New Pa. prison policies only oppress prisoners
By Jason Henriquez, For The Pitt News
12:58 am
PA Department of Corrections unveiled a set of bureaucratic policies for prisons designed to prevent recent drug trafficking incidents. But these policies won't protect citizens or inmates.
Focus on science — not profit — when passing laws
By Brian Gentry, Contributing Editor
September 18, 2018
As temperatures rise and extreme weather events become increasingly common, we need to anticipate the expected changes in climate and modify our plans for public and private infrastructure accordingly.
Beyond reform: Abolish ICE
By Jason Henriquez, For The Pitt News
September 16, 2018
Giving the power to deport naturalized citizens to ICE, an undemocratic organization dominated by the executive branch, opens the door to a multitude of injustices.
Harvard must end affirmative action policies
By Hayden Timmins and Neena Hagen, The Pitt News Staff
September 14, 2018
Affirmative action programs had good intentions back in the 1960s — and good results for racial minorities — but today they’re just weapons against high-achieving minorities like Asian Americans.
Exploring the Boot with Grace
By Grace McGinness, Blogger
September 14, 2018
Filed under Blogs, Columns, Opinions
During my orientation week as newly arrived first-year at Pitt, I picked up every study abroad flyer offered. I’d spent several years studying American history on U.S. soil already — I figured studying another country’s history on its soil would be a nice change of pace. Now, as a junior double...
Take a gap year before grad school
By Rachel Boward, For The Pitt News
September 12, 2018
Taking a gap year after graduation provides a break for students who’ve spent their lives in academia. It also allows students to discover a purpose outside of education and pursue job opportunities.
Get hired: a guide to your next job interview
By Maggie Koontz, Senior Columnist
September 12, 2018
Interviews aren’t difficult because of questions — but because you can only make one first impression on a potential employer. While resumes are important, so are your appearance and mannerisms.
To go to grad school or not to go to grad school… that is the question
By The Pitt News Staff
September 12, 2018
Our staff weighs in on whether or not they're planning on going to grad school
First days in Florence
By Grace McGinness, Staff Columnist
September 12, 2018
I decided to study abroad when the Italian culture charmed me during mandatory language classes in high school. A land with more than 1,000 years of history and each corner with its own distinct culture, I wanted more than anything to live and learn in Italy.
Education, not cameras, will solve student safety issues
By Sandy Fairclough, For The Pitt News
September 11, 2018
Until Pitt starts informing students about general safety in Oakland, cameras, SafeRider and other safety features around campus won’t be effective — so they won’t protect Pitt students.
Point-Counterpoint: Appoint Kavanaugh
By Hayden Timmins, Staff Columnist
September 10, 2018
Judge Kavanaugh would make an excellent Supreme Court justice. In an era where the legislative branch delegates superfluous amounts of power to the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh strictly opposes this.
Point-Counterpoint: Don’t appoint Kavanaugh
By Delilah Bourque, Staff Columnist
September 10, 2018
Kavanaugh's record as a U.S. circuit judge and his behavior during his confirmation hearings show he is a liar who doesn't follow the precedent of courts before him — which will be disastrous for the American people, especially women.
Poetry: Move-in on Meyran
By Maggie Koontz, Senior Columnist
September 6, 2018
cars parallel parked not quite bumper to bumper on residential streets minivans and moving vans packed to capacity trunks and doors slam open and shut people coming and going in and out of apartments carrying a couple chairs up the stairs mattresses held above their...
Poetry: Flash Through Four Years
By Maggie Koontz, Senior Columnist
September 6, 2018
first year here, eyes full of wonder and optimistic at heart. a taste of freedom far from my home. my dorm is not my own. a stranger in this city. sophomore scene isn’t what it seems. I am split be- tween two cities, not houseless, feeling homeless. everything minor is major ...
Breathe easier: More air quality regulations needed
By Brian Gentry, Contributing Editor
September 6, 2018
With the federal government waging a war against the environment, state and local authorities must enforce air quality regulations to protect public health.
