Violent riots hurt minorities, progressive causes
By Jeremy Wang | For The Pitt News
February 7, 2017
As rubber buckshot and molotov cocktails sailed through the air, a speaking event for alt-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California, Berkeley, was shut down. Under the cover of a peaceful, student-led protest, a group of masked agitators — many of whom were not university students — smashed windows of u...
Letter to the Editor: Don’t just ignore Yiannopoulos
By John Kennick, Senior
February 6, 2017
Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinions
Dear Editor, Your editorial “Let Yiannopoulos speak, but don’t engage with him” is troubling. I'm puzzled that a group of journalists could think the way to beat Milo Yiannopoulos is to ignore him. Is that also how the editors recommend addressing systematic gender violence or racism in our co...
Editorial: Let Yiannopoulos speak, but don’t engage with him
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 5, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Editor’s note: The Pitt News’ editorial board had an intense discussion about the effects of incendiary rhetoric, the intent of civil disobedience and the line between free and hate speech. Ultimately, the board was divided on many of these topics — and quick to admit that our positions as col...
Stallings is out of time, his sacking should come soon
By Matthew Sable | For The Pitt News
February 5, 2017
When Kevin Stallings was first considered for the position of Pitt’s new men’s basketball head coach, many Pitt fans responded with concern and disapproval. Still, the fan base gave him a chance. Now, a year later and after eight losses in a row — most recently to Duke on Saturday — it’s clear the athl...
Top 10: Pieces of Career Advice
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
February 3, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Dress for the job you want, not the one you have. You’re an accountant right now, but that’s not the dream. If you really want to be Batman, you better start acting — and looking — the part. That means full cape, mask and aggressively musky voice required. Bring your own water ...
Trump’s freeze: Hold him accountable for campaign promises
By Christian Snyder | For The Pitt News
February 3, 2017
I remember waiting for the phone call last November, looking out of the window of the old Alcoa building in Downtown Pittsburgh. I was told that it would come around 2 p.m. and that I should be prepared to discuss intelligence, security, the Middle East and Russia. “Unknown,” read the caller ID when ...
Editorial: PWSA needs to clean water, clean up its act
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 2, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
By now, everyone in Oakland knows we’re in hot water. But that doesn’t mean the city’s water problems are anything new. An advisory put out by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Tuesday night urged residents of areas serviced by the water filtration plant in Highland Park, including Oakland, not to drink tap w...
Let pro-life feminists have their place in the movement
By Kirsten Wong | Senior Columnist
February 2, 2017
In the current political climate, women’s health issues need all the defense they can get — and feuding between pro-choice and pro-life feminists can only hurt the cause. The Women’s March on Washington made history Jan. 21, when over 5 million women from around the world came out to protect ...
Editorial: Toomey supporting Trump’s ban ignores voters
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
February 1, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
As Pennsylvania residents across the state stood together to protest President Trump’s recent ban on immigrants and refugees this past weekend, Sen. Pat Toomey was busy schmoozing donors in Palm Springs. After arriving back in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Toomey issued a statement declaring his support for the president's executive order. But Toome...
Reduce environmental impact by limiting meat intake
By Elise Lavallee, Contributing Editor
February 1, 2017
When most people wonder why anyone would give up eating meat, they turn first to a love for animals combined with an opposition to animal cruelty. And they’re right, these are common reasons. But there’s another reason that we can all benefit from eating a more plant-based diet: the large environmental i...
Arctic apples: Give GMOs a chance
By Jaime Viens | Columnist
January 31, 2017
When you’re perusing the produce aisle, your obvious choice is to reach for the shiny, red apple over the browning, shriveling one. But what if you discover the red one’s actually been on the shelf longer? With the rise of genetically engineered crops, it’s more likely than you might think —...
Editorial: Pitt must commit to actions, not just words on sanctuary campus
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 31, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
As President Donald Trump’s executive order banning entry to the United States sunk in over the weekend, some groups responded with more defiance than others. Riots and rallies across the country and in Pittsburgh manifested widespread disapproval of the order. Private companies including Starbucks, Lyft and Airbnb, ...
Point-Counterpoint: Focus on root causes, not guns, to eliminate suicide
By Jeremy Wang | For The Pitt News
January 30, 2017
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Uncategorized
Guns don’t cause suicide. Just as we can’t blame all 15,000 murders per year on firearms, we can’t attribute the United States’ suicides, over 44,000 per year, entirely to its high rate of gun ownership and availability. While guns do play a part, it’s more important to consider the underlying ca...
