Chancellor Patrick Gallagher Gallagher spoke at Friday afternoon’s Board of Trustees meeting about changing enrollment dynamics in higher education.

Even as many are concerned about a possible flu and COVID-19 “twindemic,” Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said Friday that one of safest places in western Pennsylvania might be a Pitt campus.

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said at Pitt’s Friday board of trustees meeting that while the University community can look forward to a more engaging fall semester, a fully normal academic year is unlikely unless those coming back to campus are vaccinated.

Nearly 50 years after the Black Action Society’s famous Cathedral of Learning sit-in to demand campus reforms, Nicole Parks said Thursday it’s “sad” that BAS and 17 other Black student organizations were forced to make similar demands this summer.

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said while Pitt has made strides in addressing racial injustice on campus, there is still a lot of work to do in this “seminal” moment.

Ottley said this is indicative of a culture at Pitt that she believes needs to change to attract, and retain, more Black students. According to University data, Black students represented 5.26% of the undergraduate student body in 2019.

While advisers are unable to meet with students in person, scheduling for the fall semester is still moving forward, with students and advisers handling appointments through Zoom, Skype, Teams, phone calls and emails.