The Associated Students of Madison approved an appeal Wednesday directed at the Board of Regents, regarding Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s decision to overturn the budget-freeze from earlier in the semester.
During Student Services Finance Committee’s Feb. 24 budget hearing of the Wisconsin Union, committee members voted to freeze the group’s budget, citing lack of transparency in its budgeting process.
With all the non-allocable budgets SSFC oversees, approval of the committee’s recommendations are finalized by the Chancellor.
Blank overruled SSFC’s decision to freeze the Union’s budget and approved a 2.2 percent student segregated fee increase for the organization’s funding.
An initial appeal was filed by SSFC, saying the chancellor’s decision did not comply with Wisconsin State Statute regarding student’s purview over segregated fees.
“Students in consultation with the chancellor and subject to the final confirmation of the board shall have the responsibility for the disposition of those student fees which constitute substantial support for campus and student activities,” according to Wisconsin State Statute 36.09.
After SSFC filed the appeal with the Board of Regents, the board denied the action, saying Student Council approval is needed in order to file this request.
Both former SSFC Chair David Vines and ASM Chair Genevieve Carter said, however, it is not written anywhere in the bylaws of the Board of Regents that full ASM approval is required.
With the appeal now receiving Student Council’s approval, it will be sent to all regents with the intent that it will be discussed at June’s Board of Regents meeting.
If the appeal is not accepted and then considered by the board, ASM said that it will pursue legal action to ensure student representation is adhered to, according to the document.
Some council members expressed concern that if the board responds saying it, “considered,” the document, ASM would lose the grounds to take legal action. However, Vines said the case could still be made for the situations disregard of student input.
“We aren’t in any way constrained by the language of this [appeal],” Vines said, adding the appeal itself is different than the issue of student segregated fee autonomy. “This won’t bind us to not taking legal action.”
ASM also approved an internal budget alteration that transfers $6,500 from the Varsity Day ASM internal budget line item to fund travel requirements for the summer United States Student Association conference.
In the beginning of the 20th ASM session, Student Council members voted to revoke University of Wisconsin-Madison membership with USSA due to the organizations endorsement of controversial policy papers.
The body reversed that decision toward the end of the session, contingent on USSA following through on a promise that it would disassociate itself from those issues and work to alter its constitution, according to ASM Vice Chair Derek Field.
The $6,500 transfer to the USSA travel budget line item goes toward both the cost of airfare and bus fare for sending 11 UW-Madison representatives to the USSA conference this summer.
Student Council members also continued appointments for committee and chair vacancies that began at the session’s first meeting May 1. Student Council will meet again in its first of three summer sessions June 21.
Student Services Finance Committee members
Ian Malmstadt
Brett DuCharme
Thuy Pham
Erin Harper
Cheyenne Langkamp
Hoyon Mephokee
Finance Committee chair
Mary Prunty
Finance Committee members
Cayla Holtz
Michael Miller
Dixon Chan
Neha Alluri
Student Activity Center Governing Board chair
Sophie Hackman
SACGB members
Jenna Nygren
Henry Morel
Rules Committee chair
Sean Owczarek
Recruitment and Retention Coordinator chair
Elizabeth Cain
Press Office Director
Emily Kurtz
University Affairs Committee chair
John Paetsch
Sustainability Committee chair
Kyla Kaplan
Legislative Affairs Committee chair
Thomas Gierok
