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,...
Police respond to armed robbery at Hello Bistro
By The Pitt News Staff
March 19, 2018
Filed under Crime, News, Top Stories
The City of Pittsburgh Police Department responded to an armed robbery at Hello Bistro Sunday night, according to a Pitt crime alert sent out Monday afternoon. The crime alert from University of Pittsburgh Police said city police responded to the robbery at 11:11 p.m. The store closes at 10 p.m. and...
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 15, 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 closed after lawsuit, health violations
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
March 15, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The Forbes Avenue Qdoba closed after the Qdoba Restaurant Corp. sued the franchise’s owners for breach of contract because of numerous code violations. Qdoba filed a lawsuit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Feb. 28 against Brooks Hospitality, Chad Brooks and Sally Brooks. The suit ...
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...
Gallery: Lamb vs Saccone
By John Hamilton and Christian Snyder | TPN Staff
March 14, 2018
Voters in Pennsylvania’s 18th District cast their ballots Tuesday for Conor Lamb or Rick Saccone, but election workers couldn’t count absentee ballots fast enough to declare a winner by midnight. ...
SGB calls for medical amnesty extension
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
March 14, 2018
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
Student Government Board returned from spring break and unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night urging the Pennsylvania state government to extend medical amnesty — a pardon on criminal charges for medical reasons — in the case of alcohol incidents to the underage person experiencing the crisis....
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 12, 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...
Carnegie library hosts drag queen story hour
By Cassidy Power | Staff Writer
March 12, 2018
Filed under City
Akasha L Van-Cartier had a message for the 130 children and parents that attended the Carnegie Library’s Drag Queen Story Hour Saturday. “You can be anything that you want to be, at any time you want to be it, and if you want to change what you want to be halfway through being it — do that,”...
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...
Erika Strassburger wins District 8 special election
By Christian Snyder, Multimedia Editor
March 6, 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. ...
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...
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...
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 ...
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,”...
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 ...
Pitt Board of Trustees endorses Titusville training hub
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
February 26, 2018
Filed under Administration, News, Top Stories
Pitt’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution Friday endorsing a strategy to transform the University’s Titusville branch into an educational and training hub that will share space with corporations, community colleges and other outside groups. But prior to the Board’s vote on the resol...
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...
District 8 candidates promote platforms
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 26, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
For Erika Strassburger, an independent Democratic candidate for District 8, her decision to run is directly tied to the current federal government — she said she saw democracy at risk when President Donald Trump was elected. “I also vowed to myself if I got the opportunity, which I thought would b...
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...
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...
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...
Pitt announces long-time CFO’s retirement
By John Hamilton | Managing Editor
February 20, 2018
Filed under Administration, News, Top Stories
Pitt’s chief financial officer and senior vice chancellor, Arthur Ramicone, will retire in August after a 30-year career at Pitt, the University announced Tuesday. Ramicone, 64, is the second senior vice chancellor who will step down in 2018, following Provost Patricia Beeson’s announcement that she will leave ...
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’...
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 ...
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...
Speaker gives lively talk on death
By Noah Manalo | Staff Writer
February 19, 2018
Filed under Health, News, Top Stories
Anne Allison writes extensively on topics related to modern Japanese culture, ranging from sexuality to censorship. Her most recent publication on the precariousness of Japanese society has led her to explore a more morbid topic. “I will try to make this lively, even though we’re talking about death,...
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...
Students learn about sexual health, safety
By Sophia Mastroianni | For The Pitt News
February 16, 2018
Filed under Health, Top Stories, Uncategorized
“Birth Control Methods” is not a category a contestant would typically encounter on “Jeopardy!” But about 20 students were presented with it and other categories revolving around sexual health Thursday night in the Cathedral of Learning. These students were participating in a Q&A session about sex...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
Pitt, UPMC announce $200 million Immune Transplant and Therapy Center
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
February 14, 2018
Filed under Administration, City, Health, News
Jeffrey Romoff, president of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, walked on stage at a century-old abandoned car factory Tuesday afternoon and wondered where some of its necessary facilities were. “This is not quite what I expected,” he said. “I can’t find the lavatories, and I can’...
SGB debate funding for student event
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 14, 2018
Filed under News, Student Government
During Student Government Board’s weekly public meeting Tuesday night, the board had its first divided vote of the 2017-2018 school year. Executive Vice President Zuri Kent-Smith and board member Ami Fall opposed the funding of the Students for Liberty and Engineering Business Administration event, ...
The bittersweet lives of sugar babies
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
February 14, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
With college tuition, textbook and living costs soaring higher each year, students face daunting debts that prompt them to get creative with how they support themselves. Some turn to working at Starbucks, others to tutoring — and some even turn to dating. A sugar baby is typically a young woman who ...
