The Term Bill Referendum: A Plea

Beginning today and running through Wednesday, a referendum will take place on whether the Undergraduate Council term bill fee should be raised from $20 to $40. The voluntary term bill fee has not been increased in over 10 years, leading to a situation in which the council budget is well below what it needs to be in order to properly fund the multitude of student groups while providing campus-wide events and services like Springfest and the Thanksgiving and winter break shuttles. You may be reading this and asking yourself--What does the council do for me and why do they deserve more money?

Currently, the council budget is about $120,000 per year. With that money, we fund well over 100 student groups with average grants of approximately $300. In addition, we spend about $30,000 per year on Springfest, Yale-game events, holiday shuttles to the airport and the first-year Formal. Increasing the council's budget could provide $100,000 more for student groups while simultaneously adding about $20,000 to the other activities (the great majority of which would go to improving Springfest).

The council provides the biggest chunk of funding that numerous student groups on campus receive. Clearly, the need more money and raising the council's budget is the fastest way to provide them with that money. With more money the Black Students Association wouldn’t be forced to scramble to fund their upcoming hip-hop Conference or the South Asian Association could put on more events like Ghungroo which bring together the entire campus.

Students who don't actively participate in student groups will still feel the impact of the increased budget. On top of the better events that the student groups will be able to put together with more grant money, you'll benefit from an incredible Springfest, including a higher-priced and more popular band than we have had in the past, and more efficient and needed student services.

This money simply cannot come from alums or the University. University fundraising rules prohibit us from raising the type of large-scale endowment that would assist student groups at the same level that an increased term bill will. Even more importantly, using the council to do the funding maintains the current grants process. When a student group applies to the Harvard College Dean's Grants Fund, it is not guaranteed a grant, due to the specific qualifications imposed by the committee. The only restriction that the council places on student groups is that they are registered by the College. Since students have the choice of not paying the term bill fee, the council is kept accountable to undergraduates; under the rules of the council, as approved by the Faculty, that accountability means that we can keep our autonomy over the grants process and the events that we run.

Also, when thinking about voting, consider that every other Ivy League school has a term bill fee that is higher than ours; they run up to $200. Compared to $200, we think that an increase of $20 is a pretty fair deal. In addition, most schools do not have voluntary term bill fees.

Moreover, raising the term bill fee doesn't simply mean you will pay more to the council for better student group funding and services. The University is contributing to this money through financial aid, since the term bill is covered as part of tuition in financial aid packages. This means that the University will spend $63,000 more through financial aid for this effort, effectively increasing its commitment to student life at the same time that the student body does. A term bill increase is about more than students being willing to show their support; it is about the University doing its share for students. So, there's our case.

The council serves a very important purpose: funding student groups and creating campus-wide events and services. Because our budget has been the same for over a decade, we aren't as capable of accomplishing these tasks as we used to be. There are simply too many student groups to fund adequately at the current level, and events and services cost too much for us to provide with our present budget. We do not run a profit, and we never plan to. However, we need the money to turn back to campus.

Please think about these issues and vote yes on the referendum. Now through Wednesday: type ucvote at the fas% prompt on telnet and vote yes. Your student groups and your campus will thank you for it.

Noah Z. Seton '00 is the president of the Undergraduate Council and a government concentrator in Kirkland House. Kamil E. Redmond '00 is the vice-president of the Undergraduate Council and a history and literature and women's studies concentrator in Pforzheimer House. Sterling P. A. Darling Jr. '01 is the treasurer of the Undergraduate Council and a government concentrator in Currier House.