18 Questions

The following email was sent on October 11, 2018

Scott A. Bernotas
Associate Vice Chancellor
Facilities Management

Mr. Bernotas,

At the October 9 meeting concerning the University of Pittsburgh's Comprehensive Master Plan, you graciously said that the university would answer questions and concerns from the community.

Attached are 18 questions and concerns from the community. They are very direct and can be easily answered. For some of those questions, you may have to consult with Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, as you said you would do when I had asked a question at the meeting to which you did not know the answer, but the chancellor would.

Please provide the answers to these basic 18 questions by next Tuesday as our community is moving forward with our own meetings.

Thank you

Carlino Giampolo

Questions for the
University of Pittsburgh

1) When the streets in the heart of our business district are being decimated by predominantly dormitories, student housing, and university-owned buildings, how can you grow an eclectic, multi-ethnic, longtime residential community?

2) On July 31, 2015, the city applied for a $3 million dollar grant with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The purpose of the application was to build a roadway from the old Almono site in Hazelwood, through The Run and Panther Hollow, and to Pitt and CMU. The city stated in the application that it is in partnership with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, CMU, and Pitt. The university never told our community that it opposes this roadway. Why does the university support this roadway knowing that it will have tragic consequences for our two neighborhoods? The chancellor would have the answer.

3) At a December 7, 2015 community meeting concerning the above mentioned roadway, Director of City Planning Ray Gastil said the roadway would traverse the back area of Pitt's Panther Hollow parking lot. Who at the University of Pittsburgh said to the city that this property could be used for a roadway? The chancellor would have the answer.

4) Has the university already expanded any of its operations into the Hazelwood neighborhood?

5) Whether or not it is a part of the Institutional Master Plan, what future plans does the university have to expand in Hazelwood? The chancellor would have the answer.

6) Our community deserves an independent, honest, in-depth, Comprehensive Impact Statement as to how Pitt's Institutional Master Plan will affect the Oakland residential community. Why isn't the university providing this to the community?

7) At the October 9, 2018 community meeting, Kevin Peterson from Ayers Saint Gross said that building student housing will result in lower rental fees for students than their current residential housing fees. What does a student at the Bouquet Gardens pay the university in monthly rent, and what is the highest monthly rent a student pays at a university dormitory?

8) According to the U.S. News and World Report, the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 had the dubious distinction of having the highest in-state tuition in the country for a public university at $18,192. The average tuition among the 316 ranked public colleges was $8,893. Why has the university refused our community's request for the equivalent of $4 of a student's tuition fee for an environmental program to end our horrific litter and trash problems? The chancellor would have the answer.

9) We know the university has its own police force. However, why has the university refused our community's request to hire individuals to patrol our neighborhoods on weekends to report binge drinking problems, so that residents don't have to face the fear of retaliation by students for reporting these problems to police? The chancellor would have the answer.

10) Penn State has 46,606 students at its main campus and only 3,393 faculty. Pitt has 28,642 students at the Oakland campus, but has 5,074 faculty. Penn State receives $860 million in research funds while Pitt receives $550 million. Is the 28,642 figure correct for the number of Pitt students at the Oakland campus?

11) Pitt has continuously increased student enrollment. What is Pitt's future plan for increasing student enrollment?

12) How does the university's Comprehensive Master Plan benefit Oakland's identity as a residential community?

13) Why couldn't Nordenberg Hall be converted for use by upperclassmen to help stop the flow of student increases?

14) Decisions made by the university Board of Trustees have a tremendous impact on the lives of Oakland residents. Why can't our community contact these trustees through university email addresses?

15) Pitt's massive Homecoming Week fireworks display is a tradition that never should have begun. No other community in Pittsburgh has such a massive fireworks display so close to their homes that it affects their property and health. Why can't the university move the fireworks display to another venue outside of our community?

16) Where else in America does a university have ownership of over 90 buildings within its host community?

17) What other community in America has lost more than 80% of its residential population due mainly to a university's presence?

18) What is the university's higher priority: Dignity for Oakland residents, or never-ending expansion of the university? Choose one.

Note: University administrators responded to the questions on their Institutional Master Plan website.