The Associated Students of Madison, Wisconsin Union Directorate and UW System Board of Regents reached a final agreement Tuesday on a budget dispute over a $7 million transfer from the Memorial Union renovation to the Union South construction project.
The disagreement came to a head when Student Services Finance Committee Chair Kurt Gosselin and SSFC Representative Tyler Junger attended a meeting held by the Board of Regents Capital Planning and Budget Committee to indicate they had not yet reviewed the budget transfer.
After a conversation between Gosselin and Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities, the parties reached a three-fold agreement.
The regents will approve the transfer of funds, and the Union Improvement Plan committee will present before SSFC. Finally, the Facilities Planning and Management committee, combined with the chancellor's office and SSFC, will negotiate a process for how to address situations concerning future building-project referenda.
Mark Guthier, director of the Wisconsin Union, said the improvement plan would only cut back on plans not in the referendum.
Projects such as improved Hoofer space and renovation of the theater will not be deferred.
As part of the UW System F50 policy that governs segregated fees, SSFC has the authority to review any of the non-allocable budgets, like the Union's, and make recommendations to the chancellor.
Since it went to the regents without SSFC having a chance to take a look at it, we thought it was a violation of the regents' policy,"" Gosselin said.
The SSFC members were not opposed to the transfer - which passed Feb. 5 - but the fact that they had not been able to review it and make recommendations is what prompted them to intervene at the meeting.
Gosselin said there was no ill intention, but rather a ""misunderstanding of the policy.""
The meeting between FPM, the chancellor's office and SSFC will take place Feb. 16.
