GALLERY: Goatscaping behind Chevron
By Jon Kunitsky, Staff Videographer
August 9, 2018
Filed under Top Stories, Video, Visual
A herd of landscapers – yes, a herd – arrived on campus from HaveUHerd, a Collier County-based goatscaping facility. The goats eat overgrown brush, leaving behind a field prepared for planting.
Community speaks out against Mercy Hospital expansion
By Kieran Mclean, Staff Writer
July 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, Top Stories
A group of community members gathered Tuesday to urge the Pittsburgh City Council require UPMC enter a community benefits agreement.
Panthers reminisce on time with Coach Aprile
By Tessa Sayers, For The Pitt News
July 18, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
Head coach Holly Aprile announced her resignation from Pitt Softball on Sunday. The announcement comes after the softball team’s most successful season yet, which included the program’s first ACC Coastal Division title in its history.
Mike Bell named new Pitt baseball head coach
By Hannah Schneider, Sports Editor
July 14, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
Former associate head coach at Florida State Mike Bell will take over as head coach of Pitt Baseball.
Tight end Charles Reeves dismissed
By Joanna Li, Senior Staff Writer
July 14, 2018
Filed under Football, Sports, Top Stories
Reeves was dismissed without specific reason from the University, which cited "disciplinary actions."
Softball coach Holly Aprile resigns
By Hannah Schneider, Sports Editor
July 14, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
– Aprile coached the Panthers softball team for 10 years. She will coach at Louisville, who the Panthers beat this year to win their first division championship.
Pitt professors pursue new projects with Pitt Seed grants
By Mario Cattabiani III | For the Pitt News
July 11, 2018
Filed under Administration, News, Top Stories
Pitt is investing in change this summer, beginning with projects from professors at the University. The first-ever Pitt Seed Project awarded a total of more than $1 million to 23 programs designed to play an instrumental role in transforming the University. The grants will fund a wide range of faculty...
Board appoints new Provost, inducts five new trustees
By Kieran Mclean | Staff Writer
July 11, 2018
Filed under Administration, News, Top Stories
The Pitt Board of Trustees appointed former Boston University Dean of the College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Ann E. Cudd, as Pitt’s new provost Friday, June 29. The board also inducted five new trustees, including President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins David J. Morehouse and...
Art, music, pets and vets: SouthSide Works Exposed
By Shahum Ajmal and Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot | TPN Staff
July 11, 2018
Filed under Art, Culture, Food & Drink, Music, Top Stories
As the City of Pittsburgh wound down from Fourth of July celebrations and stormy weather, the South Side neighborhood prepared for the 14th annual SouthSide Works Exposed arts festival from July 6 to 8. The event was sponsored by City Vets PGH, a new urgent care veterinary practice in the South S...
Community groups call for city to release Amazon bid
By Kieran Mclean | For The Pitt News
June 27, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Members of nine community groups gathered at City Hall Thursday morning in front of a sky-blue banner declaring “The City of Pittsburgh Welcomes You.” The crowd demanded that the City release the conditions of its proposal to Amazon. Jules Lobel, Chair of the University of Pittsburgh’s Law Depar...
Pitt unveils statue of Dr. Thomas Starzl, transplant pioneer
By Samuel Weber | Staff Writer
June 27, 2018
Filed under Campus, Health, News, Top Stories
Friends, family, university staff and members of the media gathered outside the Cathedral of Learning in full business attire Saturday to honor the memory of the late Dr. Thomas Starzl with a new bronze statue. Dr. Starzl passed away March 4, 2017, at age 90. Often referred to as “the father of t...
Jimmy Wopo: The man behind the music
By Hannah Schneider | Contributing Editor
June 27, 2018
Filed under Culture, Music, Top Stories
Local rapper Travon Smart — known by his stage name, Jimmy Wopo — was fatally shot last Monday afternoon at the age of 21. The shooting took place in the Middle Hill neighborhood — the very neighborhood that helped him become famous. Growing up in the Hill District was difficult for Smart. As a yo...
GALLERY: The Week in Antwon Rose Protests
By TPN Staff
June 26, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories, Visual
June 21, 2018 Early Afternoon—Protesters gathered outside the Allegheny County Courthouse in the second major protest against police brutality after Antwon Rose Jr's death on June 19, 2018. Rose Jr and two others were in a car suspected of involvement in a drive-by shooting Tuesday evening. Rose Jr...
