Photos: Marchers reflect on year since Trump’s election
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 21, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories, Visual
Thousands of Pittsburghers congregated at the City-Council Building Downtown Sunday, carrying signs supporting women’s rights, wearing “pussy hats” and gathering support for local candidates. Held one year after the first march, the 2018 Women’s March pushed concrete changes through activi...
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...
Faculty union organizers to begin signing cards
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
January 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Pitt’s Faculty Union Organizing Committee announced Wednesday on Facebook that it will begin asking faculty members to sign union authorization cards at a kickoff celebration Monday, Jan 22, in the William Pitt Union Ballroom. The event is co-hosted by the Pitt Progressives. Pitt faculty and gradu...
Students rush to take Russian Fairy Tales
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
January 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Professors within the department of Slavic languages and literatures faculty at Pitt encountered a shrinking student interest in their courses in the mid-1990s. They weren’t alone — many other Slavic departments across the country were likewise noticing a decline in enrollment. “Not many stu...
Peduto promotes Pittsburgh community initiatives
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
January 19, 2018
Filed under City, News, Student Government, Top Stories
Mayor Bill Peduto prioritizes building up Pittsburgh communities, and thinks Amazon might soon be able to help with this growth at a local level, he said Thursday night. “What will make Pittsburgh competitive is talent produced locally and incredible affordability,” he said. “With those two th...
Social Justice Symposium explores generational gaps
By Remy Samuels and Dominic Campbell | TPN Staff
January 19, 2018
When asked what buzzwords come to mind when talking about millennials, the words “entitled”, “self-centered”, “trophy kids” and “snowflakes” were blurted out from audience members. But Scott Zimmer assured them that, contrary to popular belief, millennials do not purposefully try to come...
Interactive crime map Jan. 9-16
By TPN News Desk
January 18, 2018
Date Time Building Address Summary Jan.9 1:45 a.m. Bruce Hall 3945 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Pitt police issued a student a conduct referral after a campus security authority reported a liquor law violation. Jan. 9 1:39 p.m. William Pitt Union 3959 Fifth Ave, Pit...
Pittsburgh among finalists for Amazon’s second headquarters
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 18, 2018
Filed under Administration, City, News, Top Stories
Amazon announced 20 cities Thursday that the company is considering as a location to build its second headquarters — and Pittsburgh is on the list. The online retail giant received more than 200 proposals from cities across the country, narrowing it to 20 cities, which will pose some serious compe...
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...
Pitt, community push opioid crisis solutions
By Sid Lingala | Staff Writer
January 18, 2018
Filed under City, Health, News, Top Stories
Nearly 3,000 Pennsylvanians died of opioid overdoses in 2015, according to the Pitt Public Health Dynamics Lab. But researchers at Pitt are working to change that statistic. Michael Mallon, the project coordinator for Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health’s Opioid Initiatives, helps arrange ...
Strongr, Fastr and individualized: Pitt alums develop fitness app
By Sid Lingala | Staff Writer
January 18, 2018
Filed under Health, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
As a person without a strong interest in fitness, Eric Lutz had trouble figuring out what constituted a good workout and a healthy meal — and sticking with the exercise and diet plans he came up with. “I would try to go the gym, but would eventually end up not going,” Lutz said. “I really ...
Fetterman responds to tough student questions
By Christian Snyder, Multimedia Editor
January 17, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
On the chalkboard in room 236 of the Cathedral of Learning Tuesday night were some small illustrations of a bird and a dog, followed by “ing.” Put it together and you get bird-dogging, the act of closely scrutinizing a politician’s views — which is what a group of five students decided to do when Br...
Provost to consider SGB textbook plan
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 17, 2018
Filed under Student Government, Top Stories
After passing a resolution to help lower textbook costs, Student Government Board President Max Kneis announced Tuesday that Pitt is forming a committee to discuss implementing the ideas. SGB introduced a resolution last week calling on Pitt to expand the use of open education resources like PDF textboo...
