Point Park Globe Spring 2019 Issue 1

IN THIS ISSUE: PAGE

@PPUGlobe January 9, 2019

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Amanda Myers reviewed big winners at the 2019 Golden Globes Editor-in-Chief Carley Bonk reflects on her past three years at The Globe Over a dozen freshman have been added to Track & Field’s roster ppuglobe.com

Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967

Issue 1

PRO GUN ENTHUSIASTS EXERCISE Student loan debt: SECOND AMENDEMENT RIGHTS A never ending cycle

By Dara Collins Editor-Elect

Jared Murphy| The Globe

A man waves a ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ flag during a gun control protest outside of the City-Council Building. A package on local-level gun control proposed by Mayor Bill Peduto and City Council drew hundreds enthusiasts to protest on Monday.

USG holds first meeting USG

By Andrew Brinker Co-News Editor

United Student Government (USG) introduced Point Park’s new Director of Title IX, Vanessa Love, in the first legislative body meeting of the new year on Monday.

The new hire comes after the University’s former coordinator, Elizabeth Rosemeyer, announced that she would head up the Title IX office at Carnegie Mellon University in October.

Before starting at Point Park, Love worked for the Community College of Allegheny County as a Civil Rights investigator and has a background in law.

According to Love, Title IX covers “sexual misconduct and gender discrimination” at the University.

Love informed the legislative body that the University could expect changes

in Title IX policy to be announced at the end of January, but that the office could not yet discuss specifics.

Following Love’s introduction, USG wrapped up the meeting promptly.

The body briefly touched on potential guests for future meetings including University President Paul Hennigan, while Dean of Students Keith Paylo recommended the body meet with Point Park Chief of Police Jeffrey Besong to discuss recent changes in desk attendant policy.

Additionally, Treasurer Kortney Lampel informed the body that budget proceedings advanced as expected over break.

A matter-of-fact meeting provided significant contrast to last semester when President Kearns faced censure proceedings in the first legislative body meeting of the school year.

Andrew Brinker anbrink@pointpark.edu

Graduate student Dani McSweeney does not pay a dime as she attends Point Park University to receive her master’s degree. However, a mound of student loan debt still awaits her from the loans she used while working toward her undergraduate degree.

Alum Lauren Ortego’s parents told her to not worry about the cost of an education when looking at universities.

As her first student loan payment appeared last month, she questions if she would have considered pursuing higher education in the first place.

No two students at Point Park have the same financial situation, but 97-98% of the student population receive some type of financial aid, according to Director of Financial Aid George Santucci.

Although the university attempts to help every student financially, every student will accumulate some amount of student loan debt.

“It is kind of sickening the debt you put yourself in just trying to get a four-year degree,” McSweeney said.

For a four-year undergraduate degree at Point Park University, the 2018-19 yearly costs are $29,980 for the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Communication and Education and $38,220 for the Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA).

Point Park University students received more than $95 million in financial aid during the 2016-17 academic year, and the average student from the class of 2017 owes nearly

$20,000 in federal student loan debt. Many students utilize various types of financial aid and recognize the $1 trillion student loan debt crisis will include them in the near future.

In fact, student loan debt has climbed past $1 trillion in recent years, according to Salem Press Encyclopedia. In 2014, total student loan debt increased by $31 billion to reach $1.1 trillion. The trend continued as the total debt climbed to $1.4 trillion in 2017.

According to the article, Managing Student Loans in a Changing Landscape, by Adam S. Minsky, J.D. one of the nation’s leading experts on student debt, student loan debt is the second largest type of consumer debt. This leads students to look for various types of aid as well as resources other than loans to earn money.

Financial Aid at Point Park Santucci said the first thing students need to complete for financial aid consideration is their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“We can’t do anything until you fill out your FAFSA,” Santucci said.

Students could begin filling out their FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2018, for the upcoming academic year, and it is due on May 1, 2019.

The FAFSA will inform the Financial Aid Office if a student qualifies for the Federal Pell Grant, and, if the student is a Pennsylvania resident.

The FAFSA also determines if

LOANS page 3

Professor reinstated following closed Title IX investigation

By Sarah Gibson Copy Desk Chief

Following a Title IX investigation held last October over controversial classroom comments, Dr. Channa Newman has been fully reinstated as both a faculty member and chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“She’s always been very controversial in class,” a student source that would like to remain anonymous in concern for taking future classes with Newman recalled. “In class she takes time to promote her own personal beliefs and agenda regardless of the actual class topic.”

The situation, described by said student, began when Newman began discussing the “Me Too” movement in class. Newman expressed a distaste for the movement.

Her students reacted by try-

ing to explain the purpose of the movement and explained that it gave the people who believed in it hope. Newman responded by saying that it was a “false hope.”

One student in the class spoke up to say as a rape victim, it gave them hope. Newman reiterated her previous statement, telling the student that the hope the “Me Too” movement gave them was false hope.

While the events of the incident happened on Oct. 4, it was not reported to Title IX until Oct. 9. On Oct. 16, students in Newman’s classes received an email from Assistant Provost Jonas Prida telling students that Newman’s classes had been cancelled. However, all three classes Newman had been teaching at the time were able to be covered either by Prida or other staff members.

“When we sent the first

email out, we had no idea when Newman was going to return,” Prida said. “I was asked to cover the courses to the best of my ability when she was put on leave.”

The Title IX office declined to comment about this specific case for confidentiality reasons. However, according to Dr. James Thomas, associate provost and judicator for Title IX, the process is fairly simple.

When a Title IX complaint is filed and officially submitted to the Title IX office, a group of people investigate the incident by gathering interviews and talking to those involved and writing a document that is sent to the judicator, which in this case, is Thomas. The judicator reviews the documents submitted and then determines if there was or was not an offense.

INVESTIGATION page 2

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Point Park

GLOBE

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

Obituary Joshua Koch Joshua Koch, 31, of Pittsburgh, passed on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, according to a bereavement notice sent by Dean Keith Paylo on Dec. 13.

