EDITORIAL: Justin Romeo best choice for SGB president

‘ ‘ ‘ The Pitt News editorial board met Sunday with the four candidates for Student Government… ‘ ‘ ‘ The Pitt News editorial board met Sunday with the four candidates for Student Government Board president: Kevin Morrison, Amanda Reed, Dan Gore and Justin Romeo. The candidates discussed their positions regarding various campus and student issues, as well as their goals as president. ‘ ‘ ‘ After listening to all four candidates, we deliberated the pros and cons of each and chose the candidate whom we believe displays the best leadership skills and ideas necessary for the position of SGB president. That candidate is Justin Romeo. The following is our breakdown of each candidate and why we feel Romeo is the best choice. Kevin Morrison ‘ ‘ ‘ As SGB allocations chair, Morrison knows SGB inside and out. He’s also familiar with the common problems that arise in the allocations process. ‘We’re not working for the students all the time, and I think that should change,’ said Morrison. In order to reach out to students, Morrison advocates a proactive approach ‘mdash; reaching out to campus organizations and asking them what they need. He expressed the need to lobby the University administration to work in favor of the students. ‘ ‘ ‘ Morrison also voiced his concerns with some of SGB’s recent decisions. He was opposed to the board’s decision to hold a referendum for the Collegiate Readership Program, which would have brought the USAToday and The New York Times to campus at a per student fee of $2.50 per semester, saying that the board was elected to make such decisions on its own. Morrison voted against the fiberglass panther project because he was opposed to the way it was carried out over the summer without much student input. ‘ ‘ ‘ Finally, with respect to USSA, a national student lobbying group, Morrison said he was in favor of paying annual dues to the organization only if a student organization formed that wanted it. The organization should not, however, be allowed to operate out of the SGB office. ‘ ‘ ‘ If elected, Morrison will undoubtedly use his experience to make the allocations process work more efficiently. But we are concerned that, beyond his expertise in the allocations process and the changes he will institute in that area, Morrison will not have much to offer. While he would be a realistic and passionate leader, we do not see much indication that his leadership would lead to long-term change. Amanda Reed ‘ ‘ ‘ Reed’s goal as SGB president is to advocate for students at the University and local level. She expressed her desire to create programs that benefit students, like an Advocacy Task Force, which would reach out to students by going to organization meetings and classes. Reed was also concerned that the board had become too individualistic and said that, as president, she would facilitate cooperation among members. ‘ ‘ ‘ But despite Reed’s stated goal to listen to students’ needs, we have not seen her, as an SGB member for the past year, do anything tangible to gauge student input. With such a record, we find her promises difficult to trust. ‘ ‘ ‘ Because of the controversy surrounding USSA, Reed believes SGB should run an education campaign to inform students about USSA before holding a referendum. She is in favor of operating USSA through SGB because, she said, ‘USSA works best through SGB ‘- that’s the way it is across the country.’ But we are concerned about the ethics behind such a move, as it would tie a board obligated to represent the entire student body to an organization that represents only some. ‘ ‘ ‘ We also question Reed’s skills as a leader. Reed spent much of our meeting criticizing the current board, a sign that she might not be able to cooperate with all members. When asked what her biggest change as president would be, Reed could not offer an immediate and well thought-out answer. We were struck by her’ lack of preparedness. Her responses were vague, and she was unable to present specific plans in carrying out her goals. ‘ ‘ ‘ While it is clear that Reed cares about Pitt and its students, we don’t think she would be an adequate leader. Dan Gore ‘ ‘ ‘ Gore is not a typical SGB presidential candidate, and that, he said, is his greatest asset. ‘I think I have the most fresh and innovative ideas,’ said Gore. Gore is dedicated to helping students, believing that SGB has failed in that respect. He believes the allocations chair should be elected by student organizations, giving groups more power and more say in the allocations process. He also said that, as president, he would require board members to attend organization meetings to stay updated on student needs. ‘ ‘ ‘ One of the biggest problems student groups face, Gore said, is obtaining funds. As a solution, Gore proposed a matching program to have SGB match the amount of money that organizations raise on their own. He said the idea is not fully planned yet, but that he would only allow SGB to match small amounts of money, a plan that would largely help small organizations in search of increasing funding. Such a program would encourage student groups to work hard and help them thrive. ‘ ‘ ‘ Gore said he was concerned with the board’s ‘wasteful spending’ and that some smaller organizations were having trouble getting funds, but, when asked, he could not offer specific examples of improper spending or organizations that had been turned away. He spent much time citing SGB’s faults and criticizing its ‘broken system.’ He then said that he had attended only one SGB board meeting this semester’mdash; not a good record to build from if he leads the board. ‘ ‘ ‘ Gore doesn’t have much experience working with the University administration and navigating its bureaucracy. He seems to be independent-minded, with fixed personal goals. But a strong leader is one who is able to work well with others and willing to listen to dissent. We fear that these are qualities that Gore does not possess. Justin Romeo ‘ ‘ ‘ As a student manager for Sodexo, Romeo has considerable experience working with and managing students. He manages nearly 75 students and has been working with Sodexo since his freshman year. If elected, Romeo’s goals are to represent the needs of students and to reach out to student groups. ‘There should be board members at every event on campus,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Romeo criticized SGB for its failure to report on the status of its projects frequently. He stressed that the board should hold committee chairs accountable to reporting and expressed his concern at the lack of professionalism displayed at SGB meetings. Romeo said he attended almost all the SGB meetings this semester.’ While he might not have direct SGB experience, he understands where the board has gone wrong and what can be done to improve the system. ‘ ‘ ‘ With respect to USSA, Romeo believes SGB shouldn’t be officially affiliated with the organization. He said it seemed as though SGB is using USSA to fulfill its duties to represent the students. ‘This is not efficient,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Romeo is the most realistic candidate for students who want to see progress from the board. His platform is smart and concrete and not riddled with impossible goals. Romeo’s idea to create an endowment fund to bring money to student groups shows that he cares about Pitt’s future and students. An endowment fund would provide long-term financial help to organizations. It would also help solve the problems of storage space that many groups face. by building more funds into the activities fee without raising the yearly rate students pay. This is the kind of higher-level thinking that is indicative of a good leader. ‘ ‘ ‘ Each candidate boasts positive qualities, and we had a difficult time making our decision. But The Pitt News ultimately decided that because of his personable attitude, his smart ideas and intuition, as well as his realistic approach and dedication to serving the students, Justin Romeo is the best pick for SGB president this year.