SGB announces new chairs, recaps accomplishments
By Maureen Hartwell, Staff Writer
April 17, 2019
On Tuesday night at its final meeting of the academic year, Pitt Student Government Board shared memories of late nights in the office and members falling asleep during meetings.
SGB will vote on sustainability measures
By Maureen Hartwell, Staff Writer
April 3, 2019
Following a 15-minute board meeting, Pitt Student Government Board held its final town hall of the academic year Tuesday night, facilitating a discussion on sustainability.
SGB looks to fill positions for next year
By Maureen Hartwell, Staff Writer
March 20, 2019
There are dozens of positions left to fill on next year's Student Government Board, from chief of staff to a member of the elections committee.
Tanjaya talks food insecurity at allocations-heavy meeting
By Maureen Hartwell, Staff Writer
March 6, 2019
The board spent more than an hour deliberating allocations at its Tuesday meeting, and voted to amend five of the allocations committee’s recommendations after hearing from student leaders.
Voters choose divestment, Peterson as executive VP
By Brian Gentry and Emily Wolfe
March 6, 2019
Anaïs Peterson won big in Tuesday’s runoff SGB election — and so did one of her major initiatives, as more than 2,000 students said Pitt should divest from fossil fuels in a referendum vote.
Students face divestment referendum
By Emily Wolfe, Assistant News Editor
March 5, 2019
The ballot students see on elections.pitt.edu from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday will feature a referendum question on whether or not the University should divest from fossil fuels.
SGB to hold runoff election for executive VP spot
By Emily Wolfe, Assistant News Editor
February 26, 2019
There’s one election left before the lineup is completely decided for next year’s Student Government Board. SGB announced Monday the office of executive vice president will be decided by a runoff election between the top two candidates on March 5.
“Grateful, thankful, overwhelmed”: Brown wins SGB presidency
By Brian Gentry and Emily Wolfe
February 20, 2019
Zechariah Brown will serve as president of Pitt’s Student Government Board during the 2019-20 school year, after winning 62 percent of the vote against Albert Tanjaya Tuesday.
Your guide to today’s SGB election
By Emily Wolfe, Assistant News Editor
February 19, 2019
Brush up on these candidates' platforms and then head over to elections.pitt.edu to vote.
SGB takes care of business, SafeRider, elections
By Maureen Hartwell, Staff Writer
February 13, 2019
“The SafeRider app, in concept, is great, but when you look at it, you have an estimated arrival time that never shows you a real number, you have very glitchy buttons that don’t direct you to anything and you have many outlets to click the same thing,” Tanjaya said.
Brown, Tanjaya debate for SGB presidency
By Neena Hagen, Senior Staff Writer
February 12, 2019
On Monday night, presidential candidates Albert Tanjaya and Zechariah Brown faced off in a debate for the position. Moderated by Matt Stalford, head writer and host of the Bully PulPitt and Christian Snyder, editor-in-chief of The Pitt News, the two candidates discussed issues ranging from student facilities to administrative policies.
Slates present platforms at “Meet the Candidates” event
By Stefan Bordeianu, For The Pitt News
February 8, 2019
To prepare for its Feb. 19 election, Student Government Board hosted a “Meet the Candidates” event on Thursday evening with Pitt Tonight host Andrew Dow. At the event, held in the William Pitt Union, the two presidential candidates and 10 board candidates introduced themselves and their reasons for running to the public — though most of the 30 or so people who attended were already affiliated with the board.
SGB talks race, housing, sexual health
By Maureen Hartwell, Staff Writer
February 6, 2019
Jahari Mercer offered a moment of silence for the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin during his report at the Board’s weekly Tuesday meeting, the day Martin would’ve turned 24 years old.
Frontier, Impact slates launch SGB campaigns
By Emily Wolfe, Assistant News Editor
January 31, 2019
Two slates of candidates for next year’s Student Government Board launched social media campaigns on Wednesday, the official start of campaign season.
SGB urges Pitt to cancel classes
By Maureen Hartwell, For The Pitt News
January 30, 2019
“The coming weather is going to impede staff, faculty, and even administrators from safely coming to campus,” the email to University officials said.
SGB seeks late candidates, Brown, Tanjaya declare presidential run
By Emily Wolfe, Assistant News Editor
January 25, 2019
Due to a low number of sign-ups for the remaining spots on the board, SGB is pushing back the election filing deadline.
