UPMC Mercy expansion approved after community voices opposition
By Kieran Mclean, Staff Writer
August 9, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, UPMC
UPMC Mercy's controversial expansion plan will proceed, after a 7-2 vote and more than two hours of public opposition to the plan.
Train derails near Station Square
By The Pitt News Staff
August 5, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
A Norfolk Southern freight train derailed Sunday afternoon near Station Square.
2 men arrested for stealing over $8 million in rare books from Carnegie Library
By Christian Snyder, Editor in chief
July 23, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Two men, the archivist at CLP and the owner of Caliban, were arrested for stealing and selling millions worth of rare books from the library.
Community speaks out against Mercy Hospital expansion
By Kieran Mclean, Staff Writer
July 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, Top Stories
A group of community members gathered Tuesday to urge the Pittsburgh City Council require UPMC enter a community benefits agreement.
Pitt Board approves budgets for 2018-19 school year
By Grant Burgman and Christian Snyder
July 16, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, News, Student Government
Pitt received $4.4 million more from Pennsylvania than in 2017. “The vast majority of in-state students” will not face a tuition increase, according to Chancellor Gallagher. Out-of-state, engineering and graduate students face an increase.
Board of Trustees unanimously votes to rename Parran Hall
By Christian Snyder and Janine Faust | The Pitt News Staff
July 11, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News
After a long campaign of ballots, petitions, special committees and a recommendation from the chancellor, the main building for Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health will no longer be named after Thomas Parran Jr., a former Pitt dean who presided over the infamous and racist Tuskegee and Guatema...
Michael Rosfeld charged with homicide in Antwon Rose killing
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-chief
June 27, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Michael Rosfeld, the 30-year-old East Pittsburgh police officer from Penn Hills who fatally shot 17-year-old Antwon Rose on June 19, has been charged with one count of criminal homicide, according to court documents filed Wednesday morning. Rosfeld turned himself at City Court on Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. and was granted an unsecured $250,000 b...
Community responds after high school student fatally shot by police
By Christian Snyder and Kieran Mclean | The Pitt News Staff
June 21, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, Top Stories
After East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld fatally shot unarmed Woodland Hills High School student Antwon Rose Tuesday night, the community responded quickly, organizing daily protests that Pittsburgh officials expect to continue through the summer. The first protest began outside the East Pit...
Unarmed 17-year-old fatally shot by East Pittsburgh police
By The Pitt News Staff
June 21, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
A police officer from the East Pittsburgh Police Department shot and killed Antwon Rose, a 17-year-old Woodland Hills High School student, the night of Tuesday, June 19. Rose was unarmed at the time he was shot. East Pittsburgh is located near the Monongahela River to the southeast of Pitt...
Islamic community comes together to celebrate Eid al-Fitr
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
June 20, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, Video
As the sun rose upon Schenley Park on Friday, the park filled with hundreds ready to pray and celebrate. Children played at the petting zoo and three colorful bounce houses, and got their faces painted while parents bought food from the surrounding food trucks to celebrate Eid al-Fitr — a holiday marki...
People’s Pride passes on corporate sponsorships, focuses on inclusion
By Jon Kunitsky | Staff Writer
June 13, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture
“Pride of the people will overcome evil!” This was only one of many rally cries heard from the marchers in Pittsburgh’s second annual People’s Pride March late Sunday morning. The “people” of the chant were members of the LGBTQ+ community who are often overlooked — specifically tran...
Former Pitt wrestling coach Jason Peters sues Pitt
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
June 6, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, News
Former Pitt wrestling coach Jason Peters has filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Pittsburgh for racial discrimination and termination without just cause after he was fired last January. In the lawsuit, Peters claims Pitt violated his employment contract by firing him “without ‘just...
Pitt basketball secures 4-star guard Au’Diese Toney
By Hannah Schneider | Sports Editor
June 2, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Men's Basketball, Sports
Jeff Capel landed another highly rated recruit when Au’Diese Toney verbally committed to Pitt today — joining Xavier Johnson, Curtis Aiken and Trey McGowens in Pitt’s class of 2018. Committed pic.twitter.com/U08k1gsDaF — A.M.T (@thefuturetoney) June 2, 2018 The Fayetteville, North Carolina nat...
