Council Allocates Funds For Groups

The Undergraduate Council unanimously approved a $26,292 grants package for student groups for the spring semester at its meeting last night.

The council allocated funding to 104 student groups. Slightly fewer groups applied for grants this semester than last, and the council gave less money accordingly, council members said.

The finance committee, which decides how much to recommend for each group, was allocated $38,000 for this semester. Unspent funds will be transferred to the campus life committee.

Finance committee Vice-Chair Gregory M. Heestand '98 said is standard for the committee not to allocate all of its funds.

In addition, Treasurer Brain R. Blais '97 said approximately half of the money allocated for the first semester was never claimed. That money was also given to the campus life committee. he said.

"We don't keep a running total as we go along," Heestand said. "We just give what each group should receive. If we go over the amount we have allocated to us, we go over. If we go under, we go under."

The largest grant was allocated to the Harvard Computer Society, Which received the entire $800 it requested. Twenty of the groups requesting funds received nothing.

Among those disappointed were the Summer Homeless Program which requested $3800 and the World Model UN, which requested $2250. Neither group was given any funds.

Only four groups came to last night's meeting to protest their grants, however. Citystep, the Freshman Black Table, the Neuroscience Society and Point of Reference all requested and received increased funding.

Heestand said that the finance committee has reformed its process for deciding how much money to allocate to eachgroup.

"Basically what was done in the past is thateach member was assigned around twelve groups toresearch and advocate. That member then made arecommendation in front of the whole committee,"Heestand said.

"This semester we tried dividing into smallergroups to discuss the grants before they went infront of the whole committee," he added. "It'seasier to discuss in the smaller groups. We don'thave to deal with parliamentary procedure, we candiscuss more, compromise, make deals, whatever."

The net result of this change is that fundingwas given to groups that might not have been givenbefore, Heestand said.

"This way we can get a good view of what othercommittee members think, compromise more, andallocate additional funding that groups wouldn'thave gotten before," Heestand said.

Finance committee Chair Robert M. Hyman '98said the process has encouraged greaterparticipation by committee members in the grantsprocess.

"This is the most participatory financecommittee ever," Hyman said. "Everyone can beproud of what has happened tonight."

Hyman said, however, the small committeeprocess is not the only reform that the committeehas instituted this year.

"We've changed house committee funding,rearranged the grant books and changed office hourrequirements," Hyman said.

The council spent the bulk of the eveningdiscussing amendments to the grants, but Hymansaid that the number of groups protesting theFinance Committee's decisions only four wassmaller than it had been in the past.

"I think it is a good sign that fewer groupscame back tonight," Hyman said. "That means thatour recommendations were more appropriate

"Basically what was done in the past is thateach member was assigned around twelve groups toresearch and advocate. That member then made arecommendation in front of the whole committee,"Heestand said.

"This semester we tried dividing into smallergroups to discuss the grants before they went infront of the whole committee," he added. "It'seasier to discuss in the smaller groups. We don'thave to deal with parliamentary procedure, we candiscuss more, compromise, make deals, whatever."

The net result of this change is that fundingwas given to groups that might not have been givenbefore, Heestand said.

"This way we can get a good view of what othercommittee members think, compromise more, andallocate additional funding that groups wouldn'thave gotten before," Heestand said.

Finance committee Chair Robert M. Hyman '98said the process has encouraged greaterparticipation by committee members in the grantsprocess.

"This is the most participatory financecommittee ever," Hyman said. "Everyone can beproud of what has happened tonight."

Hyman said, however, the small committeeprocess is not the only reform that the committeehas instituted this year.

"We've changed house committee funding,rearranged the grant books and changed office hourrequirements," Hyman said.

The council spent the bulk of the eveningdiscussing amendments to the grants, but Hymansaid that the number of groups protesting theFinance Committee's decisions only four wassmaller than it had been in the past.

"I think it is a good sign that fewer groupscame back tonight," Hyman said. "That means thatour recommendations were more appropriate