Pitt releases late January, early February move-in groups

January 13, 2021

Pitt students living on campus can plan to move into their dorms beginning in late January, according to a Wednesday afternoon email from Pitt’s COVID Medical Response Office. Residents are grouped into one of four move-in dates — Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Feb. 3 or Feb. 5 — per the latest CMRO guidance.

Pitt professor sues University

January 13, 2021

Norman Wang, a Pitt cardiologist, has filed a federal lawsuit against the University and the American Heart Association. Wang authored a scientific article advocating for race-neutral admission and hiring in cardiology. The AHA later retracted the article due to “inaccuracies, misstatements, and selective misreading of source materials” which “void the paper of its scientific validity.” He was removed this summer as program director of the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship. The lawsuit stated that the University violated Wang’s First Amendment rights and is seeking damages for defamation from UPMC, Pitt, the AHA and several Pitt employees for allegedly claiming Wang misused academic sources. It also asks for Wang to be fully reinstated to his teaching position in the cardiology department. “As a result of defendants’ actions, a cloud also continues to hang over [Wang’s] reputation and, accordingly, his ability to obtain other employment is constrained,” the lawsuit said. The Center for Individual Rights, a nonprofit public interest law firm, will represent Wang. Terry Pell, the center’s president, said the actions taken against Wang should concern anybody concerned about academics and free speech regardless of whether it challenges conventional thinking. “What’s remarkable about this is that he was not punished for an inappropriate joke or an intemperate remark in the classroom, but for publishing a thoroughly researched article in a peer-reviewed journal,” Pell said. Pitt spokesperson Kevin Zwick said the University is aware of the complaint and will respond appropriately. “The University of Pittsburgh took no action against Dr. Wang, and we remain fully committed to advancing the value of academic freedom,” Zwick said. Wang did not respond to a request for comment. The University is also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for possibly “improperly targeting … a campaign of denunciation and cancellation” against Wang. The department’s Office of Postsecondary Education sent a letter on Oct. 7 to Chancellor Patrick Gallagher stating that the University’s actions against Wang could have violated Title IV of the Civil Rights Act. “It did so solely because his academic paper concluded … ‘Ultimately, all who aspire to a profession in medicine and cardiology must be assessed as individuals on the basis of their personal merits, not their racial and ethnic identities,’” the letter said.

Pitt forward John Hugley suspended indefinitely following felony criminal charges

January 16, 2021

The announcement comes in response to a criminal complaint filed on Thursday, according to court documents obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which alleged that Hugley and an unidentified friend had boarded a stolen car on Jul. 19, 2020.

Monstrous second-half comeback gives Pitt first win over Syracuse in Jeff Capel era

January 8, 2021

Pitt beat Syracuse for the first time since 2017 behind a thrilling second half comeback.

University Art Gallery “illuminates” world of medieval manuscripts

November 17, 2020

The University Art Gallery will open their first online exhibition, “A Nostalgic Filter: Medieval Manuscripts in the Digital Age” with a virtual conversation and exhibit tour on Wednesday at 12 p.m.

Gender at the end of the world: Poet S. Brook Corfman discusses new book

November 17, 2020

Corfman read excerpts from "My Daily Actions, or the Meteorites" during a Zoom seminar on Monday.