In an attempt to increase student input in determining how the $35-per-term Student Activities Fee is appropriated, Undergraduate Finance Committee member Bill Tovell '96 has devised a way to change how the UFC works.
Currently, the UFC divvies up all proceeds from the fee to nine campus organizations, like the Programming Board and the Student Assembly. Tovell's plan would allow each student to designate three organizations to receive $6, $5 and $4 of their fee, respectively.
The remaining $20 of the fee would be pooled with the full $35 from students who do not choose to participate in the plan and appropriated by the UFC the same way it does currently.
"This is not an attack on the UFC," Tovell said. "The UFC is still the key part of the plan -- it's simply a way to improve the process."
He said he has talked to Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco and Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia about the plan. He said he will discuss the plan with the UFC at a meeting on Friday.
Under Tovell's plan, students would be mailed a card similar to the one that is sent by Dartmouth Dining Services for the selection of meal plans. The mailings would also allow each organization to give a brief description of itself and how it plans to use the money.
The UFC gives money to the Athletic Department, the Class Councils, the Coed Fraternity Sorority Council, the Council on Student Organizations, The Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts the Programming Board, the Office of Residential Life, the Assembly and the Office of Student Life.
Tovell said his plan has two major objectives -- to give students more of a voice and to make them more aware of how their money is spent.
"Most of the student body doesn't have a clue where the student activities fee is spent," he said.
An organization could receive up to $20,000 from the mailing. Any amount over that would be pooled with the remaining money to be distributed by the UFC.
Currently, the UFC appropriates $420,000 to $430,000 per year, Tovell said. In the fall, the UFC decided to give $218,500 to the Programming Board, $66,500 to the Athletic Department and $53,100 to the Council on Student Organizations. The CFSC, of which Tovell is a member, received $4,000.
Tovell said he spoke with nearly 100 students about the plan during his campaign for Assembly vice president last month. Although Tovell lost to Assembly Vice President-elect Kelii Opulauoho '96 in April's elections, Tovell decided to press forward with his proposal.
"The students seem to like the idea," Tovell said. "I can't really recall anyone off the top of my head who thought it was a bad idea."
"The difficult part was trying to explain the plan to people," he added. "Once I made them aware of how the money is being spent, they seemed enthusiastic about having the opportunity to voice their opinions."
CFSC President Matt Raben '96 said he felt the plan would benefit his organization.
"I think the CFSC would become a much stronger institution if it goes through, if for the only reason that we would be able to improve our programming considerably," he said. "As just a student, I think it would be a good plan because it would give me a little say in where my money is going and what it was being used for."
