SGB to meet with Alcohol Task Force

Three members of the Student Government Board will meet with Pitt’s Alcohol Task Force to… Three members of the Student Government Board will meet with Pitt’s Alcohol Task Force to discuss the possibility of a University amnesty policy on Friday.

Board member Alex Zimmerman broached the topic during his report at last night’s meeting in Nordy’s Place. The news comes after semesters of debate between students and administrators about the merits of such a policy and an investigation by The Pitt News into the laws behind campus alcohol policies.

Zimmerman, along with Board members Emily Hoover and James Landreneau, prepared for the meeting with the task force after several students approached them about the possibility.

“Ultimately, there are student concerns,” Zimmerman said.

Currently, Pitt does not have an amnesty policy — which would protect underage students from legal action while seeking medical attention after drinking.

Zimmerman said the Board members do not have “an agenda” for the meeting. He said they aren’t demanding an amnesty policy from Pitt.

Rather, the Board members plan to use Friday’s gathering as an opportunity to learn more about Pitt’s policy on alcohol.

So far, the trio have met with Carnegie Mellon’s dean of student affairs, Gina Casalegno, to discuss CMU’s alcohol policy.

This project was one of many discussed at last night’s weekly SGB meeting, which focused primarily on Pitt Day in Harrisburg and today’s rally to restore education funding.

Board president Molly Stieber opened the meeting with a general request for attendance at both events. About 140 students have registered for Pitt Day in Harrisburg so far, but Stieber and other board members pushed for greater numbers to meet with legislators next Tuesday.

“They’re waiting for us. They’re ready for us. We’re about to go change some minds,” Stieber said.

For the students who can’t make it to the all-day event, Stieber said that today’s rally on Bigelow Boulevard is another opportunity for students to protest Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed cuts to education spending.

The rally, which begins at noon, will feature students speaking out about how the cuts will personally affect them.

Last night’s SGB meeting ended on a high note when student group Steel City Bhangra marched in halfway through the meeting. Carting a 3-foot-high trophy, the group spoke during the open-floor portion of the meeting.

Sumir Pandit, a Pitt senior and member of the dance ensemble, said he and the group wanted to thank the Board for funding their trip. The group had just come back from California, where they took part in a national competition.

Steel City Bhangra won second place overall — losing by only one point — but also won for “Most congenial team.”

Pandit said the trip was an opportunity for the group to represent Pitt, and all the Board members applauded the group’s accomplishment.

“This made my night,” Stieber said.

The Board will not meet next week because Board members will be returning from Pitt Day in Harrisburg. Members will vote on time-sensitive requests via e-mail. All other requests will be postponed until April 12.

Allocations Notes:

-The Quidditch Club requested $1,744.20 for transportation to a regional competition. The Board approved the request in full.

-National Band Service Fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi requested $926.50 for a district conference. The request was amended to fund for one room and two nights.

-National Health Preprofessional Honor Society Alpha Epsilon Delta requested $925 for CPR training. The request was denied in full.

-Some of God’s Children Gospel Choir requested $1,910 to fund the group’s spring concert. The Board approved the request in full.

-The Roller Hockey Club requested $3,888.50 to fund transportation to and lodging at its national tournament. The Board approved $3,123.50 and denied $765.

-The Interfraternity Council requested $2,397.02 for a budget modification. The Board approved the request in full.

-Pitt’s National Panhellenic Conference requested $900 for a budget modification. The Board approved the request in full.