A S S O C I AT E D   S T U D E N T   G OV E R NM E N T ,   N O RT HW E S T E R N   U NI V E R S I T Y

1999 South Campus Drive, Suite 3G, Evanston, Illinois, 60208  ∙  (847) 491­2360  ∙  http://asg.nwu.edu/

2008-2009 Application
ASG Financial Vice President

Dear Applicants:

Thank you for applying for the position of ASG Financial Vice President.
Completed applications are due by 5pm on Wednesday, February 6th, via email to
a-arshad@northwestern.edu. You will be contacted shortly thereafter to schedule an
interview on Friday, February 8th. The nominee will have to appear in Senate on
Wednesday, February 13th, for a confirmation hearing and vote. The Selection
Committee will be chaired by the outgoing Financial Vice President, who will only vote
in case of a tie. There will be 6 voting members on the committee: The ASG President,
the ASG Speaker of the Senate, the most veteran member of SAFB who has served as a
Senator, the most veteran non-Senator member of SAFB, the SAFB advisor, and one
Senator elected from Senate.
Along with the application please include a letter of reference (1-2 pages) from an
individual who can comment on your ability to be the next Financial Vice President. This
individual should not be a member of the selection committee.
Please answer the following questions and case study questions to the best of your
ability in a maximum of fourteen pages double-spaced. Utilize your resources. If you
have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 414-324-6242 or by
email at the address above.

1) Please list your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, year, school, major,
and student group affiliations (past and present).

2) Describe any relevant financial experience you have. This may include
employment inside and outside the university community, as well as interactions
with SOFO and/or SAFB. What skills and abilities would you bring to the
position of Financial Vice President?

3) Discuss the relationship between the ASG Senate, SAFB, and the A-Status
Student Organizations. How do they interact currently? In your opinion, what
would be the ideal situation? How would you achieve this?

4) Explain how you intend to run the board. Discuss the dual nature of the Account
Executives as both financial supervisors as well as voting members of the
committee responsible for guiding ASG fiscal policy. How will you organize the
board to fulfill both its facilitation and investigatory roles?

5) What changes would you make in how SAFB “works”?

6) In your view, what should SAFB’s role be in regard to the ASG funded student
organizations? What is more important, maintaining rigorous fiscal responsibility
and standards, or “empowering” student groups? To what extent should SAFB be
 A S S O C I AT E D   S T U D E N T   G OV E R NM E N T ,   N O RT HW E S T E R N   U NI V E R S I T Y
1999 South Campus Drive, Suite 3G, Evanston, Illinois, 60208  ∙  (847) 491­2360  ∙  http://asg.nwu.edu/

involved in the oversight and planning of the events that are funded by ASG?

7) What is the role of the Financial Vice President on the ASG Executive Board?
What would be your relationship, as an Executive Board member, with the ASG
Senate?

8) What should the role of the SAFB advisor be?

9) Describe what the ideal relationship should be between the Financial Vice
President and Speaker of the Senate. Include a description of the current speaking
policy in Senate for the FVP and if any changes should be made.

10) Describe what the ideal relationship should be between the ASG President and the
Financial Vice President. What are instances in which they absolutely need to
discuss an issue/situation?

11) In your opinion, who is the Financial Vice President accountable to, and why?

12) Rank the following in order of importance and justify your order:
a.) Credibility with Senate
b.) Cohesiveness within SAFB
c.) Understanding/Respectful relationship with Student Groups
d.) Consistency in enforcing the SAFB Guidelines
e.) Flexibility
f.) Persuasiveness
 A S S O C I AT E D   S T U D E N T   G OV E R NM E N T ,   N O RT HW E S T E R N   U NI V E R S I T Y
1999 South Campus Drive, Suite 3G, Evanston, Illinois, 60208  ∙  (847) 491­2360  ∙  http://asg.nwu.edu/

Case Studies

Situation 1:

