Board members Brandon Benjamin and Ellie Tsatsos announced their resignations Tuesday night. Ben Brownlee | Senior Staff Photographer

@thepittnews

Vol. 104Issue 133

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

32°|21°Pittnews.com

3 MONTHS, 3 BOARD MEMBERS DOWNAbbey Reighard, Danielle Fox

Mahita Gajanan, Natalie Daher and Megan TrimbleThe Pitt News Staff

SGB 2

The Student Government Board election that drew the fewest number of candidates has triggered the highest number of resignations in recent history.

Board members Ellie Tsatsos, a junior studying biology and chemistry who was appointed president pro-tempore, and Bran-don Benjamin, a junior studying linguistics, announced their resignations at Tuesday’s public meeting in Nordy’s Place, marking the second and third Board members who have stepped down within the fi rst three months of the 2014 term.

Nites said Tsatsos and Benjamin had both “briefl y discussed” their intentions to resign during individual meetings with Nites on Monday.

“I wasn’t necessarily surprised,” Nites said. “We had talked a little bit about their future on the Board.”

Nites said he remains optimistic for the future of the Board, adding that the three Board member resignations that have oc-curred in the last month signal that the re-maining Board members must make internal changes.

“It shows that we need to improve our-selves as a Student Government Board,” Nites said. “I don’t think student groups should be worried.”

A series of splits Jake Radziwon, a junior marketing major,

resigned last month to focus on personal a! airs and positions on SGB’s Recreation Committee and the University Senate Athlet-ics Committee.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Benjamin resigned fi rst.

He said he resigned from the Board be-cause the time he spent on the politics — namely the Allocations process — behind SGB silenced his ability to stand up for stu-

dent organizations. Benjamin said Board members focused

more on maintaining SGB’s public front, which distracted him from his e! orts to sup-port student groups.

“If I don’t have the ability to dissent pub-licly, it takes away my ability to advocate for student leaders,” Benjamin said.

He said his original vision for his ten-ure as a Board member included creating a

culture of representing student needs and setting aside the politics of the SGB Alloca-tions Manual.

Benjamin said that in the past few weeks, other Board members noted his absence from various SGB events and approached him about his commitment to the Board. He said it was not a problem of commitment

2 March 3, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

that led to his resignation, but rather the limitations SGB set on his goals.

“My issues aren’t workable through the system as it is in place,” he said.

In a statement of resignation to Nites and the rest of SGB, Benjamin challenged the Board to examine the loss of three members this year and “refl ect on what could be driv-ing such dedicated leaders away.”

Benjamin said the three resignations this year refl ect the Board’s heavy involvement in politics instead of working to restructure itself and detract from cyclical problems, such as non-transparency and incomplete projects.

Though the Board is currently revising the Allocations Manual, Benjamin said he felt the Allocations Committee members and Board members involved did not make enough e! ort to include other voices from campus.

He said the Board too often got caught up in “Allocations nonsense,” and spent the majority of its time talking about money

during planning sessions. “We forget there are bigger issues to

tackle on campus,” Benjamin said in the statement.

Benjamin said there was an “overwhelm-ing presence” of Board members in the Al-locations process.

“We have an Allocations Committee for a reason,” Benjamin said. “We take all too much power on to ourselves to overturn their decisions and take too many liberties with what they spend so much time on.”

In the statement, Benjamin urged the Board to shift its focus toward representing students instead of involving itself too much in the Allocations process. He said talking to student groups requesting money solely about allocations only served to intimidate and discourage.

“Remember that every decision you make based on a fl awed manual without putting yourselves in their shoes says to these students that you’re a politician or a businessman, not a representative,” Benja-min said in the statement. “When they ask for money, ask what else, in addition, you can be doing to represent them.”

Benjamin said he and Tsatsos decided

to resign together so the Board could start its interview process right away. He said he made the formal decision to resign Monday night after presenting his issues with SGB to Nites. Prior to his decision, Benjamin said his reservations toward the Board’s involve-ment in the Allocations process came up “sporadically” in meetings.

Benjamin ran for Board on the Forward slate with Nites and Board member Sara Klein during the 2014 Board election. He said Nites was both concerned and under-standing about his decision to resign from the Board.

Benjamin said that, as president, Nites was “very fair,” but tended to be disorga-nized. He said such disorganization — an inherent aspect of SGB — infl uenced his decision to resign.

“We ran and we knew it was going to be di" cult,” Benjamin said. “At some point you just run out of steam.”

