SGB discusses well-being memo, transportation

Student Government Board discussed well-being memos, transportation concerns and a new elections bill at Tuesday’s meeting. 

President Ryan Young encouraged students to take care of their mental health during the upcoming finals week. 

“I met with Provost McCarthy this week to discuss the student well-being memo,” Young said. “Last year, something that Provost Cudd added is that faculty should not punish students if they’re missing for mental health related things, including trauma. Even if we’re changing the memo to make it a little more specific, we’re still making sure that we’re keeping that messaging important.” 

Facilities, Transportation and Technology Committee Chair Jade Shaibani met with Jonathan Pearson, the director of parking and transportation at Pitt, to discuss concerns such as wait times and feedback systems with the SafeRider app.

“We also discussed our and other students’ frustrations with the usability of the app,” Shaibani said. “We also discussed inconsistencies with the website and what they have been displaying. Overall, the meeting was very successful in my opinion. The administration was receptive and I’m excited to possibly see changes being made very soon.” 

SGB also passed EB-2023-2, a bill that eases campaign manager restrictions. This bill was introduced at the public meeting on Nov. 14. 

“One of the big changes this bill is going to make is that campaign managers can be independent candidates, so they can be a member of a slate that they represent,” Vice President of Operations Sarah Siddiqui said. “That’s something that hasn’t happened in the past.”

The bill also emphasizes that conditional committee chairs should remain neutral during the election.

“Another very notable thing that’s changing is that conditional committee chairs, such as the allocations chair, chief of staff and the comms director, may not show support for a candidate or slate at any time unless they are a candidate themselves or a member of campaign staff,” Siddiqui said.

Allocations:

Panther Racing requested their fall budget of $38,000. The board approved this request in full.

Student EMS requested $6,200 to attend a competition. The board amended and approved this request to $4,882.30.

PGN, a professional development organization, requested $2,445 for national dues. The board approved this request in full.

Phi Delta Epsilon requested $2,663 to attend a conference. The board approved this request in full.

Chess Club requested $3,227.99 to attend a competition. The board approved this request in full.