After serving on three different student financial councils during his two years at Yale so far, Hassan Alkazemi ’13 is making a bid for to be chair of the Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee next year.
A current UOFC liaison and Intercultural Affairs Council board member, Alkazemi said he wants to make UOFC “an accessible multifunctional platform,” funding a central storage space for student organizations and rebuilding the UOFC website to make it more user-friendly. One of his main aims in the coming year, he said, is to reach out to student organizations and make the process of acquiring funds smoother.
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“Apart from a single orientation in September, UOFC gives little assistance to guide the new treasurers at their jobs,” Alkazemi said.
In addition to adding video instructions and tips for applying for funding to the website, Alkazemi said he wants to hold help sessions or “office hours” to help student organizations manage their budgets. Alkazemi also plans to employ student technicians to assist organizations to set up the digital equipment rented out by UOFC. The current process is “highly inefficient,” Alkazemi said.
As the treasurer of the Arab Students’ Association, Alkazemi said he has faced the “downside” of working with UOFC. This experience, he said, gives him a unique perspective coming into the position of UOFC chair.
With an obvious penchant for finance-related extracurricular activities, Alkazemi is majoring in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.
“I don’t think economics is necessary to what it takes it to run the finances,” Alkazemi said. “It’s all in the vision and the creativity.”
Rawan Maki ’11, president of the Arab Students’ Association, agreed that Alkezemi has a multifaceted creative way of funding and is eager to explore a wide variety of cost-cutting measures.
Alkazemi likes to work out at the gym and is a cinema buff.