The Pitt News
T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | september 26, 2018 Â| Volume 109 | Issue 28
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUâLL GET IF YOU DONâT VOTE
SGB UNVEILS TOWN HALL TO REACH STUDENTS Sid Lingala Staff Writer
Tom Hanks discusses the importance of voting in upcoming election at Tuesday eveningâs âWhen We All Voteâ event at Soldiers and Sailors. Sarah Cutshall|staff photographer
HANKS BRINGS VOTING HYPE TO PITTSBURGH
Jon Moss
For The Pitt News Tom Hanks is in the neighborhood, and he wants you to register to vote. The award-winning actor â along with other high-profile celebrities â took the stage in front of more than 1,000 people at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall on Tuesday evening for the Pittsburgh leg of a political advocacy tour organized by the nonprofit âWhen We All Vote.â The organization campaigns to register voters, before the upcoming Oct. 9 deadline, for the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 6. âWhat is the most important election in the history of our country?â Hanks asked the crowd.
âThe next one!â an audience member called out. âYouâre almost right,â Hanks said. âItâs all of them.â He further stressed that elections are not only critical to the nation, but are something which all American citizens should participate in. Pitt, located within Pennsylvaniaâs newly drawn 18th Congressional district, is currently represented by Democrat Michael Doyle, who is running unopposed. âItâs very possible to assume some decision will be made that you donât really need to take part,â Hanks said. âIf only to argue with a family member at Thanksgiving, you better vote ... You get to do the dishes while everyone else
talks about current events.â Hanks wasnât the only recognizable figure encouraging the public to vote. Kiya Tomlin, wife of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, spoke early in the evening, urging students to actively participate in the political process. She said, ultimately, voters are the only Americans who hold the keys to power. âItâs the people that show up to the polls that get to make our decisions for us. And we canât allow ourselves to become content to merely watch, or even tune out the daily reality show of keeping up with Washington,â Tomlin said. Tomlinâs advice rang true for Cassi Whitehead, a senior English writing See Hanks on page 2
The Student Government Board announced a new initiative at Tuesday nightâs meeting, aimed at bringing more students into the conversation about various campus issues â SGB Town Hall. SGB President Maggie Kennedy said they will conduct Town Hall meetings throughout this year to reach students who donât normally attend regular SGB public meetings due to the meetingsâ focus on business. Kennedy also said other organizationsâ Tuesday night meetings can contribute to occasional dips in public meeting attendance. âThe objective of the Town Halls is to increase our outreach on campus and make sure we are being the actual representatives we were elected to be,â Kennedy said. âWe wanted to create a forum that is just about students sharing their concerns in a open-floor situation the whole time. Weâre not giving board reports. Weâre not going to do allocations.â The first Town Hall will be this Thursday from 7 to 8 p.m. at Nordyâs Place and will focus on feedback on campus facilities. The first Town Hall will also be attended by Jim Earle, associate vice chancellor for business and auxiliary services, and Joseph Pastorik, a facilities manager. Facilities, Transportation and Technology Chair Caroline Unger said she wanted to see a lot of people at the first Town Hall and hear what students See SGB on page 2