Show Us More Money

The Undergraduate Council passed a budget last Sunday with a markedly smaller allocation to student groups. Granting money to these organizations is the council's most central duty to students, and the one it performs most effectively. Without more funds the council will be increasingly unable to carry out its mission in this regard. This is why the council should unilaterally raise the termbill as it proposed to do last year.

Although a termbill hike to $50 narrowly failed a student referenda last fall, the council should not hesitate to raise the termbill itself. A student government without enough money to perform its fundamental charge is no student government at all. And while the council has not been a shining example of representative government, it has reformed itself through down-sizing which resulted in more competitive elections this fall. An apathetic student body--voter turnout in the fall elections was predictably low--should not be allowed to slowly strangle the council out of existence by constricting its coffers.

A modest termbill increase would not be a hardship to students. If they strenuously object to the hike, students can simply opt out of the fee by checking off a box. And it is not as if the council has proposed recklessly raising the fee--the termbill remains unchanged since 1981. It has not even been adjusted for inflation. This means that every year students have been paying less money in terms of real purchasing power. Subsequently, the budget of the council has been shrinking for almost 20 years. This year, there is the possibility that the council will be unable to afford Springfest.

Students' knee-jerk reaction against paying higher fees is not a good judge of the value of extracurricular activities--mostly pursued through student organizations. Student groups provide a campus public good, a vital and diverse range of activities for students to become involved in. The fact that an almost overwhelming number of student groups apply for funds from the council every year is a signal of how important this aspect of the council is to students.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 should support the council if it decides to raise the termbill, and should urge the Faculty to pass the hike as well.

Students should not be allowed to divest themselves of the right to representative government. Like any representative government the council deserves the right to tax its constituency in order to raise revenue. If the students feel that raise is unfair they can choose not to pay, or they can oust their council representatives who supported the increase. In any case, the council urgently needs funds. It should do everything in its power to pass a hike immediately and seek the support and approval of Dean Lewis and the Faculty.