While Nites said he might not personally be the most organized person, some of the feelings of general disorganization also stem from “the quick nature of being on Board,” and the toll that multiple meetings and re-sponsibilities take on members.

Tsatsos said there were multiple reasons behind her resignation, which primarily resulted from a confl ict in her fall semester class schedule.

Tsatsos said she must take a Tuesday night chemistry lab next semester to gradu-ate next spring. Tsatsos could have taken the class and remained on the Board if she used her maximum number of absences, but said she did not want to enter the semester with that mentality. She said she has known about her scheduling problem for two weeks, but only decided to resign Monday night.

Tsatsos said she would not have resigned if not for the scheduling confl ict, but added that she was “disenchanted” with SGB.

Expectations go awryIn her statement to the Board, Tsatsos

said that she thought SGB was an organiza-tion that would help her positively a! ect the student body. But after joining, she “real-ized the amount of politics that come with the job.”

“Incompatibilities between opinions, work ethic and communication between

Writer’s Studio fosters undergraduate creativity, communityElizabeth Furiga

Staff Writer

Follow @ThePittNews on Twitter and Instagram for a constant stream of news updates from around campus.

Insta-taneous news!Email news@pittnews.com to become a reporter.

Got the scoop?Come to the William Pitt Union tonight to practice your yoga poses between 9 and 10 p.m. in Dining Room A.

ONLINE APPLY ON CAMPUSProject HEAL Yoga Class

SGBFROM PAGE 1

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Writing needn’t always be a private activity for those looking to put pen to paper.

The Writing Center debuted its Writer’s Studio — a quiet space where undergradu-ates can gather to work on writing as a com-munal activity — this semester. The studio occupies room 111 of the O’Hara Student Center between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and tu-tors are available during that window to help with writing.

According to Geeta Kothari, director of Pitt’s Writing Center, the public needs to change its perceptions on writing for the studio to fl ourish.

“People have to stop thinking of it as a solitary exercise, and that’s really hard, be-cause there’s still the romantic notion of the

writer and the garrett,” Kothari said. Kothari said the success of the center’s

Graduate Dissertation Boot Camp sparked the idea to open the Writer’s Studio this se-mester. During a week-long camp o! ered three times a semester, graduate students expand, revise and seek advice on their writ-ing. The center also o! ers a condensed, one-day version of the camp during the fall and spring semesters.

The Writer’s Studio could give under-graduates the same opportunity for devoted writing time that the center o! ered graduate students, Kothari said.

Robert Stevens, a faculty tutor for the Writing Center, said the Writer’s Studio dif-fers from the basic o! erings of the Center.

“If a student just has a quick question about word choice, [they] can just stop in,

get their answer and be on their way, where the Writing Center is more of a process,” Stevens said.

According to Stevens, use of the Writer’s Studio by students has been slow so far, but he is hopeful that it will grow.

The Writer’s Studio o! ers at least one fac-ulty tutor available at all times to answer any questions a student might have during the writing process. According to Stevens, the Writing Center plans to provide the studio as an additional resource that doesn’t require a 25-minute appointment, as the center does.

Stevens hopes the new service will pre-vent undergraduates from “binge writing,” or writing an essay all in one sitting, which is something he has found many of his stu-dents do.

“We hope we can help students schedule

writing and complete an assignment,” Ste-vens said. “I think something like this will help them to space out their writing.”

Kothari added that the Writer’s Studio is meant to be quieter than Hillman Library, which can be very conducive to getting work done.

Joyce Lin, a junior accounting major, said she prefers to write alone, but recognizes the advantages of writing as a community.

“I think in a community, and [when] people write together, you could generate an idea that you might never have thought of by yourself,” Lin said.

Lin said she appreciates having a tutor available for writing help.

“I think having a tutor is better. After I fi nish my writing, I will try to fi nd a tutor to help me fi x my grammar mistakes,” she said.

3March 3, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SGB AllocationsSGBFROM PAGE 2

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Engineers for Sustainable Medical Development: $520Pittsburgh Fencing Associa-tion: $1,526.31Brazil Nuts and Campus Women’s Organization: $900Some of God’s Children Gospel Choir: $2,800VOX: Planned Parenthood on Campus: $2418Club Gymnastics: $2,730Korean Culture Association: $1,402.78Brazil Nuts: $1,784.32Panther Triathlon Club: $1,000Pittsburgh Club Baseball: $1,353.60Total allocated this year: $153,841.51

the Board members have left me feeling unsatisfi ed,” Tsatsos said.

