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Kiss performs for sold-out crowd during farewell ‘End of the Road’ tour Columnist Mick Stinelli takes a satirical look at USG legislative meetings Baseball takes two of three games from first place IU Kokomo ppuglobe.com
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Issue 12
President shuts down Students flounder amidst onslaught of phishing emails redaction resolution By Amanda Andrews Staff Writer
The phishing phenomenon has returned with a vengeance this semester. And this time, scam emails have become increasingly sophisticated. Students’ email inboxes have been inundated with emails under subject headers meant to blend in with typically received emails. These headers include things such as “Watch this…” or “Tomorrow’s class meeting in JVH!”, complete with a link in the message. While many students and faculty members choose to ignore opening these emails to begin with, there are some who fall prey to the scam. Sophomore screenwriting major Ian Thompson was briefly affected by a phishing attack when he opened what looked to be an important email. “It took me to a new page where there was an error and it didn’t open,” Thompson said. “It was like one of those virus threat alerts that pop up when you use illegal video sites.” According to IT Director Tim Wilson, the con-
sequences of these attacks can be varied. “Most of the time user credentials are compromised,” Wilson said. “This information can be used in a number of ways from attempting to infect the machine with malware or a virus to using the account for sending out other spam messages.” Senior public relations and advertising major Rachel Gates receives phishing emails in her inbox but hasn’t been affected by any yet. “A lot of them just go straight into my junk mail,” Gates said. “But yeah they’re just super annoying and just obnoxious.” The method Gates uses to filter out phishing emails mostly boils down to common sense. “I think that if you know what to look for, they’re sort of in a similar format,” Gates said. “But if you’re just not paying attention and you’re going through quick, I think it’s pretty easy to click on it.” While IT has no filter solution as of yet to completely block out phishing emails - especially as they
become more advanced Wilson’s tip to students, staff and faculty rings similar to Gates’. “My best advice is to go back and remember what your parents told you, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Wilson said. “I just add ‘Don’t click on it!’...hey, we can learn things from our parents.” Wilson also stated that IT has tested a two-factor identification system and introduced it to faculty and staff with plans to soon turn it on for students in hopes that will solve some of the phishing issues. As of right now, IT has been sending general email messages to faculty and staff about phishing attacks and sends out emails about phishing to students “when appropriate.” For students affected by a phishing attack, they should go to the IT Help Desk to assess the damage. “I spoke to IT and they reset my password so it couldn’t be used anymore,” Thompson said. “I just don’t want anyone else to have to deal with this.”
Amanda Andrews aaandre@pointpark.edu
USG By Jordyn Hronec Co-News Editor
The United Student Government (USG) met on Monday, April 1 in the JVH Auditorium. The legislative body met to vote on a veto to Resolution 3182019.1, brought forward by President Kaylee Kearns. Also present at the meeting were two guest speakers, Library Director Liz Evans and Director of Student Life Amanda Anderson. “This Resolution is incomplete in its explanation of the entire process regarding how redactions are to be handled,” Kearns wrote in a letter to all USG members, explaining the veto. “It needs time guidelines regarding privacy rights of an individual. I am recommending a time limit of five years before information can become unredacted in regards to an individual’s rights. I want to ensure honest discussion among the organization and its members to protect a student from having sensitive information become public.” Vice President Brittany Arp stated that the executive cabinet is currently working
with Senator Hattie Charney to construct a new resolution, using the already standing Sunshine Act to ensure transparency. “Going forward, we want to eliminate having to redact things, because of the issues that we had,” Charney said. “So by setting up this process, it will be us trying to do something now, rather than looking ahead and making things better for the upcoming years.” According to Charney, her proposed resolution specifically outlines seven reasons for why a meeting may need to be closed. Senator Jake Berlin expressed concern with moving to veto the Resolution, seeing as the legislative body had previously voted unanimously to approve it. “I am absolutely not going to take heed to one presidential student over that of the entire public and the entire unanimous rules committee and senate who pushed these forward,” Berlin said. “And as someone who is a current presidential candidate, I don’t even want to give myself that much power and set that dangerous of a precedent going forward.”
USG page 3
Point Blank Live Again! streams live on campus Point Blank Comedy Collective puts on encore production Jordyn Hronec Co-News Editor
Last year, “Point Blank Live!” captivated the student body with its original comedy and Saturday Night Live-esque sketches. In fact, the event was voted “2018’s Point Park Event of the Year.” But since then, the Point Blank Comedy Collective was officially established, and they returned this year with a vengeance. On Sunday, March 31 at 8 p.m., the comedy collective performed “Point Blank Live Again!” (PBLA), both to a live audience in the library GRW theater and over livestream. According to Point Blank Comedy Collective president, Chris Copen, it was no easy feat following last year’s debut. “It was extremely difficult,” Copen, a sophomore cinema production major, said. “We had to find interesting ways to tie in last year, but make it so that if you didn’t see last year, you still knew what was going on.” According to Copen, Sunday night’s live audience consisted of over 140 attendants. On the two nights leading up to the main show, there were preview shows that students could attend. On the first night, over 60 students at-
tended, and on the second night, over 80 students. The show consisted of both live and pre-recorded sketches, shown on monitors to the live audience. Sketch concepts included the performance of an Amish improv group at the Lancaster County Fair, an English class where students shared samples of naughty fanfiction, a group of anarchist wives in a fake book club and a parody of a typical dance class at Point Park. Throughout the series of sketches, there was also a consistent plotline. George Rowland White, the namesake of Point Park’s dance complex and the very theater in which PBLA was performed, played the role of the antagonist who hired a troupe of professional actors, keen on taking the place of the original PBLA crew in order to make more money. White was played by Jake Berlin, a junior mass communication major. Hayley Oakley, a junior sports, arts and entertainment major, is the vice president of Point Blank Comedy Collective and served as the production team executive of PBLA. According to Oakley, the collective wasn’t originally planning on putting on the production.
“We didn’t know if we wanted to do it,” Oakley said. “It was such a huge thing to take on. Originally we weren’t going to do it again. We were going to do monthly sketch comedy shows, and then people begged us to do
Point Blank Live again, and it was successful.” According to Oakley and Copen, production on PBLA began in November and took four months to put together. Logan LaMaster, a
sophomore sports, arts and entertainment management major, served as both an actor in the show, as well as a writer. “My favorite part about working on the production
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Jordyn Hronec | The Globe
Point Blank Live Again! actors perform a sketch involving a group of anarchist house wives who pretend to be in a book club.
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Class availability causes students stress Freshman, commuters run into scheduling barriers By Hayley Keys For The Globe
With the spring semester drawing to a close, students have turned to PointWeb in order to pick classes for next fall. “It’s pretty hard - the availability is low,” Alissity Rosner, a freshman business management and marketing major, said. “They have limited sections and very limited seats, so it’s extremely hard to find what you need.” While the process of scheduling classes is relatively easy, the limited numbers of classes is causing some underclassmen stress. Rosner is a commuter and has a 50-minute drive into the city every day, so she tries to take most classes on Tuesday and Thursday to avoid wasting gas. “It’s very hard to find courses that are going to specifically relate to my major for those two days,”
Rosner said. She also expressed concern about not being able to see who was teaching the classes she wanted to take. “A big thing for me is I don’t want to schedule a course with a professor who I’m unsure of or might have a bad experience with,” Rosner said. Currently some courses on PointWeb show the professor, but other classes don’t have a specific instructor and simply have “Staff” listed as the professor. Brianna Quintanar is a freshman forensic science major who also found scheduling to be difficult. Quintanar said she would look through the list online and decide what classes she wanted in preparation for the day she could officially select the courses. “I would pick classes and go back into PointWeb and see that the class I wanted was full,” Quintanar said. “So then I would have
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to go and look again and reschedule.” Her major requires multiple science classes, most of which have prerequisite biology or chemistry courses.
