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Charging undergraduate organizations for the rehearsal use of College buildings may be justified, but permitting exemptions for some and not for others don't quite make sense. The Glee Club, the Band, and the Orchestra use Sever and Sanders Theatre without charge, while everyone else must pay for the evening lighting, heating, and janitor service.
This "discrimination" started back when President Lowell exempted the Glee Club from the fees in order to help their shaky financial position. The Band picked up the privilege before the war and later so did the orchestra. Unfortunately, those who must now pay for evening rehearsal time are the least able to. The two theatre groups which have produced this fall have been in the hole upwards of a thousands dollars.
The Faculty Committee on Student Activities has realized the situation and is recommending that all charges be abolished for rehearsal time in University buildings. Only rehearsals continuing past 11 p.m. and those in Fogg Museum will be billed if the proposal is accepted.
At present, the University "subsidizes" the Band, Glee Club, and Orchestra almost five hundred dollars every year. The new plan requires two thousand more annually from the Arts and Sciences fund. While this is a sizeable sum, the boost to undergraduates activities seems well worth it.
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