Pitt’s community action plan won’t improve fraternity conduct
By Hayden Timmins, For The Pitt News
September 5, 2018
The new community action plan — which lifts Pitt's Greek Life probation from January — makes steps toward reforming frat culture at Pitt. It's a great first step, but not nearly enough to eradicate these appalling drug- and alcohol-related “accidents” at fraternities.
Reality TV needs to treat harassment more seriously
By Anne Marie Yurik, Staff Columnist
September 4, 2018
Incidents of misconduct or harassment should be presented in a more serious way on TV since they can impact not only those involved but also viewers and how they might react or respond to similar circumstances.
Reduce use of antibiotics in agriculture
By Delilah Bourque, Staff Columnist
August 31, 2018
It’s unnecessary and harmful to consumers to treat unafflicted creatures with antibiotics, and it’s cruel to inflate the growth of animals on industrial farms.
Harsher hazing law is a step in the right direction
By Maggie Durwald, Opinions Editor
August 30, 2018
Other states should model Tim’s Law to adopt harsher stances against hazing — to do so, they’ll need the help of activists like the Anti-Hazing Coalition as well as universities and Greek life.
Philippine Nationality Room highlights need for diversity
By Grace McGinness, For The Pitt News
August 29, 2018
The Philippine Nationality room is an important step in diversifying the Nationality Rooms, 20 of which represent white European countries.
Bike lanes are for cyclists only
By Brian Gentry, Contributing Editor
August 27, 2018
Drivers in Pittsburgh should support the development of bike infrastructure in the City, because it will not only make rides safer for cyclists — it will also ensure that bicycles come into less contact with cars, alleviating stress that drivers could face.
Catholic Church bears collective responsibility for sex crimes
By Neena Hagen, Assistant Opinions Editor
August 27, 2018
For decades, the Catholic Church has been hammered with sexual abuse allegations in countless dioceses across the globe — and just last week, six Pennsylvania dioceses joined that list in dramatic fashion.
Courses to spice up your fall schedule
By Maggie Durwald, Opinions Editor
August 26, 2018
Whether you want a course to fulfill a gen-ed requirement or decided to tweak your schedule so you can get out of that 8 a.m. lecture, here’s a list of 10 quirky, interesting courses offered this fall semester.
Host families enrich the study abroad experience
By Anna Bongardino, Contributing Editor
August 20, 2018
The most valuable experiences I had in Morocco were those that couldn’t have been more different from life in the United States — and that I would not have experienced had I stayed with other American students instead of my host family.
Pitt’s Public Health building is no longer Parran Hall – now what?
By Delilah Bourque, Staff Writer
August 20, 2018
Pitt’s Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to rename Parran Hall in July. But the question of what the building’s new name should be remains — as well as how Pitt should go about renaming it.
Pittsburgh will have to prepare if Amazon arrives
By Brian Gentry, Senior Columnist
August 20, 2018
Amazon is expected to announce later this year where it will house its HQ2. Regardless of the company’s decision, Pittsburgh’s best course of action is to develop preventative policies.
Point: Plastic straw bans are a beneficial beginning
By Joshua Jordan, For The Pitt News
August 20, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Welcome Back 2018
The growing trend among cities and corporations of banning plastic straws is an attainable undertaking that will benefit the environment and human health.
Counterpoint: Plastic straw bans are an erroneous endeavor
By Neena Hagen, Senior Columnist
August 20, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Welcome Back 2018
These policies may be well-intentioned, but one glance at the data reveals they are misguided, unnecessary and even potentially harmful.
Campus ‘Goatscapers’ help the environment, look cute
By Maggie Durwald, Senior Columnist
August 20, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Welcome Back 2018
While the 12 goats the University employed seems like only one small step in the ambitious Pitt Sustainability Plan, it has had a big effect.
State should step up to address rising tuition
By Janine Faust, Opinions Editor
August 20, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Welcome Back 2018
Pennsylvania colleges have some of the highest average tuition rates in the country. But instead of taking action to address the roots of the state’s student debt crisis, the state responded by introducing a new program that encourages families to prepare for when they fall victim to it.