Lawyers navigate the intricacies of assault
By Hannah Schneider, Staff Writer
February 14, 2018
Filed under City, Crime, News, Top Stories
Within the first 24 hours of the #MeToo movement going viral in October 2017, there were more than 12 million posts, comments and reactions made by 4.7 million Facebook users worldwide. The movement has since reached more than 85 countries, shedding a new light on advocacy for survivors of sexual harassment...
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...
Four Growers: Farming for the future
By Brian Salvato | Staff Writer
February 13, 2018
Filed under News, Tech Science, Top Stories
Imagine being able to open a door and go from biting winds and snow to a warm, climate-controlled greenhouse that carries the aroma of fresh tomatoes — being harvested by robots roaming through the aisles. For Brandon Contino and Daniel Chi, this fantasy is turning into a reality through their c...
Biden brings book tour to Pittsburgh
By Laura Howe | Staff Writer
February 13, 2018
Filed under City, Top Stories
In sharing some of what he’s learned over the years, former Vice President Joe Biden said no amount of money can protect from pollution, joblessness or grief. “For me, the way through grief is finding purpose,” he said. “Ted Kennedy was one of my mentors. He died of the exact same cancer...
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...
Students celebrate Lunar New Year
By Sandra Balatkova | For The Pitt News
February 12, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
The Lunar New Year celebration set colors into motion and transformed Alumni Hall’s auditorium stage with the vibrant clothing, fans and flags featured in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese dances Sunday evening. The Chinese American Student Association, in collaboration with the Vietnamese Stu...
Amazon HQ2 community forum reveals concerns
By Anandhini Narayanan | Staff Writer
February 12, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
“Whose city? Our city! Whose city? Our city!” various Pittsburgh residents declared in unison before the community forum on Amazon began Saturday. This chant reverberated through the Liberty Room of the Human Services Building on Smithfield Street where about 50 audience members and six panelists...
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. ...
Colin Jost jokes about Pitt, pot and primates
By Briana Canady | For The Pitt News
February 9, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Colin Jost was both surprised and delighted to find an article about an infected lab monkey that allegedly escaped from its cage in a campus research lab as the first result on Google when he searched “University of Pittsburgh.” “That picture of the monkey in the article is definitely not the same mon...
CDPA Director shares employment advice
By Sid Lingala | Staff Writer
February 9, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
Cheryl Finlay is responsible for developing and overseeing services that help thousands of Pitt students in their quest to get an internship, land a research assistant position and — most frightening of all to future graduates — find a job. As director of the Office of Career Development and Place...
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...
Taking steps for cystic fibrosis
By Zane Crowell | For The Pitt News
February 8, 2018
Filed under City, Health, News, Top Stories
Members of the Run to Cure Cystic Fibrosis marathon team trek up more than 700 steps of the Cathedral of Learning every Thursday. Then they take the elevator back down and do it two or three more times. The western Pennsylvania chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a donor-funded nonprofit wo...
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 ...
Bonner discusses Greek life changes
By John Hamilton | Managing Editor
February 7, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner said Tuesday that he will lift the Greek life social probation after what he considers “meaningful progress” is made in improving the safety of fraternities and sororities at Pitt. In an interview with The Pitt News, Bonner discussed the response to a Jan. 18 off-cam...
SGB updates on provost search
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 7, 2018
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
At Student Government Board’s weekly meeting Tuesday, Senior Vice Chancellor of Research Rob Rutenbar said the provost search committee involves no smoke or bunkers. “The search committee I am chairing is not decisional. And what that means is that we don’t all go retreat to the Cathedral, go...
Whitaker talks sports, jazz in Pittsburgh
By Alexa Marzina | For The Pitt News
February 6, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Mark Whitaker is a Philadelphian infatuated with Pittsburgh. He is also an esteemed journalist who worked for Newsweek Magazine for three decades and became the first African-American to lead a national newsweekly. But that infatuation with the Steel City is what led him to investigate his father’s Pitt...
Posvar renovations feature updated classrooms
By Thompson Wymard | For The Pitt News
February 6, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Erika Gold Kestenberg is quite familiar with Posvar Hall — she spent time studying there as a student in the ’90s, and now works there. The associate director of educator development and practice Urban Scholars Program coordinator for the School of Education doesn’t miss the building’s old design...
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...
Quo Vadis gives visitors taste of tradition
By Thompson Wymard | For The Pitt News
February 5, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Quo Vadis is now known as the student organization that gives tours of Pitt’s 30 Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning — but it wasn’t always this way. According to Yasemin Sonel, a sophomore and the public relations officer for Quo Vadis, the club’s duties used to be a little differe...
