Across the board: Meet this year’s student government

ACROSS THE BOARD:

MEET THIS YEAR’S STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Allison Radziwon

Staff Writer

Pitt’s student body elects a new Student Government Board each year to be their voice during the upcoming academic year. The board is comprised of the president and nine board members. After a tumultuous election season and a year of online classes, SGB has big plans for the 2021-2022 academic year. The Pitt News spoke with the board to learn about their top priorities and plans to improve campus life this fall.

Harshitha Ramanan, president

Ramanan, a junior neuroscience major, said she wants to expand student knowledge on what SGB does for the University, as well as increase transparency between the board and the student body “with the help of her co-chief of staffs and communications team.” She plans to design a new website that’s easier to navigate, create a newsletter and ensure that all social media pages are up to date. Ramanan also said she plans to help transition students safely back to in-person classes and activities. She said she and the board will work with Kenyon Bonner, vice provost for student affairs, Carla Panzella, incoming dean of students, and Thomas Hitter, assistant vice chancellor for policy development and management.

Tyler Viljaste, co-chief of staff

In the upcoming academic year, Viljaste, a senior politics & philosophy and finance double major, will encourage students to sign the LGBTQIA+ task force’s petition, which includes the creation of a dedicated center for LGBTQIA+ students. Vijlaste established this task force last year to create resources for LGBTQIA+ members of the Pitt community. Viljaste also plans to work on new initiatives to better support LGBTQIA+ students on campus, such as lgbtqia.pitt.edu, which will list LGBTQIA+ resources for students. Viljaste said it will become public at the beginning of the fall term.

“I am deeply passionate about issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community at Pitt,” Viljaste said. “I have the institutional knowledge and the expertise and skill sets required to ensure I can see all of my initiatives to fruition and help others do the same.”

Joe Landsittel, co-chief of staff

Landsittel, a senior applied mathematics major, said his main priority is establishing a strong connection with students by increasing communication through “revamping infrastructure.” He said this means establishing regular communication with the student body through social media.

See SGB on page 42 Harshitha Ramanan is the president of Student Government Board.

Pamela Smith visual editor