Spring flashback

Jan. 9 – Bryant, Walker head for the pros: All-Americans Antonio Bryant and Ramon… Jan. 9 – Bryant, Walker head for the pros: All-Americans Antonio Bryant and Ramon Walker announce they’ll leave Pitt and enter the NFL Draft. In the Draft, held Saturday and yesterday, Bryant, the 63rd pick overall, went to the Dallas Cowboys, and Walker was drafted 153rd overall by the Houston Texans.

Jan. 17 – Pitt, CMU partner in health, technology: Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University announce the formation of the Regional Economic Development Project, a plan to use the assets of the two schools, health sciences and technology, to stimulate the economy and job market of Western Pennsylvania.

Jan. 27 – Steelers lose Super Bowl chances: Pitt students hole up in fraternity houses and at house parties to watch the Steelers play in the AFC championship game. The Steelers lose the game, 24-17.

Jan. 28 – Student Government Board member removed: SGB votes to remove Carrie Howard, who had served as the president pro tempore of the organization, for accumulating four unexcused absences. The measure passes unanimously, with members Michelle Agostini and Kerianne Ludwig abstaining from the vote.

Jan. 28 – Report criticizes Pitt’s dealings with Law Clinic: The Tenure and Academic Freedom Committee of the University Senate releases a report claiming that by charging an annual overhead and limiting fund-raising opportunities, the University attempted to sway the political direction of the Law School’s Environmental Law Clinic. University spokesman Robert Hill calls the report, “inaccurate [and] incomplete.”

Jan. 30 – Homophobic posters appear around campus: Posters making numerous homophobic assertions, referring to Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers as “limp-wristed” and listing a variety of fictional Rush Week activities are posted around campus. On Feb. 8, the Delta Tau Delta fraternity issues an apology in a full-page ad in The Pitt News, saying that the posters were the work of one member of the fraternity who came forward and took responsibility for his actions. The ad indicated that the fraternity would provide sensitivity training to its members and would make a charitable donation to an organization chosen by Rainbow Alliance.

Feb. 5 – President Bush tours UPMC: President George W. Bush, greeted by both protesters and supporters, tours UPMC and speaks at Alumni Hall – then called the Masonic Temple – about the importance of funding anti-bioterrorism research.

Feb. 7 – Rendell hits Pitt: Gubernatorial candidate Ed Rendell speaks in David Lawrence Hall.

Feb. 9 – KRS-ONE hosts Poetry Slamm: Black Action Society brings famed rapper KRS-ONE to the Holiday Inn for a Poetry Slamm competition.

Feb. 11 – SGB appoints new member: Sandra Telep, then the president of Rainbow Alliance, is unanimously appointed to fill the SGB seat made vacant by Carrie Howard’s removal in January. Board member Michelle Agostini said that she’d “never seen our board so unified in any decision.”

Feb. 11 – Student hospitalized with meningitis: A freshman in Tower A is hospitalized after being struck with a rare form of bacterial meningitis. Numerous students are treated with antibiotics as a preventative measure.

Feb. 12 – Convention Center collapse kills one: A 37-year-old ironworker was killed when part of the under-construction David L. Lawrence Convention Center collapsed at about 2:45 p.m. Two other men are injured in the accident.

Feb. 13 – Pitt, Penn State and others call a tuition hike inevitable: In response to Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker’s budget proposal – which includes a funding cut of 5 percent for state-related universities such as Pitt – the University announced that a tuition hike is inevitable for next year. Penn State officials indicate that tuition increases there will likely exceed 10 percent.

Feb. 13 – Vagina Monologues fill David Lawrence with energy: In its second year here, Pitt’s version of “The Vagina Monologues” – a play written by Eve Ensler – draws substantially larger crowds than last year’s production. More than 400 people turned out for the first of three nightly performances.

Feb. 14 – Masonic Temple renamed: After 87 years of being called the Masonic Temple, the building across Fifth Avenue from the Cathedral of Learning is renamed Alumni Hall. Pitt’s Board of Trustees called for the change to honor the success and accomplishments of Pitt’s alumni.

Feb. 25 – Asian Students Alliance awarded governance status: Jack Daniel, vice provost and interim dean of students, grants ASA governance status, thus making it the eighth student group to carry such clout. ASA originally applied for governance status two years ago.

