While Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed items in the state budget, at least one legislator was protesting a university decision to deny a UW-Madison student group funding.

Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, a group that advocates for smaller government to solve environmental problems, was denied funding last year by a UW-Madison student government committee in charge of doling out student fees.

They were one of a number of groups — including Vets for Vets, Engineers Without Borders, the Legal Information Center, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council — that lost funding last year because of stricter criteria.

The new eligibility criteria requires that organizations benefit all students, not just a niche group.

Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow apparently appealed that decision to Chancellor Biddy Martin, who also denied them funding.

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, and other legislators signed a letter to Martin protesting the decision.

“The Chancellor’s decision to ultimately refuse funding to CFACT disenfranchises thousands of students from getting use of their segregated fees,” according to a statement by Grothman. “While other groups provide a home for some students, other students have looked to groups like CFACT that provide a different service with a different view point.”

Read the On Campus blog: www.madison.com/wsj/blogs/oncampus