Change coming to Hillman, SGB says
By Maureen Hartwell, For The Pitt News
January 23, 2019
The third floor of Hillman will be the next one to get a remodel, with renovations beginning in February, board member Albert Tanjaya said.
SGB closes in on election season
By Emily Wolfe, Assistant News Editor
January 17, 2019
With just over a month left before Pitt students elect nine of their peers to the 2019-2020 Student Government Board, the list of candidates will soon be official. This year, candidates will be offered financial assistance to fulfill their campaign finances.
SGB beefs up workout facilities
By Maureen Hartwell, For The Pitt News
January 16, 2019
SGB will hold two more Town Halls before the end of the year, and one will focus on sustainability.
SGB looks ahead to elections, empowerment
By Neena Hagen, Staff Writer
January 9, 2019
At SGB’s first meeting of the semester, board members discussed upcoming and ongoing initiatives, including one to ban tobacco products on campus.
SGB pushes stricter laws on firearm sales
By Emily Wolfe, Senior Staff Writer
December 5, 2018
After more than a month of trying to help Pittsburgh heal from the Tree of Life shooting, SGB has set its sights on making change in Washington.
Post-break SGB discusses Town Hall, PWLE
By Emily Wolfe, Senior Staff Writer
November 28, 2018
Pitt’s Student Government Board eased back into a regular schedule with its first traditional public meeting in three weeks Tuesday evening.
SGB: Students address ENS messaging system
By Emily Wolfe, Senior Staff Writer
November 14, 2018
In a town hall format, SGB gave the floor to some of Pitt's university officials, giving them a chance to address concerns directly from students.
SGB stands behind Jewish community
By Emily Wolfe, Staff Writer
October 31, 2018
Kathryn Fleisher wants to make sure last weekend’s massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue won’t be forgotten. “Our community is still mourning,” Fleisher, a sophomore majoring in GSWS and politics and philosophy double major, said. “We’re still attending funerals, we’re still doing ...
SGB hears criticism of Sodexo, the University
By Emily Wolfe, Staff Writer
October 24, 2018
SGB will hold its second Eat and Greet meeting this Friday — the first public opportunity for students to question Sodexo officials since revelations last week that the Allegheny County Health Department cited Market Central for 14 health code violations.
SGB puts focus on financial education
By Emily Wolfe, Staff Writer
October 17, 2018
Friday will bring the third annual Financial Literacy Conference at Pitt, presented by business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi and Pitt’s business school.
‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ back on after meeting with SGB
By Christian Snyder, Editor in Chief
October 11, 2018
After a confusing last few days, those involved are confident “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will see the stage this year despite a surprise cancellation announced on Monday. The show, hosted annually by the Engineering Student Council, encountered funding dilemmas — which some interpreted as a ma...
SGB focuses on physical and mental health
By Emily Wolfe, Staff Writer
October 10, 2018
At a free public lunch this Friday, Pitt students have the opportunity to voice opinions on Pitt food and dining services. It’s one of several current SGB initiatives which seek to close the gap between Pitt students and key players at the University. The Eat & Greet meeting will take place ...
Rocky Horror Picture Show suddenly cancelled, organizers blame SGB
By Sarah Connor and Christian Snyder
October 9, 2018
Organizers cited budget issues and blamed SGB for cutting funding and eliminating a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community – President Maggie Kennedy responded to the criticism in an interview.
SGB goes green for mental health awareness
By Emily Wolfe, Staff Writer
October 3, 2018
SGB curated an October calendar of events for mental health awareness, aiming to create safe spaces for students to discuss ways to promote self-care.
SGB unveils Town Hall to reach students
By Sid Lingala, Staff Writer
September 26, 2018
The Student Government Board announced the creation of a Town Hall at Tuesday night’s meeting, aimed at bringing more students into the conversation about various campus issues.
SGB hosts bi-annual Safety Fair
By Ashley Priore and Janine Faust, The Pitt News Staff
September 19, 2018
Kevin Caruso, a fire safety specialist and emergency preparedness coordinator at Pitt, said people always get something out of the fire extinguisher training exercises, from how to properly use an extinguisher to how to react to a real fire.
SGB approves $28.5k for Black Action Society in contested allocation vote
By Emily Wolfe, For the Pitt News
September 12, 2018
After listening to Augustin, Mercer proposed amending the allocation from the Allocation Committee’s recommendation. The new allocation was passed — instead of denying the Black Action Society’s request in full, the board approved all $28,500.
