Student Services Finance Committee members unanimously voted Monday to sign a memo clarifying the expectations of the governance body and the Wisconsin Union in budget-decision processes.
The Union Budget Memo, drafted by Associated Students of Madison Chair David Gardner, outlines both short- and long-term recommendations for handling the process to ensure a collaborative relationship between the two bodies.
Efforts toward establishing greater transparency during budget decisions stemmed from a Feb. 24 SSFC decision to freeze the Union’s 2014-’15 budget.
While members felt they did not have sufficient information to make a decision on the budget, Chancellor Rebecca Blank overturned the SSFC recommendation and granted the Union its requested student segregated-fee funding.
To prevent the situation from occurring in the future, Gardner and Wisconsin Union President Neil Damron collaborated to set expectations and goals for how to handle the overall process.
“It was just really haphazard and something that we could have avoided,” Gardner said, referencing the unclear timeline and miscommunication between SSFC and the Union during the budget hearing and decision.
The memo also aids the current ASM F50 campaign to assert student autonomy over segregated fees and to ensure students’ rights are being valued, according to Gardner.
While the document does not implement and official change, Gardner said he hopes it will lead to more efficient work between the Union, ASM and the chancellor.
SSFC members also discussed new eligibility forms for registered student organizations applying for segregated-fee funding.
The new forms reflect changes made to eligibility criteria this past semester and will clearly state what is expected of groups in terms of programming requirements.
A vote on the new forms will be made at SSFC’s next meeting Thursday.
