SGB set to add new members

One week after Ali Noorbaksh’s sudden resignation, SGB resumed business as usual last night in… One week after Ali Noorbaksh’s sudden resignation, SGB resumed business as usual last night in Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union.

The meeting was the Board’s second of the semester and the agenda included discussion about a New York Times college readership initiative, the Green Fund and normal allocations business. It did not appear that the Board’s two vacant seats affected the meeting, and SGB President Charlie Shull said the process to fill out the Board is on schedule.

Both Noorbaksh and former member Phil LaRue left the Board earlier this year. Shull and the other Board members have distributed 20 applications for the positions and received two completed forms.

Following the meeting, Shull said he could not think of the names of the two students who returned completed forms. The forms are locked up in the SGB office, he said, and the pair’s names were not immediately available.

Shull said the Board will question all applicants at next week’s SGB meeting. The Board’s inquiries will mainly surround the allocations process, he said.

Shull also announced during the meeting that he plans to give up his New York Times college readership program if he doesn’t find more support for the resolution in the near future.

“The Board thinks papers are a dying breed,” Shull said. “The general opinion is that $30,000 could be spent on better means.”

During the meeting, Board member Molly Stieber announced that the Green Fund pilot program is underway. She noted that there will be a change in the original Green Fund Resolution since it was drawn up by LaRue.

The original resolution proposed that a Student Sustainable Projects Committee would decide what green projects would be funded through the $80-per-term Student Activities Fee, and then allocate funds for those projects.

Now the committee will only choose the projects and leave allocations up to SGB.

The Board also reiterated its continued plans to bring a Green Room to Pitt, similar to one already in place at CMU. The proposed Green Room will be a recycling area for many types of difficult-to-recycle goods, including batteries and light bulbs.

The Board also heard a number of requests for allocations.

Board members approved allocations of $525 to the Panther Paintball Club for participation in a fall tournament. They also granted the Mock Trial Team permission to alter its budget, and the Ambassadors of Christ organization received allocations of $760 for a speaker.

The Chinese Martial Arts Association presented its case to the Board last night in hopes of attending a tournament. The Board denied the association’s request for $1,095because the members would be participating as individuals and could not register as a team representing Pitt.

“If you don’t compete as a team, this is considered a personal expense,” Shull said.