“I didn’t [expect a large turnout] because I knew the history of referendums hadn’t been as high as regular elections,” Chapa said. “We’re asking students to go to the polls for a third time this year.”

A similar referendum held in 1999 which asked students to double the then-$20 fee drew only 369 students or 5.9 percent to the polls, resulting in the vote counting as only “advisory” per the council’s constitution. Another referendum held in December of that year on the same ballot as the presidential election was defeated by 149 votes, in a 1583 to 1434 decision.

Nicolais, who chairs the council’s Finance Committee and oversees funding to student groups, said he remains cautious but positive about the council’s ability to handle the increased responsibility.

“Additionally, the council will have to undertake serious structural reforms to accommodate this increase,” Nicolais said. “With all the talent and dedicated council members we have, I'm optimistic that we'll earn this increase—we just have to be committed to doing it right."

Joshua A. Barro ’05—who led the opposition against the increase—predicted that the increased fee as well as the increased publicity about its optional nature may result in a declining participation rate. Currently, 92 percent of students pay the optional $35 fee.

“I’m sure that opt-outs will rise next year,” Barro said. “Even if they already knew in the past they could opt out, now they will be more likely to because of the increase.”

Chapa said that in the long run, he doesn’t believe more students will opt out.

“I think that the people that continue to opt out will opt out and I think that those are some of the people that voted to keep it optional,” said Chapa. “There may be a slight decrease [in the number of students who pay the fee] next year but I expect it to return to normal by the year after."

Barro announced his resignation from his spot representing Adams House in an e-mail shortly after the results of the referendum were released.

“This term bill hike was the last thing the council was doing that I felt very strongly about,” Barro said. “With this done I don’t feel compelled to stay on the council.”

Chapa said that despite clashes with the council’s leadership, he thought Barro had been a dedicated member of the council.

“While Josh Barro and I have disagreed over things on council, there are few other people that have dedicated themselves as wholly to council as Josh did,” Chapa said. “He will be missed.”

Both the Faculty Council and the general Faculty will take up the issue later this year, but it remains unclear whether or not the Faculty would be able to deliberate on the increase at its May meeting.

If it did, and the increase passed, it could take effect for the 2004-2005 academic year.

--Staff writer Jeffery C. Aguero can be reached at aguero@fas.harvard.edu.