Monessen
EDUCATION
Penn State Teacher Buyout
Penn State University officials announced Tuesday that nearly 400 of its Commonwealth campus employees have accepted a buyout, resulting in a 10% reduction in university personnel. Earlier this year, Penn State announced that it was offering its Commonwealth campus employees an opportunity to enroll in a “Voluntary Separation Incentive Program.”...
Elizabeth Forward rolls into state championship game with shutout win
Elizabeth Forward has dominated its opposition throughout the season, and Archbishop Wood became the latest team to feel its wrath during an 8-0 victory in the PIAA Class 4A semifinals Monday. The Warriors (23-1) haven’t lost against a Class 4A opponent this season, blowing through the best in the WPIAL...
Natalia Reyes | On retaliatory medical leaves and the deans who uphold them
On March 13, I met with Sharon Smith, associate vice provost for University Life, and Paige Wigginton, director of Special Services at Penn’s Division of Public Safety. This was the latest in a series of meetings stretching back to December 2023, when, having exhausted all paths to resolve a grievance against a student harassing me and my family, I was relegated to Smith’s office. In December, she had promised to help me feel more comfortable on campus in lieu of a proper investigation. On March 13, however, she admonished me for continuing to report ongoing discrimination, harassment, slander, and exclusion from the Department of English. She also offered a solution: a medical leave, sweetened with continued pay. I agreed, because despite putting my trust in Smith and Wigginton, duly reporting ongoing harassment as they had instructed, and attempting to protect myself by declining to work with the people who had slandered me, I was still being labeled as the problem. No on-campus institution — the Title IX office, the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, or the Division of Public Safety — had taken my reports of stalking, discrimination, and retaliation seriously. The retaliation worsened each time I reported a harm.
High school roundup for June 10, 2024: Thomas Jefferson softball, Indiana baseball make 1st PIAA finals
Morgan Aliesky hit the go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the sixth and Zoe Krizan drove in five runs to lead Thomas Jefferson to a 9-8 victory over Central Mountain in the PIAA Class 5A softball semifinals Monday. The Jaguars advanced to the state championship game for the first...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Norwin grad makes Pan Am wrestling team
Norwin alum Kurtis Phipps qualified to wrestle in the U23 Pan American Championships on June 21-22 in Rionegro, Colombia. The Bucknell senior qualified in Geneva, Ohio, by reaching the 61kg finals of the U23 Freestyle Nationals. Phipps went 5-0 and advanced to the best-of-three finals before losing twice to Ohio...
Donor Support Paves the Way for Free Summer Scholars Program at Manor College
Manor College is offering a new summer program that allows eligible students to take courses with no tuition costs associated. In a first-of-its-kind move for the institution, Manor College is offering a new summer program that allows eligible students to take courses with no tuition costs associated. “This program is...
Late rally not enough as standout Central Dauphin softball season ends in state semis vs. North Penn
MERTZTOWN — Central Dauphin didn’t have its cleanest day of softball in Monday’s state semifinal against defending champion North Penn. • Sign up for PennLive’s new high school sports newsletter here. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our...
Jameson agrees to serve as interim Penn president through 2026 academic year
Interim Penn President Larry Jameson will remain in his position through 2026, according to an email sent to the University community Monday afternoon. In the email, University Board of Trustees Chair Ramanan Raghavendran announced that Jameson had agreed to serve in his role as interim president through the 2026 academic year or until a successor has been found.
Penn-Trafford School District parents searching for answers about principal realignment
PENN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Some parents in the Penn-Trafford School District are upset about the news of a shift in principals at several schools in the district. Carly Bouch, a Trafford Elementary parent, has been asking for answers as to why the district is moving several administrators. "It's not...
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