Editorial: Elephant death is tragic, but zoo does more good than harm
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
September 5, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
With Labor Day signalling the end of the summer season for many Pittsburghers, a number chose to take the day off to visit the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. Most came to see the animals. But after the deaths of a three-month-old elephant calf and the zoo’s oldest male tiger in rapid succession la...
On Sharing Beliefs: Do It With Tact
By Mariam Shalaby | Senior Columnist
September 1, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
As a Muslim, I feel like everyone thinks they have something to say about who I am. But because I’d rather not waste my time protesting in a world saturated with fiery opinions, I stopped on my path to becoming a boisterous activist about a year ago. Instead of being continuously outraged at th...
Editorial: Toomey isn’t listening to constituents
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
September 1, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
After months of relentless pressure from voters all across the state, Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey finally attended a town hall meeting last night to hear his constituents’ grievances — sort of. In a PBS-organized special, Toomey appeared for an hour on stage in front of an audience of about 50 c...
Travel in college to help gain perspective
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
August 31, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
As my car sped across the plains of northwestern Ohio — passing open fields, red barns blazing in the sunset and the distant impression of neon — the only thing my mind could focus on was that I wasn’t back in Pittsburgh yet. With summer coming to a close, I had decided to take a road trip with a fri...
Editorial: Florida university should let professor speak
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
August 31, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
In the aftermath of last fall’s elections, many on Twitter who had opposed President Donald Trump’s campaign blamed Florida — one of the states that gave the Republican an electoral victory. But Floridians, it seems, are just as quick to condemn the residents of other states that voted red. Kenneth Stor...
Poetry now: why today’s world makes poetics shine
By Christian Snyder | Assistant Opinions Editor
August 29, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns, Uncategorized
I remember the first time a line of poetry caught me by surprise. I was sitting in the Cathedral of Learning mouthing the words of Ross Gay’s poem “catalog of unabashed gratitude” to myself. The poem turns when he addresses the reader, and says thank you, “for moving your lips just so as I s...
Editorial: Don’t let presidency divide the same side
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
August 29, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Religion often claims to be the moral compass of a society. But when religious leaders take political sides, rather than moral, the people are left with a compass that points in two different directions. Leaders of multiple faiths convened on the 54th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “...
Editorial: Don’t equate Stephen Foster, Confederate statues
By The Pitt News Editorial Staff
August 29, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
In southern cities, from New Orleans to Orlando to Baltimore, the only thing hotter than the record-breaking weather this summer was the heated debate surrounding the removal of Confederate statues. Minority residents of cities across the South have repeatedly expressed discomfort with these statues, and many are finally coming down. Controversy over the attempted remova...
Conservatives don’t recognize real threat to free speech
By Henry Glitz | Opinions Editor
August 29, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
When far-right agitator Jason Kessler took to the stage outside the city hall in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month, he made reference to a political tradition born centuries ago in that very city. That tradition — freedom of speech — gained official legal status in the United State...
Editorial: Safe roads require more than just bike lanes
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
August 28, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
From the lack of parking in front of the Cathedral, a safer Bigelow Boulevard crosswalk or the freshly painted white and yellow lines — the new bike lanes are pretty hard to miss. The City of Pittsburgh opened the lanes Aug. 15 on portions of Forbes Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard — a much-needed development as Oakland is the city’s second most-biked neighborhood, after Downtown. The lanes...
When representatives don’t represent, don’t reelect
By Saket Rajprohat | Senior Columnist
August 28, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
How does something extremely unpopular become law in our democracy? Congress. Over the past few months I have attempted to keep up with fast-paced news like the GOP’s health care bill’s rapid push through Congress by Mitch McConnell or the votes on the Restoring Internet Freedom Act — two b...
Identity politics: finding my heritage in a hometown I never knew
By Kim Rooney | Contributing Editor
August 28, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
When talking about adoption, people approach me with a delicate curiosity, like when enquiring about the sick or the dying. Apologies, whether for the assumption that my parents are my birth parents or for the adoption itself, are common. People don’t quite know what to say to me. They ask more...
Finding your place as a transfer student
By Saket Rajprohat | Columnist
August 22, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
It was a cold and snowy January day. With my backpack and suitcases heavier than they seemed leaving home, I stepped into my new dorm. I was excited to finally be at Pitt. After my short and easy semester at Robert Morris University, a private school in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, I was ready to move out of the house, ha...
