Anaïs Peterson for BoardHey friend!
My name is Anaïs Peterson and I’m currently in my third year studying Urban Studies with minors in Poetry and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's studies. I’m on the board of Free the Planet and Fossil Free Pitt Coalition as well as on the advocacy committee of Asian Student Alliance. I’m also a former member of the Pitt Band. I’m excited to take my experiences working with a diverse number of student groups to SGB to amplify the needs and wants of all students. There’s a chance you might recognize me from activism around campus, and you might be wondering why I’m running for SGB. I’m running for many of the same reasons I participate in activism; I love Pitt and I want to do my part to make each person’s experience as great as mine. Furthermore, there are a myriad of ways to shape the future of Pitt and I’m doing everything possible to leave this university better than when I entered it. My primary goal is continuing and increasing environmental initiatives on campus. Pitt has made some incredible strides recently including The Pitt Sustainability Plan, hiring a university wide Director of Sustainability, and the creation and efforts of the Student Office of Sustainability. While this plan is ambitious, I know we can do more. In particular, I want to expand our composting initiatives, reduce electricity usage, and make the transition to clean energy in every way possible. These are all in the Sustainability Plan, but I want to make sure students and student ideas are priority during these changes. In addition to these sustainability initiatives, I plan to increase campus safety. As someone who often stays late on campus for homework or club meetings, I know all too well how this can be a stressful experience. Saferider and the blue light systems are both fantastic, but they are the just the start. I will explore the creation of an app similar to Companion or bSafe, just for Pitt students. In addition keeping students safe it is crucial that students feel welcomed on campus. As Pitt works to attract an increasingly diverse population gender neutral bathrooms must be available. This means a commitment to having gender neutral bathrooms in all buildings on campus which are equally accessible as the women’s and men’s rooms. In addition to expanding gender neutral bathrooms on campus we should create center for LGBTQ+ students. Syracuse, Louisville, Princeton-- among numerous other institutions across the US have LGBTQ+ student centers and Pitt should join them. This center would be open to university students, staff and faculty, and run by full time employees available throughout the day. While SGB has some power in decisions affecting the student body, The Board of Trustees has the power to make decisions regarding anything from tuition raises to renaming buildings on campus. While not as direct, these decisions still affect students, and I believe that we have a right to know what decisions are being made and have a voice in the process. As a member of SGB, I would work to instate a public comment period at every public Board of Trustees meeting. This would allow students direct access to the Board, to increase transparency and communication. I am proud of the institution Pitt is today and the students that have driven that progress. Pitt is a second home to me, along with almost 20,000 other undergraduate students and I’m running for SGB because I feel it’s important that all 20,000 students feel heard and represented on campus as we move into the future. Please feel free to reach out to me ([email protected]) with any questions/concerns. Thank you, and Hail to Pitt! |