Campus grocery store on the menu at SGB kickoff meeting
By Brian Salvato, Staff Writer
September 5, 2018
Board member Albert Tanjaya made a notable announcement about his focus for the semester. Along with improving the user accessibility of Saferider, the late-night transportation service available to students in Oakland, Tanjaya is looking to help the grocery store installation to Pitt’s campus.
Pitt Board approves budgets for 2018-19 school year
By Grant Burgman and Christian Snyder
July 16, 2018
Pitt received $4.4 million more from Pennsylvania than in 2017. “The vast majority of in-state students” will not face a tuition increase, according to Chancellor Gallagher. Out-of-state, engineering and graduate students face an increase.
Get to Know Your Government: Introducing SGB
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
May 30, 2018
Most students can’t speak one-on-one with administration to discuss issues most important to them or muster up enough support from the student body to get administration’s attention. This is where the Student Government Board comes in to help. From pressuring Pennsylvania’s elected officials to pass a sta...
SGB President Maggie Kennedy is ready for the year ahead
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 30, 2018
Maggie Kennedy has hardly had a chance to relax since winning Pitt’s Student Government Board election in February. Kennedy, a senior political science and communication rhetoric double major at Pitt, has spent most of her time over the last three months meeting with University officials and Studen...
SGB bids farewell in final meeting
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 18, 2018
Plenty of teary, emotional thank-yous and farewells occured at Tuesday night’s Student Government Board meeting — the last official meeting for the 2017-18 board. During his final report, President Max Kneis took the opportunity to thank everyone who had been with him along the way. “From my f...
SGB brings the bills, renews NYT subscription
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 11, 2018
It was a busy Tuesday night in Nordy’s Place as Student Government Board passed three bills and introduced four more. Of the total seven bills, six deal with internal SGB structure, adding new committees and redefining or clarifying code and procedure. The only bill introduced not about internal mat...
IFC addresses Greek life action plan at SGB meeting
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 4, 2018
Pitt’s Interfraternity Council president, Christian Baker, spoke about a working action plan that was recently released for Greek life at Tuesday’s Student Government Board meeting. Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner released the document Monday in response to two incidents during the spring 201...
SGB reveals updated finals week policy
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
March 28, 2018
Student Government Board announced changes to finals scheduling at Tuesday’s public meeting that the board hopes will reduce the stress of finals week. Currently, if a student is scheduled to take three exams on the same calendar day, that student can move one of those exams. But starting next year,...
SGB promotes March For Our Lives
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
March 21, 2018
Members of Student Government Board supported the March For Our Lives rally Tuesday, with President Max Kneis supported calling it a way for young people to show civic engagement. “I think it’s a really important issue for young people to be involved with,” Kneis said at the public meeting....
SGB calls for medical amnesty extension
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
March 14, 2018
Student Government Board returned from spring break and unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night urging the Pennsylvania state government to extend medical amnesty — a pardon on criminal charges for medical reasons — in the case of alcohol incidents to the underage person experiencing the crisis....
SGB calls for expansion of state medical amnesty laws
By Noah Manalo | Staff Writer
February 28, 2018
At Student Government Board’s final public meeting before spring break, SBG President Max Kneis introduced a resolution calling for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to expand medical amnesty laws. The resolution states that approximately 1,825 college students in the United States die each year fro...
Looking to a new Horizon: Kennedy wins SGB presidency
By Madeline Gavatorta and Christian Snyder | The Pitt News Staff
February 21, 2018
Maggie Kennedy couldn’t stop smiling Tuesday night after hearing she received 56 percent of the vote to secure the Student Government Board presidency for next year. Kennedy, a junior political science and communication major running on the Horizon slate, received 1,889 votes to defeat junior ma...
Guide to 2018 Student Government Board election
By The Pitt News Staff
February 19, 2018
Each Pitt student can vote Tuesday for one president and three board members to fill the nine elected positions on the 2018-2019 Student Government Board. Last year’s election saw double the voter turnout of the previous year with about 30 percent of the student body voting. SGB is responsible for allocating the $2.6 million Student Allocations...
SGB debate funding for student event
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 14, 2018
During Student Government Board’s weekly public meeting Tuesday night, the board had its first divided vote of the 2017-2018 school year. Executive Vice President Zuri Kent-Smith and board member Ami Fall opposed the funding of the Students for Liberty and Engineering Business Administration event, ...
