The Pitt News PITT VS. WVU:BACK!ISBRAWLTHEBACK!ISBRAWLTHE FOSTERINGARIVALRY see pg. 2
Dalton Coppola Sports Editor It’s no secret that Pitt and West Virginia don’t like one another. With their campuses lying just 75 miles away from one another, alumni and students from both schools commingle and cohabitate. The two fan bases used to clash nearly every season un til 2011. But both programs left the Big East Conference, with Pitt going to the ACC and West Virginia heading to the Big 12. From fans hurling bricks at the visiting team’s bus windows, Pitt infamously upset ting the 2007 No. 2 Mountaineers by a score 13-9 and Mountaineer fans burning couches in celebration, this rivalry has plenty of his tory and plenty of bad blood. But many of the current Panthers and Mountaineers have no attachment to this rivalry.
Cover by Hannah Wilson Staff Photographer on Father’s Day. While nobody on the current Pitt team has ever played in a Backyard Brawl, some have had more exposure than others. Se nior linebacker Brandon George said when he was younger he came to Pittsburgh for a Backyard Brawl. While he can’t remember exactly which game it was, he said the atmo sphere was one he’ll never forget.
Some players have taken to social me dia to show their display of hatred for the Mountaineers. Senior defensive lineman John Morgan III is leading the charge with his smack talk towards the Mountaineers, even likening them to his children in a tweet “I’m from Eastern Pennsylvania and I didn’t grow up a Penn State fan and I didn’t really grow up a Pitt fan either,” George said. “There was a point in my life where I was about six or seven [years old] and I came to a Pitt-West Virginia game, and I’ll never forget the vulgarity and the craziness that ensued. That felt like how college football should feel. I’ll never forget that feeling ever and it’s always stuck with me. I remember telling my mom how I said ‘this is where I want to go to school.’”
“I knew nothing at all about the Backyard Brawl,” Patti said. “When I first got here it was all about the Penn State rivalry, because they were playing them. Then, when we fin ished up with that [rivalry series] I was like ‘what’s up with this West Virginia rivalry?’ and they said it’s worse.”
‘FIRED UP’: DESPITE LONG BREAK, STILL NO LOVE LOST IN BACKYARD BRAWL RIVALRY
“[I have been] hearing some of the sto ries from the older guys like [former Pitt quarterback] Pat Bostick telling me stories and hearing about [former Pitt running back] LeSean McCoy when he was here,” Patti said. “[Opposing fans] threw bricks at the buses and dads handed kids beer and throwing them at the buses. It’s exciting to see that there’s that much hatred. It’s excit ing to see how much the fans really care about it. It’s going to be a lot of fun on Sept. 1.”
The last time the two teams clashed on the gridiron was in 2011 — when most of the current players were in middle and el ementary school. Most Pitt players have no reason to have any disdain for West Virginia. But it seems the Pitt coaches are making a point to make sure their players know how much this game means to both of the fan bases. While he had no previous hatred for the Mountaineers, senior linebacker SirVo cea Dennis said part of the duty that comes with playing for Pitt is having a distaste for its rivals.“Once we put this [logo] on our jerseys and that Pitt script on our helmets, whoever they say we don’t like, we don’t like,” Dennis said. “It’s not hard to generate that hate at all. Once we get in between those lines, we’re ready to go no matter who it is. When it’s a rivalry game, we get fired up even more.”
Pitt started competing in the ACC in 2013, joining a conference made up of teams that the Panthers didn’t have much history with. The ACC is a conference that lacks true rivalries. Sure, there are teams that don’t necessarily like one another. But the conference lacks historic rivalries be tween teams that have played against one another for decades. When Pitt was in the Big East Confer ence, the Panthers took on West Virginia annually. The rivalry took a hiatus after both teams left the Big East. But the two athletic departments came together to schedule this out of conference series. While Pitt has played in games with an intense atmosphere before, the first Back yard Brawl in more than a decade may top them all. Acrisure Stadium is entirely sold out of seats for the game, and Pitt even sold a limited amount of standing-room only tickets in response to the high demand. Dennis said he and his teammates are ready to see an atmosphere they’ve never seen be fore and are preparing accordingly.
Pitt’s Steve Malinchak (7) and teammates celebrate their 13-9 upset win over No. 2 West Virginia Dec. 1, 2007, in Morgantown, W.Va. AP Photo/Jeff Gentner, File
“The atmosphere of this game is going to be wild and we understand that, we know that,” Dennis said. “We already played in games with great atmospheres. Last year we played at Tennessee. My freshman year we played at Penn State. We know the feel that it’s going to have. But we think this is going to be another level so we’re getting ready for it.”
2pittnews.com August 31, 2022 Sports Pitt’s 2022 football schedule pittnews.com
| Senior
Unlike George, senior quarterback Nick Patti is among the majority of players who have no real connection to the rivalry. Hail ing from North Jersey, the quarterback has no real reason to dislike the Mountaineers. But Patti said members of the program have already warned him that the rivalry is a con tentious one.
The Backyard Brawl will make its return to the gridiron on Thursday night, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium. The game will air nationally on ESPN.
Patti hasn’t seen any of the bitterness first-hand just yet. But he said based on the stories he heard from a couple of Pitt’s for mer players he’s prepared for the worst.
See Positions
3pittnews.com August 31, 2022
Edge: Mountaineers Running back Pitt returns its stable of running backs — sophomore Rodney Hammond, junior Izzy Abanikanda and senior Vincent Davis — who combined for 19 touchdowns last season.West Virginia won’t bring back star run ning back Leddie Brown this season. Brown, who is now with the Los Angeles Chargers, racked up back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons on the ground for the Mountaineers. Sopho more Tony Mathis Jr. — who recorded over 100 yards in their regular season finale against Kansas — is next in line for West Virginia.TheMountaineers don’t have a running back on the current roster who ran for a touchdown last season, so the Panthers have the clear advantage here.
on page 13
So who will hold the edge when these two bitter rivals square off Thursday night? Here is a head-to-head breakdown of how each position group stacks up against each other and which team has the edge.
Edge: Panthers Wide Receiver/Tight End Both teams lost their leading receivers from a year ago to the transfer portal, but there’s still plenty of talent on both sides. The Mountaineers’ trio of wideouts — Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Sam Jones and Kaden Prather — have a high ceiling. The combi nation of Daniels and Harrell can help the three reach that potential as well. Prather in particular has star potential.