5 obsolete jobs we need to bring back
By Kim Rooney, Contributing Editor
July 18, 2018
There’s plenty of best-paying job lists you may feel tempted to pore over. But before you do, consider the careers that fell by the wayside in the past decades or centuries.
City should keep improving bus routes to Downtown for all
By Brian Gentry, Senior Columnist
July 18, 2018
It is vital that the city delivers on its promise to provide quick access to Downtown for the communities that need it most.
The ascension of STEM doesn’t mean humanities are sinking
By Neena Hagen | Senior Columnist
July 11, 2018
In a world with an ever-increasing number of tech startups and engineering firms, our economy seems destined to be dominated by STEM specialists — which leaves universities scrambling to reinvent their educational offerings. Colleges are peppering their classrooms with expensive instruments and spending...
US actions toward Venezuela contradict professed concern
By Gabriela Cadahia | For The Pitt News
June 27, 2018
Venezuela, once the richest country in Latin America, is currently in the midst of an economic collapse of unprecedented magnitude. Falling oil prices and political corruption have sent the country into a spiral of hyperinflation and hunger that has forced 1.8 million people to flee in the past two ye...
China is phasing out its one-child policy for the wrong reasons
By Kim Rooney | Contributing Editor
June 20, 2018
The small oval scar on the top of my left arm goes unnoticed by most. They have no reason to look, since the United States stopped administering the smallpox vaccination in 1972. Even I forget it’s there, until news from across the ocean reminds me that it’s the physical marker of China, a country that...
The Pittsburgh pride of today ignores its roots
By Anaïs Foss | For The Pitt News
June 13, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Top Stories
As a member of a community under constant attack, attending pride celebrations used to feel like a breath of fresh air for me. Pride was always a space to be out safely and celebrate myself with other queer people. But things have changed. Pittsburgh Pride has been sponsored by natural gas compa...
Pittsburgh Zoo should not expand breeding program
By Gabriela Cadahia | For The Pitt News
June 6, 2018
Last summer, the Pittsburgh Zoo euthanized its only elephant calf — Little Bit, a premature three-month-old rejected by her mother who had stopped eating due to painful teething. PETA criticized the zoo for the way it handled Little Bit’s health and death — and this wasn’t the first time. The animal rights organization has criticized the zoo befor...
Editorial: Supreme Court’s decision hurts LGBTQ+ community
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
June 6, 2018
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed “hostility” toward a local baker when it decided he had discriminated against gay couple by refusing to bake a cake for their wedding in 2012. The ruling avoided a larger question the case presented, which is whether Jack Phil...
Staying single is the best choice when it comes to Pitt dorms
By Neena Hagen | Senior Columnist
May 30, 2018
As a first-year moving into Tower B, my first day of college mirrored everyone else’s — I scampered gleefully into Towers garage to retrieve my housing cart and impatiently waited for the elevator that would take me to meet my roommate. But unlike everyone else, my roommate left campus a couple w...
Respect Las Palmas: Stop purchasing ‘trendy’ ethnic food
By Jeremy Wang | Senior Columnist
May 30, 2018
Nestled away on Atwood Street is an Oakland gem that’s the stuff of legends — Las Palmas. As a big fan of Tex-Mex and home cooking, I do most of my grocery shopping at this small Mexican grocery store, where I can find ingredients such as jicama or prickly pears that conventional stores don’t carry...
Schenley Quad’s parking lot should have stayed
By Joshua Jordan | For The Pitt News
May 30, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Uncategorized
Not many students actually relied on the parking lot in Schenley Quadrangle for parking — but it served other purposes for carless Quad residents. It was instrumental as a pick-up and drop-off point for Ubers and allowed families to park right by dorms on moving days. But this useful transportat...
