News
Skatepark funding on hold
The Pointer
jmath438@usp.edu
A $15,000 allocation to the Stevens Point Area Skateboard Contingency, which was originally approved by the Student Government Association Finance Committee, has been called into question after an initial oversight of an SGA bylaw was brought into discussion.
The original approval of the $15,000 was passed by a two-thirds vote of the Finance Committee. The minutes of the Finance Committee meeting were then brought for approval before SGA.
Former SGA President Justin Glodowski spoke during the public forum before the item was brought discussed amongst the SGA Senate.
Section 2, Article 3 of the SGA financial policies and procedures states, “Funding should not be granted … for gifts or donations.”
Also examined were the University of Wisconsin System Segregated University Fees policies, which state in Section 3, Article 3, “SUF shall not be assessed or charged for … gifts, donations, and contributions.”
SGA President Katie Kloth and other members of SGA and the Finance Committee were especially unaware of the clause in the UW-System policies.
“For the people from that committee, it was legitimate. They’re not trying to pull a fast one. They literally didn’t know that it existed,” said Kloth. “Justin was right. The way in which the skate park committee had presented the $15,000 can’t go through that way. It was a really confusing issue.”
The skate park funds allocation will be brought up again this Thursday, Dec. 4, at the SGA meeting in the Legacy Room of the Dreyfus University Center. Kloth is now encouraging the Finance Committee minutes that were brought up for approval at the last meeting to failed.
“I’m going to recommend that the minutes be failed,” said Kloth. “The way it happened was in direct conflict with what we can do. We’ve looked into other ways that this can work. The way that it has been presented this time isn’t kosher.”
The Stevens Point Area Skateboard Contingency will have a chance to reapply for funding, but they will have to do it under a different course of action.
