UC Disburses Thousands for Patagonia Sweaters, Care Packages in Emergency Meeting

Harvard’s Undergraduate Council directed more than $38,000 in funding towards clubs in an emergency meeting Sunday.

The Council called the meeting in order to pass the legislation, which Council leadership wrote in an email it deemed was necessary in order for clubs to function. Normally the Council does not meet during the Thanksgiving break.

The Council considered two pieces of legislation sponsored by Eliot representative and Finance Committee Chair Rukmini “Mini” Ganesh ’22. The legislation advocated for directing funds toward clubs that satisfied its requirements.

Some of these organizations included Harvard Undergraduate Capital Partners, which was awarded more than $2,000 to purchase apparel that the club argues is “necessary for community.” Other clubs, such as the Harvard Women’s Wrestling Club and the Korean Association, requested funding to provide care packages for members. Still more used the funds to pay for banquets and retreats; the Harvard Technology Review received $200 for a board retreat. And a few clubs, including the Harvard College in Asia Program, utilized the funding to pay for website upkeep.

Overall, the two pieces of legislation put $38,277.69 into clubs’ hands. In an email to The Crimson, Ganesh wrote that the Council has spent close to half of its budget for the 2020-21 academic year.

“Clubs host activities crucial to the Harvard experience and therefore deserve to receive funding,” both pieces of legislation read.

The acts passed via unanimous vote.

The Council has funded numerous clubs and organizations at Harvard this year to support virtual programming while classes are online due to the ongoing pandemic. While the Council previously signaled it expected to receive less funding to distribute to clubs this year due to hordes of students waiving the Student Activities Fee — which, among other destinations, funds the Council — the Council has its usual allocation of $500,000 to spend on club funding and Council initiatives.

—Staff writer Hannah J. Martinez can be contacted at hannah.martinez@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @martinezhannahj.