Chancellor recommends renaming Parran Hall
By Christian Snyder and Grant Burgman | The Pitt News Staff
June 25, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
The months-long campaign to rename Parran Hall, the primary home of Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, reached a turning point Monday when Chancellor Patrick Gallagher issued a recommendation to University trustees that the building be renamed in light of Thomas Parran’s controversial record...
Community responds after high school student fatally shot by police
By Christian Snyder and Kieran Mclean | The Pitt News Staff
June 21, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, Top Stories
After East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld fatally shot unarmed Woodland Hills High School student Antwon Rose Tuesday night, the community responded quickly, organizing daily protests that Pittsburgh officials expect to continue through the summer. The first protest began outside the East Pit...
Officer involved in fatal shooting was former Pitt police officer
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-chief
June 21, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
This story was first posted at 6:48 p.m. The Allegheny County Police Department confirmed the identity of the officer involved in the Tuesday night fatal shooting of Antwon Rose, a 17-year-old Woodland Hills High School student. [Read: Unarmed 17-year-old fatally shot by East Pittsburgh police...
Joe Jordano resigns as baseball coach
By Hannah Schneider and Joanna Li | The Pitt News Staff
June 21, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
Joe Jordano resigned as head coach of Pitt’s baseball team Thursday night, according to a report from the Post-Gazette. An official announcement released by the University Friday afternoon confirmed his resignation. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead this program with integrity, pas...
Athletics Department announces new mental health program
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-Chief
June 20, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Sports, Top Stories
Pitt’s Athletics Department announced a new partnership with Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC to add two full-time mental health counselors to the department’s staff to interact with student-athletes on a daily basis, according to a statement released Wednesday. Student-athletes were previously referred to WPIC for mental health treatment. The new program will include one-on-one counseling and focus on techniques for practi...
Girls who rock: Ladyfest 2018
By Sarah Connor | Culture Editor
June 20, 2018
Filed under Culture, Music, Top Stories
A Google search for “rock bands” yields a long list of well-known results — Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Guns N’ Roses are the first bands listed. The search results show other examples such as The Who, AC/DC and modern bands like the Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay. Aside from being ...
Pitt Football gains 11 recruits
By Joanna Li | Senior Staff Writer
June 20, 2018
Filed under Football, Sports, Top Stories
Entering June with zero commitments from the 2019 recruiting class, Pitt’s football team found itself stuck with a late start to its recruiting trail. But despite the slow start, the pace suddenly changed as the the count rocketed to 11 commits in just one weekend, with nine of those players verbally ...
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 packs the streets for Pride 2018
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
June 13, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple lit up downtown Pittsburgh over the weekend as members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies united to celebrate their differences and show support for the community. They danced, sang and kissed under rainbow flags. This was Pittsburgh PrideFest 2018. ...
Photos: Pride across Pittsburgh
By The Pitt News Staff
June 13, 2018
Filed under City, Culture, News, Top Stories, Visual
...
2 Panthers drafted into MLB
By Joanna Li | Senior Staff Writer
June 7, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
Two Panthers were selected into the MLB on the second day of the 2018 draft, marking the sixth year in a row that Pitt has had at least one player picked to join the league. RJ Freure The Houston Astros drafted Pitt rising junior relief pitcher RJ Freure in the sixth round with the 192nd pick of the...
Pitt protesters pressure Peduto on Shell plant
By Jon Kunitsky | For the Pitt News
June 6, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The seven-year-long battle over an ethane cracker plant between Shell Chemical, the petrochemicals arm of Royal Dutch Shell, and clean-climate activists took another turn Friday morning when a group of Pitt alumni and current students took to the Smithfield Street Bridge to drop a banner in protes...
Peduto, Fitzgerald face questions at town hall
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
June 6, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Citizens had a chance to address pressing issues like Amazon, small businesses and the ethane plant in Beaver County with some of Pittsburgh’s most important figures — Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald — Monday night at Union Project in Highland Park. Peduto, F...
Annual Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off downtown
By Zachary Donovan | Staff Writer
June 6, 2018
Filed under Art, Culture, Food & Drink, Music, Top Stories
The City of Pittsburgh’s North Side was filled with the sound of country music and the sight of about 25 tons of trash this past weekend as the Kenny Chesney concert took over Heinz Field and the surrounding parking lots for tailgates. But across the river from the hard-partying country fans, a different crowd...
