SGB holds first meeting of the spring semester, discusses new changes 

During the first Student Government Board meeting of the spring semester, SGB President Ryan Young introduced the election season for the next academic year and encouraged people to run. 

Additionally, Young introduced a new website, Experience Pitt, which allows a new way for students to submit allocations requests, along with a feedback form students can fill out with suggestions for improving the Experience Pitt website. 

SGB members said they hope the new platform will provide a more streamlined and centralized platform for submitting requests. 

“The form can be found on the allocations page on the SGB website,” Young said. 

Young also encouraged students to attend the next town hall meeting. 

“A public town hall meeting will be held soon that discusses upcoming student renovations being done on the WPU,” Young said. 

The Allocations Committee did not share allocations requests at the meeting and did not specify why, but Young said they plan to provide more information in future meetings. 

Sarah Siddiqui, vice president of operations, is working on overseeing SGB’s operational budgets and finances and attended a Senate Council meeting that discussed them. 

“I attended the second meeting for the senate budget before break as Student Government representative,” Siddiqui said. 

Siddiqui also clarified that SGB will still consider allocations applications submitted on the old website for funding. Additionally, Siddiqui introduced a new scheduling platform for the legal system SGB provides for students. 

“Information for the free legal system can be found by going on the SGB website and clicking on services, then student legal services,” Siddiqui said. “The appointments can be booked three weeks in advance and our goal is to make the process simple and accessible.”

Board member Matt Jurich announced that classes will be asynchronous on Election Day beginning next year. This decision comes after other SGB members proposed in the past that the University cancel class on election days. 

“Democracy will only get bigger from here,” Jurich said.

Vice President of Initiatives Katie Fitzpatrick said she’s excited to continue with the Disability Resource Committee by working with faculty and staff.

According to board member Katie Emmert, who said at the beginning of last semester she wanted to work on renters’ rights, “the Renters First Committee is working on committing to a regular schedule and working with the city.”

“We will also be hosting, Rrenting and Ddealing with Llandlords workshops,” Emmert said. “We are also pushing a renters survey with a weighted blanket prize.”

Board Member Olivia Rosati said she’s working with the Faculty Affairs Senate Committee to discuss changes to Pitt’s COVID-19 policy. 

“I also hope to advocate for increasing minimum wage for student workers along with supporting faculty and grad students unions,” Rosati said. “I am also working on shuttles and safe riders for improved transportation.”

Ashley White, another board member, has “been working with SOCS, the Students of Color in Solidarity Committee,” on diversity-related campus matters. 

“We have representatives from different student organizations on campus,” White said. “The nice group of leaders will be able to point out different problems for students of different identities.”

Academic Affairs Chair Grace Bohl and Board Member Braydan Issermoyer announced a majors and minors fair on Friday, Feb. 1. 

“This will be a great opportunity for any undecided student,” Bohl said.