Student Government Board carries on without hospitalized president

The Student Government Board was without its leader during public meeting Tuesday night as…The Student Government Board was without its leader during public meeting Tuesday night as President James Landreneau spent the time in the hospital recovering from Mononucleosis and Neutropenia, a white blood cell deficiency.

But the Board ­­— responsible for distributing funds from the more than $2 million Student Activities Fund — continued on with usual Board and committee reports under the direction of President Pro Tempore Natalie Rothenberger.

Rothenberger, who apologized in advance for any misgivings in regards to Robert’s Rules and meeting procedure, said she was confident that any Board member could run the meetings and that she assumed the role under constitutional rule. Rothenberger received the most votes in last November’s SGB election for a Board member position.

“Basically, [Landreneau’s] immune system is shot. He could basically contract any diseases if he came back at this point,” she said, explaining that Landreneau had missed four days of school due to hospitalization.

Board members discussed campus polling locations and storage for the upcoming presidential election, as well as advertising and allocation options for campus clubs.

Board member Halim Genus said he and Board member Julie Hallinan met with Kathy Humphrey, vice provost and dean of students, to discuss the movement of the general election polling location for those registered in the Schenley Quad and Litchfield Towers to the William Pitt Union. Currently, students vote in Posvar Hall. But the meeting didn’t end with positive results.

“It’s starting to look more and more of something that will not happen for this election cycle,” Genus said. “But it’s something we are going to continue to pursue for years to come.”

He said that the speed at which progress on the project is occurring will not fit into the current election time frame, but the Board does not plan to end discussions for future polling location changes.

Board member Alex Murdoch reminded student organizations that they can apply for storage spaces in the O’Hara Student Center and asked all groups to register for them sooner, rather than later.

Murdoch added that Student Affairs is working on a unified logo for all club sports teams that can be adopted in the near future, once the design is approved.

“The Board has had the chance to look at some of the designs, and they are pretty cool, so you can choose to use them if you would like,” Murdoch said.

Board member Rothenberger transitioned from her role as president pro tempore to deliver her weekly Board report addressing the ways that student groups can advertise on campus.

“We held a low-key advertising meeting to discuss alternative methods of advertising on campus and will be meeting with [SGB Advisor] Kenyon Bonner to discuss the feasibility of these options,” Rothenberger said.

The next advertising meeting will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 8:45 p.m. in room 848 of the WPU.

As the meeting shifted toward the Allocations requests, Allocations Committee Chairman Michael Nites reminded student group representatives that a brief course titled Allocations 101, which will inform groups of the procedure for requesting funds, will be held on Monday, Sept. 24, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. in room 630 of the WPU.

The Board felt President Landreneau’s absence throughout the meeting and Board member Murdoch asked to send positive thoughts Landreneau’s way upon his arrival back on campus.

“I believe that it is James’s birthday on Friday. So if you see him, wish him a happy birthday and good health,” Murdoch said.

Allocations

Strong Women, Strong Girls requested $1,926.16 for yearly supplies for its national curriculum. The Board denied the request in full, because the request included a lot of disposable products that would go to non-Pitt students.

Formula Society of Automotive Engineers requested $25,792.32 for its yearly operating components that are used in building the group’s race car. The Board approved $10,293.50 and denied $15,498.82, in line with the Allocations recommendation.

Formula Society of Automotive Engineers requested $7,297.15 for two competitions. The Board approved $4732.82 for lodging, transportation and registration for one competition and denied $2,564.33 for the second international competition, because it is held in Canada.

Formula Society of Automotive Engineers requested $34,058 for a computer the group could use in future years. The Board approved $4,552.20 for one component of the computer and denied $29,505.08

Pittsburgh Club Baseball requested $1,026.42 for equipment, including bases, home plates and a four-panel screen for safety. The Board approved the request in full.

Pittsburgh Club Baseball requested $1,063.30 for lodging at the group’s State College Tournament. The Board approved the request in full.

Strong Women, Strong Girls requested $2,784.51 for transportation to the group’s volunteer sites. The Board approved the request in full.

Read the rest of the Allocations requests online at Pittnews.com.

Club Tennis team requested $600.40 for the group’s sectionals tournament. The Board approved the request in full.

Club Tennis team requested $608.80 for a tournament. The Board approved the request in full.

Club Tennis team requested $811.68 for a tournament. The Board approved $617.28 and denied $194.40.

Club Tennis team requested $797.32 for a tournament. The Board approved the request in full.

Club Cross Country requested $950.00 for a competition and as a new club on campus with limited funding. The Board approved the request in full.

Students for Justice in Palestine requested $1,230 to bring a speaker to campus. The Board approved $1,218.60 and denied $11.40, in line with the recommendation of the Allocations Committee, who adjusted for rounding purposes.

The Pittiful News requested $1,110.00 to increase their monthly publication from two to eight pages. The Board approved their request in full.

Lady Ice Panthers requested $8,400.00 for practices. The Board approved the request in full.

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers requested $2,176 for a conference. The Board denied the request in full, in line with the recommendation of the Allocations Committee, who felt the conference dealt primarily with professional development.

Club Baseball requested $1,900.00 for league dues. The Board approved the request in full.

Club Baseball requested $601.92 for an out-of-conference competition. The Board approved the request in full, against the recommendation of the Allocations Committee, because the out-of-conference committee was necessary to contend for nationals.

Habitat for Humanity requested $1,964.40 for a conference. The Board approved the request in full.

Lady Ice Panthers requested $5,600 for scrimmage ice time. The Board denied the request in full, in line with the recommendation of the Allocations Committee, because the competition does not contribute to nationals.