On March 7, the Faculty Council voted to recommend raising the optional term-bill fee that provides funding for student groups from $20 to $35. Though the hike would overturn the result of last year's student referendum, the Faculty Council's decision is a good one, and the full Faculty should implement the recommendations at its next meeting.

The last time the term-bill fee was increased was 13 years ago, in 1988. The fee is channeled through the finance committee of the Undergraduate Council and used to fund student groups, which are sorely in need of greater funding. The combined effects of inflation and the huge increase since 1988 in the number of campus student groups have eroded the value of the $20 fee. The new $15 increase will help to alleviate financial constraints on organizations that have had to survive on increasingly smaller pieces of the council pie over the past 13 years.

While any increase in costs is always marked by opposition, particularly in light of the recent 3.5 percent tuition hike, this increase is a valuable one of which the effects will be immediately visible. Most undergraduates may not know where their $34,269 per year goes, especially in the context of Harvard's $19 billion-plus endowment, but they will be able to observe first-hand the results of more money for their on-campus organizations. Furthermore, the fee is optional, and students who choose not to pay it are by no means required to do so.

The Faculty Council also proposed that the Dean of the College be allowed to raise the term-bill fee in the future as he sees fit. Presently, any increase in the fee must be approved by a Faculty-wide vote. These future increases should be accepted as a necessary evil that would allow the fee to keep pace with inflation and afford student groups the opportunity to expand their operations. However, should this measure pass, we would call upon Lewis to exercise his new power only in consultation with the council.

Nobody likes having to pay even more for their education, but student groups on campus are worth the price. Just imagine what an extra $96,000 will bring.

Dissent

Stop Patronizing Students