“A big thing for me is I don’t want to schedule a course with a professor who I’m unsure of or might have a bad experience with.” Alissity Rosner
Business Management and Marketing Freshman
“If there is one class and only 18 seats, it fills up quickly,” Quintanar said. “Especially if there are people who were like me and couldn’t get in the class, so they take it later during their sophomore or junior year.” But it isn’t just major specific classes that are hard to get into, electives can also fill quickly. “There were only two sections of Spanish classes that were compatible with the schedule I planned out,” Quintanar said. Scott Spencer, the university’s registrar, said that Point Park is attempting to make the process easier on the student body. “This year, we’re trying to do something a little different in that we’re trying to create a whole year in advance, not so that you guys can necessarily register in advance, but so you can see what’s coming,” Spencer said. Spencer explained that
the new process would make it easier on students who needed to get certain prerequisites done in order to take more advanced classes. “If you realize ‘I am going to miss it here, I know it’s coming in the spring,’” Spencer said. “You’ll be able to see that it’s coming down the pipeline.” A tentative schedule for the Spring 2020 semester is available on PointWeb, which can help students make sure they are still on route to graduate on time even if they cannot get the classes, they need for the fall semester. “We are working towards hopefully having students schedule their full year at the beginning of the fall semester,” Spencer said. “It’s really just shifting the work instead of making more.” He also touched on the idea of administrators wanting to keep students on a more specific path in order to know what class sizes they need increase. “We want to avoid running into this thing where there’s one section that seats 20, but 90 students need it,” Spencer said. “We may not be able to get 90 seats, but we can at least increase it to 45 seats.” These changes may not affect current students, but the incoming freshman class will likely reap the benefits of the new system. “I think that if I was able to know in the fall that I already have my classes scheduled for the spring and it’s going to be good for my entire year, then I think that would be really nice,” Rosner said. Quintanar was more concerned about the different times students are allowed to schedule. “I think if they didn’t have the freshmen or sophomores schedule so late, there wouldn’t be as many problems,” Quintanar said. “At least that would be fair.”
Hayley Keys hekeys@pointpark.edu
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale visited Point Park on Thursday, March 28 to hear from various scientists and environmental activists from the Pittsburgh area on the city’s efforts to combat climate change. DePasquale is currently in the process of preparing a special report on the state government’s response to the issue. “Pennsylvania, I believe, must step up and take a leadership role in mitigating this,” DePasquale said. “It is my view that we cannot rely solely on the federal government, there are things Pennsylvania can and should be doing. I am the chief-fiscal watchdog in the state of Pennsylvania, the cost of not addressing climate change is real.” In attendance at the hearing was Point Park President Paul Hennigan; Carnegie Mellon University Professor Costa Samaras; IBEW No. 5 member Paul Reinert; Sierra Club member Tom Schuster; Conservation Consultants Inc. members Lucy de Barbaro and Allison Steele; PA Society of Professional Engineers member Joseph Boward; AIA Pennsylvania President-Elect Marc Mondor; and PA Department of Transportation member Cheryl Moon-Sirianni. Each member of their respective groups conveyed information they gathered about the Pittsburgh region and presented it to DePasquale. Hennigan was among the first group of testifiers at the hearing and addressed what Point Park and other Pittsburgh universities are doing to combat climate change. “We have renovated a number of our buildings and have also built a couple of new buildings,” Hennigan said in the hearing. “In all of our renovations and in all our new construction, we are re-building so they are greencode certified.” He then assured that Point Park will continue to do so with any and all buildings that the university owns now or will pursue in the future. Along with that, Hennigan noted that all efforts are being made to use environmentally friendly products in regards to housekeeping and building maintenance programs. “We have a robust recycling program that includes paper, cardboard, plastic and even electronics and now cooking oil,” Hennigan said. “We pay attention to energy consumption, and we started doing that about 10 years ago by installing energy-efficient light fixtures as well as technology that senses people are in the room. When we are faced with a project that needs to be renovated or new construction what we have learned over the years is that it just takes a certain effort on the part of the organization to be environmentally conscious.” Hennigan went on to address the efforts that students are making in order to be environmentally friendly. He cited that in his experience, students at Point Park are demanding education on climate change and how it affects the planet. “There is a demand [from students] that we include courses relating to climate change,” Hennigan said.
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Sketch comedy show returns for second year from POINT BLANK page 1 was how much it all came together,” LaMater said. “It’s all student-run, we don’t have any help from anyone else. It was the most fun part of it all, was that it was all students and we got to be really passionate about it.” Pablo Uribasterra, a freshman musical theater major, stepped into the role of director for PBLA. According to Uribasterra, he also served as the show’s co-head writer and wrote the music and lyrics for the musical numbers. “It really takes a village to tackle something like this where we’re switching back and forth between film and stage the entire time,” Uribasterra said. As a freshman, Uribasterra said that jumping into PBLA had its difficulties, but was also relatively easy once he got involved. “I was very involved when we started considering PBLA in December,” Uribasterra said. “So I’m
relatively used to it. This is actually the first thing that I’ve done other than performing in a really long time.” But despite difficulties and hesitation in following up last year’s event, this year’s audience was pleased with the outcome. “The show was really funny, it was cute, it was quirky, it was silly,” Elena Shahen, senior mass communications major and PBLA audience member, said. “All of the sketches were all really funny and unique.” According to Oakley, Point Blank Comedy Collective is also satisfied with PBLA. “We were very happy with how it turned out,” Oakley said. “We had a bigger team this time, we had a lot more departments backing us up, and it turned out really, really well. We’ll see if we do it again next year.”
Jordyn Hronec jthrone@pointpark.edu
Jordyn Hronec | The Globe The cast of Point Blank Live Again! performs one of the last sketches in the production.
