SGB presidential candidates debate

With less than 48 hours until voting begins, Student Government Board candidates Dan Gore, Kevin… With less than 48 hours until voting begins, Student Government Board candidates Dan Gore, Kevin Morrison, Amanda Reed and Justin Romeo met for a debate where they answered questions concerning their future plans, while also challenging points brought up by their opponents. Each candidate emphasized the need to create a stronger liaison between SGB and students at last night’s debate, which was held in Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union. Gore, who said he hopes to revamp the selection process for the allocations chair by having the position elected by student organizations rather than appointed by board members, criticized the current board’s lack of support for smaller organizations. ‘There is just this disconnect between those serving on SGB and ordinary students,’ he said. ‘The fact is, all the problems that SGB currently has [occur because] there is a disassociation.’ Gore said he hopes that having an allocations chair selected by these student groups will decrease that problem. Morrison said SGB lacks a code of conduct, which he’d create if elected. ‘I think the lack of ethical standards for our board members and our committee chairs and our committee members is indicative to why so many students have a lack of respect for Student Government Board,’ he said. Morrison, who said he also hopes to get students more involved in the local community and local elections, said he hopes to increase students’ awareness. ‘Apathy is going to be our biggest issue,’ he said. Morrison cited the Student Vote Coalition’s success in getting students to understand the importance of the presidential election, and he said he hopes to do the same with students locally. To make SGB’s presence known, Amanda Reed said she hopes to connect with students by having board members out on campus, talking to students and serving their office hours in various campus buildings, such as the Cathedral of Learning. ‘People can actually see these people who represent them, and there can be a reconnection between the student body and the SGB,’ she said. In addition, Reed said she wants to see board members attend more organizations’ meetings, instead of waiting for organizations to approach them. Romeo said he thought last year’s board lacked a certain amount of organization, noting that transcripts from past meetings were not recorded and board members’ blogs rarely get updated. Romeo also expanded on his plan for creating scholarships for students. He said that he felt students should be recognized for their academic excellence, Pitt pride and other categories through four separate scholarships that would be created from Pitt’s general scholarship fund, with the winners decided by the board. In addition, Romeo said he plans to set up an endowment fund to create increasingly more money for organizations over the years to supplement the student activity fund. The candidates fielded questions written by the moderators and audience members. Another segment of the debate allowed them to ask each other questions. WPTS broadcast the debate and The Pitt News moderated.