With blazing speed, the Undergraduate Council passed six resolutions at last night's meeting.

Among the legislation passed last night was a bill tabled at last week's meeting to provide block grants to all 12 house committees and the council's Freshman Caucus.

Debate on the bill centered around two amendments, one that would eliminate the stipulation that funds must be used for durable goods and another striking the requirement that committees get approval from the Campus Life Committee before spending the funds.

Council Member Elizabeth A. Haynes '98 said she felt the requirement for house committees to get Campus Life approval would be a necessary check.

"We only have so much money, and this is a big chunk," Haynes said. "Shouldn't we have this check? We don't fund houses, we fund undergraduates, and they just happen to live in the houses and yard dorms."

A number of council members, including council president Robert M. Hyman '98-'97, William H. Rehling '86-'96 and Christopher R. McFadden '97, who is also a Crimson editor, spoke out against this check on house committees' authority to spend the funds.

"My intent is that house committees shouldn't have to go to the Campus Life Committee and give detailed summaries of what they want to do," Hyman said. "I want to show we trust the house committees to do what's best."

Campus Life Committee Co-chair and declared candidate for the council's presidential elections next semester Rudd W. Coffey '97 said he disagreed with the bill as a whole because it would take too much money away from the Campus Life Committee.

"We're spending almost half of our budget on a blank check to the house committees," Coffey said.

Hyman said he disagreed with Coffey's appraisal of the effect the allocation would have on the Campus Life Committee.

"Rudd said this would be half of the budget. I don't know where these numbers are coming from. Maybe he's using the new math I haven't read about. If this passes, it's $8,000 out of a $40,000 budget," Hyman said.

Coffey said the bill was not fair because it allocated money equally to all houses whether or not they pursue fundraising on their own. He also said forcing the house committees to get Campus Life Committee approval would not be an undue burden on them.

"We're not the people who make people beg," Coffey said. "That's the Finance Committee."

McFadden said he thought Coffey was too pessimistic in his view of the bill and that committees should be given discretion in how they spend the funds.

"Let's keep the money as close to the people as possible," McFadden said. "Let's not give the Campus Life Committee the chance to say no."

As the bill was finally passed, house committees will not have to get approval from the Campus Life Committee and will not be forced to spend the money on durable goods.