Students serve, remember on MLK Jr. day
By Luke Stambaugh and Kenan Meral | The Pitt News Staff
January 16, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
A group of students from Pitt’s Litchfield Tower B offered a warm respite from the bitter cold as they served soups and sandwiches to hungry Homewood residents who visited the Bethesda Presbyterian Church Monday. They weren’t the only group of Pitt students spending the day this way. Approximate...
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...
Finn wins Democratic nomination for District 8
By Elise Lavallee, Contributing Editor
January 14, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Sonja Finn, 38, was nominated Sunday afternoon to run as the democratic candidate in the District 8 City Council seat special election. With no contest from a republican candidate, Finn is expected to run against Erika Strassburger and Marty Healey in the special election March 6. Though in the past t...
Artists converse about work, creativity
By Nina Kneuer | Staff Writer
January 12, 2018
Filed under City, Top Stories
Jo-Anne Bates originally went to school to be a printmaker, so most of her first works were in black and white. But after visiting South Africa and seeing all of the colors in the landscape, the clothing and the artwork, she knew she wanted to incorporate them into her own work. “To be an artis...
District 8 election: a quick look at the candidates
By The Pitt News Staff
January 12, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Dan Gilman stepped down from his position as city councilman Jan. 3. to work as Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, triggering a special election to fill the open seat to represent District 8, which includes Oakland, Point Breeze, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. So far, three Democratic candidates have ste...
Student film taps into storytelling
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 12, 2018
When 47-year-old Jason Swauger suffered a partial tear of his hamstring from a split gone wrong during the filming of “A Tap Dancer Murders Her Father,” student director Caleb Porto didn’t want to continue. “Even though he was fine, I was so done with the film. I didn’t want [another inj...
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...
Pitt alumna runs as Republican gubernatorial candidate
By Sarah Frumkin | Staff Writer
January 11, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Laura Ellsworth grew up loving Nancy Drew, the theatre and teaching — which all came in handy when she decided as an undergraduate at Princeton University to become a lawyer. “You get to be a detective — you get to be a performer because you need to use your presence, use your voice, use e...
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 ...
Surveying the semester with OMETs
By Bailey Frisco | Staff Writer
January 10, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
As each semester winds down and students begin to prepare for finals, they are burdened with one more task to complete — OMETs. OMET — Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching — is a department at Pitt that administers a survey of student opinion for professors. The main objective of the ...
Physicians at play: Pitt professor seeks to improve responsiveness through video game
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
January 9, 2018
Filed under Health, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
Imagine you are 80 years old and fall down a flight of stairs, fracturing many ribs. The doctor says your condition isn’t critical and sends you home with medication, but hours later you’re back at the hospital with respiratory failure and a life-threatening case of pneumonia. This scenario is...
Limited access to William Pitt Union following flooding
By John Hamilton and Mackenzie Rodrigues | The Pitt News Staff
January 9, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
The William Pitt Union briefly closed again after issues with a sprinkler Monday morning. The University released a comment via its official Twitter account at 5:53 a.m., saying the lower level and basement level of the building would be closed until further notice. The two floors reopened less than...
Man transported to hospital in stable condition after incident with Port Authority bus
By Mackenzie Rodrigues / News Editor
January 8, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Pittsburgh emergency personnel transported a man to an undisclosed hospital in stable condition after an incident Monday afternoon near Chesterfield Road and Fifth Avenue. According to Pittsburgh police spokesperson Alicia George, fire, EMS and police responded to the scene just after 4 p.m. The firs...
TPN Top 5 of 2017: A year in review
By Amanda Reed | Online Engagement Editor
January 8, 2018
Most-Viewed Stories of 2017 Students tackle gun-toting assailants on Friday (Jan. 31, 2017) Three Pitt students fought off three assailants in January, striking back when one suspect pointed a gun at them. The three students thwarted the men by tackling them to the ground, and left uninjured — although s...
