University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA

D
Score: 424/1400
19,961
Undergraduate students
93%
Retention rate
$21,080
Annual tuition
0.37
Diversity Index
Data submitted by: mxm5psk, Anonymous
Large Campus
Large Campus
public
Public University
Urban Campus
Urban Campus
Four-Year College
Four-Year College
Northeast Region
(Neo)Liberal Campus
(Neo)Liberal Campus
Sports Culture
Sports Culture
Noisy Campus
Noisy Campus
Graduate Students Not Unionized
Graduate Students Not Unionized

Description

During the past several years, in an effort to reduce wait times for counseling appointments, Pitt has partnered with third-party online services including Togetherall, TAO Connect (Therapy Assistance Online), and ThrivingCampus. However, in light of abuse of data and violations of user privacy by online service providers recently, we feel that this may not be the best solution to the growing demand for mental health services on campus. In 2019, the Pitt Counseling Center added more counselors to its staff, and also placed counselors in some of the residence halls on campus, which successfully reduced wait lists for appointments.

The Pitt News, University of Pittsburgh's student newspaper, has had good and consistent coverage of disability over the years. From that coverage, it's clear that many students are not satisfied with the support provided by Disability Resources and Services (DRS), although the office appears to be making genuine efforts to improve, and several disability-related groups and committees have sprung up in recent years, pushing for changes on Pitt's campus. One of the things we didn't like about DRS is how they allow accommodations to be contingent on how well students communicate with their professors, and tout this as "learning self-advocacy." As other students have pointed out, constantly having to justify their accommodations and deal with the questioning, skepticism, and antagonism often directed at them, can quickly lead to burnout and giving up.

In 2020, in response to student demand, Pitt started requiring all incoming students to take a one-credit course on anti-Black racism, (PITT 0210) Anti-Black Racism: History, Ideology, and Resistance.

Are all campus buildings physically accessible to students who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids?

NO

The Pitt News reports, "[A student] described how difficult it is for her to access campus fully. For example, she could not attend a club meeting held in the lecture hall on the third floor of the Cathedral of Learning, leading her to break down in frustration.

“I already had a shitty day, and when I got there I couldn’t get into the classroom because of the stairs,” Wolff said. “I started crying, I was just so tired and frustrated. It was like, why do I have to fight so hard? Just to access classes, student life, the ability to do anything on campus?”

Other inaccessible areas on campus include the walkway connecting David Lawrence Hall to Litchfield Tower.

Are class session recordings readily available for lecture courses?

NO

Are students required to provide documentation of disability to qualify for receiving initial accommodations?

YES

Is there required diversity and inclusivity training for faculty/staff/and students, and does training include recognition of neurodivergence and disability?

NO

The Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion offers workshops and online trainings, but these are not mandatory.

 

What types of student-run peer support groups exist on campus?

Disability Cultural Center

NO

Mutual Aid Networks

NO

Peer Support Groups

NO

Other

NO

Note: There were mutual aid groups active during 2020, but they are now defunct.

Have you experienced ableism, discrimination, or witnessed stigmatizing language?

YES

A student says, "I felt gender discriminated in my computer science program."

Are police involved in responding to student mental health crises?

YES

In 2022, the University Counseling Center, in collaboration with Pitt Police, created the Pittsburgh Higher Education Assessment and Response Team (HEART), to “de-escalate crisis situations." However, the program merely seems to formalize coordination between mental health providers and the police, and the police are still the primary response for welfare checks on campus.

Does your college have a Student of Concern reporting page?

No

Pitt does have an online report tool powered by the third-party app, Convercent, through the Pitt Concern Connection website that allows community members to report a dizzying array of concerns, including "violations of academic protocols or policies," "bullying," and "violated university policy, codes, or guidelines." However, the reporting tool does not specifically target "distressed students," or "students of concern."

However, Pitt does have a Care and Resource Support (CARS) Team, which encourages community members to report distressed students by email.

Clery Report data: Number of sexual assaults reported on campus per thousand students.

2

*2021 data

Has the college published an official statement in support of racial justice movements?
Black Lives Matter Logo

Support for Black Lives Matter

YES

Support for Land Back

NO

Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, Ann E. Cudd, issued a statement that "The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, like so many before them, send the false and racist message that Black lives do not matter. We must work to right that wrong."

Does your college offer a Disability Studies curriculum?

YES

The College of General Studies offers a Disability Studies certificate.

Does your college offer a course on Critical Theory?

YES

SOC 1446 - CONSUMPTION & EVERYDAY LIFE

Does the college engage in morally questionable research?

Animal Experimentation

YES

Cure Autism

NO

Other

NO
News
Submitted by:
admin
2019-07-01

A Pitt student whose name appeared in a series of Snapchat messages posted to Twitter on Wednesday morning said he sent messages containing violent and racist threats to a Pittsburgh native.

The screenshots, posted by 20-year-old D.J. Matthews, a graduate of Mt. Lebanon high school, feature part of a conversation on Snapchat between Matthews and a user under the name of Ethan J. Kozak.

Kozak, a rising junior political science major with plans to attend law school, said on Thursday he had not looked over the messages in the screenshots and initially denied having sent them, believing someone had taken or hacked into his phone at one point. However, he said on Sunday he had since looked at the messages and admits he sent them to Matthews in a fit of anger.

Source:Link