Point-Counterpoint: Increasing gun control can reduce suicides
By Erica Brandbergh | Columnist
January 30, 2017
Mass shootings in America often get the most attention in debates on gun control. But there’s another big issue we don’t talk about enough: suicide. Data shows that suicide rates have reached an all-time high in the past three decades. There are 20,000 gun-related suicides in the United States every year, which accounts for more than half of...
Editorial: Schubert needs to balance commitment to community and department
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 30, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
After the resignation of Police Chief Cameron McLay in early November 2016, Mayor Bill Peduto gave the new acting police chief, Scott Schubert, 90 days to prove himself worthy of the position. As it turns out, Schubert didn’t need all that much time, evidenced by Peduto naming him to the position Frid...
Hold Bayer and pharmaceutical companies accountable
By Christian Snyder | For The Pitt News
January 27, 2017
Pitt announced a new contract with the pharmaceutical company Bayer on Jan. 11. The contract will unite Bayer and the School of Medicine to research early indications of heart, lung and blood disease. The cooperation has the potential to offer innovative advancements to medicine, as early warning sig...
Top 10: Trump executive orders and how they’ll affect Pittsburgh
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
January 27, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Building the wall along the Mexican border will lead to reopening the steel mills What’s that you say? There’s no steel to mill? Well, we’ll worry about that later. We’ll probably steel it back from China or something. Every city in America will now start with the letter “T”...
Editorial: Trump’s EPA blackout proves we need to resist
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 26, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
For many federal agencies, the Trump era began in total darkness this week. White House staff shocked government employees Monday with a hiring freeze that came closely after the removal of official webpages for climate change issues, among others. The incoming administration’s tension with clim...
Meet Florida’s DAPL: the Sabal Trail Pipeline
By Savanna Melton | Op-ed Contributor
January 26, 2017
While the media and activists have concentrated their passions and attention on the Dakota Access Pipeline over the past few months, other pipelines have been getting a free pass. Since late November, my focus as an activist has been on the Sabal Trail Pipeline, a 515-mile-long channel that cuts th...
Letter to the Editor: Gilman, City welcoming to immigrants
By Janice Vanderneck
January 26, 2017
Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinions
Dear Pitt News Editorial Board, This past week, The Pitt News Editorial Board published an editorial titled “Pittsburgh says it’s committed to immigrants, it’s time to show it.” Such an article we feel unfairly represents the legislation put forth by Councilman Dan Gilman and inac...
Editorial: States must be the ones to push for change in Trump’s America
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 25, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Before Donald Trump had even been sworn in as the next President of the United States, Pennsylvania Sen. Daylin Leach began a push to oppose the new administration's influence through the democratic channels of the state Senate. Sen. Leach released a memorandum just hours before then-President-elect Tru...
DeVos unqualified for Secretary of Education position
By Elise Lavallee | For The Pitt News
January 25, 2017
The United States is in major need of an educational revamp. More than a few presidential administrations have come and gone without making significant or impactful changes in education reform. And if last week's Senate hearing is at all indicative, it doesn’t seem that the Trump administration ...
Nonbelievers just as qualified for politics as the religious
By Nick Eustis | Columnist
January 25, 2017
Though the U.S. is a secular nation, if you want to be a politician in America, you have to believe in something. A full 51 percent of Americans say they would be less likely to support an openly atheist candidate for president, and 45 percent say that belief in God is necessary to have good values, ...
Editorial: Welch brings needed alternative to mayoral primary
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 24, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
The field for Democratic nominee for mayor of Pittsburgh got a little wider this weekend. At a public library auditorium in Homewood Saturday, John Welch declared a “people’s campaign,” becoming incumbent Mayor Bill Peduto’s first declared opponent in the May 16 Democratic primary for the 2017 election. Welch, the dean of students at the Pittsbur...
Pink Pistols prove concealed carry not just for conservatives
By Jeremy Wang | For The Pitt News
January 24, 2017
Donald Trump’s endorsement by the National Rifle Association — and his son’s leadership of the Second Amendment Coalition — promises to bring concealed carry to the focus of the gun control debate. Various factions across the country will be squaring off for a clash over this central element...