Sustainable farming gets an urban upgrade
By Anish Salvi | Staff Writer
January 8, 2018
Filed under News, Tech Science, Top Stories
Kareem Adam Rabbat formed an appreciation for nature from fishing with his father as a young boy, which eventually led him to join an initiative as an adult to find sustainable ways of getting fresh food to people. “That kind of instilled in me a great value for the outdoors,” Rabbat said. “...
Going through the gap: taking time off before college
By Anna Borgandino | Senior Staff Writer
January 8, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
After realizing she waited too long to apply for a visa that would be ready in time for her first semester at Pitt, Iolanda Neto had a decision to make. She could either apply for entry in the spring 2015 semester — like her mother urged her to do — or take a gap year.a “I didn’t have a pressing urge to take a...
Longtime residents reminisce about old Oakland
By David Solomon | Staff Writer
January 8, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
At the corner of Bates and McKee streets sits Groceria Merante, an Italian grocery that’s been situated in the neighborhood for nearly four decades. Walk inside and Salvatore Merante, age 86, may be there to ring you up or reminisce about the Oakland he used to know — a calm family neighborhood,...
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...
The year in photos: 2017
By TPN Photo Staff
December 21, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, News, Visual
Swimmers dive in for the 50-yard freestyle in Saturday's meet against Florida State on Jan. 13.(Photo by John Hamilton). Bird droppings cover a bus stop outside the William Pitt Union in January. (Photo by Thomas Yang) A woman yells for fellow protesters to "make a wall" during a protest in Washington, D.C., on the day of Donald Trump's inauguration, J...
Gallagher responds to communication department harassment claims
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
December 20, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher responded to allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination in Pitt's Department of Communication Wednesday in an email to the Pitt community. The email is a response to a recent Ms. Magazine blog post, written by a former Pitt professor, alleging sexual harassment and d...
Peduto names Gilman chief of staff, triggering District 8 special election
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
December 19, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Mayor Bill Peduto named City Councilman Dan Gilman his new chief of staff, vacating a seat in Pittsburgh’s eighth district, which includes part of Oakland. Gilman, who has served on city council since 2013, will begin working at his new position on Jan. 3, the first day of Peduto’s second term...
Pitt Title IX to investigate harassment allegations from early 2000s
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
December 16, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, News, Top Stories
Pitt’s Title IX office will open an investigation after a former professor published an article Wednesday alleging harassment and discrimination in the Department of Communication in the early 2000s. Carol Stabile, a professor in Pitt’s Department of Communication from 1994-2005, described her ...
Police issue crime alert after burglary on Meyran
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
December 16, 2017
Pitt police issued a crime alert after a burglary Friday evening. Pitt Police and City police responded to a crime that occurred between 3 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday on the 300 block of Meyran Avenue. According to the alert, the victim said someone entered the building through an open door between...
Pitt grad students file for union election
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
December 15, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News
Graduate students at Pitt filed for a union election Friday, indicating that at least 30 percent of Pitt grad students have signed union cards. Students delivered union cards to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board in Harrisburg Friday afternoon. An election could take place early next year if Pitt...
Making the grade: Professors set aside time to score student work
By Salina Pressimone, Caroline Bourque and Rachel Glasser | TPN Staff
December 11, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Last weekend you could probably find Leonardo Solano buried in the dissertation room of Hillman, or pocketed away somewhere in Panera Bread, grading 160 pages of undergraduate Spanish papers. While it usually takes graduate students such as Solano a long time to grade papers during the semester, finals...
Seniors secure plans in last semester
By Laura Howe | Staff Writer
December 10, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Speaking from experience, Aikta Rajput has some pretty simple advice for Pitt undergrads — be positive. “Don’t sweat anything. Don’t be upset for more than five minutes, don’t fight with your friends, don’t take anything too seriously because it goes by so fast,” she said. “You’re goi...
Police issue crime alert after burglary on Juliet
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
December 9, 2017
Pitt police issued a crime alert after a burglary was reported early Saturday morning. Pitt and city police responded to the crime at 1:37 a.m. Saturday on the 3300 block of Juliet Street. According to the alert, the victim stated that an unknown person or multiple people entered his first floor apartment b...