“It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of one of our students, Joshua Koch,” the email read. “Josh was a junior at Point Park University studying sports, arts and entertainment management and will be missed by all those who knew him.”

Koch was the son of Judith (Robert) Koch and Edward Koch. He was born on Dec. 28, 1986, in Presque Isle, Maine, according to RJ Slater IV Funeral Home & Cremation Service in New Kensington, PA. A private service was held for close friends and family.

from INVESTIGATION page 1 “We have a lot of information that comes to me and I deliberate,” Thomas said.

“I look at all the information.

I go back through our Title IX policy and try and determine. This report doesn’t tell me, ‘Is there an offense or isn’t there an offense?’ It’s just, ‘Here are what people have told us’.”

Thomas explained that when both parties receive the verdict of a Title IX investigation, it is provided with instructions on how to appeal the case if they are still unhappy.

“Both sides have an opportunity to appeal,” Thomas said. “There’s usually one level of appeal for this.”

Both parties are given 10 days after the verdict to decide if they would want an appeal and to start the process.

“I think that’s fairly standard,” Thomas said.

“You have a standard period of time to make a decision if you agree with what was concluded or not. In reviewing the process and reviewing other policies, we decided 10 days seems like a reasonable amount.”

The investigation has

NEWS also interfered with the schedules of students. One mandatory class for those in the Global Cultural Studies program is titled “Wealthy White Males”, and is taught exclusively by Newman. In Newman’s absence, students were given the option of taking a different course to substitute “Wealthy White Males.” Once Newman was reinstated, university staff told the students that because it was returning, students were heavily encouraged to take it, and that it was still a requirement.

“I was offered something else. Now they’re saying I have to take this class or I won’t graduate.” One anonymous student source said.

Prida explained the rationale behind having a substitute class available was rooted in the fact that nobody knew when Newman was going to return.

“We didn’t want those students to be caught in the situation of ‘Oh no, what do I do?’,” Prida said. Prida went on to say that now that Newman was reinstated, “Wealthy White Males” would be returning as a class, and because it was a requirement, it could no longer be substituted by any

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY other class.

The anonymous student source further described the class in which the incident happened in as being unconventional.

“It was supposed to meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, but we only met on Thursdays because she scheduled another class at that same time, so she decided to meet with one class on Tuesdays and one class on Thursdays,” the student said.

The student noted that they paid the same amount of money for that class that they would if the class had actually been held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at the time of their interview on Wednesday, Jan. 2, none of their grades for the class had been posted.

When asked about how they felt about Newman teaching classes at Point Park again, students said their outlook was dim.

“Whenever the election was happening [...] she was taking class time to talk about why she was voting for Donald Trump,” the student said. “It was not appropriate to talk about politics in a French class. I honestly didn’t learn very much in that class. She shouldn’t al-

lowed to be the head of the department. She shouldn’t be allowed to teach here, honestly, because she’s not teaching anyone anything.”

They further expressed their distaste with how the university handled the situation at the close of their interview.

“The way the university has handled this has made a lot of students feel like they don’t matter,” the student said. “Myself and a lot of other students feel as if we have been cheated out of our money because we barely learned anything.”

Prida, who empathized with students on the situation, stressed in his interview how important students are in these situations.

“It sounds corny, but it’s true, it’s ultimately about serving the students,” Prida said. “That’s fundamentally who we’re here for. I can understand why students don’t necessarily feel like they were well served in this situation.”

The Globe reached out to Newman, who declined to comment on the situation.

Sarah Gibson sagibso@pointpark.edu

ARMED PROTESTERS RALLY OUTSIDE CITY-COUNTY BUILDING

Hundreds of gun enthusiasts from across Pennsylvania came to Pittsburgh on Monday afternoon to rally for gun rights in the city. In mid-December Mayor Bill Peduto and members of City Council proposed a package of local-level gun control measures inspired by the mass shooting that occured at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill on Oct. 27. The proposed package would ban assault weapons, prohibit bump stocks and large capacity magazines. It would also allow the courts to confiscate firearms from a person deemed an “extreme risk.”

Top left: Gracey Evans | The Globe Top right: Katie Williams | The Globe Bottom right: Gracey Evans | The Globe

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

NEWS

from LOANS page 1 a student can receive the Pa. State Grant. Grants are money awarded that do not need to be paid back.

For the current academic year, the maximum award for full-time students for the Federal Pell Grant is $6,095, and the maximum for the Pa. State Grant is $4,122.

After the FAFSA is filled out, students have a number of options for additional financial aid. The Admissions Department determines a student’s eligibility for the university’s scholarships, and Point Park’s website dedicates pages to explain the scholarships offered by the university for various departments.

New scholarship amounts have surfaced for the 20192020 academic year. Every freshmen receives some type of award based on academic performance or an audition in COPA, according to Santucci.

The academic scholarships awarded to incoming students stay with the student until they graduate.

The university website also details private scholarships students can apply for if Point Park does not meet the financial need of students.

Ortego believes she received a decent amount of aid despite the high cost for a private university.

“I’m not sure if [the cost is] Point Park’s fault or the fault of education costs in the country or the government or what, but I think I got pretty lucky with the aid I received both through the school and otherwise,” Ortego said.

Following the FAFSA and university-awarded scholarships, additional money is limited, according to Santucci.

Federal student loans are capped at a maximum for every year a student is in school.

The maximum is $5,500 for freshmen, $6,500 for sophomores and $7,500 for juniors and seniors.

“For each level that you’re here, there’s a maximum that I can award you,” Santucci said.

“I cannot go over that maximum, and that’s a way that they tried to keep the loan debt down, by not allowing a student to come in and just capitalize or say ‘I need $10,000 every year.’”

If that amount is not enough for the cost of education, the student’s parent can go through an approval process for a Parent Plus Loan based on the parent’s income. The maximums for this loan are significantly higher and can even total the remaining amount of the cost of education.

If the parent is not approved for the Parent Plus Loan, a student can borrow an extra $4,000 in an unsubsidized loan, which accrues interest while a student attends school.

