SGB discusses Sexual Assault Awareness Month, SNAP benefits

Student Government Board President Danielle Floyd, along with the rest of the board, wore shirts reading “Create awareness. Embrace hope. Believe survivors,” at their public meeting Tuesday evening in light of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

“The board is wearing T-shirts tonight to honor community members who have experienced sexual violence and to express our support for the purpose and mission for which this month represents,” Floyd said.

At its weekly meeting in Nordy’s Place, SGB discussed the upcoming Sexual Assault Awareness Month march and announced that Forbes Street Market now accepts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Floyd also mentioned that the University has recently omitted race from crime alerts and acknowledged student criticism of the appointment process of Chancellor-elect Joan Gabel. 

Floyd encouraged students to attend the Pittsburgh Universities Believe Survivors March on April 16 at 11 a.m. where Pitt, Carlow, Chatham and Carnegie Mellon students will march in support of sexual assault survivors and to raise awareness about sexual violence on college campuses. Other events taking place throughout the month include free-form discussions, a wellness workshop and a survivor resource fair.

“Too often do I hear survivors expressing that they were given inadequate support,” Floyd said. “I hope this month offers a renewed sense of awareness and energy to this topic, bringing forth real change.” 

Floyd said in a “huge step” to eliminating on-campus food insecurity, Forbes Street Market now accepts SNAP benefits. She said SGB advocated for this initiative for more than a year and she is “excited to see it progress.” 

“A few former board members actually texted me just expressing their excitement for actually getting this done,” Floyd said. “So [we’re] really happy that we were able to get that done this year, because it’s been on the plate for a while and excited to see it progress. Make sure to tell your friends if they have SNAP.”

Floyd said she and other members of the council discussed the use of race descriptors in University crime reports at a recent Chancellor’s Public Safety Advisory Council meeting. Floyd said the University has omitted race from suspect descriptions in recent crime alerts — “partly because they’re waiting on a recommendation from [Pitt’s] Public Safety Committee.”

“We had a long, heartfelt discussion about how the University needs to be doing better in that area,” Floyd said. “So just want to keep you updated on some of those efforts.”

Floyd welcomed Chancellor-elect Gabel in her opening remarks but acknowledged some of the criticism over how she was appointed. Several student leaders, including other members of SGB, questioned why the appointment process was so “secretive” and “private.” 

“I understand that some students expressed concerns about the process,” Floyd, who served as the undergraduate student representative on the 26-person search committee, said. “I hear those concerns. I encourage anyone who has questions or comments that they wish to relay, or criticisms and feedback, please email me.”

Allocations

Women’s Club Ice Hockey requested $23,890.85 for rink time for the 2023-24 academic school year, exhausting their entire spending cap in a single request. The board voted to approve the request in full.

Phi Delta Epsilon, a pre-health professional fraternity, requested $1,387 for rental fees and equipment costs to put on their annual anatomy fashion show. At the event, artists will paint organ systems onto bodysuits and have models walk the runway. The board voted to approve the request in full. 

Plant2Plate, a gardening club that manages an urban garden on Oakland Avenue, requested $2,832 for soil tests. The board voted to approve the request in full.