University presents plan for sustainability
By Elise Lavallee and Caroline Bourque
December 8, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, News
When Ward Allebach took the podium — immediately slipping a Christmas-themed Hawaiian shirt over his button-up and placing a Santa hat on his head — he described what he had in mind for a sustainability showcase for projects “past and present.” “We were calling this the whole ‘ghost o...
Students contend with Christmas
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
December 8, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
The Cathedral of Learning is adorned with tinsel and stringed lights, Schenley Plaza is lined with luminescent Christmas trees and holiday songs can be heard in almost every building on campus. For many, this show of holiday spirit is part of the buildup to the biggest holiday of the year — Christma...
Pitt upgrades physics resources
By Anish Salvi | For The Pitt News
December 7, 2017
Filed under News, Tech Science
Pitt’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has received a new gadget that will help students make massive academic strides in the near future. Pitt acquired Extrel’s educational mass spectrometer, IQ-2000, in October. The device — which identifies gases based on their molecular mass to charge rat...
Toomey’s got mail: Grad students deliver letters
By Rachel Glasser | News Editor
December 7, 2017
The Grinch is best known for stealing Christmas, but he left Whoville and showed up on the doorstep of U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s Downtown office Wednesday. It was a blustery day, windy and in the low 40s, but Ph.D. epidemiology student Abby Cartus attributed the conditions to something other than ...
SGB reflects on meeting with administration
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
December 6, 2017
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
At Student Government Board’s last public meeting of the semester Tuesday night, SGB President Max Kneis discussed the board’s lunch earlier that day with Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, Senior Vice Chancellor and Provost Patricia Beeson and Senior Vice Chancellor for Engagement and the Secretary of...
Pitt alum speaks about science policy
By Amanda Finney | Staff Writer
December 6, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Tech Science, Uncategorized
Women in STEM often leave their jobs mid-career to spend more time with their families, but then later struggle to integrate back into the workplace. To help women in this situation regain their careers, Martha Merrill worked to implement a STEM reentry workshop. This job is just one of the posi...
Athletes, educators discuss activism in sports
By Brian Salvato | For The Pitt News
December 6, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Sports, Sports Features, Top Stories
When former third-string Pitt kicker Ian Troost took a knee during the national anthem at the team’s Oct. 14 loss to NC State, his motivation was rooted in his background. “My reason, other than to highlight police brutality and social injustice in the United States, was because I came from a b...
Police arrest man after continued harassment claims
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
December 5, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, Crime, News
Pitt police arrested a man Tuesday night after issuing a bulletin alerting students of his potential presence in Oakland and citing several female students who said he “made them feel uncomfortable.” “We would like our community to be aware of a suspicious subject identified as Daniel Dintin...
Pitt police use Taser on woman
By Rachel Glasser | News Editor
December 5, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Pitt police deployed a Taser on a woman who fled from UPMC Presbyterian Monday morning. A video aired on WTAE shows the woman wearing a hospital gown walking along Forbes Avenue in the direction of traffic on the road. Pitt police shouted at her to stop moving, but she continued to walk. A University...
Hurricane brings Puerto Rican law students to Pitt
By Laura Howe | Staff Writer
December 4, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
When Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico in September, it left almost the entire island without electricity, and residents had limited access to food and water. David Canino was thankful for the bare essentials. “Even though I didn’t have water or light, nothing happened to my house. S...
Pitt professor placed on Forbes “30 Under 30” list
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
December 4, 2017
Filed under News, Tech Science, Top Stories
Hao Sun sees little difference between monitoring the health of buildings and bridges and monitoring the health of human bodies. “In the human body, we have the nervous system so when you feel something abnormal or if you’re sick, your nervous system can tell this information,” Sun said. “I...
Holiday open house features plans for new Nationality Room
By Elise Lavallee, Contributing Editor
December 4, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Adorned with Christmas decorations, filled with the aroma of food and ringing with music and conversation, the Cathedral’s atmosphere matched that of a holiday bazaar. The Nationality Room and Intercultural Exchange Programs hosted their 26th annual Holiday Open House Sunday from noon to 4 p.m....