The Board selected Nick Hufnagel, a ju-nior majoring in French and urban studies, to replace Radziwon at its public meeting on March 4. Hufnagel competed against a pool of 24 applicants who underwent pub-lic interviews for the position. The Board opened the application to students the night of Radziwon’s resignation on Feb. 27.

A declining fervor for this year’s SGB has been evident since campaign season, which had 11 candidates for Board as compared to the 18 candidates drawn by the previous campaign.

Three slates, or groups of three candi-dates who run together, and two indepen-dent candidates contended for seats on the 2014 Board. Only two candidates who ran didn’t win positions. Nites said people be-come “disenchanted by the inner workings of the student government,” every year, but the disenchantment can be found on mul-tiple campuses.

“That is the nature of being a student and wanting to make change on campus and be-ing a part of something larger than yourself and larger than student government,” he said. “We are part of Pitt, and it’s a busi-ness. It’s a university and there are politics involved with that. That’s just a fact of life.”

Nites said that “just like anything,” there are always things that the Board can ap-prove, and he acknowledged allocations disagreements and disorganization in terms of meeting times and scheduling among members.

Tsatsos added that the amount of disor-ganization within SGB hinders its potential to be a productive organization.

“Rather than aiding me in getting my ini-tiatives done, it has hindered me,” she said.

Tsatsos said it is impossible to accom-plish each of the Board member’s three campaign initiatives, regardless of overlap between their ideas. Tsatsos blamed the process of going through loopholes and administration.

“You just can’t do it, but not because you don’t care,” Tsatsos said.

Tsatsos said she felt the Board needs to not focus on small issues like the Board

members’ weekly reports.“It’s okay to say no report,” Tsatsos said.

“We need to focus on big picture, not who did I meet with this week. The students don’t care about big administrative names.”

Tsatsos said she still plans to complete her campaign initiatives and that her resig-nation will allow her to pursue plans more actively without worrying about SGB’s im-age.

Tsatsos said she does not think her resig-nation should refl ect on others, “but I hope it drives [Nites] to make a change.”

“I hope that the Board and student gov-ernment as a whole will refl ect on losing three student leaders and will look internally to see how the organization can be made more functional,” Tsatsos said.

Filling empty seats Kenyon Bonner, Student Government

Board adviser and director of Student Life, said he was not aware of the resignations be-fore Tuesday night’s public meeting. While Bonner acknowledged that the resignations are “something that is important” to the

4 March 3, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SGBFROM PAGE 3

SGB 5

ACROSS1 Lead-in for bird

or walk4 Nervous and

irritable9 Thai cash

13 Musician Turner14 Words Alice read

on a cake15 Month in Madrid17 Waist bag19 Once more20 “It’s __ bet”: “No

risk”21 Everlasting, to a

poet22 Cal. entry25 Herbal remedy

for indigestion27 Custard dishes30 River in NW

France31 “The Star-

SpangledBanner,” e.g.

32 Countdown-ending numero

33 Leveling wedge37 Pen name38 Renege41 Amin of Uganda42 Twice vier44 Word of surprise45 __ Zee: area

where theHudson Riverwidens

47 Taj Mahal home49 Heavenly higher-

ups, inChristianity

50 Piece of LeCreusetcookware

54 Chess piece55 People with skill56 Place to store

valuables59 Station60 Sense of humor64 Old hat65 Popeye creator

Segar66 Type of museum67 Kane’s Rosebud,

e.g.68 Nobel-winning

Irish poet69 It may need a

boost

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brand

2 Alias, for short3 Hankering4 They may be

done by oneswho have gonetoo far

5 Family nickname6 Support crews7 Game show

personality8 “__War”: Shatner

series9 Defeated

10 49-Across, porejemplo

11 Soul partner12 Puzzle video

game with threeheroes

16 Top draft status18 “Of course!”21 Along the way22 Red Sea port on

its own gulf23 __ Wars: Rome

vs. Carthage24 Tuner’s concern26 Words to

Nanette?28 Playboy

nickname29 Political fugitives32 Island

instrument34 River horse

35 Snake Riverstate

36 Belarus capital39 Tide type40 Roofer’s supply43 Stage in a frog’s

life46 Medicare section

for physicianservices

48 Destroyed theinside of, as abuilding

49 Verse segment50 Hula Hoop et al.51 “Golden Boy”

dramatist52 India neighbor53 Small egg57 Workbook

chapter58 Strong alkalis60 “30 Rock” star61 Be indebted to62 Pick on63 Outer: Pref

Tuesday’s Puzzle SolvedBy Bernice Gordon 4/9/14

(c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC 4/9/14The

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Board, he declined to comment further on the resignations, feeling that it would be unfair because “at this point, [he hasn’t] spoken to the members who resigned or the Board,” and he was not fully informed to speak on the issue.

