The reason for this flawless operation rests squarely on the Executive Board of the Union, who year after year, time and time again have steadfastly exercised good judgment and prudence in deciding the ever-perplexing question of what events should be subsidized on behalf of the student body. This year’s E-Board is no exception. The members of the E-Board have once again become the cornerstone in a system that could easily be thrown off balance by irresponsible spending and app­ortionment of the Union’s funds.

This year’s remarkably small increase in the Activity Fee is the culmination of a long exercise in due diligence and hard work that should be impressive to anyone paying attention to the process. Each item submitted by every club and organization connected to the Union is combed through in the minutest detail, and nothing has slipped through the cracks.

Over the decades, the Senate’s procedure for calculating the activity fee, once budgets have been approved by the E-Board, has become nothing short of a science. By the time the final data reaches the Senate, it is simply a matter of plugging into a formula the final budgetary numbers, the estimated campus population for next year, and the ratio of participation between graduate and undergraduate students of various activities. What shines through about the work of the E-Board is the fact that the final number is remarkably stable, and historically has had only a moderate upward pressure.

The continued reliability of the E-Board as an entity is ultimately a product of the quality of the President of the Union, who appoints many of the members on the Board. Early on, Peter Baldwin showed the good judgment to appoint this year’s Board, who individually, and as a whole, have done exceptional work throughout the year. Since then, he has shown himself to be the kind of stable, reliable leader, who has one eye on the future and another on the bottom line; the kind of person the position of President of the Union necessitates.