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T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | december 2, 2019 | Volume 110 | Issue 90
PITT PREPARING FOR PHASE 2 OF BIGELOW RECONSTRUCTION
EAGLES FLYING
Natalie Frank and Jon Moss The Pitt News Staff
The usually long line of cars on Bigelow Boulevard between Forbes and Fifth avenues has been replaced with a steady chorus of excavators, dump trucks and other heavy machinery one month into the first phase of the road’s reconstruction. Greg Scott, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for business and operations, said the $23.7 million construction concerto is running on schedule with little to no problems. “So far, everything is going according to plan,” he said. “Everything is according to schedule.” The project, financed by Pitt, in partnership with the commonwealth and the City, aims to improve safety and traffic flow in the area by expanding crosswalks and sidewalks and improving bus stop areas. Accessibility between the Cathedral and the William Pitt Union will also be “significantly improved.” The project’s first phase has largely focused on Bigelow itself, with the road closed between Forbes and Fifth avenues to allow for installation of utility lines under Bigelow and boring of utility lines under Forbes and Fifth. But as the first phase of the project comes to a conclusion, the second phase is set to begin in the next several weeks. Phase two, which will last from mid-December until June 2020, will include several improvements to Bigelow and the William Pitt Union’s grounds. The Bigelow utility work will continue, expanding to the Union, around which major landscaping will occur, along with replacement of the current drive-
Senior safety Damar Hamlin (3) takes Boston College halfback off his feet during Pitt’s 26-19 loss to the Eagles on Saturday. Thomas Yang | assistant visual editor
PITT ANSWERS CALL FOR NEW HALAL FOOD OPTION Janine Faust and Emily Wolfe The Pitt News Staff
Waffles. Pasta. A bagel before class every now and then. When first-year Zainab Akhtar was choosing a dining plan, she said, Muslim friends advised her to get as few swipes as possible, because Market didn’t have much for people who choose to eat halal food. “They have vegetarian options, but every time I went I usually just got like, the pasta. And I didn’t go that often because whatever they have, it looks good but it’s all just meat stuff,” Akhtar, a psychology major, said. “I usually don’t go to Market Central at all until this past week.” Akhtar now swipes into Market almost every day for lunch and heads for the new station See Bigelow on page 2 at Magellan’s, where Pitt Dining is now offering
lamb curry, chicken kebab, shawarma and more between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., made by popular local halal restaurant Salem’s Market and Grill. The new station is the first step in an initiative helmed by student organizations, Pitt Dining and Salem’s — and it’s moving along fairly quickly. Salem’s has been temporarily stationed in Market Central since Nov. 4, with a permanent station in Market to Go planned for next year. Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted and can be used to describe food defined as permissible to consume in the Quran. Pork is a common example of haram, or nonhalal, food. Muslims who observe Islamic dietary laws may also take into account the cut of the meat or how it is processed — so finding food in Oakland can be difficult for some students. Rabia Khan, the president of the Pakistani
Student Association, and Aliana Rao, a board member, said Pitt’s Muslim community had been trying to get more halal food options on campus for a while. According to Pitt’s Sodexo manager Abdou Cole, Pitt Dining created a halal menu cycle in 2011, following a meeting with the then-leaders of the Muslim Student Association. At the time, Pitt Dining chose Midamar, a halal food vendor, to serve lunch and made-to-order meals for dinner at Magellan’s. But according to some students, those options weren’t sufficient. Khushana Chaudhri, president of MSA, said the food was often limited to pescatarian and vegetarian options. While those meals are technically halal, Muslim students wanted more meat options. See Halal on page 2