Being unprofessional in the classroom hurts your future
By Mariam Shalaby | Columnist
August 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
“Hey, Jordan!” yelled one of my classmates from the back of the room, grabbing the instructor’s attention. An unconventional way to call the teacher. The disrespect we show in class seems to increase every day. When I saw this kind of thing happen as a freshman, I figured it would improve as...
Dr. Who takes on a new enemy: sexism
By Elise Lavallee | Columnist
August 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Dr. Who has faced many adversaries over the past 54 years — daleks, cybermen, weeping angels — all of which the Time Lord has defeated. But this season, the 13th Doctor is up against a new kind of rival — sexism. The character will take its first female form this year, as Dr. Who will be played b...
Dear social media: it’s not you, it’s my mental health
By Audreela Deb | For The Pitt News
August 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Ah, summer. The season of vacation getaways and seasonal internships. Afternoon barbecues and late night bonfires; Fourth of July pool parties and sunbathing trips to the beach. And there’s proof of it all on social media — at least, if this year was anything like last. Instead of devouring th...
To realize your passion, go into the field
By Levko Karmazyn | For The Pitt News
August 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
As I watched the sun fall behind the mountain peaks surrounding the K BAR Z Guest Ranch in early July, the valley below was an uncharacteristic shade of blue, unlike the past few nights. Something else felt different, too — it was the last night of Pitt’s Yellowstone Field Study. I already knew I ...
Pittsburgh goes green, despite what you might’ve heard
By Levko Karmazyn | For The Pitt News
August 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
When President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the Paris climate agreements, he said that he was elected to represent the people of Pittsburgh, not Paris — a statement that was met with fiery outlash from important figures such as Mayor Bill Peduto, who said that Pittsburgh will in fact continue to abide by the Paris agreements....
Letter to the Editor | There is no third party. We, the students, are the union
By Beth Shaaban / PhD student
July 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Letters To Editor, Top Stories
Surprise! I just returned from presenting some of my research at a conference to a union busting email from the provost. One of my personal favorite lines: “The education, not the financial support, is the goal of graduate study.” Buckle up kids, if you can’t afford your medications, rent, food ...
Letter to the Editor | Grad student: How can I produce my best work if I can hardly afford to eat?
By Andréa Hanna, Graduate Student
July 29, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Letters To Editor, Top Stories
Dear Editor, I read the message from the provost, Patricia Beeson, about the graduate student union yesterday with some interest and reservations. My first concern, and I quote the provost's message here, is when she says, it is "the education, not the financial support, is the goal of graduate study." It is indee...
Editorial: Leaving Pittsburgh for the summer? Maybe think twice
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
July 19, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Since we still operate over the summer, many Pitt News editors and writers get the chance to spend their school-free months in Pittsburgh. And in our last print edition of the summer, we wanted to reflect on a trend we’ve noticed here year after year — we’re far lonelier in Oakland from May to...
Traditional treats trump trends
By Jordan Mondell | Contributing Editor
July 19, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
It's a sweltering Friday evening in Oakland as I sit on my porch. I'm craving something sweet, creamy and icy. I pull up Google and dig into my recent searches — yes, this is a weekly occurrence — for "ice cream near me." The options abound. I could pay $8 for a fancy, not-so-fantastic double chocolate ...
Editorial: In age of ‘fake news’ we must hold the president accountable
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
July 12, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Fake news is like a bad game of telephone — one source reports their truth, then everyone else runs with it, imparting their own spin upon it. Serious problems arise when people get their news from just one source, because that source could be the last person in the line. And when the presiden...
Column: U.S. shows hypocrisy toward Puerto Rico
By Christian Snyder / Opinions Editor
July 12, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Since the Spanish claimed Puerto Rico for their own in 1493, the land saw independent rule from July 17 to July 25 1898. Eight days. The American invasion of Puerto Rico on July 25, 1898, changed the land, politics and people forever. And today, it’s for the worse. Puerto Rico is in serious eco...