BREAKING DOWN THE POSITION GROUPS IN THE BACKYARD BRAWL column
The last time Pitt and West Virginia met on a football field was Nov. 25, 2011. Tino Sunseri was the Panthers’ starting quarterback that night. Sunseri said the rea son you put on a Pitt uniform is to partici pate in the Backyard Brawl. While that isn’t the case for the 2022 ver sion of the Panthers — given that the two teams haven’t played in 11 years — the “big game” feel is still there. College Gameday is coming to town. Fans are going at it. Even Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi did some trolling of his own earlier in the offseason, tweeting out a graphic with a reference to Pitt’s 13-9 victory over No. 2 West Virginia in 2007, which ended their national cham pionship hopes.
Frankie Richetti Senior Staff Writer
Once teammates at USC, West Virginia senior quarterback JT Daniels and Pitt se nior quarterback Kedon Slovis will face off in thisDanielsone. arrived at USC as a five-star recruit, but a season-ending injury against Fresno State in week one of the 2019 season forced Slovis into the spotlight. Slovis made the most of the opportunity, earning PAC12 Freshman of the Year honors. Daniels transferred to Georgia in 2020 and found success — going 7-0 combined as a starter, including a Peach Bowl victory over Cincinnati — but injuries again got the best of him. Slovis, on the other hand, also struggled with injuries last fall, forcing him into a backup role. Although I believe Slovis finishes the season as the better quarterback, Daniels gets the slight edge heading into the Brawl because of his familiarity with West Virginia offensive coordinator Graham Harrell.
Quarterback
Pitt added freshman All-American Ko nata Mumpfield and sophomore Bub Means
Although he lost out on the starting spot, both the players and coaching staff are confi dent in Patti’s ability to come in and perform in any“It’ssituation.greatbecause both guys that were in that competition are great quarterbacks,” Wayne said. “At the end of the day, God forbid Kedon gets hurt or anything like that, I have faith in Nick as well, so I’m very happy for Kedon and just excited to get the season started.”
For the rest of the offseason the two quar terbacks went head-to-head for the coaching staff while simultaneously growing closer as teammates. They made it a priority to build a rapport with the offense and, according to se nior wide receiver Jared Wayne, pledged to go beyond practices to build chemistry.
4pittnews.com August 31, 2022 ‘10,000 PASSES’:
“We attributed our summer to 10,000 catches,” Wayne said. “We were out there pretty much every day getting extra work.”
Patti’s in-game performance sample size was small, but was enough to convince the coaching staff that a summer quarterback bat tle was in order. Patti said he was confident go ing into the competition, choosing not to focus on the hype surrounding Slovis. “It’s another chance to prove that I’m going to be that dude, and that just speaks to my con fidence,” Patti said. “I had an idea we were go ing to bring someone in, with Kenny [Pickett] leaving, with us being ACC Champions, we’re a hot spot to be ... I wasn’t worried about any thing other than being healthy, learning the of fense and trying to get a good connection with the Theguys.”two quarterbacks first true head-tohead matchup came in the annual Blue-Gold spring game. Patti’s years of experience with the Pitt offense resulted in an impressive per formance while Slovis faltered and looked un comfortable most of the afternoon.
Both Slovis and Patti shined in training camp, making positive impressions on Nar duzzi and new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. “The quarterback room is special,” Cignetti said. “Both Nick and Kedon have done an out standing job learning the system, competing, learning with each other ... we’ve had a lot of fun doing it.”
As training camp came to an end and Pitt’s opening matchup against WVU drew nearer, the coaching staff still chose to play their cards close to their chest, maintaining that they were still comparing the two quarterbacks’ perfor mances.“You grade everything,” Cignetti said. “What’s it take to be the starting quarterback not only here at Pitt, but generally anywhere? Which quarterback is going to make the best decisions? You got to be able to complete the ball, you got to minimize turnovers, so every period that we’re in, we’re grading it, we’re eval uatingTheit.”silence from Southside persisted un til last Wednesday, just over a week before the Backyard Brawl. Narduzzi scheduled a press conference where he announced Slovis as the week one starter. He and Cignetti both cited ac curacy as the main distinction between the two players’ skill sets.
Slovis said the inspiration for the 10,000pass regimen came from former LSU quarter back Joe “SomeoneBurrow.brought up to me that Joe Bur row and LSU, in that 2019 year, that they did that,” Slovis said. “Why not strive to be like them, they’re probably the greatest offense in college football history.”
Slovis was also confident that he could win the starting spot coming into training camp. The quarterback maintained that he wasn’t worried about the added pressure of winning the job, deciding to focus on learning the new offense.“Day in and day out, you’re not think ing ‘what do I have to do different to win the job?’” Slovis said. “My idea was go out, do your job, execute the offense as well as you can and things will kind of take care of themselves.”
AN ACCURATE ARM KEY IN KEDON SLOVIS
Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis at Pitt football practice on Aug. 25 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Hannah Wilson | Senior Staff Photographer
For Slovis, winning the starting quarterback job is just further recognition that he is an in tegral part of this year’s Pitt football team. Last Friday, he was announced as one of the team’s four captains which, according to Slovis, is the highest honor he could achieve as a player and a true measure that he belongs in Pittsburgh. “It means a lot,” Slovis said. “I have a tre mendous amount of respect for those guys, and to know that a good amount of them, or enough of them voted for me to be a captain ... All the awards and accolades, they get voted on by people outside of the building, members of the media who just watch the games. They don’t know what goes on behind the scenes ... captain to me is the highest honor you can pos sibly have.”
“Kedon is really, really good in the pocket,” Narduzzi said, “putting the ball where our re ceivers are going to catch it and be able to get yards after the catch.”
Richie Smiechowski Assistant Sports Editor Kedon Slovis was on top of the college foot ball world after his first year as quarterback of the USC Trojans. The Arizona native was stellar in 2019, passing for 3,502 yards and 30 touch downs at a remarkable 71.9% completion rate. Now, nearly three years to the day from his historic debut against Stanford, Slovis finds himself in a drastically different situation. Once a Heisman contender and a projected first-round draft pick, injuries resulting in onfield struggles forced an early end to his college career in Los Angeles. He entered the transfer portal last December with two years of eligibil ity left.On the other side of the country, Pitt’s foot ball team just had their best season in recent memory and were losing their Heisman final ist quarterback Kenny Pickett to the NFL draft. Seizing the opportunity, Slovis committed to Pitt, saying that the combination of the team’s coaching staff and returning talent made the perfect“Whencombination.Ilookedat the opportunity, it was a no-brainer,” Slovis said. “It jumped to the top of my list Despiteimmediately.”Slovisbeing a highly touted trans fer portal acquisition, head coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff made it clear that he wasn’t going to be guaranteed the starting quarterback posi tion — he needed to win the job over senior quarterback Nick Patti. For the last few seasons, Patti was second string to Pickett, playing only in blowouts or when his counterpart went down with an inju ry. He finally got his chance to start when Pick ett opted out of last year’s Peach Bowl, but left the game with a collarbone injury after march ing the offense down the field for a touchdown on their second drive of the game.
