The Student Services Finance Committee approved the budget of the Student Activity Center’s Governing Board at over $330,000 on Monday.
The budget funds the third and fourth floors of the University Square Building, where many of UW’s numerous student organizations’ offices are located.
SSFC made a number of cuts to the proposal, the largest being a $10,000 decrease from the public address systems line, which the board’s members said would allow them to make announcements to the entire building in emergency situations.
Committee member Justin Gerstner said the money was not necessary for the SAC’s evacuation procedures.
“The most efficient use of emergency preparedness is training your employees in evacuation plans,” Gerstner said.
The committee also struck $6,000 from the group’s request for conference room chairs and $5,000 from its phone and voicemail budget.
“Nobody needs a dial-up extension to reach any student organization I’m familiar with,” Gerstner said. “These changes are going to encourage a more efficient use of resources in the long run.”
SSFC also heard budget proposals from student radio station WSUM and the Wisconsin Union. WSUM requested an additional one percent increase of $3,200 from last year’s budget.
Dave Black, WSUM’s General Manager, said the increases came from new studio technology.
“It’s a reality that in a station that big with as much as we do these equipment changes will be necessary,” Black said.
Black said that despite the changes, WSUM remains committed to UW students.
“WSUM began around the time SSFC began,” Black said. “Our goal remains to be a student-run radio station.”
The Wisconsin Union requested over $9 million in its budget proposal, an increase from last year’s budget. Union Director Mark Guthier said the increasing expenses came from Union South re-opening and Wisconsin’s state budget crisis.
Despite the increase, the Wisconsin Union asked for more than $1 million less than the upcoming costs in the fiscal year. The additional costs will be made up through services such as food and drink sales.