Pitt swimming and diving signs 12 new athletes
By Joanna Li | Senior Staff Writer
June 2, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
Pitt’s swimming and diving program announced 12 new additions to the upcoming 2018-19 season on Friday. These dozen athletes join the seven other members of the Class of 2018, announced last November. “We believe that each of these kids has the potential to leave Pitt as an accomplished student and a phenomenal athlete,” Pitt head coach John Hargis sai...
Pitt service workers to be affected by SCOTUS decision
By Christian Snyder | Editor in Chief
May 30, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Aliyya Lee had just worked from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. before stopping to meet her coworker Pam Johnston at Panera on Forbes Avenue. After passionately describing to me what’s at stake over 200 miles away as nine Supreme Court justices debate a labor union case, the pair left to defend unionized employ...
A night at The Priory
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 30, 2018
Filed under City, News, Sports, Sports Features, Top Stories
The ballroom of the Priory Grand Hall, a small hotel in the historic Pittsburgh neighborhood of Deutschtown, is actually a converted church — but last Friday it became a boxing ring. A red-matted ring bordered by red and blue ropes sat in the center of the ballroom, hit directly by the fading ev...
Soldiers and Sailors celebrates Memorial Day
By Sam Weber | Staff Writer
May 30, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Butler-local Tom McKay, an ex-Marine, stood outside Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall on Monday to experience the museum’s annual celebration for the first time. He described the day as a “sweeping experience.” Red, white and blue T-shirts and flags were scattered across the front lawn of So...
Pitt Ultimate Frisbee makes history
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
May 30, 2018
Filed under Club Sports, Sports, Top Stories
This weekend in Milwaukee was hot — over 80 degrees in the sun, and hotter on the turf fields of the Uihlein Soccer Park, where the Pitt Ultimate frisbee men’s and women’s teams competed for a shot at their respective national championships. But according to rising fifth-year senior Hafeez Shams,...
Pittsburgh Filmmakers to close doors in North Oakland
By Sarah Connor and Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot | Culture Staff
May 29, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
After 20 years of providing classes to residents of Pittsburgh and students at Pitt, Pittsburgh Filmmakers will end its days in Oakland. Due to financial struggles, Pittsburgh Filmmakers has canceled its fall courses in film and photography, and has made plans to sell its building on Melwood Avenue...
Column: Women’s sports need female leaders
By Jordan Mondell | Senior Staff Writer
May 23, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports Columns, Top Stories
Pitt’s new women’s basketball head coach Lance White — who was hired April 18 to replace former coach Suzie McConnell-Serio — seems like a great snag for the program. The former Florida State assistant has it going on — a 350-145 overall record, 12 seasons with 20 or more wins with the Se...
Pitt alums remember Peter’s Pub
By Samuel Weber | Staff Writer
May 23, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
At Peter’s Pub in Oakland this past weekend, the generally happy atmosphere of a normal Sunday night was nowhere to be found. Bar staff and friends sat around the bar reminiscing about their time working and hanging out at the Oakland staple, which will be closing its doors after 44 years. In a F...
Pitt Vice Chancellor withdraws from UMass Boston chancellor search
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 23, 2018
Filed under Administration, News, Top Stories
Pitt Senior Vice Chancellor for Engagement Kathy Humphrey withdrew her name from consideration for the chancellor position at the University of Massachusetts Boston Tuesday amid controversy surrounding the nomination and confirmation processes. The other two finalists for the position, Peter Lyons — the vi...
Sneak peek: Free entertainment for this summer in the City
By Sarah Connor | Culture Editor
May 23, 2018
Filed under Art, Culture, Food & Drink, Movies, Music, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Now that college students have finished their finals and high school students are going to prom, the summer season is truly about to begin. The City of Pittsburgh is ready to celebrate the sunny months with some free outdoor events. Typical summer events — like the Independence Day celebration ...
Peter’s Pub announces upcoming closing
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 16, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Peter’s Pub, a staple of the Oakland bar scene, will close its doors at the end of the month after 44 years of business. The popular bar on Oakland Avenue announced its upcoming closing on its Facebook page in a post Wednesday afternoon. “It is with heavy hearts, and tears in our eyes, that...
Don’t Call Her Honey: Ciara Gray artist spotlight
By Siddhi Shockey | Staff Writer
May 16, 2018
Filed under Art, Culture, Top Stories
When she was a young artist in first grade, Ciara Gray brought an assignment to the front of the class to show the teacher her work — how she’d ripped a portrait from a magazine in half and pasted it to paper, sketching in the missing half of the model’s face. Now, marks of Gray’s creativity are etched...
