Big Idea Center brings innovation to Pitt
By Brittany Zortman | For the Pitt News
July 11, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Uncategorized
Pitt students will soon have the opportunity to fit their big ideas into one space — a workplace that will harbor the tools and resources they need to make these ideas a reality. This year the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute, an organization focused on entrepreneurship and innovation...
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...
Pitt unveils statue of Dr. Thomas Starzl, transplant pioneer
By Samuel Weber | Staff Writer
June 27, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
Friends, family, university staff and members of the media gathered outside the Cathedral of Learning in full business attire Saturday to honor the memory of the late Dr. Thomas Starzl with a new bronze statue. Dr. Starzl passed away March 4, 2017, at age 90. Often referred to as “the father of t...
Chancellor recommends renaming Parran Hall
By Christian Snyder and Grant Burgman | The Pitt News Staff
June 25, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
The months-long campaign to rename Parran Hall, the primary home of Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, reached a turning point Monday when Chancellor Patrick Gallagher issued a recommendation to University trustees that the building be renamed in light of Thomas Parran’s controversial record...
Athletics Department announces new mental health program
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-Chief
June 20, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Sports, Top Stories
Pitt’s Athletics Department announced a new partnership with Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC to add two full-time mental health counselors to the department’s staff to interact with student-athletes on a daily basis, according to a statement released Wednesday. Student-athletes were previously referred to WPIC for mental health treatment. The new program will include one-on-one counseling and focus on techniques for practi...
Pitt alums aim to simplify subletting
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
May 30, 2018
For students searching for the perfect summer or fall apartment to sublet, scrolling through pages and pages of listings on Facebook or Craigslist can be an exhausting and difficult process. And for those looking for someone to sublet their place while they are away, their posts are often pushed to the b...
Pitt professor hosts book launch in Oakland
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
May 30, 2018
In front of a crowd of about 50-60 people in the South Wing Reading Room of the Main Carnegie Library, Pitt theatre arts professor Kathleen George spoke to the audience as she held a release for her new book. “The Blues Walked In,” is a fictional story based life of the real-life famous jazz si...
Internship prep program positions students for success
By Mario Cattabiani | For the Pitt News
May 30, 2018
One of the great stressors for college students is the pressure to secure an internship — and with good reason. A survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers in 2012 found 60 percent of respondents in paid internships received to at least one job offer, making internships a v...
Pitt service workers to be affected by SCOTUS decision
By Christian Snyder | Editor in Chief
May 30, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Aliyya Lee had just worked from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. before stopping to meet her coworker Pam Johnston at Panera on Forbes Avenue. After passionately describing to me what’s at stake over 200 miles away as nine Supreme Court justices debate a labor union case, the pair left to defend unionized employ...
Involved in Oakland: Volunteer organizations at Pitt
By Brittany Zortman | For the Pitt News
May 30, 2018
One of the first events new Pitt students are encouraged to attend every fall is the volunteer fair in the William Pitt Union. Volunteer organizations from around campus set up tables to distribute information about their missions to interested students. Wandering around the open ballroom as a firs...
Produce at Pitt: New grocery store comes to Oakland
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
May 30, 2018
As Pitt transitions into the fall semester, students can finally stop mourning the loss of 7-Eleven and welcome the new grocery store that is coming to Forbes Avenue. Although Slurpees will no longer be available, fresh fruits and vegetables will soon enter the Oakland scene. Jim Earle, Pitt’s a...
Pitt alums remember Peter’s Pub
By Samuel Weber | Staff Writer
May 23, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
At Peter’s Pub in Oakland this past weekend, the generally happy atmosphere of a normal Sunday night was nowhere to be found. Bar staff and friends sat around the bar reminiscing about their time working and hanging out at the Oakland staple, which will be closing its doors after 44 years. In a F...
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...
Peter’s Pub announces upcoming closing
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 16, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Peter’s Pub, a staple of the Oakland bar scene, will close its doors at the end of the month after 44 years of business. The popular bar on Oakland Avenue announced its upcoming closing on its Facebook page in a post Wednesday afternoon. “It is with heavy hearts, and tears in our eyes, that...