Union organizers talk tax bill, moving forward
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
December 4, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Graduate students sexually harassed or assaulted by a faculty member have the option to file a claim with the Title IX office.But Hillary Lazar said a graduate student union would help hold Title IX and the University accountable, pressing the office and the administration to investigate these types ...
Asian student groups craft culture showcase
By David Soloman | Staff Writer
December 4, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Several students engaged in matches of Rock, Paper, Scissors on Saturday to see who would ascend Mount Everest first. This did not take place in the Himalayas, but rather as a game held in the O’Hara Student Center as part of the XSA Asian Culture Fair Saturday. Groups of students roamed around ...
Students reconcile religion, identity
By Sid Lingala | Staff Writer
December 1, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Bridget Duffy felt uncomfortable practicing her family religion of Catholicism when she found out same-sex couples could not get married in Catholic churches and infants of same-sex couples were not allowed to be baptized. “I’m a traditional person. But I need someone else to tell me that God does...
Alum studies safety of nuclear energy
By David Solomon | For The Pitt News
December 1, 2017
Filed under News, Tech Science, Top Stories
Sola Talabi always had a vision that one day he would “turn the lights on in Africa.” “Five thousand children die every day in Africa because they don't have access to power,” he said. “I call that an emergency.” Talabi’s vision motivated him to spend the last 20 years pursuing a cost-effectiv...
Student immerses in African cultures
By Hannah Schneider, Staff Writer
December 1, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Speaking about his travels to Africa, Derric Heck described his experiences researching African cultures as “amazing.” “It was not only informative for me, it was transformative,” Heck said. About 20 students gathered in Posvar Hall Thursday afternoon to attend a discussion Heck led, titled ...
Share your experiences of hate and bias on campus
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
November 30, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
The Pitt News is joining ProPublica’s Documenting Hate project to better report on incidents of hate, bias and harassment at Pitt — and we want to hear your stories. Reports of hate crimes are up nationwide, and college campuses are no exception. The Federal Bureau of Investigation received rep...
ASA, BAS explore racial identities, histories
By Anandhini Narayanan | Staff Writer
November 30, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When Olivia Carter asked the 20-something students gathered in a single-file line in the William Pitt Union to step back if they’d ever “endured physical or verbal abuse due to [their] race,” the majority of them moved out of line. This “line game” was part of a larger conversation about rac...
Committee to consider sustainable investment
By Madison Hook | Staff Writer
November 30, 2017
Filed under Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
Student activist Sarah Grguras says people often ask her what the money Pitt invests in the fossil fuel industry could go toward. Her response? “Literally anything.” “They could invest in the Pittsburgh public schools, or they could invest in us,” the junior environmental science and ...
Interactive crime map Nov. 21 to Nov. 28
By The Pitt News Staff
November 30, 2017
Date Time Building Address Summary Nov. 21 12:49 a.m. Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Pitt police confiscated a small amount of marijuana during a traffic stop. Nov. 21 1:30 a.m. Lothrop Hall 190 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 ...
Grad students rally against GOP tax plan
By Salina Pressimone | Staff Writer
November 30, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News
Andrew Bellesis faces new decisions about his career prospects as the recently introduced Republican tax bill looms over the potential cost of his next five years at Pitt. “We will defeat this bill,” Bellesis, a first-year biophysics Ph.D. student, said through his megaphone. “And in the lo...
Pitt political groups face off in first ‘great three-way debate’
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
November 29, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Ben Sheppard, president of Pitt’s Libertarian group Students for Liberty, went after both major political parties in his opening remarks during the first-ever three-way debate with the College Democrats and the College Republicans Tuesday night. “Tonight on stage, there are two other parties — on one hand...
SGB announces new student safety measures
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
November 29, 2017
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
Student Government Board member Ian Callahan announced at Tuesday’s meeting that the Rave Guardian app — an app created by Rave Mobile Safety that connects users with local security resources — is now available with features for Pitt students. Students who download the “blue light” app will be ...
