Aside from its COVID-19 discussion, SGB introduced a new bill and a new resolution. Board members also discussed initiatives to improve student worker compensation and dining services on campus.
More than $300,000 in the student activities fee fund — which is financed through students’ tuition — will likely go unused this semester, as clubs continue online programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Student Government Board held a moment of silence for the Tree of Life massacre at its Tuesday night meeting, acknowledging the victims who lost their lives at the nearby synagogue two years ago.
Pitt police Chief James Loftus and Commander Eric Holmes, the chief of staff of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, participated in the event along with University administration and Pitt security subcontractor Allied Security. The Student Government Board, Student Affairs and the Black Senate organized the town hall.
SGB will post the resolution on its website this week for public comment and review and will vote on it at next Tuesday's meeting. Along with announcing the new resolution, SGB also discussed new COVID-19 updates, future meetings with Pitt police, constitutional revisions and upcoming SGB elections.
Instead of heavy enforcement of COVID-19 protocols by Pitt police, Pitt has taken on a student-led approach through SGB and University collaborative programs to implement strategies to ensure campus safety.
Camille Interligi, lead clinician for multicultural outreach from the University Counseling Center, said at a Monday roundtable that the concept of mental health itself — especially in regards to mental illness — is a racist and patriarchal construct.
Besides discussing the state of the pandemic on campus, SGB also talked about its meeting with Compass Group, the ongoing Mental Health Awareness Month and the kickoff of SGB’s new civic advising program.
Pitt’s Mental Health Awareness Month officially began on Oct. 1 and will last throughout the month of October. MHAM consists of various virtual events — such as open mic nights, webinars and art exhibits — that aim to raise awareness for mental health, change the stigmas surrounding mental illnesses and remind students of resources around campus that can help them in their mental health journey.
In addition to the update about meeting with Pitt police, the board also swore in 17 new members to various committees and discussed plans for Civic Engagement Week and Mental Health Awareness month at its Tuesday night meeting.
