The Associated Students of Madison, in partnership with the Offices of the Dean of Students, held a town hall forum Monday to gain student opinion on the use of the $1.5 million in student services funds allotted by the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.
Representatives from various student groups, such as the College Republicans and Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group, attended the forum in order to propose ideas for funds for their groups and to share their opinions about already written proposals.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam said the initiative, which adds an additional tuition charge of $250 per year for in-state students and $750 per year for out-of-state students over the next four years, was established to create new opportunities for UW-Madison students.
""One of the main goals of the initiative is to fund new innovations, something not already existing,"" she said.
The Offices of the Dean of Students has already submitted 31 proposals for the use of the funds, including expanding undergraduate research opportunities, increasing the number and variety of First Year Interest Groups and increasing the number of advisors in larger departments.
Tyler Junger, chair of ASM, said the final proposals are due Oct. 1, 2009, and will be reviewed by many, including Berquam, the Chancellor and the ASM Student Oversight Board, which is a committee that will consist of members of ASM as well as members appointed from the student body.
ASM officials said the board plans to seek student input before they make decisions on the proposals.
""We want students to make sure that what they feel is important is getting funded,"" Junger said.
Junger said any students who are interested in overseeing the proposal funding process can apply for a position on the Student Oversight Board.
""This is student money, so the students should have a say in how it's spent,"" he said. ""After this there will be even more steps to make sure that the students are involved and their voices are being heard.""
The Student Oversight Board currently has five open seats. Interested students can find applications at