Council Grants Fall by 20 Percent

For the first time in recent memory, the Undergraduate Council voted last night to allot less than $100,000 to student groups--falling below a target figure that was a source of pride for the council.

During a protracted meeting last night, the Undergraduate Council approved a much smaller budget for the upcoming year. The most striking cuts came from the grants fund, which declined from about $119,000 last year to about $96,000, a decrease of almost 20 percent.

"This year the council is bleeding," representative Paul A. Gusmorino III '02 said. "All of the bleeding is being done by the grants fund."

Most of last night's debate centered on the psychological $100,000 barrier. John P. Marshall '01 sponsored an amendment to bring the grants fund to exactly $100,000, saying it had been a great accomplishment in the past.

"It was a big challenge to get us there," Marshall argued.

Council members searched for ways to exceed the $100,000 target, including taking money from the committee fund--which funds council-sponsored events like Springfest--or a special fund of money left over from two years ago when the council found $40,000 that had accumulated because of accounting oversights. That fund now totals only about $7,000.

"It probably won't be floating around for much longer, since we're spending it very quickly," former council treasurer Sterling P.A. Darling '01 told the council.

Justin A. Barkley '02 argued against any further reductions in the committee fund, saying that activities--Springfest and the First-Year Formal among others--are "the real stuff we do in council."

But Marshall, the measure's chief advocate, drew the line when David C. Rennard '03 asked Marshall to raise that amount so that the council could say it gave "over $100,000" in student grants.

In the end, Marshall's plan failed narrowly, 19-22, and the council allocated only about $96,000 for student grants. The council also cut the committee fund by about $7,000 from last year.

The other major debate last night focused on whether the council should grant an exemption to the attendance policy for members who attend the council lock-in, an all-night bonding experience planned for early next month.

Under the proposed plan, members would be granted a waiver for one absence from a regular meeting if they attended the lock-in.

"It's like taking a day off of work, and then getting paid to go to the company picnic," council secretary John F. Bash '03 said.

Eventually, the council decided to allow the waiver.

The council's new fiscal responsibility could be seen later in the night's last order of business, when after passing a bill setting up the council lock-in, President Fentrice D. Driskell '01 asked each member to bring a dollar to defray expenses.