Not just a sports city: Pittsburgh culture is hidden but vibrant
By Sarah Connor | Contributing Editor
May 30, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Columns, Opinions
I grew up in a small town about 25 miles outside of the City — near the Pittsburgh International Airport — called Moon Township. It was common for people from my town to attend schools in and around the City, and I come from a long line of Pitt alumni. But I was independent as a kid and wanted to have new...
Pitt baseball falls to Louisville in ACC semifinal
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
May 26, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Sports / Other Varsity Sports
While it was an exciting run, all good things must end — and that’s what happened for the Pitt baseball team Saturday afternoon when a 5-2 loss to the No. 5 Louisville Cardinals put an end to the No. 12 Panthers’ ACC Baseball Championship bid in the semifinal round in Durham, North Carolina. A...
2 injured in South Oakland apartment fire
By The Pitt News Staff
May 20, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, 3. Breaking, Campus, News
A three-alarm apartment fire struck an apartment building at 3315 Ward St. in South Oakland Sunday night around 10:30 p.m., sending two people to the hospital. According to Pitt spokesperson Kevin Zwick, neither victim is affiliated with the university. One victim is being treated at UPMC Presbyterian Ho...
Pennsylvania primaries test new congressional maps
By Noah Manalo | Staff Writer
May 16, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
At Hitchhiker Brewing — a small brewery in Sharpsburg — thunderous applause greeted Sara Innamorato as she entered the building Tuesday night. Hugging and shaking hands with anyone she passed, she was as excited to see each of them as they were to see her. Innamorato beat incumbent Dom Costa in the D...
Photos from race day: Pittsburgh Marathon 2018
By TPN Visual Staff
May 6, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Sports, Uncategorized, Visual
The 10th annual Pittsburgh Marathon took place on Sunday. This year, the event also hosted the 2018 USA Track and Field National Championship race, an elite event which saw finishing times of over a minute faster than the top men's category of the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. Over 20,000 people participated...
Softball team secures first ACC championship in program history
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
May 5, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
The Pitt softball team earned a crucial 9-8 victory over Louisville Friday afternoon to clinch first place in the ACC Coastal Division — marking the team’s first division championship in its 20-year history. The Panthers then took a victory lap on Saturday with a 10-2 win in their second game against...
Gallagher’s senior year: State funding, unions, #MeToo
By Ashwini Sivaganesh and Christian Snyder & Visual Staff
April 23, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News
At this weekend’s graduation, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher will send off the first group of seniors he also witnessed start their first days of classes at Pitt four years ago. Like most of the graduating class, Gallagher’s fourth year was a busy one. The Pitt News talked with the chancellor l...
Engineering students present projects at Swanson School of Engineering Design Expo
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
April 20, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News, Tech Science
After countless hours of designing, coding and calculating, more than 400 engineering students of various disciplines traded their polo shirts and safety glasses for bow ties and blazers Thursday evening at the Spring 2018 Swanson School of Engineering Design Expo. The expo, held at the Soldiers and Sailors M...
No hot food for thought: Hillman enforces food policy
By Sam Weber | For The Pitt News
April 19, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
After spending numerous hours on the ground floor of Hillman Library preparing for exams last week, Pitt junior psychology and chemistry major Geena Richards saw students getting turned away at the door by a new security guard. That’s when she remembered what her friends had told her the day before —...
Public provides input on Foster statue replacement
By Theresa Dickerson | Staff Writer
April 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
There is currently no statue in Pittsburgh that represents an African-American woman. But that is going to change in the next month — and it’s happening right on Pitt’s campus. The City confirmed in March that the 10-foot-tall bronze statue of musician Stephen Foster, located on Forbes Avenue across from the Stephen Foster Memorial, would be removed in April. Foster will be replaced with a local, historical, female African...
Duck Hollow: Pittsburgh’s smallest neighborhood
By Cassidy Power | Staff Writer
April 17, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
There’s only one way in and out of Pittsburgh’s smallest neighborhood — a one-lane bridge marred with potholes and streaked with graffiti. Duck Hollow was founded 140 years ago as housing for employees of the U.S. Steel Corporation and the Carrie Furnace. Situated south of Squirrel Hill on the north b...
Students shimmy on Schenley at annual bash
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
April 16, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Thousands crowded Schenley Drive on 2018’s hottest day yet to partake in food truck specialties and play lawn games — accompanied by a bass-heavy DJ set. Bigelow Bash — a one-day musical festival complemented by food trucks — is organized by the Pitt Program Council with help from WPTS, the st...