Professor unearths Israeli heritage
By Zoe Pawliczek | Staff Writer
November 28, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Professor Jodi Magness embarked on a mission in 2011 to excavate the Huqoq synagogue in Israel with little idea of its contents — and with only an ancient village as its possible location. Unsure of whether they would find anything, Magness’ team randomly picked a square as their first dig site and d...
Students discuss porn industry’s repercussions
By Jaime Weinreb | For The Pitt News
November 28, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
According to the Pornhub’s 2016 Year in Review, nearly 92 billion videos were viewed in on the porn streaming website in 2016 alone. “We’ve all watched it, it’s everywhere,” junior Elena Stains said after presenting the statistic. About 10 people attended the “Let’s Talk About ...
Latino youth well-being lacking in Pennsylvania, study finds
By Lauren Forsythe | Staff Writer
November 27, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Health, News
Monica Ruiz said people are often unwilling to give funding to help the Latino community — which can include undocumented immigrants. “I say it’s easier to find funding for a box of puppies who are left on the street corner to help them than it is to find funding to help undocumented folks,”...
Study looks to link brain activity, suicidal thoughts
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
November 27, 2017
Filed under News, Tech Science, Top Stories
After contributing work to a study on brain activity, Marcel Just described the effort to better understand human thought as “a psychologist’s dream.” “Scientifically, it is fantastically interesting if you could assess the content of a thought,” Just, the director of the Center for Cogn...
Students dedicate time to developing drone
By Anish Salvi | For The Pitt News
November 20, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Tech Science
Levi Burner had dreamed of making a flying machine since he was 8 years old. The junior electrical engineering student finally got his chance when he started to build a drone for the International Aerial Robotics Competition more than a year ago. “The fact that we have found a competition that ...
Pitt and CMU students pitch products
By Nina Kneuer | Staff Writer
November 19, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Christopher Dumm made an auditorium of 50 people laugh when he pulled an old surgical retractor out of a bag and tossed it on the ground in front of him. Dumm wasn’t a comedian, but rather a student innovator trying to pitch his idea for a new form of surgical retractor in less than 90 seconds ...
SASA, BAS converse about colorism
By Hannah Schneider, For The Pitt News
November 19, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Until about two weeks ago, Anvit Rai wasn’t familiar with the concept of colorism. “I had heard of [colorism], but I didn’t know how pervasive or important it was,” Rai said. “To a degree, I always thought that colorism was racism. I didn’t know it was a completely separate entity.” ...
Students demand disarmament
By Janine Faust, Assistant News Editor
November 19, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
A group of students marched throughout Oakland Friday afternoon waving flags and signs with slogans such as “Disarm the police, arm your desire” and chanting “A.C.A.B., all cops are bastards.” Their words elicited varying reactions from observers. “Go home commies!” someone yelled fro...
Student rally concludes “occupation” peaceful
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
November 18, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
About 50 students participated in a rally held on Towers patio Friday afternoon. The rally marked the end of an “occupation” of the Cathedral of Learning which began. A small group of students went to Chancellor Patrick Gallagher’s office Tuesday with a letter of 15 demands, including disarming the Pi...
Student renters raise the bar off-campus
By David Solomon and Olivia Kolesar | For The Pitt News
November 17, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
In his spare time this summer, Garrett Heid got crafty with some IKEA furniture he had lying around, a few pieces of wood and a 22-gauge stainless steel door from a fridge he found during his part-time construction job. “I don’t know if you know what 22-gauge steel is?” Heid said. “It’s basic...
Try before you buy: rentable items in Oakland
By Zoe Pawliczek | Staff Writer
November 17, 2017
For Pitt students of all ages, the end of the fall semester is a time for studying, planning vacations and searching for rentals — and not necessarily housing rentals. Students looking to try before they buy can check out a variety of rental services that fit into a college budget. While some ...