Allegheny County Health Department issues consumer alert at Popeyes
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 15, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
The Allegheny County Health Department issued a consumer alert Friday to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on Fifth Avenue for an infestation of mice. Inspectors reportedly found a live mouse in the office and another live mouse in the basement of the restaurant, and found dead mice in the kitchen and on ...
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...
SGB reflects, looks ahead
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 23, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
As Student Government Board’s incoming president last year, Max Kneis said he wanted to improve collaboration and engagement with SGB. Now as outgoing president one year later, Kneis said the number of applications for SGB positions shows how he’s achieved this. “I think we continue to have more students...
Pitt remembers jazz professor Nathan Davis
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 20, 2018
Deane Root can easily recall how often Nathan Davis “worked the phones” to bring jazz studies to higher education. “You know, [like] they talk about members of Congress or lobbyists or other people working the phones for a campaign,” Root, chair of Pitt’s music department, said. “He w...
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 —...
Irene Mena: A world of opportunities
By Brian Gentry | Staff Writer
April 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When Irene Mena got her U.S. citizenship Feb. 28 at the Pittsburgh Courthouse, her colleague and friend Dan Budny brought her a cake adorned with an American flag and the words “Congratulations Irene!” written under it. She ate a piece and then drove right back to her office in Benedum Hall. ...
Pitt now accepting the Common Application
By Elise Lavallee | Contributing Editor
April 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Students submitting an application to Pitt in the 2018-19 school year will be the first class that can use the Common Application, according to a statement Pitt released Tuesday. The Common App allows prospective students to apply to multiple colleges and universities simultaneously using one applica...
Anjali Kumar: A journey into faith
By Mariam Shalaby | Senior Staff Writer
April 19, 2018
Anjali Kumar has an infectiously bright presence. The corners of her eyes crinkle when she smiles and her curly teal hair bounces in rhythm with her steps. She said she has a lot to be happy about these days. She just joined a sorority and is making friends in her new faith community. Plus, she j...
Pitt announces commencement speakers
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
April 17, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
Pitt graduates receiving their University diplomas this month will hear from two Pitt alumni who have led prominent careers in public service since their own commencement ceremonies. Pitt will host Pittsburgh Mayor and ex officio member of Pitt’s Board of Trustees, William Peduto, at the undergrad...
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...
March for matter: Community comes together for science
By Kenan Meral | Staff Writer
April 16, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Citing an “attack on science and science finding,” Dana Kellerman went to Washington, D.C., last April to join the first March for Science. One year later, Kellerman, a 52-year-old resident of Fox Chapel, came to the Pittsburgh march with a more specific demand. “I marched this year because I...
Pitt honors Holocaust victims in annual remembrance walk
By Thompson Wymard | Staff Writer
April 13, 2018
A procession of Pitt community members dressed in black marched from from Trees Hall to the Bigelow Lawn Wednesday night. The mourning colors were worn not just to remember one death, but millions. Pitt’s historically Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, held its second annual Walk to Remember ...
Backyard brewers: Students craft their own creations
By Cassidy Power and Samuel Ruppert | Staff Writers
April 13, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Some students buy kegs for a good time. Others become amateaur mixologists for the night, concocting a batch of jungle juice in their backyards. But a few local college students find joy not in the consumption of the alcohol, but in the process of making the drink itself. They’ve taken it upon...
Environmental, economic issues merge at lecture
By Theresa Dickerson | For The Pitt News
April 12, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Two student-led campus organizations at Pitt collaborated Wednesday evening, hoping to dispel the myth that advocacy for environment protection and advocacy for jobs are mutually exclusive. Free the Planet and United Students Against Sweatshops teamed up to bring in Veronica Coptis, the executive director o...
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...
Pitt jazz professor dies at 81
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
April 11, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Nathan Davis, a former professor at Pitt’s department of music and renowned jazz musician, died on Sunday from natural causes. He was 81. Davis came to Pitt in 1969 as the director of the jazz studies program. During his time at Pitt, he founded and directed the University’s annual jazz seminar. He als...
Lawmakers propose more transparency at state-related universities
By Christian Snyder and John Hamilton / TPN Staff
April 10, 2018
Filed under Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
State representatives unveiled legislation Tuesday that would expand transparency and public access to records at Pennsylvania’s state-related universities. Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln — Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities — are currently exempt from the Right-to-Know Law, whic...
