Hi Wellesley! 

My name is Katherine Deane and I’m running to be your next Student Bursar. 

I know what you’re thinking: “Someone’s actually running for this godforsaken position?!” Being Student Bursar can be quite… contentious. However, I’m proud to say that the Bursar’s Office and CG have worked together to substantially improve the job. Without the work done by the Office, CG, and Carrie Huang — our CG administrative assistant — I wouldn’t be writing this SOI, and I certainly wouldn’t be confident in saying that I feel comfortable and supported enough to take on this responsibility. 

I’ve been involved with SOFC since my first year at Wellesley. I was a senator, then a treasurer and a bookkeeper, and finally an assistant to the College Controller. I truly have experience in all aspects of SOFC and Wellesley Funding, and all that experience has inspired my main goal for next year: making SOFC more accessible! 

– Explaining Rules and Regulations: I know how confusing the SOFC rules can be, and I saw first-hand during this year’s treasurer’s training that people have a lot of questions about them. Therefore, I would hold “SOFC Town Halls” throughout the year to not only explain more about SOFC to the student body, but to increase dialogue between organizations and SOFC. 

– Combating Misinformation: This is another issue that has been impacting SOFC’s accessibility. I hate to say it, but Sidechat is not a reliable source of information, and in the past, it’s made our jobs more difficult. Instead of asking an anonymous social media platform questions about org funding, I want to create an anonymous (perhaps online) Q&A box where students can ask questions and get accurate information. When answered, these questions could be posted on the website so other students see the answers as well. 

– The Website: Not only is the website super hard to find if you don’t bookmark it, it also makes it hard to find the information you need. I would look into ways to make the website more accessible as well as improve the user experience. 

– Spreading Kindness and Respect: Wellesley needs to be kinder to each other, and this is a problem that doesn’t just stop at the Bursar’s Office. Not only have I seen and experienced disrespect as a bookie, but I’ve talked to treasurers that were mistreated by their own organizations. It’s one of the reasons why I took the initiative this year I took the initiative to require both treasurers and presidents to attend treasurer’s training. I want to foster a safe Office space where students can voice their concerns and bookies can feel comfortable addressing them. 

All in all, I’m extremely passionate about student org funding because I truly believe that student orgs and the community they foster are one of the most important parts of Wellesley College. Therefore, as Bursar, I want to do all I can to make SOFC and the Office the best it can be to support an invaluable piece of our student life. 

Please reach out to me at [email protected] with any campaign inquiries, and please reach out to [email protected] for any funding or SOFC related matters!

“Voting will take place via WEngage on March 5th. For more information, check out http://tinyurl.com/wcgelections24 or email any questions to [email protected].”