WINNING STARTING QUARTERBACK NICK
POSITION OVER
PREPARATION,
PATTI
See City Services on page 15
The Towers, which house more than 1,800 students across three buildings, are tax-exempt.
The City of Pittsburgh, which supplies the services, gets a lot less in return than it would if the same incidents occurred in a typical apart mentPittbuilding.andother major nonprofits use city ser vices, but unlike residents, they largely do not pay the property taxes that are crucial to fund ing them. And 911 calls to the Towers, the largest cluster of dorms on Pitt’s main campus, exem plify this Betweendynamic.May2021 and the end of April 2022, there were 146 calls to the Allegheny County 911 Center regarding incidents at 3990 Fifth Ave., the location of the Towers, according to public records obtained by PublicSource and The Pitt News. The incidents — sometimes more than five a day — were mostly medical issues includ ing those characterized as overdoses, abnormal breathing and unconsciousness, but included fire alarms, welfare checks and elevator rescues.
MEDICAL
EMERGENCIES, MAC-AND-CHEESE MISHAPS AND ELEVATOR RESCUES:
Punya Bhasin, Alexandra Ross, Emma Folts and Charlie Wolfson
The property is currently assessed at about $45 million and would bring about $363,000 to the city each year if the address was taxable. The city has a responsibility to provide mu nicipal services regardless of a property owner’s tax status. But it has also faced a growing, largely tax-exempt nonprofit presence and has relied on federal pandemic relief to balance its budget. Now, some public safety bureaus — and taxpay ers, as local officials would argue — are feeling the effects of the financial constraints.
Jonathan Atkinson, a Pittsburgh paramedic and the leader of the paramedics’ union, said the heavy volume of calls involving university resi dence halls can stretch EMS thin and impact the entire city’s coverage. He said during some shifts for units covering Oakland and nearby areas, the majority of calls are alcohol-related.
5pittnews.com August 31, 2022 News Math department drops one letter grade rule pittnews.com
CITY SERVICES, BUT SHOULD THE UNIVERSITY HELP FUND THEM?
When she lived in Pitt’s Litchfield Towers, student resident Emily James witnessed city EMS workers tend to a student who was found by a resident assistant slurring her words and vomit ing.Former resident Manoj Kuppusamy saw EMS workers carry an unconscious student out of the dorm last fall and city police detain a per son in the building’s lobby in the spring.
This story was produced and co-published in collaboration with PublicSource.
Gabe Wilson, who has lived in the threedorm complex often referred to as “Towers” for two years, said city police and paramedics are a familiar presence there, for what often seem like fairly minor reasons.
PITT DORMS DRAW
Pitt students check into the Towers during move-in. The cluster of dorms hous es more than 1,800 students. Alexandra Ross | Senior Staff Writer
“Quite simply, the cost of city government falls too heavily on our residents,” City Control ler Michael Lamb said in an Aug. 19 statement calling for greater contributions from the major nonprofits. “While ‘eds & meds’ undoubtedly provide a benefit to the region, they rely heavily on city resources: public safety, infrastructure, and sanitation, among other essential services.”
“This has a ripple effect throughout the city
Bar patrons at
opening Friday night.
Plumb said the French taco, which is a street food from France invented in the mid2000’s, will deliver a multitude of exotic flavors.
“What they are is vehicles of flavor, you can introduce any protein with any ooey gooey cheese, any vegetables pickled or any spice, any flavor,” Plumb said. “So it’s a wonderful oppor tunity to introduce, you know, the explosion of French taste, an explosion of Japanese, an explosion of German, the explosion of Greek and so Plumbforth.”also described the “3D projection mapping” technology that he plans to bring to the second floor of the bar. Projection mapping is a projection technique that involves making a virtual map of a three dimensional object or space. He said this will allow various visual im ages and scenery to be projected onto the bar space and walls to create an immersion experi ence.“Whatever your imagination [wants]: outer space, zen beach environment, fireworks, giant koi fish, anything you can imagine we have the technology to do [on] the second floor,” Plumb said.Payne said The Panther Pit wants to hear from their customers so that they can continue to makeAccordingimprovements.toPayne, patrons can make sug gestions verbally to Panther Pit staff. Addition ally, staff will add “an area on [our] website for suggestions” once the website goes live, as well as a suggestion box on each bar.
Payne said he expects their menu of inter national street foods to make a good impres sion on their customers.
“The street foods from around the world is an exciting concept. We’re hoping the pub lic feels the same … Mexican street corn, fresh cut adobo fries, French style tacos and candied bacon were on the short list and will be on the initial menu along with some others and will expand as weeks go on,” Payne said.
NEW BAR AND GRILLE ‘THE PANTHER PIT’ OPENING FOR WVU GAME
“We’ve had meetings all week trying every thing, talking over everything ... all the employ ees have been together with the owners and the manager kind of going over like the plan for everything going on for tonight … and for the first when we play West Virginia,” Shermenti said.Soon after the event began, passersby also decided to join the party.
Bartender Katie Shermenti said the staff was busy with preparations during the week leading up to the pre-opening.
“It went from an intimate 40-50 person gathering to a 400-500 party,” Dennis Payne, the Panther Pit’s general manager said. “From walking around and asking the patrons and staff, the night was a resounding success for the very limited time the staff/owners and myself had to get [the] event planned and opened.”
OAKLAND SPORTS
Clare Sheedy
| Assistant Visual Editor Bella Markovitz Staff Writer
The Panther Pit will utilize all three floors of the 226 Meyran Ave. location. This includes the small front porch seating area, the first floor sports bar, the second floor bar as an “ultra gaming lounge,” the third floor bar, dance floor and outdoor deck. Local artists Dejouir Brown (Jouirnoe) and Juliandra Jones (PBJ Customs) painted the bar top on the first floor. Adorning the wall oppo site the bar is a large mural depicting various mascots, painted by local artists Max ‘Gems’ Gonzales and Shane Pilster.
“We will of course have some growing pains, so we ask our patrons to bear with us and also help us themselves in making us a success with constant suggestions and ideas,” Payne said. The Panther Pit’s
Plumb said The Panther Pit would bring value to the neighborhood through its menu, in part by offering $5 French tacos every day.
