SGB presidential candidates talk transparency, fiscal issues

The key to a successful Student Government Board president is experience, according to the two… The key to a successful Student Government Board president is experience, according to the two current SGB board members running for the position of 2012 SGB president.

Current Board members and seniors John Hasley and James Landreneau share similar ideas when it comes to the changes they want to bring to Pitt, their goal being to increase student involvement in University decision-making, but they want to implement them in different ways.

The Pitt News: What significant changes have you made since your term on the 2011 Board?

John Hasley: Back when I was an interim Board member, I focused on the voter registration campaign before the gubernatorial and senatorial races … I ran on for Board last semester on the BlackBoard app for smartphone, which got implemented over the summer … A student approached me about why we don’t have signs for the shuttles like CMU does … So right now Public Works is just checking with the Traffic Department that the areas I pointed out are okay for signage.

James Landreneau: I finally got housing to implement the new swipe-in system at residence halls … and it should be implemented all across campus next fall … I’ve been doing a lot of committee work, and Board member Emily Hoover and I spearheaded the food committee … I’ve created the OCC Student Advisory Board to revamp the program that many students saw as failing.

TPN: What can you bring to the Board as president that you gained from already being a Board member?

JH: Hard work and dedication, but also a real willingness to deal with students, hear what they have to say: their side of the story … I think it’s important that students come and talk to us, especially about allocations, because there’s so much that can be missed if those lines of communication are broken down. I’m 100 percent willing to do that, because I was a Board member, and I’m willing to as the president.

JL: If I had a bunch of ideas that were relevant as a Board member, I’d run for Board member again. But the projects I’m running on aren’t relevant for what a Board member would do … Past Boards ran on being a transparent Board, but I’m running on being an approachable Board. I’ve watched difficult allocations decisions be made, and I want to make sure that SGB is enabling student groups to do things.

TPN: Both yourself and your opponent express initiatives that will implement more direct communication with student groups including campus hall meetings or hours in public locations. This is something that many presidential candidates propose, so how will you approach it differently and what do you hope to achieve by a greater transparency?

JH: Holding public office hours isn’t functionally that difficult … The benefit is that the Board is out there among students, not holed up in the office because that’s inaccessible, and a lot of students tell me they feel kind of intimidated … it’s one of the best ways to hold ourselves accountable to students … The idea gets kicked around a lot, but I’m pretty sure I’m the only Board member who holds public office hours — at least as long as I’ve been on SGB.

JL: On Tuesday nights, students are primarily there for allocations … What I want is an extremely relaxed, advertised environment where students can have an open floor. On Tuesdays, no one wants to sit through 40 minutes of allocations … At this idea I have, students can come with ideas … Board members can present their projects with students having a Q&A with them and students can come and express their own problems on campus and what they want to see done about it.

TPN: Both yourself and your opponent have plans to improve the allocations process. What is the biggest problem with the allocations process that you think needs to be improved, and how will you improve it?

JH: The biggest problem with the allocations process is that it’s really confusing for students, and at times, for Board members. You have the Allocations Manual where you can see the specifics of the process, but I believe that there are certain things about the allocations process that can only be learned through experience … I’d like to see Board members attending student organizations’ meetings.

JL: I’m running on creating an SGB liaison system because right now, the Allocations Committee is responsible for student groups … It’s absolutely essential that the Board sends an email about why a group has been funded its money, has not been funded that money, or why the decision was reversed from the Allocations recommendation … I also think the Allocations Manual needs to be reviewed again because decision making is not as clear.

TPN: As the leading representative for students, how will you continue to address the tuition issue for them in light of the 8.5 percent increase this year?

JH: I want to continue [current SGB president] Molly [Stieber’s] work with Pitt Day in Harrisburg and work to push for action with the Pittsburgh Student Government Council.

JL: I want to keep students available about state and local politics at my campus hall meetings … Students don’t want a tuition hike, and we need to voice that, as evidenced by Pitt Day in Harrisburg … As president, I can rally students.

TPN: In relation to financial decisions from the University, what will you do to open up discussion with the University when it makes financial decisions impacting students, including the 2 percent budget cuts across academic departments?

JH: I was just appointed to the Investment Committee a few weeks ago … but I want to include the students in this process as much as possible. I think that every financial decision that the University makes should have support of the student body.

JL: There used to be a board that students would sit on … Some of the money goes into the Student Activities Fee, and the rest, where is that money going to? … I’m not going to sound idealistic, but I think the first step would be to restore that board and have The Pitt News report on those meetings.

TPN: SGB did not allocate all of the Student Activity Fund in the last fiscal year, and some spending has drawn controversy from the student population from the readership program to spending from formula groups that have a set aside reserve, but don’t make their expenses public. How will you address responsible spending with students’ spending?

JH: I want to reform the Readership Program because we are losing money … because anyone can pick them up. And, yes, we haven’t spent all of the money from the Student Activity Fund. Some of it rolled over … but there is room for us to spend more responsibly. For formula groups like Pitt Program Council … they spend responsibly as far as I know, but I’d like if they were all audited to make sure.

JL: The rollover money is a problem, but the formula groups do a good job, so I don’t think they are an issue … The best way to combat this rollover money is to encourage student groups to apply for more money for programs … I want an on-campus leadership program to get to know one another and generate ideas … and ultimately plan for more events.