Due to general budget confusion and a potential violation of total student fee allocation, the Student Services Finance Committee voted Thursday to extend the budget decision deadline for a campus Hispanic advocacy group.
Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán de UW-Madison is a student group that promotes culture and encourages higher education opportunities to the Chican@ community.
MEChA representatives said in their presentation to SSFC members that the group increases its spread and teaching of Chican@ culture through attending national and regional conferences, as well as by bringing in speakers and holding culture-based events.
SSFC Representative Todd Garon questioned the group’s total proposed budget number, highlighting the fact that added line items and monetary requests may put the group at risk of being over the limit of allocable money by SSFC.
According to SSFC standing rules, no General Student Services Fund group is to be allocated more than $100,000 for their total operating budget.
While the group’s initial proposal was under the $100,000 cap, a previously omitted amendment of an additional $7,500 for supplies would bring the group’s budget over the limit.
“I just feel uncomfortable making any decisions on this budget as it currently stands,” Secretary Brett DuCharme said, adding it would be beneficial for SSFC to receive a new budget breakdown and narrative in order to make a responsible decision.
Representative Andy Stoiber said allowing the group extended time to reassess and prepare a streamlined budget would be “pragmatic, prudent and respectful” and was one of several members to advocate a decision delay until Nov. 13.
With a majority vote, SSFC agreed to hold off on a budget decision for MEChA until next Thursday, as opposed to the scheduled decision of Monday.
SSFC also approved the 2015-’16 operating budget for the Campus Women’s Center.
CWC, who presented their budget to SSFC Monday, is a student-run organization that provides a safe environment on campus for women-identifying individuals who may be facing oppression or have faced oppression of some kind in the past, according to their website.
After increasing salary line items and decreasing the summer weekly hours of employees, SSFC members unanimously approved a total budget of $82,663.