Greek life promotes dangerous, elitist culture
By Christian Snyder | Opinions Editor
July 4, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
At Penn State’s fraternity Beta Theta Pi’s Bid Night, on a cold February night in State College, Timothy Piazza fractured his skull and ruptured his spleen when he fell down a flight of stairs. His fraternity brothers called an ambulance nearly 12 hours later after slapping him, sitting on him ...
Editorial: Pitt’s new board shows that it recognizes the importance of diversity, but there’s a long way to go
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
July 4, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials, Uncategorized
The Board of Trustees at Pitt has some serious power — by its own words, the Board “retains ultimate responsibility for all University affairs,” meaning its diversity is all the more important. Pitt appointed four new board members on June 30, three of whom are women. And while there’s st...
Editorial: Toomey is either lying or misinformed, and it will hurt Pennsylvanians
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
June 28, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Regardless of what Sen. Pat Toomey may say, the new Senate health care bill does cut federal spending to Medicaid, and does so in a significant way. Medicaid is a federal program designed to provide health insurance to those who otherwise cannot afford it, and as of April 2017 nearly 75 million Ame...
Young voters: Lead by example to fight nationalsim
By Christin Snyder / Opinions Editor
June 27, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
“I mean, I voted, but why does it matter? London will never listen.” When I asked my new Scottish friend about the United Kingdom’s recent election, he responded with pure ambivalence. He truly cares about the issues at hand, but he, like many other Scots, has long struggled with misrepresent...
Column: Dear Ben Shapiro, You’re wrong about Trump
By Saket Rajprohat / Senior Columnist
June 20, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Dear Ben Shapiro, You have been completely wrong since May 10, the day after Trump fired Comey. In the June 8 episode of The Ben Shapiro Podcast, one of the most popular conservative podcasts in the nation, you declared you were “exactly correct” in your wildest theory to date — that Donald Trump fired James Comey not because ...
Editorial: The Port Authority is ignoring important BRT stakeholders
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
June 20, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
The Port Authority has promised people that live on the lines of the proposed Bus Rapid Transit project faster commutes, new electric buses and safe bike lanes. But the proposal isn’t perfect, and the people that might be negatively impacted by the project are being ignored. Some 3,000 riders a...
Sports Journalism needs, deserves more female representation
By Jordan Mondell | Contributing Editor
June 14, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
It’s halftime during the Pitt vs Duke game at Heinz Field. The photo room is warm and abuzz with chatter — most Pittsburgh-based photographers know one another and are sharing inside jokes and quips as they upload their first half shots to their respective publications. I felt remarkably out of place for no discer...
Editorial: Pitt’s public funding should result in public accountability
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
June 14, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
“Tell your elected officials: With Pitt, PA Wins.” So begins the University’s recent plea for students to lobby on its behalf for state funding. And while the statement is true — many of the state’s greatest achievements have come from Pitt, such as the recent development of a new HIV detector or t...
Column: When abortions could save lives, Catholic hospitals fail women
By Christian Snyder / Opinions Editor
June 7, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
When Tamesha Means entered labor with her first child in 2016, she was only 18 weeks pregnant — not even halfway through her pregnancy. So she did the logical thing and rushed to the nearest hospital. When she arrived at the Mercy Health Partners hospital, doctors diagnosed her with preterm prem...
Editorial: New UHC dean has opportunity to refocus college
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
June 7, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
If it weren’t on the 35th floor of the Cathedral of Learning, you might be able to hear the crickets from outside in the University Honors College lounge. But it wasn’t always this way. Founded in 1987 by Dean Alec Stewart, the UHC once was a place where true intellectualism fostered, a place where students with or without pre-professional majors could come debate, disc...
Editorial: PA moratorium doesn’t solve costly death penalty problem
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
May 31, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials, Uncategorized
Execution proceedings happen in the state of Pennsylvania five times each year — yet the state hasn’t executed an inmate since 1999. Mock executions are routinely performed to ensure that in the event of an execution, the prison guards and doctors would be prepared. But right now the state isn’t ...
Among short-term fixes, Pitt develops long-term plan to combat nationwide opioid crisis
By Rashi Seth | Columnist
May 31, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Two months ago a couple from Lower Burrell mourned the loss of their son who didn’t live to see his 25th birthday. David Makara’s refusal to get treatment drove him to move out of his parents home as he could not pass a drug test to get a job. Without any notice he moved out to Light of Life she...
