The Eligibility Criteria Review Committee discussed the final draft of the eligibility criteria for the General Student Services Fund in a meeting Tuesday.
The General Student Services Fund is the money the Student Services Finance Committee allocates to student organizations proving they provide services benefiting students.
The committee has worked toward revising the GSSF eligibility requirements to shift the eligibility focus away from directly benefiting students and aligning more with learning outcomes of The Wisconsin Experience, which is not a part of the current criteria.
The committee discussed the main points SSFC Chair David Vines said were the areas people in the committee have focused on changing. Members discussed the definition of “educational” in the draft.
A group’s programs are educational if they promote any of the five Wisconsin Experience principles listed, according to previous criteria.
ECRC did not object to changing the language of one intercultural principle to also include “cross-cultural,” which Vines said would give groups more flexibility while still maintaining a consistent framework.
The draft accountability requirements state a group cannot have intentionally violated any group or government laws in the past two years and still qualify. The change will allow groups with violations to re-apply the following year.
Several committee members questioned draft language concerning program accessibility. The committee said it was unclear who would determine which students would potentially want to participate.
The committee tabled the discussion until next week, when it will finish and vote on the final draft. The draft will need a majority vote to pass and go to SSFC. Each SSFC member and GSSF group will have one vote.
Vines said it is “very unlikely” the draft would not pass.
