In its first action as a council, the undergraduate student
government made the appointments over the weekend for two key
positions ““ the finance committee chair and the budget review
director.
The appointments are the first of dozens that will be made in
the coming weeks and were made for positions crucial to the campus
organization funding process.
The financial committee chair is responsible for reviewing
student group budget applications and making recommendations to
council about how to allocate funds.
In a complimentary role, the budget review director acts as a
liaison to the student groups to inform them of available
resources, as well as makes budget recommendations to council.
The two positions are integral to the budget process, which
usually becomes controversial as council is yearly scrutinized for
making allocations based on student group loyalties.
Each of the appointees were recommended by President Allende
Palma/Saracho and approved by the Appointments Review Committee,
which is comprised of three councilmembers.
For the position of financial committee chair, Palma/Saracho
appointed Pedro Gomez, a third-year English and French student who
has had on-campus experience ranging from peer advisor to
endorsements director for the Elections Board.
Gomez has proven his competence in the successful work he has
done so far in various positions, said Academic Affairs
Commissioner Eligio Martinez, who worked with Gomez in the
past.
Tracy Ohara, a fourth-year organismic biology, ecology and
evolution student, will be acting as the budget review
director.
With leadership roles in various campus organizations, one of
Ohara’s most valuable assets is that she has experience
applying for funding and is familiar with the process,
Palma/Saracho said.
“Coming from the position of someone who has applied for
these funding pools … she knows what it’s like for the
student,” Palma/Saracho said.
The three councilmembers currently sitting on the Appointments
Review Committee ““ Internal Vice President Darren Chan,
External Vice President John Vu and General Representative Jenny
Wood ““ all agreed with the president’s recommendation
and said the two applicants were well-qualified.
The appointments are made at the discretion of the president,
but the the Appointment Review Committee acts as a check system to
ensure that the choices are fair, Palma/Saracho said.
Out of about five students applying for each of the positions,
both Gomez and Ohara were “incredibly overqualified,”
Palma/Saracho said.
“Both Pedro and Tracy not only have a working knowledge of
the position, but had actual experience,” Palma/Saracho
said.
Gomez and Ohara have closely aligned goals, which indicates they
will be able to work together productively, Chan said as chairman
of the Academic Review Committee.
In particular, both Gomez and Ohara have indicated they plan to
hold workshops and discussions on how students are affected by, and
can campaign against, the fee increases.
“What the ARC thought was crucial was that they had a lot
of similar goals in terms of putting together workshops,”
Chan said.