Hey! I’m Evan Levasseur, a member of the ENVISION slate, and I am extremely excited to potentially represent you on next year’s Student Government Board! Currently, I am a First-Year majoring in Public Health. I am also on the Pre-Med track and pursuing a Spanish minor and Bioethics certificate. I am on the First-Year Council in SGB, Vice-Chair for Public Health in the Academic Affairs Committee, Green Team, and Pittsburgh Pre-Health Service Alliance.
I really want to use my position on this board to help elevate you as a student, and that is why I am going on run on these three main initiatives:
- Establish and maintain an entirely student-run Emergency Response team better suited to handling emergent calls in dorms. My vision for this program is to recruit student volunteers who will be on call and able to respond to student emergencies that occur on and around campus. Some other universities around the country have already incorporated these programs, and I want to bring this to Pitt. Usually, these emergencies involve alcohol or drug related incidents which is important to note as students at other schools have reported feeling more comfortable calling other trained students to their aid as opposed to calling the police on themselves. This program is also beneficial in decreasing response time as students are more familiar with their campus and know how to access buildings and the locations of dorms, providing better support with a better response time. Not only will this program provide an added health service to Pitt students, but it will also give the large number of Pitt Pre-Med students an opportunity to earn patient care hours on their own time.
- I plan on partnering with Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC) to implement a program that will clean up and prevent trash in the Oakland neighborhood through block competitions. One large issue I have witnessed in my short time at Pitt is the amount of trash and litter that is present in South Oakland, a neighborhood that is filled with Pitt students. By populating this area, I believe that it is also our duty as students and residents to maintain Oakland and keep it clean. I envision starting block competitions in South Oakland by partnering with OPDC, and creating incentives for the blocks that have the least litter in hopes to reduce the amount of trash that ends up on the streets and around our homes.
- Finally, I want to increase support to those trying to quit tobacco smoking and work to reduce the amount of cigarette smoking on campus. One of the largest public health issues that has been examined is the linkage between tobacco smoking and the immense negative effects that it has on an individual and those around the smoke. Through this initiative, I want to push Pitt towards a healthier future. I do not want to force an action upon people, but rather encourage individuals to quit smoking by providing plenty of resources that let people easily make a positive life change.
If none of these issues resonate with you, please reach out to me at ejl95@pitt.edu and I would love to help you make change. I am here to represent you and I want to be a voice for as many students as I can, so please help me reach this goal and let me make positive changes on campus.
I am also extremely excited to be running on the ENVISION slate with Neal Gupta and Mercy Akanmu. They are extremely brilliant and motivated, and I am certain that with all of us on the board, you will be able to envision a better Pitt. As Freshmen, we want to begin the representation of our class in student government by acting as your voice and setting Pitt up for the best future possible.
I am truly passionate about my initiatives and this job, and I cannot wait to get started on making a change to our school! Thank you so much for your time and have a great rest of your day!