Editorial: Trump’s first days foreshadow bleak future for the press
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 23, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions, Uncategorized
The election is over, the delegates have voted and the oath has been taken — Donald Trump is the president of the United States. His very first day in office set an early precedent for the future of the administration’s interaction with the press and the people — and it’s not one that’s favorabl...
A reflection from inaugural weekend: Trump’s America still divided
By Nick Eustis | Columnist
January 23, 2017
Even before attending Donald Trump’s inauguration and the Women’s March on Washington, I knew this past weekend would be historic. Trump thought the same, for different reasons than I, promising an “unbelievable, perhaps record-setting turnout” for his inaugural ceremony. Like so many of his promises, this was simply not meant to be. It’...
Diversify Pitt’s Nationality Rooms to include all communities
By Amber Montgomery | Opinions Editor
January 19, 2017
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Top Stories
Many of the Best Of winners weren’t big surprises to me. Peter’s Pub for the Place to Spend your 21st and James Conner as Best Athlete are pretty obvious. The category that threw me was the winner for Best Nationality Room. The distinction went to our boot-shaped friend, Italy. Recognizing the Italian Room...
Top 10: Best of Oakland
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
January 19, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Now that we know the best burgers, apps and places to do yoga in the city, we’d like to offer our favorite non-existent Best Of categories and our picks for the winners. Best class to fall asleep in Anything containing the word “introduction,” “foundations,” “beginning” or “101...
Napping on campus a solution to all night studying
By Rashi Seth | For The Pitt News
January 19, 2017
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way” – Donkey from “Shrek” I take these words a little too literally regarding my weekend homework management. Every Monday, I imagine that I will spread out my workflow over the week and have a free weekend — that never happens. The next idea is to st...
Q&A with Best SGB Member Everett Green
By Jaime Viens | Columnist
January 19, 2017
You may have passed by Everett Green walking through Sennott Square, known him as a prominent member of Pitt’s Greek life or just recognized him as a familiar face on an Oakland street. But as this year’s Best Of poll tells us, many students know him best for the work he’s done as a part of ...
Editorial: Chelsea Manning sentence commuted, a long overdue step
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 19, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
The last days of President Barack Obama’s administration are shaping up to be some of its most important. Aside from the flood of executive orders leaving the president’s desk in the past weeks since the election, Obama marked his last few days in office with a series of pardons. Among the most controve...
Obama: A presidency from the eyes of an immigrant’s son
By Saket Rajprohat | Columnist
January 19, 2017
So that’s it. After eight years, I’ll watch one of my greatest role models leave office this Friday. I remember watching President Barack Obama’s first inauguration in my sixth grade classroom. Our teacher told us it was a moment we would never forget. I can’t say that I knew it then, but...
From LGBTQ+ Americans: Thanks, Obama
By Jack Shelly | Op-ed Contributor
January 19, 2017
I was probably 11 or 12 the first time I heard about Barack Obama. “Gilmore Girls” ended with Rory leaving Stars Hollow, Connecticut, to cover the primary bid of the charismatic senator from Illinois. He was a boyishly handsome, big-eared law professor who used eloquent, moving language when he spo...
Editorial: Pittsburgh says it’s committed to immigrants, it’s time to show it
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 18, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions, Uncategorized
In an effort to extend Pittsburgh’s commitment as a welcoming city for all, City Council member Dan Gilman proposed new legislation on Tuesday that will make the city a safer and more livable one for immigrants, refugees and the disabled. The bills have the potential to create real change but could ...
Owners should fit the bill for stadiums, not taxpayers
By Matthew Sable | For The Pitt News
January 18, 2017
America is addicted to building sport stadiums. Almost every stadium America builds receives public funding, but these newly constructed stadiums often don’t make cities the money they are expected to. Cities build stadiums mainly in response to fan demands but often overlook the economic repercu...
For NFL MVP, give Le’Veon Bell a chance
By Kyle Morhardt | For The Pitt News
January 17, 2017
If there were ever a time for a non-quarterback to break into the MVP club, it’s now. Since 2007, quarterbacks have dominated the NFL’s MVP award. Compared to the perception of quarterbacks in the modern game as the most important player on any team, running backs get little to no credit for t...
Editorial: Don’t just look at the comforting in MLK’s legacy
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 17, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
The last Martin Luther King Jr. Day of the Obama era couldn’t have better foreshadowed the changes coming in the next four years. As the outgoing president marked the day of remembrance for one civil rights icon with a visit to a Washington, D.C., homeless shelter, a feud festered between another hero of the civil rights movement and the incoming executi...
