Pitt-Johnstown started in-person classes and labs this week.

Academic Affairs Vice President Janet Grady said, “In general, instruction, including labs, is accomplished in accordance with the Flex and Pitt model and the University of Pittsburgh CoVID-19 Standards and Guidelines for Instruction. These guidelines set forth the safety protocols for in-person classroom and lab experiences.

“This semester, some labs in various academic divisions may be in person, and others may be held remotely. Those that are in-person will comply with all CoVID-19 Standards and Guidelines.

“Most of us prefer in-person classes and labs, and we are hopeful for the day when that will be the norm again on college campuses.

“However, for the time being, many Pitt Johnstown instructors have worked hard to design lab activities that are effective learning experiences even when done remotely,” Grady said.

Natural Science division chair Steven Stern said, “Our lab capacities have been determined by an outside contractor and set aside ample room for each student. Masks are required as they are for all activities on campus. Social distancing when engaged in lab activities is mandated.

“Faculty are not permitted to punish students in any way, shape, or form for choosing to learn from home during the COVID crisis. In the Natural Sciences Division, this is taken with complete seriousness, and I’ve had no reports from students concerning faculty who have been disagreeable about this.

“Although no one at a school like ours would tell you than taking a lab online is optimal, all of our faculty who teach labs have taken the challenge to heart and are doing their best to keep up their instruction. I’m really impressed with their efforts.

“If we all work together, we can educate and become educated. This semester, I am pleased to see more of my students showing their faces during my Zoom classes and participating more actively.
“I am taking my student comments on the OMET evaluations from last semester seriously and doing my best to engage my students in the material.

“The silver lining to COVID and university education is that faculty are learning different ways of engaging students and using technology to their full advantage. Many valuable lessons just might stick with us when most students and faculty return to the classroom in the near future,” Stern said.
Engineering division chair Jerry Samples said, “We are following the University of Pittsburgh COVID-19 Standards and Guidelines. We have an Activity Area Plan that discusses the rules we will follow. All of the labs have been measured and class sizes reduced. Everyone wears a mask and equipment is cleaned after use by each group.

“Some of the students will be attending the lab remotely. Most of the instructors have devised plans to handle these situations. In some cases all the labs are remote, so everyone is doing the same work.

“In some cases, the labs have some remote and some in person. Instructors have devised a plan whereby those that are remote have different tasks – at the same level – than those who attend. We do not punish students for exercising their option to stay home.

“This is all very challenging for all of us, students and faculty alike. We want to ensure that students get the same quality education that they get when attending in person.
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“That requires work by faculty and students. If either does not execute their responsibilities, then things are missed. We are trying to eliminate any negative impacts on learning,” Samples said.

“Some benefits include easy accessibility for club officers and advisers and the ability to add information as needed to the online submission DropBox.

“There is also the ability for the allocations committee and club and organization members to work closely with one another online if there is not an opportunity to meet in person due to scheduling conflicts. 

“Along with these other benefits, this online format takes out the possibility for human error with the transfer of paper documents. 

 “Budgets in the past have typically been composed of many pages which leads to the chance of papers being misplaced or rearranged upon transportation from one location to another.

 “This decision was made by the allocations committee of the Student Government Association along with the help of our adviser, Heather Hall. 

“This process was carefully orchestrated in order to provide a positive experience for all clubs and organizations on campus.” Albert said.

According to Student Government Association Vice President Tessa Fry, the budgeting process is to remain the same with the exception of the online submission feature.

“The process is now just simpler and more user friendly. 
 
This is the first year for this type of budgeting program.” Fry said.

Student organization members are to be assigned a Student Government Association representative from the allocations committee for information and additional budgeting assistance.

Budgets are to be turned in through the online DropBox by Feb. 14. 

Late budgets are to be accepted through Feb. 17 with a 50% allocations cut.
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Pitt-Johnstown Activities and Engagement Director Heather Hall did not respond for comment.

The first day of in-person classes is set to be Feb. 1, according to Assistant Academic Affairs Vice President Dr. Kilpatrick.

“We are starting the semester under the Elevated Risk posture, just as we ended the fall semester, which means that students can attend classes in person if they wish.

“As in the fall, we are using the Flex at the Pitt hybrid learning model, so students can also choose to attend classes remotely.