Pioneer Community Day to take place Saturday
USG hosts day of community service for ninth straight year By Jordyn Hronec Co-News Editor
One United Student Government (USG) committee has been working tirelessly throughout the semester to plan and execute an annual event. The event is called Pioneer Community Day, and it is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Pioneer Community Day is Point Park’s day of community service that USG puts on every year,” Senator Kooper Sheeley, cochair of the committee, said. “It partners with Point Park to help make Pittsburgh a better community to live in, and it’s all driven by students and put on by students with support from the administration.” On the day of the event, students have the opportunity to work with a variety of charitable organizations. There will also be an after party in Village Park that all volunteers can attend. “This year, we are partnering with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, the
Delta Foundation, Wood Street Commons and possibly the Humane Society,” Sheeley said. “With Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, we’re doing what we usually do, which is going around, cleaning public fixtures, picking up cigarette butts, cleaning graffiti; just doing simple tasks that would make the community cleaner, and would just make it an overall better-looking place to live.” According to Sheeley, the efforts taking place at the Wood Street Commons are in partnership with a new club on campus, Point Park Cares. “They’re going to do a little bit of club outreach and help the people who live there just interact with people who live right next door to them,” Sheeley said. “They’re going to do a little bit of karaoke and serve them lunch and have fun.” Senator Mary Shelly, co-chair of the committee with Sheeley, has been heading the efforts in partnering with the Delta Foundation for community service op-
portunities. “The Delta Foundation is in charge of planning and putting on Pride,” Shelly said. “Recently, they put on the Kesha concert here that a lot of students volunteered for, we’re just going to help them organize and clean, because they have a lot of preparation coming up soon for Pride.” According to Sheeley, another club, Campus Cursive, is also a partner in the event. “Campus Cursive is holding an event the day of, and they’re writing letters to the community and just saying ‘thank you’ to all of the people who are volunteering and all of the people who are allowing us to volunteer,” Sheeley said. Campus Cursive will be stationed in Lawrence 200 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., according to Shelly. “This way, anybody who is walking by and couldn’t give the whole day or just didn’t know about it can write a letter,” Shelly said. “Or for people who are disabled, there is still a chance
for them to give back, even though they can’t get out there.” According to Sheeley, this year marks the ninth annual Pioneer Community Day. One of the challenges that the committee has had to face is ensuring that things this year go smoother than last. Last year in particular, only 13 students participated in Pioneer Community Day despite a high number of sign-ups. The committee has engaged in advertising the event on social media, conducting sign-ups at tables around campus and “dorm storming,” which is the practice of going to every dorm and sliding hot cards under the door. Sheeley said that there are currently 53 students signed up for Pioneer Community Day, which is the highest number seen in the past three years. Sheeley said that the school administration and USG advisors have been helpful in the planning process. “Dean Paylo and Dean Gieseke have been the big-
gest aids, and Rachel Phillips has put so much into this event and dealt with so many tears being shed in her office,” Sheeley said. “I have cried over this event more than I care to admit. I just want it to be good, the administration has been the backbone that has allowed us to do this.” According to Senator Brighid Shanahan, being on the Pioneer Community Day committee has been rewarding. “Pioneer Community Day is a reason I applied to be a senator,” Shanahan said. “Having the support of Kooper and Mary has been good, you just need someone to support you and help you. They’ve really taught me what a USG senator should be like.” Students can sign up for Pioneer Community Day by clicking on the link that is displayed on all advertisements for the event. Students can also sign up for the event the day of in Village Park, starting at 9 a.m.
Jordyn Hronec jthrone@pointpark.edu
USG members vote to uphold proposed resolution veto from USG page 1 Berlin also requested that the present members of the executive cabinet express their opinion regarding the veto. Kearns was absent from the meeting. Senator Alexa Lake also expressed concern regarding the executive cabinet’s involvement in the veto. “I just want to say that we knew Kaylee [Kearns] was going to veto this,” Treasurer Kortney Lampel said. “She told us at the last executive cabinet meeting. But we did not in any way help her write it. I actually did not see the letter that she wrote until the same exact time that you did.” Senator Jess Wrzosek reminded the legislative body that this semester, time to resolve issues of transparency is running out. “I would like to point out
that this school year, these students are the ones that asked us for transparency,” Wrzosek said. “We have three weeks left. This is the Resolution that we have. We don’t have time to give them anything else. We don’t have time to craft another Resolution. We don’t have time, even with this information, to show them that we hear them and that we represent them.” Following the discussion regarding the veto, the legislative body moved to vote on the veto. In order for the Resolution to be enacted, twothirds of the body needed to vote in its favor. However, with eight votes in favor, six against and one abstention, the motion to vote down the veto failed. Also during the legislative body meeting, Evans and Anderson discussed concerns with the senators. Evans attended the meet-
ing in order to hear concerns regarding the library. Evans reminded USG that at all times during the library’s operation, there is a librarian on duty to assist students. Evans also encouraged students to utilize the online module on the library’s website to reserve study rooms. In addition, Evans discussed the costs associated with leasing databases, as well as the importance of the utilization of the library’s reserved textbooks. Evans then reminded students to complete the survey that had been sent to the entire student body earlier that day so that the library may make necessary improvements. Anderson then also took student concerns, many of which had to do with commuter resources and parking. Senator Kelly Saal suggested to Anderson that negotiating with the Pittsburgh Parking
Authority for lower parking prices for students may be worthwhile. “One of the things you have to think about, and it’s something for us to look at, is from a Parking Authority concept, they want as much money as they can get,” Dean of Student Life Michael Gieseke said. “There’s X number of dollars a week that they can get. So anything less than that, they have no incentive as a Parking Authority to do. So arguably, could the university speak to them and say, ‘hey, could we make a deal with you?,’ the answer to that could be yes, but it would be at the university’s expense.” Anderson also discussed matters such as online resources for commuters. It was resolved that there would be more efforts going forward to remind students of available resources. It was announced during
the meeting Charney’s resolution, along with four others pertaining to separate matters, were to be sent to Rules Committee for consideration and revision. Parliamentarian Matthew Spadaccia warned that because of this, next week’s legislative body meeting could run for an extended period of time. At the end of the meeting, Gieseke stated that voter turnout in this year’s election far exceeded previous years. According to Gieseke, 540 votes were received. Gieseke stated that first, he must determine that all voters were eligible to do so. Then, the Elections Board will be assembled to count the votes. Following this process, the winning candidates will be announced.
Jordyn Hronec jthrone@pointpark.edu
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PIMS program proves to be a worthy career
Alum, current student share passion for funeral services By Megan McKenzie For The Globe
15 years ago, Kevin Drobish, 47, found himself and his family faced with the daunting responsibility of making funeral preparations after the loss of his maternal grandfather. “We were offered very terrible funeral service,” Drobish recalled. “We wanted something that was a little bit outside of what they were offering, and there was a lot of resistance.” But Drobish’s unpleasant experience didn’t end there. “It progressed all the way through the embalming procedure, and the cosmetics were not very good,” Drobish said. However, from that frustration and loss came Drobish’s inspiration. He was going to pursue the career of a funeral director. He made this decision within a month of the loss of his grandfather and began his schooling three years later. Funeral directors possess a job that comes with a multitude of responsibilities ranging from filing death certificates to preparing the deceased for burial. The most prominent of these is their unique position to work with both the dead and the living. “We serve the living by caring for the dead,” Patrick Lanigan said, 68, funeral director and owner of the Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home located in East Pittsburgh. “The care has shifted to us of the person that died, and we care for the folks that are living by meeting with them and arranging a funeral that will meet their needs.” The responsibilities of a funeral director were emphasized to Drobish after his experience with poor service. Originally a Pitts-
PIONEER PUBLIC Chris Sichi By Sarah Gibson
Co-Copy Desk Chief
Chris Sichi has always loved producing content like videos and podcasts, so as the lead studio technician at the Center for Media Innovation (CMI) at Point Park, he helps both students and outside clients create the projects that they want to create. “So I’ve always been interested in video, ever since I was in middle school and we’d make all these stupid videos and post them online of my friends doing BMX tricks,” he said.
burgh native, he lived in Colorado when he began his search for mortuary schools to attend. The Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (PIMS) caught his eye for a few different reasons. Their program is one of the three oldest in the country and “has a really good reputation.” When it came down to a choice between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Drobish chose to return to his hometown. “I had a stable family here and it was easy for me to transition back here.” Drobish, now an administrative coordinator and faculty member at PIMS 12 years later, teaches students who share the same passion that is important among funeral directors; caring for others. “One of the first questions we ask prospective students when they come to our admissions is ‘why do you want to be here?’, and the answer we like to hear is ‘to take care of people,’” Drobish described. Funeral directors often possess this trait along with open-mindedness and willingness to learn all aspects of death. “A lot of cultures celebrate or look at death very differently, so you can’t have a very narrow-minded attitude toward how people do this thing,” Drobish said. “It just has to be somebody that wants to be a helpful individual and somebody that wishes to make interpersonal relationships with family members,” Lanigan said, sharing the same sentiments. He described death as a “very personal time” that families go through, and funeral directors often become a safe haven for the bereaved. “The responsibility that exists 100 percent of the time is working with the persons,
the survivors, the living.” Brighid Shanahan, a freshman funeral services major at Point Park, gained her interest in funeral service after she experienced a series of losses.
