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F E A T U R E I N T H I S I S S U E The Uni- If you’re on the Oakland campus v e r s i t y Feb. 5, you’ll be seeing red..............2 Times kicks Combine some blank walls and a off a new librarian with a fine arts background — you get the Barco Law Library series, On art gallery..........................................3 Health. In U N I V E R S I T Y this issue, Pitt experts weigh in on what the CDC is calling “ an urgent public health concern”: the increasing number of autism cases. See pages 8 & 9. TIMES VOLUME 42 • NUMBER 11 FEBRUARY 4, 2010 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Expansions to Posvar, GSPH proposed he Pittsburgh planning ment plan, Tymoczko said. erty south of Bouquet Gardens. Two citizens spoke against the housing, telling planners that “the commission on Tuesday The planners approved Pitt’s According to the IMP update, University’s proposal. University is a better landlord than Tapproved updates to the request to rezone property at 315 development would be no higher One Thomas Boulevard resi- many landlords in Oakland.” She University’s master plan that out- Oakland Ave. from its current than five stories with a maximum dent expressed concern about also requested that historical doc- line potential expansions to Posvar high-density residential zoning to area of 100,000 square feet. Front potential uses for the Oakland umentation be collected for the Hall, the Concordia building and the Educational/Medical Institu- setbacks would match adjacent Avenue property. existing Victorian-style building Parran/Crabtree halls, as well as a tion (EMI) district designation. properties. Zoning administrator Tymoc- on the Oakland Avenue property zoning change for property near Pitt purchased the Oakland • Restoration and an addition zko clarified that although the before it is demolished and asked the Bouquet Gardens residences Avenue property, which includes to Parran and Crabtree Halls EMI zoning permits a number that green building certification on which Pitt plans to build addi- a house once used as office space, along North Bouquet Street. Uses of uses, Pitt’s stated purpose was be pursued for new housing to be tional student housing. from Children’s Hospital for could include academic, adminis- for new student housing and that constructed on the site. The planners’ recommen- nearly $1.4 million. trative, education, residential and any development would need Shorak agreed that photo- dation must go to Pittsburgh EMI zoning is intended to parking with a maximum area of to go through the city planning graphs could be taken to document City Council for final approval. accommodate educational and 15,000 square feet per floor and process. the history of the home. Council could consider the matter medical institutional uses while a height no greater than eight Carlino Giampolo, who has He would not commit to seek within a few weeks, said city zoning minimizing adverse impacts that stories on the Fifth Avenue side campaigned against litter and LEED certification for the student administrator Susan Tymoczko. can occur when such uses are of the building. other blight in South Oakland, housing, but noted that Pitt’s Approval of the changes to the located near neighborhoods. • Renovation and expansion cautioned that the development design standards call for efficient, master plan is not a green light for Property in the EMI district must of the former Concordia Club at would bring 200 additional stu- sustainable construction. any of the proposed development be developed within the frame- 4024 O’Hara Street, which Pitt dents to the community, exacer- “I’m not committing that this to take place. Individual projects work of an Institutional Master purchased in December for $2.1 bating problems with drunken- specific building will meet a certain would need to come before the Plan (IMP), which, according to million. According to the IMP, ness, traffic and parking. design standard, but if you look at planning commission as a develop- the city zoning code, “is intended the maximum height would not “Pitt has other campuses where all the design criteria that we put to permit flexibility for a large exceed Thackeray Hall or the they can pursue their expansion into a building, there’s a good institution which is not possible on University Club and possible uses plans,” he told planners. chance that it will,” he said. a lot-by-lot basis, while providing could include academic, adminis- Oakland Planning and Devel- “Sustainability is something a level of understanding to the trative, research, residential and opment Corp. executive director that is very important to the public and the community about parking. Wanda Wilson spoke in support of institution.” the potential growth of institu- q the proposal for additional student —Kimberly K. Barlow n tions and the resultant impacts.” IMPs must include descrip- tions of the institution’s plans for development within 10- and Regional faculty leaders unhappy 25-year time frames. The