The Pitt News
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The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | march 30, 2017| Volume 107 | Issue 149
Paid parental leave extended to staff
EXPRESS YOURSELF
John Hamilton
Assistant News Editor The University announced the first paid parental leave program for staff on Wednesday, providing four consecutive weeks of paid leave to new mothers and fathers. The new benefit, which is available to benefits-eligible staff members, allows parents to take four weeks of paid leave during the 12 months following adoption, foster care or birth of a child. It also extends the paid leave to the mother’s partner, or parents who adopt, who were not previously eligible for any paid leave from the University. The new benefits will begin July 1. Staff members are those who work for the University but do not teach, according to the Office of Human Resources. Benefits-eligible part-time staff who work at least 20 hours per week will receive less time off, relative to their hours. A similar paid parental leave program has been in place for faculty since 2008. The Staff Association Council, a group that promotes communication between staff and the rest of the University, requested this benefit for staff members, according to Cheryl Johnson, vice chancellor for human resources. See Paid Leave on page 2
Kenyatta Bundy performs an original poem at an open mic night hosted by Pitt Progressives in Nordy’s Place Wednesday night. Elaina Zachos SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Pitt wraps up eighth RecycleMania Ashwini Sivaganesh
less sky, and students in white puffy Tyvek jumpsuits surrounded the trash sorting the contents of News Editor Some students walking through the parking lot the bags. The smell of pungent trash filled students’ between the William Pitt Union and Towers Patio nostrils as they strolled through the quad. “I thought they were rummaging through Wednesday morning said they thought they were trash to see if there were any alcohol bottles in it,” witnessing a remake of “CSI: Crime Scene Invesfi rst-year undeclared major Jacob Gallagher said as tigation.” he and a friend stepped outside Bruce Hall to inA cobalt blue tarp was set up under the cloud-
vestigate the stench. In fact, there was only one wine bottle in the pile labeled “Barco Law Building,” which a volunteer placed into a white bag for recycling. The tarps and trash piles were part of an annual “waste audit,” where students measured the amount and type of waste produced in different See Recycle on page 2