Xanax: an unforseen danger in college
By Tim Murdoch | For The Pitt News
May 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Its thunderous footsteps can be heard the instant it decides to return from the kitchen. Approaching the worn leather couch, it loses its balance. Flailing for a moment, then collecting itself, it manages to plop down onto the cracked sofa cover, slowing sinking into the cushion with a mumbled chuckle ...
Being a good roommate is easy: just be open
By Andrea Spatig | For The Pitt News
May 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
There’s the roommate that has super loud FaceTime conversations with their significant other, the one who never showers and spews an unfavorable odor wherever they go, the one who is too clingy and over-involved in your life and the one that snores like a chainsaw or talks in their sleep through th...
When hitting the sheets, communication makes it easy
By Christian Snyder | Columnist
May 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns, Uncategorized
If there’s one thing that movies get right about college, it’s that people have sex. In fact, in one study published in the Review of General Psychology, over 60 percent of college students in North America reported having some kind of sexual “hookup” experience. But of course, there’s ...
Tired of house parties? Try house shows instead
By Christian Snyder | Columnist
May 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
There were too many people, the music was too loud, the cooler was empty and it smelled like sweat. I think that might describe every party I attended my first year of college. No matter where it was or who was there, I have no fond memories of piling into someone’s basement with what seemed lik...
Making the most out of living alone
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
May 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns, Uncategorized
I could keep the lights on whenever I wanted. I could listen to music and not have to bother with pesky headphones. I could toss my clothes in the corner and worry about them in a few weeks. I could nap at all times of the day, have people over whenever I wanted and be in a quiet environment at a mom...
College magnifies eating disorders, learn to see the signs
By Elise Lavallee | Columnist
May 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
$0.93. That’s the value of all the research done per person on eating disorders in 2011, compared to the $44 per individual on autism or $81 per person on schizophrenia. Yet the Academy for Eating Disorders reports the risk of death for those with anorexia nervosa is three times higher than it ...
Being trans at Pitt: my story
By Madeline Barber | For The Pitt News
May 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
As a child, I was a stereotypical boy. I played in the dirt, my favorite toys were my Tonka trucks and I loved to break things. I wasn’t interested in “girl” things like sewing or nail polish, and my favorite color wasn’t pink. To my mother, there was no way I could be trans because I so eag...
Pitt leads the pack in cultural cooperation
By Mariam Shalaby | Columnist
May 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
It’s a chilly Saturday, the sky is gray, and some 15 bikers are gathered to begin a 15 mile race. Why would anyone in their right mind do such a thing? For the sake of building friendships, learning something new and feeding the community. I work as a volunteer director of the Food Pantry at the Islamic...
Editorial: PA still has room to grow with medicinal marijuana
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
May 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
It’s impossible to get a majority of people to support anything it seems — except marijuana. Franklin & Marshall College recently found that 56 percent of registered Pennsylvania voters think the state should make recreational marijuana legal, mirroring a nationwide trend of increased support for the drug. ...
Column: Pittsburgh takes steps to reduce violent crime
By Jeremy Wang | Columnist
May 16, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns, Top Stories
Nearly every night last year, gunfire rang out in Pittsburgh. And nearly every week, someone was killed. The city launched the Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime in 2010 to combat this issue, but the initiative had mixed results. Homicides climbed from 43 to 71 between 2011 and 2014, and forme...
Editorial: Ransomware infects thousands using government tools
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
May 16, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials, Uncategorized
How much is all of the information stored on your computer worth? A ransomware that spread to more than 100 countries in just a few hours faced thousands with this very question. When infected users opened their computers on Monday, they were met with nothing. All of their files were encrypted by the WannaCry ran...
FEMA fails minority communities
By Saket Rajprohat | Columnist
May 10, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
A lot of volunteers pick up litter, serve food or build houses. But not all are backdropped by the snow-capped peak of Mount Adams in southern Washington state. Third-year rehabilitation science major Bethany Lindsey saw this scenery firsthand when she volunteered with Sacred Road Ministries, a group un...
Editorial: Pitt listens, but only when it’s easy
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
May 10, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
It was a sunny day in April, the grand opening of the University of Pittsburgh’s new sports dome. Pitt is rightly proud of this achievement that addresses a pressing need for a game and practice facility for club sports teams on campus. At the grand opening — and publicized in videos shown d...
