New AS Vice President of Finance has “good vision” for students

By Bradley Hart
The Collegian

The Associated Students Senate has unanimously confirmed a new Vice President of Finance.

Russel Statham, who served as AS President Juan Pablo Moncayo’s chief of staff prior to his appointment, was nominated by Moncayo and received approval from the legislative body to take the position at last Thursday’s Senate meeting.

“Russel was a very qualified candidate and he impressed us in his interview,” Moncayo said.

Statham’s confirmation to the position was contingent upon his resignation from Moncayo’s presidential cabinet, which Statham said he submitted around 7 p.m. Thursday evening.

Statham said he decided to apply for the position because of his personal goals for AS and its relationship to other organizations.

“The primary reason [for applying] was just that I have a really good vision for the student body,” Statham said.

Statham said some of the changes he’s considering in his new position would be an increase in funding opportunities for clubs and other campus groups that rely on AS money for events and other expenses.

He also said he hopes to offer more scholarship opportunities for individual students.

Statham is a sophomore business administration major whose previous experience with AS included holding a seat on the Senate for the second half of last year and serving as Moncayo’s chief of staff this semester.

He also owns two technology businesses, one of which is a consulting firm that does business with schools.

Moncayo said the decision to nominate Statham was motivated primarily by his previous experience in AS.

“His track record within AS is impeccable,” Moncayo said.

In addition, Moncayo said Statham’s business and technology knowledge will be important assets in his new role.

Moncayo’s official memorandum to the Senate recommending Statham for the position says he “is not only extremely qualified for the position given his past experiences, but proved to be a self-starter and passionate about the position and the organization during his interview.”

Moncayo said among the changes he’s looking at making with Statham is producing a budget proposal early next year — and having it approved by late March.

Budgets in the past have often been voted on in the last month of the academic semester and have often been contentious in the Senate.

Moncayo said the reason for producing a budget earlier is to facilitate better communication within AS and other organizations.

“It’s so we have time to make agreements and have lengthy discussions with the programs we fund,” Moncayo said.

With his confirmation, Statham replaces former Vice President of Finance Isaac Lopez, who resigned abruptly Oct. 23 following a Senate vote of “no confidence” in his leadership.

At the time, Moncayo said Lopez resigned because of “personal reasons,” including the amount of time required by the position.

However, an AS memo issued at an Oct. 19 Senate meeting indicates that Lopez broke the AS bylaws by authorizing funding for organizations that had not filed the appropriate paperwork by the required deadline.

Lopez was not available to comment on his resignation or the confirmation of his successor.

Moncayo said in addition to Staham’s he received two other applications for the position.

The official memorandum recommending Statham describes the other candidates as “very qualified” and states that interviews were scheduled with both, though only one was able to be carried out.

Lopez’s former election opponent for the position, Michael Karbassi, said after some consideration he did not apply for the appointment.

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