As two of his family members underwent testing for cancer last year, Jeff Rickert still found a way to get his job done as comptroller of Student Association.

He said he believes his perseverance is one of the qualities that will make him a strong comptroller for a second term.

‘I came into this job, and within a month I was dealing with three separate issues,’ he said. ‘It was tough, but I’d like to think it didn’t affect my job.’ 

Co-workers said Rickert, a junior accounting major running for re-election, raised the standard for SA’s comptroller. His dedication and perseverance allowed him to continue his job despite some family-related complications he has endured, and he plans to continue this dedication into his next term.

Among the issues he was dealing with were two simultaneous cancer scares on his father’s side of the family — his father and his grandfather. He said this taught him not to take anything for granted. And although it was a difficult time, he said he knew what needed to get done for SA and made sure it happened.

SA President Jon Barnhart said he agrees Rickert did not let the situation affect his job.

‘If you were looking from the outside in, you might not be able to tell,’ Barnhart said. 

Unlike former comptrollers, Rickert sits among cabinet members during weekly meetings and provides SA with his suggestions and advice on various issues.

‘There’s an inferred level of activity as a comptroller,’ Barnhart said. ‘Jeff goes beyond that. He’s extremely dedicated to what he does.’ 

The comptroller’s job is to advise the Finance Board and work with student organizations to get their funding requests in on time. But Rickert does more than this for SA by voicing his opinion about various issues during meetings.

‘It’s great to work with him because he gives a completely different perspective on things,’ Barnhart said. ‘And that’s really helped us push things through this year.’

Rickert chose to attend Syracuse University rather than his other choices, which included Rutgers University, University of Delaware and Wagner College, because his father is from the area and other family members live in the area.

He follows his father’s footstep in his choice to be an accounting major. He decided to be an accounting major after a class he took and enjoyed in high school, he said.

Rickert became a member of SA’s Finance Board in February 2009 and was elected as SA comptroller in November of that year.

Over the last year, Rickert has been looking for new ways to improve the finance process for student organizations, and he said he plans to continue this in January. His main three goals are to remove rollover restrictions, allow funding for student travel and create a budget reform committee.

Rickert said he believes it takes at least one semester to fully understand what the job of the comptroller entails.

‘One of the reasons I’m coming back to SA is because I think I have the tools to take my side of SA to the next level,’ he said.

Peers have described Rickert as dedicated, hard-working and friendly. Donald Saint-Germain, vice president of Student African-American Society, has worked with Rickert to hold events and said Rickert has always been a lot of help.  

‘Somebody once told me they didn’t have a problem walking into my office to talk about anything,’ Rickert said.

Aside from SA, Rickert is a peer facilitator for the Martin J. Whitman School of Management for the second year and a member of Beta Alpha Psi, a professional service fraternity that includes accounting majors. He is also currently pledging for Delta Sigma Pi, an international business fraternity.

‘It’s a very hectic semester,’ Rickert said. ‘Definitely one of the busiest times of my life.’

Although he doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future, Rickert said he is thinking of going to law school after graduation.

When Rickert isn’t doing SA or campus-related work, he plays poker in his free time. He also enjoys playing basketball and lacrosse, which he has played since middle school, he said.

One of his favorite memories was when he went to Madison Square Garden with friends to watch the SU versus Connecticut basketball game that went into six overtimes.

Rickert said: ‘It was fun being at a game with my friends that ended up being historical.’ 

lgleveil@syr.edu

Published on November 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Laurence: lgleveil@syr.edu | @lgleveille