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File #: 2018-1199    Version: 1
Type: Proclamation Status: Adopted
File created: 12/11/2018 In control: City Council
On agenda: 12/11/2018 Final action: 12/11/2018
Enactment date: 12/11/2018 Enactment #: 853
Effective date: 12/11/2018    
Title: NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby applaud the University of Pittsburgh Student Office of Sustainability for its efforts to increase student voter engagement, celebrates the eleven on-campus organizations that participated in this effort, and commends all students who exercise their right to vote; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare December 11, 2018 to be "Student Office of Sustainability Votes Day" in the City of Pittsburgh.
Sponsors: Erika Strassburger, All Members
Indexes: PROCLAMATION - MRS. STRASSBURGER
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WHEREAS, currently led by junior Samuel Ressin and senior Kaylie Jones, the University of Pittsburgh's Student Office of Sustainability (SOOS) is an on-campus organization that seeks to "foster environmental awareness throughout the Pitt community and to infuse sustainability into the culture, values, and decision making process here at Pitt"; and,

WHEREAS, during the recent 2018 midterm elections, SOOS developed a creative way to encourage students to vote; and,

WHEREAS, by challenging 11 student organizations on campus to participate in a contest to determine which group could spur the highest student voter turnout on Election Day, SOOS was able to engage 220 eligible students in the voting process; and,

WHEREAS, the 11 student organizations each had their own unique ways of engaging their member students to vote and make a difference in the midterm elections; and,

WHEREAS, to earn points, each student participant was required to take a selfie with proof of their voter registration and a subsequent selfie with their voter stub on Election Day; and,

WHEREAS, in third place with 25% of the possible points available was Pitt Pantry, the student-led food bank. Coming in second place with 46% of the possible points available was Engineers for a Sustainable World. The champion, who earned an impressive 66% of the possible points, was Fossil Free Pitt Coalition; and,

WHEREAS, the result of this initiative to organize a two-month long voter engagement effort from the Student Office of Sustainability at the University of Pittsburgh and the student organizations involved was an increase of 43 students voting; and,

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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby applaud the University of Pittsburgh Student Office of Sustainability for its efforts to increase student voter engagement, celebrates the eleven on-campus organizations that participated in this effort, and commends all students who exercise their rig...

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