Below are the interviews for your 2014-2015 Treasurer candidates: Will Marks and Tristan Fogt. As you read their responses, please keep in mind the duties of the Student Council Treasurer, who must:

• Report to the President and Advisor weekly regarding individual and committee activity – must attend all Cabinet meetings, full Council meetings, and respective committee meetings.
• Chair the Finance Committee, which manages expenses, maintains the budget, and contributes to charity.
• Establish budget for the Council and maintain records of income and expenses.
• Run fundraisers, the Cookie Grant, and the Harriton Student Council Scholarship.

With that said, let us see what Will and Tristan have to say.

Will Marks

What do you intend to do when you get to office?

Well, if I am elected into office, I have a couple ideas. One would be to have a school supply store, which would run either during the morning or during lunch and which you could buy pens, pencils binder, basically things that I found that some students seem to be lacking day to day and might need. Another idea would be expanding upon something that we already have. We [Student Council] have something called the Cookie Grant, which is used to fund startup clubs and help other clubs get money. This year, not a single club applied for a Cookie Grant, or at least that was the state of it when I checked two or three weeks ago. I believe since we designate money [for the Cookie Grant] for Mr. Harriton and whatnot, I think we should spread awareness about that, and I think people would use it because it would be good for their clubs.

Why are you running for Student Council office?

I am running for Student Council Treasurer because I think I can do a very good job while being Treasurer. I think I am qualified and that I am a good leader and I, along with whoever else that would get elected, would do a good job as well.

What activities are you in beside Student Council and how will that affect your ability to lead and direct the activities of Student Council?  

I am pretty involved at school, but I believe that it would actually help, not hinder, my performance if I am elected. For instance, I played three sports this year – two varsity, one JV, which I was JV captain – and I think there are things that you learn on a sports field with a team setting that are very hard to learn elsewhere, and I think that it helps me learn to lead, learn how to be led and how to cooperate with other people. I was also president of the Latin Club this year.

With the arrival of a new superintendent, do you plan on having increased communication between the superintendent’s office and the student body?

I do not think necessarily, on a day-to-day basis, we need to be communicating with the superintendent, but it will be good to maintain a strong, healthy connection between the superintendent and student body through the president.

Tristan Fogt

What do you intend to do when you get to office?

To the best of [my] knowledge, the first project for the treasurer is the Cookie Grant, so I’d get right on that. For the long term, I’d like to set up a few new fundraisers and see what can be done to get back free RAM.

Why are you running for Student Council Office?

I feel like I’d be a capable and approachable leader, and more specifically I’m running for treasurer because I’m interested in finance.

What do you think are shortcomings of previous officer teams and how do you intend on fixing them?

I wouldn’t call them shortcomings; the officers have had lots of ideas and finite time so they had to allocate their energy accordingly. One thing I definitely want to improve on is approachability – the Council is supposed to serve as a link between the students and administration, and consequently Student Council members need to be accessible.

What previous leadership experiences have you had and how have they affected you?

First, I’m a captain of LD [Lincoln-Douglas style] debate along with the wonderful Maddie Feldman, and this has allowed me to function as a leader in a teaching role. Beyond that, as an upperclassman on varsity crew, I have the obligation to help out the novices and coaches wherever I can. Both of these experiences have allowed me to share something I’m good at and enjoy with underclassmen.

Once again, here are the interviews for your 2014-2015 Student Council Treasurer Candidates. Let us wish the candidates good luck on their campaigns.