Student Government
The Associated Students of Madison is the primary student government body on campus. Through means defined in the ASM legislation, its committees are able to advocate for students' rights at the university, state and national level. It is separated into smaller sub-committees, such as Legislative Affairs and University Affairs.
All UW-Madison students are automatic members of ASM, but students may run to represent their specific school within the university on the ASM student council.
The Student Services Finance Committee is a branch of ASM that allocates over $32 million that students pay annually. These fees go toward non-academic student organizations and student programming, such as University Health Services.
The General Students Services Fund supports student organizations. The decisions the 15 voting student members of SSFC make determine how much students pay each year in segregated fees.
Board of Regents
The Board of Regents is an 18-member board that governs the University of Wisconsin System. The Wisconsin Senate approved the Board in 1971 as the primary governing body over the newly created UW System. The governor of Wisconsin appoints 16 Board members to seven-year terms and two student regents to two-year terms. The Board regulates admission standards, approves the university budgets and regulates how individual universities operate. The Board also appoints the President of the UW System, the deans and chancellors of the 13 universities and the chancellor of UW-Extension and UW Colleges.
If the New Badger Partnership had passed, UW-Madison would have been governed by an university-exclusive Board of Trustees instead of the B.O.R.. However, the Joint Finance Committee removed the NBP from the budget bill in early June and proposed an alternative plan to give every UW System campus more control over budget, personnel and construction projects, which are decisions the B.O.R. previously controlled. Giving each UW System school more autonomy will likely shift some power from the B.O.R. to the individual campuses.
New Badger Partnership
The New Badger Partnership was a plan included in Gov. Scott Walker's budget bill and supported by UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin that would have removed UW-Madison from the UW System.
Following demonstrations for and against the proposal, the Joint Finance Committee voted to remove the NBP from the budget bill in a 12-4 vote in early June. The committee is drafting a new plan to include freedoms for every UW System campus including control over budgeting, personnel, purchasing and construction.
However, universities will not have the ability to set their tuition rates and use the money how they deem necessary as the NBP would have allowed UW-Madison.
Many who did not support the NBP, including the chancellors at other UW System schools, said every university needed the flexibilities detailed in the NBP. Supporters of the proposal said it would have given the university much-needed authority in spending decisions as it faces harsh state budget cuts in 2011-'13.
