Author: Megan MacCall-Carter

Hello! I am Megan MacCall-Carter, an undergraduate student attending the University of Pittsburgh graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public and Professional Writing, with an Economics minor in April 2022. As a writer and researcher with a passion for helping others, I will stop at nothing to ensure that justice is found. My research with the Center for Analytical Approaches to Social Innovation has honed my skills of statistical data analysis and demonstrated my success in social research while addressing the effect of post-incarceration resources on recidivism rates. As a published writer, my articles demonstrate a strong understanding of the U.S. judicial system and future implications of rulings on black letter law. My publications include legal analysis on subjects such as U.S. Supreme Court decisions and the implications of intellectual property lawsuits. I have worked with people from various backgrounds, such as the formerly incarcerated, international students and scholars, and college recruiters. It is my adaptability and patience that has allowed me to thrive in diverse environments. I am skilled in social media strategies, professional writing styles, public speaking, and I possess a strong knowledge of government documents and the legislative process. My drive and determination to help others fuels the work that I do and ensures success in every task I undertake.

The Fate of Pittsburgh Pizza

by Megan MacCall-Carter, posted in Eats

The pandemic has affected many facets of college life at the University of Pittsburgh but the closure of Sorrento’s Pizza was heartbreaking.

Those who remember the classic Antoons vs. Sorrentos debate view the closure as the end of an era. So that leaves the Sorrentos lovers with a question: where do we go next?

After I conducted 22 interviews, it appears to me that Pittsburgh may not be known for its bustling pizza scene. Those who rely on the classic college food may find their options lacking.

“Pittsburgh is just not a pizza city,” said Mae Latona, a fourth-year history major. 

Unlike Latona, some have stronger opinions.

“Pittsburgh has the worst pizza I’ve ever experienced,” said Lauren Bayer, a third-year chemistry major. “It must be in the water and the water is in the sauce, but it’s not it. It’s sad because people in Pittsburgh don’t know that what they’ve been eating is bad pizza until they go to the East coast.”

Of the 22 people interviewed, three refused to pinpoint a favorite Pittsburgh pizza place. Instead, they opted for comments like “Pittsburgh pizza sucks” (which was a bit harsh but not unfelt). The general overall consensus was that comparing pizza from Pittsburgh to pretty much anywhere on the East coast was essentially useless, but fear not! There were a few standouts within the pizza abyss.

Pie Express was one of the most common pizza places mentioned as a first or second choice. One interviewee, who chose to remain anonymous, even went so far as to loudly exclaim: “Pie Express is the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth!”

Having been to Pie Express, I wouldn’t say my love for the restaurant goes as deep as others… but there are certainly some bright spots. 

Many of those who preferred Pie Express also listed that when looking for pizza places, they put price above convenience or taste (besides the one enthusiastic interviewee who really emphasized the taste). At $7.65 a pie, they were certainly on the cheaper end of the pizza options around campus. 

These made-to-order pizzas are fast and convenient, located in the heart of Forbes Ave. just a few steps away from Pitt’s campus. With the ability to personalize your pie for less than $8 just a short walk away, it’s no wonder that this small pizza joint has quickly become a fan favorite.

Pizza Romano came in second place, with a solid three people naming it as their top choice and two others giving it their second spot. Although, to be clear, this is a controversial choice and came with its fair share of backlash. 

Sara Matvey, a second-year pharmacy student certainly had a lot to say.

“Pizza Romano is literally the worst thing I have ever put in my mouth,” she said. “It never ceases to make my stomach hurt and I usually throw up after. It is literally awful. The only good thing about it is that they have cold canned ginger ale.”

Ok, ginger ale aside, there had to be something drawing students to Pizza Romano. Despite the outspoken criticism, the majority of Pizza Romano lovers said they prioritized taste above all else. While the price was a close second, it’s clear that there must be something in the sauce pulling students to take the short walk down Atwood St. for a slice of the cheesy (maybe) deliciousness.