6pittnews.com August 31, 2022
Payne said management has plans that they hope will give their bar a little something for everyone.“Ithink Oakland needed a shot in the arm of something new, and with a sports bar boast ing 86 inch TVs, an ultra ‘gaming’ lounge and third floor dance area with outside deck … it will have something for everyone,” Payne said.
With music blaring, free food and the drinks pouring, The Panther Pit, a new Oak land sports bar and grille, held a private preopening Friday evening before it will officially open its doors just in time for the Pitt vs. WVU game.Located at 226 Meyran Ave., the new sports bar will open to the general public for the first time on Thursday for patrons to come watch the Pitt vs. WVU game. Their normal business hours will be Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Fridays and Sat urdays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
A couple of different bars and restaurants have operated out of the remodeled row house at the 226 Meyran Ave. address within the past 20 years.Thelocation first opened as the Pittsburgh Cafe for about 12 years, which served alcohol along with traditional American fare for lunch and dinner. The Pittsburgh Cafe was shut down in 2012 for owing more than $12,000 in back drinkNexttax.it became a Winghart’s, which served burgers, drinks and claimed to have “the best dance floor in Oakland.” It closed in December 2014. Soon after, former Pitt defensive tackle and current Los Angeles Rams player Aaron Donald opened his own restaurant, AD’s Pitts burghKenCafe.Plumb, one of the owners of The Pan ther Pit, said the history of the building as AD’s Pittsburgh Cafe didn’t matter to him and that he is more focused on bringing value to Oak land.“I don’t even want to talk about Aaron Don ald … It’s irrelevant to me, it means nothing. There’s a building here in the middle of Pitt campus that we can [use to] bring value to the neighborhood,” Plumb said. “I’m trying to just have fun and do something cool for the neigh borhood and create a legitimate sports bar.”
Radamès Perez, the executive chef of The Panther Pit, used to own the Lawrenceville Cuban restaurant Salud. After Salud closed, a friend connected him with Plumb, and togeth er they developed the idea for The Panther Pit about eight months ago. “He [Plumb] came up with the idea of street foods … I was just like, okay, let’s figure it out. And we came to a head on, you know, the items that we felt were gonna be great sellers. And I think we came up with a great menu … We’re making everything from scratch,” Perez said. “There’s no frozen food. Okay, so that’s the whole theme of it, and to be able to feed people at a great price with an awesome product.”
County reported its first case of monkeypox on June 30 and has since reported 55 confirmed cases. A student at Penn State also tested positive for monkeypox. At the national level, monkeypox has been declared a national health emergency, which contributed to con cerns expressed by members of the Pitt com munity.However,
• Were recently diagnosed with a sexu ally transmitted illness or think they may have been recently exposed to one
• Take HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
While Darr said Student Health Services isn’t giving out monkeypox vaccines directly, he said if someone has a confirmed exposure to mon keypox, SHS will refer them to the Allegheny County Health Department Immunization clin ic. Staff at the clinic, which is located Downtown, will determine if someone is eligible to receive a vaccine on a “case-by-case basis” through Health Department case investigators.
• Met their partner through an app or social venue
Darr added that people can avoid contract ing monkeypox if they get a vaccine within four days of exposure to the virus.
Other prioritized groups, according to the county’s website, include men who have sex with other men and gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming or gender non-binary indi viduals who had anonymous sex partners in the past two weeks that reported the following:
Even though there have been no confirmed student cases of monkeypox at Pitt as of Aug. 24, according to Pitt spokesperson Janine Fisher, some students fear that the University might re turn to the days of isolation and virtual learning that they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.Emma Garris, a senior neuroscience and psychology major, said she first heard about monkeypox over the summer on social media. She planned a trip to New York City and decided to start monitoring cases in that region. Garris quickly grew fearful of how rapidly the virus was spreading.“It’sgiving me flashbacks to 2020 before we got sent home from campus because we all thought it wasn’t going to be a huge deal then, and now look what COVID has turned into,” GarrisAlleghenysaid.
• Have an illness that weakens their im mune system
“With coronaviruses, people who were pre symptomatic were transmissible, which meant that before you had any symptoms or felt sick at all, you were spreading the virus,” Lakdawala said. “It’s unclear whether that’s happening right now with monkeypox, but the data seems to sug gest that it’s not.”
Findthefullstoryonlineatpittnews.com
• Have eczema
7pittnews.com August 31, 2022 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MONKEYPOX AT PITT
Donata Massimiani Staff Writer
Seema Lakdawala, an associate professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at Emory University and an adjunct professor in the department of micro biology and molecular genetics at Pitt’s school of medicine, said given the way monkeypox spreads, she doesn’t think it will warrant manda tory masking or university closures. She added that masks aren’t effective against monkeypox because the virus can’t be inhaled.
The county also said on its website that it hopes to expand eligibility as vaccines become more widely available.
Jay Darr, the associate dean of students for wellness, recommended in an Aug. 19 email that students avoid contact with people who may be infected, along with contaminated bedding and other materials. He also suggested avoiding skinto-skin contact with anyone who has a rash, us ing personal protective equipment when caring for someone who is infected and washing hands with soap and water, as well as practicing safe sex.
People in Allegheny County prioritized to receive a monkeypox vaccine, based on Pennsyl vania Department of Health guidelines, include individuals who had direct physical contact with someone diagnosed with the virus, individuals who had a sex partner within the last two weeks that is experiencing symptoms of the virus, in viduals who participated in an activity where multiple cases of monkeypox occurred and indi viduals who “exchange sex for money or goods.”
Use the Transact Mobile Ordering App for the easiest way to order, pay for, and pick up your favorite foods. How to get started Download the Transact Mobile Ordering App Select University of Pittsburgh - Oakland Choose Your Favorite Dining Location and Customize Your Meal Pay With Meal Swap, Dining Dollars, Panther Funds, Pitt Cash, or Credit Card Powered by MOBILE ORDER
“Dressing up has its perks, but the best part has to be when I make some one’s day by meeting them, especially kids,” Zaremski said. “That is really what it is all about, is trying to grow the culture here at Pitt. I was considering passing it down, but after asking many people, no one seemed to mind me re maining the Pitt Pope.”
Carson Zaremski dressed as the pope poses for a photo in a crowd of Pitt fans during the football ACC Championship Game against Wake Forest University in Charlotte, N.C. Pamela Smith | Visual Editor
Pitt juniors and roommates Mia Jaffe, Lauren Beaube and Kara Soles have also taken it upon themselves to ensure that other Pitt Athletics fans can support the team — and in a fashionable way. Beaube, a statistics major, said the three friends loved getting dressed up for games throughout their time at Pitt, but struggled to find cute outfits. They started h2Supply Co. in August of this year — their own line of trendy Pitt gear.
