The Pitt News T h e in de p e n d e n t st ude nt ne w spap e r of t he University of Pittsburgh
Tyler Boyd draft outlook Page 8 January 21, 2016| Issue 89 | Volume 106
Police, students focus of Oakwatch Emily Brindley Staff Writer
At this month’s Oakwatch meeting, Oakland residents reviewed the neighborhood’s improvements in community policing and frustrations with transparency over the fall semester. Oakwatch members, who identify and attempt to resolve code violations in Oakland, held their monthly meeting 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to discuss property, Pitt student conduct and satisfaction with community policing efforts. Permanent residents of Oakland, Pitt Student Government Board, Pitt police, city police and Pitt and city officials deliberated over the state of the neighborhood and behavior of student residents, rejoicing over the fall semester’s quiet party scene. Though members discussed everything from graffiti to excessive trash on McKee Place, they fleshed out their thoughts on the successful community policing and newly instituted rental registry at this month’s meeting. Here are four takeaways from Wednesday afternoon’s gathering. Pitt police improve community policing efforts During the fall semester, Pitt police officer Guy Johnson said Pitt police responded to 140 parties that students had thrown in their homes. But, Johnson said, of the five parties broken up in December, Pitt police didn’t cite any students. Instead, Johnson said Pitt police followed up with student offenders through knock-and-talks, in which officers visit student homes and discuss the violations that occurred on the property. Johnson said knock-and-talks help students to See Oakwatch on page 2
Pittsburgh’s First Class Bhangra team preforms in Posvar Hall. See a photo essay online Wenhao Wu STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Pitt powers through state budget impasse Emily Brindley Staff Writer
While the state scrambles to pass the 2015-2016 budget, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher refuses to let the financial crisis thwart the University’s excellence. On Wednesday afternoon, Gallagher and the University Senate Council addressed the continuing state education budget impasse and the accomplishments of several faculty members before hearing reports from the Student Government Board, the College of General Studies Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Government. The meeting, which occurs on the third
Wednesday of every month, took place in Posvar Hall from 3 to 4 p.m. Despite ongoing debate since June 2015, Pennsylvania legislators continue deliberating over a budget for the current fiscal year. For state and state-affiliated schools, including Pitt, this means they have yet to receive funding from the state for the 20152016 fiscal year. “Let me talk about the budget,” Gallagher said. “We still don’t have one, is the bottom line.” Though it initially waited for the state to pass a budget before planning the University’s budget, the Board of Trustees has since decided to move forward with the assump-
tion that Pitt will receive a similar amount of state funding as it received last year — $147 million, according to the 2014-2015 budget presentation. In order to continue University operations without state funding, Gallagher said at the meeting that Pitt has been forced to take financial risks. “What we are in fact doing is eroding our long-term financial health to cover this,” Gallagher said. President of the University Senate Frank Wilson said Pitt can manage these financial issues, but only for the time being. “We at Pitt, fortunately, can weather this See Senate on page 2