Student arrested in Hillman
By Janine Faust and Caroline Bourque | News Editors
November 16, 2017
Filed under Campus, Crime, News, Top Stories
Pitt police charged a student with obstructing administration of law or other government function and tampering with evidence at Hillman Library Tuesday night, according to University spokesperson Joe Miksch. Miksch said officers were investigating suspicious activity on a computer on the first floo...
Like father, like son: Barry Goldwater Jr. visits Pitt
By Brian Salvato | For The Pitt News
November 16, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
After college, Barry Goldwater Jr. decided to become a stockbroker, while his best friend studied to be a doctor. Their lives diverged from this point forward — and so did their income. “Does that mean that the government should come and take much of what he has earned? I say no,” Goldwater Jr. sai...
Student protestors stage Cathedral sit-in
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
November 15, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
A small group of students entered Chancellor Patrick Gallagher’s office Tuesday morning with a letter of 15 demands, including disarming University police. The letter also demanded the University vocally endorse a graduate student union, divest from fossil fuels, install a $15 Pitt-wide minimum wage ...
SGB plans to make diversity initiative permanent
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
November 15, 2017
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
Student Government Board Executive Vice President Zuri Kent-Smith announced Tuesday that the SGB Diversity Committee will be making the transition from an ad hoc committee to a prospective standing committee — a permanent committee within SGB. “[The committee is] looking at new ways to make SGB m...
Panel discusses women’s menstrual hygiene
By Anandhini Narayanan | Staff Writer
November 15, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
When Pittsburgh City councilwoman Natalia Rudiak received an email from the Department of Public Works — an organization dedicated to maintaining Pittsburgh’s infrastructure — about putting pad dispensers in the vicinity of public pools, she had to explain to them why their idea wouldn’t work....
Club hosts series on dating violence
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
November 14, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
A Pitt student’s death is still leaving a mark on campus, more than a month after her passing. In light of Alina Sheykhet’s death, Pitt Unmuted — a club created for survivors of sexual assault to share their stories — held a series of three events discussing the topic of intimate partner viol...
Law student sues Pitt, claiming Title IX complaint was mistreated
By The Pitt News Staff
November 13, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News
A former Pitt law student has sued the University, claiming Pitt employees mistreated her when they responded to a Title IX complaint she filed. Hannah Rullo filed a lawsuit Oct. 25 in the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh against the University of Pittsburgh saying she was subjected to gende...
Pitt alum potential CNN Hero of the Year for humanitarianism efforts
By Anna Bongardino | Contributing Editor
November 13, 2017
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
At the age of 22, Samir Lakhani spent several long and laborious days cleaning, sanitizing and compressing used bars of soap with one young Cambodian woman. The woman, Prornh Thearang, spoke no English, but the duo sat side-by-side for hours, listening to Cambodian folk music as they worked. Lakhan...
Panel sheds light on refugee mental health
By Amanda Finney | Staff Writer
November 13, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
If you had to make a list of your four most important things, tangible or intangible, what would they be? This is the question panelist Sarah Faulx posed to 40 audience members Friday night in William Pitt Union Dining Room B. After encouraging them to take out their phones and make the list, she...
Asian-American entertainer discusses representation
By Hannah Schneider, For The Pitt News
November 13, 2017
After her sister committed suicide in 2007, Anna Akana felt she had no purpose in life — until she was drawn into the world of stand-up comedy. “It’s the only thing that made me feel alive,” Akana said. But she wasn’t even aware comedy was a viable career path for her until she saw A...
Law professor underscores reproductive rights
By Laura Howe | For The Pitt News
November 10, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
An older man in the audience of a reproductive rights lecture looked around the room and commented on the lack of people like him. “You know, I think Rep. [Tim] Murphy summed up the whole problem, and that is men sort of abandon the issue or exclude themselves from the discussion until it immediate...
Community questions Bigelow plan
By Madison Hook | For The Pitt News
November 10, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Bigelow Boulevard has always divided campus, but now it’s dividing community members as well. The finalized street safety plan for Bigelow Boulevard — discussed during a community forum Thursday night — left longtime residents of Oakland questioning whether the changes would improve the commuting...
