The Pitt News
The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | August 29, 2016 | Volume 107 | Issue 14
LANTERN NIGHT SHINES THROUGH THE STORM
At the 96th annual Lantern Night, female alumnae light lanterns for first year female students to pass on the “light of learning.” | by Samya Shabaz and Alexa Bakalarski | The Pitt News Staff Although stormy weather threatened to wreak havoc on Pitt’s oldest tradition, the lights of Lantern Night continued to burn Sunday night. More than 950 first-year female students gathered in the Cathedral of Learning for Pitt’s 96th annual Lantern Night. At the event, female alumnae serve as flame bear-
ers, lighting the lanterns held by new women on campus. This year’s Lantern Night was the first in the event’s history to be threatened by rain, although the organizers quickly reconfigured the event instead of canceling it. The ceremony — which usually takes place in the Heinz Chapel — was moved to the Commons Room
in the Cathedral of Learning because of the thunderstorm, which also delayed the event about an hour. Students sat waiting along the walls of the Commons Room, but all of the lanterns were lit before 9 p.m. Elsewhere, the storm flooded streets and felled trees in Oakland. The lantern lighting, a tradition See Lantern Night on page 11
The lighting of the lantern symbolizes the passing of knowledge and advice to the next generation. Jordan Mondell ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR
The annual event, which was almost rained out, celebrates women at Pitt. Jordan Mondell ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR