Last fall, I co-sponsored a referendum that would have moved the council in this direction. It would have allowed students the chance to directly increase the council's allocation to student groups. Unfortunately, accusations of 'politics' were thrown about in an attempt to subvert the will of the student body.
By moving the date of the vote, the opponents of the proposal managed to defeat it by artificially lowering turnout. Even so, more than 70 percent of those voting wanted to give more money to student groups.
It's time to give students a voice in how their money is spent. Perhaps when the council's general elections are held this fall we can actually vote to determine where our money is going. It's time students had a say in the council's budget priorities.
Only then can it truly claim to represent the will of the students body. Only then will it gain legitimacy in the eyes of the students.
Michael O'Mary, a sophomore living in Quincy House, is the Director of Student Group Issues for the Undergraduate Council.
The audience for God Street Wine numbered no more than 300. This amounts to a subsidy of almost $30 per person.