Beer and Wine Edition
By The Pitt News
April 13, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured
As a senior riding out my last couple weeks of being an undergraduate at Pitt, it’s easy to find reasons to celebrate and go out with some friends. Found the perfect graduation outfit? Let’s get a shot pitcher — with extra gummy worms. Attended my last 8 a.m. class? Dollar well drinks on me. ...
Musical Theatre Club gears up for Legally Blonde
By Sarah Connor | Staff Writer
April 12, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture, Theater
Chloe Torrence circled a group of actors and singers onstage at the Charity Randall Theatre, kicking off her normal weeknight routine. “Starting tonight, you cannot call ‘line’ anymore,” Torrence said. “We start tech rehearsals soon, so you should know your lines by now.” The junior theatre arts ...
Students react to Schenley Quad renovations
By Samuel Ruppert | Staff Writer
April 11, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Renovations will add more public space to Schenley Quadrangle this summer, but some students are concerned that the change will come at the expense of precious parking spots. The week before spring break, Pitt sent out an email to students notifying them of preparations for renovations in Schenley...
Baklava and belly dancers: students experience Beirut culture
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
April 10, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus
The sweet smell of baklava wafted in the air as gentle Arabic music welcomed Pitt students of different ethnicities and cultures for a Middle Eastern experience. Students wandered the room, chatting with their friends, dipping pita bread into hummus and getting henna tattoos. According to Amani Attia ...
Drag queens and kings strut past boundaries
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 9, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Performers lip-synched, danced and seductively plucked money from people’s hands with their mouths while pop song remixes played in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Friday evening. “Drag is about pushing boundaries,” the emcee for the first half of the night, drag queen Anne T. Christ, ...
Allentown stays soulful as businesses flourish
By Alexa Marzina | For The Pitt News
April 6, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Craig Bittner walked into the dimly lit Black Forge Coffee House on Arlington Avenue one breezy Saturday morning in March, past the walls covered in local art for sale and a large chalkboard calendar of local events. He cheerfully greeted the barista and ordered a “cold bro.” Bittner, a 24-yea...
Northview Heights provides refuge in Pittsburgh
By Sarah Shearer | Assistant Opinions Editor
April 5, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Fumbling for their IDs at the entrance, first-time visitors to Northview Heights are often surprised when they see they must present identification to get onto the grounds. Once past the initial guard station, visitors are met with 200 security cameras turned on the neighborhood. Tall metal gates...
IFC addresses Greek life action plan at SGB meeting
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 4, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News, Student Government
Pitt’s Interfraternity Council president, Christian Baker, spoke about a working action plan that was recently released for Greek life at Tuesday’s Student Government Board meeting. Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner released the document Monday in response to two incidents during the spring 201...
Pitt cheerleaders and dance team showcase skills before heading to championships
By Marissa Perino | Staff Writer
April 3, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports
On quiet upper campus yesterday evening, an eager crowd gathered to support the Pitt cheerleaders and Dance Team. Under the bright lights of the Petersen Events Center, the teams showcased their polished routines, which will debut at the National Cheer Association and National Dance Association Colleg...
Annie Martin: Balancing barre and books
By David Leftwich & Thomas Yang
April 3, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Silhouettes 2018
When Annie Martin got out of bed at 5:30 one morning this past December, she could barely walk on her right ankle. This wasn’t completely abnormal — she often wakes up sore from the previous day’s eight hours of ballet training. But unlike most other aches and pains, this one didn’t go away ...
Students rethink society at annual TedX event
By Briana Canady and Zane Crowell | The Pitt News Staff
April 2, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Growing up in the South Side of Chicago, Jasiri Oronde Smith’s childhood was “100 percent black.” His friends, his neighbors and his family were all African-American. Then his family moved to Pittsburgh in the ’80s while he was still in high school. He met with racism and discrimination as...
Protest on campus combines Black Lives Matter and Never Again
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
March 31, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
"What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!" "No justice, no peace. No racist police." Both of those chants are common refrains heard in countless protests across the country — the former at gatherings calling for stricter gun laws and the latter at rallies condemning police brutal...
Pitt debates presence of Parran’s past
By Thompson Wymard | Staff Writer, Contributed reporting by Cassidy Power
March 30, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Uncategorized
Pitt graduate student union organizers have garnered more than 870 signatures to rename Parran Hall — the Pitt Public Health building named after the school’s founding dean who was involved in unethical medical experiments. But Thursday at a University-organized symposium discussing the legacy...
