Council Doles Out Student Group Funding

Four days after the term bill increase referendum failed, leaving next year's Undergraduate Council still strapped for funds, representatives argued last night over whether they should devote their limited resources to planning a blockbuster Springfest or to building a nest egg for student groups.

And during the course of the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, the council also announced how it will allocate over $46,000 in grants to 113 student groups.

The debate centered around $25,000 the council allocated last spring as symbolic "down payment" for a student center--plans for which have not materialized.

By a vote of 15-23-1, the council rejected a measure that would have allocated all of the $25,000 to the Campus Life Committee (CLC) for the purpose of bidding for a big-name band to play at Springfest.

Without opposition, the council then adopted a measure authorizing the CLC to submit non-binding bids for bands. A non-binding bid could be withdrawn if the council decided later not to appropriate the entire $25,000 for the band.

Council President Noah Z. Seton '00, who supported giving all of the money to the CLC for Springfest, said there had been a "good faith agreement" that the $25,000 would go to the CLC if the student center fell through.

"CLC was underfunded this year. It didn't get an amount that reflected what Springfest cost last year," Seton said.

But Kyle D. Hawkins '02, chair of the council's Finance Committee (FiCom) which gives out student group grants, defended his committee's importance.

"There is no other organization on campus run completely by undergraduates that gives out money completely to undergraduates," said Hawkins, who is also a Crimson editor.

Given that the council will be short on cash next year, some members said allocating $25,000 to one event was inappropriate.

"I don't want this to be blown on one Springfest," said Todd E. Plants '01, an Eliot House representative.

Other council members argued against the one-time allocation, saying that the money--which is part of $40,000 discovered last fall in the council's bank accounts--had been accumulated over several years.

"This money was from more than one year. To spend it all in one year is fiscally irresponsible," said Jeffrey A. Letalien '00, a Quincy House representative.

Now, with $4,600 in its coffers, the CLC is charged with bidding for bands that students picked as their favorites in a campus-wide survey conducted last spring, said committee co-chair Stephen N. Smith '02.

He would not specify the bands, citing the ongoing bidding process.

On Jan. 9, at the council's final meeting of the term, the CLC will report back to the council on the results of the bidding process.

Council Vice President Kamil E. Redmond '00 said she was "fairly confident" the council could raise $10,000 from corporations and other student groups to fund Springfest.

But in the past, the College has been wary of allowing the council to acquire private endorsements for the spring event.

Also last night, the council adopted FiCom's recommendations for how to disperse grant money to student groups.

The council gave out over $41,000 from its own funds and decided which groups would get the equivalent of over $4,500 of food donated by Harvard University Dining Services.

One-term grants for the past semester averaged about $250, and year-long grants averaged about $500.

The allocations went largely unchallenged, although the council voted down several motions by Michael A. Hill '02, a Winthrop House representative, to increase funding for the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters' Alliance (BGLTSA).

Hill is the co-chair of BGLTSA.

"We don't say how much can we squeeze each group down to. We say how much can we possibly give this group," said FiCom vice-chair John P. Marshall '01, a Pforzheimer House representative.

Next year, the squeeze may prove even tighter.

This year, FiCom has about $107,000 to allocate to student groups. But next year, the committee will have only $91,000, according to Seton.

This is because new accounting processes are not expected to produce unforeseen windfalls such as the ones that inflated the council's budget this year, council members have said. In addition, every year fewer students decide not to pay their term bill.

Under the current criteria, grants are given to student groups to help them pay off their debts.

Council Treasurer Sterling P. A. Darling '01, who described the failure of the term-bill increase like "someone tapping on the house of cards," said he thinks the council needs to rethink its rules for grants--especially with the tightening financial situation next year.

The current system gives preference to student groups that need to pay off debts.

"To say to a student group, 'We'll only give you money if you don't have any money,' doesn't encourage them to be solvent," he said.