Long nights, loud protests and the truth: A four-year career at The Pitt News
By Stephen Caruso | Contributing Editor
April 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
I’ve always struggled to articulate why I work at The Pitt News. In the four years I’ve spent working here, my friends have consistently commented on how much time I spend at the office. When I miss out on a night of drinks or a day in Schenley, they are understanding. They know my passion, an...
Op-Ed: The Babcock Room symbolizes Pitt’s ivory tower
By Sage Lincoln | Op-Ed Contributor
April 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
I first entered the Babcock Room in 2013. Guided by a friend of a friend, a few other Pitt students and I made our way to the back elevator on the 36th floor of the Cathedral at dusk. Two picked locks later we were there: the 40th floor, practically the top of the world. We didn’t pay much...
A final push for more journalism at Pitt
By Elizabeth Lepro | Editor in Chief
April 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
In the late 1700s, Benjamin Franklin — at the behest of King Louis XIV — served on a French Royal Commission to investigate some rather absurd claims by a German scientist. The back story is unimportant, what is important is a line from Franklin’s official report, in which he wrote, “Truth ...
Editorial: One final call for more transparency
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
As an editorial board, we publish our collective opinion on a relevant topic every day. It might seem like we’re bashing the government, administration and authority in general, but that’s not why we do it. We don’t publish editorials just to shout into the void or to place blame. We do it bec...
Broken contracts harm passengers’ rights
By Christian Snyder | Columnist
April 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns, Uncategorized
Everyone has their price — even the guy on his way to a funeral, a retired United Airlines pilot said in the face of the airline’s recent viral controversy. But United simply couldn’t figure that price out last week. The airline chose four passengers, at random, to involuntarily bump from a United...
Top 10: Things We Learned This Year at Pitt
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
April 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials, Uncategorized
This year brought lessons for the Pitt community and the world as a whole. For this week’s Top 10, we could go over some of the biggest stories of the year and see how we’ve grown from them. Instead, we’d like to take a look at some things we’ve personally learned this year at Pitt. Think of thi...
Editorial: Tennessee Reconnect points way forward for higher ed
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 20, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
The debate over college affordability tends to focus on traditional-age students in deep blue states. But a bill making waves in the Tennessee state legislature seems poised to upset both these preconceptions. The Tennessee Reconnect Act passed the Tennessee state house Monday with an impressive biparti...
Drug testing cheats applicants, employers
By Nick Eustis | Columnist
April 20, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
With graduation right around the corner, the harsh realities of life after college are on a lot of people’s minds. But for some soon-to-be graduates, the typical horrors of moving away from friends and finding a job seem insignificant next to something even more disheartening — the drug test. Initially...
Weed prohibition costs Americans millions
By Elise Lavallee | Columnist
April 20, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump hasn’t been too talkative regarding his stance on marijuana. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, on the other hand, has not been as quiet on the matter. “I’m dubious about marijuana,” Sessions said at a meeting with state attorney generals ...
Adult animation brings more approachable culture to traditional TV
By Tim Murdoch | For The Pitt News
April 19, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Almost one million adults between the ages of 18 and 49 tuned into the unexpected season three premiere of “Rick and Morty” earlier this month. The animated series follows the adventures of an alcoholic mad scientist and his unintelligent, awkward grandson. It aired on Adult Swim, the late nigh...
Editorial: Student lobbying key to change among Board of Trustees
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 19, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
National and sometimes international political movements often find homes on college campuses, but lately, students are aiming their protest signs at their own universities. Students at Davidson College, a private, liberal arts college in North Carolina, began circulating a digital petition late l...
Talk about periods to end the stigma
By Jaime Viens | Columnist
April 18, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
It’s “that time of the month” again. The euphemism is a playful, if not condescending, way to avoid actually having to discuss the reality of periods. But not all of us can use a little wordplay to so easily avoid the subject matter. Menstruation is not only a reality, but a serious financial...
Editorial: New gender rules move toward inclusivity
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 18, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
When Harvard announced their decision to effectively outlaw single-gender organizations on campus last spring, reactions were mixed. The policy, which will be implemented starting with the class of 2021, will preclude members of unrecognized single-gender organizations from holding leadership posit...