Jeff Capel introduced as new head basketball coach
By TPN Sports Staff
March 28, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured
Athletic Director Heather Lyke introduced Jeff Capel as the new men's basketball coach today at the Petersen Events Center. Watch Capel, formerly an assistant coach at Duke, talk about the job: https://twitter.com/pittnewssports/status/979028099043127296 https://twitter.com/pittnewssports/st...
Pitt hires Jeff Capel as men’s basketball head coach
By Jordan Mondell / Assistant Sports Editor
March 27, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Men's Basketball, Sports
Duke assistant coach Jeff Capel has been hired as Pitt’s new head men’s basketball coach, the University announced Tuesday. Capel has made a deal with the Panthers on a seven-year contract. This hiring ends a long, rumor-filled search for Pitt after former head coach Kevin Stallings’ ousting Mar...
Man found dead on Ward Street
By TPN Staff
March 26, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Crime, News
A man was found dead Monday afternoon on Ward Street in South Oakland, according to city police. The body appears to have been driven to the location after the victim was shot in McKeesport, Pitt police said in a tweet. Pittsburgh police spokesperson Alicia George said police answered to a report...
‘We’re fed up:’ Thousands demand action against gun violence in Pgh march
By Kenan Meral | For The Pitt News
March 24, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
More than 30,000 people marched through Downtown Saturday afternoon, chanting “enough is enough” and “books not bullets” and waving signs with slogans such as, “If kids are old enough to get shot, they’re old enough to have opinions.” The Pittsburgh March For Our Lives, like others held in Washingt...
Communication department undervalues women, dean says after review
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
March 22, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, News
The dean of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences said Thursday that previous investigations and a recent survey of the department of communication have revealed an environment where women remain undervalued. “The investigations revealed failures of systems and failures of character,” Dean ...
Student stand-ups take the mic
By Zachary Donovan | Staff Writer
March 22, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture
The crowd erupted in laughter as Nektarios Kasamias — whose parents immigrated from Greece — regaled them with tales of white friends who wished they had “more ethnicity.” “[They’re like,] ‘I’m just plain old regular normal American,’” he said. “Normal American? Let’s not go thr...
Union supporters discuss intellectual property
By Samuel Ruppert | For The Pitt News
March 21, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
The current campaign to create a faculty union at Pitt focuses on a host of issues, including job security, benefits and wages. Union supporters also want to figure out who owns the PowerPoints they make. A group of about 15 gathered in David Lawrence Hall Tuesday afternoon to have a panel discussion on int...
Kids strut for a cause: PDM raises money for Children’s Hospital
By Madeline Gavatorta and Kieran Mclean | The Pitt News Staff
March 20, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, Health, News
Twelve children, ages 4 to 17, modeled personally selected JCPenney outfits in the Soldiers and Sailors auditorium Monday night on a runway of bright white Christmas lights. They were the main event at Pitt Dance Marathon’s fashion show. PDM’s Annual Fashion Show, is in its third year and raised $3,...
Dhirana dancers employ visual storytelling in competition
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
March 19, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
Anand Mahalingam and Vineet Raghu hosted a dance competition Saturday night for two reasons — nostalgia and hunger. Literal, physical hunger. Strutting around the stage of the Soldiers and Sailors auditorium, the two Pitt graduates hosting Dhirana — the national Indian classical dance competition he...
Get your Gaeilge on: Professor preserves Irish language
By Cassidy Power | Staff Writer
March 16, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Marie Young left her home in Galway, Ireland, in 2001, intending to visit her brother in Pittsburgh for only three months. But what was meant to be a chance to see a little more of the world turned into a permanent change after she fell in love with the City — and a local Irishman. Young ended...
Forbes Qdoba permanently closing
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
March 14, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
The Qdoba restaurant on Forbes Avenue has drizzled its last queso and handed out its final free student drink. “This Qdoba location has closed permanently,” a sign posted Wednesday at the restaurant reads. “Thank you for 16 great years!!” The owner, Chad Brooks, said the closure was a ...
Lamb declares victory, election still too close to call
By John Hamilton and Christian Snyder / TPN Staff
March 14, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News
Update as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday: Lamb's lead expanded after Washington County absentee ballots results came. But county election officials could take weeks to review the results and make them official. Voters in Pennsylvania’s 18th District cast their ballots Tuesday for Conor Lamb or Rick Saccone, ...
