A former Student Council chair filed a complaint Monday about a proposed budget amendment that would transfer money out of the Varsity Day fund.
Former Chair Andrew Bulovsky’s 2012-’13 student council session passed Varsity Day in this year’s internal budget. The day is intended to be devoted to spirit-promoting activities such as a speaker and campus pride events.
In a complaint to the Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary, Bulovsky said the Varsity Day line item came along with clear guidelines about dispensing the funds.
“It’s a slippery slope if you start changing the entire budget,” Bulovsky said.
He asked the judiciary to prohibit the removal of Varsity Day funds and outline a precedent where current sessions should defer to the previous session’s budget decision.
The amendment, set for discussion at a Wednesday ASM meeting, would transfer $6,800 from the $60,000 Varsity Day fund to two sources: ASM office supplies and Registered Student Organization printing and supply grants.
The amendment states the full $60,000 is no longer needed because the Chancellor’s Office has agreed to dedicate funds to Varsity Day, but Bulovsky said the money could still be useful.
Current Chair David Gardner declined to comment.
On Monday, the judiciary ruled that the Student Services Finance Committee did not commit violations in their decision to deny the MultiCultural Student Coalition funding eligibility.
MCSC had claimed SSFC violated due process and viewpoint neutrality guidelines, but the judiciary ruled in SSFC’s favor.
However, the judiciary instructed SSFC to remedy issues with hearing recordings and discrepancies about the appeals process, two issues highlighted by MCSC.