reasonably, these groups would have recognized the lack of available university office space and negotiated a rent-exemption extension. This also did not happen.
Realistically—since the preferable options did not pan out—Student Services Finance Committee (the financial branch of ASM that distributes allocable segregated fees) could have fairly tackled the issue when it began approving new budgets in fall 2006. Still, this did not happen.
For clarification, this editorial board is not anti-student rights. We have no reason to believe there are any available university workplaces. We sympathize with groups caught in a funding vs. shelter limbo. In fact, we're glad ASM is trying to get funds for off-campus rent; it's just coming a little late.
Wiley gave ASM and each student group fair warning and has a definite right to strike down the budget. ASM's strong-arm tactics come off as childish. Allegations that ASM will draft their own form of the budget or confront the UW Board of Regents resonate of former student government insurrections.
Rather than firing back, Wiley should compromise and cooperate with ASM. Ideally, the two would ease the financial burden of the five homeless RSOs until real estate opens for student groups in the Student Activity Center on the University Square site. In light of the inaction and underhanded tactics employed in the contentious budget-making process, we hope this happens.
