Getting Grants Straight

As most undergraduates gear up to shop classes during the start of second semester, two students will tackle pursuits of a different nature. Rohit Chopra '04 and Jessica R. Stannard-Friel '04, the new president and vice-president of the Undergraduate Council, begin their work in earnest this week and at the top of their to-do list should be the ordering of the council’s finances. Any future success depends on a healthy budget, and as long as the council keeps wasting money in its liberal grants process, it will be at a loss to get adequate finances for its own programming.

While we recognize that the council funds are instrumental in supporting dozens of student groups, the process through which the grants are distributed is in need of substantial reform. Not only does the council dole out a significant portion of its funds to tiny groups that have a negligible impact on improving student life, but it does so with little follow-up or long-term planning. While subsidizing the Tetris Society may bring joy to a handful of students, it does little to advance the council’s goal of serving the interests of the campus at large.

While the council’s recent grants guidelines have tried to take a student group’s size and impact into consideration, the resulting grant awards have not reflected that priority. Instead, the council has routinely allocated money ineffectively. Groups with few projects, events or even members have used the council as an endless source of money.

Instead of trying to allocate money to as many groups as possible, the council should give special consideration to groups with the broadest impact. It is admittedly difficult to objectively evaluate a student group’s value to the campus, but we elect council members to make these difficult decisions, and they should be sure that expenditures are justified.

The problem is compounded by limited accountability; in past years, the council hasn’t had an effective mechanism to ensure that its funds are used for their intended purposes. These conditions are ripe for potentially fraudulent applications or funding for non-existent events, and this appearance of loose financial controls should be ended immediately. Proposals that have surfaced to ask groups for their receipts, or to convene an audit committee are promising, but this reform calls for more swift and decisive action from council leaders.

Currently, the council’s semester-based operational grants program awards money at the start of the term, but this model can be updated by looking to other campus groups for potential models. The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations provides reimbursements only after the activities have been completed. The Phillips Brooks House Association conducts extensive meetings with recipients after their grants have been distributed. And while the council needs to substantially restructure its grant guidelines, the changes should not limit its ability to give specialized considerations to each proposal’s financial needs.

In order to maintain this accountability for the long term, the council should collect groups’ membership information, past years’ projects and funding history in one centralized database that can be accessible to both council members and other interested students. Moving to such a public disclosure system would inspire confidence in the grants process and increase transparency. A centralized web-based system could also compile a schedule of all council sponsored events into one main calendar—better informing students about the events they are paying to support.

A successful overhaul of the council’s current grants process can serve the dual role of changing the attitude of many student groups who view council’s resources as an endless money tree, as well as providing better advertising and organization for student group activities. Chopra and Stannard-Friel have their work cut out for them in this effort, but by building on the work that was started by last year’s finance committee, they can restore the council’s financial footing. If they act quickly and comprehensively, they can ensure that finances will not be an impediment to council success, and they can set the groundwork for a productive first term.