Lewis has indicated that he would not necessarily be hostile to this idea.

But to go back to $20 in 1983 dollars--that is, to raise the fee to $33.50--might meet with student opposition. And indexing the fee from the current $20 will not produce a significant increase in revenue.

Old Solutions

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Given the difficulties inherent in the other possible solutions to the term bill fee problem, it seems likely that the question will not be whether the council will have another referendum, but when.

Marshall says this spring would be a logical time, but the council faces a major constraint--if the voter turnout is not high enough, any referendum passed will not be binding.

This is precisely what happened two years ago when the council tried to raise the fee to $40. A majority of those who voted supported the increase, but not enough students voted to make the vote count.

In order to avoid having the referendum be non-binding, council members say it's necessary to tie the referendum to the council's annual presidential election, held in December.

But Marshall suggests that there might not be enough time to get ready for a referendum in this year's presidential election. He doesn't think it's likely that the student body will vote on the term bill until next December.