Although I have only visited Pizza Romano once, it is my personal opinion that the small restaurant does not deserve such a harsh rap. I found the most confusing thing about the establishment to be the tacos. If you don’t believe they serve tacos, I wouldn’t blame you.

Seeing someone order tacos from a restaurant with “pizza” in the name was slightly off-putting. Still, the pizza wasn’t horrible. Although the pizza scene in Pittsburgh is often lacking, it’s nice that some have found their favorite spot so close to campus.

Just one more block down Atwood St. you’ll find another pizza standout. Antoons Pizza is a standout in the Sorrentos v. Antoons debate that started it all. 

“Antoons is an Oakland staple.” said Benjamin J. in a Yelp review, “The pizza is good after a night out. First, it is cheap, it is only $6.42 for a large cheese pizza. Second, they are efficient. It is amazing how quickly they can push out these pizzas late at night. Third, the portion is generous. While not the greatest pizza I’ve had, it’s worth a visit.”

With hours until 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. Thursday to Saturday, it appears that Antoons is a crowd-pleaser for late-night bites. Although it was more often a second choice rather than the first choice for pizza, the ability to wander in off the streets after a night out with your friends is apparently unmatched. 

If you’re willing to take a walk outside of Oakland, many people have recommendations for delicious and tasty places in the Strip District.

Pizzeria Davide, Driftwood Oven, and IronBorn Pizza all came highly recommended by those I interviewed. I was promised that if you are willing to make the jaunt, absolutely delicious slices await.

“Driftwood Oven is slept on, and it’s literally so good,” said Julia Haber, a third-year global management major. “Everybody wants to debate the pizza places in Oakland but they’re literally all bad. Driftwood oven and Ironborn Pizza are the only two respectable pizza places in Pittsburgh.”

Additional honorable mentions include: Fioris Pizza located in East Liberty, Slice on Broadway also in East Liberty, Mineos in Squirrel Hill, Vocelli Pizza in North Oakland, Larry and Carols in South Oakland, and Luciano’s Italian Brick Oven all the way over in White Oak. Although I was rather sad to see that Aiello’s Pizza in Squirrel Hill had not made it on the list of favorites, I’m happy to keep my personal favorite pizza shop just a secret between you and me. 

Although Pittsburgh may not be known for its pizza, college students continue to adapt and find their own way of bringing this staple into their lives. With a little exploring, good pizza can definitely be found in Pittsburgh. And don’t forget, delivery is always an option for those places worth the extra fees.

Pizza Shops Mentioned:

Source: University of Pittsburgh Admissions and Financial Aid Facebook

Unmasking Visitors on Campus

by Megan MacCall-Carter, posted in COVID

The University of Pittsburgh dropped its mask mandate last week, a change that is expected to continue throughout the last few weeks of the school year. With reported COVID cases dropping to a predetermined low-risk level, students, faculty, and guests may now enter University buildings proudly displaying the lower half of their faces after two years of wearing masks. While this may be an exciting prospect, the weekly COVID-19 Medical Response Office (CMRO) emails only display the vaccination and case information for Pitt affiliates, leaving the question: how do guests factor into this plan? 

The number of Covid cases and vaccinations on campus, as reported by the CMRO, does not include any information on the health of guests. Guests are coming by the thousands to visit campus and take tours of Pitt. These guests are not required to prove vaccination, provide a negative test, or report to Pitt if they test positive after taking a campus tour. Now, they are not required to wear masks in University buildings, and Pitt is hosting hundreds of visitors a day. This puts the tour guides and those interacting with these guests at risk.

Since March of 2020, high school students have had to rely on virtual tours or impromptu campus visits in order to determine which university is the right fit for them. To help ease the process, Pitt offers both virtual campus and virtual residence hall tours. The campus tour was the most popular as it took students through the university, stopping at most of the major academic buildings and landmarks known on campus. These tours are overseen by the Pitt Pathfinders—such as myself—who would attempt to do their best at adapting the traditional tour script to fit the needs of the virtual option. 

