The Student Services Finance Committee voted against changing its bylaws Monday after a contentious discussion of the role of student hourly positions.
The proposed changes included significant alterations to SSFC’s financial code, as well as the elimination of student hourly positions from student organizations. Additionally, the General Student Services Fund, which currently supplies money allocated to registered student organizations that provide direct services to students by meeting SSFC eligibility criteria, would have been replaced by single funding process for all registered student organizations.
The legislation failed by a 6-7 vote, with most representatives citing the lack of student hourly wages as their reason to vote down the proposal, according to SSFC Chair Ellie Bruecker.
“There was not a majority of the committee that felt comfortable removing the opportunity for segregated fees for student hourlies and student organizations,” Bruecker said.
During the committee’s open forum multiple student organizations, including representatives from Sex Out Loud and F.H. King, spoke about the effects eliminating these hourly positions would have on their respective groups.
Bruecker said she understood why many students were upset, as their jobs were in jeopardy.
“It’s difficult because I can justify paying student hourlies for a service but I cannot justify paying a student to be in a student organization,” Bruecker said.
SSFC Rep. Kyle Quagliana said the importance of student salaries determined his vote against the budget.
“I do agree with a lot of what [the sponsors] have done, but I am too attached to student wages to delete them from the legislation,” Quagliana said.
Four members of the committee recessed to draft a rolling fund that would have capped student hourlies at $400,000, but the proposed amendment did not pass.
Bruecker said the rolling fund amendment created a “miniature version of the current model” rather than creating a new model, which was the original intent.
Though the legislation failed, Bruecker said it started a conversation about some of the issues with the GSSF. However, she said she will be continue to advocate for a new financial code that will address some of the waste in student organization funding.
Editor's Note: The original article stated proposed bylaw changes would have eliminated the General Student Services Fund. The fund would actually have been replaced by a single funding process for all registered student organizations.