Lamb vs. Saccone: National attention on Pa’s 18th District
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
March 13, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Voters are going to the polls today in Pennsylvania’s 18th District to decide between Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone in a uncharacteristically close race in the deeply Republican district. The 18th District favored President Donald Trump by 20 points in 2016, but polls show a v...
Students ‘break in’ to security engineering at Pitt
By Thompson Wymard | For The Pitt News
March 13, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Tech Science
Marc Tobias has been picking locks since he was 15. One of his first experiences in the trade came when he went into a local locksmith in Denver and asked to pick the store’s toughest lock as a challenge. After initially being dismissed, the store gave him the lock and said he would never be able to ...
A year of firsts: Young team works to make change
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
March 12, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Men's Basketball, Sports, Sports Features
Pitt first-year guard Marcus Carr is no stranger to rookie success. As a first-year at St. Michaels in his native Toronto, Carr once scored a season-high 49 points in one game — and was instrumental in leading his team to the quarterfinals of the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association...
Stallings out as Pitt men’s basketball coach
By Grant Burgman / Sports Editor
March 8, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Men's Basketball, Sports
Pitt has fired men’s basketball coach Kevin Stallings, according to multiple reports, ending the coach’s tenuous two-year stint with the Panthers. Pitt confirmed the news later Thursday, with Athletic Director Heather Lyke thanking Stallings for his "commitment to our program." The news comes on the heels of a season that saw the Panthers go 0-18 in ACC pl...
Erika Strassburger wins District 8 special election
By Christian Snyder | Contributing Editor
March 7, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Independent candidate Erika Strassburger will succeed Dan Gilman on Pittsburgh City Council after District 8 voters handed her a decisive victory Tuesday. Strassburger finished with 64 percent of the vote, more than double her closest opponent, Democratic nominee and East Liberty restaurant owner Sonja Finn, who finished with 28 percent. ...
Day of giving raises more than $9 million
By Cassidy Power and Samuel Ruppert | For The Pitt News
March 2, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Pitt’s second annual Day of Giving proved it’s the gift that keeps on giving — raising $9,029,828 in the span of 24 hours, nearly twice as much as last year. The 3,358 donations poured in from six continents and all fifty states. Individual alumni and students alike pitch in on the Day of Givi...
Alpha Kappa Alpha suspended, police investigating alleged hazing
By John Hamilton, Janine Faust and Christian Snyder | Pitt News Staff
February 28, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, Crime, News
Police are investigating an alleged hazing incident after 12 pledges of Pitt’s Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority chapter went to the Penn Hills police department to file a report, the department’s police chief said Wednesday. Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner sent an email to Greek organizations Wednes...
SGB calls for expansion of state medical amnesty laws
By Noah Manalo | Staff Writer
February 28, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News, Student Government
At Student Government Board’s final public meeting before spring break, SBG President Max Kneis introduced a resolution calling for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to expand medical amnesty laws. The resolution states that approximately 1,825 college students in the United States die each year fro...
Faludi discusses gender identity
By Katie Gingerich | For The Pitt News
February 27, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
When Susan Faludi stood in front of a large crowd at the Carnegie Music Hall Monday night, she asked more than 1,000 people to consider refugees. “Around the world today are unintentional monuments to the truth that we live in the age of the refugee and the elusiveness of the refuge they seek,”...
Panelists discuss being a woman in politics
By Briana Canady | Staff Writer
February 26, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Aryanna Berringer grew up the youngest of 10 children in a family that had to rely on food stamps and free school lunches to get by. She remembers how her mother would wash the three different uniforms for her jobs at three different restaurants in their kitchen sink. All of this motivated Berringer to run for l...
No. 1 Virginia vanquishes Pitt, 66-37, in last home game of the season
By Michael Nitti | Staff Writer
February 24, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Men's Basketball, Sports
The No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers secured their third ACC regular season title in the last five years Saturday afternoon. The Panthers also continued to set records, extending their losing streak to 17 in a loss against the best team in the nation. Despite low attendance this season, fans filled the lower leve...
District 8 candidates debate water, air, amazon
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
February 23, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
When the four District 8 City Council candidates sat behind a table onstage at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, Rennick Remley — the only Republican running in the election — observed that he stood out from the group. “Oversight and accountability in City Council is our major pro...
Professor lectures about black Pittsburgh
By Katie Gingerich | For The Pitt News
February 22, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Larry Glasco — a Pitt history professor who mainly teaches about race, caste and the African-American experience in Pittsburgh — said he rarely gets to speak on topics that go beyond “uninterrupted discrimination and oppression.” But during a lecture Wednesday afternoon, he had the chance to f...
