“The U.C. doesn’t know whether a termbill increase will be covered by financial aid. There are just no facts,” Barro says. “Students take a big risk in voting to make the fee mandatory without knowing whether or not Harvard will cover it.”

Director of Financial Aid for the Faculty of Arts and Science Sally Donahue says it remains unclear on whether an increase would be covered in financial aid packages.

“If the fee were to be come mandatory then we would have to have a discussion with [Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby’s] office,” Donahue says. “We really can’t just increase that amount we’re projecting without going through the normal channels.”

“Our main concern is that students be able to stay here without undue financial stress,” she adds.

But in an e-mail sent to bill co-sponsor Teddy E. Chestnut ’06 and acquired by The Crimson, a financial aid officer writes that a mandatory fee will become part of the cost of attendance and thus, eligible as part of a student’s financial aid package.

Students will vote on this issue of making the fee mandatory in a referendum question separate from the fee hike question.

Aside from money management, Barro also questions the council’s ability to assess accurately what students want.

But Anello says the additional funding would allow the council to respond better to student demands through more adequately funding grant requests made by student groups.

In a position paper, the proponents of the hike say that grant requests are funded at, on average, 38 percent and that an increase would allow the council to more than double that amount.

Anello says this potential funding increase to student groups is one of the key reasons why student groups are backing the proposed increase, noting the endorsement of both the Harvard College Democrats and Harvard Republican Club this past week as prime examples.

Anello also says an expanded budget will allow the council to be more creative.

“Right now there is little room in the budget for new ideas,” Anello says. “We feel like the extra $40 will allow for more new ideas.”

$40 WAR

Despite the fact that a majority of council members support a mandatory fee hike, a vocal minority has complicated efforts to pass the legislation.

“We’re not a big crew,” Barro says of his opposition group, a handful or so strong. “The people who oppose this are ordinary students because what they’re going to get out of [the increase] is not nearly what they are going to put in.”