Russian president Medvedev to visit Pitt today

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev will speak to a select number of students and University… Russian president Dmitry Medvedev will speak to a select number of students and University personnel today, causing all Cathedral of Learning classes to dismiss no later than noon.

Pitt officials will restrict access to the Cathedral of Learning for Medvedev’s talk, which will begin at 4 p.m. in the Cathedral Commons Room. The lecture is invitation-only.

From 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., students will be able to enter the Cathedral only through the ground-accessible entrance on the Bigelow Boulevard side of the building, according to an update on Pitt’s website. Students and professors will have to show their University ID and pass through a security screening before entering the Cathedral during those hours.

People will have to leave the Cathedral through the ground-floor exits during that time.

People not affiliated with Pitt will only be able to enter the Cathedral if they have an appointment with a University employee during the hours of President Medvedev’s lecture. They should ask the person with whom they are meeting to find them at a designated entrance. They must show photo ID.

Born in Leningrad, Russia’s second largest city, Medvedev became president last year.

He worked with current Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin when Putin was the mayor of St. Petersburg in the early 90s and followed him up the political chain.