Don’t trivialize recreational clubs in college
By Grace McGinness | For The Pitt News
May 30, 2018
Before students even set foot on campus, they’re hit with the same phrase a thousand times — “college will be the best four years of of your life.” While cliche and outdated, that saying accomplishes its intended, albeit dangerous, goal — to cajole us into embracing college with open arms. Yet ...
Summer classes serve several purposes
By Justin Fekete | For The Pitt News
May 30, 2018
After final exams week for the spring term ends, most students feel they will get along fine without looking at a syllabus or opening another textbook until August. Many start preparing for internships, jobs or, for the lucky ones, endless hours of sleep. Taking more classes isn’t always the first...
Not just a sports city: Pittsburgh culture is hidden but vibrant
By Sarah Connor, Contributing Editor
May 30, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Columns, Opinions
I grew up in a small town about 25 miles outside of the City — near the Pittsburgh International Airport — called Moon Township. It was common for people from my town to attend schools in and around the City, and I come from a long line of Pitt alumni. But I was independent as a kid and wanted to have new...
Student restaurant deals should go beyond Oakland
By Delilah Bourque | Columnist
May 30, 2018
The best part of being a Pitt student is the endless dining options available around campus — and the deals that come with them. Whether it’s late-night, half-price pizzas at The Porch or Stack’d’s half-off appetizers during weeknight happy hours, you’re sure to satisfy your hungry stomach ...
U.S., like Ireland, needs to move forward on abortion laws
By Anne-Marie Yurik | Columnist
May 30, 2018
Ireland overturned the Eighth Amendment of its constitution May 25, effectively ending one of the world’s most restrictive bans on abortion and allowing room for more progressive laws to emerge in Ireland. Meanwhile, the United States seems to be moving backwards. The Supreme Court this week refus...
Pitt should expand artificial intelligence program
By Janine Faust | Opinions Editor
May 23, 2018
Pitt announced Monday morning a new institute that will bring researchers together to utilize computational skills — including artificial intelligence — to take a closer look at and possibly offer solutions to issues like the opioid epidemic and climate change. The announcement came less than two weeks af...
Pitt needs to pass on dining passes
By Grace McGinness | For The Pitt News
May 16, 2018
When I packed up my bags and headed off to college, I knew it was the end of home-cooked dinners and my all-access pass to the kitchen. No longer would I be able to grab a slice of peanut butter toast on the go — I’d need to spend a whole meal swipe just to use a toaster. But there was one issue I was completely unp...
Don’t let responsibilities ruin your summer
By Brian Gentry | Senior Columnist
April 23, 2018
When I was a kid and it got above 90 degrees, my parents would put out a sprinkler in the lawn and my brother and I would spend hours running back and forth through the water. My parents would work in the garden on weekends, watching us tire ourselves out. When we felt especially daring, my brother a...
Everyone has a right to self-care
By Erica Brandbergh | Columnist
April 23, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Top Stories
It’s all over the media — images of white women pampering themselves in spas or going shopping in the name of self-care. If you were to trust the advertising of places like these, you’d think the only people who ever even need de-stressing were from places like Beverly Hills or the Hamptons. It...
Prepare, don’t despair: Pitt students need reading days
By Neena Hagen | Senior Columnist
April 23, 2018
If you’re a Pitt student, looking at your school’s academic calendar is never fun. Your eyes scan the page filled with dates, head hung in despair as you realize Pitt has perhaps the skimpiest breaks of any university out there — including finals preparation, offering students one measly reading day...
Friday Fly: Market Central vs. The Perch
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
April 20, 2018
“Friday Fly” is a recurring column dedicated to a fly on the wall’s perspective on campus spots and daily life here at Pitt. This is the fifth installment. A boy in a Penguins jersey takes a bite out of his cheeseburger, his head tilted as he thoughtfully looks outside. He eats alone, like many of...
Facebook hearing puts double standard on display
By Hayden Timmins | For The Pitt News
April 19, 2018
With more than 2.2 billion users, Facebook is the largest social media platform on the planet. So when news surfaced last month that Facebook was involved in a serious privacy scandal, people were understandably outraged. As many as 87 million people were affected by a significant breach in user pri...
