The Associated Students of Madison Finance Committee approved Wunk Sheek’s requested $14,260 grant Tuesday night for the student organization’s annual powwow event.
Fifteen people—including current UW-Madison students, university employees and UW-Madison graduates—spoke about the meaning of the powwow and why the grant should be approved.
UW-Madison sophomore Tyriek Mack said the language in ASM bylaws is ambiguous enough to allow the ASM Finance Committee to make their own decision about the grant.
“You guys have your own discretion to make this decision,” Mack said. “So it is about values and it is about morals, and I guess your votes are going to say where you guys stand on that.”
Wunk Sheek initially applied for a grant of more than $20,000, but ASM Finance Committee denied roughly $6,000 at a Feb. 23 hearing because the powwow will be held on an off-campus location. The committee tabled the rest of the hearing for a week.
ASM Finance Committee Chair Ariela Rivkin said the hearing was tabled to allow Wunk Sheek the opportunity to make the powwow accessible to all students, which the organization did.
Student Council also approved the grant for Wunk Sheek at their meeting Wednesday night.
UW-Madison junior and co-leader of Wunk Sheek Kelly Holmes said the support of all UW-Madison community members was encouraging to see.
“I had no idea there would be so many people,” Holmes said. “It’s awesome to know that there’s so many people that care about us and want us to be heard because we’re not even 1 percent on campus. It’s really hard to get our voice out there.”
The annual Wunk Sheek Powwow will be held April 2 and 3 at Alliant Energy Center. Buses from two locations on campus will be leaving every 30 minutes on both days to transport students to the event.
