Grant Spurs Controversy

A seemingly straightforward grants package sparked controversy over the interpretation of the Undergraduate Council’s (UC) non-discrimination policy at last night’s UC meeting.

$300 was allocated to a Women in Tenure event to be hosted by the Seneca, a non-profit women’s organization that the University does not recognize as an official student group. The Women in Tenure event, however, is co-sponsored by over 25 other groups on campus, including recognized organizations such as Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business.

Tara Gadgil ’07, who is a member of the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) and the Seneca, opened the debate floor by arguing that the event should receive the full $1500 grant that it requested from the UC, instead of the $600 that they received.

“[The Women in Tenure event] is providing a very valuable service, and the event is open to the entire undergraduate community,” Gadgil said. She was then joined by fellow Seneca member and newly-elected representative Jennifer L. Lykken ’07 on the floor.

Financial Committee (FiCom) members Samita A. Mannapperuma ’06 and Parvinder S. Thiara ’07 said that the Seneca presented itself as the main sponsor of the event and that the event’s choice of the Faculty Club, a relatively small venue, is expensive and inappropriate for a campus-wide event.

President of the Seneca Jane Kim ’05 later told The Crimson that the Seneca chose the Faculty Club because of extensive bookings and scheduling conflicts in larger spaces such as the Science Center.

“The Faculty Club, with a seated capacity of 150, is the largest space we could find that is within our means and appropriate for a panel discussion and reception to foster continued discourse,” Kim wrote in an e-mail.

The debate heated up as Justin R. Chapa ’05 spoke against the grant, amid protests from dissenting representatives.

“This is a discriminatory organization that’s sponsoring this event,” he said.

Although the grant had already been sent back to FiCom once for reconsideration, the UC eventually voted to send it back again.

SAC Chair Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06 said he thinks the debate raises issues about the UC’s “procedural problem” when it comes to giving out money to student groups.

“It [the debate] was indicative of a larger problem that we need to get at the heart of,” Chadbourne said, adding that he hopes the Reform Committee, which was formed last week to investigate structural changes to the UC, will look into this problem.

The newly-appointed Chair of the Reform Commission Jonathan D. Einkauf ’06 informed the UC at the beginning of last night’s meeting that he would be contacting every member this week to solicit their views on what does and doesn’t work in their organization.

“Everything is on the table,” Einkauf said, even the removal of the office of President and Vice President.

“We’re considering every idea, and no idea at this point is off-limits,” he said.

The Reform Commission is set to make its proposal sometime around Spring Break.

Also at last night’s meeting, the UC voted to allocate $30,000 for a spring concert, to be given in April. Although the bill passed, some representatives raised questions about the fiscal responsibility of UC-funded concerts.

Chapa proposed an amendment stipulating that the concert, if all tickets were sold, would break even. The amendment failed to pass.

“It is obviously in our interest to be as financially responsible as possible to break even,” said Lauren Epstein ’07, who is chair of the Campus Life Committee (CLC). But Epstein added that subsidizing student ticket costs to fund the event was worth the UC funds.

The Harvard Concert Commission is currently courting a list of 26 groups including Franz Ferdinand, Wyclef Jean, and George Clinton. The list is subject to change during the bidding period.

In other council business, the UC voted last night to support a mental health fair put on by Community Health Initiative in partnership with University Health Services. The UC voted not only to help promote the event, but also to contribute volunteer hours at the fair, which is set for April 9.

—Staff writer Liz C. Goodwin can be reached at goodwin@fas.harvard.edu.