“Last year specifically I went to 10 [games] which included the games at Tennessee, Virginia Tech, the ACC Championship in Charlotte and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta,” Zaremski said. “I honestly just bleed blue and gold. I would be a superfan whether we were the best team in the country or the worst.”
At Pitt football games, herds of Pitt fans gather in the parking lot of Acrisure Stadium in North Shore, blasting ener gizing music, playing games and indulg ing in game day food. Everyone radiates Pitt pride, geared with blue and yellow attire and singing along to Pitt’s foot ball anthem, “Sweet Caroline,” which is played in the third quarter of every foot ballShowinggame.
“We didn’t love the way DIY T-shirts looked or fit and we always wished there was a way we could have more stylish op tions for our game day outfits,” Beaube said. “Our mission is to create cute, last ing clothing that Pitt students can wear to football games, on campus and other sportsThegames.”teamstarted with an extensive Pinterest search, followed by creating mock-ups and finally an Instagram ac count, according to Beaube. She said they started by gauging interest through friends and followers to decide which de signs to release.
Carson Zaremski, a Pitt alumnus also known as the Pitt Pope, is a game-day fashion icon. Zaremski attends nearly every football game outfitted in a white robe and Pope hat embellished with the Pitt logo and colors.
Zaremski graduated from Pitt in De cember 2021 with a degree in media and professional studies. He said he has re mained a diehard Pitt football fan since birth.“Iwas born into a Pitt Family, and so I have been going to Pitt football games since I was born,” Zaremski said.
Pitt pride comes in a multi tude of ways, but some students and su perfans show their school spirit through the power of fashion.
Although he has left the streets of Oakland, Zaremski said his commitment to being the Pitt Pope — and supporting the football team — stands strong. He said he dreams of working for Pitt Ath letics in the future.
9pittnews.com August 31, 2022 Culture Yung Gravy to headline Fall Fest pittnews.com PITT SUPERFANS GEAR UP FOR ANOTHER FASHIONABLE FOOTBALL SEASON
“We created clothing that we would each personally love to wear, and that was a bit more stylish and unique than the t-shirts we were previously buying,” Beaube said. “We make all of our items together at our apartment. We order our shirts from a supplier and use a Cricut machine to cut and press each design onto the Beaubeshirts.”andher friends have already started taking and producing orders for the upcoming football season. Beaube said while h2supply Co.’s merchandise currently caters to females, they aim to grow their market in the future.
Anoushka Parnerkar For The Pitt News
The costume stands out from the sea of blue and yellow T-shirts that many students wear. The Pitt Pope originated as a result of one of Zaremski’s Hallow een costumes during his time as a Pitt undergrad. The Pitt Pope is an iteration of other football superfan costumes, he said.“The Pope was my Halloween cos tume for Halloween weekend and I added a Pitt aspect to it for the Miami football game,” he said. “I knew about the Steel ers Pope and the Auburn Pope, and ‘Pitt Pope’ just has a better ring to it.”
While being a fashion icon has its benefits, Zaremski said his main goal partaking as the Pitt Pope is to strength en the football culture and pride at Pitt.
“We posted a few of our initial designs and polled our friends and followers on which ones they liked best,” Beaube said. “There were clear favorites and once we figured the ones that were most popular, we pretty much started making our shirts rightBeaubeaway.”said she and her friends find most of their fashion inspiration from pieces they wished they had. They design and hand make all of their items in their Oakland apartment, and the shirt styles range in classic cuts, fonts and slogans.
SPICE THESE
2. Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip – Amanda Rettke at I Am Baker
UP GAME DAY WITH
Also known as Texas Caviar, this dish is pretty healthy and always a crowd pleaser — but if your football squad is on the smaller side, you can make it in large or small batches. There are a few more ingredients in this dip — black and pinto beans, corn, diced tomato, cilantro, orange, red and yellow peppers, red onions, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, olive oil, lime, avocado and tortilla chips. However, the assembly is easy — you can mix the ingredients in one bowl. After combining the ingredients, add spices and lime juice for taste. You can use tortilla chips to dip into the dish, or other foods like bread slices. Trisha Haas at Salty Side Dish recom mends letting the caviar marinate together for a few hours before serving to bring out the flavors the best.
Nothing tastes better on a crisp fall afternoon than some warm and savory buffalo chicken dip. This recipe is great for beginners — all you need is shredded chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, buffalo sauce and a crockpot to make it. You can dip anything in it from bread to pretzels or veg gies. Add ranch dressing, garlic powder or some blue cheese crumbles and green onion for taste.
This tortellini salad kabob dish is a clever twist on an Italian classic. It’s easy to assemble and can be served cold. Kabobs are perfect for handing out to people at a large tailgate, and they can be stored in simple containers. Jessica Formicola, a blogger at Savory Experiments, suggests using two pieces of tortellini, two moz zarella pearls and one tomato. The ingredients include cooked tortellini pasta, grape tomatoes, mozzarella balls, pesto, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil leaves, salt and pep per, added for taste. You’ll also need wooden skewers for the recipe. Combine all the ingre dients into a bowl to make a salad, and then skewer them to your liking. You can substitute different vegetables such as olives, peppers or cucumbers as well.
With the first Pitt football game around the corner, so is the first tailgate. The only thing that could make a sunny September afternoon bet ter is an aroma of food cooking before a football game.Whether you’re gathering outside Acri sure Stadium or watching the game from your house, these meals are easy and can be done by any level chef — amateur to professional — with few ingredients. Here are five creative game day recipes for you to try for your next tailgate with friends.
4. Cowboy Caviar – Trisha Haas at Salty Side Dish
TPN File Photo
Amanda Rettke at I Am Baker also includes her homemade buffalo sauce recipe, if you want to make it from scratch. It’s best to cook on low for about one to two hours. You will know it’s done when the cheese is hot and bubbly.
3. Pulled Pork Pastry Puffs – Stephanie Parker at Plain Chicken Pulled pork is a football Friday favorite, and this recipe brings delicious flavors without the mess of a sandwich – and it only consists of five ingredients.Forthis recipe you’ll need a bag of frozen puff pastry, which you can find at Giant Eagle or your local grocery store, pulled pork, barbeque sauce, shredded cheese and one egg to glaze the puffs. Fill the pastries with the combined shred ded pork, cheese and sauce. Glaze the tops with the beaten egg and bake in the oven till golden brown. Stephanie Parker, a food blogger at Plain Chicken, recommends using a toothpick to hold the puffs together if they start to fall apart. These are perfect to hand out to your friends at the tail gate.
