Pitt’s community action plan won’t improve fraternity conduct
By Hayden Timmins, For The Pitt News
September 4, 2018
The new community action plan — which lifts Pitt's Greek Life probation from January — makes steps toward reforming frat culture at Pitt. It's a great first step, but not nearly enough to eradicate these appalling drug- and alcohol-related “accidents” at fraternities.
Dean lifts ban on Greek life
By Grant Burgman, News Editor
August 30, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News
Bonner announced in April that the modified probation would be lifted once the fall semester started and Pitt finished drafting a thorough community action plan.
Pennsylvania Senate passes antihazing law
By Sarah Shearer | Contributing Editor
April 19, 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...
Pitt dancers marathon for kids
By Briana Canady and Sam Weber | The Pitt News Staff
April 8, 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 8, 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...
IFC addresses Greek life action plan at SGB meeting
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
April 4, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, News, Student Government
Pitt’s Interfraternity Council president, Christian Baker, spoke about a working action plan that was recently released for Greek life at Tuesday’s Student Government Board meeting. Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner released the document Monday in response to two incidents during the spring 201...
Greek life raises money through song and dance
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
March 26, 2018
Several Greek Life organizations went on trips Friday night — three went to Havana, Cuba, while another three traveled to Emerald City. Two wound up trapped in a video game. All of this happened on stage at the Fitzgerald Field House Friday night. Eleven different teams consisting of a mix of frat...
Bonner discusses Greek life changes
By John Hamilton | Managing Editor
February 7, 2018
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner said Tuesday that he will lift the Greek life social probation after what he considers “meaningful progress” is made in improving the safety of fraternities and sororities at Pitt. In an interview with The Pitt News, Bonner discussed the response to a Jan. 18 off-cam...
Don’t paint Greek Life with single stroke
By Ana Altchek | Columnist
February 6, 2018
I distinctly remember my first night at college, standing awkwardly in the basement of an off-campus house packed with strangers. Lost in a trance, watching drunken mobs of people make fools of themselves, I was brought back to reality when I was aggressively shoved by an incoherent stranger who spil...
Hold Greek Life to a higher standard
By Neena Hagen, Columnist
January 30, 2018
From Penn State to Florida State, colleges across the country have been joining an ever-lengthening list of schools with recent high-profile fraternity fatalities tarnishing their records. And just last week, Pitt nearly joined that list, too. A member of the Sigma Chi fraternity chapter on campus was hospi...
Student safe after drinking ‘excessive amounts of alcohol’ at Sigma Chi event
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 25, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Administration, Campus, News, Top Stories
After a week of sparse details about a Greek life function that left a student hospitalized, Pitt released a statement Thursday with some information about the Sigma Chi alcohol incident. At a Sigma Chi function last Thursday, a student was taken to a hospital by his friends after drinking “excessive amounts of alcohol,” a statement from Pitt spokesperson Joe Miksch said. The student is n...
Greek life social probation came after student hospitalization
By The Pitt News Staff
January 19, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, News, Top Stories
Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner put Greek life on modified social probation after a “serious alcohol incident,” he stated in a letter to both fraternity and sorority presidents Friday. The incident resulted in a student being hospitalized. The student’s family has been notified, University spo...
Don’t let groupthink ruin Greek life
By Vaibhavi Patria | For The Pitt News
October 30, 2017
As Maxwell Gruver, a first-year at Louisiana State University, was wheeled into the hospital last month, his blood alcohol concentration was eight times the legal limit — nearly 0.5. Gruver, who was a pledge for Phi Delta Theta, died in the aftermath of a hazing incident at his fraternity. Brothers...
Piazza case should be a lesson: to be an adult, be accountable
By Anne Marie Yurik | For The Pitt News
September 13, 2017
Imagine you’re an average college student at a fraternity party. It’s cold — February in central Pennsylvania always is. Suddenly, someone falls down the stairs. They’re drunk enough that they don’t wake up when they hit the floor of the basement. Through the rest of the night, you see ...
Column: Greek life promotes dangerous, elitist culture
By Christian Snyder, Opinions Editor
July 4, 2017
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 ...
Ladies of steel: Sorority group address female self-esteem
By Andrew O'Brien / Staff Writer
March 29, 2017
Filed under Campus, News, Top Stories
Glance at the cover of “Glamour” or “Cosmo” magazines, and chances are your eyes will meet the baby blues or emerald greens of a smirking model with flawless skin. Her face is smooth and airbrushed, her every imperfection obscured with foundation and Photoshop. But when that model looks in t...