Panelists discuss intersectionality in sexual assault
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
April 10, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
Students gathered Monday night to listen as six panelists discussed how intersectionality plays a role in sexual assault. The panel consisted of Krithika Pennathur, president of Pitt Unmuted; Rose Barone — who prefers to go by Sawyer — executive assistant of Rainbow Alliance; Albert Tanjaya, ad...
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 ...
Sugar-coated: donuts out, Insomnia in
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
April 10, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Meyran Avenue’s sweet spot is shutting down — but “donut” worry, something else is coming along to make that late night insomnia manageable. Insomnia Cookies is set to move in across from the now-closed Peace, Love and Little Donuts in the near future as Meyran’s newest eatery. The donu...
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, ...
Pitt dancers marathon for kids
By Briana Canady and Sam Weber | The Pitt News Staff
April 9, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Students in the Cost Sports Center spent most of Saturday sweating — but not from running laps or drills. Instead, about 1,450 people danced to top-40 hits over a period of 16 hours under neon lights. These people were participants in the Pitt Dance Marathon, one of several fundraising events held durin...
Greek life action plan proposes changes
By Christian Snyder | Contributing Editor
April 9, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Following a nearly semester-long social probation, fraternities and sororities will be permitted to resume normal operations in the fall 2018 semester, but with a few changes. Pitt released a working action plan for Greek life last Monday in response to two off-campus events which occurred during the spring 2018 semester. The first, a student hospitalization following a Sigm...
Feminists march for inclusivity
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
April 6, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Marchers waving signs made out of cardboard, paper and pizza boxes drew the attention of passersby as they wove their way through Pitt’s campus and Oakland Thursday evening — chanting in support of women of all sexualities and races. One of the pizza boxes read “Injustice anywhere is a threat to...
TPN earns 17 awards at College Media Business and Advertising Managers
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
April 6, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
College Media Business and Advertising Managers presented The Pitt News with 17 awards for excellence in business operations, marketing and promotions during the organization’s 46th annual Advertising Awards Competition Saturday. According to the CMBAM website, the awards ceremony recognizes excel...
Cecile Richards reflects on life of activism
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
April 5, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News
Cecile Richards has been politically active since seventh grade, when she wore a black armband to school to protest the Vietnam War. When she was called to the principal’s office and asked if her mother knew what she was doing, she replied, “Probably.” Since then, she’s grown to become a lea...
Lance Bass in sync with LGBTQ+ community
By Sam Weber | For The Pitt News
April 4, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When Lance Bass looks back on his time in NSYNC, he can’t help but laugh — both at his antics and the crowds often confused by them. “I found it funny,” Bass said. “Before anyone knew I was gay, I was just Lance from NSYNC and I just humped the stage a lot.” Bass, a 38-year-old mus...
Students report on community work in Homewood
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
April 3, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Students, Homewood residents and members of the Community Engagement Center filled the Homewood-Brushton Branch YMCA’s meeting room, waiting for their chance to hear how the community workers had been spending their time. Residents of Homewood attended the Pitt CEC’s Community Assistant Report Out e...
University continues search for Counseling Center director
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
April 3, 2018
The search for a University Counseling Center director is still ongoing, according to University spokesperson Kevin Zwick — who also did not comment on whether there will be a new director by the start of the 2018-19 academic year. Pitt has been without a full-time UCC director since Allegheny C...
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...
Pitt Innovation Institute announces Big Idea Center
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
April 2, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
The University Innovation Institute announced Thursday it will establish a Big Idea Center set to open for the 2018-2019 academic year. The announcement was part of last week’s annual Randall Family Big Idea Competition, where three current and former Pitt students won $25,000 to develop their autom...
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...
Breaking grounds with big ideas: four growers for the win
By Anandhini Narayanan | Staff Writer
March 30, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
In the future, the tomatoes in your salad, on your sandwich and in your pasta may be gathered by harvesters who can not only tell whether a tomato is ripe or unripe in just a few seconds, but also provide metrics and data analytics. This idea could become a reality through the work of 2016 Pitt a...
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...