Julia DiPietro Staff Writer
1. Tortellini Salad Kabobs – Jessica Formicola at Savory Experiments
CREATIVE TAILGATE RECIPES
10pittnews.com August 31, 2022
5. Snickers Bar Blondies – Teresa Ambra at Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen No tailgate is complete without some tasty desserts. Blondie bars, or “blonde brownies,” are a great way to round up a group and get ready for a Pitt game. Blondies, best described as chocolate chip cookie bars, are easy to make and can be cut into multiple squares for everyone. For this recipe you will need unsalted butter, white and brown sugar, two large eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt and chopped mini Snickers bars.After combining all ingredients into a bowl, lay onto a 9x13 glass baking dish and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Teresa Ambra, a writer for the food blog “Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen,” adds that you can use other choc olate candies in place of Snickers as well. Once you cool the blondies, cut them into squares and spread them onto a plate for serving. These easy recipes are a great option for your next Pitt football tailgate this fall. Whether you are serving a few close friends or an entire crowd, they are the perfect way to get everyone in the spirit and hopefully celebrate a Panther win. Students eat and watch a football game at home.
Grace DeLallo Assistant Opinions Editor
This summer I traveled to two very dif ferent places — Myrtle Beach, South Car olina, and Ojochal, Costa Rica. This was my first time traveling in Central Ameri ca, so there were many aspects of the trip that were new to me, but as I began to observe my surroundings, I couldn’t help but compare this trip to my other vacation after drawing jarring conclusions about Costa Rica and the United States.
Ranking Taylor Swift songs pittnews.com COMPARING MY TWO VACATIONS
Opinions
In comparison, the United States has no federal legislation when it comes to keeping wild animals as pets. Sure, most states have made it illegal to privately own wildlife, and the U.S. does have special ized laws that target certain groups of animals and their wellbeing, especially for those that are considered endangered, but the U.S. also has an abysmal record when it comes to protecting wildlife.
11pittnews.com August 31, 2022
Grace DeLallo writes about social, envi ronmental and political issues. Write to her at gkd5@pitt.edu.
“Unfortunately, House and Senate ap propriators have made it clear that saving endangered species is not their top prior ity,” said Stephanie Kurose, a senior policy specialist at the Center for Biological Di versity. This is exemplified by the outra geous law passed in Idaho in 2021 that allows hunters to kill 90% of the state’s wolf population — a species the country has waged unofficial war on, but which made no disruption in the federal govern ment’s concerns. If only the United States was like Costa Rica and would also outlaw sport hunting, maybe native species could thrive and contribute to their ecosystem like they’re supposed to. Costa Rica has also made massive ef forts to reforest the country after logging devastated the country. Today, almost 60% of the land is forested and approximately 28% of the land is protected. This com pares to a World Bank estimate that only 33% of the U.S. was forested in 2020 and an abysmal 12% of land is protected. Traveling is a privilege. Each trip cost me more money than I could necessarily afford in the moment — thanks, credit cards — but it’s something I have wanted to do for so long because I yearn to explore the world. I want to be a global citizen be cause I think it makes people more empa thetic and accepting. My experience will not be the same as yours, but that doesn’t mean we can’t grow as people all the same. I may be able to travel through physical experiences, but that doesn’t mean you can’t through books, movies or music. Our world is so much bigger than we know, and with only a five-hour flight, I was able to experience life outside of my self and see a world I longed for and could begin to understand.
Uvita Beach is one of the four beaches that compose Marino Ballena National Park, a Costa Rican treasure. While visit ing this spectacular beach, I noticed many things — new wildlife, palm tree roots that sit feet above the sand, water that un expectedly rushes in multiple feet within a few minutes at high tide, fog that perpetu ally loomed over the mountains during my stay and litter scattering the beaches. If there is one thing I hate in the world, it is litter. Litter makes beautiful things less beautiful and has harms far beyond aesthetic concerns. So, as a response, I clean up what I can. What I noticed that differed between the litter I found at Uvita versus in Myrtle was the size and location. During my time in Myrtle, I collected many cigarette butts, single-use bottles, plastic straws and plastic food wrappers, mostly where people’s chairs and umbrel las were set up — clearly a product of their carelessness. Meanwhile, in Uvita I found myself mainly picking up microplastics — a product of plastic pollution break ing apart in the ocean and washing onto shores or lingering in water. Not only did I notice the litter on the beaches, but also in my immediate sur roundings. I noticed a general lack of lit ter lining roadways, inhabiting streams of water and scattered among parking lots in Costa Rica, even as we drove through more populated areas. Thinking back to Myrtle, the streets had plastic grocery bags rolling like tumbleweeds. I found that the people in Costa Rica had a greater commitment to keeping their home clean, and the most polluted places were those where tourists were abundant. The litter of Myrtle could be the micro plastics of Uvita, and that is an unsettling reality to Anotheracknowledge.aspectofthe trip that remains vastly, significantly different is wildlife andWhileland. visiting Alturas Wildlife Sanctu ary — a place committed to rehabilitating as many animals as they can and offering lifelong residence in enriching enclosures for those who are unable to be rehabili tated — I was informed that Costa Rica outlawed keeping wild animals as pets and sport hunting of wildlife. As a result, the sanctuary gained some of its residents from people having to turn their wild ani mals in. Leo’s sweet face, the ocelot grac ing the front page of Alturas’ website, hap pens to be a product of that law. His sister was fortunately released, but Leo opted for the cushier lifestyle of steady meals and an enclosure with many places to perch.
Both options are feasible, but if you have the money up front for a used car, you won’t have to worry about making car payments months from now. The only thing you would have to worry about from then on is car insurance — which is still less than a new car thanks to its age and the fact that it doesn’t need collision insur ance because its value has declined, meaning that you wouldn’t lose too much money in an accident.Having a used car has made me a better problem solver. In the era of iPhones without aux ports, I had to find a way to get my music to play in my car without a built-in Bluetooth sound system. The lifesaver for nearly all used cars is some form of Bluetooth radio adapter. Thankfully, these are pretty often user-friendly. While I’m definitely not saying that we should be living in the past, learning and sustaining the ability to use a radio helps in situations where you never knew you needed it. My Honda Civic doesn’t have a backup camera, but luckily it’s a relatively small car. I feel as though backup cameras have become simi lar to what automatic transmissions once were — some people just can’t drive without them. Having a used car without a backup camera will make you a better driver, whether you like it or not. This is especially true in Pittsburgh, where you’re going to have to learn how to parallel park — and fast — without it. No one has broken into my car thus far be cause it doesn’t look like I have too much money based off of its exterior. With peeling paint, a few dings and a helplessly messy interior, I’m sure a thief would much rather risk the jail time of breaking into a car that actually looks like it’s worth some money. Of course, buying a used car is almost al ways the most sustainable option because you’re getting a vehicle that wasn’t created brand new for you. Even with the rise in popularity of elec tric cars, I would argue that my 2006 Honda Civic still holds up with its incredible gas mile age. One thing’s for certain — those who buy used cars won’t be contributing to the lithium and chip shortage any time soon. When it comes time to upgrade, you might actually be more ready than most. If you buy your first used car yourself, you’re already del egating a sense of responsibility and ownership to yourself. Going to buy that new car will surely be bittersweet, but when that time comes, you’ll probably be financially ready. Even though my car isn’t bright, brand new or even relatively clean, I love it more than I would if it were all of those things. Ultimately, it’s my car, and I’ve learned its little quirks over our five years together. It might lack a lot of modern technology, but I’m confident it has forced me to become a better person.
