University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor David Ward said in a statement Thursday he has not signed contracts to fully fund a campus organization because the request does not adhere to UW System policies.
Last year Ward refused to sign contracts allowing student segregated fees to fund the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group’s non-university staff positions despite receiving a recommendation from the Student Services Finance Committee, the student government body that oversees the allocation of these funds, to grant the contracts.
In the statement, Ward cited UW System policy F50, which says non-university staff positions can only be funded through the Campus Services Fund. According to Ward, this fund is “outward-facing,” meaning the student government needs to identify the need for staff services and then request contract approval. This differs from the process WISPIRG took in applying for the contract from the General Student Services Fund that is allocated through SSFC.
Ward approved the remainder of the group’s budget at $55,571.17.
“I believe WISPIRG can continue to operate effectively on campus, as many WISPIRG members have shared with me its successes over the past year,” Ward said in the statement.
The statement also said Ward will continue to govern student funding under this interpretation of the F50 policy.
However, WISPIRG Board Chair Emily Ten Eyck said Ward is going against students’ wishes by refusing to sign the contract, citing a recent petition to “Save WISPIRG” that garnered signatures from more than 10 percent of the student body.
“It’s such an easy issue to mobilize students around because without our voice we lose our power,” Ten Eyck said.
According to Ten Eyck, WISPIRG serves an important role in advocating for students, with professional staff playing a vital role in having institutional knowledge and connections.
The group has sought legal advice on whether or not its request meets F50 requirements and, according to Ten Eyck, Ward’s argument is not valid.
Ten Eyck said the group will know more after an upcoming meeting between SSFC Chair Ellie Bruecker and Ward next week when Bruecker will present budgets for the 2013-’14 year in which SSFC voted to approve WISPIRG’s contract request a second time.
“Our student leaders are prepared to stand up for the decision that they made,” Ten Eyck said. “Hopefully he'll be convinced.”