Protestors silently disagree with media mogul
By Sid Lingala | Staff Writer
November 9, 2017
Less than a few minutes into Christopher Ruddy’s presentation at the Pittsburgh Playhouse Wednesday night, about 30 Point Park University students stood up silently with their fists in the air, showing off shirts emblazoned with colorful messages such as “People not Profit” and “Love not Hate....
Student scores scholarship to start LGBTQ+ on campus
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
November 9, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Amy Kelley said she was “living the life.” Why? Because she got to hear Hillary Clinton speak and had people drive her around the nation’s capital as part of her invitation to attend the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner in Washington, D.C. Oct. 28. “It was really awesome,” Ke...
Student dissatisfaction aired at Master Plan focus groups
By Elise Lavallee | Contributing Editor
November 9, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When asked at a Campus Master Plan focus group meeting about what kind of future aesthetic students want Pitt to have, students made it clear that functionality comes before aesthetic for them. “Functionality first,” one student said, before others chimed in agreement. Students convened in the U...
SGB calls Beeson “champion of student input”
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
November 8, 2017
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
In response to Provost Patricia Beeson’s announcement that she will be stepping down from her current position, Student Government Board President Max Kneis referred to the Pitt provost as a “champion of student input” at Tuesday’s meeting. Beeson has spent eight years as provost, following 17 ye...
Students lament low voter turnout at local elections
By Hannah Schneider, For The Pitt News
November 8, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
After last year’s presidential election results, Zoe Kovacs didn’t expect to be one of the only people at the polls Tuesday. But when she showed up at Posvar Hall at 2 p.m., she was “appalled” to find she was only the 40th person to show up. “[The poll workers] were all cheering, ...
Possible peeper arrested in VA Hospital parking garage for spying on students in dorms
By Ashwini Sivaganesh / Editor-in-chief
November 7, 2017
Filed under Crime, News, Top Stories
A nurse at the Veteran Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Oakland was charged Monday with spying on Pitt students in upper campus dorms. Paul May, 56, a nurse at the hospital near Pitt’s upper campus, was charged with loitering and prowling, invasion of privacy and possessing instrume...
Provost Patricia Beeson to step down, return to faculty
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
November 7, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, News
Provost Patricia Beeson will step down from her position in fall 2018, Pitt announced Tuesday. The University currently has three deans who will also be stepping down at the same time as Beeson, leaving a multitude of leadership positions to fill by the start of the next academic year. Beeson wi...
Election guide: Amendments and judgeships on the ballot
By Rachel Glasser / News Editor
November 7, 2017
Filed under News, Top Stories
It’s election day in Pittsburgh — but don’t expect campus polling stations to be as crowded as last year’s election. Mayor Bill Peduto is running unopposed after winning the Democratic primary in May. And Oakland residents won’t have any decision to make on their city council member — incumbent Dan Gilman is also running unopposed. But...
Gubernatorial candidate gives take on economy, health care at Pitt
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
November 7, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When Paul Mango was at U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he had calculus six days a week. “I hope sitting here and listening to me is less painful than calculus at West Point on a Saturday morning,” the Republican primary candidate for governor joked before a crowd of Pitt students Monday ni...
Students simulate marginalized experiences
By Elise Lavallee | Contributing Editor
November 7, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
A young man sat at a table behind two black curtains in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Monday night. Across the table, two individuals intensely interrogated him. “What religion do you practice?” asked one. “What does your name mean?” followed the other. This scenario was part of Bo...
Hijab-wearing model advocates for modesty, Muslim women
By Zoe Pawliczek | Staff Writer
November 5, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Model Mariah Idrissi asked where she could buy a hijab in Pittsburgh while speaking at the William Pitt Union Saturday night. “Fashion is present very prominently in all of our lives, especially growing up in the [United States],” Amal Saeed, a junior molecular biology major and president of Muslim S...