Student Government Board discussed issues with disability accommodations and the Recreation and Wellness Center’s equipment accessibility at its weekly meeting Tuesday night at Nordy’s Place.
Board member Andrew Elliott addressed concerns regarding a lack of availability of disability shuttles for students on campus.
“This is something that we’ve had an issue with last year,” Elliott said. “A student broke her leg and could not get to Chevron.”
Disability Resource Services liaison Lauren Lenhard has been working on a survey to receive student feedback and address concerns about accessibility resources.
“I reached out to DRS staff and the director of DRS to set up some meetings,” Lenhard said. “I’m currently working on a feedback survey so that students can give input on what needs to be improved.”
Lenhard said student voices are crucial to improving accessibility resources at Pitt.
“A huge thing I’m working on is feedback. I think that’s really important,” Lenhard said.
Later in the meeting, SGB acknowledged the problems regarding equipment usage and machine accessibility in the Recreation and Wellness Center.
Board member Siya Saraswat met with the University Senate’s Athletics and Recreation Committee to discuss student and faculty access to the Recreation and Wellness Center.
“I had another meeting with [Campus Recreation Staff] to start connecting students to admin and relaying feedback about the new Rec Center,” Saraswat said.
Saraswat said the meeting was organized to address student issues regarding machine usage and equipment usability.
“We talked about machine accessibility and sufficiency,” Saraswat said. “[We had] to address some problems with students feeling comfortable and making the space feel safe.”
President Marley Pinsky also addressed difficulties with students signing into the Recreation and Wellness Center using physical Panther Cards.
“You can get a chip updated for free at the University Store on Fifth,” Pinsky said.
Board member Kylie Baker said SGB has continued plans to start a winter coat donation for students in spite of recent setbacks.
“The charity that was going to donate some items is no longer able to do that because of federal budget cuts,” Baker said. “We may be looking at purchasing secondhand items.”
Baker said setbacks will not influence the timeline of her plan.
“I’m still going to be aiming for the end of October,” Baker said.
Allocations:
Student Veterans at Pitt requested $4,088.16 to attend a conference. The board approved this request in full.
Phi Chi Pre Health Society requested $2,000 for national dues. The board approved this request in full.
Phi Gamma Nu Professional Development Organization requested $2,440 for national dues. The board approved this request in full.
Global Medical Brigades requested $2,606.52 for general funds. The board approved this request in full.
Club Tennis at Pitt requested $3,000 for general funds. The board approved this request in full.
Irish Dance at Pitt requested $6,950.58 to attend a competition. The board amended and approved this request to $6,000.