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FRI, Aug. 26-THURS, sept. 1 Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (PG-13) Fri: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:35 Sat & Sun: 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:35 Mon & Tue: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:35 Wed: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:35 Thu: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:35 Emily the Criminal (R) Fri: 3:25, 7:40 Sat & Sun: 1:20, 3:25, 7:40 Mon & Tue: 3:25, 7:40 Wed: 3:25, 7:40 Thu: 3:25, 7:40 Bodies Bodies Bodies (R) Fri - Thu: 5:30, 9:55 Nope (R) Fri: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Sat & Sun: 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Mon & Tue: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Wed: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Thu: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 STUDENT DISCOUNT AFTER 6PM WITH A VALID STUDENT ID
Jessica Snyder primarily writes about the little things in life. Write to her at jes341@pitt.edu.
For almost five years now I’ve been driving a 2006 Honda Civic. It’s a brilliant baby blue, glittering with peeling paint on the hubcaps and roof — which is apparently a common problem in older Honda models. I don’t have a backup camera and I think the most up-to-date feature in it is cruise control. It has a Bluetooth radio adapter and cloth seats. The air conditioning has since fizzled out, but I don’t think it’s beyond fixing, because some times on long drives across the state it will work for a minute or two. However, if someone offered me a brand new car right now, I probably wouldn’t take it. My grandma gave me this car in high school because it was too low to the ground. I grew up in the back seats of this car when my grandma would drive my brother and me to practices and McDonald’s, and now I’m sitting in the driver’s seat.Not everyone is going to have this innate sense of sentimental value in their new vehicle when they first buy a car. I would still keep my Honda even if it weren’t for the nostalgia, though, simply because of its hidden value. It still has less than 100,000 miles on it — my grandma didn’t drive it much. Used cars — even if they don’t have the latest technology and aren’t visually appealing — are the best first cars on the market. They save you money and teach you how to drive better, all while adding an element of sustainability to owning a car. When you’re first learning how to drive, the truth of the matter is that you’re going to hit some things. These little bumps into sidewalks or poles usually leave more damage to your car than the objects themselves. If you have a new car, you might feel more inclined to get these little dents fixed, given that the rest of your car is almost pristine. If you have an older car like me, you probably won’t sweat it — I have plenty of little marks on my bumper, but it matches the rest of the paint job. Eventu ally, you’ll become more spatially aware in your car and won’t bump into as many curbs. If you choose to buy a used car and decide not to repair these little dents, you won’t have to pay for them. Depending on what kind of used car you get, you’ll most likely save more money all around. Used cars are nearly $10,000 cheaper than new ones, typically because they have more miles and slightly less technology.
THEMANOR
Jessica Snyder Senior Staff Columnist
Fikayomi Olagbami | Staff Illustrator
Pitt and West Virginia are two of just eight teams nationally set to return their en tire starting offensive line. The Mountaineers have great individual talent on the line. Sophomore center Zach Frazier is a preseason Walter Camp AllAmerican after earning second team honors a year ago. Sophomore left tackle Wyatt Mi lum received Freshman All-American hon ors last season. But in 2021 the Mountaineers allowed the most sacks of any team in the Big 12, giving up a total of 38. West Virginia also finished dead last within conference in rushing yards per game.
Junior Lee Kpogba and sophomore Lance Dixon are expected to form the Mountain eers tandem at linebacker, and they could very well be one of the best the conference has to offer this year.
Secondary Senior Charles Woods played a big part in the Mountaineers’ No. 3 passing defense within conference last season and has the tal ent to become the best corner in the Big 12. After losing five players, West Virginia opted to overhaul their back end by pursu ing experienced transfers. The Mountaineers added Rashad Ajayi, Jasir Cox and Wesley McCormick, who all combine for over 1,000 snaps of experience in the back end and fig ure to play a lot.
Redshirt freshman Andrew WilsonLamp will start opposite Woods, and junior transfer Marcis Floyd will start next to soph omore Aubrey Brooks at safety. While the Panthers’ secondary will be prone to giving up chunk plays, they’re bringing back an experienced duo. Senior safety Erick Hallett has started the Panthers’ last 18 games, and junior Brandon Hill has got the start next to him in 15 of those con tests. The duo leads a defensive backfield that led the ACC in interceptions last season. A pair of seniors — AJ Woods and Mar quis Williams — will get the start at corner, making it a very experienced group. Pitt gets the nod for those reasons.
Edge: Panthers
13pittnews.com August 31, 2022 — who averaged almost 20 yards per catch last season at Louisiana Tech — to the mix this offseason. Junior Jared Wayne hauled in six touchdowns last year and is in line for an uptick in volume. Sophomore tight end Gavin Bartholomew checked in at No. 2 in Yards After Catch amongst all tight ends in the nation last season. Pitt’s depth gives them the upper hand here, with junior Jaylon Barden and sopho more Jaden Bradley stepping into expanded roles.Edge: Panthers Offensive Line
Positions, pg. 3 While they should improve as a unit, they are a notch below Pitt – whose entire offen sive line earned All-ACC honors in 2021.
Edge: Panthers Defensive Line Despite losing Akheem Mesidor to Mi ami, the Mountaineers boast an excellent defensiveSeniorfront.defensive tackle Dante Stills is a preseason All-American after deciding to return to school for an encore following his first-team All-Big 12 season last year. Sixthyear defensive end Taijh Alston — who tal lied 11 tackles for loss last season — and junior defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson are fantastic compliments to Stills. The Mountaineers line is deep, especially after adding a pair of transfers — first-year defensive end Zeiqui Lawton and sophomore defensive tackle Mike Lockhart. But Pitt is just on a different level.