Top 10 Things You May Have Missed in Obama’s Farewell Address
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
January 13, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
President Obama left us with a few final thoughts during his farewell address in Chicago Tuesday night. His iconic themes of hope and change were scattered among his warnings for the future. We’ve seen video clips and screenshots circulating social media of some of his greatest lines — praising ...
Judging steroid use in Major League Baseball in historical context
By Matthew Sable | For The Pitt News
January 13, 2017
Has baseball ever been a “clean” sport? So many writers, fans and players consider the steroid era — spanning from the late 1980s until the mid 2000s — as the only time period that saw rampant cheating around the diamond. Baseball writers such as Wallace Matthews at ESPN, Peter Botte at th...
New Pitt Wi-Fi network gives gamers an upgrade
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
January 12, 2017
Pitt’s new Wi-Fi network is a generous gift to gamers. Now that the holiday season has passed, most people who enjoy gaming have gotten the newest installments in venerated series like “Titanfall 2,” “Battlefield 1,” “Final Fantasy XV,” “The Last Guardian” or “Pokémon Sun” ...
Editorial: Sessions, BuzzFeed controversy prove Trump dangerous to a free press
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 12, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
The past several days have been more than a little unnerving for many, but especially for American journalists. In Washington, D.C., Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., vehemently denied he would use the office of attorney general to remove the legal rights of...
Editorial: Wolf should rethink Pittsburgh prison closure, make cuts elsewhere
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 11, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
In an effort to respond to both the looming state budget deficit and the falling inmate population in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced Jan. 6, they will be closing two state prisons, with one in northern Pittsburgh being heavily considered. But his ultimate decision must not prioritize fitting the bil...
Let’s give Rex Tillerson a chance, what could possibly go wrong?
By Jaime Viens | Columnist
January 11, 2017
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Uncategorized
In a move that met much criticism early last month, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil, to be our next Secretary of State. Since we obviously don’t need to speculate about Tillerson’s relationship with big oil executives — as we already know he is a big oil executi...
Editorial: Peduto should live up to campaign finance promises
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 9, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
When Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto first threw his support behind campaign finance reform, he was ahead of his time. Now the story’s a little different. Years before the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision and the campaigns of politicians such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) made it a...
Net neutrality must be defended over the next four years
By Nick Eustis | For the Pitt News
January 9, 2017
With fewer than two weeks until Inauguration Day, President-elect Donald Trump has failed to calm the worries of his detractors about what the next four years will hold. His cabinet appointees certainly haven’t helped. Some of his selections are wholly opposed to the agency they’ve been appoint...
Up to students to pressure states for free college tuition
By Kirsten Wong | Senior Columnist
January 9, 2017
In the midst of ever-increasing tuition and student debt at universities, New York has offered a bold solution. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, D-N.Y., announced his proposal on Jan. 3 to make state and city universities tuition-free for middle-class and low-income families making $125,000 or less a year. Under the program — the Excelsior Schol...
Editorial: Pitt should offer more interdisciplinary studies for students
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 9, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions, Uncategorized
The goal for any student after graduation is to get a job in his or her field and build a career. But for today’s students, expectations have risen and the labor force demands graduates who are able to easily adapt to our changing world. Many colleges and universities, including Carnegie Mellon, are r...
Current definition of terrorism needs a new update
By Saket Rajprohat | Columnist
January 6, 2017
Our current understanding of terrorism has strayed from its conventional definition. When terrorism is mentioned, the first things people think of are the likes of Omar Mateen and the 2016 mass murder at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the Tsarnaev brothers who executed the Boston bombing in 2013 or Osama Bin Laden and the others behind the attacks on...
Top 10 Totally Achievable New Year Resolutions
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
January 6, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Read more… ...pamphlets Pamphlets: not as intimidating as 19th century English literature, more intellectually stimulating than children’s books or single-page flyers. Plus, they’re everywhere: doctor’s offices, dentist’s offices, stuffed in between bus seats. Reading at least five pamphl...
The Red Solo Cup should become a relic of the past
By Julia Aldrich | Columnist
January 6, 2017
Robert L. Hulseman, the inventor of the Red Solo Cup, passed away on Dec. 21, 2016. A little over a week later, on New Year's Eve, my friends and I attended a party at a bar in Philadelphia. The atmosphere was lively, the DJ was bumping and the open bar was a masterpiece, except for one aspect...
