The Associated Students of Madison Student Council unanimously passed a Tenant Bill of Rights Wednesday, giving landlords the option to agree to student-friendly leasing policies in exchange for an endorsement from the student government.
Legislative Affairs Intern Ryan Prestil spearheaded the project and said the intent is to protect students’ rights and to try to ensure landlords will be “more collaborative” instead of “more authoritative.”
Prestil said the document would affect many students because the vast majority of the student body lives in off-campus housing. He added that he hopes the policy will be in place for the 2014-15 leasing year, with five to ten landlords agreeing to the policy.
Student Services Finance Committee Chair Ellie Bruecker also said she received Chancellor David Ward’s formal response to next year’s student organization budgets.
According to Bruecker, Ward approved all but two of the budgets. She said he did not make a decision on the Multicultural Student Coalition budget because representatives from the group are currently appealing SSFC’s decision with the chancellor. SSFC voted to minimally fund the group in the fall.
Bruecker said Ward did not approve the professional staff contracts for Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group.
Also in the meeting, Rep. Richard Rolland introduced two new pieces of legislation addressing concerns he has had as a Student Council representative from the College of Engineering.
The first piece of legislation would allow individual college or school government bodies, such as Polygon, the engineering school’s student council, to have speaking rights on ASM Student Council.
“[The legislation] will allow for greater interaction between college governments and ASM as a whole,” Rolland said.
ASM Chair Andrew Bulovsky said the legislation has the potential to create more collaboration across campus and he thinks it will be “well-received” across campus.
“We want college student governments to feel comfortable interacting with ASM,” Bulovsky said.
The second legislation aims to hold ASM Student Council representatives more accountable by requiring representatives to be a member of the college they represent.
If a representative is no longer enrolled in the college, he or she would automatically be removed under the legislation.
Council will vote on both pieces of legislation for the first time in its next meeting April 17.