A current Student Group Senator, who is very popular with the entire Senate, asks
permission to address the floor directly before Spring Funding. His request is
granted, and he proceeds to make a very eloquent 15 minute presentation, including
a letter (signed by 15 Student Groups), and a petition signed by 500 undergraduates,
all detailing why the current SAFB Guidelines and funding process is inadequate in
dealing with Cultural Student Groups. He effectively argues (at least in the eyes of
Senate) that the current SAFB Guidelines and funding process is biased towards
“Entertainment Student Groups” and events that are only “superficially” concerned
with high attendance numbers. After he is done speaking, you can clearly feel that
the tone of the room has changed, and that even your Account Executives, most of
whom have not gone through a Spring Funding cycle before, are very nervous.
Immediately, following the first Senator’s presentation a second senator makes a
point of inquiry asking you to respond to the presentation. (Ramesh Srinivasan 00-
01)

What do you do?

Situation 2:

The Student Activities Finance Board and its financial operating procedures are
constantly being challenged by University Officials, powerful student leaders, ASG-
insiders and many other hidden sources. All student groups have come off of stellar
programming years. Even with the SAF increase, there was not enough money to
meet the desires of student groups. Spring Funding has just ended and several of the
larger student groups on campus are not happy with their SAF allocation. Neither
are some key university officials and advisors. You are under extreme pressure to
change the funding structure, and some of your fellow Executive Board members
want you to have a campus-wide forum on the Student Activity Fee. At last, you get
a letter from a university Vice President wanting to separate out a portion of the
SAF for a programming board. What is your role in this situation? Where does the
Financial Vice President’s jurisdiction end when it comes to the SAF?
(Le’Jamiel Goodall 02-03)

What do you do?

 A S S O C I AT E D   S T U D E N T   G OV E R NM E N T ,   N O RT HW E S T E R N   U NI V E R S I T Y
1999 South Campus Drive, Suite 3G, Evanston, Illinois, 60208  ∙  (847) 491­2360  ∙  http://asg.nwu.edu/

Situation 3:

The relationship and responsibility between the SAFB and the Executive Committee 
changed with the Kuo­Reddy Joint Amendment of 2002. First, briefly explain what 
the   Amendment   accomplished.     (Zaid   Pardesi   04­05)   How   has   or   should   the 
relationship change given the opening the SAF to B/T status groups? How can the 
functions of SAFB and Executive Committee be preserved in light of this change? 
You walk into a meeting where the EVP insists that the next percentage of the SAF 
given to the Executive Committee be equivalent to the percentage of ASG recognized 
groups he/she advises. (Sara Ittelson 06­07)

What do you do?

Situation 4:

The SAFB constantly has to assess the fiscal responsibility of student organizations.
Over the past few months you have watched time and again as the leadership of an
organization has committed drastic inappropriate financial measures. One treasurer
forged the signature of their AE to move SAF funds citing that they thought they
were doing “what was in the best interest of the group”. Another group president
took out a check advance for a funded event and never balanced the advance with
SOFO, essentially walking off with the money. A third president and treasurer spent
money they didn’t have, driving the organization into the ground. How should the
SAFB consider such impropriety of individuals? Where is the line drawn between
group and individual responsibility? How would you more broadly address this
sequence of events? (Sara Ittelson 06-07)

What do you do?

Situation 5:

It is extremely important for the SAFB to have credibility and respect from
Senators. Without this credibility the recommendations of the SAFB will carry little
weight in Senate. This past funding cycle showed that there still exists as “us”
versus “them” mentality and that several speeches made by SAFB members fell on
deaf ears. What would you do increase SAFB’s credibility? (Aneesa Arshad 07-08)

Thanks for your time, and Good Luck!!

Sincerely,
 A S S O C I AT E D   S T U D E N T   G OV E R NM E N T ,   N O RT HW E S T E R N   U NI V E R S I T Y
1999 South Campus Drive, Suite 3G, Evanston, Illinois, 60208  ∙  (847) 491­2360  ∙  http://asg.nwu.edu/

Aneesa Arshad
ASG Financial Vice President