Pappas bids The Public adieu with ‘Hamlet’
By Jon Kunitsky | For The Pitt News
May 16, 2018
Filed under Culture, Theater, Top Stories
The audience poured an avalanche of applause over the cast of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of “Hamlet” following its opening performance April 19 — uproarious cheering, whistling and standing ovations galore. But I did not stand, and instead left the theater feeling indifferent and...
Survivors, supporters race for the cure in Schenley
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
May 16, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Amber Baker led her team of “Bosom Buddies” through Schenley Park this Mother’s Day with her daughter, Angelina Chertik, who traveled across the state from Philadelphia to attend the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, an annual 5K run that raises money and awareness for breast cancer. Baker, a ...
Pitt Softball loses ACC Championship game
By Stephen Cuddy | Staff Writer
May 16, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
The Panthers softball team finished its most successful season yet with a 33-18-1 record, earning head coach Holly Aprile the ACC Coach of the Year honor. With two victories over Louisville earlier this month, the Panthers ended the season as ACC Coastal Champions for the first time in school history — and...
Pittsburgh Marathon draws runners from around the world
By Hannah Schneider | Sports Editor
May 16, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories
Despite overcast skies, cool temperatures and the threat of rain, more than 37,000 people showed up at the starting line for the 10th annual Pittsburgh Marathon early Sunday morning. The weekend of races, hosted by Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc., also drew a crowd of more than 200,000 sp...
Allegheny County Health Department issues consumer alert at Popeyes
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 15, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
The Allegheny County Health Department issued a consumer alert Friday to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on Fifth Avenue for an infestation of mice. Inspectors reportedly found a live mouse in the office and another live mouse in the basement of the restaurant, and found dead mice in the kitchen and on ...
Ellen Moran named as new vice chancellor
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 11, 2018
Filed under Administration, News, Top Stories
Pitt announced Thursday its communications department has a new leader with Ellen Moran, now vice chancellor for strategic communications and marketing. Moran previously served as President Barack Obama’s communications director from November 2008 to April 2009. Moran, who has been working the position sin...
Softball team secures first ACC championship in program history
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
May 5, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
The Pitt softball team earned a crucial 9-8 victory over Louisville Friday afternoon to clinch first place in the ACC Coastal Division — marking the team’s first division championship in its 20-year history. The Panthers then took a victory lap on Saturday with a 10-2 win in their second game against...
Aiken basketball legacy to continue at Pitt
By Joanna Li | Staff Writer
May 4, 2018
Filed under Men's Basketball, Sports, Top Stories
The Panthers men’s basketball team secured a legacy talent Thursday night when North Allegheny High School senior Curtis Aiken Jr. verbally committed to Pitt via Twitter. ✅ pic.twitter.com/o7KDwZkQec — Curtis Aiken Jr. (@caiken_14) May 4, 2018 Aiken will join the team next season as a preferred walk-on, meanin...
Lyke announces first class in Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame
By Hannah Schneider | Sports Editor
May 3, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories
After sorting through more than 300 nominations, it should come as no surprise that the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame selection committee chose Panther Football stars Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino and Mike Ditka as inaugural members of Pitt’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Some of the inductees — like class of 191...
Pitt extends contract with Athletic Director Heather Lyke
By Joanna Li | Senior Staff Writer
May 1, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher announced last week a six-year extension to Athletic Director Heather Lyke’s contract. Lyke was hired in March 2017 to replace Scott Barnes — and she had a busy first year. “I am grateful to Chancellor Gallagher and our Board of Trustees for their belief in me, our team a...
Diop announces transfer to Louisville
By Joanna Li | Senior Staff Writer
May 1, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Women's Basketball
Pitt redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop announced Monday that she is transferring to Louisville for her final season of eligibility. Once she gets there, she will immediately be eligible to play. With Diop’s departure, the Pitt women’s basketball team loses last year’s leading scorer and rebou...
Tampa Bay selects Jordan Whitehead with the 117th overall pick in the NFL Draft
By Trent Leonard | Senior Staff Writer
April 28, 2018
Filed under Football, Sports, Top Stories
Pitt football had its second player taken off the board— after offensive lineman Brian O’Neill— when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected safety Jordan Whitehead in the fourth round with the 117th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Despite dealing with two shortened seasons after an impressive first year, Whi...
