The Tartan

08/22/2026

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08/04/2026

On Aug. 3, artist and educator Meghana Bisineer officially became head of the School of Art. Bisineer previously served as the chair of animation and game arts & design at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, and has almost two decades of experience as a professor.

She replaces Charlie White, who served as head of the School of Art for nearly a decade. On July 1, White began his appointment as dean of Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. During his time at Carnegie Mellon, White oversaw the “transformation of faculty, facilities, and curriculum,” the addition of a new graduate studio facility, and achieved a fully funded tuition model.

Bisineer plans to be an advocate for students and faculty in her new position.

“It’s really important to listen to my students and my faculty and then be strategic and visionary when I know what their needs are,” she said. “Listening is the first step, and then advocating for resources — it could be time, it could be money, it could be other accommodations or tweaking parts of the system.”

Read more at the-tartan.org
By Riona Duncan
Junior Staffwriter

07/29/2026

Carnegie Mellon’s Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX (IEX Office) has expanded its ongoing investigation into individuals involved in recent Fence paintings from eight to 10. Nine of those individuals have been placed on interim partial campus access restriction, including one student who could face expulsion if found responsible.

The painters’ actions are being investigated as a violation of Title VI. The university alleges that their paintings constituted “discriminatory harassment on the basis of race, national origin, and/or religion, related to statements made on the Fence and/or posted to social media.”

Seven Fence paintings relating to anti-Zionism or expressing support for such messages are being investigated. This includes messages that the university did not publicly denounce or paint over, such as “Stop Censoring Anti-Zionist Jewish Voices; Anti Zionism ≠ Antisemitism,” “Death to Sexism,” and “21,000+ Children Murdered Due to Zionism; Who Are The Ones Inciting Violence Here?”

Read more at the-tartan.org. Link in bio!
By Octavia Liku,
News Editor

07/29/2026

On March 23, Carnegie Mellon altered both its Discriminatory and Sexual Misconduct Policy and Code of Business Ethics and Conduct. The changes came two weeks after receiving a “C” rating from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a pro-Israel advocacy organization that aims to “fight antisemitism.”

Three weeks after the revisions, the ADL changed Carnegie Mellon’s rating to a “B” — “Better than most.” According to the ADL, the change occurred because the university “amended its policies to prohibit antisemitism and anti-Israel conduct and to reject discriminatory boycotts.” Additionally, the university “initiated the launch of a Jewish [Employee Resource Group] and a Jewish studies certificate.”

Carnegie Mellon’s policy review process typically includes multiple steps, including a 30-day comment period. However, this does not apply to those the university leadership council “deems purely administrative in nature” — which both alterations were designated as.

Read more at the-tartan.org. Link in bio!
By Octavia Liku
News Editor

07/25/2026

From July 6–26, Facilities Management Services (FMS) is removing eight sycamores and one London plane tree from the Mall as they reach the “end of their natural life.” The trees have grown alongside Baker and Porter Hall for just over a century, evidenced by photographs and documents in the University Archives.

Over the next few days, FMS and contractor Palombo Landscaping will finish cutting down the trees, shave their stumps, and sod the area with turf grass. FMS cites public safety concerns due to the trees’ declining health and structural integrity as the main reason for their removal.

The trees lining Baker Hall were likely planted sometime between 1925–26, according to a March 31, 1925 issue of The Tartan. The trees were part of an effort by second University President Thomas Baker to revitalize and beautify the campus following years of building projects and World War I, when the campus became a military encampment.

Read more at the-tartan.org. Link in bio!

07/14/2026

Carnegie Mellon’s Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX (IEX Office) is investigating eight individuals involved in recent Fence paintings, and has placed seven on interim partial campus access restriction. Failure to comply with this interim restriction may result in “immediate removal from campus by arrest, and a review of [their] student status,” per the university.
The painters’ actions are being investigated as a violation of Title VI. The university alleges that their paintings constituted “discriminatory harassment on the basis of race, national origin, and/or religion, related to statements made on the Fence and/or posted to social media.”
Implicated students are only permitted on campus for the purposes of attending scheduled classes. There is no scheduled end to the campus access restriction, and the university’s investigation is ongoing.
The disciplinary actions come just weeks after University President Farnam Jahanian made the controversial decision to paint over a message on the Fence that read “death to Zionism” in Yiddish, contending that the phrase violated the university’s “longstanding policy against such threats of violence.”
All Fence paintings since June 9 relating to anti-Zionism or expressing support for previous messages are being investigated. This includes messages that the university did not publicly denounce or paint over, such as “Stop Censoring Anti-Zionist Jewish Voices; Anti Zionism ≠ Antisemitism,” “Death to Sexism,” and “21,000+ Children Murdered Due to Zionism; Who Are The Ones Inciting Violence Here?”
The Tartan was unable to independently verify if university administration has initiated similar disciplinary actions against Fence painters in the past. However, according to multiple sources involved in last summer’s “No Rapists on Our Campus” Fence, which was painted over by university administration, no painters were subjected to disciplinary action.
The university declined to comment on aspects of any investigation.
This story is part of The Tartan’s ongoing coverage of the Fence. See previous coverage and check back at the-tartan.org for updates.
Link in bio!
Article by Octavia Liku
News Editor

06/30/2026

On the evening of Sunday, June 28, Carnegie Mellon administration worked with Facilities Management Services and CMUPD to paint over an anti-Zionism message on the Fence. The university contended that the language used violated the Fence’s long-standing prohibition against incitements to violence.

The message, attributed to “a few Jewish students,” on The Fence — a Fence documentation Instagram page unaffiliated with Carnegie Mellon — was painted in the early morning of June 28. The side of the Fence facing Forbes Avenue read, “Forcing Ideological Conformity (Zionism) on Jews is Antisemitic, FREE PALESTINE.” A Palestinian flag was also painted along the bottom edge.

The side facing Hunt Library was painted with two Yiddish phrases. As translated in President Jahanian’s email, one phrase read “death to Zionism.” The other phrase appears to be roughly translated as a campaign slogan of the Jewish Labor Bund, a secular socialist party — “There where we live, that is our land.”

Under an The Fence Instagram post, the students involved emphasized that their reason for writing the message was the belief that it is “antisemitic” for “institutions” to expect that all Jewish people are Zionists…

This story is part of The Tartan’s ongoing coverage of the Fence. See previous coverage and check back at the-tartan.org for updates.
Link in bio!

Article by Octavia Liku
News Editor

06/24/2026

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05/06/2022

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