Budget Fight

Embroiled in the election chaos was the debate over the council's annual $120,000 budget, which divided many of the candidates and the council.

Relations between two of the council's committees, the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) and the Campus Life Committee (CLC), became increasingly strained.

Many people on Campus Life feared that larger allocations to the student group grants fund would cripple the ability of the CLC to plan a variety of events.

"Are we going to be a committee that only manages Yalegate, Springfest and the Levensons? Is that going to be our only responsibility?" said spring CLC co-chair Catherine D. Rucker '99, referring to popular student events and a prize for undergraduate teaching.

Hyman represented the opposing side.

"By and large, these events are just traditional money losers. [The budget] is a move in the right direction," in its proposal to grant more money to student groups, he said.

Election season widened the council split, due to a proposed budget referendum to increase the student group share of the budget sponsored by candidates Rawlins and O'Mary.

Had the referendum passed and been incorporated into the council constitution, the minimum budget allocation would have climbed from 60 percent to 65 percent of the council's total budget. Block grants to houses would also have been guaranteed in the constitution.

After the council voted to hold the referendum just days after the presidential and vice presidential elections in an attempt to depoliticize the referendum, it failed to get the necessary 25 percent student turnout.

"It is a shame that the referendum was toyed with and delayed," Rawlins said. "I am confident that if we'd had all of the elections at the same time, the U.C. constitution would now stand amended."

Many council members felt the budget debate dominated the council's agenda.

"This year can be summed up by dollars, unfortunately," said CLC co-chair Sena.

However, Sena also praised Rawlins's administration for uniting the council after the fall's bitter debates.

"The council has come a long way from the budget debates in the fall," Sena said. "You have to credit Lamelle for making sure everyone stayed involved."