Across the board: Meet this year’s student government
By Emily Wolfe, Contributing Editor
July 1, 2019
As a first-year student arriving at Pitt, it can be tricky figuring out exactly what SGB does, or even what it stands for. The answer to the latter is pretty easy: SGB is Pitt’s Student Government Board, the official undergraduate student government organization.
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 welcomes new members, announces Counseling Center changes
By Maureen Hartwell, Staff Writer
April 10, 2019
With the academic year coming to a close, Pitt’s Student Government Board spent its Tuesday meeting passing new legislation and introducing new members for SGB 2019-20.
Campus organizations host first Pride month
By Neena Hagen, Senior Staff Writer
April 9, 2019
Pitt’s campus is home to many LGBTQ+ organizations — Rainbow Alliance, oSTEM and the Gender and Sexuality LLC, to name a few. But until this year, none of those organizations came together for a large-scale project celebrating Pitt’s LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
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.
Pitt’s first big spring Pride is just around the corner
By Emily Wolfe, Assistant News Editor
March 29, 2019
“The LGBTQIA+ community on campus is enormous,” Tabitha Barnes said. “We wanted to make sure that Pride was something everyone could take part in...kind of using the resources that we have to make that happen.”
Pitt Police offer resources at biannual Safety Fair
By Brian Gentry, Assistant News Editor
February 28, 2019
Students walked from table to table at this semester’s biannual Safety Fair, which lasted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday in the William Pitt Union’s Assembly Room.
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.
Gallery: 2019 SGB Election
By Hannah Heisler and Thomas Yang
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. Brown said he felt “grateful and thankful and overwhelmed” when Katie McLaughlin, chair of SGB’s Elections Committee,...
“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.
Editorial: Don’t forget to vote in SGB election
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 19, 2019
The people we vote for will influence our lives as students in numerous ways, so it’s important to vote for candidates who will best represent us.
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.
Op-ed: SGB inaction fails economic and environmental justice
By Young Sarah Grguras
February 11, 2019
Student organizations have repeatedly approached SGB to support divestment efforts and higher wages. Despite actions by Pitt, SGB has opted not to do so.
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.
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.
Opinion | SGB picks empty talk over data-driven solutions
By Jeremy Wang, Assistant Opinions Editor
January 8, 2019
The University of Pittsburgh Student Government Board released a letter calling for stricter gun control. But an apparent failure to properly research the subject led to a list of proposals that leading experts are reluctant to place any confidence in.
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.
Op-ed: Former SGB Presidents voice support for Sodexo, Abdou Cole
November 5, 2018
Abdou Cole is more than the food service manager to most students. He is a mentor, big brother, uncle and life coach. We are grateful for his encouragement and advice during our time with him on campus.
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 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.
Students bring mental health to light with spoken poetry
By Sarah Shearer, Assistant News Editor
October 12, 2018
Eight speakers shared spoken poetry at SGB’s “Stay Spoke Poetry Night” event Thursday evening in the William Pitt Union. The event was hosted as a part of Mental Health Awareness Month.
‘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 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 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.
SGB opens year with open house
By Kieran Mclean, Staff Writer
August 29, 2018
Over snacks and refreshments at the Student Government Board open house Tuesday night, first-year student Nina Duong approached SGB President Maggie Kennedy to see how she could be more involved on campus. “I knew I wanted to do student government,” Duong said. “But I don’t know where to g...
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 reflects, looks ahead
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 23, 2018
As Student Government Board’s incoming president last year, Max Kneis said he wanted to improve collaboration and engagement with SGB. Now as outgoing president one year later, Kneis said the number of applications for SGB positions shows how he’s achieved this. “I think we continue to have more students...
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...
Students share global empowerment stories
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
March 27, 2018
As the doors of the William Pitt Union lower lounge opened at 8 p.m., about 150 students poured in to learn about the experiences of women in other countries. The event, Who Run the World?, was part of Pitt’s annual Women’s Empowerment Week hosted by Student Government Board. The week will see several event...
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...
Maggie Kennedy wins SGB presidency in close election
By Christian Snyder | Multimedia Editor
February 20, 2018
Maggie Kennedy will be the 2018-2019 Student Government Board president, winning 56 percent of the vote. Watch the live announcement here: 2 p.m. Polls opened at 8 a.m. today for the 2018 Student Government Board election, in which students can vote for one president and three board members to fill nine election positions on next year’...
Student election interest starts with SGB slates
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
February 20, 2018
It wasn’t until Monday of last week that I realized it was election season for Student Government Board. I, along with all 19,325 of my peers, are responsible today for voting in a new student body president who will be a voice for all undergraduates on campus. Although I thought the reason I d...
Editorial: The Pitt News endorses Maggie Kennedy for Student Government Board President
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 19, 2018
Candidates for the position of Student Government Board president run campaigns every year, requiring them to sit down with any number of student organizations, clubs and social groups and explain their case. With election day right around the corner, this year’s two candidates met with one more gr...
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 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...
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 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...
Pitt, Rainbow prep for Westboro protest
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
October 4, 2017
With the Westboro Baptist Church planning to protest on Pitt’s campus Thursday, the University and campus organizations are preparing. The WBC is known for its hateful speech against the LGBTQ+ community, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Jews and American soldiers. According to its onlin...
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...
Pitt talks tobacco-free at Healthy U Fair
By Madeline Gavatorta and Janine Faust | News Staff
September 26, 2017
Standing among students petting therapy dogs and getting flu shots, Student Government President Max Kneis thanked the CVS Health Foundation and the American Cancer Society for giving the University of Pittsburgh a $20,000 check for one of the University’s health initiatives — curbing tobacco use at Pitt...
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....
Pitt extends winter break for upcoming school year
By Henry Glitz | News Editor
July 12, 2017
Pitt’s Student Government Board announced Saturday that University administrators will be extending winter break by several days for the 2017-2018 academic year. The announcement, which SGB made in a post on its Facebook page, was accompanied by an academic calendar showing a break between semesters lasting from Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, to Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. Last year...
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 pushes reading day initiative
By Nolan Roosa / Staff Writer
April 5, 2017
With only two meetings left in the semester, SGB made strides on Tuesday night to institute changes for the next academic school year, outlining future changes to the governing code and pushing their reading day proposal. Board member Rohit Anand proposed adding an extra reading day to give students...
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...