“Classes will be remote for all students until after resident students move back to campus, so the first day of in-person classes will be Feb. 1.

“Please continue to mask, social distance, and practice good habits for your health and safety.” Kilpatrick said.

According to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown website, the acting Elevated Risk posture means that instruction in person is permitted, except for large lectures.

Campus housing is open with virus mitigation and isolation interventions in place. Some shared spaces are open, and gatherings are capped at 25 people.

Pitt’s operational postures define what is allowable across people, places and programs.

While all of the operational postures meet the minimum requirements provided by the counties and state, they are customized by operational posture based on factors unique to the University.
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This includes cases on campus, adherence to health and safety guidelines and availability of personal protective equipment and isolation beds.

Common Application reports declines of 8 percent. Applications for first-generation students and those eligible for fee waivers are down 16 percent.
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By Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed,  November 16, 2020
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The Common Application received 8 percent fewer applications through Nov. 2 compared to last year, and 60 percent of its 921 members were reporting application declines.

Applications from first-generation students and those eligible for application fee waivers were down 16 percent.

Those figures are from an update that Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of the Common App, recently provided to members.

It is of course true that -- aside from early-decision and early-action deadlines -- most application deadlines haven't yet occurred. And the Common App notes that many colleges moved deadlines back by one or two weeks, typically to Nov. 15 or 16.

Still, last year, 57 percent of applicants had submitted at least one application by Nov. 2, and 37 percent of all applications had been submitted by that date.

The Common App started primarily as a tool for liberal arts colleges, but it has expanded significantly to public higher education and larger institutions.

In an interview, Rickard said that she was particularly concerned about the figures for first-generation and low-income students. She hopes educators will redouble efforts to "support them in the process."

Numerous studies have shown that first-generation, Black and Latinx students are not enrolling this year at the same levels as white and Asian students.

Rickard said the Common App was working to analyze the data in the hope of offering colleges advice and ideas.

One of the things the Common App is examining is the role of standardized testing requirements. A majority of colleges are not requiring applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores this year, as so many students have reported that it is impossible for them to register for and take the tests even once, let alone more than once.

Colleges that are not requiring test scores "experienced stronger first-year application volume through November 2," Rickard's letter said. (Florida's public universities, which require the SAT or ACT, are experiencing a decline of up to 50 percent in applications.)

On application fees, 22 institutions dropped their application fees for first-year international students in 2020, and application volume at those institutions rose nearly 29 percent. Institutions that introduced fees for this population experienced a nearly 12 percent decline in application volume for international students through Nov. 2.

Other findings:

• Colleges and universities in the Northeast and Midwest regions experienced the largest declines in application volume, each down 14 percent.
• Colleges in the West saw a 10 percent increase in applications relative to 2019.
• First-year application declines were mostly consistent among members across enrollment size, with the exception of those with the smallest enrollments (fewer than 1,000), which were down substantially more, at a loss of 14 percent.
• Public four-year institutions saw an 11 percent drop relative to 2019, while private four-year institutions saw a smaller (5 percent) fall in volume over the same period.

One group experiencing positive results is historically Black colleges and universities, which are seeing a 2.4 percent increase. Many HBCUs have been getting high student compliance with social distancing and mask wearing and are reporting lower coronavirus infection rates.

The Coalition for College is a competitor to the Common App and has more than 100 members, most of them also members of the Common App.

A spokeswoman for the Coalition said via email, "While some member institutions are seeing an increase in applications, numbers are trending downward so far over all. Nationally, [Free Application for Federal Student Aid] completions are running about 16 percent behind last year’s completions at this time, and lagging further behind for students from Title I-eligible high schools and high schools with higher percentages of students of color. We know that the pandemic is impacting students’ current and future plans in significant ways, and we’re continuing to work as a Coalition on outreach and engagement with students who are especially at risk, and creating and refining tools, including our application, that aim to remove barriers."

Angel B. Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said the numbers from the Common App indicate that "institutions that are seeing success in application numbers thus far are those that worked hard to put students at the center of the process and remove barriers." For instance, he said the data show "that institutions that did not remove the testing requirement are seeing fewer applications, and particularly from marginalized populations. Institutions still have time to consider ways to simplify the process for applicants."

