SGB reconvenes for first meeting of fall semester

Student Government Board President James Landreneau extended a formal welcome and wishes for a…Student Government Board President James Landreneau extended a formal welcome and wishes for a happy start to the new school year to the 40 or so students in attendance at Tuesday’s SGB meeting at Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union.

“This is something that I have been quoted saying probably a million times, but if any of you are interested in getting involved with SGB, there is a spot for you,” Landreneau said.

The Board primarily addressed projects and initiatives supported by each Board member before doing its standard routine of distributing funds from the more than $2 million Student Activities Fund.

Board member Halim Genus said he is working on a few projects, but the issue of marking Pitt shuttle stops stands “chiefly among them,” because it’s an issue that students have shown interest in. Few Pitt shuttle stops are currently marked, and Genus said this stands as a safety issue on campus.

“Having marked shuttle stops helps with safety, and it is always good to be in the know,” he said. “If nothing happens until I leave this seat, I hope that when I do, that we will have marked stops.”

Board member Julie Hallinan joined other Board members in stressing the importance of voter registration. After asking how many members of the public audience are currently registered to vote with a nearly unanimous show of hands, Hallinan mentioned a Pitt-wide initiative to install voter registration boxes in residence halls across campus.

Board members Gordon Louderback and Natalie Rothenberger agreed with Hallinan that it is an important time for student involvement in SGB and presidential elections. They plugged their involvements with upcoming events to engage students in political processes, such as the Food Committee’s Rock the Vote party to be held at Market Central on Sept. 26 from 4 to 8 p.m.

Student Government Board started the Food Committee in 2011, and it has public meetings with Sodexo employees at varying times and locations to make comments and suggestions on how to improve the dining facilities on campus.

Sodexo, the food service company that runs many eateries on Pitt’s campus, and SGB are partnering to provide students with nonpartisan information on cadidates and register voters before the national voter registration deadline on Oct. 6.

Additionally, the Food Committee will be meeting this Friday at 1 p.m. at a yet-unspecified location.

Louderback said that among the various SGB-affiliated committees, the Traditions Committee was a group that accomplished a great deal over the summer. After a subdued reference to the football team’s home opener and loss on Saturday, Louderback applauded the newly reinstated Panther Pitt student section.

“Hey, we were the most talked about thing on Twitter for a half hour,” he said.

Board member Megan McGrath urged students to alleviate the stresses of long lines located outside of Heinz Field’s Gate C after Panther football games by going to the less-populated bus pickup location alongside the exit facing Stage AE.

Keeping with the promotion of easy transportation, McGrath referenced the Bike Rental System and the conveniences that it can afford students.

“[The program] is something that I’ve been working on since last semester, and I am in discussions to get that system up and running,” McGrath said. “Students will be able to rent a bike for the day and take a nice trip to South Side or other areas, if they would like.”

Allocations

Club Tennis requested $1,021.36 for lodging and travel expenses to compete in a competition. The Board approved the request in full in line with the Allocations recommendation.

Engineers for a Sustainable World requested $2,694.80 for registration, flight and hotel room expenses. Allocations recommended the denial of one flight cost and three registration fees to put the allocation of funds beneath the $2,000 conference cap in line with Allocations precedence. The Board moved to fund all four registrations and break the suggested cap. The Board approved $2,115.60 and denied $579.20.

Club Tennis requested $656.94 for tennis court rental fees and tennis balls for team tryouts. The Board approved $600 for court rental fees and denied $56.94 for tennis balls to avoid deficit-spending.

Pitt Rowing requested $7,425 for transportation to practices for its novice and varsity teams. The Board approved $2,970 and denied $4,455 for the novice team in line with the Allocations recommendation to not fund for a group’s B-team.

Parliamentary Debate requested a combined $2,337.22 for four competition costs. The Board approved the request in full in line with the Allocations recommendation.

The Biomedical Engineering Society requested $2,136.60 for conference costs. The Board approved $1,968.90 for the conference and lodging and denied $167.70 for Saturday night’s lodging, as the conference ends on Saturday of the trip. This was in line with the Allocations recommendation.

Parliamentary Debate requested $459.20, $338.24, $209.84 and $457.04. Allocations approved the request in full.

Aspiring Business Professionals requested $50.97. Allocations approved $46.98 and denied $3.99.