The Pitt News The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | April 3, 2018 | Volume108 | Issue 140
CHEER AND DANCE SHOWCASE PG. 8
UNIVERSITY CONTINUES SEARCH FOR UCC DIRECTOR Janine Faust Assistant News Editor
The Pitt Dance Team showcases its routine at the Petersen Events Center Monday night. Thomas Yang | VISUAL EDITOR
Students report on community work in Homewood gram this spring — an initiative with the intention of strengthening the ties between the Staff Writer University and surrounding communities Students, Homewood residents and within Pittsburgh. The Homewood branch members of the Community Engagement of the CEC will encompass two buildings Center filled the Homewood-Brushton within the neighborhood, which will proBranch YMCA’s meeting room, waiting for vide a space for University-sponsored protheir chance to hear how the community gramming such as community meeting workers had been spending their time. spaces, training sessions and medical and Residents of Homewood attended the counseling services. Pitt CEC’s Community Assistant Report Out Daren Ellerbee, director of the Homeevent at the YMCA at 6 p.m. Monday night. wood branch, is a Pitt alumna who joined The event showcased the projects 10 particithe project in July 2017 after working for pating students have been working on. Stuthe Urban Redevelopment Authority of dents involved with the project, called comPittsburgh. munity assistants, have been working with “I worked with a lot of a lot people, a community organizations as volunteers and lot of community leaders in Homewood alassistants since fall of 2017. ready, so it was a really nice transition for me Kathy Humphrey, senior vice chancellor ... I’m a nice hybrid of all of these different for engagement, started the Pitt CEC pro-
Zane Crowell
entities,” Ellerbee said. The Homewood branch is the first to open, and over time up to five centers will be built in to-be-determined neighborhoods around the City. She said Homewood’s is set to open in September, with a location in the Hill District set to open in early 2019. “I think what we want to do is make sure we’re not stretching ourselves thin and make sure that we get it right in Homewood and the Hill District,” Ellerbee said. According to Ellerbee, the University has been involved in social research within Homewood since the early ’90s. She said social work students who have worked in Homewood are part of the reason why Pitt has come to Homewood. “It just made sense for us, given those See CEC on page 3
The search for a University Counseling Center director is still ongoing, according to University spokesperson Kevin Zwick — who also did not comment on whether there will be a new director by the start of the 2018-19 academic year. Pitt has been without a full-time UCC director since Allegheny County Police charged previous director, Edward Michaels, for possessing child pornography and Pitt dismissed him from his position in May 2017. Michaels had held the position since June 2015. Marian Vanek, who is also the executive director of Pitt’s Wellness Center, has been supervising the Counseling Center as interim director since then. The University did not comment on whether they have encountered issues or challenges in running the counseling center without a director. Zwick said the University is contracting with an “external search firm” to assist with the recruitment process and will finish once a suitable candidate has been found. He did not comment or specify details regarding the external search firm, including its name. “There are several candidates identified that are being taken under consideration,” he said. The University’s job posting for the UCC director position, posted in mid-March, said the anticipated application deadline is in June. The posting said the UCC Director will work with the executive director of the Wellness Center to identify strategies for strengthening the UCC services and programs. “The incumbent will develop, implement, and maintain UCC policies and procedures and ensure they are in alignment with those of the Wellness Center, [International Association of Counseling Services], the University, and all applicable state and federal regulations,” the posting said.