Pittsburgh work crew removes Stephen Foster statue
By Grant Burgman | Contributing Editor
April 26, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The controversial statue of American songwriter Stephen Foster was removed by the city of Pittsburgh from its perch near Schenley Plaza early Thursday morning. Sculpted in 1900 by Giuseppe Moretti, the statue has sat across from the Stephen Foster Memorial since 1940. It depicts Foster, a 19th-cent...
Lyke Plans to “Flip the Pete”
By Joanna Li | Senior Staff Writer
April 25, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
Athletic Director Heather Lyke wants to “flip” the basketball court at the Petersen Events Center. She announced that the Athletic Department will be changing the layout of the court at a media roundtable discussion at the Pete Wednesday morning. According to Lyke, when Pitt built the eve...
Pitt gains first top-100 basketball recruit since 2013
By Trent Leonard | Senior Staff Writer
April 24, 2018
Filed under Men's Basketball, Sports, Top Stories
The Pitt men’s basketball team received its first verbal commitment of the 2018-2019 recruiting season today at noon when four-star recruit Trey McGowens announced his commitment to the Panthers via Twitter. McGowens, a senior 6-foot-3 guard at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., chose Pitt...
Digress from stress: Pittsburgh’s Slices of Serenity
By Elizabeth Donnelly | Staff Writer
April 23, 2018
Filed under Culture, Top Stories
It’s no secret that finals week can be a stressful time for students, but there are many places Pitt students can go for relief — both on and off campus. With these study break destinations, students can try to focus their mental energy on staying calm and relaxing. Stress Free Zone — William Pitt Union (Oakland...
SGB reflects, looks ahead
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 23, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
As Student Government Board’s incoming president last year, Max Kneis said he wanted to improve collaboration and engagement with SGB. Now as outgoing president one year later, Kneis said the number of applications for SGB positions shows how he’s achieved this. “I think we continue to have more students...
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...
Covestro lectures honors professor
By Briana Canady | Staff Writer
April 20, 2018
Filed under News, Tech Science, Top Stories
Harvard University professor George Whitesides spoke to a crowd of about 150 people Thursday night in Benedum Hall about how chemistry can be utilized in all industries to bring opportunities for invention and productivity. “The tools from the health care and manufacturing industries can provide what we ...
Pennsylvania Senate passes antihazing law
By Sarah Shearer | Contributing Editor
April 20, 2018
Filed under Administration, News, Top Stories
The Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would make hazing in fraternities a third-degree felony in cases of serious injury or death, and could allow universities to seize offending Greek organizations’ houses. The law is sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leade...
Irene Mena: A world of opportunities
By Brian Gentry | Staff Writer
April 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When Irene Mena got her U.S. citizenship Feb. 28 at the Pittsburgh Courthouse, her colleague and friend Dan Budny brought her a cake adorned with an American flag and the words “Congratulations Irene!” written under it. She ate a piece and then drove right back to her office in Benedum Hall. ...
Pitt now accepting the Common Application
By Elise Lavallee | Contributing Editor
April 19, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Students submitting an application to Pitt in the 2018-19 school year will be the first class that can use the Common Application, according to a statement Pitt released Tuesday. The Common App allows prospective students to apply to multiple colleges and universities simultaneously using one applica...
Wrestler Bruno Sammartino, Oakland native, dies at 82
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
April 19, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Bruno Sammartino, a former professional wrestler and Oakland native, died Wednesday after battling health issues for the last two months. His wife, Carol, and two of his sons were at his side when he died peacefully. He was 82. Sammartino was born in October of 1935 and immigrated to South Oakland from Pizzo...
Pitt hires Lance White as women’s basketball coach
By Jordan Mondell | Assistant Sports Editor
April 18, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Women's Basketball
Florida State associate head coach Lance White has been hired as Pitt’s new head women’s basketball coach, the University announced Wednesday. Lance, who was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association assistant coach of the year in 2017, was hired by Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke ...
SGB bids farewell in final meeting
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 18, 2018
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
Plenty of teary, emotional thank-yous and farewells occured at Tuesday night’s Student Government Board meeting — the last official meeting for the 2017-18 board. During his final report, President Max Kneis took the opportunity to thank everyone who had been with him along the way. “From my f...
Capel rounds out assistant coaching staff with hiring of Milan Brown
By Jordan Mondell | Assistant Sports Editor
April 17, 2018
Filed under Men's Basketball, Sports, Top Stories
New men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel has officially rounded out his immediate coaching staff with the hiring of a third full-time assistant, according to a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Capel hired College of Charleston assistant coach Milan Brown to join associate head coaches Tim O’Toole and Jason Capel, both of whom Pitt hired as assistant coaches last we...