Flirting with the future: embrace uncertainty in jobs and dating
By Emily Hower | Contributing Editor
April 17, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
It’s a sunny spring afternoon in Oakland — the kind of day that typically calls for Conflict Kitchen consumed cross-legged on the Schenley lawn. But instead of chowing down on falafel while basking in Cathy’s beauty, I’m shuttered indoors, armed with a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and my...
Editorial: Hold police accountable with public body camera footage
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 17, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
In Pennsylvania, whether police officers will wear body cameras is, thankfully, no longer up for debate. They will, but the public viewing and obtaining of footage is turning into a contentious issue. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania hosted a panel discussion in Lawrenceville Thurs...
Point-Counterpoint: Bootleggers represents the classic bar
By Amber Montgomery | Opinions Editor
April 14, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
No alcohol-themed edition of The Pitt News would be complete without an argument for the best bar in Oakland. This year, we’re bringing you two takes on the controversial issue. Read and enjoy as two of our editors square off on their opinions for the best place to grab a drink in our beloved Oaklan...
Point-Counterpoint: A good time guaranteed at Gene’s Place
By Stephen Caruso | Contributing Editor
April 14, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
No alcohol-themed edition of The Pitt News would be complete without an argument for the best bar in Oakland. This year, we’re bringing you two takes on the controversial issue. Read and enjoy as two of our editors square off on their opinions for the best place to grab a drink in our beloved Oaklan...
Inclusive alcohol advertising combats sexism and oppression
By Rashi Seth | Columnist
April 14, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Beer companies do come up with some good commercials. The Budweiser Clydesdales and the the Most Interesting Man are two iconic images associated with beer brands. But often, beer commercials take the message and end up objectifying women for the purpose of turning a profit. The Route 2 Brews “Le...
Pennsylvania draconian liquor laws need rethinking
By Nick Eustis | Columnist
April 14, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
The beauty of turning 21 meant I could finally purchase alcohol whenever I pleased, a fact I was more than thrilled about. But in traveling to other states, I quickly found that not all alcohol laws are created equal. One night in January, my boyfriend and I walked into a grocery store in Washingt...
“Open Casket” painting trivializes black suffering
By Christian Snyder | Columnist
April 13, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
The first time I saw the photograph in an anthology of the most powerful photographs in history, I noticed Emmett Till’s pristine button up and imagined his mother’s brave hands fastening his crisp white shirt over his chest before laying his body down for his final rest. Till, disfigured from the ...
Editorial: New York tuition bill lets down low-income students
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 13, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
For college students disappointed by the Democrats’ defeat last November, a bill passed last week in New York is a refreshing — but ultimately empty — development in the discussion surrounding free tuition. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., signed a bill as a part of the state’s budget last Wednesday...
Editorial: New business vital to revitalizing Braddock
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 11, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
If you drive 30 minutes outside of Oakland along I-376 and take a few strategic turns, you’ll find yourself on Braddock Avenue. The street is the main strip of the Braddock borough, a suburb east of Pittsburgh, and it consists of a line of old buildings and warehouses — many of which have been sit...
Music festivals need more focus on safety, less on security
By Julia Aldrich | Columnist
April 11, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
When I walked through the security gates at Electric Zoo — a dance music festival that takes place every Labor Day weekend in New York City — in 2015, there was a noticeable nervous vibe in the air. Police walked dogs up and down the aisles of festival-goers waiting to enter the grounds, as sec...
Conflict Kitchen leaves legacy of tolerance
By Christian Snyder | Columnist
April 11, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Pittsburgh was always filled with mysterious things to do as I was growing up. Places such as the Mattress Factory and the Carnegie Science Center have more widespread notoriety, but my personal favorite was “Waffle Shop: A Reality Show.” The brainchild of Jon Rubin, an art professor at Carnegie Mel...
Editorial: Media reaction to Syria strike jumps to conclusions
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 11, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
It would have been hard to guess that the one thing to unite the media and President Donald Trump’s administration would be a military strike. Nevertheless, that seemed to be exactly what happened as the nation’s press responded to Trump’s order Thursday night to bomb Assad regime military target...