so- called “development envelopes” represent the maximum amount of proposed development. Accord- with role in picking benchmarks ing to the zoning code, “The aculty leaders at the Brad- intent of this provision is to pro- ford, Greensburg and In response to a University Times request for com- vide the institution with flexibility Johnstown campuses are ment on the regional faculty leaders’ criticism of their Mary Jane Bent/CIDDE F regarding the future development frustrated by what they termed the role in the benchmarking selection process, Provost Provost to address potential of its campus, while “marginalization” of faculty input James V. Maher issued a written statement, which can addressing the potential impacts into a Provost’s office proposal be found on page 4. honors convocation of that development on the sur- to establish a list of institutions James V. Maher, Pitt provost rounding neighborhoods.” for benchmarking their faculty faculty representatives who have struggled for years to agree and senior vice chancellor, will be Associate Vice Chancellor for salaries. attended the BPC meeting dis- on a common list, which has the keynote speaker at the 34th Business Eli Shorak said IMPs The frustrations were voiced puted that all three faculty gov- been a prerequisite to seeking the annual honors convocation, to be represent a broad view of what in response to a report at the Jan. ernance groups had agreed to the approval of the Provost’s office, held at 3 p.m. Feb. 26 in Carnegie an institution is planning 10 years 26 Faculty Assembly meeting and provost’s recommendation, as did Gaddy noted. Music Hall. down the road. re-visited at the Jan. 29 University faculty leaders at Bradford and She said a faculty-developed The convocation recognizes He noted that Pitt intends to Senate budget policies committee Johnstown who were contacted shorter list of institutions that faculty accomplishments; staff post its master plan documents on (BPC) meeting on an issue that by the University Times. had been approved unanimously service; undergraduate, graduate the Facilities Management web has been debated for a decade Kimberly Bailey, secretary of by all three faculty senates — a and professional student academic site (www.facmgmt.pitt.edu) in and prompted several alternative the Pitt-Bradford Faculty Senate, proposal that became known as the achievement, and student leader- the coming weeks. benchmarking list proposals. stated in an email last week: “I “Greensburg list” — matched the ship. q Reiterating a report delivered talked with our Senate president provost’s proposal except that it Maher, who plans to step Pitt’s updated IMP describes at last week’s Faculty Assembly, [Don Ulin] on this issue and we eliminated the religious schools. down from his current position the following “areas of opportu- BPC chair John Baker reported agreed there was no vote taken “The benchmark group we when a successor is named and nity” within a 10-year develop- on a Dec. 21 letter from Pro- because no one perceived a need. all unanimously agreed to is a return to the Pitt faculty, has ment envelope: vost James V. Maher to Senate Without a vote, we were neither fair list,” Gaddy said. “It includes been Pitt’s chief academic officer • An addition to Posvar Hall President Michael Pinsky, which rejecting nor endorsing the those institutions that are most since 1994. on the existing plaza along Clem- stated that there is a consensus provost’s list.” similar to us in size, mission and Prior to becoming provost, ente Drive and under the building on a “mutually agreeable group” Pitt-Greensburg faculty presi- market. Our proposed benchmark Maher was chair of the Depart- cantilever along Schenley Drive. among the regional campus president Beverly Gaddy, who attended of approximately 128 institutions ment of Physics and Astronomy. Possible uses include academic, dents and their faculty senates to the Jan. 29 BPC meeting, said that includes all II-B public and private He came to Pitt in 1970 as an research, administration and adopt as the official institutional while her campus faculty did in institutions in the [same] three assistant professor of physics. library space with a maximum area benchmark list “all Carnegie fact vote to accept the provost’s regions.” He served as director of Pitt’s of 35,000 square feet per floor. II-B institutions from the three list of approximately 250 public, Following their separate Scaife Nuclear Physics Labora- The addition would be no taller geographic districts that come private and church-related insti- campus senate approvals, faculty tory and has been a longstanding than the existing Posvar Hall and together near western Pennsylva- tutions in the II-B category, “We representatives jointly sent their resident fellow of the University’s would go no closer to the roads nia” (Middle Atlantic, East North understood it to be a ‘take it or proposal to Maher last April, Center for Philosophy of Sci- than the existing plaza.

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