Continuing into college as a telecommunications major, he would use this natural inclination to make multimedia content in his role in an alternative music club at Penn State, making videos and even podcasts featuring different alternative bands. Fittingly, his favorite part about his job at the CMI is helping clients make their visions a reality. He also enjoys helping students learn to use the equipment to make their own projects, one such example being the live election night show put on by U-View. However, for Sichi, working at Point Park was something that was originally only supposed to be temporary when he applied here after graduating college, as opposed to the full-time job he has taken. “I started part time and then two weeks after I started, [the previous lead studio technician] told me he was moving to LA, so I didn’t
know what was going to happen,” he said. “Then they ended up just bumping me up to where he was at and I was very fortunate and very lucky.” When he isn’t helping others produce, he hangs out with friends in his free time and plays card games. “I have a lot of nerdy hobbies, I think the biggest hobby that I have is playing Magic the Gathering,” he said, laughing in between sentences. “So two to three days out of the week I’m usually slinging cards with my friends, actually sitting down and playing card games, and I play video games.” In the future, Sichi sees a great career involving creating content for the internet. While he loves creating videos, he could also see himself producing something specifically for use on the web, like social media. He could also see himself working for production in Esports, which is the professional and competitive play-
“A lot of cultures celebrate or look at death very differently, so you can’t have a very narrowminded attitude toward how people do this thing” Kevin Drobish
Administrative Coordinator PIMS “When I was in seventh grade, my grandfather passed away,” Shanahan said. “I was freaked out. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced.” In the years following, Shanahan lost another grandfather and her grandmother, with whom she was very close. Although she had previous plans to be a school teacher, her interests began to shift. She contacted several funeral homes with requests to shadow to understand more about the job and had little luck until she spoke with the funeral director who handled her grandparents’ funerals. “He was the reason I
wanted to be a funeral director,” Shanahan recalled. From this experience, Shanahan was sure about her future as a funeral director. She began looking for schools to attend that offered a four-year degree and found only four that suited her. After gaining acceptance to three programs, she visited two of them. Point Park’s joint funeral service program with PIMS caught her attention. When she visited Point Park, she fell in love. “I love their program, how they have it set up, and their staff,” Shanahan said. “I couldn’t have made a better decision.” PIMS accepts students both fresh from high school and those with varying levels of college degrees. “We try to get students ready not just for service but for the general workplace as well,” Drobish said of the PIMS program. In the state of Pennsylvania, students are required to have an associate’s degree and complete a one-year mortuary degree program. Once a student’s educational requirements are complete, they participate in a paid internship. After this, students take three exams: one from the school they attended, the national board exam and the individual state exam. Once they’ve taken these steps, students can officially receive their funeral director’s license and can begin their practice. Another way funeral directors work with the living is by helping them make their own funeral arrangements. Both Drobish and Lanigan encourage others to make arrangements in advance. “It can cause a tremendous headache and a larger amount of stress on top of the death already that’s occurred when people have to deal
with these things,” Drobish said. “I recommend everybody just talk to somebody you know and make sure that there’s somebody that can carry through your wishes for you.” Lanigan warns, however, against what he referred to as “dictating from the grave.” When an individual begins planning their own funerals, they should consider the needs of their surviving family. “I think they need to allow the family members leeway to be able to have things that will be beneficial to them,” Lanigan said. “Family members or friends may need to be able to gather together to support one another, to express their sorrow, and help themselves on this grief journey which leads to them transcending to a new life without that person that died.” But while funeral directors strive to guide and care for both the living and the dead, they must also learn to care for themselves despite the common mentality that they’re “supposed to be tough” for everyone else. “It can get kind of lonely sometimes,” Drobish admitted, speaking from his own experience. For the first eight years of his job, he was on call at every hour and every day, missing every holiday with his family. “If you don’t have a good support system around you, sometimes you can fail at your job,” Drobish said. “So that’s one thing I stress to my students, make sure that you’re taking care of yourself ultimately, otherwise you can’t take care of anybody else.”
Megan McKenzie mcmcken@pointpark.edu
Submitted | The Globe
ing of video games. “Esports is something I have a passion for and I think there’s a big future in the production side of that kind of stuff,” he said. “I think that something that
resides online is where I want to be in the next couple years.”
Sarah Gibson sagibso@pointpark.edu
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019
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Kiss ‘Love it Loud’ at final Pittsburgh show
Legends pull out all the stops on End of the Road tour By Amanda Myers Co-Features Editor
Searing pyro and shrill screams have become essential components of Kiss concerts over the band’s near 50-year career. That familiar territory bolstered by fans, along with a few new tricks, was on full display for their final show in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena last Saturday. Kiss practically invented the modern day version of an arena rock show when they burst onto the New York club scene in the early ‘70s. They looked unlike any other band, first of all, with each member donning war paint to match their alter ego of either the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman or the Catman. They breathed fire and dodged pyro on stage in platform shoes and “battle armor,” to boot. And they still do all of that. Kiss’ ‘End of the Road’ farewell tour comes in the midst of similar final outings from artists like Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John. While those artists have more or less adapted their shows to fit their age, Kiss has pushed themselves even further with their if-it-ain’t-broke-
Kiss brings the heat at PPG Paints Arena for End of the Road farewell tour.
don’t-fix-it glitz and glam at a new level. The band entered PPG Paints Arena from above, descending down to the stage on octagon-shaped platforms for “Detroit Rock City.” Sparks lit up behind them as lead singer Paul Stanley shimmied at the microphone, wagging his finger while bassist Gene Simmons wagged his tongue.
Typical stage moves and a typical entrance for Kiss, but it wasn’t any less exhilarating. Their current stage setup is one of the biggest feats for Kiss in recent memory. Previous concerts at KeyBank Pavilion limited the scope of the stage for people out in the lawn, but in the arena, the stage appeared like a spaceship with those same octagon platforms
Amanda Myers | The Globe Kiss perform “Rock and Roll All Nite” in a finale complete with confetti and fireworks.
