Four days after the term bill increase referendum failed, leaving next year's Undergraduate Council still strapped for funds, representatives argued last night over whether they should devote their limited resources to planning a blockbuster Springfest or to building a nest egg for student groups.

And during the course of the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, the council also announced how it will allocate over $46,000 in grants to 113 student groups.

The debate centered around $25,000 the council allocated last spring as symbolic "down payment" for a student center--plans for which have not materialized.

By a vote of 15-23-1, the council rejected a measure that would have allocated all of the $25,000 to the Campus Life Committee (CLC) for the purpose of bidding for a big-name band to play at Springfest.

Without opposition, the council then adopted a measure authorizing the CLC to submit non-binding bids for bands. A non-binding bid could be withdrawn if the council decided later not to appropriate the entire $25,000 for the band.

Council President Noah Z. Seton '00, who supported giving all of the money to the CLC for Springfest, said there had been a "good faith agreement" that the $25,000 would go to the CLC if the student center fell through.

"CLC was underfunded this year. It didn't get an amount that reflected what Springfest cost last year," Seton said.

But Kyle D. Hawkins '02, chair of the council's Finance Committee (FiCom) which gives out student group grants, defended his committee's importance.