To prepare for the upcoming election, the Student Government Board held a “Meet the Candidates” event on Tuesday night at Nordy’s Place. 

Moderated by WPTS staff members Maxine Van Nortwick and Perry J Bowser, the event allowed thirteen candidates for President, Vice President, and SGB Board to answer questions about their campaigns and share their top initiatives. 

SGB elections will take place on March 11 and are open to the student body. Students can vote for one presidential ticket and up to three board members. Voting will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. via an electronic ballot sent to students’ emails, and results will be announced during SGB’s weekly public meeting in Nordy’s Place on March 11.

Candidates for board positions with similar agendas have formed three slates — Rooted, Ignite, and Thrive SGB, which function like political parties. While slate members campaign together based on shared goals, they run as individual candidates, not as official running mates.

Presidential Candidates 

Two pairs of candidates are on the executive ballot for president and vice president this year: Marley Pinsky, who is running with Olivia Budike, and Mercy Akanmu, who is running with Evan Levasseur. The president-elect serves as the primary advocate for the student body, while the vice president oversees the executive board’s activities. 

Akamnu, a current board member and sophomore neuroscience major, said she plans to expand the board’s allocations budget, which is currently funded through the student activity fee. 

“[Our ticket] will raise the total budget for allocations, making sure student [organizations] have access to sufficient funds,” Akanmu said. 

Levasseur, a board member and sophomore molecular biology major, said he wants to continue working with PittEats to improve the dining services available to students and reinstate anti-hate initiatives.

“I have a really great relationship with Pitt Eats, and I am super excited to continue this partnership into the future,” Levasseur said. “I will also re-introduce the Anti-Hate Ad Hoc Charter. ​​This work is super impactful to all students, and it is necessary to continue this into the next year.”

Pinksy, chair of the Community and Government Relations Committee and a sophomore urban planning major, is leading a campaign to strengthen dialogue between SGB and the student body. 

“I think SGB has so much potential to do more than what it does. We can be a link between students and administration,” Pinsky said. “As president, I want to make SGB more accessible.”

Budike, Chair of the Facilities, Transportation and Technology committee and sophomore political science major, was not present at the event due to a prior commitment. Her initiatives include affordable housing and campus safety. 

“My platform is defined by safety, accessibility and empowerment,” Budike said in a video presented at the event. “Financial insecurity, limited accessibility to valuable resources and concerns about student safety are issues that plague the student body.” 

The Rooted Slate 

The Rooted Slate features board candidates Andrew Elliott, a junior biochemistry major, Shanthi Bhaskar, a junior computational biology major and Kylie Baker, a sophomore political science major. 

Elliott, a current board member, explained that the Rooted Slate, whose slogan is “rooted in students’ voices and branching towards action,” aims to give students a “direct voice” to express their concerns with Pitt’s administration. 

“A common concern among students is that they have no ability to influence the priorities of the university,” Elliot said. “SGB should advocate for students, but we should not be their only path to change within the university.”

Bhaskar, also a current board member, wants to help students “feel more comfortable voicing their concerns.” 

“A big part of what our slate represents is listening to students’ voices and helping them find the right people to address those concerns with,” Bhaskar said. “Increasing student involvement in SGB is something I’m really passionate about.” 

Baker, a sophomore political science major, was unable to attend tonight’s event.

The Ignite Slate

The Ignite Slate consists of board candidates Bryce Presser, a first-year nursing major and Sofia Doval, a first-year political science major. 

Presser, a current first-year council member, said his slate’s slogan is “ignite the spark, fuel the future.” He hopes to focus on expanding diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programs. 

“With ongoing challenges to DEI programs nationwide, I believe it is crucial to protect and expand initiatives that uplift underrepresented students,” Presser said. “My goal is to ensure all students are represented through stronger DEI programs, curriculum representation and cross-community engagement.”

Doval, also a member of the First-Year Council, is focused on increasing transparency regarding student expenses.

“Students should be able to access course syllabi prior and be made aware of additional costs such as textbooks prior to registering for a course,” Doval said. “Also, students must be able to see exactly how their tuition is used. The allocation of your dollars towards athletics, activities and administration should be readily available.”

The Thrive SGB Slate

The Thrive SGB Slate consists of board candidates Camdyn Mahler, a sophomore political science major, Rachel Smookler, a sophomore business analytics major and Siya Saraswat, a junior neuroscience and psychology major. 

Smookler, SGB’s current communications director, said Thrive SGB’s mission is to revise resources to help students thrive at Pitt. 

“I’d like to work on getting medicated abortion available at the Student Health Center, especially since the current political climate is leaving many students uncertain about their resources,” Smookler said. “I want Pitt to be a place where students feel safe and make resources affordable and accessible.” 

Saraswat, SGB’s current wellness chair, hopes to make students feel more comfortable bringing complaints to SGB. 

“Before I was in SGB, I had a lot of passive complaints about food and other things on campus, and I’ve seen that a lot of students have similar complaints, but they don’t know how or where to articulate them,” Saraswat said. “I want to keep advocating for all of those struggles that are hard to articulate.” 

Mahler, a sophomore political science major, could not attend tonight’s event, but her initiatives include expanding LGBTQ+ resources and improving transportation safety. 

“We want to foster a relationship between LGBTQ+ clubs and our administration to make every student feel seen,” Mahler said in a video presented at the event. “We understand firsthand the trials and tribulations of squeezing yourself into a social system that was not designed for LGBTQ+ students.”

Independent Candidate 

Simran Kulkarni, a sophomore bioengineering major, is running as an independent candidate and plans to give equal consideration to all student organizations and make SGB a “more supportive and student-driven organization”.

“[These initiatives] will work to create a more inclusive, supportive, and effective SGB that empowers every student and organization on campus,” Kulkarni said. “A vote for me is a vote for a student government that listens, responds, and actively works for every student.”