Unsubsidized loans can put a student in more debt than they originally planned due to the accumulating interest.

“In the end, I’ll be paying over $100,000 back,” Ortego said. “My loans added up are only around $40,000. Isn’t that insane?”

After federal loans, private alternative loans from local lenders such as local banks become an option.

Work study remains another option for students who qualify. However, the student directly receives the money rather than subtracting the amount from existing tuition.

An option that the university does not publicly advertise is filing a financial appeal.

When a dramatic financial shift occurs within a student’s

Dara Collins| The Globe

family, a student can request more money through Point Park’s Appeals Fund.

The FAFSA uses information from two years prior, and a lot can change in two years, according to Santucci. A family can experience a financial shift due to unemployment, loss of a family member, etc.

“Give us the paperwork,” Santucci said. “Give us the numbers. We’ll use those numbers to see if you qualify, but it’s not necessarily that you’re going to qualify.”

The student can explain their situation and provide the necessary paperwork to a financial aid counselor, and the next step will be to alter the FAFSA to see if the student qualifies for the state grant or the Federal Pell Grant. Then, the appeal will be taken to a university committee to see if the student can be helped with endowment funds.

Students and their families have numerous concerns when it comes to their finances.

According to Santucci, families who believe they should qualify for certain aid believe it is the university denying them when it’s really the federal government.

Students also confuse their Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the amount they actually owe for their education. The EFC is based on the family’s income and tells the university how much a student may be assisted by their family.

Families with a lower income with social security benefits, a death in the family or single-parent families will have a 0 EFC. The cost of education minus the EFC is the financial need of the student.

The most concerning aspect of all is the actual cost of pursuing higher education.

Coins and Concerns

McSweeney graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports, arts and entertainment management (SAEM) in Dec. 2017. She now serves parttime as the Graduate Assistant for The Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing and also holds a full-time position with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“For as long as I have been in school, I was always told I ‘wasn’t going to make great money’ in the sports industry,” McSweeney said. “Now that I have a full time job, I see that

very clearly.”

She currently makes small payments on her undergraduate student loans when she is capable, but McSweeney is preparing to make changes in her daily life once she graduates.

“I think in order to ‘live comfortable’ while also paying my loans, I am going to have to cut back on a lot of things,” McSweeney said. “I already pay rent, a car payment, utilities and much more and the thought of having another $400 bill on top of that really makes a person nervous, especially when they are making less than $30,000 per year. Hopefully with a master’s degree this helps my income level, but it’s just not guaranteed.”

Ortego relates to McSweeney’s lifestyle change all too well.

“My game plan includes shopping exclusively at Aldi where everything is way cheaper, not buying as many clothes as I always have, unless there’s a really good sale, and not eating out as much, which is a habit I picked up in college,” Ortego said.

The two have a solid grasp on what they need to accomplish to keep up with student loan payments. However, inserting a student loan payment is easier said than done.

Not every student displays preparedness like McSweeney and Ortego.

Senior mass communications student Sara Flanders acquired a transfer student scholarship and university grant upon coming to Point Park, but she worries about paying off her loans as her graduation date approaches.

“Just looking at job postings now is showing me that a lot of entry level jobs require a lot but don’t have great pay,” Flanders said “I was hoping to have more money in my savings for a buffer when I graduate, but I can only work so much with school so all of my paycheck goes to everyday expenses.”

Flanders hopes to make enough money after graduation to pay more than needed every month but admits to not having much more of a plan.

Senior broadcast reporting student Nicholas Brlansky currently pays interest from time to time, although it is not a typical practice among stu-

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY, 9 2019 dents, according to Santucci.

“Repay on your loans while you can,” Santucci said.

“It could go to food and entertainment. Try and make the payments if you can.”

With graduation looming around the corner, Brlansky hopes for the same as Sayers and Flanders: make enough money to make loan payments.

“My general plan for now is to save a portion of my income from now until the sixmonth deferment is up to have a small savings for just paying off student loans,” Brlansky said. “After that I plan on inserting my loan payment into my budget.”

With so much blind hope and general plans, sophomore SAEM student Bryana Appley said it most candid when she said, “We can never really know [about our future] until it comes time.”

Appley was the first of her family to attend college, so the unknown has existed since day one. After a stressful first semester, financial advisors directed her family down a path that would work for them.

Appley’s parents help with daily necessities and other miscellaneous items, but she creates her own income working at Heinz Field and booking paid gigs to further her career in the music industry.

“Some days I am super confident in my abilities and my networking connections, and other days I just take in the difficulty of everything and realize that life isn’t always that simple,” Appley said.

The aspiring musician is only in her second year of undergrad, and like Flanders and Brlanksy, Appley hopes for a steady job to repay loans after graduation. Just as Appley stepped into the unknown of her first day, the unknown remains with every student until their first student loan bill arrives in the mailbox.

For some, that was last month.

The Corner of Real and World

76% of Point Park’s 2017 graduating class borrowed student loans. The average student from the 2017 class graduated with $19,326 in federal student loan debt. With the addition of private loans, the average debt climbed to $27,924, according to US News.

Federal student loans and private loans are deferred for six months after a student graduates from Point Park.

Then, a student has 10 years to repay the loans.

The federal government bases the payment plan on the amount the student borrowed.

For example, if a student accumulated four years-worth of federal student loans, the total would be $27,000. Santucci said the monthly payment for that amount of debt would be roughly $270 per month for 10 years.

Appley, Brlansky and Flanders know repayment is awaiting months down the road but don’t have much of a game plan yet. McSweeney recognizes the numbers she will soon have to work into her budget but also doesn’t need to fret immediately.

For recent graduates, repayment has now become a reality.

Ortego, a mass communication graduate, owed her first student loan payment on Dec. 16. Her payment will remain around $350 per month for the time being.

“I opted for a plan that will increase the payments as

3

I get older because I will, assumedly, be getting better jobs and higher paychecks,” Ortego said. “We’ll see how that works out.”

Ortego’s loans only added up to roughly $40,000, but the recent graduate said the interest is the most difficult aspect of paying back her loans. She said the end result will result in about $100,000-worth of student loan debt.