Panelists question separation of medicine and faith
By Cassidy Power | Staff Writer
April 17, 2018
Filed under Health, News, Top Stories
Although in Western tradition medicine and faith are considered separate entities, a Monday afternoon panel sponsored by the School of Nursing called Can Science Measure the Culture of Health? questioned why the two aren’t integrated. Speakers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Sai...
Pitt announces commencement speakers
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
April 17, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
Pitt graduates receiving their University diplomas this month will hear from two Pitt alumni who have led prominent careers in public service since their own commencement ceremonies. Pitt will host Pittsburgh Mayor and ex officio member of Pitt’s Board of Trustees, William Peduto, at the undergrad...
Labor of love: PSA puts on Mock Shaadi
By Shahum Ajmal | Staff Writer
April 17, 2018
Filed under Culture, Top Stories
Two first-year students exchanged vows in the William Pitt Union ballroom Saturday night — but all in good fun. The bride and groom were volunteer participants in the Pitt Pakistani Student Association’s second annual Mock Shaadi event. Awash in shades of red, yellow and pink, the ballroom wa...
Coloring out cancer: Students run for research
By Theresa Dickerson | For The Pitt News
April 16, 2018
Filed under City, Health, News, Top Stories
Colors flew through the air in Schenley Park this past weekend at the Pittsburgh Attacks Cancer Together’s 5K Race and Color Run. Members of the Pittsburgh community came to support the student-led organization at its annual event, which aims to raise money for the Hillman Cancer Research Center. Whi...
March for matter: Community comes together for science
By Kenan Meral | Staff Writer
April 16, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Citing an “attack on science and science finding,” Dana Kellerman went to Washington, D.C., last April to join the first March for Science. One year later, Kellerman, a 52-year-old resident of Fox Chapel, came to the Pittsburgh march with a more specific demand. “I marched this year because I...
Spring Game analysis: Pitt defense shined while offense struggled
By Cale Berger | Staff Writer
April 15, 2018
Filed under Football, Sports, Top Stories
Pitt’s annual Blue and Gold Spring Game may be the first chance of the year for Pitt students, alumni and fans to tailgate and bring their favorite jerseys out of retirement, but it is also an opportunity to get a small taste of what the upcoming season will bring on the field. This year was no ...
Blue beats Gold, 10-3, in Spring Game defensive battle
By Trent Leonard and Joanna Li | TPN Staff
April 14, 2018
Filed under Football, Sports, Top Stories
The Panthers split their football team into Blue and Gold teams Saturday afternoon for their annual Spring Game, a contest in which neither offense looked exceptional. It proved fitting that a defensive touchdown — redshirt junior defensive back Dane Jackson’s 60-yard interception-turned-touchdown ...
Gene’s Place raises the bar in #PittMadness challenge
By Amanda Reed / Contributing Editor
April 13, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Move over, Villanova — there’s a new bracket winner in town. Gene’s Place, located on Louisa Street in Oakland, won the Barstool Pitt #PittMadness bracket challenge April 11, beating out student favorites like Mario’s South Side Saloon, Garage Door Saloon, Hemingway’s Cafe and Peter’s Pub ...
Cocktail classroom: Professors bring classes to the bars
By Darren Campuzano | Staff Writer
April 13, 2018
Filed under Culture, Food & Drink, Top Stories
A professor walks into a bar to talk about statistical issues in business. This sounds like the opening line of bad joke — but it's a reality for some Pitt professors. Though it is rather unconventional, some University staff members have been relocating class to more sociable areas on campus, s...
Backyard brewers: Students craft their own creations
By Cassidy Power and Samuel Ruppert | Staff Writers
April 13, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Some students buy kegs for a good time. Others become amateaur mixologists for the night, concocting a batch of jungle juice in their backyards. But a few local college students find joy not in the consumption of the alcohol, but in the process of making the drink itself. They’ve taken it upon...
Capel hires Tim O’Toole, Jason Capel as assistant coaches
By Grant Burgman | Sports Editor
April 12, 2018
Filed under Men's Basketball, Sports, Top Stories
Pitt men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel hired his brother, Jason Capel, and Tim O’Toole to be assistants on his staff, according to reports Wednesday. https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/984087393371328513 O’Toole joins Pitt after spending the last two seasons as an a...
