SGB passes resolution urging Pitt to increase transparency and protect international students

In November, Pitt’s Student Government Board passed a resolution calling on the University to increase transparency around federal policy changes and strengthen protections for international students.

The resolution passed on Nov. 18 asks Pitt to protect student, staff and faculty privacy, resist unnecessary cooperation with federal authorities such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and provide clear communication about immigration-related policies and campus protocols. SGB President Marley Pinsky said this measure was introduced in response to heightened concerns over international student safety, particularly since the start of President Trump’s second term. 

“[SGB] wants to advocate for some safeguards to make sure that the University commits to, for example, [not] giving out information [about] students if external agents were to try and ask,” Pinsky said. “This is about providing support for the international student community.”

Last spring, over 1,000 international student visas in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System were terminated. Six people in the Pitt community were impacted. Pinsky pointed to this event as the start of elevated anxiety for Pitt’s international students. 

“There have been so many worries about how the international student community has been targeted by the Trump administration,” Pinsky said, “[especially] with the SEVIS records being scrubbed and terminated out of nowhere. [SGB] is resisting attempts to encroach on student privacy if that were to happen.”

According to University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer, the University regularly collaborates with government officials and agencies to advocate for international students. Pitt’s Office of Government Relations and Advocacy and the Office of International Services work together to support the international community, Stonesifer said.

“We have a multitiered approach that ensures our international students have immediate, practical support for individual cases and institutional backing on broader policy matters,” Stonesifer said.

Stonesifer iterated that SGB is an independent, self-governing organization and the University does not direct SGB’s actions or statements.

“Any actions or decisions by SGB are independent of the University and should not be interpreted as an endorsement by the University,” Stonesifer said.

The resolution was developed in collaboration with several student organizations, including Pitt’s chapter of Amnesty International. The chapter initially approached SGB asking for endorsement for their broader “Firewall for Freedom” resolution, which is focused on protecting international students’ rights to free expression and privacy.

“We worked with them to take that message and tailor it more specifically to Pitt,” Pinsky said. “This resolution is one of the products that came out of that collaboration.”

Students for Justice in Palestine also influenced the resolution, Pinsky said, after months of advocacy urging SGB to call on the administration to protect student information and limit cooperation with ICE.

“Their advocacy really pushed us to get to work and echo what they’ve been saying for months,” Pinsky said.

Following the resolution’s adoption in November, Pinsky presented it directly to University leadership, including Chancellor Joan Gabel, Provost Joe McCarthy and Vice Provost for Student Affairs Carla Panzella, during the December Senate Council meeting. 

One of SGB’s primary requests in the resolution is the creation of a centralized, easily accessible webpage that would outline protocols related to immigration enforcement, explain the University’s response to federal policy changes and provide guidance for students if ICE were to come to campus.

“We just want information,” Pinsky said. “A central hub where students can go without digging through multiple pages.”

Pinsky said that the administration seemed open to their ideas and was willing to increase their transparency. 

“[The administration] said they will be engaging with shared governance to create a portal that would allow for updates, including how Pitt is responding to federal updates,” Pinsky said. “They’ve also been discussing creating summaries to highlight what was discussed in the Chancellor’s town hall meetings.”

Another demand was for Pitt’s Emergency Notification Service to be utilized in the event that ICE comes to campus. SGB brought this demand to Pitt police, who control the ENS system,  in a meeting on Dec. 5.

“So far, [Pitt police] did not seem willing,” Pinsky said. “We will keep following up. I feel like it’s incredibly clear that for many reasons, ICE would pose a threat to public safety on campus and the community should be alerted if they are here.”

Pinsky said this is even more important following the recent fatal shooting of a civilian, Renee Nicole Good, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. A day after the Minneapolis shooting, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor said that the city of Pittsburgh will not cooperate with ICE. On Jan. 11, hundreds of people marched in protest in the Southside neighborhood to ICE’s field office. 

While Pinsky feels positive about the administration’s response so far, she is looking for more communication between the University and its students.  

“I wish this had been done sooner,” Pinsky said. “A lot of times, information is shared with faculty and administrators and [it’s] expected to trickle down to students, and it doesn’t. The more students know what we’re asking for, the more pressure there is for the University to follow through.”

Ultimately, Pinsky said the resolution reflects what student government can realistically advocate for, given the University’s reliance on federal funding.

“We would love to say, ‘Don’t cooperate with ICE,’ but we understand the position the University is in,” Pinsky said. “What we’re asking for is transparency, education and clear communication so students can protect themselves and their communities.”