The UW-Eau Claire Student Senate has 10 commissions to focus on various issues concerning the campus and resulting legislation. One of those commissions is the Finance Commission, which manages the allocation of student-segregated fees to organized activities.
Per Wisconsin statute 36.09(5), students are primarily responsible for allocating the student segregated fees. Therefore, meetings regarding these decisions are entirely student-run.
Each October, UW-Eau Claire’s organized activities present their budgets to the Finance Commission during hearings, which the public is encouraged to attend. On Oct. 24, the commission met and deliberated fiscal year 2026 budget allocations.
The commission decides where and how these fees are allocated. In addition, they are able to provide the chancellor with recommendations for how the non-allocable segregated fees should be used and assist student organizations with funding in particular situations.
Third-year finance and accounting student Cole Morehouse is the current director of the Finance Commission.
“The largest factors considered when deciding funding were student participation, if there was unspent money from the previous year of funding and how they laid out their budget,” Morehouse said.
The Finance Commission’s budget for fiscal year 2026 is $1,249,120. According to Morehouse, the commission had previously allocated an additional $80,000 along with the funds collected through segregated fees. This will not occur for 2026 due to the current decline in the university’s enrollment. As a result, some organizations had to make budget cuts.
Morehouse said the commission is also requesting a $3 increase for each individual student’s organized activity fee. This will reflect an inflation of 2%, as the fee rises from its current amount of $153 to its projected amount of $156.
“This year, we were also tasked by the chancellor to allocate money in a way that best reflects how students are involved on campus and how much impact each has,” Morehouse said. “The commission believes they achieved that goal.”
Director of Center for International Education (CIE) Colleen Marchwick said the 2026 funding for international activities has slightly declined in comparison to the fiscal year 2025 allocation, but they are appreciative of the commission’s support.
The CIE uses their funding for various programs such as CultureFest, the Host Friend Program, Latin American Studies Week and the International Poetry Reading. Marchwick said the allocation is also used to support study abroad interns who promote programs and advise students.
“For the students we employ, we seek to provide meaningful work where they can build skills and their resume for future employment,” Marchwick said. “We hope the international activities give students the chance to engage internationally, even if they cannot or choose not to study abroad.”
Appeal hearings on the commission’s decisions were held on Oct. 31. According to Morehouse, organizations had the opportunity during this time to request a higher level of funding than the initial allocation and explain why it is necessary.
Morehouse said that two groups — Student Senate’s general operations and Forensics — were present at this meeting to appeal for an increased allocation. Afterward, the commission decided to allocate an additional $1,500 to the Student Senate’s general operations.
The Finance Commission will submit a finalized budget bill in February for the Student Senate to vote on and approve. For official approval, the recommendations will be sent to Chancellor James Schmidt.
“These decisions are vital for the students,” Morehouse said. “We have direct input into the fees generated by students and for students. It has been a great opportunity to be a student representative for segregated fees at the university level. I would not trade it for anything else.”
Matczak can be reached at [email protected].
