Maggie Misztal is used to following in the footsteps of Student Association Comptroller Erin Maghran.

The two went to the same high school outside of Buffalo, and when Maghran graduated, Misztal stepped into top positions in many of the organizations Maghran left. Now the sophomore public relations, marketing and finance major is looking to fill Maghran’s shoes once again.

‘I saw her as an up-and-coming leader,’ said Maghran, a senior political science, policy studies and public relations major.

When Misztal arrived on campus her freshman year, she went to Maghran and asked her what kinds of organizations to get involved in. Maghran suggested she consider SA’s finance board, which Misztal joined and worked up to assistant comptroller.

‘I have always been super-involved,’ Misztal said. ‘If I’m not doing something, I don’t know what to do with myself, so that first weekend I went to the OGLEL office to see what to get involved in. I promised myself I wouldn’t get myself into anything political, but here I am.’

Misztal said she will be able to pick up where Maghran left off and make sure SA remains in good fiscal standing. She said she is running because she is qualified for the job and considers the experience she has gained as assistant comptroller an asset that will allow her to take over for Maghran successfully.

She has done everything from shadowing Maghran during meetings to taking over certain aspects of the job, which have convinced Maghran she will be a good comptroller.

‘Sometimes she is in the office more than I am,’ Maghran said.

While gaining experience as assistant comptroller, Misztal has learned the frustrations of both long, seemingly unproductive finance board meetings and incorrectly-filled-out budget applications that leave organizations with inadequate funding. Misztal has been working on these problems and hopes to have some more time to finish the job.

‘I don’t want to see a budget request turned down because of a mistake on the form, [though] granted, it’s easier for us but the process is too complex,’ Misztal said. ‘We need to simplify the funding process and then have workshops to show what is a good budget and how to properly go through the process.’

To help things run more smoothly between the finance board and the student organizations requesting money, Misztal has already set up a liaison process that creates relationships between finance board members and members of the student organizations in case a problem arises.

The organization that is required to be comptroller is something people who know Misztal have come to expect from her. Kate Nadolny, a sophomore at Cornell University, worked in several groups with Misztal in high school and thinks the organizational skills developed in high school along with a good work ethic would make Misztal a good comptroller candidate.

‘She knows how to work in groups and how to delegate duties,’ Nadolny said. ‘She won’t try to take it all on herself, but get help from the people she works with.’

Maghran thinks electing Misztal is the best of both worlds for students. Misztal is like an incumbent in some ways, so she will not lag behind and have to be brought up to speed on things the SA is currently considering, Maghran said. She would also be someone new in the comptroller position which would bring new ideas and fresh energy to the position, Maghran said. Maghran thinks this, along with Misztal’s passion and drive, make her the right person to take over another position Maghran once occupied.

‘Maggie is going to give 110 percent to the job,’ she said. ‘She is willing to give up time, sleep, jobs – whatever it takes to get the job done.’

Published on November 2, 2003 at 12:00 pm