“The payment plan is for 300 months, which is 25 years,” Ortego said. “I’ll be in my late 40s when I make my final payment.”

Currently, Ortego earns money through three parttime jobs. Ortego works as a content creator and editor at Flying Cork, a digital marketing firm, a customer service representative at Giant Eagle and a freelance contributor for different publications, including the Pittsburgh City Paper and the Pittsburgh Current.

This month, she will begin her first full-time position.

Ortego claimed to be confident in her financial situation until about a month prior to her first payment.

“Then I started setting up payment plans and consolidating my loans and I even downloaded the Federal Loan app so I can see them all in one place,” Ortego said. “That’s when it set in that I may not do as well as I thought I would, despite having three-ish jobs.

I’ll basically be paying my rent twice.”

2018 broadcast reporting graduate Josh Croup experiences a similar reality as his repayment date approached in mid-December as well.

When Croup attended Point Park, the Vice-Presidential scholarship covered a “good chunk” of his tuition.

Grants and loans lessened the cost, and Croup opted to pay the remaining balance out of pocket.

“I’ll never forget the gut-wrenching feeling of writing a four-figure check,” Croup said.

His new payment may not be four figures, but it will take a significant amount of his paycheck.

“My job doesn’t pay a lot,” Croup said. “I at least had some spending money left over after my paychecks went toward living expenses. When December comes, that money all will go toward my student loan payments.”

Croup works as a morning anchor at WDTV in Bridgeport, W.VA. While he now shifts his leisure money into student loan payments, Croup also has a savings account to use in times of trouble and a support system to lean on in financial crises.

“I’m the first in my immediate family to go to college, so it’s a learning experience for us all,” Croup said. “We had no idea what we were getting into when I took out loans. Luckily, it looks like I’m not going to be as buried as I initially thought in student debt.”

Students who may not be totally buried alive in student loan debt will be crawling, slowly but surely, out of the debt grave until the balance rings zero – years from now.

Ortego’s father remains in debt and helps his daughter when he can.

“Now, he and my mom have to help out my sister and I with [our loans],” Ortego said.

“It’s crazy how cyclical student loans are. Just when you finish yours, now it’s time for your kid to go off and get their own.

It’s never-ending.”

Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

FEATURES

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Philanthropy on the rise within campus clubs

By Zoe Esperseth For The Globe

The number of helping hands is on the up and up at Point Park, rooted in the fact that more clubs are getting serious about philanthropy and giving back to the community According to Rachel Phillips, assistant coordinator of student involvement at Point Park University, more and more individuals have become interested in philanthropy.

“There’s been a lull in past years, but interest has been picking up,” Phillips said.

Students have 62 different clubs and organizations to choose from, all of them founded and run by Point Park students.

These clubs and organizations are not required to run any charitable events but are left to their own discretion.

One Point Park organization, the Pay it Forward Club, is one that focuses on community service and philanthropy.

“I served as the Vice President for roughly two semesters, and it was a rewarding experience,” junior journalism

New Studios.

New Lineup.

student Dara Collins said. “We held a a few events called ‘Bag It Forward’ where we put together hygiene bags for a local women’s shelter and lunch bags for a local homeless shelter, and we invited the student body to help us in these good deeds.”

Phillips accredits this renewed interest with incoming students having a charitable mindset when they begin their stay at Point Park.

Instead of clubs and organizations each participating in their own philanthropic interests, Phillips says that students are more likely to reach out and aid other charitable causes.

“Honor students run the Pink Feet event to benefit breast cancer research in October,” Phillips said. “Many other groups pitch in to help out.”

Margaret Davis, a senior at Point Park has been in multiple clubs and organiza-

tions during her time on campus. Davis believes that student clubs and organizations should not be required by the University to hold charitable projects.

“I think clubs and the students running them already have enough on their plate as it is.” Davis said. “I think a lot of clubs are already doing fundraisers for themselves because they’re not getting all the funding they need to operate how they would like to.”

Collins agreed Pay It Forward did not always have the resources to fulfill all the ideas the organization wished to make a reality.

“We were a small organization,” Collins said. “We had so many signatures on our sign up sheet at the organization fair, but hardly anyone showed up for the actual meetings.

I think the interest is there, but the free time isn’t. On top of that, we never received too much funding money, so we

would hold bake sales to boost our funds even just a little bit.”

Point Park administrators and professors encourage students to participate in philanthropy by making opportunities known to the students through social media, promotions and online newsletters such as the Social Scoop.

But Davis believes that the university’s staff could do more to encourage student philanthropy.

“I think Point Park could benefit from fostering a culture where students feel able and supported and encouraged enough to organize for the benefit of others, but only if the University itself is supporting those efforts,” Davis said. “For example, if the University matched student/ fundraising efforts dollar for dollar.”

Disclaimer: Dara Collins is

Zoe Esperseth zesper@pointpark.edu

THE SOUND OF

POINT PARK UNIVERSITY WPPJRadio.com

PIONEER PUBLIC Megan Fahey

By Amanda Myers Co-Features Editor

When Megan Fahey, 29, graduated from West Virginia University in 2017 with a degree in creative writing, she discovered she would have to wear a hard hat if she wanted to take the only position offered to her in the field after applying for almost 70 jobs. “[The job] required me to work in the advanced technology center, basically a trade school,” Fahey said.

“My office was supposed to be in the facade of a house so that students could work on aluminum siding and do underground wiring stuff, and I would’ve had to worn a hard hat to work every day. So this is a little bit different.”

When Fahey realized she wasn’t fit for the jobs she was applying for, she began to look for other ways

she could impact the lives of college students by using her skills. That’s when Fahey discovered an open position at Point Park for a Center for Inclusive Excellence coordinator.

The center was previously known as the Center for Teaching Excellence before switching its title and focusing more on diversified learning and the idea of inclusivity in the classroom when it changed in August of 2017.

This semester, Fahey steps into her role as director, which she says isn’t that much of a stretch from her position as coordinator.

