The Undergraduate Council of Students evaluated student groups’ appeals for recategorization Wednesday at its last general body meeting of the semester.
Representatives from six student groups who were displeased with the UCS Student Activities Committee’s categorization decisions — including Aldus, Biotechnology Investment Group, Brown International Scholarship Committee, Muslim Feminist Alliance, Partners in Health and TOMS Campus Club — attended the meeting.
After a half hour of heated debate, the Council voted 28 to 16 not to approve TOMS Club as Category S, which would designate it a service group. At its general body meeting last month, the Council voted 17 to 14 to deny TOMS Campus Club Category S status.
TOMS Campus Club “works to raise awareness about issues of health and poverty in Third World countries, specifically the issue of children without shoes or eyesight,” said Jenna Davis ’16, a leader of the group.
Several Council members objected to TOMS Campus Club’s affiliation with a national, for-profit organization.
“It seems more like a marketing campaign instead of a service group,” said Kiera Peltz ’16, chair of the UCS communications committee and a former Herald staff writer.
“Any awareness you did would have the TOMS name on it, and thus be advertising the company,” said Kevin Carty ’15, a UCS general body member and former Herald opinions columnist. “How do you square that with saying you want to be a service group?”
The Council debated for about 10 minutes before voting to approve Biotechnology Investment Group as Category 2. The group, which was previously designated Category 1, will now be eligible for $200 more funding.
The UCS Student Activities Committee originally rejected the group’s request to become Category 2 because of its potential overlap with Brown Investment Group, said Alex Drechsler ’15, UCS student activities chair and a former Herald opinions columnist.
Biotechnology Investment Group owns stocks in the health care sector, while Brown Investment group does not, said Giuliano Marostica ’15, a member of Biotechnology Investment Group and a former UCS general body member, in his presentation to the Council.
The Council engaged in about 15 minutes of intense discussion before deferring its decision about Brown International Scholarship Committee to next semester.
Todd Harris ’14.5, UCS president, expressed concern that Brown International Scholarship Committee had similar goals to Brown International Organization.
Drechsler said he was worried that Brown International Scholarship Committee’s mission statement was too broad.
The group’s mission includes sponsoring scholarships for international students, “fighting for need-blind admission for international students and creating a discourse on internationality,” said Leila Veerasamy ’15, a member of Brown International Scholarship Committee and chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board.
The Council voted not to give Muslim Feminist Alliance Category 1 status, citing what members called a lack of well-defined goals and ideas for initiatives.
Looking ahead, Muslim Feminist Alliance should consider “partnering with classes that deal with some of the same issues,” such as HIST 1975U: “Gender, Empire amd the Nation in the Middle East,” said Maahika Srinivasan ’15, chair of the UCS academics and administrative affairs committee.
The Council voted to approve Aldus, a translation journal, as a Category 3 student group.
The UCS Student Activities Committee originally rejected Aldus’ request to become Category 3 because its leaders did not gather the necessary 15 signatures, Drechsler said.
Though Partners in Health originally sought Category 1 status, the Council voted to constitute it as a Category S group because its mission included community service.
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