Pitt still undecided on canceling classes for G-20

Pitt officials still haven’t decided whether to close campus for the G-20 Summit next week,… Pitt officials still haven’t decided whether to close campus for the G-20 Summit next week, but a University spokesman said it’s likely that only Thursday night classes would be canceled, if any.

Spokesman John Fedele said the Frick Fine Arts building will close next Thursday evening, when part of the Summit will be held at Phipps Conservatory, but that Chancellor Mark Nordenberg hasn’t yet decided whether to cancel classes that night.

He said that decisions to cancel classes on other days will be up to individual professors.

While schools Downtown are preparing for the worst, Oakland universities say they want to continue “operations as normal” during the Summit.

In a news release, Port Authority announced that it expected potentially “lengthy” delays in public transportation. Secure buffer zones will be moved as dignitaries travel to various locations in the city, so traffic might be disrupted.

John Cooper, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, sent an e-mail to department chairs and directors last week encouraging them to maintain normal class schedules during the G-20.

“Students are here to presumably pursue their studies, and we are to provide the instruction that they’ve signed up for,” he said yesterday.

Cooper said he thinks the Summit is “going to be educational for all of us” in the city.

He declined to say whether he would support students skipping class to volunteer for the Summit or protest it, adding that professors determine their own attendance policies.

“My job’s to provide the educational experience to the students, and we believe that the classroom component to that is critical,” Cooper said.

In his e-mail, Cooper said faculty should treat the Summit as they would a severe weather event, meaning professors should make arrangements to communicate last-minute closings with their students.

Fedele said Pitt’s public relations office plans to launch a website by Monday that will keep students posted about G-20 preparations on campus. He said students should be able to link to the website from the University’s home page.

Neighboring Carnegie Mellon plans to close its Scaife, Porter and Baker halls and the Tepper School of Business beginning at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and return to a normal schedule Friday.

Indira Nair, the school’s vice provost for education, said in a letter to students and staff that university officials decided to close those buildings because they’re close to Schenley Park.

They also chose to close Hunt Library from 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday.

Nair also cautioned her students and staff to take common-sense safety precautions during the Summit. She said they should be aware of their surroundings, lock their offices and dorm rooms and avoid walking alone at night.

Officials at Carlow University, on the other side of Pitt’s campus, moved the school’s fall break to next week so students won’t be around during the G-20. They’ll make up their classes at a later date, said Louise Sciannomeo, one of the school’s spokeswomen.

She said only essential staff — public safety officers, some administrators and maintenance workers — will come to campus during the Summit. The university plans to house them on campus so they can avoid delays in traffic, she said.

Downtown universities are taking more drastic precautions.

Officials at Duquesne canceled classes beginning at noon Wednesday, and the students will make up their classes the week of Thanksgiving. The school’s residence halls will remain open for students who can’t leave, according to the school’s website. Duquesne officials didn’t return calls asking for comment.

Point Park, also Downtown, will close Wednesday and reopen Saturday, Sept. 25. Mary Ellen Solomon, a spokeswoman for Point Park, said the school’s residence halls will close. Only a minimal number of students who applied for exceptions, because they live too far away or were unable to make travel plans, will be allowed to stay, Solomon said.

She said Point Park will continue to hold classes either online or in other locations, which individual professors will choose.

“We anticipate all classes will still be held through some sort of alternative means,” Solomon said.

Only essential staff will be allowed on Point Park’s campus, and the University might house their staff on campus, if needed.

“The safety and security of our campus and community is our number one priority,” Solomon said.

Chatham University in Shadyside is just about the only school to go virtually uninterrupted by the Summit.

“All systems are running as normal,” said Paul Kovach, one of the school’s spokesmen.

The only event at Chatham rescheduled due to the Summit was a trip to the Andy Warhol Museum, which has been moved to a later date, he said.

The Secret Service, in coordination with local safety officials, has decided to secure a perimeter around the David Lawrence Convention Center, where most of the Summit will be held. Seventh Street, Liberty Avenue, 7th Avenue, Grant Street, Crosstown Boulevard and the 10th Street Bypass will mark off the restricted area beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The restrictions will last until 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25.

Automobile traffic will be limited to delivery trucks, taxis, buses, necessary vehicles such as United States Postal Service trucks and residents.

Most of the normal Port Authority bus routes to Downtown have been detoured through Fifth Avenue. Additional changes might be made without warning, and the Port Authority encouraged commuters to sign up for e-mail alerts.

News Editor Liz Navratil contributed to this report.