SGB candidates debate for presidency
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 13, 2018
Maggie Kennedy and Saket Rajprohat met Monday night to debate for one of the most influential student leadership positions on campus — the Student Government Board presidential seat. The duo showcased their knowledge of the Pitt student community along with their qualifications for holding office. Tabitha B...
SGB updates on provost search
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 7, 2018
At Student Government Board’s weekly meeting Tuesday, Senior Vice Chancellor of Research Rob Rutenbar said the provost search committee involves no smoke or bunkers. “The search committee I am chairing is not decisional. And what that means is that we don’t all go retreat to the Cathedral, go...
SGB candidates meet the public
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 1, 2018
The 2018 candidates for Student Government Board gathered Wednesday to discuss their platforms and answer questions presented to them by “Pitt Tonight” host Andrew Dow. UPTV broadcasted the event from William Pitt Union Dining Room A. Dow, a sophomore sociology and communication major, asked the sl...
SGB hosts Master Plan meeting for students
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 31, 2018
Nico Bernstein took issue with the Campus Master Plan presented by Owen J. Cooks Tuesday night at Student Government Board’s weekly public meeting, saying the plan emphasizes athletics and neglects the arts. “[Cooks] talked a lot about creating new spaces for athletics but not new spaces for s...
SGB round-up: board reflects on campaign promises
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 26, 2018
During the spring 2017 Student Government Board election season, candidate and then-Vice President Max Kneis called for transparency and higher outreach on the board. One year later, the 2017-2018 Student Government Board, headed by now-President Kneis, has made that a priority. “I think you se...
SGB prioritizes human rights, Safety Fair
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 24, 2018
Executive Vice President of Student Government Board Zuri Kent-Smith wants to educate the Pitt community about what is going on in regards to human rights and immigration around the world by organizing a human rights conference at Pitt. “I hope people get a strong foundation in human rights concern...
Peduto promotes Pittsburgh community initiatives
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
January 19, 2018
Mayor Bill Peduto prioritizes building up Pittsburgh communities, and thinks Amazon might soon be able to help with this growth at a local level, he said Thursday night. “What will make Pittsburgh competitive is talent produced locally and incredible affordability,” he said. “With those two th...
Provost to consider SGB textbook plan
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 17, 2018
After passing a resolution to help lower textbook costs, Student Government Board President Max Kneis announced Tuesday that Pitt is forming a committee to discuss implementing the ideas. SGB introduced a resolution last week calling on Pitt to expand the use of open education resources like PDF textboo...
SGB calls for textbook cost reduction
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 10, 2018
At Student Government Board’s first public meeting of the semester Tuesday night, SGB President Max Kneis introduced and read a resolution calling for the University to expand the use of open educational resources, such as PDF textbooks. “[Textbooks are] just another added cost, so anything we can do ...
SGB reflects on meeting with administration
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
December 6, 2017
At Student Government Board’s last public meeting of the semester Tuesday night, SGB President Max Kneis discussed the board’s lunch earlier that day with Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, Senior Vice Chancellor and Provost Patricia Beeson and Senior Vice Chancellor for Engagement and the Secretary of...
SGB announces new student safety measures
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
November 29, 2017
Student Government Board member Ian Callahan announced at Tuesday’s meeting that the Rave Guardian app — an app created by Rave Mobile Safety that connects users with local security resources — is now available with features for Pitt students. Students who download the “blue light” app will be ...
SGB plans to make diversity initiative permanent
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
November 15, 2017
Student Government Board Executive Vice President Zuri Kent-Smith announced Tuesday that the SGB Diversity Committee will be making the transition from an ad hoc committee to a prospective standing committee — a permanent committee within SGB. “[The committee is] looking at new ways to make SGB m...
SGB calls Beeson “champion of student input”
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
November 8, 2017
In response to Provost Patricia Beeson’s announcement that she will be stepping down from her current position, Student Government Board President Max Kneis referred to the Pitt provost as a “champion of student input” at Tuesday’s meeting. Beeson has spent eight years as provost, following 17 ye...
SGB pushes bill in honor of late Pitt student
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
November 1, 2017
Student Government President Max Kneis announced a resolution Tuesday night urging the passage of a Pennsylvania bill that he said could have saved the life of Alina Sheykhet, a Pitt student who was found dead Oct. 8. SB 196 says those individuals who have a protection-from-abuse order filed against them can be monitored by a GPS if a judge decides the person is likely to violate ...
