After one year on the Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee, Murong Yang ’12 said she thinks she is ready to lead it.
Yang said she is running on a platform with four main tenets: She hopes to make applying for funding more convenient while publicizing and improving the “2k” and “5k” events financed by the UOFC. Additionally, Yang said she would automate and expand the UOFC’s capital equipment program — a resource for student groups looking to rent speakers, projectors, spotlights or other equipment. Lastly, Yang said the UOFC should reach out to student groups and make clear which expenses the UOFC will fund — and which they will not.
[ydn-legacy-photo-inline id=”10671″ ]
Yang said her experience on the UOFC this year — as an officer and director of capital equipment second semester — makes her a good candidate for chair, especially because the equipment program moved to a new location in the spring, she said.
With the current economic downturn, Yang said she expects the UOFC to see major changes next year which could leave fewer funds for student groups. Being involved with the organization during the crisis, she said, adds experience to her ticket.
“I’ve been with the board through this tough time,” she said. “I would be a good chair because I like to follow through.”
Her only opponent, Erin Fackler ’11, served as director of capital equipment during the fall and said she helped design “the framework” for running the program.
UOFC Chair Bryan Twarek ’10 said he does not think the amount of money UOFC either allocates or receives will change. Twarek added that being chairman is more work than he expected, and that even making small changes can be difficult.
Yang has worked in the financial sector and raises funds for several student groups, including the Chinese American Students’ Association, Chinese Undergraduate Students at Yale and Elmseed Enterprise, a New Haven micro-credit organization.
“Since I’ve done so much funding myself, I really understand the frustrations of getting funds,” she said.
Yang said her determination and responsibility, and the fact that she is “a tad OCD,” will help her lead next year’s board. But interest in money has always been especially important to Yang.
“My name means ‘financially successful,’” she said.