Editorial: State ethics reform ignores the real problems
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
January 4, 2017
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
It looks like Republicans in Pennsylvania’s capital are following the Congressional GOP’s recent example when it comes to mishandling ethics reform. In one of the Pennsylvania State House’s first acts of the new legislative term, the House Ethics Committee, under the direction of Republican Scott Petri, pushed through a bundle of rule changes for the Committee’s operatio...
Don’t let superstition rule your 2017
By Henry Glitz | Assistant Opinions Editor
January 4, 2017
The last day of last year was, without a doubt, one of the best. My friends who I hadn’t seen in weeks or months were gathered around me to celebrate the end of the year from hell. Yet, the jubilant cries of my friends at the stroke of midnight almost drowned out the mantra I was repeating over and...
Make realistic goals, not resolutions this New Year
By Maggie Koontz | For The Pitt News
January 3, 2017
Last year, my New Year’s resolution was to cut back on my social media usage. I failed. As soon as the semester began and my professors started droning on, I was back scrolling through Facebook feeds and Instagram photos while my resolution fell to the misdirected wayside like many others before it. ...
Port Authority’s new fare policy deters cash, affecting lower income riders
By Amber Montgomery | Opinions Editor
January 3, 2017
If you rode a Port Authority bus in the last two months of 2016, you probably noticed the scrolling banners or audible reminders promising that “change is coming.” The messages could have been intended to be comically ominous, but the larger objective was to alert riders to the coming changes in ...
On player discipline, NFL has a long way to go
By Jaime Viens | Columnist
January 3, 2017
Few football fans entertain the illusion that the National Football League is flawless, but during the past few seasons, the league’s corruption may well have reached its peak. As the new year begins, the NFL regular season comes to a close and playoffs approach, the league has the opportunity to i...
Sleep attack: living with narcolepsy
By Maya Puskaric | For The Pitt News
December 12, 2016
When I think back to high school, I mostly remember sleeping through more classes than I was awake for. I remember pushing myself out of bed in the morning with the mantra, “just get up and get dressed, and you can sleep through homeroom and first period.” Only after a chorus of three alarms and ...
Sleepless nights and pivotal moments
By Dale Shoemaker | Managing Editor
December 12, 2016
And here it is again, another sleepless night and my last at The Pitt News. These feelings are all too familiar: the dryness of my eyes, the vague throbbing in my head, the pain in my neck. Probably the biggest lie I’ve told myself over the past three and a half years is a recurring one: I’ll...
Meme culture: a barrier for online discussion
By Mariam Shalaby | Columnist
December 8, 2016
Filed under Columns
Occasionally, as I scroll through my Instagram feed, I find a meme to show my mom. Yesterday, I texted her a photo of a cat poking its head comically through the crack of a door with the caption, “When I hear my parents talking about me in another room.” My go-to conversation starter when I text my...
Top 10: study tips for finals week
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
December 8, 2016
Filed under Editorials
As finals week approaches, we are all figuring out ways to survive this dreadful time of year while also attempting to keep our fingers and toes from freezing in the first onslaught of winter’s fury. We’ve listed a few ways to cope with the inevitable process of emotional breakdowns, sleep deprivation a...
Real commentary requires facts, not just a platform
By Matt Moret | Assistant Opinions Editor
December 8, 2016
This is my last week as an editor for The Pitt News opinions section. I’ve spent all of it thinking about thinkpieces. Since my first year at Pitt, I’ve been writing or editing commentary, both at this paper and for other campus publications. And though I can say these experiences have changed my l...
Editorial: Ohio’s restrictive abortion bill a preview of Trump’s America
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 8, 2016
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Abortion rights are once again under attack, and this time, there might not be a Supreme Court willing to stand up in defense. The Ohio General Assembly approved a bill Tuesday night which would ban abortions after the fetus heartbeat becomes detectable. This generally occurs six weeks after a woman first becomes pregnant. Unfortunately for ...
Editorial: Future of Democratic Party in need of change
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 6, 2016
Filed under Editorials
Even after a blistering and highly emotional defeat last month, it appears the Democratic leadership has learned next-to-nothing. With the loss of the House, Senate and presidency in this year’s election with President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning victory, the future of the Democratic Party ...
