As the Undergraduate Council's communications and finance committee begins processing its more than $36,000 in grant and loan requests from 38 campus organizations committee members will occasionally have to step aside when groups they are involved in come up for funding consideration

Developments

The council, now in its second year is the first student government to be charged with disbursing funds among student groups Undergraduate term bills yield the $15,000 for the student organizations as well as the council's other operating funds.

So it seems inevitable that student legislators considering the proposals of their peers, therefore, almost inevitably run into conflict, especially when these legislators are active or even charter members of other organizations.

This week, for example two such cases came up, when the committee heard proposals from the Athena Society a woman's social club, and the Democratic Club.

Felicra A. Eckstein '84 is a founding member of the Athena Society and co-chairman of C&P, and council member Vincent I Chang '84 is editor in chief of the club's publication. Perspective.

Eckstein said she abstained from the committee's discussion and vote on the Athena Society Chang said he faced no conflict at this particular meeting because he is not a member of the committee which appropriates grants.

But he said he will abstain from voting when the matter comes before the full council in several weeks.

"I don't feel it's conflict yet," said Chang "My position on the Democratic Club doesn't impair my position on the Student Services Committee," he added

One conflict last year arose when Caroline Lipson '84, then a C&P member, presented a request from the Mather House Committee which she also chairs

C&F rejected the $600 request for airfare to fly television host Richard Dawson to Cambridge to perform in Mather's version of the game show "Family Fend," because "didn't look precise enough" and was not an event that benefitted the entire University, according to Eckstein.

Lipson said that the presentation followed the usual procedure except that "the committee was a little more defensive about their objections".

After submitting a written application describing the organization and how the requested money well be used, organization representatives make a presentation before a subcommittee of C&F.

The committee then votes on funding the proposal and submits its decision as part of a recommended budget to the full council for final approval or amendment.

While the committee approved the Democratic Club's request for $225 to fund Perspective, it rejected the Athena Society's request on the grounds that the club was asking the council to "subsidize a private event" according to treasurer Eliot T. Kieval '84.