One of the most important student-held positions on campus is the position of Student Association comptroller. The comptroller oversees the process by which the student activity fee is delegated to recognized student organizations on campus. This activity fee is used to fund a majority of student programming, including events such as Homecoming and Juice Jam, publications including Jerk Magazine and Student Voice, and entire organizations like SU Ambulance and NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group). The successful and appropriate delegation of the student activity fee to organizations is integral to every single student’s life on campus.

It is incredibly important to the student body as a whole that the comptroller is qualified for the job. The comptroller is required to interact with every organization requesting money, approving student copy requests and supervising the Finance Board as it discusses every financial request it receives. In order to make this run as smoothly as possible, this position should be filled by an experienced individual who is knowledgeable about the financial codes of the Student Association and the correct decision making process of the Finance Board.

In addition to the technical demands of the office, the comptroller is under constant pressure by all student organizations. There is controversy surrounding many choices made by the Finance Board, and the comptroller has to defend and rationalize these decisions to possibly frustrated students. Each of these decisions can fund or deny funding to perhaps the only event an organization has planned for the following semester. Due to the magnitude and possible repercussions of these decisions, it is absolutely essential the comptroller possesses a thorough grasp of the correct procedures.

The only current candidate for this office is Jeff Rickert, a sophomore accounting major with a minor in the School of Information Studies. He has served as a valued member of the Finance Board for two semesters of budgeting. Jeff is well versed in the financial codes and the process by which the board makes its decisions. He has been assistant comptroller to the current comptroller, Lily Mei, since the beginning of the semester, where he has further observed what it takes to be comptroller.

When asked of Jeff’s qualifications for comptroller, Lily Mei states that Jeff is ‘one of the most qualified people for this position in the entire student body.’

Neal Casey, the current chief of staff of Student Association and assembly representative, ‘believes in Jeff’s efforts to bridge the gap between Finance Board and student representatives, which will increase the efficiency of the organization as a whole.’

Although he is running unopposed, the student body should be aware of Jeff’s many qualifications for this office, and be confident in electing him to the position of comptroller. Will Evans SA Assembly Representative

Published on November 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm