Pitt SGB still waiting on Collegiate Readership Program locked drop-boxes

The Student Government Board addressed campus security and still-unsecured newspapers during… The Student Government Board addressed campus security and still-unsecured newspapers during Tuesday’s Student Government Board meeting.

The Board addressed the 57 bomb threats made anonymously toward the University over the course of the semester before changing tracks to set a new deadline for the arrival of locked drop-boxes for the Collegiate Readership Program.

During the first half of the meeting, Board President James Landreneau asked students to contact him if any of their groups’ activities were disrupted by the bomb threats. He said he is working to find alternative places for organizations to host events so that Pitt students can have non-students attend their events. Currently, Pitt’s heightened security measures prohibit those without Pitt IDs from entering campus buildings unless he or she is signed in.

Landreneau also announced that Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney and Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kathy Humphrey will come and speak with students at next week’s public SGB meeting about the recent string of bomb threats.

Board member Julie Hallinan continued the discussion on the bomb threats, adding that the University is in unexplored territory.

“The University is doing what it can,” Hallinan said. “[There] really isn’t a precedent or a playbook for how to react to this situation.”

Board member Zoe Samudzi told the meeting’s attendees to remain calm and not to allow the threats to disrupt daily life.

“As much as possible, keep up normalcy in your daily routine,” Samudzi said. “Try and be optimistic.”

Landreneau took the time during his address to discuss why SGB missed the deadline previously announced for the arrival of the Collegiate Readership Program’s locked drop-boxes that were supposed to house copies of The New York Times and USA Today.

Although the newspapers are currently delivered daily to campus, they remain unsecured and available for pickup by anyone. SGB cited the availability of the newspapers to people who don’t pay the Student Activities Fee as a reason for terminating the program over winter break.

When SGB reinstated the program in February, they said the papers would arrive in locked drop-boxes the week after spring break. When that deadline passed, the Board said the locked drop-boxes would arrive April 9.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, Landreneau said that there had been a delay in the delivery of the boxes.

Hallinan said the boxes will arrive next week, on April 17, and be operational by April 18. The drop-boxes will replace the current, unprotected racks at the seven pickup locations for the newspapers spread around campus.

Allocations:

The Russian Club requested $2,485 for an Eastern European Festival. The Board approved $1,230 for a tech fee but denied $1,255 in an honorarium for performers because they did not have documentation for the request.

The Indian Sub-Continent Association requested $80 for tables for a cultural show. The Allocations Committee approved the request in full.

Pitt Ballet Club requested $525 for summer storage for all of its costumes. The Board approved the request in full.

Pitt Ballet Club requested $372 for technical support for its show in Bellefield Hall. The Allocations Committee approved the request in full.

The Pitt Cycling Team requested $4,311 to send five people to Utah for the national championship. The committee approved $3,414.66 and denied $896.77 because one of the five club members attending is not a Pitt student.

Panther Women’s Rugby requested $2,022 for travel expenses for the first round of a national tournament. The Board approved $1,733.76 for six out of the seven rooms the club requested.

Ignite: InterVarsity requested $1,432 to send four people to a conference in Michigan. The Board denied the request in full because they felt it was a personal development trip.

Women’s Fastpitch Softball Club requested $634.28 for a tournament in New Jersey. The Board approved the request in full.

Session: Middle East requested $2,346 to compete in a National Model Arab League competition in Washington, D.C. The Board approved the request in full.

Women’s Ultimate Frisbee requested $498.13 to compete in a tournament. The Allocations Committee approved the request in full.

Americans for Informed Democracy requested $625 to send four people to a conference to aid in the group’s development. The Board approved the request in full.

Lady Panther Lacrosse requested $13,785 to send 21 people to a spring national tournament. The Board approved $12,961.94 and denied $824 to lower the number of attendees.