Amanda Myers | The Globe
raised above the stage looking like interstellar honeycombs as big screens videotaped the band and fans. Stanley parted the crowd like the red sea, eliciting screams from both sides of the arena in competition. He commanded the Kiss Army (Kiss’s aptly named fan base) to “Say Yeah” with a song from 2009’s “Sonic Boom.” Bass-heavy “Modern Day Delilah” would have been a more appropriate cut from the album given the song’s meek response. The Demon brought things back around with “I Love It Loud” and the charging “War Machine,” featuring Simmons’ iconic fire breathing routine. A young fan in a Demon costume was lifted by his parents in front of me. Simmons pointed to him in acknowledgement. A Kiss concert is an affair that spans generations. Kids, parents and even grandparents, arrive in Kiss makeup or t-shirts, symbolizing the passing of the fiery torch. Simmons “better watch out.” That kid was a celebrity in his own right, with excited fans coming up to take their
picture with the little Demon pre-show. Kiss honored the classics when they incorporated The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” into the bridge of “Lick It Up.” Stanley and lead guitarist Tommy Thayer huddled together for the rhythmic breakdown before Stanley let out the song’s epic scream. Tracks from the band’s back catalogue got the most praise from longtime fans. On “100,000 Years,” Eric Singer broke into a full-on drum assault on his rising platform. Thayer showed off his own tricks when his guitar set off timed sparks on the rousing “Cold Gin.” For an arena rock show, Kiss made the evening feel pretty intimate. Stanley ziplined over to a little platform at the back of the arena for “Love Gun” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.” Simmons and Thayer got on cranes that extended out into the arena for the confetti crazed, firework finale of “Rock and Roll All Nite,” making Fourth of July celebrations look dismal. I also have it on good authority from people in the nosebleeds that they could feel the flames (even if they were delayed by a few seconds). I, for one, had whiplash, the heat smearing my eyeliner. It’s a miracle Kiss don’t look like a mess come the end of the show. And even though Stanley can’t hit the notes like he used to and Simmons’ tongue gets a little too much show time, the fans clearly still revel in the bombastic brilliance of Kiss. Before he said goodbye to Pittsburgh for the last time, Stanley asked the crowd a simple question that required a simple answer with the song “Do You Love Me.” The response was deafening. Amanda Myers admyers@pointpark.edu
Take the Invisalign out, put the headphones in
Billie Eilish’s debut album shows an experimental edge By Dara Collins Editor-Elect
A 14-year-old Billie Eilish first catapulted into the music scene thanks to the beauty of social media. After Eilish posted “Ocean Eyes” on SoundCloud, her voice caught the attention of millions causing the tune to go viral, and the track has since been remixed a number of times. Now 17, Eilish just dropped one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Last Friday, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” released across all platforms - and Eilish surpassed our expectations. Apple Music labels Eilish’s music as alternative, but Eilish combated that in an interview with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe and said, “If people think I have a sound, if people are like ‘oh yeah, her sound is this,’ if someone asks you what my sound is and you have an answer for them – you’re wrong.” Utilizing deep bass and macabre lyricism to contrast her melancholy, light voice, Eilish paints a beautiful, yet sinister, picture of the series of images running through her mind as someone who experiences
night terrors, sleep paralysis and depression. Eilish’s first full-length album follows her debut EP “Dont Smile At Me” from August 2017. The hits of “Ocean Eyes,” “Bellyache” and “Idontwannabeyouanymore,” and a series of singles including “lovely” with Khalid, a track featured on the “13 Reasons Why” soundtrack, kept Eilish’s fans hungry for more. Prior to the release of the full album, Eilish teased us with four tracks from “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP.” “You should see me in a crown” released first and features dubstep bass drops to the chorus and a reference to Eilish’s roots as she coos, “Fell for these ocean eyes.” “When the party’s over” followed in October 2018 as a stark difference to the earlier single. A raw piano ballad comparable to the sound of Lana Del Rey, whom Eilish is often compared to, shows off Eilish’s range and the sincerity of her vocals. The third single, “bury a friend,” excited everyone as the first verse read, “When we all fall asleep, where do we go?” as if to remind us the series of hits
were the crumbs leading up to the entire cake. The accompanying video to the track frightens anyone who does not know, and even those of us who do know, Eilish’s style of visuals. Dressed in white, asylum-like clothes, we see gloved hands aggressively yank and touch Eilish to the steady beat, and these same hands shove enough needles in her body to cover the entire upper half of her back as she contorts her body to the rhythm. “Wish you were gay” was the last single to be released just less than a month ahead of the album’s release date, and Eilish selfishly explains in the pop song she would rather be rejected because, “To spare my pride/To give your lack of interest an explanation/Don’t say I’m not your type/Just say I’m not your preferred sexual orientation.” With four tracks leaving us drooling in anticipation, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP” satisfied the craving we experienced for so long – and Eilish was drooling a little, too. “!!!!!!!” opens the album with Eilish slurping, “I have taken out my Invisalign and
this is the album,” followed by hysterical laughter. The opener reminds us Eilish is still a teenager and refuses to take herself seriously at all times. The same reminder returns in “my strange addiction” as vocal snippets from The Office sneak into the lyrics. “Bad guy” stole the limelight from “you should see me in a crown,” and joined the top four of the album. Eilish shifts sounds toward the last minute of the track with a bass drop and whispers through our headphones. “Listen before I go” mirrors the ballad heard earlier in “when the party’s over,” and “i love you” continues the somber mood from the previous track. Eilish’s voice builds in the chorus to showcase crisp, flawless vocals before breaking to the next verse. The ukulele strumming in “8” is a sound we can’t help but bop our heads and snap to and eventually tap our foot to the bass drum. Eilish’s voice resembles that of a child at times throughout the track. Juxtaposing her typical childlike, soft sound, the heavy bass in the chorus of “xanny” distorts Eilish’s voice to mim-
ic a growling monster while expressing her opposition to a topic covered extensively in today’s music. The song itself imitates a high with a slow, sluggish tempo change. “All the good girls go to hell” possesses more of a pop sound than the other songs on the album, but also shares the distorted voice of “xanny.” Eilish barely speaks above a whisper when “ilomilo” begins and hints of electronic beats that mimic stutters surface before the tempo picks up in the second verse. The lullaby-like piano of the track complements Eilish’s soft tone. “Goodbye” is a somber send off with an array of lyrics to the hits of the album, and if you’re smart, the repeat button will be highlighted, and the album can start all over again. Critics and fans held Eilish to a high standard after the successes from her short career, and she fell nothing short of incredible. Our attention is secured on the soft-spoken artist accompanied by grotesque visuals and dark lyrics – even when we fall asleep. Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
OPINIONS
A satirical take on university’s USG Reps once again opposes transparency By Mick Stinelli Columnist
After a contentious election for the United Student Government’s (USG) new president, many Point Park students were stunned by the lengths candidates went to discredit each other. On Monday, senators and the executive cabinet returned for another legislative session. When the day’s business was concluded, and the floor was open for comments, Senator Jake Berlin, a USG presidential candidate, spoke up. “I’d like to propose a resolution to guarantee more transparency from this legislative body,” Berlin said. Vice President Brittany Arp, who opposed Berlin in the election, audibly sighed. “What would you like to propose, Senator Berlin?” she asked. Berlin stooped under his desk and scrounged through his backpack. He produced a gallon jug filled with a white, soupy mixture. “I propose we douse ourselves in this solution in order to become fully translucent,” he said. “I want this legislative body to be completely see-through. Nothing to hide.” “I don’t think that would be appropriate...or safe,” President Kaylee Kearns said, staring at the jug. “You’ll see,” Berlin said, rubbing his hands together
and cackling. “When I’m in charge of this place, we’ll have skin like glass. I’m talking organs, people - all out there to be seen.” “I think what the students want most of all is for us to just get along and get something done,” Dennis McDermott, a freshman senator, said. “Have you seen my campaign video?” Berlin asked. “Has everyone here seen my campaign video?” He was met with nods from the legislative body, but stood anyways, climbing on top of the table. “I’ll reenact it here, watch.” he said. “Senator Berlin, I think we have all seen your campaign video,” Kearns cut in. “The campaign is over now and we are all waiting on the results.” Berlin whirled around, digging through his backpack again, this time producing the tiniest megaphone you have ever seen. “I hope the wonderful, trustworthy student media - the beautiful media, very beautiful and wonderful - is watching this!” he shouted into the tiny megaphone, climbing back onto the table. “My name is Jake Berlin, and I am announcing my re-election campaign for USG President!” “My god,” Arp muttered under her breath. As the senators sat in stunned silence, Dean of Student Life Michael Giese-
ke stood up to try and put the meeting back on track. “I think this could be a great learning experience for everyone, and I hope we can, maybe, turn this into an educational opportunity,” he said. “This isn’t a government,” Berlin replied. “It’s a circus, and I’m the ringleader!” He then pulled a red clown nose out of his pocket and put it on. “Wouldn’t the nose make you the clown?” Arp asked. “I’m the ringleader and the clown,” Berlin said. “I’m also the lion.” It took several more minutes for Berlin to sit down. Once order was restored, the resolution to turn the members of USG translucent failed, with only Berlin voting in favor. “Guess you’re all too afraid to be translucent with your fellow students,” Berlin said before dousing himself in his homemade concoction. He was quickly rushed to the hospital to be treated for chemical burns. I was personally shocked by Berlin’s behavior. After the meeting, I tried to ask his friends if the campaign had gotten to his head, but they interrupted me, constantly asking, “Have you seen his campaign video?” over and over again.
