Most Candidates Support Fee Hike

A slim majority of candidates for Undergraduate Council president this year support Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis' decision to seek a unilateral term bill raise, even though a student referendum to raise the fee failed narrowly last year.

But two candidates for the post--Justin A. Barkley '02 and B.J. Averell '02--say they opposed the decision and intend to make it a major issue in next week's presidential election.

Lewis announced last week that he will seek to raise the term bill fee, even without a referendum of student support. He will propose the increase at next week's Committee on College Life meeting.

Every year since 1983, the council has been funded the same way: through an optional $20 term bill fee. But because of inflation, that money only buys 60 percent of what it did in 1983. Adjusted for inflation, the term bill fee would now be $33.50.

Some candidates now say the council's financial situation is dire enough to justify Lewis' decision to propose the hike.

But other candidates have objected to the spirit of Lewis' actions--even while admitting that the council's finances threaten its legitimacy.

Barkley introduced a resolution this week in the council's Student Affairs Committee (SAC) asking Lewis not to raise the fee.

"The UC is abdicating its duty to represent students by not demanding that this go to a referendum," he says.

The resolution failed overwhelmingly in committee. Barkley's vice presidential running mate, Adam M. Johnson '02, said that its failure stemmed from the council's desire to avoid the issue.

"They don't want this to come up in council because they want Dean Lewis to do their dirty work for them," Johnson said.

Paul A. Gusmorino '02, chair of SAC, condemned the University's stance on student group funding, but said he felt Lewis' actions might be necessary to insure the council has sufficient funding

"Students are right to feel outrage at this. While the University can spend $4 million to place a crown atop Memorial Hall, their pockets are curiously empty when it comes to students. I think that's shameful," he said.

A slim majority of the council presidential candidates say that a referendum would never pass the student body.

"When given the option to pay a certain fee on their term bill or to have that fee raised, even if it is in their best interests, students are going to choose to pay less," said Averell, who nevertheless opposes a term bill hike.

Averell said the reasoning behind Lewis' actions are complicated.

"Dean Lewis' actions simply serve to show the low opinion in which the UC is held by both the students and the administration," Averell said.

Averell said his candidacy, along with that of running-mate Amias M. Gerety '02, provided the chance to send Lewis a strong message about the council.

"Amias and I, by rocking the vote, will show the administration that students can care about the UC, and will bring more tangible benefits to the students," he said.

Matthew Zanotelli '02 has proposed a more radical solution to the council's funding problems.

In his platform, he and his vice presidential candidate, John F. Bash '03, advocate the creation of another optional term bill fee which would go towards an interest-bearing council endowment.

"Then the normal self-righteous response by the UC saying how students' interests weren't being taken into account, everyone will yell at everyone else, I will look at my watch, and 2 hours later we will be right back where we started," he said. "Dean Lewis will raise the term bill, and I support it."

Presidential candidate Stephen N. Smith '02 also supports the term bill hike, partly because he believes that a student referendum is too cumbersome.

"One of the reasons why it has never risen, is because the mechanism for changing it was ill-defined," Smith said. "The change is long overdue."

--Staff writer Garrett M. Graff '03 can be reached at ggraff@fas.harvard.edu.