Online services and safety among Pasqualichio’s aims

After one semester, Student Government Board member Joe Pasqualichio has accomplished one of… After one semester, Student Government Board member Joe Pasqualichio has accomplished one of the major goals he set for himself while running for office.

During the spring term, the Buffalo, N.Y., native got Pick-a-Prof up and running for Pitt students. The online service provides students with a Web site to evaluate their professors and to see other students’ evaluations.

Many students seem unaware of the resource, and few students are currently enrolled — although the service is free for individual students, each person must answer a few questions to initially log onto the site. But Pasqualichio expects that the number of students enrolled will increase over time, making the site that he calls a potential “library of information for students” into a more valuable resource.

He has already added a few of his own evaluations, but he wants to make sure that the site is not dominated by SGB members and, instead, that it becomes a general student body forum. To get more students involved, he plans to advertise the site throughout the fall.

Next semester, Pasqualichio, the academic affairs and technology committees’ liaison, also anticipates working on his second major project: SWAPitt.

SWAPitt, another online service, would act as an eBay service reserved only for Pitt students. The last board in office nearly finished the site, largely through the efforts of former board member Stephanie Hadgkiss, but Pasqualichio said the current board encountered some problems regarding the program, which a fellow Pitt student wrote.

The board now must choose the next step in creating the site, and decide whether or not to solicit an outside company. According to Pasqualichio, it may be more economical to use an outside company that already has a program written for an auction site.

During his campaign last fall, Pasqualichio — like many candidates before him — promised to work toward establishing a fall break. And like many before him, Pasqualichio quickly learned of the difficulties in creating change. A committee prepares Pitt’s calendar several years in advance, so a new decision to add a fall break would not take effect for several years and, consequently, would not affect many current students.

Pasqualichio has also suggested working to create a few study days at the end of the semester.

“Not all students are lucky enough to have one [final] on Monday, one on Wednesday and one on Friday,” the junior electrical engineering major added. By giving everyone a few days between the end of classes and finals, he said, Pitt could create a more even playing field for all students.

For now, though, he and the rest of the board are waiting for word on why this year’s winter break will be shorter than previous years’ breaks, and whether students’ opinions were taken into consideration when the decision was made.

Concerning his final campaign promise, to create a safer environment for students, Pasqualichio is working with Pitt’s administration and, now, with the city.

He had wanted to add the Waterfront and the South Side, two popular late night locales, to SafeRider’s boundaries. But after bringing his suggestions to the transportation department, Pasqualichio learned it is not financially feasible to buy a van to serve only those areas, and that if one of the two vans already in service was sent to these off campus locations, SafeRider — formerly Van Call — would be unable to handle the demand on and around campus.

“It’s not convenience,” he added. “I’m worried about the safety of students.”

As a result, the board is now working with the Port Authority to create signs telling people where to find the closest late-night bus stops and to arrange later pick-up times at some of the popular stops.

Having never lived in South Oakland, Pasqualichio relies on suggestions from fellow students regarding what needs to be done to make people feel safer. Although the transportation department allots money every year for safety, ideas for using the money are limited, he said. For that reason, Pasqualichio welcomes ideas and feedback from students, telling him things like which corners need new lights installed to make people feel safer in the area.

“I can’t really go and just say South Oakland is dangerous,” he said.

Board member Joe Pasqualichio can be reached at jmp35@pitt.edu.