Mick Stinelli mfstine@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
GL BE’S POINT
THE
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019
Students prepare for an onslaught of final exams, sweet summertime The old cliché says April showers bring May flowers. The dreary, grey skies of April, or any month when you live in Pittsburgh, bring the beauty of freshly bloomed flowers come May. It’s the last month of the spring semester, Pioneers. In three weeks, we will all be in the midst of finals week. In just under four weeks, the seniors will have finally crossed the intersection at the corner of Real and World. It’s crunch time. Professors will schedule the last of their course’s quizzes and exams and possibly offer opportunities for bonus points, and students will stay up late finishing final projects and assignments and studying for final exams. April possesses the potential to give us a number of headaches, tears and sleepless nights, but May promises the beauty of sweet summertime with zero worry about classes and homework - unless enrollment in a summer course awaits. Nonetheless, the months ahead will ease the mind of every Pioneer who
has been working hard toward a degree this past semester. We are about to catch our final wind to end the semester on a high note and enjoy a long-awaited summer break. The work ethic of most college students is underrated at times. College students are some of the most hard-working and dedicated individuals who juggle school, possibly a part-time or full-time job and a social life. In the midst of the chaos that is our schedule, we still manage to make time to eat, call mom and dad, wash clothes, go to the gym or whatever else may be of importance on our to-do list. We certainly aren’t masters of balance at all hours of the day, but we college students deserve some kudos. We are inches away from the finish line. Four months of hard work is about to result in four months off, and we don’t know about you all, but The Globe is pretty excited for those May flowers.
The Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu
Student addresses flaws of EBSCO, what Point Park can change By Amy Philips-Haller For the Globe
Insist on anonymity. Demand it. Privacy shouldn’t be a novel idea. Our university should lead the charge for academic integrity by protecting the privacy of students. Currently, any student who attempts to access library resources off-campus must consent to the library database (EBSCO) terms of privacy to have full access. The problem? A student will not have complete anonymity. Only on-campus patrons enjoy that freedom. This prevents the commuter population from equitable access. The American Library Association is one of the largest and most active First Amendment advocacy groups. Its Equity of Access statement reads: “Equity of access means that all people have the information they need—regardless of age, education, ethnicity, language, income, physical limitations or geographic barriers. It means they are able to obtain information in a variety of formats—electronic, as
well as print. It also means they are free to exercise their right to know without fear of censorship or reprisal.” That said, the EBSCO terms of privacy break down to nearly 4,000 words, and approximately nine pages. For example, the small print reads: “[We collect] information that identifies you as an individual or relates to an identifiable individual, including: name, title, date of birth, unique identifier (e.g., account number), company name, job function, expertise, postal address, telephone number, email address, credit card information, geolocation, certain device information, and IP address. If you submit any Personal Information relating to other people to us or to our service providers in connection with our Services, you represent that you have the authority to do so and to permit us to use the information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.” This is vastly different than the simple message EBSCO conveys when one provides consent. Scott Klebe,
a media contact at EBSCO, wrote in an email, “…You individually authenticate to us with a user ID and password. We will prompt you to do this before offering features that require us to store information about you, such as: save something to a folder, store a search, take notes on a content item.” Remember, one can always opt out, but then full-access is denied. The good news? EBSCO spokesperson Klebe also wrote that no information is sold, and the company’s servers are in the United States. Okay. Great. Search information, histories, and data are not sold. But what is to stop a federal prosecutor from going after EBSCO records in the name of national security? Enter the unsung heroes. In 2005, four librarians took the United States government to court after the FBI requested online patron records using a national security letter. The ACLU website reads: “With national security letters, the FBI can compile
vast dossiers about innocent people and obtain sensitive information such as the web sites a person visits, a list of e-mail addresses with which a person has corresponded, or even unmask the identity of a person who has posted anonymous speech on a political website. The provision also allows the FBI to forbid or “gag” anyone who receives an NSL from telling anyone about the record demand.” These requests for information do not require any court review or approval. Violation of the gag order is a criminal act. The librarians were forced to remain silent, but they fought back in the name of intellectual freedom. With the aid of the ACLU, a federal court ruled in their favor in Sept. 2006. The court concluded the gag order violated the librarians First Amendment rights. The government withdrew the gag order and its demand for records. But what if the government no longer must go to the library to check out information? Would EBSCO take a stand to preserve our intellectual freedom? Can they?
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation—a non-profit advocacy group defending civil liberties in the digital world—national security letters continue to be a government surveillance tool that has a stronghold on tech companies. Student commuters are vulnerable to a technicality. EBSCO can’t authenticate their at-home IP address as part of the university, so the users must identify themselves, according to Klebe. This does not align with the ALA’s Equity of Access. The off-campus use of EBSCO is a breeding ground for self-censorship. It threatens academic growth, and democracy. Demand that Point Park University find an alternative for off-campus patrons, so that we can choose to remain anonymous, and exercise the same intellectual freedoms as on-campus students. Point Park Administrators, it falls on you to preserve academic prosperity. Do your job.