OMETS give students voices for improvement
By Amber Montgomery | Columnist
December 6, 2016
Filed under Columns
I’ve had a sticky note on my desktop all semester where I jot down little thoughts about my classes and professors — notes about covering material too fast or taking too long to hand back grades. To an outside observer, it may seem trivial or even bizarre, but to me, it’s helpful preparation for ...
Clinton backers ignored Pennsylvania’s center, lost winnable votes
By Julia Aldrich | Columnist
December 5, 2016
Filed under Columns
The final months of 2016’s election season on Pitt’s campus were rather blue — and by blue, I mean pro-Clinton. As I made my way through campus, I’d see students sporting the Clinton campaign logo on stickers and buttons. I’d try my best to avoid eye contact with the tables of canvassers a...
Editorial: Trump selecting Carson disregards those who need HUD’s help
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 5, 2016
Filed under Editorials
Cuba Gooding Jr.’s fictionalized version of Ben Carson from TNT’s “Gifted Hands” movie would be a less surprising addition to the President-elect’s cabinet than Carson himself. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon from Detroit, ran against and lost — badly — to Donald Trump in this year’s Re...
Editorial: Standing Rock Sioux’s fight is not over
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
December 5, 2016
Filed under Editorials
With only one day left before they would be told to evacuate the construction site, Native Americans and supporters of the No DAPL protest all around the country are celebrating. After months of protesting and demonstrations in support of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, the Army Corps of Engineer...
Op-Ed: Gun control will not solve gun violence
By Jeremy Wang | Op-Ed Contributor
December 5, 2016
Filed under Columns
Removing assault weapons from the market will do nothing to address the root causes of violence. Whenever there is a mass shooting or crime involving firearms — whether it be the Orlando nightclub shooting or the epidemic of inner-city violent crime — the phrase “gun violence” is immediat...
Dark Matter shines light on trans people of color
By Erica Brandbergh | For The Pitt News
December 1, 2016
Filed under Columns
As the music ceased, the audience hushed and New York-based artists Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian took the stage in boldly colored outfits and vibrant lipsticks. The pair didn’t waste time as they leapt into a passionate spoken-word poem. The audience was immediately captivated. The ...
Top 10: Trump Cabinet Picks
By The Pitt News Editorial Board and Pitt Tonight
December 1, 2016
Filed under Editorials
As President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for his cabinet become finalized, so has criticism for his choices. Even though he promised to #DrainTheSwamp, Trump instead dove right in, selecting a team of political insiders, millionaires and billionaires. Hoping to offer our 45th president some guidanc...
There’s no blueprint, choose passion over pressure
By Saket Rajprohat | Columnist
November 30, 2016
I wake up with a jolt, worried I missed my alarm. The clock read 5:29 a.m., a minute before my alarm was supposed to ring. Turning off my tentative wake up call, I immediately began to panic, “How could I do this to myself! Without that extra minute of sleep, I might as well have not slept at all.” ...
Editorial: Pittsburgh must protect LGBTQ children from conversion therapy
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 30, 2016
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Let’s just get this out of the way: Being gay, queer, trans or any other member of the LGBTQ+ community is not a choice. There’s no way to “fix” it. It’s disappointing that, on the precipice of 2017, people are still arguing about this. Moreover, it’s a tragic reality that some of tho...
Editorial: Pittsburgh should declare sanctuary status
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 30, 2016
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
As threats to undocumented immigrants being deported under Trump’s administration loom, Pittsburgh, it seems, is fighting back. Ever since President-elect Donald Trump vowed to deport up to 3 million undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes as well as threatened to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities, cities across the co...
Recounts will strengthen our democracy
By Saket Rajprohat | Columnist
November 30, 2016
Even though he won the election, don’t remind Donald Trump that he lost the popular vote. He gets testy. So testy, in fact, that he’s now lying about how he lost, just to save face. “I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally,” Trump said in a tweet on Su...
Students should focus less on resumes and embrace experiential learning
By Kirsten Wong | Opinions Editor
November 29, 2016
Filed under Columns
Researching, public speaking and being in charge of a dozen kids are all activities I’ve tried to avoid at any cost. Research is a bore, public speaking gives me anxiety and kids require too much energy to handle for more than 20 minutes. Yet here I am, in college, advocating for the very things ...
Editorial: Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education puts private business before community improvement
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 29, 2016
Filed under Editorials
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to run the country like a business. If his early choices for key cabinet positions are any indication, he plans to make good on that claim — at least in regard to education. Trump announced last Wednesday that conservative billionaire and activist Be...
