Better Luck Next Time

The nullification of the Undergraduate Council's proposed term-bill hike has placed the struggling student organization at yet another crucial juncture. with fewer than 100 students voting on the bill-far short of the minimum number required for a referendum to be binding-the council must now decide how and if to re-address the issue. Some have proposed waiting until next year's general elections. However, we urge council members to make the term-bill crease a top priority, preferably bringing a well-publicized referendum to a student vote before the end of this academic term.

Regardless of last week's disappointing turnout, passing a term-bill hike is crucial if the council is to remain an effective campus force. One of the council's primary roles is to dole out grants to student groups. But these groups, already under-funded, have been exploding in number. A $20 term-bill increase would double the council's budget and provide an estimated extra $100,000 in student group grants.

But if the council is to propose the referendum again, it will need to do a much better job in the publicity department. Although it is difficult to pinpoint a singular explanation for last week's abysmal voter turnout, voter apathy, as some council members have pointed out, cannot be used as a primary excuse. Although council affairs are not always the most thrilling events on campus, it is hard to imagine that over 90 percent of the students don't care about their money or the student groups to which they belong.

Through posters, word-of-mouth and newsletters, it is the council's responsibility to make sure its constituents are fully aware of its affairs, especially if it is holding a campus-wide referendum. Furthermore, on-line voting, though a convenient way to tally results, is not the optional way to ensure voter participation. Instead, council representatives should conduct the vote in a more direct manner-for example, by using the Harvard Dining Services keypads as was done during the Great Grape Debate.

Conducting the referendum in this manner would certainly require a considerable amount of preparation and manpower. But, then again, nobody ever said it was going to be easy.