Immediately following the 2007 Student Government Board’s unveiling of their Paint the… Immediately following the 2007 Student Government Board’s unveiling of their Paint the Panther statue project, the newly elected 2008 SGB was sworn into office yesterday evening.

“I proudly call myself a Pitt student, and I hope this pride will be shown throughout my presidency,” President Sumter Link said during his inaugural address. “I am here to represent you and put your needs and interests in front of mine.”

Link encouraged students to approach him with questions and ideas – and promised to listen.

“This is our responsibility,” he said.

Now officially in charge of SGB, Link will take his board on a retreat over the weekend to familiarize them with SGB processes, returning ready for business.

“I’m excited to get to work,” Link said. “I want to take a look at the numbers from the referendums and see where we want to go from there.”

Along with SGB elections, students were asked to vote on whether or not they support a Pitt fall break and if they want to continue to have access to USA Today and The New York Times newspapers around campus for a nominal semesterly fee.

The third referendum item asked students how frequently they find themselves facing three or more final exams in a single day.

Link also plans to acclimate his new board members to their offices.

“I’m going to start talking to the other board members and help them along with their projects,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a great year.”

With the exception of board member Lacee Ecker, the rest of Link’s board is comprised of new faces.

Sophomore Nila Devanath, junior Ryan Haddad, sophomore Amanda Reed, junior Gary Sanderson, senior Perry Servedio, junior Francee Varner, and sophomore Ryan Very will fill the vacancies left by the departing board.

All board members were sworn in by Link, after he was sworn in by outgoing president Shady Henien.

Before officially passing his powers on, Henien offered some words of reflection.

“The experience has been a great lesson,” Henien said. “Together, [the 2007 SGB] achieved many goals many thought were impossible.”

With administrators and other prominent individuals in attendance at the invitation-only event, Chancellor Mark Nordenberg also looked forward to the new year and back on the old one.

“2008 will be an exciting and wonderful year for all of the great people of this university,” he said.

Regarding the departing board, Nordenberg said, “I really mean it when I say that we all owe a debt of gratitude to the 2007 SGB.”

Henien reminisced on his relationship with Nordenberg, which he called “light and fun.” Henien also issued an open challenge to Nordenberg to a game of Madden football.

“All members of the SGB shall operate collectively to initiate, develop and maintain programs and services that meet the academic, social, economic and personal needs and interests of the non-CGS undergraduate student body,” the SGB purpose statement reads.