College/Year: Timothy Dwight ’03
Hometown: Fort Myers, Fla.
Major: Economics
Andrew Kagan said he wants the process of applying to the Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee to be streamlined.
He said the UOFC currently makes it too difficult for student organizations to get the funds they need.
“I think the application process is too tough,” he said. “It discourages organizations to apply for funding. I’ll try to change that.”
Kagan said that as UOFC chairman he would work hard to increase available funds for student organizations, and would not be biased towards specific groups in allocating funds.
“I think the maximum amount [currently] set is not high enough,” he said. “Yale’s endowment is in the billions. Just the interest alone that they collect, they don’t spend a thousandth of that on the organizations.”
Kagan said that he has experience distributing money through his work as social activities coordinator for Faux Pas, the French culture and music society, and as business adviser for Chelsea Street, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit organization supporting recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.
“In Faux Pas, I helped put together Sade and Eurotrash, and with Chelsea Street I devised what type of business ventures they would enter, so I have experience in allocating funds,” he said.
Kagan said that he would also use his role as UOFC chairman to ensure that Yale gets a better Spring Fling band next year.
“Don’t you think that they should at least get a band that you’ve heard of?” he said.
“I was just disappointed to find out we got Guster. That’s the YCC’s job, and the UOFC chair is a part of that.”
–Adam Mehes