Environmental, economic issues merge at lecture
By Theresa Dickerson | For The Pitt News
April 12, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Two student-led campus organizations at Pitt collaborated Wednesday evening, hoping to dispel the myth that advocacy for environment protection and advocacy for jobs are mutually exclusive. Free the Planet and United Students Against Sweatshops teamed up to bring in Veronica Coptis, the executive director o...
Mountaineers maul Panthers, 12-1
By Michael Nitti | Staff Writer
April 12, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
Pitt’s bats fell silent on Wednesday as they were unable to score more than one run for the third straight game, losing 12-1 to the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown. West Virginia’s (15-15) offense found life against Pitt (17-13) in the 195th Backyard Brawl and handed the second straigh...
SGB brings the bills, renews NYT subscription
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 11, 2018
Filed under News, Student Government, Top Stories
It was a busy Tuesday night in Nordy’s Place as Student Government Board passed three bills and introduced four more. Of the total seven bills, six deal with internal SGB structure, adding new committees and redefining or clarifying code and procedure. The only bill introduced not about internal mat...
Pitt jazz professor dies at 81
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
April 11, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Nathan Davis, a former professor at Pitt’s department of music and renowned jazz musician, died on Sunday from natural causes. He was 81. Davis came to Pitt in 1969 as the director of the jazz studies program. During his time at Pitt, he founded and directed the University’s annual jazz seminar. He als...
Lawmakers propose more transparency at state-related universities
By Christian Snyder and John Hamilton / TPN Staff
April 10, 2018
Filed under Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
State representatives unveiled legislation Tuesday that would expand transparency and public access to records at Pennsylvania’s state-related universities. Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln — Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities — are currently exempt from the Right-to-Know Law, whic...
ACC releases 2018 basketball matchups
By Jordan Mondell and Trent Leonard | TPN Staff
April 10, 2018
Filed under Men's Basketball, Top Stories
Jeff Capel and his new squad got a glimpse of their upcoming season Tuesday as the ACC announced conference matchups for the 2018-19 men’s basketball season. Pitt — who will be entering the season with Capel as head coach — will take on every team in the conference. Last season, the team went ...
Panelists discuss intersectionality in sexual assault
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
April 10, 2018
Filed under Campus, Top Stories
Students gathered Monday night to listen as six panelists discussed how intersectionality plays a role in sexual assault. The panel consisted of Krithika Pennathur, president of Pitt Unmuted; Rose Barone — who prefers to go by Sawyer — executive assistant of Rainbow Alliance; Albert Tanjaya, ad...
Sugar-coated: donuts out, Insomnia in
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
April 10, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Meyran Avenue’s sweet spot is shutting down — but “donut” worry, something else is coming along to make that late night insomnia manageable. Insomnia Cookies is set to move in across from the now-closed Peace, Love and Little Donuts in the near future as Meyran’s newest eatery. The donu...
Pitt dancers marathon for kids
By Briana Canady and Sam Weber | The Pitt News Staff
April 9, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Students in the Cost Sports Center spent most of Saturday sweating — but not from running laps or drills. Instead, about 1,450 people danced to top-40 hits over a period of 16 hours under neon lights. These people were participants in the Pitt Dance Marathon, one of several fundraising events held durin...
Greek life action plan proposes changes
By Christian Snyder | Contributing Editor
April 9, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Following a nearly semester-long social probation, fraternities and sororities will be permitted to resume normal operations in the fall 2018 semester, but with a few changes. Pitt released a working action plan for Greek life last Monday in response to two off-campus events which occurred during the spring 2018 semester. The first, a student hospitalization following a Sigm...
Parker Stewart announces decision to transfer
By Grant Burgman | Sports Editor
April 6, 2018
Filed under Men's Basketball, Sports, Top Stories
First-year Pitt guard Parker Stewart announced via Twitter on Friday that he will be transferring from the Pitt basketball program. Stewart — who was also the first Pitt player to request his release from the program after the firing of former head coach Kevin Stallings — is the only player of the nine that requested their releases to ...
Feminists march for inclusivity
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
April 6, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Marchers waving signs made out of cardboard, paper and pizza boxes drew the attention of passersby as they wove their way through Pitt’s campus and Oakland Thursday evening — chanting in support of women of all sexualities and races. One of the pizza boxes read “Injustice anywhere is a threat to...
TPN earns 17 awards at College Media Business and Advertising Managers
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
April 6, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
College Media Business and Advertising Managers presented The Pitt News with 17 awards for excellence in business operations, marketing and promotions during the organization’s 46th annual Advertising Awards Competition Saturday. According to the CMBAM website, the awards ceremony recognizes excel...
