Editorial: The Pitt News gives thanks

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it’s healthy to discuss the things you’re thankful for, and that is something The Pitt News rarely attempts. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, it’s healthy to discuss the things you’re thankful for, and that is something The Pitt News rarely attempts. As bitter youths, our editorials are typically critical — but the time has come for us to give thanks. And there are quite a few compelling gems that restore our faith in this wonderful institution:

Only an 8.5 percent tuition increase

Hey, it could be worse. Both in- and out-of-state students only have to cough up about $1,000 extra this term. And lifting the wage freezes off Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and several other administrators’ earnings was a well-spent $150,000. Padding already-high salaries is a small cost for big-time comfort of the high and mighty. It’s not like that money could be better spent improving University facilities or anything.

Not letting club sports teams use facilities

It just makes sense. Club sports teams simply don’t have the clout, respect or talent needed to compete on sports fields the “real” college athletes use. So what if part of the Student Activity Fee goes to club sports transportation to off-campus fields? It’s a small price to pay to keep the lesser athletes off the real fields.

Pitt’s extreme gratitude

Thanks, Pitt, for receiving your biggest donation ever and thanking Mr. William S. Dietrich II with a 10-story banner on the Fifth Avenue side of the Cathedral, even though it ultimately fell down. Carnegie Mellon not only got more money but also had a fireworks show. We love fireworks shows, but banners are cool, too.

A high-octane football season

From the start, we weren’t sure what a high-octane offense would entail. Apparently it means a mediocre passing game, terrible line protection and poor game-clock management. But there’s nothing like a Pitt football tradition: All this has led to sarcastic “High-octane!” chants whenever Tino Sunseri is sacked. Which is a lot. We like to yell things, so we are thankful.

A choke in November

We continue our sports-related thankfulness by addressing the adored men’s basketball team. By losing pretty badly to lowly Long Beach State, the team has disappointed its fans a whole four months earlier than normal. But good news: Losing to a less-than-stellar team squelches expectations early enough to prevent disappointment later on in the season.

But seriously.

At least we’re not Penn State. What more could we be thankful for? Have a high-octane Thanksgiving Break.