Council Pulls Rug From Under Bill

In the last meeting of its 16th spring session, the Undergraduate Council reprimanded the administration for assigning financial responsibility for a rug stolen from the Straus Hall Common Room to the dorm's residents.

But the same council that "strongly urges" the administration to assume the cost of the rug amended the bill to avoid assuming the cost themselves.

"This bill has been emasculated," said Justin D. Lerer '99, who is Crimson editor. Lerer resigned sponsorship of the bill.

"If you at all believe that the U.C. is representative of the student body, we just demonstrated that students here aren't willing to pitch in and redress an injustice done to other students," Benjamin A. Rahn '99 later wrote in an e-mail.

The allocation for $1,600 was removed by members who said students should be responsible for the areas around their dorms, that the council risked assuming responsibility for all such thefts and that all students should not be responsible for the rug.

"I don't think by paying for this we're sending the administration a message," said Travis D. Wheatley '99.

In other business, the council unanimously passed a bill urging the Faculty to cap concentration requirements at 16. Bill sponsors said they hope this will encourage departments and degree committees to consider requirements more carefully.

Council President Beth A. Stewart '00 announced this semester's President's Awards for council members.

Steve W. Chung '01, Ryan E. Dorris '00, Alison F. Egan '01, William M. Jay '98, Lerer, Bryan E. McKrell '98, Rahn, Ann E. Schneider '99 and C.E. Ted Wright '01 received President's Awards.

Alexandra C. Budabin '00, Emma C. Cheuse '99 and Evelyn H. Sung '00 received Stewart's Octopus Award--purple octopus hats--for reaching out to students not on the council.

Stewart also initiated John Paul Rollert '00 and Noah Z. Seton '00 into the council Hall of Fame for their work on the Dining Services Task Force and Coop book prices.

Stewart gave the Rudd W. Coffey '97 Memorial Award to Mark A. Price '98 for his dedication to the council when he served as vice president during 1997.