SGB continues to focus on state budget impasse
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
October 18, 2017
Pennsylvania representatives “really got an earful” last week from Pitt students, Student Government Board President Max Kneis said at Tuesday’s meeting. SGB held a phone banking event last Wednesday to Friday outside the William Pitt Union. The event gave students the opportunity to call co...
Dean speaks about student death at SGB meeting
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
October 11, 2017
While it’s common at Student Government Board meetings to hear from students, Associate Dean of Students Steve Anderson took the opportunity to address the recent death of Pitt junior Alina Sheykhet at Tuesday night’s meeting. “I just wanted to obviously take a short minute here to acknowledge wha...
SGB, Rainbow partner for fundraising counter protest
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
October 4, 2017
Max Kneis, president of Pitt’s Student Government Board, requested a moment of silence for those injured and killed in Las Vegas at the beginning of the SGB meeting Tuesday night. Nordy’s Place was momentarily suspended in silence — before Kneis transitioned to the topic of the “hateful...
SGB looks to improve city experience for students
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
September 27, 2017
The Pitt Student Government Board said Tuesday night that the new Pittsburgh Student Government Council had begun convening for the 2017-18 academic year. SGB President Max Kneis said in his president’s report the Pittsburgh Student Government Council — which consists of student governments f...
SGB Commends Student Counter-protesters
By Madeline Gavatorta | For The Pitt News
September 20, 2017
Taking the platform in Nordy’s Place Tuesday night, Student Government Board President Max Kneis started with a statement about Monday’s protest outside of Litchfield Towers. “Intolerance and bigotry have no place here at Pitt,” Kneis said. He said SGB supported and approved of the “brave students...
SGB introduces resolutions on DACA, state funding
By Madeline Gavatorta | For The Pitt News
September 13, 2017
Pitt Student Government Board introduced its first two resolutions of the year Tuesday, calling on elected officials to support both DACA recipients and state funding for Pitt. The first resolution was a call for the University and lawmakers to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals pr...
SGB maps out plans for the year ahead
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
September 6, 2017
Pitt’s Student Government Board held their “first real public meeting” for students Tuesday, according to President Max Kneis. “Last week was just introductory,” Kneis said. ‘“And while I know most of you are here for allocation requests, hopefully you get something else out of this....
Meet your new Student Government Board
By Caroline Bourque and Janine Faust | Senior Staff Writers
May 30, 2017
Made up of nine elected positions, 30 appointed positions and an array of committees, Student Government Board’s purpose is to advocate for the needs of the student population, according to their website. Additionally, SGB is responsible for allocating the $160 student activity fee paid by all full-time students. The Pitt...
SGB seniors bid farewell to Pitt
By Nolan Roosa | Staff Writer
April 19, 2017
It didn’t take long for Natalie Dall, president of SGB, to shed tears during her report Tuesday night. “Thank you again to everyone for making this place my home,” she said. “And for one of my last times as a student and as SGB President: Hail to Pitt!” In the final SGB meeting of the...
SGB 2016-17 year in review
By Ashwini Sivaganesh / News Editor
April 17, 2017
After initiation this Friday, the current Student Government Board will step down to make way for its successors. Since the fall semester, the organization kept up with efforts to engage with the student body through events, such as Panthers in Politics and Women’s Empowerment Week, and outreach, but passed only...
SGB promises online NYT subscriptions, forms committees
By Nolan Roosa / Staff Writer
April 12, 2017
After promising changes to the Student Government Board governing code all year, SGB introduced four bills last night that would create new committees and provide students with online New York Times memberships. Two of the new bills will add a communications committee and the First Year Council i...
SGB town hall sees low turnout
By Nolan Roosa / Staff Writer
March 29, 2017
Student Government Board’s monthly town hall lasted only 15 minutes Tuesday night, a change from the typical hour-long meeting. Nordy’s Place was nearly empty while board members reminded the few attendees to apply for SGB committee positions for the upcoming year. SGB’s town-hall-style meetin...
Peduto discusses hot topics with students
By Stephen Caruso / Contributing Editor
March 24, 2017
Mayor Bill Peduto spoke to representatives from the Pittsburgh Student Government Council about the issues that impact them Thursday night, addressing immigration, harassment and a changing Pittsburgh. The council’s representatives are from 10 Pittsburgh higher education institutions, including P...
