Angie Aldana to Represent SUNY Oneonta at College Fed Challenge Semifinals

2013 Nov 11

Angie Aldana of Stanfordville, N.Y., will represent SUNY Oneonta in the semifinal round of the 2013 College Fed Challenge at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday, Nov. 18.

The College Fed Challenge is a team competition for undergraduate college students. Inspired by the working of the Federal Open Market Committee, the competition requires that students work as a team to research and analyze current economic data, develop a forecast and review potential future economic risks, and prepare a presentation and answer questions on a recommendation for monetary policy.

Aldana, a senior majoring in Business Economics, was part of a nine-member SUNY Oneonta team that traveled to John Jay College for the first round of the competition on Nov. 5. Teams from 36 schools in the Second District competed in the first round, and the SUNY Oneonta contingent bested teams from the other five schools in its competition bracket to advance to the semifinals.

The theme of the team's presentation was "To taper or not to taper? That is the question." The students analyzed whether economic conditions warrant the Fed reducing its purchases of Treasury Bonds and Mortgage-Backed Securities. Associate Professor of Economics David Ring is the adviser for SUNY Oneonta's Fed Challenge team.

"The College Fed Challenge is an exciting opportunity for our students to gain a greater understanding of how the economy works," said SUNY Oneonta Dean of Economics and Business David Yen. "Students prepare all semester for the competition, gaining valuable research skills and the ability to think on their feet. We're proud of our team's success, and we'll be rooting for them as they move on to the next round of the competition."

Earlier this year, SUNY Oneonta founded its School of Economics and Business to give greater focus to disciplines and careers in those areas. The school is accredited by AACSB International--the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a designation achieved by fewer than 5 percent of business schools around the world. In addition to its three undergraduate majors--Professional Accounting, Business Economics and Economics--SUNY Oneonta's School of Economics and Business offers two minors, four concentrations and seven cooperative programs.