SGB election candidates announced

For the second consecutive year, the candidates running for Student Government Board member positions have an easy election season ahead of them. 

There are only nine candidates running for the eight Board member positions and three candidates running for president in this year’s election. The low turnout is reminiscent of last year’s election, when 10 students competed for the Board seats, while the presidential candidate — current President Mike Nites — ran unopposed. 

Current Board member Graeme Meyer, Wasi Mohamed and Andrew Stefanick are running for the presidential seat. 

Allocations Committee Chair Nasreen Harun, current Board member Megan Murphy and Everett Green, a sophomore majoring in finance, make up the 87’s slate. 

Mohamed, a senior studying chemistry, history and philosophy of science, neuroscience, philosophy and religious studies, formed the Bridges slate with Matt Skyes, a junior majoring in industrial engineering, and Natalie Dall, a sophomore majoring in molecular biology. 

Stefanick, a senior accounting and economics major, is running on the Pitt United slate with Jessica Snyder, a junior majoring in resources management and accounting, and Jack Heidecker, a sophomore majoring in German and political science. Stefanick interviewed for a position on the Board twice when the Board was seeking applicants to fill vacancies.

The remaining three candidates — Meyer, Jade Diamond and Jacky Chen — will run independently. 

According to the Elections Code, candidates can run with up to three people per slate. However, independent candidates can affiliate themselves with a slate, which is what Meyer will be doing with the 87’s. 

The 87’s and Meyer came up with 87 initiatives they hope to pursue as Board members. 

Harun said the members of 87’s top priorities for Board include taking full advantage of their terms, which will be an academic year and a half because of the recently passed referendum to change SGB’s term to follow the academic year instead of the fiscal year. 

Harun said one of the 87’s initiatives will include restructuring SGB. 

Stefanick said the members of Pitt United also intend to affiliate themselves with independent Board candidate Diamond, a junior majoring in communication and information sciences. 

Chen, a junior majoring in neuroscience and psychology, is also running as an independent candidate. 

Chen said his top initiatives include promoting cultural awareness through campus-wide events, increasing the number of electrical outlets in Hillman Library and making the OMET survey results available to students. 

Mohamed said some of his slate’s initiatives include restructuring Student Government so it’s more inclusive to students, increasing student involvement in the academic process so students have more of a voice in what classes are offered and a focus on campus safety. 

Elections Committee Chair, Lauren Barney, said the lack of competition with nine board members running for eight positions is not a cause for concern.

She said she does not intend to extend any of the election deadlines to open the race for more candidates. She added that she is relieved more than one person is running for President in this year’s election.

“I’d be more concerned if there wasn’t a presidential race again,” Barney said.