Panelists consider social media’s impact
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
March 29, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
When David Hickton addressed the concept of social media Wednesday night, he said users are reaching a tipping point of outrage with it that will lead to social change. “We’re recognizing that we’re being deceived and diluted by this nonsense,” the former U.S. Attorney said. The University ...
Sutherland student treated for possible meningitis
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
March 28, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
A Pitt student-athlete living in Sutherland Hall is currently being treated for a potential case of bacterial meningitis, according to a statement released by the University Wednesday morning. The statement said the student was tested for the illness Tuesday, meaning the infection cannot be confi...
University Senate discusses teaching innovations
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
March 28, 2018
Filed under Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
Pitt faculty, staff and administrators gathered Tuesday afternoon to discuss innovation in teaching and making higher education more accessible to all. About 50 Pitt faculty, staff and administrators attended the University Senate’s 2018 plenary meeting — an annual event held to discuss a pressing to...
Actor Justin Baldoni talks ‘Being Man Enough’
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
March 28, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Justin Baldoni is a self-proclaimed feminist of the 21st century. The actor — best known for his role on “Jane the Virgin” — said he knows he is a straight, white, privileged man with a platform, but is using that advantage to rewrite history into a new “herstory.” “We view the world ...
NAACP speaker discusses overlapping injustices
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
March 27, 2018
Environmental injustice can affect anyone, whether they are an African-American with asthma living in the South Side of Chicago or a low-income white family living near a toxic waste plant. But according to Jacqueline Patterson, director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, some ...
Students share global empowerment stories
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
March 27, 2018
As the doors of the William Pitt Union lower lounge opened at 8 p.m., about 150 students poured in to learn about the experiences of women in other countries. The event, Who Run the World?, was part of Pitt’s annual Women’s Empowerment Week hosted by Student Government Board. The week will see several event...
Greek life raises money through song and dance
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
March 26, 2018
Several Greek Life organizations went on trips Friday night — three went to Havana, Cuba, while another three traveled to Emerald City. Two wound up trapped in a video game. All of this happened on stage at the Fitzgerald Field House Friday night. Eleven different teams consisting of a mix of frat...
African studies advisor advocates for Ethiopian girls
By Sophia Mastroianni | Staff Writer
March 23, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Everyone has heard the expression, “the dog ate my homework.” But Anna-Maria Karnes knew a girl living in rural Ethiopia whose textbook was scarfed down by a cow. This prevented the girl from advancing to the next grade until she borrowed enough money to buy another copy. “She was telling me...
Senate Council discusses deans, Titusville
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
March 22, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher opened up his monthly report at Wednesday’s University Senate Council meeting by recognizing the two newly appointed deans of the engineering and law schools — whose hirings were announced in rapid succession over the past two days. Gallagher said he was “very excited” to ...
Swanson School announces new dean
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
March 21, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Pitt named James R. Martin II — currently the chair of the civil engineering department at Clemson University — as the new dean of the Swanson School of Engineering on Wednesday. Martin is the second new dean Pitt has appointed is as many days. Yesterday, Pitt named Amy Wildermuth as the new law de...
Friends remember Pitt student Chris Dayer
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
March 21, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Friends of Pitt student Christopher Dayer are remembering him as a kind person with a contagious smile after learning of his death. Dayer, 21, committed suicide Friday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. He jumped off the Panther Hollow Bridge early in the morning. He was s...
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...
Pitt law school announces new dean
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
March 20, 2018
Filed under Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law named Amy Wildermuth, the associate vice president for faculty and academic affairs at the University of Utah, as the school’s new dean. According to a Tuesday press release, Provost Patricia Beeson said Wildermuth will begin her deanship July 1. She...
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,...
Students find furniture and more free and for sale
By Sarah Shearer | Contributing Editor
March 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
Picking up the couch wasn’t supposed to be an all-day affair. Kathryn Kennedy and her boyfriend Andrew Rabeneck planned to quickly move it into Kennedy’s newly rented — and bare — apartment, order pizza and watch Star Wars from the comfort of her new couch. But they didn’t know wha...
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...
Pitt engineering unveils Makerspace
By Samuel Weber and Noah Manalo | The Pitt News Staff
March 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
On the outside, 7800 Susquehanna Street looks like an old brick factory, with hazy entrance windows, a cracked walkway and faded paint. But recently, more than 100 people gathered at the Homewood location to celebrate the debut of the newest branch of the Swanson School of Engineering, a place dedicated ...