After last season, Pitt lost 601 combined tackles at linebacker. But senior SirVocea Dennis returns, and he is without a doubt the best either side has to offer at the position.
Athlon Sports ranks Pitt’s defensive line No. 4 in the nation, which is led by junior defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and senior defensive end Haba Baldonado. Kancey is a preseason All-American and Baldonado led the ACC in pressures last season. As a unit, Pitt finished top five in both sacks and tack les for Everyloss.Pitt defensive lineman who reg istered a sack last season returns outside of Keyshon Camp. There’s deep, and then there’s Pitt defensive line deep. Edge: Panthers Linebacker
Bangally Kamara — who is starting alongside Dennis — is poised for a breakout, it just remains to be seen how fast he can read the game. Notre Dame transfer Shayne Simon will also start outside of Dennis.
Kpogba — who started his career at Syra cuse — has lofty expectations despite not playing a snap for the program up to this point. Last season he led the No. 1 scoring defense in JUCO with 84 tackles in just ten games last season. Dixon enters his fourth season hoping to pick up where he left off af ter registering 11 tackles against Minnesota in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. For both teams, the linebacker spot poses plenty of questions while also having a mas sive ceiling — but Dennis is the clear cut best player at the position heading into this matchup, so that’s the difference maker here.
Edge: Panthers
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Services, pg. 5
Kuppusamy does not consider it unfair for Pitt to avoid paying property taxes despite its use of city services, especially because the university operates its own police force and insurance com panies reimburse EMS for transports. (The city receives about $13 million annually for EMS ser vices, but spends double that amount to operate the bureau).“AsaPitt student, I think that it’s fine,” Kup pusamy said. “I think that the level that we’re us ing the resources isn’t a lot, and we do have Pitt Police.”The Pitt Police are the third-largest police force in the county, and officers often support city police off campus and serve as first respond ers to emergency calls in Oakland, the Pitt spokesperson said.
While she believes the University needs to rely on emergency services to ensure the health and safety of its students, she thinks it’s only fair for Pitt to pay taxes for the emergency services that it uses from the city.
The fire and EMS bureaus in particular have grappled with equipment needs as the city tries to wrangle funds from its tax-exempt giants.
Both bureaus have aging emergency vehicle fleets, and as of February, the EMS bureau need ed nine new ambulances for 2023, according to a report on city government commissioned by The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz En dowments*.
Pittsburgh’s 2022 budget set aside funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to pay for two new pumper trucks for the fire bureau.
The bureau typically receives three new ambulances a year, but none were ordered in 2021 or 2022 due to budget constraints.
Equipment needs and budget constraints
“Unfortunately, none of the ‘Big Five’ institu tions have adequate PILOT agreements in place. This is unacceptable,” Lamb said in the state ment, calling out UPMC specifically but also referring to Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University and Highmark/Allegheny Health Network. “City residents should not be expected to bear the financial burden of city op erations when the region’s largest employers pay next to nothing.”
“The University works with the city, Oakland residents, and local partners to support a safe en vironment, and is committed to the safety of the campus community,” the spokesperson said.
City
“They’re definitely aware that they’re go ing to need to use those resources, so I think they should be paying the taxes that contribute to keeping those resources available for them if they’re going to use them,” James said. “When you have as many students and staff as [Pitt] does, I think it’s fair to pay taxes.”
Students differ on whether their peers have overused city Kuppusamyservices.hasn’t seen students recklessly or needlessly bringing emergency services to the building.Wilson, though, said he has seen the fire department and EMS respond to multiple inci dents that did not appear to be emergencies. He recalled that public safety personnel were called after a student forgot to add water to their microwaveable mac and cheese and said firefighters and the police showed up after he smelled smoke in the building and texted his RA.
In a May report, Lamb and former Acting County Controller Tracy Royston recommend ed that the city and county negotiate PILOTs based on the value of city services the nonprofits use.
The Pitt Police and campus security respond to all 911 calls where authorities notify the Uni versity, and though city police, EMS and fire may assist, not all calls result in city services being used, a spokesperson for Pitt wrote in an email. Campus police, residence life staff and secu rity guards monitor and respond to incidents on campus, including at Towers.
15pittnews.com August 31, 2022 because if a unit is taking a drunk kid to the hos pital when they get another call, another unit from another district has to come in to take that call,” Atkinson said. “And they’re coming in from farther away, so it’s a longer response time. And then another unit may have to cover for that unit, so there’s a snowball effect.”
PILOTS or payments for services? As students settle back into the towers, Pitts burgh’s fiscal watchdog is calling on Pitt and the city’s other major nonprofits to make greater fi nancial contributions through payment-in-lieuof-taxes agreements, or PILOTs. If the five larg est nonprofits entered a PILOT for 25% of their property tax liability, the city would receive an extra $8.6 million a year.
James, a Pitt student who previously lived in the Towers, said the city’s EMS team arrived quickly after the RA found the student vomiting and slurring her words last fall. They were on the scene for about 15 to 20 minutes, she said, and they asked the student questions and determined whether she needed to go to the hospital. In the end, the medical team decided the student did not need further medical attention and did not take her to the hospital.
Fire Chief Darryl Jones said in late 2021 that five of the bureau’s frontline fleet of fire trucks are more than 11 years old, while the bureau prefers to have frontline trucks be 10 years old or newer.
“I just remember, I was sitting there and studying and then realized it smelled like smoke so I was opening my window, but it didn’t seem
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to be coming from outside and I was very con fused,” Wilson said. “Later on, the firefighters, the cops, and I’m not sure about EMS, I remember they showed up and had to search the rooms.”
“By not receiving any new [Advanced Life Support] units for two years and no adjunct ve hicles, it increases the need and cost into the next year,” EMS Chief Ronald Romano wrote in an email to the report’s consultants. “Frontline fleet continues to age and increase in mileage, and the spare trucks age also, causing breakdowns and prolonged out-of-service time while switching.”
The city’s fire chief, EMS chief and public safety director all declined to be interviewed for this story. PublicSource asked the Department of Public Safety to allow firefighters at Station 14, near Pitt’s campus, to talk about the types of incidents they respond to at the Towers and the needs of their station, but instead the department provided a statement regarding how the fire and EMS bureaus respond to incidents at nonprofits. “Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire and Pittsburgh EMS respond to all non-profits such as the Uni versity of Pittsburgh, as well as churches and other [tax-exempt] entities in the city in the same manner they respond to all emergencies — without hesitation — when called,” Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt wrote in the emailed state ment. Legit calls or unneeded ‘snowball effect?’
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