Don’t exploit sex and sexuality for the sake of learning
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
April 18, 2018
When I came to Pitt as a first-year student last fall, I was excited to take a class called Sexuality and Representation. I had never been able to take anything like it in high school, and it seemed like a great opportunity to analyze gender and sexuality through different books, short essays and speeche...
Parran legacy undermines mission of Pitt Public Health
By Delilah Bourque | Columnist
April 17, 2018
Since members of the Pitt Graduate School of Public Health and of the Graduate Student Union announced they were petitioning the University to rename Parran Hall — one of the two main public health buildings on campus — the legacy of Thomas Parran Jr. has been in question. Those opposed to renaming the building argue Parran’s contributions to the field of public health were great, including being a founding...
Love can thrive, no matter the distance
By Erica Brandbergh | Columnist
April 16, 2018
The first thing I do when I wake up every day is send my boyfriend a good-morning text. When he gets my message, his day is winding down — he’ll be going to bed in just a few hours. There are 11,371 miles separating us. He lives in Perth, a city on the coast of Western Australia, while I’m ...
Point: Going out in Oakland gives a feeling of home
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
April 13, 2018
Read Assistant Opinions Editor Sarah Shearer's counterpoint column here. Like most Pitt students of age, I only really have a hazy recollection — at best —of going to Peter’s Pub on my 21st birthday last summer. It was late May, and the usually jammed upper dance floor was a fraction les...
Counterpoint: Going out in Oakland isn’t worth the time
By Sarah Shearer | Assistant Opinions Editor
April 13, 2018
Read Opinions Editor Henry Glitz's point column here. I was flipping through last year’s journal and found a pie chart I drew on one of the pages. I had divided it into two sections — the smaller third read “I like wine this much,” and the larger two-thirds, “and tea this much.” Be...
Treat being under 21 like the disease it is
By Delilah Bourque | For The Pitt News
April 13, 2018
We’ve all seen them before — the people sitting almost alone at a typical restaurant and bar, interacting with a large group of people seated at a table while sitting at their own, just out of arm’s reach of their friends. They don’t have any kind of disease — not a contagious one, at least ...
Column: Anime’s growth in America encourages diverse viewpoints
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
April 12, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Uncategorized
As I stepped into the mysterious pod, ready to pilot a giant robot and fight squadrons of other giant robots, my life felt complete. My recent gaming experience at Tekko 2018, the 16th annual Pittsburgh Japanese cultural convention, probably wouldn’t have been possible without anime’s current impact on ...
#MeToo in the office: pay attention to women
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
April 11, 2018
My family often sits down together on holidays or birthdays to have dinner — served by the women — at my grandmother's house. After dinner, the table is crowded with leftovers, dirty dishes and empty glasses. The women all stand up from the table to walk around, pick up the dirty dishes and go to t...
Remember Rana Plaza by shopping ethically
By Sandra Fairclough | For The Pitt News
April 10, 2018
At a textile factory in Dhaka District, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, workers were beginning to worry. Increasing evidence warned them that the building was unsafe — such as cracks in the walls and structural shaking. Most were nervous to return to their jobs. But their employers told them th...
“Blockers” breaks with problematic tropes
By Delilah Bourque | For The Pitt News
April 8, 2018
When I had the opportunity two weeks ago to see “Blockers” on campus before the release date, I dragged my friends out with me, ready to be disgusted. We all shared similar sentiments about how the movie looked generally pretty bad. In the age of #MeToo, the Women’s March and other rising femini...
“Superstar” showing devalues meaning of Easter
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
April 6, 2018
Imagine you’re watching an image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ — one of the most dramatic moments in the Christian faith — on your TV screen. Now add in a crowd of screaming, cheering fans. How do you feel? If you were a Christian watching NBC’s broadcast of “Jesus Christ Superstar Li...