Global Wordsmiths help with translation troubles
By Sandra Balatkova | For The Pitt News
February 5, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Justina Moktan was born in Singapore and raised by her Nepalese parents to speak both Nepali and English. Now, as an intern at Global Wordsmiths, she helps bridge the gap between the two languages. Moktan — a sophomore finance and marketing major — is able to do this through her work at Global ...
Photos and videos: Pitt Students celebrate Eagles Super Bowl win
By The Pitt News Staff
February 4, 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 unveils sustainable engineering master’s program
By Laura Howe | Staff Writer
February 2, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
David Sanchez has seen Pittsburgh at the forefront of producing environmentally sound projects ever since his first fellowship at Pitt in the mid-2000s. Now, as an assistant professor in Pitt’s civil and environmental engineering department, he’s helping set up the Swanson School of Engineering’...
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...
Fraternity discusses concerns with policing
By Zane Crowell | For The Pitt News
February 1, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Wesley Giles, a sophomore finance major at Pitt, claimed he and a friend were walking up to the friend’s car in September 2017 when two police officers allegedly approached them with guns and told them to get on the ground. “Upon reaching us, they cuffed us, emptied our pockets, searched us and then...
SGB candidates meet the public
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 1, 2018
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
The 2018 candidates for Student Government Board gathered Wednesday to discuss their platforms and answer questions presented to them by “Pitt Tonight” host Andrew Dow. UPTV broadcasted the event from William Pitt Union Dining Room A. Dow, a sophomore sociology and communication major, asked the sl...
Life science buildings evacuated after small explosion
By John Hamilton and Janine Faust | The Pitt News Staff
January 31, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
Paramedics evaluated one student for eye irritation after a small explosion in a life science lab Wednesday afternoon led to a precautionary evacuation. According to a statement from the University, the explosion occurred at about 2:45 p.m. in the Life Sciences Annex — a section of the Clapp, Langl...
SGB hosts Master Plan meeting for students
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 31, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Student Government, Top Stories
Nico Bernstein took issue with the Campus Master Plan presented by Owen J. Cooks Tuesday night at Student Government Board’s weekly public meeting, saying the plan emphasizes athletics and neglects the arts. “[Cooks] talked a lot about creating new spaces for athletics but not new spaces for s...
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...
Pitt spotlights safety
By Christian Snyder | Multimedia Editor
January 31, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
Dogs on campus usually attract dozens of students, nearly all of whom have their iPhones ready to capture brief interactions with the stress-relieving pets. But Sam, a 3-year-old German shorthaired pointer trained to detect explosives, didn’t draw that kind of attention at the annual Safety Fair Tuesday...
Researcher sues Pitt for wrongful termination following alleged monkey escape
By Salina Pressimone and John Hamilton | The Pitt News Staff
January 30, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
A former Pitt researcher is suing the University of Pittsburgh, alleging she was wrongfully terminated after reporting the escapes of an infected lab monkey and rabbit in 2016. In a lawsuit filed Jan. 15, 2018, in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Kelly Stefano Cole — a former immunolo...
Dickman discusses sexual assault
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
January 30, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Student members of Pitt Athletics and the Pitt community filled the seventh floor auditorium of Alumni Hall Monday night to listen to a talk about sexual assault prevention on campus. The conversation was led by counselor, educator and self-described “sexologist” Kimberly Dickman. Her visit to Pit...
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 ...
Queens only: Pageant showcases African countries
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
January 29, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
With sashes draped across their chests, the African queens flaunted their traditional garb and knowledge of the countries announced on their sashes at the Annual African King & Queen Pageant Friday. With contributions from the African Studies Program and Outside the Classroom Curriculum, the ...
Pitt’s LifeX project to support entrepreneurs
By Anish Salvi | Staff Writer
January 29, 2018
Filed under City, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
After moving on from his career as a pediatric endocrinologist to become a professor in Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, David Finegold never forgot about the patients he treated. He was especially moved by his patients who had suffered from Type 1 diabetes mellitus, a disease that prevent...
Viral video shows cyclist being attacked in Oakland
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
January 28, 2018
Police are investigating a physical altercation between a cyclist and the driver of a red SUV that occured Thursday evening at the intersection of South Bellefield and Fifth avenues. A video filmed at the scene by a man identified as Matt Hajduk, 26, shows the SUV driver, having already exited his ve...
Police investigating attempted robbery
By The Pitt News Staff
January 26, 2018
Pitt police issued a crime alert about an attempted robbery Thursday night on the 100 block of University Place. A victim told both Pitt police and City police that the attempted robbery happened at 9:30 p.m. when he was walking the 4000-4100 block of O’Hara Street. At that time, an unknown man...