As budget-time approaches for this year's Undergraduate Council, the College's student government will be forced to fund more student groups with less money--and also with fewer options for raising money than councils in the past.

Council members say the results of last year's referendum--in which a slim majority of voters rejected a term bill increase--has restricted the options available to this year's council.

As a result, members are considering new options, like asking Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 to index the fee for inflation, or raising the fee for only incoming first-years.

But due to last year's referendum, many council members say they cannot adopt what many believe would be the most effective solution--raising the fee for all students.

And it remains to be seen whether council members will unite behind one of any of the options available for gaining increased funds.

"No one is sure what's going to happen," says Jeffrey A. Letalien '01, chair of the council's finance committee.

"Something has to happen," he adds. "I counted 130 grant applications the other day. There's no way to do the math so that people will be getting as much money as they had in recent years."

Bleeding Council