Editorial: Morrison should keep efforts Pitt-centered

‘ ‘ ‘ With 1,063 votes to his name, Kevin Morrison won the Student Government Board… ‘ ‘ ‘ With 1,063 votes to his name, Kevin Morrison won the Student Government Board presidential election last Thursday. And though he and the other candidates who won might be relieved for now, there’s work to be done when they come into office next semester. ‘ ‘ ‘ During The Pitt News editorial board’s interview with Morrison, and in his written campaign materials, it was clear that he intends to take a proactive stance on bringing SGB to the students, rather than forcing students and groups to bring their issues to the board. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to his campaign materials, one of his primary goals is to form a student lobbying and advocacy group comprising students from Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, Carlow, Duquesne and other local schools in order to bring student and campus issues to the local government. ‘ ‘ ‘ While this is an admirable goal, and one that could have a positive effect on the student community assuming it could be instituted properly, it’s not clear what issues such a group could hope to solve. Although the student bodies of these respective universities are a large part of the local economy, students don’t vote as a group and can’t be organized the way other lobbying groups can ‘mdash; a fact Morrison himself acknowledges. ‘ ‘ ‘ Instead of trying to devote his time and the school’s resources toward an unreachable goal, Morrison should remember to concentrate first on his duties at Pitt. ‘ ‘ ‘ For instance, there have been numerous instances where student groups have requested allocations funding from SGB and had their requests denied, often because of some minor technicality in the rules. This simply shouldn’t stand, especially when these same rules are bent for other groups. ‘ ‘ ‘ With Morrison’s experience and knowledge about the allocations process, hopefully instances like this will decrease sharply. Not only can he use his abilities to smooth out situations that might have been difficult before, but he can also educate groups and students about how allocations work and when it is and isn’t appropriate to ask SGB for money. ‘ ‘ ‘ SGB shouldn’t overhaul the allocations process, because it works for the most part. It just needs to be attentive to the needs of smaller groups, and the rules should be clearer for when those groups need money. ‘ ‘ ‘ Indeed, this sort of direct interaction with students and groups should be a cornerstone of Morrison’s goals as SGB president. Many students now don’t even know problems exist with their allocations requests until after the request is made. ‘ ‘ ‘ Morrison needs to make the students advocates of their own causes, both through things like referendums and surveys, and also by staying in touch with student groups and individuals rather than simply trumpeting the same few pet issues that SGB has been concentrating on for years. ‘ ‘ ‘ Morrison has said that he’s dedicated to making SGB more connected and involved with daily student life at Pitt, and he seems to have a few good ideas for how to do so. He just needs to make sure that they become a part of his actual goals as SGB president and not just empty campaign promises.