He said it was important to remember that "simplification does not mean a lack of attention to academic rigor -- these two are not mutually exclusive." Pérez said, "This is a time for institutions to ask themselves, 'What do we really need to make informed decisions about student's ability to succeed?'"

Pérez also said it was important to look at FAFSA completion rates, which have been falling. "This will create serious challenges this winter when schools are running their econometric models to figure out how much money they need to disburse in financial aid to meet enrollment targets," he said. "A strategic focus on creating FAFSA completion campaigns will be critical to success this year."
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In the end, Pérez said, it is important to convince everyone at a college to help in the recruitment process. "When I sat in the chief enrollment chair, I always reminded my institution that it takes a village to enroll a class," he said. "It's never been more important to call upon the entire community to help recruit the class. Students, staff, faculty, trustees, alumni and parents can make a significant difference this year. Every constituency should be a cheerleader for the institution, not just the admissions office."

Callie Burgan, News Editor, The Advocate
November 4, 2020
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Although COVID-19 has impeded on most in-person campus festivities, the 2020 Pitt-Johnstown Homecoming Court seniors are refusing to be stifled, remaining optimistic for an unusual and out of the ordinary Spirit Week.

“I love Pitt-Johnstown, and, even more so, I love that I am able to share this experience of being on court with my friends.” Weber said.

Senior Tyler Weakland, representing Alpha Kappa Psi, said he is honored to be chosen for Court during such a significant year.

“Being chosen by my brothers of Alpha Kappa Psi has really made me realize how important brotherhood actually is. This is going to be my third year as a brother, and I wouldn’t change anything. “Alpha Kappa Psi has really grounded me to campus as well as a worldwide organization for the rest of my life. With COVID-19 pandemic hindering most of the homecoming festivities, I’m still impressed that Pitt-Johnstown has been able to mask up and stay mountain cat strong by keeping everyone involved and engaged whether you’re remote or on campus.” Weakland said.

Madison Augustine, representing College Democrats, said being nominated for homecoming court is an honor. “I have been dedicated to my organization since I joined as a member and have been lucky enough to serve as president. To be nominated just reminds me that I put my all into being involved on campus and being a student leader. “The homecoming experience is definitely different this year, but I’m extremely thankful to be a part of it – regardless of it being virtual or in person.”

Senior Tessa Fry, who is representing UPJ Cheerleading, said she is Mountain Cat proud to stand on court with individuals she has had the opportunity to share so many laughs, experiences and memories with over the past four years. “Although this year is anything but typical, these individuals nominated make their Pitt-Johnstown home unique and memorable for all. Again, I am very appreciative of the opportunity to represent such a strong community of individuals as we forge through life together.  “Hailing from home this year, the spirit of Homecoming still resonates within our Mountain Cat Community as we come together once again as a family to engage and make the most of the time we have left together here at Pitt-Johnstown remaining Mountain Cat strong.” Fry said.

Senior Isa Lanthaler, who is also representing Alpha Kappa Psi, said she was surprised to be selected to be on the court this year. “I am representing Alpha Kappa Psi,the Professional Business Fraternity on campus. All of our members are extremely ambitious and driven towards success. I was honored to be selected.”

To add to the fun, November 5 is “Blue and Gold Day” on campus.  If a student is “caught” wearing Pitt-Johnstown apparel by a Program Board member, they are able to win free school merchandise.
The full list of Homecoming Court seniors are as follows:

• Madison Augustine representing College Democrats
• Tessa Fry representing UPJ Cheerleading
• Nick Mowad representing UPJ Cheerleading and Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity
• Jillian Badgley representing Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority
• Connor Krugh representing Program Board and Delta Chi Fraternity
• Lexi Weber representing Education Club
• Daniel Shirley representing Education Club
• Christopher Joseph representing the American Society of Civil Engineers
• Ashley Kushner representing the American Society of Civil Engineers
• Isa Lanthaler representing Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity
• Tyler Weakland representing Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity
• Jade Stubblefield representing Student Government Association
• Devin Seiger representing Student Government Association

What began as a leisurely spring break away from campus turned into an unexpected school closure for Pitt-Johnstown students due to an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States.

