UW-Milwaukee froze its student government Friday amidst an ongoing investigation into embezzlement of $10,000 by student officials. The university literally has locked the doors and halted government access to funds in the wake of the investigation.
UW-Milwaukee senior Russell Rueden, the speaker of Student Senate and former housing council president, is allegedly under scrutiny for his role in the matter.
The investigation centers on a $10,000 check from the housing council, written from the fund-raising account Rueden oversaw from 2004-‘06, made out to AcerPrudens, self-described as a marketing firm on its website, which Rueden owns.
""AcerPrudens Interactive is a privately held, full service marketing firm located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,"" the front page of the website reads. ""Our company is comprised of experienced, creative, and hard working individuals whose passion is marketing and whose pride comes from seeing our clients succeed.""
To date, AcerPrudens has not registered as a company with the Department of Financial Institutions or obtained a sales permit from the Department of Revenue.
UW-Madison sophomore and Student Services Finance Committee member David Lapidus said the level of oversight at UW-Madison would preclude something similar from happening within Associated Students of Madison.
""I would be very surprised if something like that happened here,"" said Lapidus, an avowed critic of ASM. ""There's a lot of things I can complain about in terms of ASM, but in terms of oversight and in terms of one student having enough budgetary power and influence to embezzle the money, I just don't see that happening with how our government works.""
Though Lapidus' grievances with ASM, which included charges of ethical lapses and corruption, moved him to collaborate in creating an alternate system of student government in the wake of the failed ASM elections last spring, he said ASM's system of checks and balances would have been effective in a similar situation.