Bonner said he will speak with Nites and the Board regarding the process of fi lling the vacant seats, but the ultimate decision will be theirs.

“I know they have learned a lot [about the process] and I will discuss it with them, but I want to leave that up to them on how to proceed from this point,” he said.

Nites said he will meet with Bonner this Thursday to discuss the resignations and plans for replacing the Board members. Nites said he plans for the Board to hold interviews similar to those conducted while replacing Radziwon.

Nites said that he plans to make a more organized process for fi lling the positions, which will be completed in the next few weeks. The Board will accept online ap-

plications for at least a week, and then the Board will make an appointment as soon as possible. Nites said he will post the ap-plication forms to the SGB website as soon as possible.

“It’s actually never been taken o! the SGB website,” he said, referencing the ap-plication that was available following Radzi-won’s resignation.

The Board will then most likely inter-view the applicants in two public rounds and deliberations will be held in private as they were upon the last selection process, according to Nites.

“We need to be better prepared, more open to compromising, more aware of the situation we are in and hopefully that will help to unite us,” Nites said.

The position of president pro-tempore, however, will be selected through an ap-pointment and approval process. Nites said that there is “not much guidance” on a sec-ond appointment process, but that he will most likely appoint Board member Andrew Abboud, who received the second highest number of Board member votes in the 2014 Board election, to succeed Tsatsos.

Typically, the president chooses to ap-

point the Board member candidate who received the most votes in the election as president pro-tempore, as the highest-vote receiver assumes the presidential role should the president not be able or willing to fulfi ll the responsibilities of the position.

Abboud said that he would accept the position, if appointed, and work to support Nites as president.

“The most important thing is for me to give my support to Mike as he needs it, because I do think he’s done a wonderful job with leading the Board so far,” he said.

Optimism pervades The remaining Board members said they

are still optimistic about the remainder of their terms despite the recent string of res-ignations.

Board member Mona Kazour said she and the other members needed to continue to faithfully represent on-campus student organizations.

“Don’t have any fear about this because it’s not going to hinder us in any way,” she said.

Board member Andrew Abboud simi-larly dismissed any ideas that the Board is dysfunctional, and instead said it was an

opportunity for improvement. “I take it with a grain of salt and also a

grain of encouragement to be the student group that you guys want us to be,” Abboud said.

After speaking on behalf of the club base-ball team in regard to its allocation request, Mark Cunli! e addressed the Board, saying that “disorganization is apparent” among SGB. He continued, saying that two Board members resigning does not sit well with him as a student requesting assistance and funding from the Board.

“When you try to reassure us that you will still do your job, it’s a little unsettling,” he said.

Cunli! e declined to comment any fur-ther on the issue outside of his public meet-ing statement.

Abboud said that while the Board mem-bers’ resignations came “as a shock to every-one,” he plans to continue pursuing his own projects and to determine whether Tsatsos and Benjamin will carry out their projects in some capacity.

“If they think the Board isn’t the best

5March 3, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SGBFROM PAGE 4

way for them to serve the students, I fully respect that,” he said.

Abboud added that Hufnagel’s quick transition to his Board position makes him optimistic about the impending transitions.

“This too shall pass,” he said. Nites agreed, saying that he believes that

“internally, [the Board] will function okay,” but that they will need to approach public meeting discussions with a willingness to work together and compromise.

Compromises may be necessary in pass-ing Allocation requests that are brought before the Board for approval or denial. A majority must be reached by the Board to approve an Allocations request, meaning on a full eight-person board, fi ve votes are nec-essary to approve allocations of the Student Activities Fund to student groups.

This rule still holds with a decreased num-ber of Board members.

Five of the six Board members will have to vote unanimously on Allocation requests in order for the requests to pass.

Nites said “overall, [the Board is] on track to accomplishing as much as last year’s Board,” and that they are continuing to move forward. Ultimately, Nites attributed the low-er interest in running for student government and the high Board member turnover rate to a natural cycle of student involvement in the organization.

Despite the resignations, Nites said that student groups should not be worried.

“Does it look bad that three people have quit? Sure,” he said. “But I think that’s just the nature of having nine people run for eight spots [on the Board].”