Atheists, Humanists & Agnostics presented their budget for the 2018 fiscal year to the Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee Monday.
AHA serves as UW-Madison’s voice and support group for students who question their faith or do not identify with a specific religion.
“So many people in college are discovering that they don’t associate with any religion, and it’s really important ... that we are a voice for those people who can’t necessarily tell their family members or can’t necessarily tell their friends,” said Nicole Niebler, AHA’s president.
AHA programs include Secular Peer Support, which offers weekly meetings and on-demand peer counseling, and Secular Issue Awareness, which brings attention to “issues that secular people face and how those issues affect everybody on campus.”
The organization also hosts larger events such as the Free Thought Speaker Series and the Free Thought Festival, both of which bring speakers from across the country to campus to present on secular topics and issues.
AHA first applied for and received university funding in 2012 after learning that Badger Catholic, a religious student organization, was receiving funding from the public university. Both organizations are able to receive SSFC funding due to the committee’s viewpoint-neutral decisions. Prior to 2012, AHA relied on small university program grants.
“We weren’t as active because we just didn’t have the resources to do that,” Niebler said.
Many aspects of AHA’s budget such as printing, postage, advertising and computer software will remain the same due to adequate spending during the previous fiscal year.
Salaries are the budget area subject to the most change for the upcoming fiscal year. The organization’s president, vice president, treasurer and program chair have a proposed 50 cent increase in salary for the academic year due to the 25 cent wage increase that one can apply for after holding a position for one year. It is expected that current position-holders will remain active in their roles for the next year.
Other budget increases include a $60 increase in spending on sending members to the Secular Student Alliance National Conference. The $60 would cover the increased cost of attendance in addition to accommodations. The organization has also requested a $200 decrease in funds for furniture due to underspending during the previous fiscal year.
SSFC members approved the organization’s budget at $67,595.
