The Student Services Finance Committee approved eligibility for Supporting Peers in Laid-Back Listening, paving the way for student funds to be distributed to the peer counseling service.
The committee also listened to eligibility hearings for Badger Catholic and Veterans Educators and Traditional Students at the body’s second meeting of the year Monday night.
These groups are three of the eight returning organizations that are re-applying for eligibility to receive funding from the General Student Services Fund. During the hearings, the organization gives a twenty-minute presentation before going through three rounds of questioning from SSFC members.
A fund that comes from segregated fees, the GSSF is important because the fund allows student organizations to provide programming, SSFC Chair Jordan Gaal said.
“[The GSSF]... is just a way to enrich the overall campus experience for UW-Madison students,” Gaal said.
Badger Catholic, one of the biggest recipients of GSSF funds, is one of the groups re-applying this year. In their presentation the group highlighted Alpha Omega, a program for students that features a new, one-hour speaker series each Thursday, as an important element of their core programming.
Alpha Omega draws about 100 students each week, said Zack Crafton, one of the Badger Catholic presenters. Alpha Omega speakers cover a wide variety of topics such as intercultural and cross cultural knowledge and competency, he said.
“Our strongest points were the emphasis on our core programming of Peer Mentoring and Alpha Omega,” said Kayla VanDyke, president of Badger Catholic and one of the presenters. “These programs were expressed to bring continued large numbers of students and to provide spiritual and faith-based discussions to campus.”
VETS, a group interested in veteran issues and military service, is also re-applying for GSSF funds. The organization highlighted its military information workshop, a “blanket program” that covers several events the group puts on.
Some of VETS' events include the 9/11 roll call on Bascom Hill which remembers both those killed in the attack and in the line of duty. The group also educates upcoming healthcare professionals on veteran needs, a new event the group championed last spring.
SSFC will continue its eligibility hearings throughout the rest of September and engage in budget discussions later in the fall, Gaal said.