“A lot of the job is going to stay the same,” Fahey said. “[I was] lucky to co-create what this position is gonna be. Stuff I planted the seeds for in my coordinator position, those things will just grow.”

Those things involve initiatives like the dual and concurrent enrollment high schooling program which requires Fahey to visit high schools and do recruiting so when the students get to campus they have a resource to help them out with any issues they may have.

Fahey is also looking to involve those outside of Point Park by talking to outside members from companies like PNC so they can see what it’s like to “hire the next generation of students coming

Dara Collins | The Globe Pay It Forward’s Treasurer Nicole Lakovic (left) and President Jillian Svonavec (right) run a table at the Spring 2018 Condom Carnival. Pay It Forward is one of a number of charitable campus clubs.

out of Point Park and how inclusivity can help those students see what the next version of their job looks like.”

Another one of Fahey’s goals is making sure that people know what the office is and what they do so students can come to the office with their own ideas.

Fahey and Assistant Provost Dr. Jonas Prida attended the academic welcome at Pioneer Experience last fall where they pitched their office as those that love to plan “kooky schemes” and branded themselves as “idea people.”

This sparked student interest.

“Later on we were walking back and a new student stopped in our office and said ‘You’re the idea people,’ and then pitched us an idea for a denim drive on campus,” Fahey said.

Fahey also involved Point Park involved in the Inclusive Innovation Summit that’s going to be on campus from March 28 to March 30. She says they are looking for a push from young people, and would love to see the ideas from Point Park students.

Fahey knows that every university has their own version of a Center for Inclusive Excellence, but wants to make Point Park’s different by looking at old ideas through a new lens.

“The same story has been told for centuries so you’ve

Amanda Myers | The Globe got to figure out a way to make it new,” Fahey said.

She still gets a chance to flex her creative writing muscle by teaching a class on campus this semester and by working on writing outside of her job.

When she’s not writing,

she rocks out with Dr. Prida in a band whose style she describes as “thrash grass.”

Fahey melds her country roots with Prida’s punk background through guitar.

Amanda Myers admyers@pointpark.edu

Send suggestions to admyers@pointpark.edu or pbcomun@pointpark.edu or reach out to the Globe on our social media pages.

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

A&E

Unlikely winners dominate Golden Globes award show

By Amanda Myers Co-Features Editor

When the Oscars announced they were going to include a new popular film category to celebrate Hollywood’s biggest earners, there was such an immense wave of backlash that the Academy abandoned the idea and decided to leave that territory to, say, the MTV Movie Awards.

Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony didn’t include such a category either, but it was hard not to get the impression that blockbusters were this season’s steamroller. The top categories -- Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy -- highlighted some of 2018’s favorites with the nominations of “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Black Panther” and “A Star Is Born.”

The Lady Gaga-led film was mostly ignored, except for a deserving original song win for the chart-topping “Shallow.” While it was unlikely that Gaga or director Bradley Cooper would take home their own award, “A Star Is Born” seemed a sure candidate for Best Motion Picture - Drama in regards to blockbuster status, while “BlacKkKlansman” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” offered viable competition in the form of diversified and poignant original films.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” ended up taking home the evening’s final honor in a stunning victory in regards to the film’s rocky road to production and it’s end result, as well. The Queen/ Freddie Mercury biopic is a win for the classic rock, karaoke singing cannon, but besides Rami Malek’s spot-on betrayal of Mercury - for which he won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - there is nothing that warrants the picture this hon-

or in regards to its worthy company.

“Green Book” was another surprising feature that sneaked its way in to win Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film tells the story of the unlikely business transaction turned friendship of renowned pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali Best Supporting Actor) and bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) who is hired to protect Shirley when he tours the South in the early 60s. There have been mixed reactions to the film since its release in November with criticisms that it failed to address the larger scope of racism, but the Oscars look to be gearing up to give more praise to the “Green Book” regardless.

It would have been nice to see something more edgy like “The Favourite” or “Vice” win the honor, as they are both outlandish in their own ways, but at least each of these film’s stars left a winner. Olivia Colman gave a delightfully bashful and witty acceptance speech when she won Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for role as Queen Anne in “The Favourite,” thanking her costars Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz by lovingly calling them “bitches.”

Christian Bale’s metamorphosis into the detached, power hungry Dick Cheney payed off with him taking home the title of Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

While many may not look at “Vice” as a comedy, it’s bleakness in regards to authoritative power with the U.S. government in tandem with Bale’s performance make it an eerily obvious fit. Bale thanked the Devil and his children “Banana” and “Burrito” in his acceptance speech.

Other amazing wins were given to Regina King for Best Actress in a Sup-

porting Role for her work in “If Beale Street Could Talk” and to a gob smacked Glenn Close for Best Actress in A Motion Picture Drama for her role in “The Wife.”

Alfonso Cuaron won Best Director for the strikingly intimate “Roma,” while “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” took home Best Animated Motion Picture for its off-thewall comic book form of escapism.

Then we get to the television portion of the show.

Hosts Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh are not only two of TV’s hottest stars, but a match made in nicemeets-nice heaven.

Instead of joking about their odd pairing and dwelling on political issues, the pair gave audiences a light and enjoyable evening while avoiding the cringiness that can become complacent with such a gig.

Oh’s win for Best Performance by an Actress - Drama was a moment of sheer joy made only more impactful by her father’s beaming face in the audience. She shouted her winning show’s title “Killing Eve!” victoriously.

Patricia Arquette won Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series for her role in the Ben Stiller directed Showtime miniseries “Escape at Dannemora,” and celebrated with a bit of profanity when commenting on her character’s false teeth and by praising Stiller in her speech.

Television’s newest darling Rachel Brosnahan took home another award for her role of Midge Maisel in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series.

Alex Borstein, who plays Susie Myerson on the streaming sensation, lost to Patricia Clarkson for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

5

What’s Goin’ On? Salsa with a Rythm TWIST -Starting Thursday, Jan. 10 -9:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.