Editorial: The Pitt News participates in Impact Day Journalism
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 9, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Although they were initially intended to be beacons of scholarship and research, universities have also served as vessels for fostering social and political movements throughout history. The University of Michigan was one of the first to begin protesting the American intervention in Vietnam in 1965...
Top 10: Questions for the new host of ‘Pitt Tonight’
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
April 7, 2017
Filed under Opinions / Editorials
Pitt students were treated to an inevitable surprise this week: the announcement of the new face of “Pitt Tonight,” the campus variety show modeled after late-night talk shows. Current host and senior Jesse Irwin will give up his desk to first-year Andrew Dow starting next fall. You probably have questions concerning the new host, and so do we, the p...
Regardless of the law, consider graffiti as legitimate art
By Elise Lavallee | Columnist
April 7, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
In America, graffiti is often a staple of disadvantaged communities, associated with crime and poverty, and generally unwanted. But in some places, where the culture and atmosphere differs, graffiti is a welcome aspect of the community. In a small neighborhood of Toronto, known as Kensington Mar...
Intersectional counseling: Panthers of Color provide vital service to students of color
By Danielle Pierre | For The Pitt News
April 6, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
College comes with many costs. And for many students of color, one of the biggest prices they pay is their mental health. While mental illness is extremely common on college campuses among every racial group, little attention is paid to how racism and mental illness intersect. Students of color often find themselves dealing with many issues t...
Editorial: Pepsi ad trivializes, appropriates important social issues
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 6, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
When Pepsi released a new advertisement earlier this week, it probably wasn’t hoping for it to go viral in quite the way that it did. Pepsi’s ad, which starred model and member of the Kardashian family Kendall Jenner, appeared on YouTube Tuesday and almost immediately attracted massive amounts of ...
Editorial: Stricter Greek regulations combat dangerous drinking culture
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 5, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Following the death of Penn State student Timothy Piazza at a fraternity event last month, the University officially announced new regulations for its Greek life system last Thursday. Penn State students’ reactions are mixed thus far: Some praise the University’s decision, while many in Greek organizations are criticiz...
Democrats must compromise to move forward with environmental issues
By Elise Lavallee | Columnist
April 5, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
As the proud owner of a private jet, two helicopters and a four-story commercial plane, it’s no surprise that President Trump is not a friend to the environment. He’s repeatedly claimed that climate change is merely a hoax. But on that issue, he doesn’t represent the majority of Republican...
Editorial: Toomey’s rule change proposal threatens bipartisanship
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 4, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials, Uncategorized
If Congressional Republicans thought they had gained the power to disregard the rules with their victories in last November’s elections, they couldn’t have been more wrong. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., just signed onto a rules change to the Supreme Court nomination process that might seem innocuous or n...
Trump executive order fails on jobs, environment
By Jaime Viens | Columnist
April 4, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
President Donald Trump’s brightly colored receding hairline, black suit and white button-down shirt stood in sharp contrast to the dark-haired coal workers clad in golf shirts flanking him on either side. The occasion was March 28 in Washington, D.C., during the signing of an executive order intended...
Point-Counterpoint: Gorsuch upholds law, not ideology, in his rulings
By Christian Snyder | Columnist
April 3, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, his seat on the Supreme Court has remained vacant. After the GOP-led Congress denied former President Barack Obama’s nominee for the seat — Merrick Garland — a confirmation hearing, Obama’s time to get a Democrat onto the Supreme Court ran out. ...
Point-Counterpoint: Gorsuch nomination would set unconstitutional precedent
By Nick Eustis | Columnist
April 3, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, his seat on the Supreme Court has remained vacant. After the GOP-led Congress denied former President Barack Obama’s nominee for the seat — Merrick Garland — a confirmation hearing, Obama’s time to get a Democrat onto the Supreme Court ran out. ...
Editorial: Wagner’s words influence run for governor more than actions
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 3, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
State senator, gubernatorial candidate and York, Pennsylvania, businessman Scott Wagner certainly had a colorful March. He spent the month promoting new legislation to seal criminal records and also causing a ruckus with some illogical comments about climate change. The stark contrast between th...
Inclusive Innovation Week sets Pittsburgh apart among tech cities
By Amber Montgomery | Opinions Editor
March 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
While it may be impossible for Pittsburgh to ever fully shake its infamous Steel City nickname, the city is taking strides to become something different. After the post-1980 decline in the steel industry, Pittsburgh became a city better known for its medical and educational opportunities through uni...