Pitt’s Counseling Center needs to meet increasing demands
By For The Pitt News | Erica Brandbergh
November 28, 2016
Filed under Columns
A few weeks ago, I tried to make an appointment at Pitt’s Counseling Center only to be told that the counselors were so busy that it could be over a month before I could get an appointment. I know Pitt is a large university with increasing mental health service demands, but I didn’t expect the wa...
Editorial: Professor watchlist avoids academic dialogue
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 27, 2016
Filed under Columns, Editorials
Before you sign up for a class, you check the professor’s Rate My Professor and maybe his or her bio on Pitt’s site. Now, some students might also see if their professors “liberal biases” have landed them on a watchlist. With the launch of a new website last week, any of your professors who are “caugh...
Trump’s ethical supporters must give back to communities he threatens
By Saket Rajprohat | Columnist
November 21, 2016
Filed under Columns
Because I spent the good part of my summer and fall semesters this year working for the Hillary Clinton campaign, watching the election results with my team on Nov. 8 was particularly devastating. When Trump was on the verge of winning Pennsylvania and I was on the verge of losing my mind, we shut...
Editorial: The Pitt News’ Thanksgiving survival guide
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 21, 2016
Filed under Editorials
‘Tis the season for turkey, stuffing and unbearable small talk around the family dinner table. It’s Thanksgiving, and lucky for you, the country just completed its most contentious political contest in decades. While that means there will be plenty of fodder for banter, it also makes it like...
Criminal record could impact student protestor
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 20, 2016
Filed under Editorials
It’s difficult to imagine that participating in a protest in college could lead to limited job prospects for those involved, but this very well may be a reality for some student protesters at Pitt. A student protest turned violent last Thursday after the Pitt police forced students out of the Litchfield Towers lobby as they were occupying the space, despite police demands not to. One stud...
Letter to the editor
By The Pittsburgh Student Solidarity Coalition
November 20, 2016
Filed under Letters to the Editor
To the Editor: On the night of Nov. 17, at a non-violent anti-Trump protest, tuition-paying students at the University of Pittsburgh were forced out of the spaces that exist and are maintained solely for their use by brutal force wielded by police who are paid through these students’ tuition. T...
Top 10 Things First-Time Renters Should Look Out For
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 17, 2016
Filed under Editorials
Our weekly Top Ten is brought to you by the writers of Pitt Tonight and The Pitt News Editorial Board. Ghosts If ghosts don’t bother you, set up secret cameras to videotape your roommates while they sleep and you can make the 17th Paranormal Activity sequel. You’ll rake in millions, or ...
Privatization of public works poisoned city water
By Jaime Viens | Columnist
November 17, 2016
Filed under Columns
When two-year-old resident of Flint, Michigan, Sofia Waid had her blood tested, the results showed her blood had 14 micrograms of lead per deciliter, according to her father’s February statement to the Detroit Free Press. Currently, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention holds the “blood lead level of concern” at five mcg/dL. The child has since suffered skin rashes, diges...
Close the street parking loophole
By Bayard Miller | Columnist
November 17, 2016
Filed under Columns
It’s a story almost every resident of Central — often erroneously called South — Oakland is familiar with: the anxiety attack that is an inevitable part of trying to find street parking. As the proud owner of a Ford Crown Victoria — which is notable for not only its prominent usage by po...
Off-campus living is worth the commute
By Emily Schoenberger | Columnist
November 17, 2016
Filed under Columns
As I planned my move to Pitt, one of my and my parents’ main concerns was that Pitt only guarantees students three years of on-campus housing. I was sure that I wanted to live on campus for as long as possible, and the idea of having to move off campus at some point gave me anxiety. After one ...
Anti-Trump protests provide unity and comfort
By Julia Aldrich | Columnist
November 17, 2016
Filed under Columns
Before all final votes could be counted in last week’s election, thousands of people in cities across the country — including Pittsburgh — painted their signs, slipped on their shoes and gathered in the streets to protest. But as soon as people began protesting Trump’s presidency — and his...
Local prison system in dire need of reform
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 17, 2016
Filed under Editorials
Allegheny County’s prison system reflects the problems the American criminal justice system has faced for years. Pitt’s Institute of Politics released a report Wednesday titled “Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: Improving Incarceration Policies and Practices in Allegheny County,” that includes a list of suggestions to imp...