- at Olive or Twist

Arthur Murray Dance Center of Pittsburgh Film Noir: Beach Edition -Jan. 11 to Jan. 17 -1:30 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.

- at Row House Cinema

Pittsburgh’s History Dectectives: Investigating in the Archives -Jan 16.

-10:30 p.m. to 11:30 -Heinz History Center

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week -Jan. 14 to Jan 20.

-10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

-Restaurants around Pittsburgh

GAME ON

-Jan 3. to Jan. 27 -2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

-Greer Cabaret Theater

her turn in “Sharp Objects.”

Another upset came in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy. Veteran Michael Douglas took home the Golden Globe for his role in the Chuck Lorre-directed “The Kominsky Method.”

The Globes tend to favor the familiar and Douglas is no exception. This category, however, was filled to the brim with talent. Jim Carrey’s performance as the “mad Mr. Rogers” stereotype Mr. Pickles in “Kidding” was a work of dark comedic genius, as was Bill Hader’s role as a disillusioned-wannabe-actor-hitman in “Barry.”

The evening’s highest honors were reserved for the stuff of legend.

The ever hip Jeff Bridges was this year’s recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award and delivered a long winded but well-intentioned speech about the work he’s done with nota-

ble actors, directors and nameless faces over the years. Icon Carol Burnett instated the new tradition of the Carol Burnett Award with a teary-eyed recollection of her work on “The Carol Burnett Show,” commenting on how her show wouldn’t be able to make it on the air today.

This year’s Golden Globes were far from the most diverse, and were a touch frustrating due to the exclusion of some of the year’s best movies, television and coinciding performances, but there is progress. The Golden Globes is not only one of Hollywood’s loosest nights, but is an important stepping stone to the long road to the Oscars.

And the road looks ever winding as the eventual winners remain even harder to pin down.

Amanda Myers admyers@pointpark.edu

‘Bandersnatch’ offers interactive experience A ‘Black Mirror’ Netflix original with multiple endings

By Tia Bailey

Social Media Coordinator

Black Mirror’s interactive film “Bandersnatch” was released on Netflix at the end of December. Many fans of the show had been anticipating its release ever since it was announced last October.

As a longtime fan of the show, I was very excited when I first heard the rumors of an interactive episode. “Black Mirror” satirizes society’s dependence on technology really well, and the thought of being able to control what happens in the over-dramatic world of “Black Mirror” sounded really fun.

“Bandersnatch,” set in 1984 England, is about a young video game programmer, Stefan, who is working on a game based on the choose-your-ownadventure book, “Bandersnatch.” As you go along in

the film, you learn, along with Stefan, about the dark past of the author of “Bandersnatch,” and how he descended into madness while writing the book.

Throughout the film, you get to watch Stefan go down the same road as he creates the game.

The movie begins by explaining how the interactive parts of the episode work.

When it’s time for you to make a choice, your options will appear at the bottom of the screen, and you have 10 seconds to choose one. You are then asked if you understand, and a “Yes” and “No” option pops up and you click “Yes” to continue.

The actual plot begins by introducing Stefan, and showing as he programs a video game based on the choose-your-own-adventure book that the movie is named after. The very first choice of the movie surprised many viewers, and

proved to be more stressful than you would think-- Stefan’s choice of cereal. Viewers on Twitter tweeted memes and gifs to showcase their stress over the everyday decision. The movie continues to show Stefan going to a popular video game company to show his idea, and this is where you really begin to progress and make more impactful decisions.

Eventually, Stefan realizes that he is not the one making his decisions and is being controlled by someone else -- you.

There are multiple endings you can get achieve in the movie. The ending you get is completely dependent on nearly every choice you make throughout the film, and certain choices will result in different endings.

Twitter users have made diagrams showing how each decision affects what ending you get, and what pat-

terns to follow to see every ending. Viewers have found up to 12 endings.

“Eventually, Stefan realizes that he is not the one making his decisions and is being controlled by someone else - you. ” Tia Bailey

Social Media Coordinator The Globe Like many others, I got the quickest ending the first time I watched. Because of

the option to go back and redo your decisions, many viewers, including myself, found themselves watching for an exceptionally long time, trying to make the right choices to get a decent ending for Stefan. I eventually gave up after four or five endings, realizing I’d been at it for hours.

Although the movie has over 10 endings, it has the same gut-wrenching theme overall: you do not truly have control over your own actions. All the twists and turns eventually lead you to relate to Stefan in the worst way possible, and you finish the film feeling anxious.

“Black Mirror” is known for making viewers paranoid with their episodes on technology and the future, and the movie is no exception.

Tia Bailey tbaile@pointpark.edu

OPINIONS

Winter break never lasts long enough Students deserve an extended revovery period

By Jordan Slobodinsky Opinions Editor

We made it folks, it is the second half of the school year and that means we are even closer to having the summer all to ourselves.

Of course that statement is subject to change for myself and my fellow seniors.

It’s time for us to freeze as we trudge to class in the harsh winter conditions of Pittsburgh, and look hopefully at our email for class cancellations. However, if you’re thinking like I am, this break may have needed an extra week.

Which brings me to my idea that this winter break should have been extended.

Do you remember in high school when we cherished those two weeks off for winter break? Well my first year of college I was ecstatic to learn that my second semester would not begin until mid-January.

I had four weeks to grind my way at McDonald’s back home so I could make money to afford 7-Eleven food.

In the years since my faithful freshman time, it feels like winter breaks at Point Park are getting shorter and shorter.

To be frank with you, three weeks is not enough time for us as students to recover. The holidays

are almost as stressful as a college semester (almost), and this year there was not much time for us as students to recuperate from our time at school. To strengthen this argument, I don’t think our professors were given enough time to prepare for their new classes. In the first week of classes I have already had two classes canceled, and I suspect it has to do with my professors not being ready for the start of the semester.

When neither the students nor the faculty are ready to begin the semester I find it idiotic to try and rush the start of the semester. There is no sense in dragging us away from our families just to come back and find that classes may not be taking place. While I understand that our professors are not purposefully trying to cancel class, it feels like a waste of time to have us come back to school without a lot of classes being held.

