The Pitt News
The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | April 6, 2018 | Volume 108 | Issue 143
Pitt fires women’s FEMINISTS MARCH FOR basketball coach INCLUSIVITY Jordan Mondell
Assistant Sports Editor Pitt women’s basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio was fired from the program, Pitt Athletics announced Thursday afternoon. McConnell-Serio is the third head coach to be fired by athletic director Heather Lyke, with former women’s head soccer coach Greg Miller’s dismissal in December 2017 and the firing of former men’s basketball head coach Kevin Stallings in early March. McConnell-Serio — who served for five seasons with the Panthers — compiled a 67-87 overall record and went 22-58 in the ACC while at the helm. The firing comes after a lackluster season for the Panthers, going 10-20 overall and 2-15 in conference. Pitt bowed out in the first round of the ACC tournament in what is now McConnell-Serio’s last game as head coach, losing to Wake Forest 72-38. It was also the PanMembers of the Pitt Progressives’ Socialist Feminist Working Group march as a part of the group’s “You Deserve, thers’ fifth loss of the season by more than We Deserve” week. Divyanka Bhatia STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER 30 points. anywhere is a threat to justice every- focused on the experiences of differ“We thank Coach McConnell-Serio for Janine Faust where.” Another sign read “Respect Ex- ent groups of women and ran April 2-5. Assistant News Editor her contributions to Pitt and wish her the istence or Expect Resistance.” About 20 Events included a hygiene drive benvery best in her future endeavors,” athletic Marchers waving signs made out of director Heather Lyke said in a press release. cardboard, paper and pizza boxes drew protesters chanted “Trans lives matter,” efiting SisTers PGH, a Pittsburgh-based The Panthers have seen a slow decline the attention of passersby as they wove “Black Lives Matter” and “Queer Lives shelter for transgender and nonbinary individuals, and a screening of the Netover the last three seasons, with their last their way through Pitt’s campus and Matter” throughout the march. flix documentary “13th,” which focuses The march, titled “A Shout for Soliwinning season being in 2014-15 — McCo- Oakland Thursday evening — chanting on the intersection of race and mass indarity,” was organized by the Pitt Pronnell-Serio’s second year with the program. in support of women of all sexualities carceration in the United States. gressive’s Socialist Feminist Working The McConnell family has been a staple and races. Victoria Mavrogeorgis, a first-year Group. It marked the end of the group’s of the program in recent years. While at Pitt, One of the pizza boxes read “Injustice “You Deserve, We Deserve” week, which See March on page 6 See Coach on page 3