A Snowy Situation

According to the Badger Herald, today marks the first non-partial snow day ever in records dating back to 1965. The National Weather Service declared that 10 to 14 inches of snow were expected, and as of noon today, it seems that the bulk of the precipitation is over. Of course, this has caused some commotion in the campus climate.

First off, thanks to some hard working students and the decision of Chancellor Martin, the Student Activity Center will be open from 12-9 today, despite the urging of UWPD to close. Many students will be grateful to have a place to study today, especially with all campus libraries closed today. Special thanks to SAC Governing Board Chair Lauren Vollrath for keeping everyone posted on the situation.

Further, Madsion Metro has stopped operation for all buses today, leaving many students left walking. This has limited effect on your segregated fees, though, so don't fear about wasted money. The only loss absorbed today is the contractually-running free buses (80, 82, 85), which, to the best of my knowledge, are still being paid for. The bus pass, despite common belief, is not free, and the university is charged for every swipe on the non-"free" buses. Thus, when they cease operation, students aren't charged, so we can be confident that the effect on your money is minimal.

At the urging of ASM Chair Tyler Junger, the Student Council will not be meeting tonight, so any decisions that would have been made tonight will be postponed to a later date. The Campus First will be sure to keep you updated on that situation.

All other news on cancellations can be found here. Enjoy your day off!

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Monday Update - What's going on?

Here's a quick rundown of what's going on with your seg fees on campus:

Erik Paulson continues to prove that he is one of the most dedicated members of the student council. His new proposal for improving tenant relations and the system as a whole makes a lot of sense, but he is likely going to have some trouble getting the $50,000 proposal through both SSFC and Student Council before the ASM budget is approved next semester.

Last week, the Badger Herald ran a story about naming the new union. It seems there was some disagreement about who should be responsible for determining the new name, but it is pretty clear to me; those responsible for paying for the building should be the ones who name it. In this case, that's the students, and ASM is directly elected while the Union Council is not. At the very least, it could be brought before a referendum.

Shared governance is always busy.

Check out the GSSF calendar at the bottom of the page to find out what student groups are doing with segregated fees. One event of particular interest is the GUTS Biannual study day, which will help everyone get prepared for the finals looming right around the corner.

And lastly, SSFC met to hear budget proposals from the Student Judiciary and the Student Activity Center. Both budgets were very responsible, but I anticipate that some changes will be made at the decisions on Thursday.

-Brandon

An Open Letter from the SSFC Chair

This is the email I recently sent out:

I come to you as the semester comes to a close, with exams looming on the horizon. Before I embark on long library binges, I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the pleasure of getting to know you these past few months. My hope is that, despite any decisions that you may not have agreed with, my committee and I have made strides in crafting positive relations within the process and ensuring vital services to the students of this great campus.

My time as SSFC Chair has given me exceptional clarity into the process of the GSSF and the services that we provide, but my view is also unsurprisingly one-sided. I am not an council member who is not on SSFC. Nor am I a leader of a GSSF group. I am not even an apathetic seg-fee-paying student anymore (such is the nature of my position.) As such, I am henceforth inviting you to join me in a discussion of the system and its many flaws and benefits.

I have taken great pride in my work up to this point, and my hope is that you can all see that. But my work on this committee is not complete until I know that I have at least improved the system, that I leave with SSFC in a better position than when I came in. With that, I would like to introduce a few questions to everyone, with the hope that you will take the time to answer them:

1) What is the role of the GSSF?
2) What benefit does the collection and distribution of seg fees give to the campus?
3) What services are essential for this campus?
4) How can we make it better?
5) What would make it worse?

Keep in mind that this is not my own personal evaluation. This is positive and critical feedback of what the GSSF is and how it operates. I hope that you will join me in this discussion.

The Campus First - Introduction

By the time you are reading this, you are quite aware of the presence of my new blog, The Campus First. My goal with this is to create and formulate discussion around the issues of this campus--primarily those associated with funding--with the priority of bettering the experience of those who reside within it. This means casting aside political agendas, special interests, and petty ideological differences to achieve what is best for the University of Wisconsin - Madison and its students. Truly, it means putting the campus first.

I hope you will all join me in my desire and quest to discover new ways to better this community and enhance the experience of all involved. This blog is not a one sided conversation; the comments will be open and anonymous (although I always encourage putting a name to your statements) so that we may properly facilitate discussion on the issues of importance for students. Thank you, and I appreciate any and all feedback that I may receive.

-Brandon