As students graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, two students left a legacy behind! My favorite Pitt Alumni and former Student Government Board (SGB) members are Elizabeth Blasi and Joseph Pasqualichio!

Their graduation does not take away anything they accomplished at Pitt. I have seen many SGB board members come and go but these two are one of a kind for me.

At a time when Sodexho, who I work for on their management team, was trying to be destroyed by certain students, these two students and elected leaders of SGB believed there was a better way to handle the situation regarding Sodexho.

While certain students resorted to politics of destruction putting Sodexho in the middle of it, these two students engaged in conflict resolution for the sake of the student body. The first approach is conflict enhancement while their approach focused on working together with Sodexho to bring wonderful changes for students.

What they had started as a project of SGB called the Food Committee has reached new heights in its 3rd year. Liz was the Food Committee Chair reaching out to students' concerns regarding the cafeterias in cooperation with the Sodexho Management team.

The Food Committee has become so successful that students have already come to see changes in the cafeterias and will see a major change this Fall of 2007. Liz passed on her enthusiasm to former board member Allison Winn who passed on her zeal to current board member and food committee chair Janeace Slifka. It has been exciting to see how far the food committee has come. Way to go Chi Omega's :)

All this would not have been possible without Liz and Joe's enthusiasm and zeal to serve the student body in a constructive way. If there were two people ever who deserved the ODK's Senior of the Year Award, it was both of them.

It was so exciting to find out that my dear friends received this award before they graduated. Liz received it in 2005 and Joe received it in 2007.

I am also reminded of how Liz worked to make the 'First Light Up Night' at Pitt and subsequent Light Up Night's a grand success as she passed the baton to Allison. As a board member Liz always looked out for the welfare of the students. Also, whether she was a Pathfinder or Chi Omega president, she left an impression behind before graduating. With her as president of Chi Omega sorority, I got to meet all of her wonderful sisters and know them by name. She graduated from Pitt but her friendship still remains and I am excited that she will make a difference wherever she works. To this day, most Chi O's are the only sorority sisters who introduce themselves to me when they have come to the cafeteria. It is no surprise that 10% of those on my friend's list are Chi O's.

I am also reminded of how as a SGB board member, Joe took time to make 'Pick a Prof' a reality at Pitt. Joe also had an open door policy and while serving as president of SGB anyone could go to him anytime with any concerns and he would address them. When Pitt Program Council (PPC) showed the DaVinci Code while Joe was president of SGB, he was instrumental in wanting to take action if enough students showed objections to it. Being a conflict resolution guy, he made a way where Christian leaders on this campus could directly meet with Andrea Youngo, the former executive director of PPC and relay those concerns. The meeting with Andrea and the PPC staff was a very productive meeting. I only wish that PPC would have shown 'Passion of the Christ' during Holy Week which Joe wanted to see happen and hoped current president Shady Henien would make that a reality working with PPC.

I must thank Brian Kelly, who picked Liz and Joe to run on their slate when he ran for president of SGB. If Brian did not make that decision we probably would not have experienced the difference Liz and Joe made on SGB for students. Of course, none of this would have been possible without all those who chose Liz and Joe to serve.

Without Joe or Liz, I do not think Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) would have been able to bring in nationally known speaker and author Joel Rosenberg to Pitt. When their funding was going around in circles, a leader of CCC contacted me and I contacted Liz who said she would look into what the delay was. She looked into it and the delay was resolved by the board including Joe. The entire board voted on the request and CCC received most of the funding they needed.

Joe chose Allison and Shady Henien when he ran for president. Allison made so many strides in the Food Committee too and Shady became a voice for Christian students and minorities on campus. Shady was instrumental in organizing the first prayer gathering at the Cathedral of Learning where around 33 students came together to pray for the campus, city, country, etc.

Later, Shady decided to run for the presidency of SGB and currently serves as the SGB president. Without Joe's decision to choose Shady as his running mate, we do not know if Shady would have run for board and would be the current president now. Joe recently graduated from Pitt just days ago but his friendship still remains and I am excited to know that he will make a difference wherever he works.

Both Liz and Joe have been classy Pitt students working for Pitt students because they were DRIVEN for you! They were also my favorite couple. Time flies and sometimes changes things. I do not know if they are still together but this I know whatever path they take whether together are apart, they will continue to make an impact in society and hopefully will be friends for life. My hope is that they remain the best Pitt couple even after graduation.

Both of them have such respect for Abdou Cole, the general manager of Schenley Cafe, Einstein's Bro's, and Cathedral Cafe at Pitt. They know how much Abdou cares for the students needs and requests. With both sides wanting what is best for the student body, I can see why tremendous changes have been made with Sodexho Management Team and the student body.

Left to right: Liz Blasi, Joe Pasqualichio, Shady Henien, and
Ramesh C. Reddy

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"My favorite Student Government Board moment involves Liz Blasi and Joe Pasqualichio!"

Ramesh C. Reddy Pittsburgh Standard

Ramesh C. Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard