Four months after rejecting their first eligibility application, the Student Service Finance Committee once again denied the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group funding Thursday.
WISPIRG lost eligibility for funding in September when the SSFC ruled the number of the group's direct service beneficiaries did not meet SSFC requirements. When WISPIRG appealed to the Student Judiciary, the judiciary overturned the SSFC's ruling, citing an inconsistent definition of ""beneficiaries.""
In his last night as SSFC secretary, Jason Smathers outlined the committee's reasoning, saying that WISPIRG's direct service, ""experiential learning,"" did not meet the requirement that 75 percent of a group's beneficiaries must be UW-Madison students.
""I understand the frustrations of the group, but there's nothing that can be done,"" Smathers said. ""This committee has very specific bylaws, very specific criteria.""
Committee members said they counted the time spent training volunteers as a direct service, but campaigning did not fit that designation. Moreover, the committee did not consider campaigning to be completely ""tailorable"" to student requests, as required under SSFC bylaws.
""If the group does not prove that they meet eligibility then we do not grant them eligibility,"" Smathers said.
But when the committee's vote came down—with five members against and two abstaining—WISPIRG members in the room were smiling.
""We'll appeal,"" WISPIRG Secretary Allie Gardner said. ""All of their arguments … the whole thing was just ridiculous.""
Gardner said WISPIRG plans to file their appeal as soon as the SSFC decision is processed.
Although WISPIRG received student segregated funding for the past several years, SSFC Chair Matt Manes said this year's committee was not required to follow that precedent.
""The criteria have not changed, but we are not bound by the decisions of that [past] SSFC,"" Manes said. ""It is our duty to evaluate every group as they come in front of us.""
Smathers stepped down in order to pursue a job with the Associated Press.
The committee will hear non-allocable budget presentations from the Memorial Union, Recreational Sports, University Health Services and WSUM student radio Monday.