Voter suppression helped decide presidential election
By Henry Glitz | Columnist
November 16, 2016
Filed under Columns
Try as they might, most members of the media still have very little idea what exactly happened at the polls last Tuesday. Even pundits and pollsters as prophetic as FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver had consistently predicted upwards of a 70 percent chance for a Clinton victory in the general election. As we all know, that didn’t happen, and none of the mos...
Editorial: Conscious conservatives must denounce Bannon appointment
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 16, 2016
Filed under Editorials
By now, you’ve probably heard the name Steve Bannon floating around. If not, here’s a primer. As the former executive chairman of the self-described “Trump loudspeaker” site Breitbart.com, Bannon has promoted racist, sexist, transphobic and anti-Semitic writings. That seems like a long list, so...
Gamers should pass on the season pass
By Thomas Wick | For The Pitt News
November 15, 2016
Filed under Columns
As soon as I started playing “Battlefield 1,” I couldn’t stop. The World War I shooter that I and hundreds of others had been anticipating finally came out in late October and has quickly become one of the most immersive and exciting multiplayer games of the year. Still, “Battlefield ...
Editorial: Revive Pitt’s journalism major
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 15, 2016
Filed under Editorials
With a Donald Trump presidency just months away, the media world is fighting to win back the trust readers have abandoned. Which means that in a world full of fake news and unverified fluff masquerading as information, there has never been a larger need for young adults to learn how to most accurat...
Trump presidency could hurt LGBTQ+ rights
By Maggie Koontz | For The Pitt News
November 13, 2016
Filed under Columns
About six years ago, I began to identify privately as bisexual. I kept the revelation to myself because I’m from Kentucky, a state known for being quite conservative. And, as a Catholic, I constantly heard that I was going to hell for being attracted to the same gender. Since Donald Trump was...
Editorial: Fake news on Facebook hinders political discourse
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
November 13, 2016
Filed under Editorials
Although the election has passed, social media is still a haven for articles, thinkpieces and commentary on the presidential candidates — now focused more squarely on President-elect Donald Trump. In the oversaturated, under-moderated mess that is social media, it’s become increasingly difficult to tel...
Overcome hatred by fighting inequality
By Kirsten Wong | Opinions Editor
November 10, 2016
Filed under Columns
Behind every vote, there’s a story. My story is filled with experiences, relationships, childhood memories, passions, mistakes and successes that shape who I am today — just like anybody else. But there’s two sides to every story: the intangible parts of our identity that define us and the phy...
Mourning in America
By Matt Moret | Assistant Opinions Editor
November 10, 2016
Filed under Columns
It’s mourning again in America. Every generation has a moment defined by the pain left in its wake. Our parents survived the administrations of Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. Most of us grew up as our country went to war twice and went through the worst economic decline since the Great Depression...
Letter to the Editor: I am an immigrant and I am horrified
By Apara Sharma, Sophomore
November 10, 2016
Filed under Letters to the Editor
I am an immigrant. I've lived in this country for 17 of my 19 years. I am a student, a friend, a daughter. I have faced racism, and I have had to work hard to build the small safety net I have, and because of the results of this election, I am horrified and fearful for the lives of people that aren't...
Letter to the Editor: As an LGBTQ+ student, I fear for progress
By Anonymous Pitt Sophomore
November 10, 2016
Filed under Letters to the Editor
For this letter, I would like to remain anonymous. But due to what happened in this country last night, I feel that I cannot remain silent. I try my hardest to stay away from politics, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion — something I must respect. I would not call myself either a liberal...
Letter to the Editor: “Never again means never again.”
By Hannah Lynn, Senior
November 10, 2016
Filed under Letters to the Editor
My mom forwarded me an email today that my rabbi sent out to the congregation of my temple, reminding everyone that “Jews don’t despair,” that we should always stand up for oppressed people. I’ve never been religious, but I’ve always been Jewish, and I’ve been thinking about that a lot i...
Letter to the Editor: “On Tuesday night, I felt like I was in the wrong country.”
By Jesse Irwin, Senior
November 10, 2016
Filed under Letters to the Editor
The past 36 hours have sucked. On Tuesday night, I felt like I was in the wrong country. My mom had called me earlier in the day, so excited that — according to the polls — she was finally going to see another mother lead this nation, and that she was going to get to live through it with her...