March 1 – Honors Convocation celebrates Pitt’s 215th birthday: Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and other administrators honor the most outstanding students and faculty at Carnegie Music Hall. Protesters at the event hand out leaflets with information about the same-sex benefits case.

March 13 – Suspect arrested in Penich murder: Kenzi Snider is denied bail after being charged with the murder of Jamie Penich, a Pitt student who was killed while in Korea in March 2001.

March 13 to March 22 – March Madness: Pitt’s men’s basketball team, propelled into a top-10 ranking by a strong finish in the regular season, battles past Central Connecticut State and the University of California at Berkeley before falling to Kent State in the Sweet Sixteen. It is the Panthers’ first Sweet Sixteen since 1974.

March 19 – Lobster Man evicted: Carnegie Mellon University student and performance artist Bill Kofmehl III, aka Lobster Man, has a portion of his house torn down in response to his refusal to comply with local fire codes. Kofmehl, who has dressed in a lobster suit and not spoken since Feb. 1, is supported by a handful of protesters with signs reading, “Will your house be next?” He does not return to the house.

March 25 – Morrill speaks at Pitt: Green Party gubernatorial candidate Mike Morrill addresses students in the auditorium of the Public Health Building. A former Baptist minister, Morrill defies stereotypes of Green Party representatives, saying, “We can challenge the old parties and win.”

March 26 – Pitt extends Howland’s contract: Following the Panthers’ first appearance in the Sweet Sixteen since 1974, Pitt men’s basketball head coach Ben Howland receives a seven-year contract extension for an undisclosed amount of money. Howland, who received several coach of the year honors, says that he is looking forward to the new Petersen Events Center and to a team that will lose only one player to graduation.

March 27 – Students lobby in Harrisburg: Student Government Board’s Governmental Relations Committee organizes a trip to Harrisburg, Pa., to lobby for an increase in the state’s allocations to Pitt.

March 28 – The Coalition kicks off student-run student union campaign: An alliance of four identity groups that represent close to a combined 4,000 students has its first action, a rally supporting more space for student groups in the William Pitt Union. Asian Students Alliance, Black Action Society, Campus Women’s Organization and Rainbow Alliance are all part of the short-lived campaign criticized by both administration and Student Government Board.

April 2 – Pitt psychology professor dies: Popular psychology professor John K. Hall II dies in his parents’ home. He was 37.

April 3 – SGB holds Meet the Candidates, some walk out: At Student Government Board’s Meet the Candidates event, more than half the audience members walk out. The walkout protests a change in the format of the forum, at which students must submit questions ahead of time.

April 4 – Pitt moves graduation: Pitt announces that this year’s commencement ceremony will not be held at the new Petersen Events Center as originally planned. Instead, seniors will graduate in Mellon Arena, the traditional location for past University graduations.

April 4 – Drag show alters student genders: Rainbow Alliance hosts a drag show in the William Pitt Union. Male and female students, as well as professional drag queens, switch genders for a night.

April 4 – Big Flush helps to test Pete’s pressure: Hundreds of students get a glimpse of the new Petersen Events Center while simultaneously flushing toilets to test water pressure there.

April 5 – Davis encourages activism: In her lecture titled “Globalism, Terrorism and Gender,” Angela Davis, a prominent civil rights activist in the ’60s, calls for action after criticizing the global prison system and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

April 6 – Bigelow Bash rocks Pitt students: Students ride an inflatable black bull and listen to musical performances at the Bigelow Bash. Pitt Program Council provides other activities including slow-moving bumper cars and free caricature drawings.

April 11 – Washo wins SGB presidency: Kevin Washo Jr. wins the Student Government Board presidency in an election with the highest voter turnout in recent years. Elected board members are Liz Culliton, Andy Hutelmyer, La’Tasha Mayes, Pat Creighton, Brandy Blasko, Bryan Thomas II, Andrea DeChellis and Jason Somma.

April 12 – Take Back the Night March demands women’s safety: Students march through the streets of Oakland, chanting and holding signs as part of Take Back the Night. The event calls attention to sexual violence, declaring that it will not be tolerated.

April 16 – Druids march at midnight: Members of the Druids, a secret society not recognized by Pitt, march around campus wearing black, hooded cloaks and carrying a large sword. Onlookers are scared by the procession that includes a trip through Hillman Library.

April 18 – SGB president and members sworn into office: Newly elected President Kevin Washo Jr. and members of Student Government Board participate in an inauguration ceremony.