Committee Delays Term Bill Fee Discussion

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 proceeded Friday with his plan to raise the student activities fee on the term bill by pitching the idea to the Committee on College Life, which he chairs.

However, Lewis delayed final approval of the plan, which would then go to a full vote of the Faculty, because of a shortage of committee members. Although the committee had a quorum, Lewis said he was hesitant to pass the proposal without any House Masters or Faculty representatives present.

"Since the Faculty members were unable to attend the meeting, we'll have to consult them before moving this proposal forward," Lewis wrote in an e-mail message.

Only the four student representatives, Coordinator of Student Activities Susan T. Cooke, Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth '71 and Assistant Dean of the College Judith Kidd attended the meeting.

In a nearly hour-long discussion, the committee members present agreed that it would be reasonable to raise the term bill fee from the current $20 to $35.

Lewis also expressed his desire to see the Faculty change the mechanism to raise the fee by giving his office the power "to at least make inflationary adjustments."

The optional fee, which the Undergraduate Council uses to fund its activities and to provide funding to student groups, has not been raised since 1988. Over that time, inflation and a doubling of the number of student groups requesting money have eroded the council's spending power.

Lewis announced this fall that, although a student referendum to raise the fee narrowly failed in the spring, he was proceeding to raise the term bill fee. The council last week passed a resolution in support of his move.

Committee members noted that the student activities fees at other Ivy League institutions are substantially higher than Harvard's--allowing those campuses to fund better social life.

For example, they cited Columbia's fee, which is $300 per student and is mandatory.

Staff writer Garrett M. Graff can be reached at ggraff@fas.harvard.edu.