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Student Union Treasury
APPLICATION FOR OPEN SEAT
Spring 2016
Please submit via email to treasury@su.wustl.edu,
budget@su.wustl.edu, or sgac@su.wustl.edu (depending
on which you choose to apply to.)
Application Deadline: November 24, 2015 by 11:59 pm
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Note to applicants
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in applying for an open seat in Treasury, Budget Committee, or
Student Group Activities Committee. The Student Union Legislature is comprised of the Senate
and the Treasury. The Treasury’s primary job is to distribute the activities fee to 200+ student
groups, register and deregister student groups, as well as act as the liaison between student
groups and the University.
What is an Open Seat?
Over the course of the semester, an elected Representative of the Treasury may choose to
resign due to personal reasons. When that happens, his or her seat on the Treasury will be
vacated and the Speaker of the Treasury can choose to appoint another undergraduate from
the student body to fill the open seat.
The process of appointing an undergraduate to the Treasury involves the completion of the
enclosed application, which will be reviewed by the Speaker, and possibly an interview. (Please
note that you will not be required to run for election.)
The responsibilities:
To give you some more information, as a Representative of the Treasury, you will be required to
attend a weekly Treasury meeting – Tuesday nights at 9:30 p.m. as well as every committee
meeting that occurs throughout the semester (there are typically about 6).
Beyond those meetings, the commitment level is up to you. Student Union is looking for people
that will make this organization one of their top priorities, especially considering that the Treasury
approves the Student Union General Budget which is over $2.8 million and allocates
approximately $874,000 per year to student groups. Commitment is shown in many different
ways – from attending retreats, events, and other Student Union meetings, to taking on big
projects (such as running a student group forum or helping run the activities fair).
As you might already be aware, the Treasury is divided into two standing committees –
the Budget Committee (“BC”), and the Student Group Activities Committee (“SGAC”). As a
Treasury Rep, you are required to actively participate in one of these committees. Please turn
to the next page to see a detailed description of the committees.
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Finally, attached is the contact information for the current chairs of the committees. Feel free to
contact them if you have any questions about their committees. It may also be beneficial to
talk to the chair to get a better feel for what Treasury does and what role you can take. We are
all happy to be resources for you during the application period and additionally, we will be the
ones present at your interview.
If you have any questions at any point regarding the Treasury, committees, or the application
process, please e-mail me at treasury@su.wustl.edu.
As mentioned, please submit your application to treasury@su.wustl.edu before November 24,
2015 at 11:59 P.M.
Remember, this application is for an interest in applying to Treasury, Budget Committee, or
Student Group Activities Committee. You do not need to apply for all 3; just indicate your
preference(s) on question 1 below. Please email your application to Treasury or the committee
you apply to. If you apply to multiple, please email your application to each committee you
apply to.
We look forward to reviewing your application. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to
contact us.
Sincerely,
Vikram Biswas
Keaton Schifer
Bill Feng
Speaker of the Treasury
Budget Committee Chair
SGAC Chair
Treasury@su.wustl.edu
budget@su.wustl.edu
sgac@su.wustl.edu
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Committees
Below is a brief description of the three committees within Treasury. If you have any committee
specific questions, please feel free to contact the chairs.
Budget Committee (“BC”)
Chair:
Keaton Schifer
Contact:
budget@su.wustl.edu
Description:
The Budget Committee (“BC”) is one of Treasury’s two standing committees.
BC’s purpose is to act as a liaison between SU and student groups, handling
issues related to student group financial resources. This is primarily
accomplished through the allocation of funds each semester to student groups.
In this process, BC sets guidelines at the beginning of each semester outlining
what types of expenses will likely be funded throughout the semester.
As a BC member, you will be assigned to one of the Budget Allocation Teams
(“BAT’s”) for the duration of the semester. Each BAT works with a certain category
of student groups throughout the semester. During the budgeting process, each
BAT is responsible for communication with those student groups, which includes
emails and short budget interviews.
During most of the semester, the Budget Committee meets once a week.
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Student Group Activities Committee (“SGAC”)
Chair:
Bill Feng
Contact:
sgac@su.wustl.edu
Description:
The Student Group Activities Committee (“SGAC”) is one of Treasury’s two
standing committees. SGAC’s purpose is to act as a liaison between SU and
student groups, handling issues related to student group non-financial resources.
SGAC functions as the essential “gatekeeper” for group activities within Student
Union. In addition, the committee inaugurates the start of each semester with
the Activities Fair – an event which provides student groups with an outreach
platform for new member recruitment.
As an SGAC member, you will ensure that groups be held to SU standards and
regulation, while also designating the capacity of SU resources made available
to groups. Designation tasks include handling registration, deregistration, and
categorization of all student groups. SGAC also promotes initiatives to ensure
accurate record-keeping of group contact information and histories. Generally,
the designation process will culminate in committee hearings where groups
present in front of committee members. SGAC is currently undergoing an active
process to streamline the process and improve accountability within Student
Union.
During most of the semester, the Student Group Activities Committee meets
every two to three weeks.
Note: As a Treasury representative, you will be assigned to one of these committees as well as
have the full obligation of a Treasury representative. If you would like to get involved with SU and
Treasury, but think you may not have enough time to serve on both Treasury and a committee,
consider applying to a committee directly. Each semester, both committees appoint students to
open seats. If you receive a committee appointment, then you will only serve on the committee,
not the general Treasury.
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Treasury, BC, SGAC
Application
Spring 2016
NAME:
E-MAIL:
PHONE:
YEAR:
MAJOR(S) / MINOR(S):
EXTRACURRICULARS AND LEADERSHIP POSITIONS*:
(*attach separate sheet if necessary)
REMEMBER TO ATTACH YOUR APPLICATION AND SUBMIT IT TO
TREASURY@SU.WUSTL.EDU, BUDGET@SU.WUSTL.EDU, OR SGAC@SU.WUSTL.EDU (NO
LATER THAN Tuesday, November 24, 2015 at 11:59 P.M.)
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Questions
Please answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper and use the previous page
as a cover page.
1.
Which committee (Treasury, Budget Committee, or SGAC) are you applying to? If you
are applying to multiple, please rank your preferences. Your preference will not affect
any decisions; we would just like to know.
2.
Why are you interested in this position?
3.
What else are you involved in on campus?
4.
What qualities or skills do you possess that will make you a great addition to Treasury and
Student Union?
5.
Describe a time when you had to work in a team. What were some difficulties you
encountered and what steps did you take to overcome them?
6.
If applying for the Treasury seat, do you have a preference for the committee you
would like to be assigned to? If so, which one and why?
7.
The Student Union Statutes outlines quotas for membership of the two Treasury
committees. If necessary, would you be willing to serve on a committee that was not
your first choice?
8.
Besides being involved with the Treasury, what type of involvement in Student Union are
you looking for? Would you be interested in other positions now or in the future?
9.
What do you find most exciting about Treasury or Budget Committee or SGAC? (Please
answer for which one/ones you are applying to.)
10. Include something about yourself – creative or factual. Make us laugh, or cry.
You can make these responses as long or as short as you’d like. This is your chance to
present yourself and if you can do that in two words or a thousand, it doesn’t matter.