Point Park Globe

New COVID-19 variant spreads across Pa. and N.J., students’ thoughts on returning to campus

Written By Erin Yudt, Editor-Elect • January 11, 2023

As students, staff and faculty return to campus after the winter break, a new COVID-19 variant has been spreading across the country. COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey increased after...

Here’s what we should being doing since rapid tests aren’t as effective as PCR

Written By Brooke Stephens, Co-Opinions Editor • February 2, 2022

The COVID-19 Omicron variant has raised concerns of how fast the virus is able to spread from person to person. Because of this, companies are changing their mandates for employees regarding testing, and...

College students debate effectiveness of contact tracing investigations

Written By Caitlyn Scott, Co-News Editor • January 26, 2022

As COVID-19 cases rise nationally, some students are raising concerns about how effectively higher education institutions are conducting their contact tracing investigations.

My rocky start to the spring semester

Written By Maegan Fewell, Staff Writer • January 26, 2022

Maegan Fewell reflects on her time stuck in Canada after a series of unfortunate obstacles kept her from coming back to Pittsburgh.

Omicron‘s high transmissibility begins to affect students, faculty despite high vaccination rate

Written By Jake Dabkowski, Editor Elect • January 19, 2022

Within the past few weeks, Allegheny County has experienced a record-setting number of new COVID-19 cases. As of Monday, Jan. 17, the current seven day average was 3,238 cases, down slightly from last...

Omicron variant spikes creates mixed protocols among local universities

Students voice concern over Point Park's current guidelines

Written By Caitlyn Scott, Co-News Editor • January 19, 2022

Point Park and several local universities have continued to implement safety protocols due to the spread of the COVID-19 variant, Omicron, but some students have expressed concerns about the efficiency of guidelines in comparison to other campuses within the area.

Students speak out about return to campus, in-person learning plans amid Omicron surge

University briefly suspends guest policy, elaborates on plans in several emails

Written By Amanda Andrews, Jake Dabkowski, and Zack Lawry • January 12, 2022

On Monday, Jan. 10, students and staff returned to campus for the Spring 2022 semester amid record-breaking COVID-19 cases levels from the Omicron variant, with multiple alterations made to the university’s original January 3 announcement.

Globe’s Point: We all must be flexible

January 12, 2022

As we return to campus amid record high COVID-19 numbers, we must all be willing to be flexible with whatever the university decides to do.

Globe’s Point: We are still in a pandemic (part three)

December 1, 2021

Coming back from Thanksgiving Break, it is crucial that we all as a collective student body acknowledge that COVID-19 is still a thing and that we need to be conscious about monitoring ourselves to make...

Scientists in South Africa discover new COVID-19 variant Omicron

Written By Jake Dabkowski, Editor Elect • December 1, 2021

On November 23, scientists in South Africa discovered a new coronavirus variant that has been designated “Omicron” by the World Health Organization (WHO). The variant, officially known as B.1.1.529, has confirmed cases in 16 different countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada as of Monday, Nov. 29.

Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee Pitches Mask Opt Out for Students in K-12 Schools

Written By Caitlyn Scott, Co-News Editor • October 13, 2021

The Senate Education Committee of Pennsylvania approved a bill on Sept. 28 that would allow parents to opt their children out of mandatory mask wearing within K-12 schools in the state, which has led students and health officials to question the risks of exemptions and if the bill could go further for higher education institutions.

Heinz Field hosts COVID-19 vaccination tent during Rolling Stones concert

The handling of the vaccine test drew some criticism

Written By Amara Phillips, For The Globe • October 13, 2021

The Rolling Stones returned to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field during their “No Filter” tour on Oct. 4. The infamous British rock band was not only accompanied by screaming fans, but also a vaccination clinic.