Brookline Las Palmas takes laid-back approach to Mexican food
By Jeremy Wang | Senior Columnist
April 5, 2018
As I crossed the Monongahela River and into the tunnel under Mount Washington, I realized I was entering into a part of Pittsburgh — the South Hills — I’d never seen before. Driving up a steep road into the neighborhood of Brookline, the surroundings were cold, windy and empty — with the ex...
Labels — even hyphenated ones — don’t tell the whole story
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
April 3, 2018
After being introduced as a lover of the Constitution, Satvika Neti tripped onto the stage in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Saturday afternoon, sporting a white “We the people” undershirt. Neti was one of five speakers at Saturday’s TEDx event, which focused on a single topic — Rethin...
Women in STEM events demolish discrimination
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
April 3, 2018
When it comes to the major revenue-generating sources, it’s no secret that women face disadvantages in the workforce. And when it comes to STEM fields, this gender gap is even wider. With men holding the majority of STEM-related careers, I don’t need to be a STEM major to know the struggle women ...
Church needs more than the Bible to convince an atheist
By Neena Hagen | Senior Columnist
April 2, 2018
As I nervously opened the large glass doors of North Way Christian Community last Sunday and stepped inside, I looked around and breathed a sigh of relief — jeans were indeed an acceptable clothing choice. People drinking coffee and sitting at tables before the service started upstairs gave an almost...
‘Little House on the Prairie’ offers modern-day reflection
By Mariam Shalaby | Senior Columnist
March 30, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Uncategorized
Seeking respite from a relentless flu last month, I took my childhood favorite “Little House on the Prairie” from my bookshelf. Curling up on the couch, I wondered what kept drawing me back to the story I’ve loved since I was a young girl. I chuckled. What could I, an Egyptian-Chinese daughter of Muslim...
Scandals trump news that matters
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
March 29, 2018
You may or may not have heard about the school shooting that took place last week at Great Mills High School in Maryland. Two students were shot, and the teenage murderer committed suicide briefly after. The day of the shooting, my friend in the area was shocked and feared for her community. But when s...
Women in STEM initiatives push flawed focus
By Neena Hagen | Senior Columnist
March 28, 2018
As a female actuarial mathematics student, you don’t have to tell me that my gender puts me in the minority in my academic field. That’s why I’m never surprised when feminist activists point out the gender gap in STEM — what really loses me is how they tell me I should feel about it. Univ...
What I learned from Chris Dayer
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
March 27, 2018
The smile on my face didn’t wear off for at least half an hour after the last time I saw Chris Dayer, the week before spring break. Chris, his girlfriend Amanda and I had met for a late lunch after our classes had ended for the day. I hadn’t seen either in a few weeks, and despite having known h...
‘Salam Neighbor’ affirms that personal relationships are gateway to change
By Julia Kadis | For The Pitt News
March 23, 2018
Think back to your favorite memories of elementary school. Some of them probably have nothing to do with learning at all — recess, snow days, early releases. Many of us loved the breaks from working and would always be thinking about the next time we’d be able to relax. Most of us, however, also had the privilege ...
HACP listens to community housing concerns
By Delilah Bourque | For The Pitt News
March 21, 2018
There are about 2,500 households in Pittsburgh right now that’ve been waiting — and waiting and waiting. These families are on a waiting list that closed in 2015 for rent subsidies in the form of a housing voucher. Housing Choice Vouchers are a hot commodity, and the City of Pittsburgh knows ...
Republicans: Step up to stop Haspel, Pompeo
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
March 20, 2018
Headlines flashing over cable news networks last week might have given you 2017 deja vu. Last January, it was President Donald Trump’s nomination of then-Kansas Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo for the position of CIA director. Eyeing Pompeo’s ambivalence on civil rights issues like the use of torture and dom...
PA liquor laws leave students, citizens to dry
By Neena Hagen | Columnist
March 19, 2018
udeIt’s St. Patrick’s Day, and you’re struggling to maneuver around the sticky, crowded dance floor in a stranger’s cramped basement. Someone bumps into you, causing you to almost spill the beer in your right hand. But you don’t care — these kinds of party scenes in college are common. A...
