Dylan Nenadal, a fourth-semester management major, is running for Undergraduate Student Government comptroller position for the 2017-18 year. Nenadal believes that his experience as the Avery Point treasurer qualifies him for the position. (Tyler Benton/The Daily Campus)
Dylan Nenadal, a fourth-semester management major, is running for Undergraduate Student Government comptroller position for the 2017-18 year.
Nenadal, who is originally from New Milford, studied at the Avery Point campus last year and held the position of treasurer, a position he said is essentially the same as comptroller.
“The position was probably even more intense at Avery Point, because the campus is smaller and there are less people to work with, so I had a bigger impact,” Nenadal said.
He is currently the president for Hilltop Halls and represents the community in the Undergraduate Student Senate. He is treasurer of the Friends of the Homer Babbidge Library group and represents the undergraduate student body on the funding board.
Most notably, Nenadal is the deputy comptroller as appointed by Rishita Jani, the current comptroller.
“It functions as an endorsement,” Nenadal said. “Essentially what she is doing is training me to be the next comptroller.”
Nenadal said of all the things he has accomplished in his short time at UConn, he is most proud of the “Tampon Time” initiative that was recently passed.
“It took off and happened so fast,” Nenadal said. “By the end of last semester I was spearheading it. We actually just placed our first order on Friday night. I’m really proud of it because we are the first public university to start this.”
Being a management student helps him as a comptroller, because the comptroller is essentially the chief financial officer, Nenadal said.
“It’s natural for me to be able to manage other people,” Nenadal said. “It is a business.”
Nenadal said he had more relevant experience than the other candidate, Seeyashree Sodani.
“Her experience is that she’s currently an executive as a PR director,” Nenadal said. “I pointed out to her that has nothing to do with the comptroller position.”
Nenadal mentioned he will cut spending in the following years because there is a large deficit.
“I’m quite frankly very liberal, but we have to be conservative with the spending. We have to cut evenly and fairly,” Nenadal said.
He praised USG President Dan Byrd’s statement on the “slippery slope” of student government, and that current leaders can’t keep putting off the issues to the next semester, and the next semester, and so on.
Beyond finances, Nenadal said he thinks students are concerned with the division and lack of unity on campus.
“The election alienated Republican students and enhanced any division between party lines,” he said. “As an executive I want to bring the dialogue to the table. I want to promote exclusivity. We’re all Huskies. I want this to feel like home to everyone. Because it doesn’t feel like home to everyone right now.”
Nenadal ‘s favorite Dairy Bar ice cream flavor is strawberry.
“I want to make UConn different,” Nenadal said. “I’m proud of UConn, and I want everyone else to be proud of it, and what we do with student fee money.”
Claire Galvin is a senior staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at claire.galvin@uconn.edu.
