Ryan Murphy (he/him)

Board Candidate
Elevate Slate
Gibsoia, PA
Political Science and History

Hi! My name is Ryan Murphy, and I am a sophomore studying Political Science and History with a minor in Economics. I am excited to be running for Student Government Board this semester as I hope to be part of a movement to bring positive change to Pitt! Since the start of my undergraduate career, I have been involved in SGB. Last year, I was a member of the First Year Council as well as the Community and Governmental Relations Committee. This year, I serve as the Chair of the Community and Governmental Relations Committee where I work alongside committee members to promote civic engagement and student interactions with the greater community. As chair, some of my biggest accomplishments include organizing Pitt’s annual Civic Engagement Week, disseminating information on off campus living in partnership with the CGR Office, and leading the Pitt Votes Student Task Force in an effort to promote voter registration on campus. Outside of SGB, I am a brother of Beta Theta Pi. I am running for Student Government Board because I truly love this University, and I want to be a leader in the effort to help it reach its full potential. If elected, I will make student engagement my top priority by expanding on the work of the PittVotes initiative and furthering the relationship between students and Oakland residents. First, I think that expanding on the work of the PittVotes initiative will not only increase voter engagement among students, but also create a culture of political participation on campus. Using my experience as the co-lead of the PittVotes Student Task Force, I want to enhance the coalition’s presence within the University through calling on administrators to actively participate in registration efforts, adding voter resources to University websites, and expanding RA voter engagement training. By accomplishing these goals, we will be able to provide more students with accurate voting information, therefore ensuring that every student is prepared and able to exercise their right to vote come election day. Second, I want to strengthen the relationship between students and Oakland residents in order to make our community stronger. I think that people often forget that the neighborhoods of Oakland are not only comprised of student populations, but also non-student residents that call this area home. Through committing myself to work with community leaders, I hope to establish a better relationship with non-student residents that not only allows for us to coexist but work together to address issues in our community. Furthermore, I want to work alongside the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation to get more students involved in the Adopt-A-Block program to keep our neighborhoods clean and show that Pitt students care about our community. I hope that this gives you a better understanding of who I am and why I want to run. Like I said before, I love Pitt, and I am running to help the University reach its full potential, but I can’t do this without your help. Please considering voting for me, and together we can work to elevate student life and maintain community despite the recent challenges. If you still have questions about my campaign or ideas on how you want SGB to work for you next year, please email me at rpm70@pitt.edu so that we can start a conversation. Thank you, and Hail to Pitt!