Looking to a new Horizon: Kennedy wins SGB presidency
By Madeline Gavatorta and Christian Snyder | The Pitt News Staff
February 21, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Student Government
Maggie Kennedy couldn’t stop smiling Tuesday night after hearing she received 56 percent of the vote to secure the Student Government Board presidency for next year. Kennedy, a junior political science and communication major running on the Horizon slate, received 1,889 votes to defeat junior ma...
Maggie Kennedy wins SGB presidency in close election
By Christian Snyder | Multimedia Editor
February 20, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News
Maggie Kennedy will be the 2018-2019 Student Government Board president, winning 56 percent of the vote. Watch the live announcement here: 2 p.m. Polls opened at 8 a.m. today for the 2018 Student Government Board election, in which students can vote for one president and three board members to fill nine election positions on next year’...
Guide to 2018 Student Government Board election
By The Pitt News Staff
February 19, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News, Student Government
Each Pitt student can vote Tuesday for one president and three board members to fill the nine elected positions on the 2018-2019 Student Government Board. Last year’s election saw double the voter turnout of the previous year with about 30 percent of the student body voting. SGB is responsible for allocating the $2.6 million Student Allocations...
Seminoles smother Panthers, 88-75
By Michael Nitti | Staff Writer
February 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Men's Basketball, Sports
For the fifth straight time this season, the Pitt men’s basketball set a school record — this time after an 88-75 road loss to Florida State on Sunday — extending the team’s record losing streak to 15. This time, the Panthers (8-20 overall, 0-15 ACC) kept it close — leading the Seminoles (19-8...
Students mix beer and engineering
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
February 16, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Groups of students sat around several computer-topped desks in a Benedum Hall classroom, casually making conversation as they waited for their Thursday afternoon class to begin. Suddenly, a question flashed across the screen: “Belgian or German wheat beer?” Professor Robert Parker repeated this ...
DA to seek death penalty in Pitt student’s homicide
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
February 15, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Crime, News, Top Stories
The Allegheny County district attorney's office will seek the death penalty for Matthew Darby, a 21-year-old man accused of killing Pitt student Alina Sheykhet. Sheykhet was found dead in her home in Oakland Oct. 8, 2017. Darby — her ex-boyfriend — has been charged with homicide, flight, burglary, theft, ...
Students petition to rename Parran Hall
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
February 15, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Pitt’s Graduate Student Organizing Committee announced in a Twitter thread posted Feb. 13 that they are starting a campaign to rename Parran Hall. “We view Parran Hall as a constant reminder of the legacy of racism in the academic scientific and medical communities and the University of Pittsburg...
Sex Edition 2018: Survivors, sugar babies and safety
By The Pitt News
February 14, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News
Editor's Note: A few weeks before any special edition comes out, the editors on staff try to come up with a theme for that issue. This year was no different, but it didn’t take us long to figure out what we needed to be talking about. Whether it’s the #MeToo campaign or Time’s Up, it’s evident our...
SGB candidates debate for presidency
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 13, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Student Government
Maggie Kennedy and Saket Rajprohat met Monday night to debate for one of the most influential student leadership positions on campus — the Student Government Board presidential seat. The duo showcased their knowledge of the Pitt student community along with their qualifications for holding office. Tabitha B...
Real Food Challenge seeks to find better food for campus
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
February 12, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, Health, News
Grilled chicken is a popular dish at the Flying Star Diner in Market Central. Lines for it can stretch up to 20 people, and more often than not a freshly served batch runs out minutes after it’s taken off the grill. And while students may be preoccupied with getting a piece or two before the chi...
Check it out: making stacks at the library
By Zane Crowell and Remy Samuels | The Pitt News Staff
February 9, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Entering the ground floor of the Hillman library, the expanse of desks, chairs and long tables encouraging group studying and collaboration are immediately noticeable. To the right of the entrance is the Donald S. Woods service desk, the main area for students can get help form a library employee. ...
Community questions Amazon’s impact
By Grant Burgman and John Hamilton | The Pitt News Staff
February 8, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said Amazon coming to Pittsburgh would be “unquestionably a good thing,” in an article published by Geekwire Wednesday. But the crowd of 50 people that filled a room in Parran Hall Wednesday afternoon heard five panelists discuss different views on the potential arrival of Amazon’s second headquarters. “Is this an opportunity for grow...
