Holly Anderson, senior accounting major, is the new ASNMU treasurer, effective Oct. 22 after gaining experience and confidence within the organization as a Student Finance Committee (SFC) member for the past two years. In addition to being an accounting student, Anderson works at an accounting firm, which strengthens her experience in this field.

The treasurer position opened up after the former
ASNMU treasurer was removed. Anderson said the transition into this new role of leadership went smoothly with the continuing help and support from current and former ASNMU members.

The only current challenge she noted was the amount of information she needed to review within the ASNMU bylaws and constitution, which is a challenge she has chosen to embrace.

“I’m really honored and excited to be in this role and I’m looking forward to working with ASNMU, SFC and the student body to ensure that the culture that embodies NMU is both positive and memorable for the students,” she said.

Since the role of treasurer deals specifically with student activity fee and where it is allocated, Anderson said she views this position as one of transparency.

The treasurer is responsible for maintaining and reporting financial information for both ASNMU and the SFC as well as creating budget proposals for programs through ASNMU. This data is reported at weekly ASNMU and SFC meetings to make sure all representatives can speak to how the money is being used.

“In my opinion, the sharing of diverse ideas in a safe environment makes a college experience valuable,” Anderson said. “I view my position as a supportive role that assists in the implementation of these ideas through funding and through the sharing of information.”

As an SFC chairperson, the treasurer works directly with student organizations who seek additional funds for events, which is something she is looking forward to once there are budgets for the committee to analyze and review.

“I am really excited to hear about all of the ideas that come across my desk,” Anderson said. “That’s one of my favorite things about SFC is getting to hear about all of the varied ideas that people have, and seeing them get implemented across campus.”

Recognizing that asking for money can be difficult for students, Anderson said she is working on some documents with SFC adviser Haley Rhoades to help make the process easier for students and encourage organizations to reach out if they need additional funding. The goal of these new documents is to help students get in touch with the right people to get their questions answered.

“I think that a lot of really good ideas go unheard on campus because students hit a point where they’re not sure to start once they realize their ideas need money,” Anderson said. “My big goal is to make sure that any events that get passed through SFC have the greatest chance of success that they can.”