Making decisions with $18 million in student fees might seem like a daunting task to any college student – but this year, three candidates decided to rise to the challenge.
International business junior Lauren Burns, mechanical engineering junior Eric Lyman and finance senior Tyler Morgan are all competing for the chance to be next year’s Associated Students vice president of finance.
Voting will take place on WebPortal from April 3 to 6; however, students with only a basic knowledge of the candidates may have difficulty distinguishing among them.
In fact, all three have experience on A.S. council. All three have served on A.S.’ finance board. And all three tout the importance of making funding more accessible for student groups as a major part of their platforms.
Morgan currently serves as vice chair of the A.S. finance board and is also the chair of Cultural Arts and Special Events. He previously served as a representative for the College of Business on A.S. council as well as the former Vice President of finance for CASE.
Lyman also has an extensive finance background at San Diego State. He served as InterFraternity Council treasurer, Hall Council president, a member of A.S. finance board, as well as Greek Week treasurer for Sigma Pi fraternity.
Burns is vice president of finance for the College of Arts and Letters council and has been on the current A.S. finance board for two years. She also serves on the A.S. president’s cabinet.
In terms of her qualifications concerning the new student union, she said she understands the fears of some students who are unsure of what exactly it will entail, and said she wants to actively dispel those fears by reaching out for increased student input.
“I want to make sure that the way we spend money is efficient and that we remember it’s a student investment and it’s going to be a legacy,” Burns said. “I’m just saying that with what we have we should work with and as they say ‘Stretch that dollar.'”
Lyman praised this year’s creation of the Fundraising Resource Guide, which is aimed at helping student organizations increase their budgets, and said he would continue to promote it.
In fact, Lyman said he wants to continue the legacy of the current A.S. finance board, which he said has done an effective job of managing its accounts. However, he said he hopes to conduct more marketing so students and campus organizations throughout the university are more aware of what A.S. actually does.
“The image I want to get across is that A.S. is here,
without a doubt, to help students,” Lyman said, “and to help everyone with their needs.”
Morgan criticized the current spending guidelines for student organizations as being “too restrictive” and said he wants to show groups how easy it can be to receive funding the whole campus can benefit from.
“A lot of organizations don’t use their funds completely, and it just goes into unallocated resources,” Morgan said. “And (from) those resources I’d like to take and give back to the organizations that come and do spend their funds in full.”
Students can hear these candidates debate and promote their platforms at noon on Monday at the Aztec Center Outdoor Patio.