Pitt fires women’s basketball coach McConnell-Serio
By Jordan Mondell / Assistant Sports Editor
April 5, 2018
Filed under Sports, Top Stories, Women's Basketball
Pitt women’s basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio was fired from the program, Pitt Athletics announced Thursday afternoon. McConnell-Serio is the third head coach to be fired by athletic director Heather Lyke, with former women’s head soccer coach Greg Miller’s dismissal in December 2017...
Women hone craft at Art House in Homewood
By Shahum Ajmal | Staff Writer
April 5, 2018
Filed under Art, Culture, Top Stories
As Vanessa German and a group of artists were about to settle in for a night of writing and discussion in her house, a car crash outside derailed the March evening. The group witnessed an altercation between the victim of the crash and police officers who responded to the scene, and feeling that...
Former Film Row finds new life in start-up
By Joanna Li | Staff Writer
April 5, 2018
Filed under Culture, Movies, Top Stories
As a teenager, movie fanatic Drew Levinson noticed a run-down brick building with a familiar logo — 24 stars circling a mountain — as he passed it on his way to crew practice from Taylor Allderdice High School. The building sat in the back of his mind until 2009, when he stumbled across a film...
Vladimir Padunov: Catch him outside the Cathedral
By Janine Faust
April 5, 2018
Filed under Silhouettes 2018, Top Stories
Vladimir “Volodia” Padunov’s office looks like a curiosity shop. A tiara, rattlesnake eggs and other trinkets line the shelves. Cluttered beneath are rolls of film. Hats from the former Soviet Union dangle from the ceiling. A jar of homemade horseradish vodka sits on his desk. The profes...
Matisse the Cat: The purrfect neighbor
By Henry Glitz & John Hamilton
April 5, 2018
Filed under Silhouettes 2018, Top Stories
Bearing a name like Matisse might seem like an awful lot of responsibility for a lot of people — living up to such a well-cultured namesake can be a challenge. But on a stretch of Parkview Avenue in Oakland, from Oakland Square to the Boulevard of the Allies, you’d think the famous French painte...
Lance Bass in sync with LGBTQ+ community
By Sam Weber | For The Pitt News
April 4, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
When Lance Bass looks back on his time in NSYNC, he can’t help but laugh — both at his antics and the crowds often confused by them. “I found it funny,” Bass said. “Before anyone knew I was gay, I was just Lance from NSYNC and I just humped the stage a lot.” Bass, a 38-year-old mus...
Monica Henderson: A run for your money
By Hannah Schneider & Theo Schwarz
April 4, 2018
Filed under Silhouettes 2018, Top Stories
At 5 p.m. in her Tower A dorm, Monica Henderson begins her familiar routine — right sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoe — and ties her turquoise and grey running sneakers. Bending down to touch her toes, she begins her lengthy, 10-minute stretching sequence, needed for muscles she says are always...
Baldwin the Piano: A second chance at song
By Rachel Glasser & Thomas Yang
April 4, 2018
Filed under Silhouettes 2018, Top Stories
It was a chronic condition. Dead keys, they said, and the prognosis was bleak. More than 50 years of occasional aggressive banging coupled with normal wear and tear had made Baldwin mute. His hammers were dull and worn. When they hit the strings, he uttered no sound. The recommended treatment —...
Cultures come together on Pitt’s tennis team
By Trent Leonard | Staff Writer
April 3, 2018
Filed under Sports, Sports / Other Varsity Sports, Top Stories
A quick glance at the men’s top 10 world tennis rankings reveals that no two players share the same country of origin. The same can be said for the top eight women in the world — an unusual trend considering certain nations tend to specialize and often dominate in other sports. A microcosm of...
Students report on community work in Homewood
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
April 3, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Students, Homewood residents and members of the Community Engagement Center filled the Homewood-Brushton Branch YMCA’s meeting room, waiting for their chance to hear how the community workers had been spending their time. Residents of Homewood attended the Pitt CEC’s Community Assistant Report Out e...
Comedian Bill Burr ‘Walks his way out’ to Pittsburgh
By John Hamilton | Managing Editor
April 3, 2018
Filed under Culture, Top Stories
Since the last time Bill Burr was in Pittsburgh, he’s had a kid and written three seasons of an animated Netflix show, “F is for Family.” But he’s adamant that his worldview and his stand-up routine remain largely unchanged. That means when he makes his “triumphant return” to the City...