Council Member Questions Fund Use

In an Undergraduate Council meeting filled with sentimental thank-yous and pride at its accomplishments this semester, several council members expressed regret last night at having allocated more than $10,000 for two campus concerts that never took place.

Last October, the council narrowly approved a bill increasing funding for the Harvard Concert Commission (HCC) for three concerts this academic year. The council had previously set aside $5,000 for October’s Dispatch concert, which was held on schedule.

But after false-starts and wrangling with College administrators, the HCC never held either of the events for which the council had given it an extra $10,000 in the fall.

“I guess I regret that decision,” said council member P.K. Agarwalla ’03 during the meeting. “I just wanted to remind [the council] of what they did.”

But Council President and HCC head Sujean S. Lee ’03 said the money was necessary and was “not a waste.”

“We needed some flexibility to use that money as needed for a concert,” she said.

The unused $10,000 remains in the council’s general bank account but the HCC still has control over how it gets spent, Lee said. In the future, she said, the commission will likely plan its concerts for an entire year and ask the council to allocate money one event at a time.

Also last night the council passed a number of measures to improve its own technology, add class social events for sophomores and juniors and expand next year’s autumn festival.

The council decided to hire a technology developer to revamp its Internet-based services—including the council’s website, its campus voting system, UC Marketplace, UC Books and the UC Events Calendar.

The developer, an undergraduate or team of students who will be paid up to $5,000, will be hired over the summer by the Technology Improvement Task Force created by last night’s bill.

Council Technology Coordinator Jared S. Morgenstern ’03, who introduced the bill, said all council technology should be overhauled in “a one-time effort” to improve its infrastructure.

“I want to make it maintainable by someone who isn’t technically savvy,” he said.

The amount allocated for the developer comes from Morgenstern’s estimate of the number of hours it will take to fix the council’s ailing technology—about 200—and what he said was the typical wage paid to students with computer and web expertise, about $25 an hour.

The $5,000 figure represents a cap on the council’s budget for the developer. Initially Morgenstern had suggested offering that sum up front, but an amendment to the bill said the job would go to the lowest bidder instead.

“We’re subjecting a little market-based competition,” said council member Brian C. Grech ’03.

In other legislation, the council followed up on a proposal to extend the tradition of senior reunions in Annenberg Hall, where the class gathers for champagne in the spring, to sophomores and juniors as well.

Last night the council approved the text of a letter it plans to send to Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans, who would have to approve use of the first-year dining hall for the events.

“It just allows me to say that I have the voice of the council behind this idea,” said James C. Coleman ’03, who sponsored the bill.

The council also passed by universal acclimation a bill of “Official Congratulations and Appreciation” for Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles, who will step down July 1.

In an effort to create an expanded version of Fallfest—to be called Fall Feast— the council allocated $10,000 for the event, most of which will go to student groups to provide food.

“I’d like to be able to fund every student group that applies,” said Jessica R. Stannard-Friel ’04, who co-sponsored the bill.

In an annual tradition, the council honored two of its seniors for their devotion to student government—James R. Griffin ’02 and Brian R. Smith ’02.

—Staff writer Claire A. Pasternack can be reached at cpastern@fas.harvard.edu.