Arming teachers takes a step in the wrong direction
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
March 15, 2018
Teachers have a long list of supplies they absolutely need for their classrooms: poster boards, markers, textbooks, pencils and now — if President Donald Trump has his way — guns. With recent debates over the best way to approach mass shootings, some Americans believe the best way to protect against...
It’s Pi Day, again. And no one cares, again — except some.
By Neena Hagen | Columnist
March 14, 2018
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Top Stories
Growing up, every child has their favorite holiday. Maybe it’s Halloween — dressing up in frightening costumes, parading around the neighborhood to collect bite-sized goodies from generous neighbors. For many more, it’s Christmas, a day characterized by torn-apart, decorated wrapping paper and exciti...
Special election signals shifting national politics
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
March 12, 2018
Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District, a slice of pro-President Donald Trump territory located just south of Pittsburgh, is poised to flip from Republican to Democratic in today’s special election. Democrat Conor Lamb, a 33-year-old former Marine, may snag the seat from Republican Rick Sacco...
Buffalo to Belize: Vignettes from spring break
By The Pitt News Staff
March 12, 2018
Hot takes painting college students as overgrown babies aside, it’s hard work studying at a school like Pitt — and we all need a break every now and again. Whether we sought out our reprieves from schoolwork at home or abroad, we here on the Opinions section staff took full advantage of our week off to esc...
Poetry: Rainy days
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
March 2, 2018
Rain runs down the misted windowpane, slide, slick, slip liquid lengthening, water accumulating from a drop to a drip, bumping together, absorbing one into the other. Pitter-patter against the glass. Dangerous clouds rumble in the distance. Lightning strikes, but only once...
Poetry: A game of snakes
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
March 2, 2018
I slide my red and yellow headphones onto my head, the cushions covering my ears, and I plug myself in. I push play to begin the game. Music slips into my ears from both sides of my headphones, a literal earworm entering my brain. The notes caress my inner ear before sp...
Poetry: The fourth estate is media
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
March 2, 2018
A heavy stack sits in my hands but the true burden is elsewhere. The thin paper is curled at the edges, a fresh, virgin-white newspaper not yet yellowed by time's cruel curse. It speaks of the future, of achieving an age of perfection, yet I know we will never reach such a time. It...
Focus on policy to fight climate change
By Brian Gentry | Columnist
March 1, 2018
Pitt students, alumni and environmental enthusiasts arrived at the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Monday to hear Steven Cohen give a lecture on climate change. Cohen is an unassuming New York City professional dressed in a black suit, black shoes and a striped tie. And behind his appearance are imm...
Don’t pin blame on violent games
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
February 28, 2018
Imagine being able to punch a ninja through the chest, rip out their heart and then squeeze it to drink the remaining blood left for nourishment. All it takes is two fatal words — “finish him” — to violently kill an opponent this way while playing “Mortal Kombat.” In fact, the violence in t...
How Trump uses language to divide
By Maggie Durwald | Columnist
February 27, 2018
We are no longer a nation of immigrants. In fact, it seems we’d rather not entertain the tired, poor and huddled masses — or their better-off, more educated peers — at all. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said as much in an email sent out to staff Feb. 22, announcing that it would be ...
Progressives: stick to debating issues, not insults
By Neena Hagen | Columnist
February 26, 2018
Across the country, from college campuses to TV stations to Washington, D.C., political tension has reached a fever pitch. Wednesday’s “Redistribution of Wealth” debate at the William Pitt Union aptly reflected the growing ideological divide in the United States today — in this case, economi...
Friday Fly: The Pitt News
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
February 22, 2018
“Friday Fly” is a recurring column dedicated to a fly on the wall’s perspective on campus spots and daily life here at Pitt. This is the fourth installment. The Pitt News is not a typical workplace. For most of the students who churn out the daily paper, there is no such thing as a short shi...
