According to Lauren A. Wetzler '00, the other co-president of the Mock Trial Team and Pre-Law Society, insufficient funding is a constant source of concern for the team, which was forced to forego an important national tournament for which it had qualified.

After qualifying for the Silver Nationals tournament last year, Wetzler says it was obvious the team could not afford the transportation, accommodation and registration expenses associated with the competition in Minnesota.

She says the group's $500 in council funding--while well-appreciated--"doesn't...come close to funding" even the registration fees of smaller-scale competitions during the year.

In extensive meetings with Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, Wetzler says Epps advised the group to develop an alumni base from which to solicit funds. But Wetzler says the suggestion that a brand new group solicit funds from alumni is virtually impossible.

"It's a catch-22," she says. "It is particularly difficult for new teams like ours to start off."

College officials acknowledge that funds for student groups are insufficient.

"I do think that there are many student organizations and events that could constructively use more funding than they receive," writes Lewis in an e-mail message.

"The array of publications, performances, conferences, etc. that are sponsored by student groups, including new ones arising every year, is a source of pride for the College and a vehicle for education outside the classroom that is important to what students learn here," he writes.

But though everyone seems to agree that student groups deserve more funding, there is little consensus regarding where the funds should come from.

Funding: At What Price?

In a proposal issued to the College Administration this semester, Stewart recommended establishing an endowment of $2 million. The interest from this endowment would be used to fund student groups.

The plan arose in part because a survey showed that the most direct way of increasing student funding--raising term bill fees--was supported by only 44 percent of students.

Considering that "previous requests to the Administration had absolutely failed," Stewart says that "we had no choice but to raise the money ourselves" from alumni and other outside sources.

But soon after Stewart asked the Administration for permission to solicit alumni for donations for the endowment, Lewis proposed an alternate plan: $25,000 a year of direct University funding for groups.

Under the plan, groups will be able to apply for grants of $500 from the new fund, in addition to the average council grants of $250.