A BIGGER PIE

While these type of concerts do take up a large portion of the budget, Capp says that the termbill hike means that there is a larger pie from which the council can draw to fund everyone.

“I don’t think it’s a strict tradeoff between HoCos and student groups,” Capp says. “The net effect of the termbill increase is that more money is going to both.”

Student groups—including the Harvard Democrats and the Harvard Republicans which this year requested the largest grants—have been, for the most part, pleased with their funding.

“I know the UC has gotten a lot more requests because people feel entitled due to the termbill hike,” says Harvard Dems Treasurer Angie A. Guerrero ’05.

While her group received $1,000 less than they requested this semester for election-related projects, Guerrero says she was happy with the funding: “It ended up working out well for us.”

“The UC has been generous,” says Vijay Yanamadala ’07, who is treasurer of Dharma, another major grant recipient. “We didn’t get what we requested, but it’s understandable.”

Student group leaders praise the council’s decision to make the grant process more efficient by making it a weekly cycle, instead of a once-a-semester endeavor.

Harvard Republican Club spokeswoman Lauren K. Truesdell ’06 says she thinks the new cycle “ensures that students follow through with their projects.”

“With semester lump amounts, it’s easier to overestimate,” Truesdell says. “And that takes away from funding other student groups.”

—Staff writer Elena P. Sorokin can be reached at sorokin@fas.harvard.edu.