Adam Skrzecz is a third-year studying political science and history. Skrzecz has served as a student senator for two sessions of Student Government, and currently holds the office of treasury assistant. Technician sat down with Skrzecz to discuss his vision, goals and campaign for office.
Why are you the most qualified person for this position?
I have two years on the Finance Committee. I am the current the treasury assistant, as little as I was allowed to really get hands on in that position. I also bring a real-world finance experience. My summer job for the past few years has been to manage an entire department of cash control. So, you know I know how to budget. I’ve worked with budgets inside Student Government in the context of what the students need here at the university.
I’ve also worked with budgets and money and all this kind of stuff outside of Student Government, so I think I’m the most qualified because I bring the inside experience and I bring the outside experience. My summer job is literally to deposit hundreds of thousands of dollars per night. Typically, it’s keeping track of over $1000 in cash at any one moment.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
A lot of people will say that the treasurer is more of the desk type job, I don’t think it has to be. Looking through some of the old legislation in the old statutes back in the early 2000s, there were some bills passed that essentially stripped away the Department of the Treasury to about half the size. So, we’re currently dealing with about half the size is what it used to be. I would like to look into rebuilding some of that.
You do have the day to day of the ledger of the budget of administration. You know the paperwork side of things. But again, that’s the day to day, that’s what your baseline requirement should be and that should be your baseline you know job description. Overall, I would like to accomplish a higher level of publicity. We need to streamline what we have and make it more user friendly for students. You know we have student organizations who have been here for years and they’re still coming to us year after year with the same questions. That’s where I see that we have a problem.
A big part of the office is also preparing and executing the budget the annual budget. We do have a town hall; statutes and the constitution requires us to have a number of budget town halls. Every one that I’ve been to, we’ve never had more than 12 people in attendance and it’s always either the people responsible for passing the budget or the people who have a vested interest in a specific line item. I want to see a classroom or a conference room packed with students.
In your opinion, did former Student Body Treasurer John Taylor Willis do an adequate job in the role?
No. Like I’ve said, I’m the only treasury assistant currently in one of those roles. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve learned more about what not to do than what to do. I was very limited in my capacity. I was only allowed to do so much if I was ever allowed to do anything. I don’t think it was the process, the appropriations, just the office in general. It was not as public as it should have been. It was not as accessible as it should have been. It was not nearly as approachable as it should have been. We should be creating an environment where any student feels comfortable to come in and ask a question. That’s not currently what we have.
What do you see as your greatest Student Government success in your three years here so far?
One of my greatest accomplishments was really as legislative secretary last year. I worked with who has now become the current Senate president, Mitchell Moravec, to really streamline the legislative system. Making the information more accessible, more streamlined, more understandable for members of Student Government. Streamlining is always something that can be improved upon, but it’s about having a system that works, creating a system that works so that other people can also understand and hold you accountable for, and creating a system that increases your overall efficiency.
What inspired you to run for student body treasurer?
There are problems that needed to be fixed. We’re starting to head in the right direction in terms of our rapport and our reputation with students, except for the treasury, and the treasury is the department that really hits students where it matters. We spend their money, we spend their fees. I guess I was inspired because I have relevant experience. I had experience in Student Government. I have relevant experience in the real world working for businesses, working for accountants, preparing reports and handling real money and all that kind of stuff. You know the icing on the cake for that really inspired me was the fact that there are problems that seem so obvious that are not being handled that need to be handled.
In one sentence, why should someone vote for you?
There are problems that need to be solved, there are holes in the system that need to be fixed, and I am the person to fix them because I am approachable, accountable, accessible and I have the vision to see it through to the end.