SGB surveys students about good Samaritan policy
By Nolan Roosa / Staff Writer
March 15, 2017
Members of Pitt’s Student Government Board’s judicial committee have spent the last two weeks asking people around campus if they understand the University’s “good Samaritan” policy. They found that many did not. The Pitt Responsible Action Protocol, also known as the good Samaritan policy, prot...
SGB discusses plan for new matching fund program
By James Evan Bowen-Gaddy / Assistant News Editor
February 15, 2017
Continuing the success of past “Year of Diversity” and “Year of the Humanities” matching funds programs, SGB is working alongside a University committee to promote similar programs with an eye toward championing the humanities. According to board member Joseph Kannarkat, the humanities commi...
SGB advocates for Counseling Center services in Pitt syllabi
By Nolan Roosa and Emily Suruda / The Pitt News Staff
February 8, 2017
With a new initiative, Pitt’s Student Government Board is hoping to make information about Counseling Center services one of the first things students will see in their fall semester classes. Board member Justin Horowitz introduced a project Tuesday night to include Counseling Center Services in every...
SGB hosts first town hall style meeting, opens floor for student concerns
By Grant Burgman / For The Pitt News
February 1, 2017
Pitt Student Government Board held their first monthly town hall-style meeting Tuesday night, cutting board member reports to focus on students who wanted to voice their concerns. Other than this change, the town hall remained mostly similar to a standard SGB meeting, featuring updates from each ...
SGB applies for grant to educate students and make Pitt smoke-free
By Emily Suruda / Staff Writer
January 25, 2017
For the second time, Student Government Board is trying to initiate a tobacco-free and smoke-free campus through the American Cancer Society and CVS Health. The American Cancer Society and CVS Health introduced a Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative in November that grants universities $10,...
SGB introduces new scheduling app for planning semesters
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
January 18, 2017
SGB introduced a new scheduling application at Tuesday night’s meeting that would simplify the way students register for classes and plan their semesters. Vice President and Chief of Cabinet Rohit Anand said the new tool will be available in February and will allow students to plan out an ideal ...
SGB talks 2017 election, student involvement for future
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
January 11, 2017
With more publicity and more communication, this year’s Student Government Board wants to break the three-year streak of candidates running unopposed. To encourage more students to run for positions in the election in February, SGB will host the first elections mixer on Jan. 20. The mixer, which will be hel...
SGB proposes gender neutral elections code
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
December 7, 2016
Student Government Board ended 2016 with an eye toward future projects in January: introducing the new First Year Council and proposing a new bill that makes the elections code clearer and more progressive. Board Bill 41 proposes revisions to the student elections code to use only gender neutral pronouns and make the d...
SGB says changes coming to SafeRider
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
November 30, 2016
After two years of discussion and drafting policy, Pitt’s Student Government Board submitted a proposal to SafeRider on Tuesday suggesting several major edits to the program to streamline the service for students, overhaul the dispatch system and use real-time GPS, among other changes. SGB submitted...
SGB hints at opioid initiative, few details available
By Lauren Rosenblatt / News Editor
November 16, 2016
Along with a slate of other initiatives, Student Government Board announced Tuesday night that Pitt is planning to launch an opioid abuse recovery program for students. Wellness Chair Malcolm Juring made the announcement at SGB’s weekly meeting that Marian Vanek, the director of the Wellness Center,...
SGB proposes change to funding policy
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
November 2, 2016
Pitt’s Student Government Board took the first steps on Tuesday to ensure that Allocations Committee members can’t take advantage of a policy loophole to get their own funding requests approved. At last night’s meeting, judicial chair Jad Hilal presented Bill B 040, which would prevent SGB members ...
Students talk suicide prevention
By Welsey Hood / Staff Writer
October 26, 2016
When Jennifer Sikora’s younger sister Christine stopped taking her depression medications, skipped appointments with her therapist and started partying, Sikora didn’t recognize the warning signs. But Christine, who was 26 at the time, committed suicide in 2001. “It was the hardest thing I...
SGB brings back Panther of the Month
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
October 26, 2016
With two projects, Pitt Student Government Board is aiming to highlight student achievement and diversity, Board members said Tuesday. The first project, Panther of the Month, is a program SGB is reintroducing to recognize and reward students who embody “Pitt pride.” Pitt Voices, SGB’s s...
