Treasury Board Member Candidate

Dylan Rudy

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Colin Daily / The Avion

Dylan Rudy

Freshman, BS Aerospace Engineering

"My name is Dylan Rudy, and I’m running for SGA Treasury Board. You may know around campus as a member of the Experimental Rocket Propulsion Lab, Amateur Radio Club, and president of the ERAU Musicians’ Club. I’m running for student treasury board to make an active difference in my campus community. As president and previous treasurer of the ERAU Musicians' Club, I know firsthand how exhausting dealing with the SGA treasury department can be for RSO’s. The experience is full of constant emailing, waiting, and frustration for any RSO just trying to conduct normal business. As a member of the treasury board, I aim to open transparency between the treasury department and the RSO community. Oftentimes, RSO’s and SGA are put at odds with one another, becoming enemy teams with competing interests. This is the opposite of what it should be. It’s the treasury’s job to help and support RSO's to accomplish their goals, not limit them. I want to help start this process of returning power to the RSO’s and not the Treasury."

  • What makes you a qualified candidate for this position?

    "My most notable leadership experience on campus comes in the form of my position in the ERAU Musicians’ Club. I started as the treasurer for the club and dealt with the SGA treasury for allocations and reimbursements firsthand. After some leadership restructuring, I became the president, and I currently manage all aspects of the club. In addition, I’m also a member of the Experimental Rocket Propulsion Club CARDEA division and the Amateur Radio Club. I’ve managed all these clubs in addition to my classes and other time commitments. Back in high school, I also held several leadership positions, such as Mock Trial, German Club, Theater, and Advanced Choir. I’m no stranger to sitting down and getting work done. I live my life based on time commitments and schedules, and I would treat this position as no different. I know how to budget my time and effort in order to accomplish all of my goals and commitments."

  • What is the purpose of the Student Treasury?

    "The goal of the student treasury is simple: to help. Student Treasury’s job is to give RSO’s the resources they need to run and operate on campus effectively. It’s RSOs’ job to foster a certain campus environment. Whether that be an honor society, stem-based club, fraternity/sorority, or any other RSO, they bring certain people together to create a community. It’s the treasury’s job to ensure they have the proper resources to create this environment for themselves. Oftentimes, the treasury focuses on managing and limiting rather than compromising and working with RSO’s. The treasury itself does nothing off from RSO’s, making the treasury a sort of black box. This does nothing to create a sense of teamwork between RSO’s and the Treasury, instead breeding frustration and distrust. The Treasury's job is to help RSO’s foster their individual communities, all the while keeping the process as open as possible."

  • How would you define risk management, and how would you relate this skill to your position as Student Treasury Board Member?

    "Risk management is a crucial part of any position. Everything you do comes with an inherent risk, whether that be small and insignificant or otherwise. The Treasury Department is no different in this fact. As a member of the treasury board, I would take risk management into account for any decisions, major and minor. Even routine actions, like allocations, come with their risks. After all, giving one club more money means giving others less. If this system is abused or some RSO’s are prioritized, risks can mount up quickly. The treasury is all about balance between RSO’s. To ensure that all clubs have as much money as possible in order to foster their communities, whilst also balancing between every other group on campus. As a treasury board member, I would make it a priority to manage this risk and ensure that all RSO’s are being fairly treated in their dealings with the treasury."

  • How do you plan to ensure the organizations you represent receive the funding they need without putting others at a disadvantage?

    "The treasury department is based on the idea that all RSOs are treated fairly and equally regardless of their status, although this may not always be the case. Human bias and corruption are inherently present in every system; we can’t completely get rid of them; however, we certainly can manage them. We need to bolster our current systems that RSO’s can use to keep the treasury department in check. Allocation appeals give clubs the opportunity to plead their case to the treasury and give them a voice in the black box, which is the allocation process. That being said, a more overview approach needs to be taken regarding how allocations are handed out to RSO’s. The new tier system for clubs is a good step in the right direction, but every new system needs refining; this one is no different. We need to continue to monitor the allocations given to each club and make sure that no one is being left out or excluded in this new process."