Council Decides Grants, Chair Defends Conduct

Undergraduate Council members expressed their concerns last night over last week's allegations that Council Chair Michael P. Beys '94 and other council members misalloted $3,000 in October.

The council devoted a segment late in its meeting to discuss the allotment of corporate donations from last spring's Rock for Shelter concert to Phillips Brooks House (PBH).

But the council got an early taste of the heated question and answer session which was to follow last night's grant distribution.

After making introductory remarks about the grant proposal session, council Treasurer Carey W. Gabay '94 acknowledged "rumors of an impeachment process" circulating around the council that called for Beys to step down.

In an impassioned defense of Beys and the decision to allot the $3,000 to PBH last October, Gabay said "I will resign if an impeachment process is carried forward."

Beys then defended his own actions, saying he had consulted then-Vice Chair Malcolm A. Heinicke '93 and then-Chair David A. Aronberg '93 after being lobbied by PBH Homeless Chair Christopher J. Davidson '95.

But later, during the question and answer session, Aronberg said he had never been consulted on the decision to give the $3,000 to PBH, and learned of the decision only from a Crimson reporter.

"Could Mike have done things better? Yes. Did he do something illegal? No. I believe he acted in good faith," said Aronberg, who was chair when the money was allotted in October.

Heinicke, who on Thursday could not confirm cosigning the $3,000 check with Beys, said last night that he was the co-signer of the check.

Near the beginning of the meeting, Beys told the coun- cil that he had twice used the world "blackmail" in reference to Davidson's lobbying, once in the Crimson Sports Grille and then again in a council social committee meeting. But he said "I misused the word and I took it back in a formal setting."

Council members David L. Duncan '93, and Melissa Garza '94 pressed Beys on his motives for directing the money to PBH. Duncan asked Beys if the decision to allot the money had "nothing to do with your vice chair election?"

"No, No," answered Beys.

Following this exchange early in the meeting, the council engaged in a lengthy grant approval session. But the representatives returned their focus to the issue of the $3,000 allotment with a question and answer session to flesh out the facts.

Beys said he was upset "about the distrust and cynicism on this council" evident from the debate.

Randall A. Fine '96, chair of the council's reevaluation committee, said he felt the same dissension within the council.

"I sort of feel like we're in a room of vultures," Fine said.

But council members expressed frustration that they had not been consulted in the October decision.

"I feel really bad," Garza told the council. "We should have known where the $3,000 went."

"I think this is an elitist institution," Garza said. "We're back to [the fact that] Mike [Beys] and Malcolm [Heinicke] knew. I feel there's an old boy's network."

She said that "Not all checks are $3,000...we are debating why this money was dispensed with the knowledge of three council members and not the full knowledge of the council."

Duncan asked, "Why wasn't this discussed?" He added that the timing of the decision "was right before the [council's October] election" in which beys lost the race for vice chair.

Beys responded that allotting the funds "was my job. It was an appropriation."

And when Duncan asked Beys why he "couldn't have waited a week," the chair said. "Yes I could have taken [the check] to the executive board. But we don't take every check to the executive board," Beys said.

Beys produced the minutes of the October 18, 1992 council meeting, which stated that "Beys announced...$3,500 went to the homeless shelters through corporate sponsorships."

The minutes were dated the same day as the council's October election, indicating that the check had been written before Beys presented himself for election.

Beys said in response to Duncan's question about when he had signed the check that he had done so "three or four days" before the council's October election.

Stokes: Allotment 'Not Unethical'

Rock for Shelter co-chair Tracy H. Stokes '95, who last week was one of the first to express anger over the allotment to PBH, said she thought that the council's allotment was "not unethical.

Council members David L. Duncan '93, and Melissa Garza '94 pressed Beys on his motives for directing the money to PBH. Duncan asked Beys if the decision to allot the money had "nothing to do with your vice chair election?"

"No, No," answered Beys.

Following this exchange early in the meeting, the council engaged in a lengthy grant approval session. But the representatives returned their focus to the issue of the $3,000 allotment with a question and answer session to flesh out the facts.

Beys said he was upset "about the distrust and cynicism on this council" evident from the debate.

Randall A. Fine '96, chair of the council's reevaluation committee, said he felt the same dissension within the council.

"I sort of feel like we're in a room of vultures," Fine said.

But council members expressed frustration that they had not been consulted in the October decision.

"I feel really bad," Garza told the council. "We should have known where the $3,000 went."

"I think this is an elitist institution," Garza said. "We're back to [the fact that] Mike [Beys] and Malcolm [Heinicke] knew. I feel there's an old boy's network."

She said that "Not all checks are $3,000...we are debating why this money was dispensed with the knowledge of three council members and not the full knowledge of the council."

Duncan asked, "Why wasn't this discussed?" He added that the timing of the decision "was right before the [council's October] election" in which beys lost the race for vice chair.

Beys responded that allotting the funds "was my job. It was an appropriation."

And when Duncan asked Beys why he "couldn't have waited a week," the chair said. "Yes I could have taken [the check] to the executive board. But we don't take every check to the executive board," Beys said.

Beys produced the minutes of the October 18, 1992 council meeting, which stated that "Beys announced...$3,500 went to the homeless shelters through corporate sponsorships."

The minutes were dated the same day as the council's October election, indicating that the check had been written before Beys presented himself for election.

Beys said in response to Duncan's question about when he had signed the check that he had done so "three or four days" before the council's October election.

Stokes: Allotment 'Not Unethical'

Rock for Shelter co-chair Tracy H. Stokes '95, who last week was one of the first to express anger over the allotment to PBH, said she thought that the council's allotment was "not unethical.