Carolyn Kaminski was elected to the position of Student Association Appropriations Committee Treasurer Tuesday night. Kaminski, a sophomore, will step in to oversee the Student Association’s $650,000 yearly budget. The treasurer heads the Appropriations Committee and acts as the contact between SA funded groups and the body of the Senate.
“I’m really excited. I know we have a big job ahead of us,” Kaminski said.
As treasurer, Kaminski oversees a board that is currently comprised of six controllers. These controllers decide how the budget will be allocated for the next year, and the number is subject to change. Money is distributed between over 35 student organizations. The Student Activities Office and Campus Activities Board received the largest amount of funding in the 2002-2003 budget.
“I will be leading the committee in doing final budgeting for next year. It will be a long process because of budget cuts,” she said. “We will be working to make the appropriations committee stronger, to improve the committee.”
She will be replacing senior Clark Van Vliet, the outgoing treasurer who will help her transition into the new position. Van Vliet has worked with Kaminski for about a year and a half, since she has been a controller for the past two years. “She’s very dedicated, and doing it for the right reasons,” he said.
“I think we’ll have a lot of ideas to help SAAC. We’re going to look at last year’s budgets, how the money was spent, and see what changes will be made to the budgets,” Kaminski said.
Take Five scholar Ashley Conner commended Kaminski on her past experience. “She’s definitely really committed to her work on groups, so it will be a good fit,” Conner said. “I think she will do a really good job.”Kaminski ran against junior Samantha Helmig for the position. While Kaminski transitions to her new role, Helmig will stay on as a controller. “It was really a win-win situation,” Van Vliet said. “Both candidates would do a good job.”
“We will be trying to bring groups within budget this year. We need to cut a lot of money, so it’s going to be a tough job,” she said. “It’s also really important to work with Senate. I’m excited to start.”
Conner agreed with Kaminski, and also looked forward to their partnership.
“We have a lot of work to do, and I’m looking forward to working with her,” Conner said.
DeSantis can be reached at kdesantis@campustimes.org.Additional reporting by Kerri Linden.