There is a sense of peace while we are at home and I truly believe that many students would have an easier time at school and be able to come back as better students if we were given a longer and more fulfilling winter break.

In my three and a half

years here, I have learned that people need time in order to prepare for long ordeals. A semester is a journey that needs to be prepared for so that faculty can be on point and so that students can perform to the best of their abilities.

To be frank with you, three weeks is not enough time for us as students to recover.

Jordan Slobodinsky Senior Opinions Editor The Globe The university has a history of ending classes in late April, much sooner than many colleges I know of. While I’m sure most of us have loved having the time off from April until August, I think we can justify having an extra week off for winter break.

Jordan Slobodinsky jeslobo@pointpark.edu

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

GL BE’S POINT

THE

6

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

A year of choices Welcome to 2019, Pioneers. Yet another year of trials and triumphs has passed, and a new journey lies ahead of each of us.

How did you celebrate the new year? Did you retreat to your bed early, or did you watch the ball drop with your best friends? What about a list of New Year’s resolutions? Are they begging to be broken, or do you think cutting out Genoa’s pizza is feasible this year?

Everyone will have a different answer to each of these questions. That is because everyone makes different choices.

We make choices every day.

We choose what to wear, what to eat and how many times we can afford to press the “Snooze” button after sleeping in for the last three weeks.

When you were debating New Year’s plans, you made a choice to spend it how you want. When you take a fresh look at that New Year’s resolution list, you will choose to keep your promise or try again next year (or the year after).

We at The Globe believe any and all choices you make this year and every

year after should accomplish one thing: make you happy.

College is taxing at times with multiple exams, quizzes and assignments in a short period. Students may struggle more when they attempt to maintain a social life, physical and mental health or outside employment in that same short period of time.

We chose to attend this university because we have a hunger to learn and gain real world experience before we even begin our first true day of “adulting.”

In the midst of the stress, find something to make you smile.

Take a break from studying to devour a cookie dough milkshake from The Milkshake Factory with your roommates, or skip the gym for a day to rest in bed and watch another episode of “Friends.” Find a relief that removes all “stressers” from your environment and gives you a reason to sit back and smile.

This is our year, Pioneers. Choose happy.

The Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu.

Letter from the Editor: A nostalgic reflection

The Globe has instilled trust and responsibility in staff

By Carley Bonk Editor-in-Chief

Walking into The Globe office this past Monday brought a whirlwind of nostalgia for me that I can only describe as a confusing stasis of relief and tension.

I had watched three editors before me make their mark. Now it’s my turn.

I was both ecstatic to get started on our first issue and so anxious I could barely eat breakfast. Mostly everything was in place on my end, but I had to rely on my staff to pull off this first issue of the semester.

As a perfectionist and control freak, I’d love to be able to fill every position myself. But I have already realized an essential lesson this semester - sometimes letting go can be more difficult than holding onto a plethora of responsibilities all at once.

But it’s an essential key to success.

From a young age, we are taught that teamwork is a crucial skill to achieve goals out in the real world.

We practice this through group assignments, sports, music, jobs and more.

Learning to trust someone else with fulfilling their role on the “team” can be a scary thing. What if they don’t do what their supposed to? What if they do it wrong? How will it affect me?

It can be hard not to dwell on those “what ifs.”

Being a part of this newspaper has taught me how to trust others from the second I walked into our old offices in Lawrence Hall 701 when I transfered to Point Park three years ago.

Have I been let down?

Sure.

Have I fallen short of my duties at times? Absolutely.

It’s human nature to fear failure and it’s a given that we are all going to experience it at one point or another. But what has made my time here so worthwhile is the fact that if I fail, I have a dedicated staff - dedicated friends -

that won’t give up on me when I do.

That’s what is so important about building relationships in anything you do - having a network you can rely on.

So when you are let down, you can pick up the slack. And when you can’t fulfill your role, others can do the same for you.

Being a part of an organization like this one can be demanding.

Oftentimes, these dedicated journalists are up until the wee hours of the morning staring at computer screens until it feels like their eyeballs are going to roll right out of their heads.

But as stressful and time consuming as it can be, there’s pretty much always someone cracking a joke, sharing a laugh or jamming to whatever is playing on WPPJ’s airwaves (especially Night Fever).

At the end of last semester, I realized just how much I appreciate this ragtag bunch of writers, reporters, photographers, de-

signers and editors.

Following our staff dinner, I received a small bag filled with well-wishes, words of encouragement and kind thank you notes from everyone on staff.

I nearly burst into tears right at the table. I was at least able to keep it together until I got home.

It’s these moments that make the long hours of running a newspaper worth it. Knowing that my fellow staff members appreciated all the time I put in is a feeling impossible to put into words.

I was left speechless by their kindness and dedication.

Through tough times, through struggle, we learned what needs to be done. We can deliver you the news because we know it’s an essential part of our campus community. We’ve become a well-oiled machine, always looking ahead to our next task.

In my time here at Point Park, The Globe has allotted me the opportunity to take that tough step to

let go. I can let go and trust that the paper will be better than ever before.

I can worry about my own responsibilities without having to fret about those “what ifs.”

And if one of us happens to fall short, you, our audience, will never know, because we all bear this burden of bringing you the news every week. There will always be someone here I can rely on to fill the void.

For that, I am grateful.

Carley Bonk cmbonk@pointpark.edu

Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Carley Bonk Editor-Elect: Dara Collins Business Manager: Faculty Adviser: Christopher Rollinson 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:

The Globe 201 Wood Street, Box 23 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or globe@pointpark.edu

News Editors: Jordyn Hronec, Andrew Brinker Photo Editor: Gracey Evans

Public Relations Coordinator: Kayla Snyder

Features/A&E Editors: Amanda Myers, Payton Comunale Photo Editor: Kelsee McHugh

Staff Photographers: Hannah Johnston, Joie Knouse, Jared Murphy

Advertising: Submit advertising related inquiries to globeadvertising@pointpark.edu All ads must be approved by the university.

