Student leaders join together at Panther GOLD Retreat

Student leaders attended their last summer camp complete with campfires and s’mores before… Student leaders attended their last summer camp complete with campfires and s’mores before returning to school, except this one provided a learning opportunity as well.

The second annual Panther Global Oriented Leadership Development (GOLD) Retreat brought together student organizations’ executive board leaders, Student Government Board, the Division of Student Affairs and Pitt administrators to develop and expand upon leadership skills. The retreat is funded by the Division of Student Affairs.

About 65 leaders boarded buses outside of the William Pitt Union Friday at 9 a.m. and traveled to Camp Kon-o-Kwee/Spencer, a YMCA summer camp for children, located about 45 minutes away from campus in Fombell, Pa. The group returned to campus 5 p.m. Saturday.

SGB president Molly Stieber said that helping the new executive board leaders understand the SGB budget allocation process was one of the main focuses of the retreat.

Stieber began emailing campus leaders at the end of May about attending the retreat.

She said SGB and Student Affairs decided what groups to email based on the size of the groups and how much money they received last year in funding from SGB. Stieber said that most of the organizations in attendance were those that consistently ask SGB for funding during the school year.

Pitt FeelGood, Black Action Society, Keep It Real and Pitt STAND were among some of the 30 organizations represented, Stieber said.

According to the itinerary, segments presented by SGB to student organizations included “SORC 101/Allocations/Reservations” and “Role of SGB,” which outlined the organization of SGB and the allocations process.

But the retreat was not just all business and no play. The schedule said that attendees also got to enjoy a “drum circle” and participate in “free time” activities such as making s’mores.

Jamie Levine, president of Pitt’s STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition, attended her first GOLD retreat this weekend. She said it was a great way to meet people from other organizations.

“I think it definitely opened up the door with SGB in terms of having conversations and asking questions,” Levine said. “I definitely think [SGB members] were available and a lot of people found that helpful.”

SGB board member Ryan Gayman said the retreat provided an open dialogue with student organizations.

“It was a good time for students to organically meet. When you get several of the organizations under one neutral space, where no one is on a higher level than the other, there was open communication and feedback,” Gayman said.

SGB board member James Landreneau was also pleased with the retreat proceedings. He said the retreat had a “very positive atmosphere” and was a beneficial environment for student groups to better understand not only allocations, but how SGB operates.

Landreneau and Gayman acknowledged that student groups often feel intimidated when asking for funding.

“Sometimes people think of us almost like the administration, when we are students,” Gayman said.

Gayman noted that SGB’s duties encompass many other aspects besides solely allocations.

“Allocations is a fraction of our role at Pitt,” Gayman said. “We’re here to empower students, and I think this retreat will help people with opening lines of communication and making people feel welcome with us this fall.”

Shelbi Pellen, advertising director of Pitt Program Council, said the retreat was a “great experience.”

“It was a wonderful opportunity for PPC to network with other organizations and you could tell SGB wanted to get to know us better. I think our relationship will be better now than before,” Pellen said. “They have become more approachable.”

Student leaders also attended lectures such as “Being A Persuasive Leader,” led by Director of Student Life Kenyon Bonner, and “Leading With Passion and Purpose,” led by women’s basketball head coach Agnus Berenato.

Gayman said Kathy Humphrey, vice provost and dean of students, wrapped up the retreat with a final lecture highlighting the role student organizations play in helping Pitt’s student body find its niche and make the best out of the college experience.

Stieber said she received positive feedback about the retreat and sees it as something to be built upon in the coming years.

“All the speakers were incredible … the group leaders were so attentive and had so much to say,” she said. “Everyone got along really well and created some great bonds.”