FH King, a UW-Madison student organization focused on the relationship between land, food and community on campus, had its 2016-’17 budget approved Thursday by the Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee.
FH King has been on the UW-Madison campus since 1979. The organization runs much of its programming around its student-run farm at Eagle Heights and its rooftop garden space on the Pyle Center. FH King also puts on events each year, such as the Fall Harvest Festival.
The increased budget, just over $81,000 total, will allow FH King to expand their reach on campus.
“In the past year we've shown that we can effectively spend our budget and are a fiscally-responsible organization,” said FH King Administrative Director Morgan Menke. “Our events grow every year, and we hope to connect to even more students in the future.”
The need for budget increases has grown as FH King’s popularity on campus has expanded, as noted by an increase in FH King internship positions and programming continues to rise, Menke said. The organization plans on using their new budget to expand the film screening event they began last year, and to bring in speakers to talk about ideas that relate to their mission.
“We will be able to bring in a prominent speaker to speak about issues related to sustainable agriculture,” Menke said. “This is something that we have heard students requesting for years and are excited to be able to provide them with.”
SSFC members said they were satisfied with FH King’s budget plan, as the group granted the organization’s budget in full.
“They had a good presentation, and SSFC representatives feel confident with the proposed budget,” SSFC Chair Thuy Pham said.
SSFC also allowed the FH King garden director to be compensated for a 30-hour work week over the summer. SSFC usually does not allow student organization workers to go over 20 hours, but FH King emphasized the need for more hours to tend to the garden during the summer. The exemption required a two-thirds vote from the committee.
With an increased budget and more latitude for programming, FH King will continue to promote its mission on campus, Menke said.
“We have become a much more structured, professionalized organization in the past year,” Menke said. “We will continue to do good work on this campus that connects students with land, food and community.”
