The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee passed an operating budget for the Working Class Student Union and listened to a 2014- ’15 fiscal year Sex Out Loud budget proposal at a meeting Thursday.
WCSU is an organization that focuses on supporting and advocating for first-generation, non-traditional, transfer and working-class students, according to its website.
SSFC members’ discussion focused on funding for a visiting speaker in the WCSU. SSFC agreed to allow $5,000 to fund a speaker.
WCSU representatives Derek Field and Dena Ohlinger said they were happy SSFC passed a $5,000 budget for the WCSU speaker because last year the organization tried to book a speaker that would not agree to speak for the organization for any value less than $5,000.
Ohlinger also noted that the amount allotted is a base value and the organization could need more.
Representative Brett Ducharme proposed an alternative method to reduce WCSU spending. Ducharme said in previous years the funding for the communication director positions for the school year and summer has been considerably less than it is currently. He argued in favor of reducing the number of hours these individuals work by two hours a week, which SSFC approved.
SSFC also listened to a presentation made by Sex Out Loud Representative Nick Fetzner. Sex Out Loud promotes healthy sexuality through sex-positive education and activism, according to its website.
Fetzner proposed an operating budget of $98,432, which is less than the approximately $100,000 it received last year. According to Fetzner, the big reason Sex Out Loud asked SSFC for less money this year is because the organization has excess reserves for various things they spent money on last year. In particular, Fetzner said Sex Out Loud would require less money for computer software and hardware as well as equipment.
SSFC Chair David Vines said Sex Out Loud is an “important” organization.
Vines also said he is happy his committee is “getting stuff done.” SSFC will vote on the operating budget for Sex Out Loud at a meeting Nov. 4.