After an extended break period, online classes began March 23 and are to last until the end of the spring academic semester, according to President Jem Spectar.

Replacing in-person instruction with online and alternative learning options was an action taken at all five Pitt campuses.

Spectar said Pitt-Johnstown is taking measures to protect the health of the community and its neighbors, including work to ensure that students, faculty and staff members avoid large gatherings.
“Unfortunately, as a result, we have decided to postpone all of this spring’s commencement ceremonies and activities,” Spectar said.

“New dates for in-person ceremonies will be scheduled and announced once circumstances allow and with enough notice for graduates and their families to return to campus for the celebration.
“These are unusually trying times for our campus, community and beyond.

“Students, faculty and staff are dealing with challenges as they transition to remote educational delivery and work.

“It is a stressful time for our campus and our world. The campus is a sad and lonely place; graduation has been postponed; clubs, activities, all the fun stuff halted.

“At the same time, I am encouraged by the determination and dedication of faculty and staff to go the extra mile, beyond the call of duty to serve our students.

“In addition, I am inspired by our students who are doing their very best to complete the term in most unusual circumstances.

“We are all going to get through this together as a campus and community.

“I urge everyone to continue to heed the advice regarding social and physical distancing and other precautionary measures to safeguard individual and community health.
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“I miss you all and look forward to when we can enjoy our up-close-and-personal campus again. Until then, stay safe and healthy,” Spectar said.

Today is the last day to donate money to pie Phi Sigma Sigma to support their foundation for supplying under privileged kids with school supplies and scholarships!!!


Whoever donates the most money to a sister gets to pie them themselves!!

Callie Burgan, Opinion Editor, The Advocate
October 2, 2019

Pitt-Johnstown community members may notice fewer new students this academic year, as freshmen enrollment has decreased to 620 students this year from as high as more than 800 in previous years.

The need to keep new student enrollment up may not provide an easy solution, but we are confident that one can be found through teamwork and collaboration.

Looking at Pitt-Johnstown outside with an entrepreneurial mindset may help boost enrollment while setting up a place for the next generation to not only succeed, but to thrive.

In today’s economy, it can be difficult — or even next to impossible — to be able to afford a college education.

Utilized effectively, financial aid is a tool that can maximize tuition revenue and enrollment.

While administrators may want to enroll more full-pay families, tuition discounting can help fill empty seats.

By gaining revenue that would potentially be lost, the school’s enrollment could grow instead.
Another solution would be to increase the admission counselor salary. Salaries do retain those who get their initial experience here. 

A push toward more aggressive recruiting would be an improvement.
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While we may not discover how to achieve full enrollment overnight, implementing these strategies, could be a starting point for progress and increased enrollment numbers that assure the Pitt-Johnstown community a viable future.

“Club members had months to prepare for this,” she said.

“Nothing can be done at this point.”
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Olivia Albert, who was the co-allocations chairwoman during this year’s budgeting process, said the only way to modify a proposed budget would be if it was an emergency, and that student government members spend around 22 hours total putting the finalized budget together.

Advocate Editor-in-Chief Matt Churella said the three most important things The Advocate needs includes printing, in which $8,250 comes out of the activity fee, the website, which is $700, and the cost to renew programs such as Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, which are required and cost $800.
“We are being given an amount that directly violates the 2012 agreement we made with student government where they signed with Student Affairs and agreed to pay, at the very least, 100% of our printing cost,” Churella said.

“A newspaper needs to have its printing funded. It’s not like this is an unexpected cost. But I’ve been assured that there will be an Advocate next year, so we’ll see.”

Ski and Board Club President Jimmy Regan said he requested $4,144.14 but was not granted any money due to no signature on his club’s budget.

“Receiving no money at all greatly affects us,” he said.  “Since our budget was incomplete, we cannot go through the emergency allocation process.

“Our members and I are not happy, and we understand that we made a mistake, but I feel like there should have been a chance for us to fix it,” Regan said.

“We were not notified that our budget was denied. Our treasurer heard about it from a (student government) senator by word of mouth. 

“Our club members are upset because they pay money to be in clubs and the money that they are paying is not even going toward their own interests.”
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Regan said it would have been more fair if they were given a second chance to resubmit their budget, even if there was a penalty given, and that the budgeting process can be more organized.