The SGA Treasurer manages a budget of about $280,000. This money serves to fund clubs and organizations on campus such as the Echo and Colby Outing Club. It is important to remember that this money belongs to you, the student body. Whether you are a member of a club, have hopes of starting a club or have attended an event sponsored by a club, you have witnessed the allocation of the SGA budget. That said, I am running for Treasurer with the goal of allocating these funds efficiently and getting the most bang for our buck. I plan to maximize the fun-to-money ratio (introduced in an Echo article by Athul Ravunniarath), while consciously spending each dollar with the goal of making it go the farthest.

Allow me to share a little bit about myself: My name is Michael Dakers and I am a junior economics major with a concentration in financial markets. I am actively involved in the Colby community. I serve as the director of the Maine Aspirations Tour program through the Colby Volunteer Center and as a member of the Junior Class Council. Furthermore, I am a member of the Colby Student Investment Association, responsible for managing a portfolio of $100,000. I have also had the privilege of being a trip leader in the COOT2 program. I enjoy iPlay sports and Mario Kart.

As Treasurer, I will focus on transparency and accountability. The SGA Budget belongs to the student body and I want to make sure everyone knows where it is spent. I will hold weekly office hours as well as be readily available by email and cell phone. In terms of accountability, I will work with club leaders to ensure their funds are being spent to achieve the clubs' stated goals. Prior to this year, the past several years have seen large budget deficits. To maintain this recent positive trend, I plan on continuing with Audell Scarlett's strategy of distributing a small portion of the budget in the first semester and a larger portion in the second semester. This will ensure we can operate during JanPlan and provide sufficient funding during second semester without running a deficit.

Thank you very much for your support. Feel free to e-mail me at msdakers@colby.edu with any questions, comments or concerns. There are a lot of great candidates running for the SGA in this election, so please take the time to vote!