Council Votes to Investigate UHS

It was smooth sailing for the Undergraduate Council last night, as all members present voted to allocate money to House committees and to form a task force to investigate University Health Services (UHS) complaints.

Next week, however, the council is scheduled to take up a proposal that, in extending the current president's term by a semester, could raise more controversy.

The grant resolution gives each House committee $500 and also allocate $2,000 to the council's first-year caucus for events like the first-year formal.

Although the council has funded House committees for three or four years, this is the first year that the funds will be available to the committees at the beginning of the year.

In the past, the council treasurer has reimbursed House committees for expenditures, which required committees to save receipts.

The council also unanimously appointed council member Noah Z. Seton '00 to head up a task force to investigate student concerns regarding UHS.

Seton said the task force is "exploratory", and will try to fill a gap in the council's understanding.

"The Undergraduate Council has never researched this in the past, at least in the three years that I've been here," he said.

Five other council members, who have not yet been appointed, will join Seton in the task force's semester-long investigation.

Heads of the council's committees also reported on the status of their business last night.

Finance Chair Alison F. Egan '01 said that around 120 student groups had applied for council grants, with an average request of $667 for those applying for semester grants and $1,034 for those applying for yearlong grants. Finance committee members will interview group leaders about their requests beginning tomorrow.

Student Affairs Committee Chair John Paul Rollert '00 announced representatives to the student-faculty committees.

Sterling P.A. Darling '01, Benjamin O. Shuldiner '99 and Chad A. Wathington '00 will server on the Committee on Campus Life.

Trevor S. Blake '00 C.J. Mahoney '00 and Eric M. Nelson '00 will server on the Committee on House Life.

Noah R. Freeman '99, Kamil E. Redmond '00 and Steven N. Smith '02 will serve on the Committee on Undergraduate Education.

James T. Grimmelmann '99 and Sarah K. Hurwitz '99 will serve on the Sub-Committee on the Core.

Rabia s. Belt '01 Alison D. Kent '99 and Benjamin A. Rahn '99 will serve on the Committee on Advising and Counseling.

Rachel E. Barber '99 and Justin D. Lerer '99 will server on the FAS Libarary Committee, while Vladmir A. Kleyman '02 Steven J. Mitby '99 and Jimmy Zha '02 will server on the Commission of Inquiry.

Nicholas J. Stone '00 will represent the council on the Athletics Committee, the Candice T. Player '02 will server on the Loker Commons Committee.

Choppier Waters Ahead?

Though this week's council meeting was ruled by unanimity, a resolution docketed for next week may stir up controversy.

The resolution, sponsored by council President Beth A. Stewart '00, would move presidential and vice presidential elections to April so that the one-year term would begin in the fall, instead of in January, as it currently does.

The Student Affairs Committee recommended the resolution by a very narrow margin last week.

If the resolution passes, elections would still be held in December for a president to serve in the spring term--as the current constitution dictates--but elections would also be held in April for a president and vice president to take office next fall.

After this transition period, every president and vice president would serve the standard one-year term.