Chantelle Nasri Elected BSG Treasurer

By: Curt Case and Johnny Nixon

Chantelle Nasri has won her campaign to be Brockport Student Government’s new treasurer. Nasri believes the clubs and organizations she is involved with on campus have prepared her for this position.

“I have worked side by side with the student body, clubs and departments in helping them plan, organize and execute events for almost two years now,” Nasri said. “I have gained adequate insight into what motivates them, what they want and what they need.”

Now that the campaign is over Nasri says that she has made arrangements to shadow Zach Loveless, the current BSG Treasurer, to make for a smoother transition. She plans to work hard to communicate “openly and effectively” with the student body.

“I want to take that a step further and begin advocating for them,” Nasri said.

Nasri says she wants to use her experience from different clubs to help them progress. Nasri want to aid the clubs at Brockport in expanding and reaching a greater number of students.

Nasri is a junior working towards a dual degree in Finance and Mathematics. Nasri’s background includes her work in Marketing for the Student Union, her membership of the Leadership Development Program (Presidential Level), serving as an EOP Academic Tutor, and being the Chair of the Planning Committee for Tunnel of Oppression. She also occasionally attends club meetings of various groups on campus. 

The BSG Treasurer’s duties include creating the budget for the coming school year by allocating funds to clubs, programs and other segments of Student Government.

“It is prevalent to be analytical and strategic, which my background in Mathematics has taught me to do effectively,” Nasri said. “Further, understanding the concepts of budgeting and financial allocation, along with statistical research has been provided to me as a Finance major in the School of Business.”

Nasri believes that being personable and having good communication skills is the most important aspect of holding an executive position in BSG.

“However above all, being a leader requires a level of humbleness to which you teach and learn from your peers,” Nasri said.

Nasri recognizes that being a leader is about critically listening and having a good understanding about the students she is trying to lead, in turn helping to direct and delegate them to achieve their desired goals.

“It is about asking the questions that others don’t, speaking your mind and not falling to the pressures of a challenge,” Nasri said. “I find myself challenged in all aspects of my life: my classes, my job and my personal/ social life to which I pride myself on having a solution-oriented mindset. When faced with conflict, my initial reaction is, how can I fix it?”

There are four main issues of Nasri’s platform that she plans to work on. She wants to advocate for students and clubs, be fully transparent with club and BSG budgets, reassess the student activity fee, and work on providing financial and organizational support for clubs and students. 

Short term, Nasri wants to be able to learn the dynamic of BSG as well as to educate the college community about it.

“I think that it is important for students to know the resources they have available to them and how they can be maximized,” Nasri said. “Long term, I want to leave behind a legacy of being transparent.”

The students have a right to vote on things and be involved in the decision making of all budgetary decisions; especially when it is their money.

“I want to advocate for students in a way that they actually feel is making a difference, and this can hopefully become the culture of BSG’s relationship with Brockport students,” Nasri said.  

In terms of student life, Nasri’s goal is to improve the perception of BSG. She wants students to have more trust in BSG and feel like it is an outlet to which they can utilize to reach out to the administration.

“Right now, BSG gets the short end of things, and I believe that it is because students are not kept in the loop of how and why decisions are made,” Nasri said. “Thus, transparency is key in fixing this communication issue. If this information is made public, students will better understand the system.”

Nasri encourages students to get more involved with BSG. She says BSG is a great resource to help guide students in the right direction when they ask questions or seek advice.

“Most importantly, BSG has both the capability and power to acknowledge suggestions and concerns of students, address them, and ultimately solve them,” Nasri said. “After all, we cannot be ‘For the Students, By the Students’ without the students.”

After Brockport, in May 2018 Nasri hopes to begin her Financial Analyst career in Chicago or New York City. However, ultimately her goal is to be self-employed in the real-estate or insurance markets.