Director of Finance Candidate Profile: Eli Half

College: Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Why are you running for Undergraduate Student Senate?

In this new era of the JFC, Carnegie Mellon needs new leadership to transform the JFC into an organization that best serves students. With a background of working on numerous political campaigns, planning events, and leading an organization of his peers, Eli has the skills to not only direct those on JFC but to be productive in new policy changes that will positively affect every student on campus. The foundation of his work will be to be transparent through every decision, hold student government accountable for providing for students, and deliver positive results.

To you, what is the purpose of the Undergraduate Student Senate?

The Director of Finance (DOF) has a large role to take with changes coming to the funding system for organizations. Students must know how these changes affect their organizations and how to ensure the financial stability of their clubs for years to come. The most important feature in a Director of Finance is their drive to fight for those who elected them and as Director of Finance, Eli will go into every meeting fighting for the students that elected him. Through monthly reports, students will be informed of new developments, tips on managing finances, and advice on future funding requests.

Why do you consider yourself qualified to serve on the Undergraduate Student Senate?

Coming from just down the road in Pittsburgh, Eli is a sophomore double majoring in International Relations and Political Science & Statistics. Having grown up in the CMU community, Eli knows how to navigate CMU leadership and Student Government from serving as a Joint Funding Committee (JFC) advisor to spending a year on the Elections Board. Eli’s love of sports and politics has led him to work on political campaigns and previous golf championships. Hard work and dedication have driven him to founding a tutoring organization, becoming a volunteer coach, and participating in undergraduate research. No task is too small for Eli to tackle.