SGB announces constitutional amendments, dining resource fair

Student Government Board announced at Tuesday night’s meeting that students will vote on three constitutional amendments which could change the powers, composition and processes of the organization in the campus-wide March 21 election.

Daniel Temmallo, the chair of the Constitutional Review Task Force, said at the weekly meeting at Nordy’s Place that the amendments will provide further flexibility regarding committee sizes, clarify the role of vice president for governance and give the board and judicial committee the ability to modify grammar in the Constitution without the need for a constitutional amendment. 

“I’m proud to announce the finished result of the Constitutional Review Task Force,” Temmallo said. “Three of our constitutional amendment proposals, one each introduced by President [Danielle] Floyd, election chair [Ciara] Markoski and judicial chair [Leonie] Finke have been debated and approved by all three bodies necessary to put them on the ballot for the student body to vote on this coming election cycle.”

One of the proposed amendments deals with SGB’s elections committee. Currently, the constitution says the committee should be composed of eight members, not including the chair. But the amendment — which was proposed by Markoski, the chair of the elections committee — would allow the committee to be composed of a chair and between six and 10 members.

According to SGB’s website, the elections committee is responsible for conducting campus-wide elections for the SGB president and board. 

President Danielle Floyd proposed the second amendment, which aims to change the powers of the vice president for governance. Currently, someone in this position can “appoint and supervise” all SGB representatives to shared governance committees, such as Staff Council or Senate Council. While the vice president for governance would maintain the ability to supervise the SGB representatives, if the amendment were passed the president would get the power to appoint them.

Judicial chair Finke proposed the third amendment, which would give the board and the judicial committee the power to edit the spelling, grammar or nomenclature of the Constitution through a unanimous vote, if the changes don’t change the meaning or effect of the current language. 

Currently, amendments to the constitution can be initiated via a petition signed by 5% of the student body or by a constitutional review task force appointed by a simple majority of the total membership of the Board.

When students cast their ballots for next year’s SGB president and board on March 21 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., they will also vote to approve or deny these changes to the constitution. Board member Corbin Makar also announced at the meeting that the Dining Resource Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the WPU Plaza on March 21. 

“There’s going to be more info on this and more advertising after spring break,” Makar said. “Games, prizes, sustainability will be there. Smokeland BBQ, Saxbys, even Pepsi is going to be there, so it’s going to be a fun time.”

Allocations

Dhirana, a nationwide Indian dance competition hosted at Pitt, requested $8,940.50 to rent out the August Wilson African American Cultural Center for a competition open to the public. The board voted unanimously to approve the request in full.

Kappa Kappa Psi, a Pitt Band fraternity, requested $1,194.28 to send their members to a convention promoting leadership training and showcasing musical performances. Following a debate about whether the event was a convention or a conference — conferences have a four-person attendance cap — the Board voted to approve the request in full. Board member Braydan Issermoyer voted no, and board member Ryan Young abstained, as both believe the event is a conference. 

The Interfraternity Council requested $2,400 for six fraternities and an adviser to attend a mental health retreat with a focus on sexual violence prevention and disability awareness. Allocations chair Carson Hawk recommended the board only approve the request to the amount of $76.12, saying the IFC had almost exceeded their spending allocations for the year. Alex Hodge, the president of the IFC, claimed the allocations committee made a mistake. The board voted to table the request for the next public meeting.

The Pakistani Student Association requested $8,200 to cover venue rental and service fees and hire a photographer and DJ to host a mock Pakistani wedding with an expected attendance of 350. The board voted unanimously to approve the request in full.

Club Cheer requested $4,436.40 for tumbling mats and tape to connect them. The board voted unanimously to approve the request in full.

Chem-E-Car, a club that constructs a car powered by a chemical source, requested $1,466 to cover registration, travel fees and lodging to send 10 members to a competition at Virginia Tech. The board voted unanimously to approve the request in full.

Men’s ultimate frisbee requested $4,772.61 to cover travel fees and lodging to attend a competition in Tennessee. The board voted to approve the request in full with an abstention from Issermoyer.

Alpha Sigma Rho, an Asian cultural sorority, requested $2,876.20 to cover travel and lodging for a national convention in Orlando. The board voted unanimously to approve the request in full.

SKY Campus Happiness, a well-being and resilience branch program, requested $3,000 to cover course fees for their members to attend an online meditation retreat. The board voted unanimously to approve the request in full.

Smash Bros. Club requested $1,575.92 for streaming equipment to broadcast their gameplay nationally. The board voted unanimously to approve the request in full.

Club tennis requested $2,161.74 to cover lodging for a competition in Phoenix. The board voted unanimously to approve $1,827.90 of the request, as the club had reached its allocations limit.