Anne Xu’s ’09 attention to both detail and leadership makes her the most promising candidate for chair of the Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee.
The directness of her approach, in particular — she was clear about what, exactly, she would want to see changed (such as agendas during meetings) — impressed us. After experiencing first-hand the financial obstacles all too often faced by undergraduate treasurers looking for funds from the UOFC, Xu seemed motivated to introduce significant institutional change.
Her qualifications are rooted in past experience. When the classical-music society she founded faced grim financial realities, Xu found herself without many options — or much support from the UOFC. Inspired by the desire to learn more about the allocation and disbursement of funding to undergraduate organizations, Xu entered the UOFC as a liaison, hoping to target the problem at its source. Now, as she prepares to begin her senior year, Xu, who demonstrated a seasoned understanding of the operative particulars of the UOFC, is primed for effective leadership.
The goal of our preferred candidate is simply stated: to get money in the hands of undergraduates quickly and easily. Xu’s candidacy statement pithily illustrates her devotion to those ends: “I am committed,” she writes, “to providing a more efficient and personal service to the student body in the disbursement of funding.” We believe it. She sees the UOFC as a service provider — one that sees its first responsibility to be helping bolster undergraduate organizations. According to Xu, the problem with the UOFC as it stands now is mere logistics.
Describing when her first experience with the UOFC, Xu called the organization “a mess.” We have faith in her ability to clean it up. Her concrete ideas include organizing specialized liaisons, conducting midterm reviews, providing weekly updates from the chair to liaisons and implementing a direct-deposit system. We also heartily support Xu’s plan to diversify the 5K competition.
While Matt Marr ’10 and Bryan Twarek ’10, her opponents, both offer compelling visions in their own right — Twarek a commitment to simplification and fostering new groups; Marr a sense of reliability as well as a common application — Xu stands out. To elect her is to elect much-needed efficiency and stable leadership. Under her watch, the UOFC one year from now will likely be able to be described above all in one word: professional.
And for an organization that handles more than $100,000, such an attribute is not only desired — it is crucial.