Council Protects Student Grants

I am concerned, after reading your recent article on the Undergraduate Council's financial difficulties (December 1). While you did quote Rob Hyman on page 7 that grants would be unaffected, some groups might still worry that grant allocations would be cut to cover other expenses. That will not happen.

At the beginning of the year, all of the funds that cover grant allocations for the entire year, 60 percent of our budget as mandated by our Constitution, were set aside. This money is exactly the same amount that is always set aside.

The article in The Crimson discussed only the Committee Fund, the money we use to pay for services and events that we directly provide to better the Harvard campus and the undergraduate community. This fund is completely separate from the grants budget. Money has not been transferred between the two funds; it will not be transferred between the two funds. Grants are completely safe.

The Crimson should be commended for describing the advances made by Brian Blais and Ed Smith over the last two semesters to produce better accountability in the Committee Fund. These problems will not recur. Again, though, these problems from previous councils do not in any way affect the grant allocations. --Stephen Weinberg, '99,   Grants Secretary,   Finance Committee