Treasurer Candidate #1

Shane Plantier

"Never greedy, always speedy."

Shane's photos were captured by:

H. Preston Luniewski / The Avion

Meet Your Treasurer Candidate Shane!

Shane Plantier

Graduate, MS Aerospace Engineering

"I'm Shane. I've been around for 7 years, since 2016, and I've been pursuing degrees in Aerospace Engineering since I started. I graduated in December 2020, but since COVID was still forcing the job market down, I returned for a Master's degree. My biggest club involvement has been in the Gamers' Guild since I started, and I've held every officer position within it, from Equipment Manager to President. Most notably, I've been elected to be the club Treasurer six times because I've repeatedly shown my ability to receive money from the school and spend it effectively. During my time as treasurer, I've almost singlehandedly brought our club's budget from $0 per semester to $4000, and I'm consistently able to spend that money within a dollar of our allotment. If elected as SGA treasurer, I plan to leverage this experience to alleviate some of the issues other club treasurers may have by responding quickly to financial requests and providing more clarity regarding our processes wherever necessary."

  • What is your platform for this campaign? How does it stand out?

    "My platform for my campaign is that I remember an era of the SGA that most others don't. I've been at this school longer than some combined presidential tickets, and I've seen the best aspects of what the SGA can be, though that's a bit more difficult to see these days. During my first allocation meeting with the Treasury Board, in my third year at this school, I almost ran over time because we all got distracted talking about our favorite board games. And after I did leave, I received a notification on my way back to my dorm that the budget had been approved.

    The SGA, in recent years, has moved in the same direction that the school as a whole has - it's become much larger and encompasses more of student life, but it almost feels artificial at times. If elected to the Student Treasury, I'll do what I can to return to the old feel of what once was. For example, I will keep an open door policy so that anyone, for any reason, can walk into my office and leave with either a solution to their problem or a long discussion about our favorite breed of dog. I also aim to return the response times of the old SGA - as an engineer, I'm no stranger to staying up late to finish my work, and given the option, I'd much prefer to spend my free time helping clubs over writing an essay."

  • What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

    "I've held various leadership positions in the Gamers' Guild for almost as long as I've been at this school. Most notably, I've been voted to be the Club Treasurer for six separate semesters, as I've repeatedly shown my ability to spend the budget that the SGA grants us effectively. Under my leadership, I've almost singlehandedly grown our budget from $0 to $4000, and I've never left more than a dollar unspent, regardless of how much we're given. I plan to bring this experience to the Student Treasury as a whole to ensure that RSOs get as much money as possible, so we don't have to return it to upper administration at the end of each term. I'm also very active in the current Student Treasury Discord server, often helping other club officers before board members can do so themselves. Harley's even commended me on a couple of points since my long experience as a club treasurer ensures that my answers are almost always correct."

  • As the SGA's Treasurer, you are responsible for managing and approving the budgets of organizations across campus. How will you ensure that money is distributed fairly and that organizations have what they need to operate?

    "I plan to use a plan I developed as a teaching assistant, which is to go over everyone's packets twice. During the first pass, I will go over everyone's packets with the rest of the treasury board, and we will make all our initial notes, comments, and a rough idea for budget allotment. The amount the club has spent relative to the total request will also be considered, as it has in previous years. After all clubs have been covered the first time, we should have a rough idea of how much each club deserves, and as such, we'll be prepared for our second pass.

    During this second pass, we'll make any necessary adjustments to our notes and will decide on a final amount for each club to receive - hopefully one that's close to what was requested. Though this process can be a bit slow, as it requires going over budgets twice, I plan to work whatever overtime is necessary to make sure responses come back as quickly as possible. I believe this process is the best way to ensure everyone receives a fair amount, as it makes sure everyone has a chance to be considered before anything is set in stone."

  • How would you define risk management in relation to your position and how would you use this skill in your position if elected?

    "I believe risk management regarding the Treasury involves ensuring SGA funds are spent responsibly - both by clubs and by us in the executive suite. Clubs have strict guidelines for how to spend the money they're granted. For example, it can't be spent on food or personal items that don't stay with the organization. I feel that part of my responsibility as Treasurer is to make sure that funds aren't spent this way, both externally by clubs and internally by us.

    If elected as Treasurer, I plan to ensure we are held to the same standards as clubs to avoid misuse of the funds we receive. It's not right that we are "allowed" to do anything when the same thing would be denied to anyone else. This is one of the benefits of keeping my open-door policy; if anyone has any suspicions of wrongdoing, they can come directly to me about it to ensure the problem is dealt with quickly and effectively."

  • What does the SGA mean to you?

    "To me, the SGA is supposed to be a community of people who want to help students. It's meant to be a beacon of leadership and a role model for the student body. I feel like it's lost that identity in recent years - though they have undoubtedly done a lot of good for the students through new initiatives such as the shuttle program, it's easy to overlook SGA as a whole since they rarely communicate with the student body they govern. Ever since COVID, the only student council member I've been able to identify is the Treasurer, and that's only because I have to interact with them as a club treasurer myself.

    Ideally, after being voted as the overall Student Treasurer, I'd like to remedy this as best I can in the position I'm given. I believe that monthly town halls, as well as a more direct line of communication between myself and students, would be an effective way to make myself known to the student body. My open-door policy helps with this, so if anyone just wants to come in to chat, they're more than welcome to.

    I also plan to retain my position as a lab instructor during my time as treasurer. After all, there's no better way to stay involved with the students you govern than to stand in front of their classroom and help them learn about physics."