Top 10: Silhouettes We Should Have Written
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
March 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Our Silhouettes Preview came out this week, and if you picked one up, you got the chance to peek into the lives of ten members of the Pitt community. From Ricky Smith, the nighttime security guard in Holland with an uncanny ability to make anyone smile, to Sid “Frenchi” Ali and his iconic South ...
Editorial: Internet privacy bill puts consumers at risk
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
There’s little more central to modern life — especially for younger people — than the internet. But a federal bill about to land on President Donald Trump’s desk for his approval threatens to make this staple of contemporary life much riskier. In a party-line vote in the House of Representatives...
On budget, Trump’s dealmaking doesn’t deliver
By Nick Eustis | Columnist
March 30, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Donald Trump has described himself many ways, but one word he’s used over and over again is “dealmaker.” “Deals are my art form,” Trump bragged on Twitter in December 2014. And at a campaign stop in August 2015, the reality TV personality rated his book “Trump: The Art of the Deal” second only to the Bible...
Editorial: Opportunities exists outside leadership roles
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 29, 2017
Filed under Opinions / Editorials
As the end of the academic year swiftly approaches, the season for college, grad school and job applications is upon us. From first-year students trying to find their first internship to anxious seniors procrastinating their final papers, we’re all wondering if the classes we’ve taken, grades we ...
In light of Trump, Pitt students can take heart in LGBTQ+ resources
By Christian Snyder | Columnist
March 29, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
American universities have been at the forefront of cultural change for decades. From free speech movements at Berkeley in the 1960s to a student carrying her mattress around campus to raise awareness of sexual assault, many of our country’s biggest social movements have started at the collegi...
Editorial: Don’t sleep on school board vote come Pittsburgh primary
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 27, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Why should college students care about a local school board election? Because there are 42 schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools system, educating more than 24,500 students every year — many of whom will go on to impact the city as leaders, educators, politicians and members of the workforce. ...
Top 10: Ways to dismantle the patriarchy
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
March 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Student Government Board’s Women’s Empowerment Week was certainly a hit. Leslie Jones came to campus, followed by a very special women’s empowerment-themed episode of Pitt Tonight and, coincidentally, the hiring of the first female athletic director in Pitt history. We’ve been particularly inspi...
Hold out on video game hype culture, wait for results
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
March 24, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
When two gamers took their players on a virtual journey to a far-off video game planet, they expected to be able to see and interact with each other’s player in the game. To their surprise, they saw only empty planet, despite what the makers of the game previously promised. Sean Murray — head of the...
Embrace body neutrality, give women a realistic standard
By Erica Brandbergh | Columnist
March 23, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
As I took my seat in the waiting room at Pitt’s Student Health Center, I noticed a basket holding an assortment of buttons. I began sifting through and saw the same motto emblazoned in bold letters on many of them: “Love your body!” It was the middle of National Association of Anorexia Nervosa an...
Editorial: Bail reform bill unfairly targets defendants
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 23, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
Defendants and victims have always had an adversarial relationship in the criminal justice system. But a new bill in the Pennsylvania state legislature has the potential to pit the two against each other even more. Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland, would change th...
Editorial: Hold Trump accountable to get public input on student loans
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
March 22, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Editorials
In another startling blow to education under President Donald Trump, the administration rescinded a previous Obama-era regulation last week that prohibited student debt collection agencies from charging more than 16 percent interest on defaulted loans. The administration's new stance came in the form of a ...
Promote intersectionality and inclusivity for a safer campus
By Amber Montgomery | Opinions Editor
March 22, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
Sexual assault prevention and inclusion are undoubtedly two of the most important issues on college campuses, but it’s time to revamp the way we address them. While administration and dedicated students often push for policy and awareness on both of those topics, they usually tackle each proble...
Keep the sex in high school sex education
By Elise Lavallee | Columnist
March 21, 2017
Filed under Opinions, Opinions / Columns
The birds do it, the bees do it, we do it — so why can’t we talk about it? Sex talk makes some people uncomfortable. But comprehensive sexual education shouldn’t. Sex ed addresses the root issues of making healthy personal and sexual choices, and this type of education is widely effective at ...