Me Too founder advocates for community changes
By Briana Canady | For The Pitt News
February 7, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Tarana Burke remembers the first day she saw “Me Too” used on Twitter — Oct. 15, 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano used the phrase in response to the sexual assault allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein. Burke, who is known as the first person to use the now-popular phrase, is a supporter of the #MeToo movement on social media, but she ...
Pitt tests victory lights, new spotlight, prompting theories on Twitter
By Amanda Reed / Online Engagement Editor
February 5, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Although the victory lights usually only come on when Pitt wins, on Monday the lights were lit up — along with a new blue spotlight. The strange spotlight shined straight up from the top of the Cathedral of Learning, prompting some on Twitter to compare the light to the Batman signal. Pitt tur...
Photos and videos: Pitt Students celebrate Eagles Super Bowl win
By The Pitt News Staff
February 5, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Sports
The last time a Philadelphia sports team won a major championship, the United States was in a recession, former President George W. Bush signed a $700 billion bailout bill and O.J. Simpson was found guilty of charges of kidnapping and armed robbery. Now, more than 10 years later, hundreds of Pitt students took to...
Pitt alum campaigns for state senate seat
By Christian Snyder, Multimedia Editor
February 2, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, Uncategorized
When James Craig’s father was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014, his mother, an opioid addict, overdosed on prescription pills and died. Opioids weren’t new for the family — his aunt overdosed and died two years before that, and his father was an addict when diagnosed. His brother also ove...
Pitt finds no evidence of hazing after Sigma Chi incident
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
February 1, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Pitt police found no evidence of hazing and do not plan on filing charges after a student was hospitalized for voluntarily drinking “to excess” at a Sigma Chi event, according to a statement released Thursday. The Jan. 18 incident resulted in Pitt suspending Sigma Chi and placing all other Greek orga...
Students gather for State of the Union address viewing
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
January 31, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
While Pitt College Republicans and Pitt College Democrats hosted separate State of the Union viewing parties, Pitt’s Political Science Student Association held an event appealing to students of any political association. Around 20 students gathered in Posvar Hall Tuesday evening for a viewing part...
Opioid memorial brings attention to epidemic
By Mackenzie Rodrigues and Salina Pressimone | News Editors
January 30, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Health
Covered in 22,000 small white pills, each engraved with the face of an opioid overdose victim, the opioid memorial stood behind Monday afternoon’s speakers. Their solemn voices drifted out to an audience who sat listening in silence for the many young lives lost. The press event marked the beginning of the ...
District 8 candidates debate housing, Amazon
By Grant Burgman | Contributing Editor
January 29, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
The corporate relations manager of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre stood on stage at Chatham University Sunday afternoon and sang: “one of these things is not like the other.” Rennick Remley wasn’t rehearsing for an audition, but instead preparing to participate in a debate against one Democrat ...
Conservative-leaning groups deny association after members share racist memes
By John Hamilton and Mackenzie Rodrigues
January 25, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
After members of two conservative-leaning campus groups were exposed for sharing racist memes, both the Pitt College Republicans and Polis Media released separate statements claiming these members’ actions were not associated with their organization. The Twitter account Racists @ Pitt started s...
Student safe after drinking ‘excessive amounts of alcohol’ at Sigma Chi event
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 25, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
After a week of sparse details about a Greek life function that left a student hospitalized, Pitt released a statement Thursday with some information about the Sigma Chi alcohol incident. At a Sigma Chi function last Thursday, a student was taken to a hospital by his friends after drinking “excessive amounts of alcohol,” a statement from Pitt spokesperson Joe Miksch said. The student is n...
University Senate avoids union, frat
By Janine Faust and Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editors
January 25, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News
While the Pitt community is buzzing about both the recent suspension of Pitt’s Sigma Chi chapter after a student was hospitalized Jan. 19 and the faculty union organizers’ card-signing campaign kickoff Monday, the University Senate Council did not address either subject during its first meeting o...
Sigma Chi suspended after alcohol incident left student hospitalized
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 23, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner suspended Pitt’s Sigma Chi chapter after a student was hospitalized Thursday because of a “serious alcohol incident.” Pitt spokesperson Joe Miksch confirmed Tuesday that the fraternity allegedly involved in the alcohol incident had been suspended, pending the resul...