Clinton, Kaine campaign in Pittsburgh
By Stephen Caruso / Senior Staff Writer
October 23, 2016
With 17 days left until the election, a crowd of nearly 1,800 warmed up from the freezing rain in Taylor Allderdice High School’s packed auditorium Saturday to hear Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speak. While Clinton, in her first Pittsburgh appearance since July, attacked her R...
SGB pens letter in response to petition
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
October 19, 2016
Joining more than 500 other students who signed and circulated an online petition over the weekend, Pitt’s Student Government Board weighed in on the vacant psychiatrist positions at the University Counseling Center. With one position empty from a psychiatrist who retired over the summer and the se...
Students talk mental health at SGB Candlelight Vigil
By Emily Baranik / Staff Writer
October 14, 2016
After battling depression in high school, sophomore Rachel Stolzer said her mental health had been improving until a week ago. While sitting in class this past Tuesday, Stolzer received a text from an old friend reading, “Did you hear about Derek?” A friend of Stolzer’s, who she called D...
SGB starts t-shirt initiative for “It’s On Us” campaign
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
October 12, 2016
From the lofty heights of last year’s It’s On Us paper chain signed by 4,200 Pitt students and faculty, Student Government Board member Arlind Karpuzi wants to take the campaign to a more intimate level this fall. This year, the campaign to decrease sexaul assault on campus will involve T-shi...
SGB starts planning to improve South Oakland
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
October 5, 2016
Looking to clean up their neighborhood — affectionately described by some as “trashy, not classy” — Pitt’s Student Government Board is planning to look first-hand at the issues that earned South Oakland that nickname. At Tuesday night’s meeting, Board members Rohit Anand and Sam Jank...
SGB proposes publicizing OMET surveys
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
September 28, 2016
Pitt’s Student Government Board on Tuesday said it wants to make its own version of RateMyProfessor that won’t let any faculty member miss out on being reviewed. SGB member Joseph Kannarkat announced at last night’s meeting that he plans to propose making the OMET results public and imagines s...
SGB gets more funding flexibility
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
September 21, 2016
With a new classification, Pitt’s Student Government Board will now have more funding and more flexibility with the funding it receives each year. Previously, SGB was categorized as a Student Affairs Affiliated Group, which included seven other groups campus-wide, including Resident Student Association...
SGB Food Committee announces themes, BYO[MUG] at first meeting
By Emily Baranik / For the Pitt News
September 19, 2016
Sodexo employees and Pitt students discussed recent dining changes and updates over a Pittsburgh-inspired meal at the first food committee meeting of the semester. The Student Government Board food committee, where Sodexo updates students on its initiatives and students make suggestions for ...
SGB, business school plans conference to teach students finance
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
September 14, 2016
Student Government Board member Max Kneis is teaming up with students from the business school to bring financial literacy to Pitt students. Kneis has been working for several weeks with Evan Turman, president of Alpha Kappa Psi, the business fraternity, and other organizations within the busines...
SGB ready to take action with plans for research database
By Leo Dornan / Staff Writer
September 7, 2016
Pitt’s Student Government Board members are prepared to turn their ideas into action this year by outlining plans for a research database as well as a weeklong event to promote female empowerment. On Tuesday night, SGB member Rohit Anand proposed launching a database that would allow students to...
SGB starts year with full agenda
By Emily Brindley and Lauren Rosenblatt / The Pitt News Staff
August 31, 2016
In its first meeting of the new school year, Pitt’s Student Government Board picked up where it left off on the most pressing projects from the spring. Chief among those were its efforts to improve relations between Oakland’s student majority and the neighborhood’s permanent residents. On ...
Quick Zone to stay open 24/7
By Lauren Wilson / Senior Staff Writer
April 20, 2016
This fall, Quick Zone’s hours will accommodate late-night study sessions, early risers and everything in between. At Student Government Board’s last public meeting this semester, Food Committee liaison and SGB member Jacky Chen announced Tuesday that starting this fall, Quick Zone will stay...
SGB drops resolution to support tobacco ban on campus
By Lauren Wilson / Staff Writer
April 13, 2016
After gauging student feedback, Student Government Board has extinguished a resolution to support a tobacco-free campus. At its weekly public meeting Wednesday night, SGB member Jack Heidecker made a motion to remove his tobacco-ban bill, a resolution that said SGB would support University efforts to m...