Amy Philips-Haller
aphili@pointpark.edu
Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Carley Bonk Editor-Elect: Dara Collins Business Manager: Cortnie Phillips Faculty Adviser: Christopher Rolinson Administrative Adviser: Dean Keith Paylo The Globe board consists of Carley Bonk, Dara Collins and fellow editors. Opinion articles, letters to the editor, columns and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the position of the newspaper or editorial board. The Globe reserves the right to refuse advertising and edit all submitted articles and letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed and include author’s contact information. The Globe offices are located at the corner of Wood Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard. Writers should address letters to:
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SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
All In with Allison By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist
Tarr on the Rubber
Katie Tarr may be a junior, but the 6-foot-1 pitcher from Burgettstown has been showing that her talent ages like a fine wine. In just 12 games played this season, 11 of which were starts, Tarr has already racked up 110 total strikeouts. Last year, Tarr totaled 120 strikeouts over 20 games played. That is just ten less strikeouts than last year in only 1.2 less innings pitched when you break it down. After watching a few games and talking to some of Tarr’s teammates, it is clear that she brings a lot of life to the team - both in terms of play and in the dugout. Of course, this was most apparent to me in her choice of walkout song: “Big Poppa” by The Notorious B.I.G. “Katie [Tarr] is such a dominating pitcher, easily one of the best in the conference,” senior catcher Delaney Baumis said. “She is such a key factor on our
team and for our wins. She is always willing to do what needs to be done, like coming in to close a game just to start the next game. She is such a great pitcher to work with and I truly cannot say enough about her.” Between Tarr and seniors Ashley Iagnemma and Tiffany Edwards, they have a combined earned run average of 2.69 overall and 2.12 in conference play. With 182 total strikeouts combined by the trifecta, the Point Park pitching staff ranks ninth among the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I in total batters struck out. Tarr and the rest of the pitching staff are holding down the fort - now if they can get their offense going, we’d have a great team on our hands.
Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu
Robert Berger | Point Park Athletics Junior Katie Tarr delivers a pitch last weekend against Cincinnati Christian University. She picked up a career-high 15 strikeouts in the contest.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019
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Softball sweeps weekend Team improves conference record to 5-3 By Robert Berger Co-Sports Editor
The softball team was victorious in two conference series this past weekend at home, sweeping both Ohio Christian University and Cincinnati Christian University in a pair of two game series. Thursday afternoon, Point Park got the win in game one with a 9-8 final score. Senior pitcher Ashley Iagnemma was on the mound and threw a complete game, allowing four earned runs. With Point Park trailing 6-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth, the team made their first offensive strikes scoring two runs off a tworun home run by freshman Hailey Leitner. Point Park would continue the rally in the following inning by having six runs cross the plate. This effort included sophomore Maddie Horn knocking a single to right to score the first run of the inning. Point Park picked up their six runs on six hits with the Ohio Christian defense committing two errors. Point Park picked up their final run in the bottom of the sixth inning after sophomore Courtney Blocher hit a sacrifice fly to center-field, scoring Horn. Horn reached previously on a triple to right field. Point Parked picked up their second win by outscoring Ohio Christian 4-0 in seven innings. Junior Katie Tarr pitched a complete game shutout, and racked up 13 strikeouts in the process. The Ohio Christian offense only picked up five hits through the contest. On the offensive side, the Pioneers picked up all their runs in the bottom of the third inning with two outs against them. Hailey Leitner doubled to left-field which scored,
Robert Berger | Point Park Athletics Shannon Davis hits a line drive in a 2018 game. Through 16 games, the right-fielder has picked up four RBIs.
freshman Taylor Goldstrohm, Horn, and Blocher. Senior Shannon Davis drove the next run in on a single to right. The following day, Point Park was back at their home field picking up a pair of wins against Cincinnati Christian University. In game one, Point Park was victorious 3-2. Horn scored all three runs in the contest, and the lead-off hitter walked in the first, stole second, and came home on two straight ground outs. The following run came with Horn being knocked home on a single to the outfield by Goldstrohm. The third run for Point Park occurred in the fifth after Blocher tripled and scored Horn once again. Iagnemma made quick work of the Eagles and took a shutout into the seventh inning. She set down 12 of the first 14 batters she faced through the first five innings. Cincinnati made comeback efforts in the seventh inning after a homerun and a pair of doubles by the offense. Tarr was brought in to finish the game and pick up the final out. The final Point Park win
featured a 4-1 score with Tarr again pitching a complete game. She totaled a career-high 15 strikeouts in the contest and set down eight of the nine batters in the Cincinnati lineup on strikes. Point Park took control early, picking up three runs in the third inning. This began with a two-run home run as the second batter of the inning. Before the inning was over, another run was picked up with senior Tiffany Edwards hitting a sacrifice fly to score Blocher. Point Park only allowed one run, coming in the seventh inning with two outs. Tarr gave up a home run off the bat of Cincinnati Christian’s Dawn Scribben. After the weekend sweep, the team improved their conference record to 5-3, boosting them to third place in the conference standings. Point Park will continue conference play this coming weekend in Kentucky taking on Asbury University and Midway University in a pair of conference double-headers.
Robert Berger raberge@pointpark.edu
Men’s track places third at Bethany By Robert Berger Co-Sports Editor
The men’s track and field team placed third last Saturday while competing at the Bethany Invitational meet, highlighted by four event wins resulting in a team score of 89 points. Breaking his own school record while competing in the 1500 meter event was junior Xavier Stephens with a finishing time of 4 minutes, 0.82 seconds. This was the second time Stephens broke a record in this event. On the day, Stephens also competed in the 5,000 meter race and claimed a personal-best time at 16 minutes, 5.42 seconds. Another event win for the Pioneers came at the hands of senior Michael Morris while competing in the high jump. Morris cleared a season best height of 1.97 meters. This comes a week after Morris took first place last week competing at Carnegie Mellon University. Junior Chance Callahan also picked a win for Point Park. This time in the long jump, which resulted in a season best 6.60 meter jump. Callahan also competed in the triple jump and placed second with a leap of 14.03 meters. The women’s team also competed at Bethany over the weekend and saw nine athletes claim top-10 finishes. This included sopho-
more Reba Bartram winning the 800 meter race. Bartram claimed her win with a time of 2 minutes, 16.87 seconds which was a personal record in the event. She won the race by eight seconds, and was just .87 seconds shy of qualifying for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship meet. Freshman Nia Goodman finished the high jump in fourth place with a jump of 200 meters. On the field, junior Mackenzie Mangum placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 32.99 meters.
Senior Anna Shields competed by herself at the Wooster Invitational Friday night and qualified for nationals in the 5,000 meter event. Her time of 16 minutes, 42 seconds is currently leading the NAIA for best time on the season. Last week, Shields also qualified at the national level in the 800 meter race. The team will continue their season this coming Saturday in Slippery Rock as part of the Dave Labor Invitational.
Robert Berger raberge@pointpark.edu
Robert Berger | Point Park Athletics Xavier Stephens races at Slippery Rock last year. The junior beat his own school record in the 1,500 meter last weekend with a time of 4:00.82.
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019
SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Baseball team takes 2 of 3 games against first place IU Kokomo By Robert Berger Co-Sports Editor
While continuing conference play at home this weekend, the baseball team took two games out of three while facing the first place Indiana University (IU) of Kokomo. While playing a doubleheader Thursday afternoon, Point Park picked up both wins, claiming a 3-2 victory in game one and a 12-0 win in the second. The team dropped the third game 10-1 Friday while playing at Kelly Automotive Park due to their home field at Green Tree Park unfit due to heavy rains that came over night. Game one came down to the wire, with sophomore Luis Mujica pulling threw
with late game heroics in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Mujica blooped a single to shallow right-field. Junior Julio Creazzola scored easily from third. Junior Antonio Carrillo followed on the basepath, and slid under the tag on a play at the plate to give Point Park the winning run in walk off fashion. Point Park’s first scoring effort in the contest came in the bottom of the fifth inning while scoring a run without securing a hit in the inning. On the inning IU Kokomo hit three batters and walked anther, allowing a run to cross the plate. Otherwise, IU Kokomo’s pitching held up, al-
Robert Berger | Point Park Athletics Senior Felix Castillo pitched for six innings against IU Kokomo in game one this past weekend. Castillo only gave up two hits through his outing.