Faculty show support for unionization
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 23, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Jennifer Lee, a senior English lecturer at Pitt for the last two decades, said it was luck and allies in the tenure faculty that got her the job she currently holds — and she remembers realizing how privileged she was compared to faculty who don’t have those benefits. “My very good friend and colleague — who...
Pittsburgh Women’s March focuses on elections
By Madison Hook | Staff Writer
January 22, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
Chants of “All love, no hate! That’s what makes America great,” projected through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh Sunday as citizens joined together to take part in the second annual Women’s March. For some, the day was about walking for someone else. Gerard H. Weiss, 73, of Washington...
Greek life social probation came after student hospitalization
By The Pitt News Staff
January 19, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Top Stories
Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner put Greek life on modified social probation after a “serious alcohol incident,” he stated in a letter to both fraternity and sorority presidents Friday. The incident resulted in a student being hospitalized. The student’s family has been notified, University spo...
The Naughties focus on the fans
By Caroline Bourque and Prachi Patel | Pitt News Staff
January 19, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture, Music
The audience at a typical Naughties show can expect anything from bass player Jad Hilal’s usual joke segment to a patriotic onstage reading of the Constitution — backed by red, white and blue stage lights. Lead vocalist and guitar player Jesse Wehner, a Pitt senior and economics major, said th...
Pitt Progressives host state House candidate Summer Lee
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
When asked what was distinct about her campaign, Summer Lee said she isn’t running on anything that isn’t “basic human stuff.” “I don’t see that I’m not running on anything that isn’t common sense,” Lee said. Lee is a Democratic candidate for District 34 in the Pennsylvania House of Represen...
Column: Pitt police, community get safety upgrade with Tasers, body cams
By Jeremy Wang | Columnist
January 17, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Columns, Opinions
This isn’t the first time Chief James Loftus pushed to use technology to help his officers be more effective and better protect their communities. Prior to working with the University of Pittsburgh Police Department, Loftus held every sworn rank in the Miami-Dade Police Department between 1983 and ...
The Case of the Missing Monday: Extended winter break might mean longer classes
By John Hamilton and Ashwini Sivaganesh / The Pitt News Staff
January 15, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
If you are signed up for a class that meets on Monday this semester, you might be asked to stay a little longer or come in on a Saturday — if your professor is following instructions from the provost’s office. A message from the Academic Calendar Committee informed professors and University departments that they should coordinate arrangements to make up for a “missing” class day. Becau...
Immigration officials make arrest on Craig Street
By John Hamilton, Janine Faust and Salina Pressimone
January 11, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Crime, News
Immigration officers arrested a person on Craig Street Thursday afternoon as part of a targeted raid in the Oakland area, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Thursday night. ICE officials said the Pittsburgh sub-office conducted an operation that lead to the arrest of one person at the Un...
Japanese students come of age
By Prachi Patel | Staff Writer
January 11, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Wrapped in a floral kimono, sophomore Nika Tanimoto hurried up to the podium in the ballroom of the University Club, bowed and accepted a delicate black umbrella. It was a token of celebrating her coming of age. “Today I am celebrating becoming an adult,” Tanimoto, an English major at Yasuda University in Japa...
SGB calls for textbook cost reduction
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 10, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News, Student Government
At Student Government Board’s first public meeting of the semester Tuesday night, SGB President Max Kneis introduced and read a resolution calling for the University to expand the use of open educational resources, such as PDF textbooks. “[Textbooks are] just another added cost, so anything we can do ...
Soda Club creates their own genre
By Sarah Connor | Staff Writer
January 9, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture, Music
Jarrett Krause opened the doors to his classroom at Beth Shalom Early Learning Center in Squirrel Hill Friday morning. His prekindergarten students drew colorful, scribbly pictures and asked him about his long, curly hair. One day later, the 2015 Pitt alumnus was tossing that same curly hair onst...
In case you missed it: News from winter break 2017
By News Editors
January 8, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
December 13 — Former Pitt professor Carol Stabile published an article in Ms. Magazine claiming there was widespread harassment and discrimination within the University's communication department in the early 2000s. University spokesperson Joe Miksch told The Pitt News Dec. 16 that Pitt’s Title IX office ...
Union will re-open tomorrow after water line break
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 7, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
A water line broke in the William Pitt Union Sunday morning, flooding some of the bottom two floors. But the building will re-open Monday morning, as scheduled, according to a Tweet from Pitt. https://twitter.com/jham1496/status/950049243254984706 Water seemed to be coming from above the Union...