USAC approves financial chair

After more than a month-long lapse, the Undergraduate Students
Association Council approved the appointment of its third finance
committee chair for the current term ““ but there is yet to be
a committee to run.

The committee handles and makes recommendations for the
council’s budget and its chair oversees the process.

Maraissa Corella, a fourth-year psychobiology student and the
new chairwoman, has her work cut out for her.

“It’s a lot better to deliberate … with more than
two people,” Corella said, regarding the need to put together
a committee.

She said she hopes to have her candidates for the committee
ready to present to council by Week Three and is thinking to look
into applicants who applied for the chair position to fill the
spots on the committee.

“These people are already interested,” she said,
adding that she will not be opening the application process if she
can find the right candidates.

Corella was a member of the committee last year and believes she
will be ready to start her work immediately after she has a better
understanding of what happened on council over the summer.

Internal Vice President Darren Chan believes Corella is a
qualified candidate and hopes she will be the permanent chair for
the year.

“I am definitely hoping that this is the last time,”
he said, referring to the two previous appointees who quit earlier
in the year.

According to the Undergraduate Students Association’s
bylaws, the finance committee is responsible for handling all the
financial matters of USAC.

Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to, handling
the distribution of all USAC funds, including the weekly reviewing
and allocating of contingency funds.

One of Corella’s priorities as chairwoman is to make
funding more visible to all student groups.

At Tuesday’s meeting, USAC President Allende Palma/Saracho
expressed satisfaction with the new appointee and said she was one
of his top choices from the beginning.

Other council members are also glad to have Corella on
board.

“We haven’t had (a chair) for awhile. Tracy has been
taking up the role,” said General Representative Tommy Tseng
in regards to Tracy Ohara, the budget review director, who had to
pull double duty for the last month and handle the finance
committee.

Corella would not have been able to take over the position in
late spring had she been appointed, since she was traveling abroad
during the summer months, when the committee does its most
important work ““ the allocation of the base budget to student
groups.

The finance committee chair position has been through its share
of ups and downs when the initial chair, Pedro Gomez, left in early
summer to travel and teach abroad.

Gomez’s departure was followed by the appointment of Lili
Harbottle. In late August, Harbottle also resigned, stating
personal matters as the reason.

Corella says she is here to stay. “I need to understand
why they had to quit and avoid that.”

With reports from Menaka Fernando, Bruin senior
staff.

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