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...
Pitt to challenge grad student union election petition
By Janine Faust and John Hamilton / TPN Staff
March 15, 2018
Filed under Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
Pitt administrators have told the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board they plan challenge the graduate student petition to hold a union election, organizers said Wednesday. Pitt will look to convince the board that graduate students aren't employees. The labor board in February ruled that graduate students at Penn...
Activist, students discuss U.S. race relations
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
March 15, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Deepa Iyer was working in the Civil Rights division of the Department of Justice when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center September 11, 2001. She immediately thought about two different groups of people — those killed in the attacks and those in the South Asian community she belonged to....
Pitt professors compete for course grants
By Noah Manalo | Staff Writer
March 15, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Pitt is giving professors the chance to change their courses — but they’ll have to compete and collaborate for the limited funding. The University will accept the final proposals for the 2018 Course Incubator Grants March 30. This is the first year the grant — which is intended to allow facult...
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 ...
International students stay stateside for spring break
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
March 14, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Pitt’s Student Government Board announced last summer that the University’s winter break would be extended by a full week. The extension was applauded by most students — but for Pitt’s international student population that doesn’t go home, this may have meant a longer time away from family a...
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 ...
MisterWives to headline at Bigelow Bash
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
March 12, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Pitt Program Council announced Bigelow Bash, Pitt’s annual spring concert, will feature MisterWives as the headliner band April 14. PPC tweeted the news Monday afternoon, about a month after it sealed the contract with the help of an outside agency. Zach Linn, special events director, said PPC...
The Zoo sticks around for basketball ups and downs
By Samuel Ruppert | For The Pitt News
March 12, 2018
Half of the cobalt blue seats in student section of the Petersen Event Center remained empty as the Pitt men’s basketball team battled UC Santa Barbara on the court Nov. 15. On the first shot, only a sparse showering of ripped-up newsprint filled the air. But even during the out-of-conference game f...
Disabled activists take part in nationwide day of mourning
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
March 2, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Andrea Mauro was physically restrained, force-fed horseradish and shocked with play buzzers as a child when they had tantrums or failed speech therapy exercises. All of this was done to them by the people their parents had sought out to “help” them. Mauro, an autistic activist and student studyi...
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...
Hillman goes pro with new equipment collection
By Zane Crowell and Noah Manalo | For The Pitt News
March 2, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Students are used to checking out books on reserve at Hillman Library — now they can do the same with a vlogging kit. The University Library System launched the Hillman Equipment Collection Monday. The Collection, which consists of an assortment of audio and visual equipment, is available for use b...
Students learn about mental health first aid
By Cassidy Power | For The Pitt News
March 1, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
“How can I help?” and “How do I start a conversation?” are questions Sean Moundas, a psychologist at the University Counseling Center, gets asked a lot when it comes to mental health. “Over half of those with mental health challenges go untreated,” Moundas said. At the Be The Difference...
BAS celebrates 50 years with founding members
By Caroline Eddy | For The Pitt News
March 1, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Past and present members of Pitt’s Black Action Society met Wednesday afternoon to commemorate the organization’s founding and fortify its future. The African American Alumni Council hosted a discussion about the Black Action Society, which was founded 50 years ago. Approximately 50 people atten...
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...
Religious studies chair, mentor dies
By John Hamilton | Managing Editor
February 28, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Linda Penkower — the chair of the University’s religious studies department known for supporting students and faculty — died Tuesday night, the department’s undergraduate director said in an email. In the email, which was addressed to religious studies majors and recent graduates, professor ...
Yellin takes Pitt behind the scenes of Netflix
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
February 27, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
It’s 3 a.m. and you’ve just watched two straight seasons of “Stranger Things” in one sitting — even though you have a test later that day. But for Todd Yellin, vice president of product at Netflix, watching hours of shows and documentaries is part of his job description. “I’m blessed ...
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...
Pitt Admissions won’t penalize student protesters
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
February 26, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Students applying to Pitt will not be punished for participating in peaceful protests following the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, the University said on Twitter. The Pitt Admissions Twitter account first released the statement in response to the #ParklandStudentsSpeak movement. “Pitt Admissi...