lowing just eight Pioneer hits throughout. On the hill for Point Park was senior Felix Castillo. He threw for six innings, only giving up two hits and two runs, one off a double in the first inning, and the second on a homerun that came in the seventh. Otherwise, Castillo made quick work of the IU Kokomo offense, sitting down 16 of 18 batters he faced after giving up the first run. Junior Ryan Huber pitched in relief of Castillo, closing out the remaining three innings. Huber ended the game with three strikeouts and just one hit allowed. While the game winning run in game two came in the third inning for Point Park, the 11 run fifth inning was the highlight of the day for the Pioneers. Point Park got on the board early in the third inning. Senior Yuri Sucart singled to right-center field, which brought senior Jake Forgrave across the plate to take a 1-0 lead. The lead remained one until the fifth inning, when the Pioneers totaled 11 more runs. Point Park did so on seven hits and five base-onballs. 16 batters made it to the plate during this inning. Highlights of the inning include a two-run double by junior Cole Horew, followed by a two-run single by Carillo. Sophomore Alejandro Pelaez would later clear the bases on a three-run triple. For Point Park, Junior pitcher Marco Quintanar went the distance, throwing all seven innings, while allowing just four hits and one walk. Point Park held up defensively during both games of the double-header committing just one error in each contest. This was an improvement from last week after the team committed seven fielding mistakes in a doubleheader
Robert Berger | Point Park Athletics Senior Nick Bucci pitches in a 2018 game. Through six starts this season, Bucci leads the team with a 1.37 ERA through 26.1 innings pitched. He allowed five runs through 4.2 innings against IU Kokomo last weekend.
against River States Conference opponent Indiana University (IU) Southeast. Early Friday morning, the Pioneer squad was back at their home field for game three, but had the task of preparing the field after the overnight rain. After hours of field work, the efforts went to no avail and the game was moved last minute to a turf backup field of Kelly Automotive Park in Butler County. While the team was first to strike while picking up a run in the third inning, fielding mistakes that were prevalent during last week’s series returned and the team made four costly errors. Senior pitcher Nick Bucci got the start and lasted 4.2 innings. Bucci allowed just three hits and racked up five strikeouts, but gave up five runs. However, only two of these runs were earned due to a wild throw in the infield with two outs that forced the inning to continue on. Junior Ruben Ramirez was the first to come in as relief for the Pioneers and lasted 2.2 innings, and
allowing no runs. Huber pitched the remaining 1.2 innings, but would first give up five runs before the game was over. After this outing, Huber dropped to second place overall in the River States Conference earned run average totals. Through 31 innings pitched, his ERA stands at 2.32. While the lead was still within reach, the Pioneer offense were unable to make the most of offensive opportunities, including having the bases loaded with no outs in the third inning. The offense left 13 men on base on the day. After the weekend, Point Park holds a 15-13 overall record and are 8-7 in conference play. The team now sits in a tie for fourth place with Midway University in the River States Conference standings. The team will be back in action at home this coming weekend as the take on Brescia University in a three game series at their home field at Green Tree Park.
Robert Berger raberge@pointpark.edu
Panel discussion highlights the rise of Esports By Emma Christley For The Globe
Last Tuesday, the Sports, Arts, and Entertainment (SAEM) Club hosted their annual Emerging Trends conference, emphasizing the future of Esports and highlighting the ticket industry of the other three professional sports leagues found in the city of Pittsburgh. With sessions featuring keynote speaker and CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Len Komoroski, an emphasis on Esports and the future of the sports industry in regards to the growing digital age was prevalent. Other sessions included a panel offering a crash course on the growing of Esports that featured students and industry leaders. Following was a second panel held by ticketing representatives from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers and Penguins. Pittsburgh native Komorski spoke to students about the economic impact QuickenLoans Arena, also known as The Q, has on the city of Cleveland. According to Komoroski, between the 200 ticketed events and 1,400 private events, two million patrons were brought through their doors in 2017. Komoroski said The Q is the largest
driver of economic activity in Cuyahoga County, Oh. Komoroski cites $177 million in direct spending was brought into the city and $47 million in state and local taxes. In addition, the arena provides 2,500 jobs to local residents and The Q has been a huge driver of development and innovation in Cleveland’s downtown area. Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert, also owns several properties in the Downtown Cleveland market and is looking to continue to update and renovate these properties. Gilbert is also putting $6 million into removing blighted homes from the area. This makes him one of the few franchise owners to put a heavy focus on community engagement. With all of the renovation planned for The Q in the upcoming year, which Komoroski detailed to students, the arena has also become a great source of pride for Clevelanders. A study held in 2012 by Destination Cleveland found that only 34% of Cleveland residents would recommend the city to a friend for tourism or hosting a conference. Following the 2016 Cavaliers championship win and the hosting of the Republican National Convention, when polled in
2017, the percentage of Cleveland residents that would recommend the city to a friend grew to 77 %. “This industry can move cities and lift cities up better than anything I’ve ever seen,” Komoroski said to students before opening the floor for questions. Earlier in the day, a panel was held that featured speakers such as Halina Malik, the manager of Content and Marketing for the Cavs Legion 2K Esports team; Matt Roche, Corporate and Strategic Partnerships Manager with the Pittsburgh’s own Esports team, the Pittsburgh Knights; and Steven Spohn, the Chief Operations Officer with Ablegamers. The panelists were also joined by Marcyssa Brown and Matt Whitaker, two Rowland School of Business students and Steve Tanzilli, Dean of Rowland School of Business, who moderated the panel. Earlier in the day, a panel discussion that featured the speakers of manager of content and marketing of the Cavaliers Legion 2k Esports team, Malik, corporate and strategic partnership manager for the Pittsburgh Knights, Roche and chief operations officer of Ablegamers, Spohn. Moderating the panel was Rowland School of
Business students, Marcyssa Brown and Matt Whitaker along with Tanzilli. Some topics discussed in the panel were the challenges these professionals have overcome in working in such a new sport and the excitement surrounding the expected growth and development of Esports. The panelists also discussed the role Point Park will play in Pittsburgh’s first ever Esports tournament that is slated to occur this May. The final session of the day was a panel featuring speakers of Doug Vanderheyden, director of ticket operations with the Pittsburgh Pirates; Kristen Lewandowski, director of ticket and premium seating sales and retention with the Pittsburgh Steelers; and Danny Gardner, manager of database marketing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ashley Ranich, who is a senior marketing services specialist with ShowClix served as moderator for this panel. With a big push away from paper tickets and toward mobile ticketing, the panelists discussed how each of their respective teams are working on making the transition to exclusively mobile tickets. Expecting mobile ticketing and apps to be-
come the norm for the future of live sporting events, the panelists discussed positives and negatives of this growing trend. They also discussed new and better ways to implement this in their individual venues. “With this only being the second year, we can already see [the Emerging Trends event’s] success growing: increasing our number of external attendees and even partnering with local high schools during the morning Esports session,” Jessica Martin, a graduate assistant in the SAEM department who helped plan the event said. Students shared takeaways upon the conclusion of the event. “One of my major takeaways from the event is that I never really saw myself going into sports, but I have recently found myself leaning more toward sports-related opportunities and to hear what Kristen [Lewandowski] had to say about her journey switching from journalism into sports really hit home,” Jocelyn Bankson, sophomore SAEM student said.
Emma Christley eechris@pointpark.edu