Education category, Page 72
Pitt promotes use of name pronunciation tool to help avoid uncertainty
It’s the ultimate in awkward moments and it happens all too often. A person has a name that might be difficult for others to pronounce. They are approached by someone who means well but proceeds to butcher their name. It usually leaves both parties feeling bad. But there are ways...
The Pitt News remotely produces print student newspaper during pandemic
The Pitt News released its first print edition of the academic year on Wednesday, keeping alive a 110-year-old Pitt tradition. But things at The Pitt News were far from normal. Jon Moss, the student newspaper’s editor-in-chief, and Mary Rose O’Donnell, the managing editor, weren’t in the newsroom as they worked...
Late laptops scramble remote learning plans at Greensburg Salem, other school districts
When Greensburg Salem School District officials learned more than 1,000 laptops would not be arriving in time for the start of classes, they agreed to delay the school year rather than begin without the technology they’re counting on. Then, the laptops were delayed again, this time until October, leaving officials...
Pitt bars 8 students from campus for violating covid-19 guidelines
University of Pittsburgh officials barred eight students on Wednesday for flouting the university’s rules and guidelines meant to mitigate the spread of covid-19 among students, a spokesperson for the school said. “We must do better,” Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner wrote in an email to students Wednesday afternoon. The eight...
Hempfield Area officials to vote on health, safety plans
Hempfield school leaders are holding a special meeting Wednesday to update health and safety plans. The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., will update the athletic health and safety plan prior to a Thursday golf competition, which needs approval before “student participation in a competitive event,” Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said....
Pittsburgh school board to vote on superintendent’s contract
The Pittsburgh Public School Board will vote Wednesday on whether to renew the contract of Superintendent Anthony Hamlet and retain him for a four-year term. Hamlet’s contract, which began in 2016, expires June 30, 2021. If passed, his new contract will end at the end of the 2025 school year....
‘Acknowledgement of risk’: the first paper facing many college students in covid era
When it comes to mitigating the spread of covid-19 on campus, college administrators have been consistent: it all comes down to student behavior, they say. “We’ve been communicating our expectations all summer to students,” Pitt Dean Kenyon Bonner said during a Monday news conference. College students everywhere are being asked...
DeVos softens position on schools reopening in Georgia visit
CUMMING, Ga. — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has softened earlier comments that called for schools to reopen for in-person instruction for all, saying during a visit to a Georgia high school Tuesday that what she really wants to see is “100% learning.” “I think perhaps there’s been a...
A look at key moments in Falwell’s relationship with Liberty
During 13 years under the stewardship of Jerry Falwell Jr., Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, has grown into a powerhouse with an endowment of over $1.7 billion, more than 15,000 on-campus and over 94,000 virtual students and a Division I athletics program. However, Falwell’s tenure at Liberty has become increasingly...
Point Park freshmen move in for unusual college experience during pandemicVideo
Kristy Thomson drove more than 16 hours from Winfield, Kansas, to help her son move Tuesday into a Point Park University dormitory. For a little peace of mind, she stocked him up with face masks and hand sanitizer. “It’s crazy,” she said. “I can’t believe we’re going through all of...
Pitt suspends 9 Greek chapters over health and safety guideline violations
The University of Pittsburgh has placed nine Greek life chapters on interim suspension of registration status after reports that the groups violated the university’s Health and Safety Guidelines and Student Code of Conduct. Pitt announced the interim suspension of Alpha Tau Omega, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, Pi Kappa Alpha, and...
Official says Falwell leaving Liberty; Falwell says he’s not
RICHMOND, Va. — Jerry Falwell Jr.’s future at evangelical Liberty University was unclear late Monday, with a senior school official saying he had resigned from his leadership post but Falwell telling at least one news outlet that he does not plan to leave permanently. A formal announcement from the school...
First day of school for thousands and Zoom gets glitchy
Zoom is experiencing partial outages during the first day of school for thousands of students who are relying on the video conferencing technology to connect with educators. The company said Monday that it began receiving reports of disruptions around 9 a.m. Eastern time. It has identified the issue causing the...
Here are 5 brain breaks to help kids and parents with successful remote learning
When Miriam La Forest’s 11-year-old daughter, Chelsea, took an hour to complete 20 minutes worth of online school work, La Forrest knew a break was in order. “It was literally after every subject just because she was over it,” said La Forrest, 47, of Brookline. “It means she fell asleep...
Pitt-Greensburg, Westmoreland workshops to explore racism, diversity and social justice
The time has come for residents of Westmoreland County to have some tough conversations, says Al Thiel, director of the Student Center and Student Involvement at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. “This has been an unprecedented year for American life, and I believe that more people than ever are...
AP: U.S. faces back-to-school laptop shortage
SAN FRANCISCO — Schools across the United States are facing shortages and long delays, of up to several months, in getting this year’s most crucial back-to-school supplies: the laptops and other equipment needed for online learning, an Associated Press investigation has found. The world’s three biggest computer companies, Lenovo, HP...
As more colleges stay online, students demand tuition cuts
As more universities abandon plans to reopen and decide instead to keep classes online this fall, it’s leading to conflict between students who say they deserve tuition discounts and college leaders who insist remote learning is worth the full cost. Disputes are flaring both at colleges that announced weeks ago...
Chatham University praised in report for sustainability efforts
Chatham University in Pittsburgh was ranked second in a study of the nation’s top colleges for their use and consumption of renewable energy. The study was conducted by the environmental advocacy group PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. The report compares local colleges and universities to other institutions across the country,...
University of Pittsburgh announces required course on racism for incoming students
The University of Pittsburgh will require first-year students to complete a new course on anti-Black racism. In a letter to students Wednesday that also clarified updated covid-19 procedures, Provost Ann E. Cudd said the course, which will be free of charge and count for one academic credit, is part of...
Pa. lawmakers concerned ‘guidance’ for schools could open the door to covid-19 lawsuits
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — As students prepare to begin a highly unusual school year, Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday told Wolf administration officials...
Students, faculty virtually celebrate Pitt’s 100th Lantern Night
It’s one of the oldest traditions on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Each year for the past century, freshman women have gathered on the eve of the first day of fall classes for Lantern Night, when alumnae symbolically pass the Light of Learning on to the next generation of Pitt...
RK Mellon Foundation allocates more than $2.5 million in grants to Pa. universities
The Richard King Mellon Foundation recently allocated more than $2.5 million in grants to 12 regional colleges and universities. The grants can be used for a variety of expenses to address the covid-19 pandemic, including ensuring testing for students and staff, personal protective equipment, health care costs, enhanced virtual learning...
‘Let me be clear’: Pitt dean admonishes students for partying during pandemic
University of Pittsburgh students who party could tip the school into shutdown mode, a top official at the school warned. Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner cautioned students that large parties carry the potential of becoming covid-19 super-spreader events and threaten the ability to continue classes on the Oakland campus. On...
Duquesne University freshmen move into dorms with adjusted schedule
Duquesne University hosted its freshman move-in over three days early this week. Normally a one-day affair, the university instead assigned time slots to the approximately 1,200 freshmen and transfer students to prevent crowding in the hallways. “Given the current situation, we just didn’t feel that was safe,” said Adam Wasilko,...
Professors question Penn State reopening as study projects problems
A faculty group at Penn State says the university’s plan to reopen its University Park campus could culminate in thousands of cases of covid-19 and quickly overwhelm its capacity for quarantine. As students began to move into dorms this week, the Coalition for a Just University at Penn State released...