Former ambassador examines Iran nuclear deal
By Cassidy Power and Remy Samuels | The Pitt News Staff
February 23, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Former U.S. ambassador Dennis Jett equated the Iran Nuclear Deal negotiations to a “foreign policy food fight” Thursday in Posvar Hall. “One should not confuse honesty and politics — they’re like oil and water,” Jett said. Jett, who served as ambassador to Mozambique and Peru under t...
Progressives, libertarians debate wealth redistribution
By Madeline Gavatorta / Staff Writer
February 22, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
The Pitt Progressives and the Students for Liberty met Wednesday night in the William Pitt Union Kurtzman Room to debate their views on the government and distribution of wealth. The Bully PulPitt and Pitt Political Science Student Association hosted “Government and the Redistribution of Wealth”...
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...
Q&A: Elizabeth Mahoney revisits Mister Rogers’ archives
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
February 22, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
The iconic children's show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” turned 50 Monday. The show, which was broadcast from 1968 to 2001, was filmed in Pittsburgh and hosted by the late Fred Rogers. In honor of the show’s 50th anniversary, assistant news editor Janine Faust sat down with Elizabeth Mahoney, fo...
Charges dropped against man accused of spying on students
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
February 21, 2018
Filed under Campus, Crime, News
A magisterial judge Wednesday dropped charges against Paul May, a nurse at the Veteran Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Oakland who was accused of spying into upper campus dorms. May, 56, was charged Nov. 6 with loitering and prowling, invasion of privacy and possessing instruments of a crime. All charges have been dropped, court documents show. District attorney spokesperson Mike Manko said Magisteri...
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...
University Senate Council address Parran Hall, Titusville
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
February 21, 2018
Filed under Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
The University Senate Council held its second meeting of the spring semester Tuesday afternoon and addressed recently contentious topics such as building names and budget concerns. Chancellor Patrick Gallagher started the meeting by discussing the current controversy about Parran Hall, which houses ...
Students discuss diversity in engineering
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
February 21, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Since joining the National Society of Black Engineers in 1980, Karl Reid has dedicated his career to advancing opportunity and inclusion for African-American engineers across the country. “I got my leadership experience largely through NSBE, and I discovered my passion, which is to increase access...
Women discuss reclaiming female slurs
By Noah Manalo | Staff Writer
February 20, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Jeanna Sybert was sure to address both sides of the reclamation argument in her presentation — and she didn’t shy away from using shocking language to make those points. The University of Pittsburgh’s chapter of the American Association of University Women held an event, C U Next Tuesday: Recla...
Students get business and banking advice
By Kenan Meral | For The Pitt News
February 20, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
As technology and business come together, Emily Hirao is well-versed on how she can use a multifaceted skill set to help her forge a professional future — by focusing on data analytics, the process by which meaning can be derived from information. Hirao, a senior studying business technology at Carnegie Mellon ...
Lydia Brown discusses disability advocacy
By Briana Canady | Staff Writer
February 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When Lydia Brown asked audience members if they understand what disability rights are and if they know the difference between disability rights and disability justice only about six or seven people out of the 42 present raised their hands. Brown then asked the audience what words they associate with the...
Professor proposes use of law to tackle infectious diseases
By Briana Canady | For The Pitt News
February 16, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
Matiangai Sirleaf has represented plaintiffs in numerous international human rights cases litigated in federal courts. Now, as an assistant professor of law at Pitt, she plans to use her legal expertise to eradicate infectious diseases. Sirleaf presented her research on disease in Africa, titled ...
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 ...
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...
The Pitt News staff wins Student Keystone Press Awards
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
February 15, 2018
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association awarded The Pitt News eight prizes and three honorable mentions Wednesday for stories and visuals published in 2017. The PNA’s 2018 Keystone Press Awards recognized “high school and college journalism that provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers”...
Di Tella discusses ‘327 Cuadernos’
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
February 15, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Ricardo Piglia was 15 years old when his father was thrown in prison for a year for supporting Argentina’s former leader — so the young teen began keeping a diary. It started about the same time Juan Peron, President of Argentina, was overthrown in a coup d'etat in 1955. While it began with one journal...