PDM to shave off 8 hours of dancing
By Liz Lepro and Dale Shoemaker / The Pitt News Staff
September 11, 2015
As of this spring, Pitt’s annual charity dance will require a little less endurance. The Pitt Dance Marathon, which raises money for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, has previously been a 24-hour dance marathon in February held in the Charles L. Cost Sports Center. This year, the dance will m...
Pitt renews Backyard Brawl with West Virginia
By Stephen Caruso / Assistant Sports Editor
September 10, 2015
Pitt announced four future matchups with rival West Virginia, with the first scheduled for 2022 in Pittsburgh. The Panthers will host the Mountaineers on Sept. 17, 2022. The next matchup will be on Sept. 16, 2023 at West Virginia, followed by in Pittsburgh on Sep. 14, 2024, and back to W...
Damon Wilson cleared academically, eligible immediately
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
September 10, 2015
The NCAA has cleared Pitt freshman point guard Damon Wilson academically, Pitt confirmed on Thursday. "We had great confidence that Damon was going to be fine academically, and we got the word yesterday [that he was cleared]," Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said at a press conference Thursday. "It's...
James Conner out for year with torn MCL
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
September 8, 2015
Following an injury against Youngstown State University on Saturday, Pitt junior running back James Conner will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn MCL in his right knee, head coach Pat Narduzzi announced at his weekly press conference on Monday. Narduzzi said while the severity of...
Biden: Man of steel
By Amy Beaudine / Staff Writer
September 7, 2015
As Vice President Joe Biden left a Downtown stage at the Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade, he stopped to acknowledge Bernie Sanders’ supporters in the crowd, giving two thumbs up. Biden didn’t officially voice his support for Sanders, but spoke to parade attendees about the importance of the steel industry...
Beds and bathrooms: Pitt starts gender-neutral push
By Lauren Rosenblatt and Dale Shoemaker / The Pitt News Staff
September 3, 2015
This fall, Pitt is welcoming students, faculty and staff to use any restroom on campus that they desire, corresponding to their gender identity. Next fall, Pitt will open Ruskin Hall as the first gender-neutral dorm on campus. In an interview with The Pitt News, the University said Ruskin Hall will accommoda...
Junior running back Ibrahim out for 2015 season with injury
By Dan Sostek / Sports Editor
August 30, 2015
Backup junior running back Rachid Ibrahim will miss the entire 2015 season because of a torn Achilles tendon, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi announced on Wednesday. In his media briefing, Narduzzi referred to the injury as a “non-contact, freak injury.” The first-year head coach noted the team likely wo...
‘Digital plaza’ coming to Oakland
By Elizabeth Lepro / Assistant News Editor
August 30, 2015
This fall, an organization will seek to install a high-tech art exhibition in Oakland. Innovation Oakland, a project that aims to transform the streets of Oakland into a digital community, plans to complete the “21st Digital Plaza” by mid-October. The initiative will fill the corner of Forbes...
Pitt student passes away over weekend
By The Pitt News Staff
August 30, 2015
Victor Firman, a Pitt senior from Connecticut, died on Sunday. He was 22. According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, Firman’s roommate called emergency responders to 3614 Bates St. in Oakland at 5:23 p.m. Medics found Firman unresponsive in his apartment. He was pronounced...
Pitt welcomes largest incoming class at convocation ceremony
By Jessie Wallace / For The Pitt News
August 30, 2015
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher kicked off a 200-year-old commencement ceremony with a selfie. During the 2015 New Student Convocation, which began at 3 p.m. on Wednesday in the Petersen Events Center, Gallagher snapped a selfie that included the more than 6,000 students, parents and faculty present i...
Pending legislation could broaden LGBT rights in Pennsylvania
By Mark Pesto / Senior Staff Writer
August 30, 2015
LGBT rights could soon take another leap forward in Pennsylvania — once state legislators introduce an amendment to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. Shortly after the Supreme Court’s landmark same-sex marriage ruling in June, Pennsylvania State Representative Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) told The Pitt Ne...
Pitt reopens David Lawrence Hall after renovations
By Elizabeth Lepro / Assistant News Editor
August 30, 2015
Students who have classes in David Lawrence Hall this semester will get to breathe in that new-classroom smell. The building, which has been under construction since May 2014 and cost more than $7 million, opened to the public at an open house that ran from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon. Changes...
Las Palmas hit with another round of health code violations
By Dale Shoemaker / News Editor
August 30, 2015
For the second time this summer, the Allegheny County Health Department has issued a consumer alert for Las Palmas in Oakland after the restaurant violated health codes Thursday. Las Palmas, the Mexican grocery store and food stand located on Atwood Street, faces three high, three medium, and six l...