New trustee appointed, confirmation pending

One week after the resignation of UIC's student trustee, the president of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) selected a replacement.

The successor to former student trustee James Winters will be Elias Pittos, The Chicago Flame learned late last week.

A second-year biology major, Pittos has worked under the office of the student trustee since October, when he was hired by Winters to address concerns with campus transportation.

Among the initiatives Pittos sought to address, as outlined in his initial interview with Winters, were meeting with administrators and administering a survey to gauge the concerns of students. Pittos was also asked to submit a budget to Winters.

Winters, however, expressed in a previous interview with The Chicago Flame that he had concerns over Pittos's work. The appointment comes just weeks after Winters and Chief of Staff Roshina Khan discussed the possibility of firing Pittos, largely due to ineffectiveness.

According to Winters, over the course of five months, Pittos met with one administrator on one occasion, submitted the survey months after it was due, and as of Winters' resignation, has yet to finalize his budget.

Following the resignation of Winters, the office of the Dean of Students, in conjunction with University legal counsel, determined that the selection of the next student trustee would be made by the president of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Rasha Atallah.

Atallah interviewed students interested in the position last week. Four undergraduate students, including Pittos, were interviewed. Among the other interviewees were Winter's Chief of Staff Roshina Khan, fourth-year political science major Chris Olson, and fourth-year psychology major Dan Staren. Pursuing an advanced degree in economics, Gibran Rezavi was the lone graduate student to receive an interview.

Although candidates were not required to be part of the Undergraduate Student Government, the interview process included questions regarding each candidate's involvement. Pittos and Khan were the only candidates that were undergraduate student government members. Khan was an assembly member before becoming Winters's Chief of Staff. Pittos continued to serve as an assembly member of USG while working under the trustee's office. Rezavi is currently involved in the UIC Senate and graduate student council.

Other candidates were familiar with the role that student government plays, despite not being directly involved. Olson ran for student trustee against Winters in last year's election and currently holds a seat on the UIC Senate. Staren is the younger brother of Edgar Staren, who previously served as president of USG and student trustee.

While the decision to appoint Pittos was determined by Atallah, Winters offered his assistance in selecting his replacement. As explained in an exclusive interview last week, Winters discussed his successor.

"The most qualified student at this University to take up the mantle would be Roshina Khan," Winters said.

Winters added that Khan had previously attended Board of Trustees meetings with him, looked over nearly every Board packet, and has working relationships with numerous University officers and the Office of Student Affairs.

As of publication, Pittos has yet to be confirmed as the new student trustee. But with the selection process now over, ultimately the Office of the Dean of Students and the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs must verify that Pittos's qualifications are in accordance with both state statute and university policy in order confirm his appointment.

When reached for comment, Atallah explained she would withhold any information until after the confirmation, which is expected early this week.

Upon confirmation, Pittos will serve out the remainder of the term, which lasts until June 30.