Anita Sivakumar is a candidate who believes in the power of connections.
But not just any connections — connections formed between students and their representatives.
To improve the appropriations process, she plans to re-implement a treasurer’s roundtable where treasurers from student groups can discuss different ideas for financial resources outside of Student Government.
“I want to make the appropriations process a lot more efficient,” Sivakumar said. “I want to improve connections between myself and student groups.”
Sivakumar said she believes that appropriations are one of the most important parts of Student Government relations with students.
“It’s one of the things students actually appreciate because it gives them a way to express ideas,” she said. “It’s the connection between Student Government and the students that needs to be considerably increased.”
When it comes to tuition, she said she wants to handle issues carefully and thoughtfully.
“I’m generally against tuition increases,” she said. “I think it’s a good idea to give the right recommendations to the Board of Directors.”
In addition, Sivakumar wants to clean up the budget by appropriating unused funds to new sources instead of leaving the money to sit in the budget. She also plans to clean up the appropriations packet to make it easier to understand.
Sivakumar has served one year on Student Senate, sitting on the Appropriations and Finance Committees and serving as assistant treasurer for appropriations directly under current Student Body Treasurer Seneca Toms.
She said her experiences serving on Student Senate have familiarized her with the financial and budget processes involved with appropriations.
“I’m running mainly because I’ve always been interested in the treasury department,” she said. “I really want to help students in any way I can, and this seems like the best way for me.”
Sivakumar is a senior in computer science and international politics.