Last spring, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles organized a similar committee composed of students, faculty, and administrators but gave the group “no official status,” according to the students who authored the current recommendation.

Some council members called last night’s proposed committee superfluous.

Council veteran Adam M. Johnson ’02, one of the four who voted against the bill, said the council has a tendency to create unnecessary committees.

Groups composed of faculty and students, such as the Committee on House Life, already have the ability to deal with environmental issues, he said.

“Just because it’s good to help the environment doesn’t mean we have to create an institutionalized committee to show that we’re in favor of the environment,” Johnson said.

In other business, the council viewed a presentation from Gabriela Gonzalez ’03, manager of the student group Pulse, a division of the Harvard Advertising Club, on Springfest advertising plans.

The office of University President Lawrence H. Summers granted the group money to launch an advertising campaign to promote the event, to be held on April 27.

This year marks the first time Springfest has been professionally promoted.

“It’s a huge departure from past years,” Lee said.

—Staff writer William M. Rasmussen can be reached at wrasmus@fas.harvard.edu.