Student Government Board introduces new resolution in support of faculty union

At Tuesday’s meeting, Student Government Board introduced a resolution, titled “Student Solidarity with the Faculty Union,” that the board will vote on at the next public meeting. This resolution will “express solidarity with the faculty union,” according to Board Member Matt Jurich.

“We are not only student representatives, but we’re also letting the administration know that we absolutely support the union,” Jurich said. “We support labor rights. We support the people who make it work, and we do not support the practices that they’ve been doing.” 

This resolution is the “public opinion” of SGB, which states that they feel the University engaged in unfair labor practices.

“We believe the Faculty Union represents the people who actually make Pitt work,” the resolution said. “That our teachers, part-time, full-time, tenured or not, are the people who provide the means of education at Pitt and therefore should be paid livable wages with job security.” 

Dr. Melinda Ciccocioppo, a psychology professor, shared her appreciation for the support of the Student Government Board. 

“I just want to express my appreciation to the board for drafting and co-sponsoring this very powerful resolution,” Ciccocioppo said. You know, it means a lot to us to have your support and to know that you have our backs. I love my job. It’s my working conditions that could use some improvement, and that has always been what our union has been about.” 

Vice President of Initiatives Katie Fitzpatrick attended a meeting with other Pennsylvania colleges through the Pennsylvania Association of State-Related Students to advocate for cheaper tuition for in-state students. 

“We are a coalition between two state-related schools just like a classification within the states,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s not clear about what will happen but it’s very likely your tuition will increase. If you’d like to advocate more with PASS you can go to with.pitt.edu.”

Allocations: 

Club golf requested $3,720 for registration at a regional tournament. The board approved this request in full.