“Although I didn’t need a tour to commit [to Pitt] because I was already familiar with the campus with my brother coming here,” says Erin Friel, a second-year Public and Professional Writing major, “The second Covid hit, it was clear that it would be impossible. The virtual tours were a good way to get that basic familiarity, even if they weren’t the same.”

Although much of the information given by the Pathfinders on tours was the same in-person or online, many families would later remark that while these virtual tours helped in the decision-making process, they lacked the personal touch of physically being on campus. They found it difficult to get a sense of the overall feel of campus life, or scale the buildings and classrooms you could see on a screen. 

As a tour guide myself, I understood their plight. One of the reasons I decided to come to Pitt was the indescribable feeling I was overwhelmed with when I stepped onto campus. Suddenly, I could envision myself spending the next four years here.

“The tours are the thing that made me commit to Pitt because I fell in love with the campus when I visited,” says Charlotte Pearse, third-year English writing and Public and Professional Writing major, “I definitely would have been more hesitant to visit or tour in this climate.”

Knowing that nothing could compare to the feeling of being on campus, Pitt moved to an in-person option as early as they could. Starting in the summer of 2021, visitors were welcomed back on campus. Pitt kept tours to ten people and held tours exclusively outdoors. Prospective students and parents could peek into classroom windows and get a general sense of the campus while keeping the risk of Covid exposure low. 

Beginning in the fall of 2021, visitors could attend tours at the full capacity that we saw before Covid restrictions went into effect, with the stipulation that visitors were masked inside all buildings. As of Monday, March 28th, Pitt decided to begin relaxing its COVID requirements. Since the Pittsburgh campus is currently designated by the CDC to be an area of low or medium COVID-19 level, masks are optional inside all University buildings. On tours going in and out of buildings, however, masks remain completely optional for unregulated guests.

The tour schedule for the spring of 2022 includes hourly weekday tours with hour-long presentations by admissions officers at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m. tour slots. The majority of Fridays and Saturdays are blocked off for programs. On these days, hundreds of guests are invited to visit Pitt. They can go on tours, sit in on admissions and financial aid presentations, as well as panels about student life. 

When registering for tours visitors are asked to fill out an array of questions. These included indicating whether any member of their party had recently come into contact with someone with COVID with no apparent follow-up if the student indicated yes. The email confirmation included a line asking students to reschedule if they have signs or symptoms or if they have knowingly been in close contact with someone confirmed or probable for COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

After inspecting the Pitt Admissions Office website, there appears to be a maximum capacity of about 8 hundred guests sitting together in a single presentation room in Alumni Hall before going out on tours. Although all Pitt students, faculty, and staff have been required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved exemption since December 6, 2021, this mandate never applied to visitors. 

“I am not overly concerned with COVID, but knowing that they’re not required to be vaccinated is slightly concerning especially since they’re all sitting together,” says Meghan, a first-year psychology and philosophy major, who chose not to use their last name, “it might not necessarily cause an outbreak, but there’s definitely more potential with less information.”

The reality is, with cases declining steadily, many students are taking advantage of these lessened restrictions. I have observed anywhere from half a class to an entire class choosing to not wear a mask, and interviewees such as Meghan find it unnecessary with the majority of the Pitt population being vaccinated. 

For the Pathfinders that find themselves face to face with these unknown visitors on a regular basis, there is still a feeling that those who are vaccinated and received their booster are well protected, but there is room for improvement in these visitation requirements. 

Nick Johnbosco, a 21-year-old fourth-year Biology and Music major and a Pathfinder at Pitt, says, “I would like to see the requirements be that (visitors) have at least the first shot of the vaccine and that information be disclosed to the tour guides so that we may better protect ourselves while we give tours.”

After spending roughly three years giving tours at Pitt, I have fallen in love with the campus and all of the people that call it home. The removal of the masking requirement has allowed people to regain a sense of normalcy within their college experience that has been sorely lacking since the beginning of the pandemic. With this, though, there is a need to ensure the safety of the students, faculty, and staff. Prospective students and their guests should be welcomed on campus provided that they follow the same safety procedures required for all current Pitt students.