The Student Services Finance Committee held an eligibility hearing Monday for Badger Catholic and a budget hearing for Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics.
The bulk of the session was focused on the budget request presented by AHA, a group focused on creating a dialogue about the meaning of being a secular person in today’s world. Any university student can attend AHA meetings and programs free of charge.
AHA requested a $58,731.50 budget for 2021.
Representatives expressed concerns with previous issues in budget planning for the group, especially the rapid turnover and elimination of various leadership positions, as well as failure to meet the hours budgeted for the groups salaries.
“If you had $3,000 allocated towards [the secretary] position, and you didn’t use any of it because you deleted that position, why should we have faith in the planning that you are presenting to us right now?” a representative asked. “I just want to understand that the lack of execution there in planning that far in advance.”
The speaker for AHA explained that the funds were supposed to be utilized, though turnover made that difficult, calling it “a complete fall-through.”
AHA said it plans to take further measures to prevent this issue from occurring again. SSFC will vote on this budget request on Thursday night.
Badger Catholic’s eligibility hearing focused on how their organization can contribute to the UW-Madison community, including peer mentoring, service opportunities and large- and small-scale events for those who wish to develop their spiritual identity.
The hearing concluded with little questions or concerns.
SSFC will vote on AHA’s budget request on Thursday night.
