They are Pittsburgh college students and survivors of sexual violence. Here, they share their stories.
Their stories — most of which are shared publicly here for the first time — illustrate the challenges in awareness among college-age peers and within higher ed institutions as well as the barriers to support and healing.
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The Red Zone
More than half of sexual assaults among college students occur in the fall. Resources, survivor stories and investigation into what’s being done to protect those at risk in the Pittsburgh area.
We asked Pittsburgh higher ed institutions what they are doing to address sexual violence. This is what they said.
Finding advisers for students who report to Title IX is one of several challenges that university officials in the Pittsburgh region shared with PublicSource.
Across Pittsburgh colleges, students step up to prevent sexual violence through education, advocacy and support
From organizing marches to educating their peers on consent, here’s how college students are protecting and supporting one another.
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These Pittsburgh women survived sexual assault on campus 20 years apart. Their experiences shed light on how little has changed.
What happened to Melissa Ferraro 30 years ago fuels her purpose today.
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Student reporters fact-check and write stories for a better Pittsburgh
The first assignment for a PublicSource intern may seem mundane. Typically, it involves combing through an emerging story, pre-publication, and checking that every fact is backed up by documentation. Fact-checks are part of PublicSource’s DNA and central to our pitch…
Big raises for disciplinary change? Gainey’s offer rejected by Pittsburgh police union
The City of Pittsburgh offered its police union substantial raises for new hires, but also sought big changes to disciplinary procedures, in a final offer that the rank-and-file ultimately rejected. That September rejection — by a vote of 377 to…
To turn up the solar power, PA needs new laws. One bill is poised to move, but here’s why others seem stalled.
The Inflation Reduction Act could fuel the development of solar power in Pennsylvania, prompting an additional 610,000 Pennsylvania households to install rooftop solar panels, according to a White House projection. State action to enable and support that expansion, though, is…
With PNC preparing to sell, a McKeesport housing complex’s residents hope hard-won improvements continue
Explore the series. “I didn’t expect it to go this far,” Tanya Brown said as she stood outside of the Eat’n Park in McKeesport, wearing a black T-shirt with the words, “Treat yourself like a queen and you’ll attract a…
Should you appeal your property taxes? The Allegheny County controller floats an online worksheet
Many Allegheny County property owners will soon have the opportunity to appeal and cut their taxes, and the county controller has released an online worksheet that suggests whether a given parcel could qualify for a shaved bill. The county is…
The name, the records, the future — a candid reflection from a trans Pittsburgh teen
Editor’s note: PublicSource grants anonymity to some people in cases in which the information shared is accurate and reliable but may compromise their privacy or safety. Subscribe to the SELVES newsletter for more stories like this. Andrea Shockling is a…
Enough ballots? Yes. A vote on abortion? Sort of. What to expect this Election Day
The last several years have seen new voting machines, new laws, high turnout and plenty of misinformation. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm voting.
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Sponsors support PublicSource’s nonprofit journalism
At PublicSource, our mission highlights producing journalism rooted in transparency. In reality, we extend our pursuit of transparency beyond our journalism to the way that we execute the work of our nonprofit news organization. To that aim, we would like to share information about our sponsorship program with you, our readers. You may have noticed…
CMU’s answer to prof’s tweet, wishing ‘excruciating’ pain for queen, stirs campus backlash
In a flurry of petitions, Carnegie Mellon University students and faculty — plus allies from around the world — are blasting the school’s reaction to a professor’s anti-colonialist tweet issued as Queen Elizabeth II was dying.
After a sometimes-frightening summer, South Side looks back and forward
On a summer Saturday night at the South Side’s Armstrong Field, six year old Halle stepped up to the dusty home plate in her pink party dress and pearls. Her aunts, uncles, and cousins awaited the ping of the wiffle ball bat, part of a family game to cap off a birthday party for her…
‘Pathways to prosperity’ at the heart of early collaboration between Pittsburgh mayor, superintendent
Mayor Ed Gainey and Pittsburgh Public Schools leaders announced a new partnership for workforce development that could be an early collaboration between the city and the school district since the superintendent and the mayor took office this year. The “Prepare to Prosper” workforce development partnership is a joint effort between the Office of the Mayor…
CMU professor: Wish of ‘pain’ upon Queen Elizabeth’s death stemmed from 1960s tragedy
A Carnegie Mellon University professor who wished Queen Elizabeth II “excruciating” pain in a viral tweet Thursday detailed her reasons for her controversial statement in an email to PublicSource. Uju Anya, an associate professor of second language acquisition at CMU, noted the United Kingdom’s role in the suppression of the separatist Igbo people in Nigeria…
The purity movement told young people that ‘you are not your own,’ and the harm from that message persists
Looking back, I suppose there is some humor in realizing that I signed a virginity pledge on a holiday revolving around a virgin birth. On Christmas morning of 2008, I was 15 years old and received a little silver ring with the words “True Love Waits” etched into it in black letters. The ring was…
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