Lamb misses the mark on gun issues
By Jeremy Wang | Senior Columnist
February 22, 2018
Southwestern Pennsylvania loves its guns. And for many Democrats outside Pittsburgh’s City limits, that part of the region’s culture has become a stumbling block to winning public office. Throughout his campaign, Conor Lamb — the Democratic candidate for March’s special election in Pennsyl...
#YouToo: Bosses, Take Action for Your Employees
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
February 21, 2018
You’re a young person, freshly starting your career and beginning to make a name for yourself. You are entrusted with big tasks, like handling confidential material, managing the business’ account and leading the new public relations campaign. Now, imagine that, like an unfortunate mirror of your own accomp...
Student election interest starts with SGB slates
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
February 20, 2018
It wasn’t until Monday of last week that I realized it was election season for Student Government Board. I, along with all 19,325 of my peers, are responsible today for voting in a new student body president who will be a voice for all undergraduates on campus. Although I thought the reason I d...
Florida shooting should be a wake up call
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
February 19, 2018
Valentine’s Day is usually a holiday of showing care and appreciation for loved ones — but for many living in South Florida, it was a day of mourning and loss. February 14, 2018, just became a day marking one of the deadliest mass shootings in the United States. Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old who had previ...
Biden begs the presidential question
By Maggie Durwald | Columnist
February 16, 2018
I settled into my seat at the Carnegie Music Hall Monday night, surrounded by cheering audience members, whose exclamations of “Run, Joe, run!” rang throughout the hall. Former Vice President Joe Biden had arrived in Pittsburgh. Biden’s 27th and final stop on his American Promise Tour took him to the Steel City Monday to talk about his ...
Vagina Monologues take on tired taboos
By Anne Marie Yurik | Columnist
February 15, 2018
Mere feet in front of me, a confident, talented, inspiring woman stood on stage, moaning before the audience in the William Pitt Union. She was holding a flogger in her hands and wearing nothing but red underpants, a garter belt and a blue blazer. I saw this woman in front of an audience Saturday night, not jus...
Single and ready to … stay that way
By Vaibhavi Patria | Columnist
February 14, 2018
It took me until my sophomore year to finally give up my need to be in a relationship. In the past, I constantly felt an urgency to date or be in committed relationships rather than casual ones. When I was dating people, I never truly felt happy and secure. But during the times I wasn’t dating, I...
Climate lawsuits point way for greener future
By Bryn Manion | For The Pitt News
February 13, 2018
Massive storm clouds raining torrents of water down on lower Manhattan, completely submerging subway cars. Huge plumes of smoke and fire, turning the sky orange over the hills alarmingly close to Los Angeles. The scenes of towns ravaged by hurricanes are reminiscent of an apocalyptic world. Cities...
esports make natural addition to Olympics
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
February 11, 2018
It’s the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Two combatants pick up pieces of plastic laced with electrical current and various input chambers. They do not face each other directly, but they fight on a screen — as Pikachu and Mario, respectively. This fight will decide who wins the 2026 Olympic Winter Ga...
Columnists’ careers in a college cocoon: vignettes from the opinions section
By The Pitt News Staff
February 9, 2018
We here at The Pitt News occupy a difficult space. For us, Pitt is both a presence in our classrooms as an educator and in our columns as an organization we have to keep accountable. We aren’t quite a club — TPN is independent from the University — and yet our location in the William Pitt Union keeps...
Seniors, take heart as graduation nears
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
February 9, 2018
Waking up at 9 a.m., my mind immediately goes to the activities of the day. When am I going to fit in time for meals? What homework did I forget? What am I going to do for the rest of my life? As a senior, I’ve gotten used to the pace of life in college — including gratuitously late wake-up ti...
Saying #MeToo in the streets, not just the tweets
By Alexis Buncich | Columnist
February 8, 2018
Me too. Me too. Me too. It’s been all over the news. It’s been all over your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds. As sexual assault survivors of all identities continue to speak out about their stories, it’s easy to get caught up in the increasingly visible culture of feminism and girl pow...