The deadline for ads is Friday at 5 p.m.

Details: ppuglobe.com/advertising

Sports Editors: Allison Schubert , Robert Berger Photo Editor: Robert Berger

Story Ideas: If you have a story you think the Globe can use, email globe@pointpark.edu Meetings: Mondays at 2:40 p.m. in the CMI Details: ppuglobe.com/contribute

Copy Desk: Hannah Walden, Sarah Gibson

Opinions Editor: Jordan Slobodinsky Online Editor: Nicole Pampena

Social Media Coordinators: Joie Knouse, Tia Bailey

Graphic Design: Alysse Baer

Staff Writers: Hannah Johnston, Mitchell Drake, Andrew Brinker Copy Editors: Nick Horwat, Hannah Johnston, Alice Conyers-Jones, Tia Bailey Delivery Assistant: Mitchell Drake, Kortney Lampel

SPORTS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

All in With Allison

By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist

Academic Accolades With the end of a semester comes awards and achievements in the athletic world, but one set of these accomplishments seems to go under the radar.

Those who participate in sports while in college are known as student-athletes, with the “student” aspect of that title coming first and foremost. Mixed in with athletic achievements, academic performance can and does take a back seat.

Let’s be honest - when you think of Anna Shields, Xavier Stephens, Ashley Taylor, etc., you never take into account what their major is or what they want to do following graduation until they are honored at their prospective senior day.

What most people don’t know is that these athletes are not only stars on the court or the field or the track, but are also standouts in the classroom.

Since we, at the sports desk of The Globe, typically do not recognize such achievements on a regular basis, want to take the time now to recognize the record 45 athletes inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College-Athlete Honors Society Point Park Rho Chapter.

From Competitive Cheer and/or Dance: Alison Auman, Laura D’Alessandris, Alexis Diaz-Albertini, Riley Frank, Kim Keagy and Emily Kirsch.

From Men’s Golf: Gage Basiletti and Nick Finoli.

From Baseball and Softball: Delaney Baumis, Shannon Davis, Tiffany Edwards, Ashley Iagnemma, Erik Montero, Paula Ambrose, Courtney Blocher, Chandler Krelow and Edward Pfluger.

From Men’s and Wom-

en’s Soccer: Andre Bennett, Ryan Daniels, Ricardo Dip, Maximilian Grunis, Abby Magliocca, Asia Pennock-Franke, Chloe Bowser, Doreen Clark, Rebecca Cohen, Jess Kavelish, Wessel Rietveld, Yuki Takeda and Morgan Willis.

From Men’s and Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field: Bradley Calleja, Bryan Partika, Kara Rohlf, Anna Shields, Andre Lowery, Carlos Polanco and Jared Ross.

From Women’s Basketball: Baylie Mook, Kaitlyn Smith and Marie Skrepenak.

Finally, from Volleyball: Jordan Dixon, Morgan Dangelo, Destiny Tucker and Haley English.

One athlete whose recognitions extended beyond Chi Alpha Sigma is Men’s Soccer team captain and education major Marc Bentley.

In addition to the induction into Chi Alpha Sigma, Bentley was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America NAIA Men’s Soccer First Team.

In all of the NAIA, only 11 student-athletes are named to the first team, as well as 11 to the second team. Bentley now holds one of only four positions as a defender on the academic “team.”

Bentley, along with all of the student-athletes recognized with Chi Alpha Sigma honors are the pillar of athletics at Point Park University.

Congratulations to all of the talented student-athletes who have been and continue to balance their academic and athletic performance, and excel in both aspects.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

7

Cheer, dance open third year

Pioneers ready for first-ever home meet

By Dara Collins Editor-Elect

When most students thought about finals week approaching last month, the competitive cheer and dance teams geared up for their first competition of the season. The Pioneers opened their seasons on Dec. 7, at Concordia (Mich.) University ahead of winter break.

The dance team started the season on a high note, winning both duals of the night with no point deductions. The Pioneers topped the Cardinals 92-58 in the first meeting and 88-55 in the second.

The team received near perfect scores from the judges for their first show-

ing. The Pioneers fell just four points short of their previous score in the second dual.

The judging sheets showed decreases in jazz, pom and hip hop scores in the second half of the competition. Point Park scored highly in other areas including staging and transitions, choreography and technical skills and execution.

On the other hand, the cheer team started its season on a sour note. The Pioneers will enter this weekend’s competitions with two losses under their belts.

Point Park also competed in two duals against the Cardinals and did not score above 76 in either meeting.

Concordia defeated the Pio-

neers 80-76 and 82-76, respectively. While the green and gold impressed the judges with showmanship and choreography, the Cardinals outshone in execution and difficulty level.

Both teams will be back in action this weekend on Friday at Concordia for a second match-up against the Cardinals as well as Lourdes (Ohio) University.

The Pioneers will compete in the first home meet in program history and their only local competition this Sunday at Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pa., against Lourdes and Aquinas College.

Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

Robert Berger | Point Park Athletics Senior Michael Morris competes in the high jump at the 2018 SPIRE Midwest Open. Morris competed in the event last month in Youngstown placing seventh and was only .9 meters shy of qualifying for the NAIA national Championship.

Indoor track prepares for season 13 freshman added to roster during offseason

By Robert Berger Co-Sports Editor

Sam Robinson | Point Park Athletics Senior Marc Bentley carries the ball in a 2017 home game. Bentley is among 45 athletes who achieved Chi Alpha Sigma honors. He was also named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America NAIA men’s soccer team.

The indoor track and field team is at the starting line of the 2019 season as they look to continue last season’s success of winning both the 2018 men’s and women’s conference meets.

Thus far, the team has seen competition once back in December at the Youngstown State University (YSU) Icebreaker event.

Anna Shields of the women’s team highlighted the day for the Pioneers as she was victorious in both the women’s mile and women’s 1,000 meter races.

In the mile, Shields finished in 4 minutes, 46 seconds. Just 14 seconds ahead of second place finisher Anna Brandt from Cleveland University. She was only 1 second shy of finishing even with her facility record which she set at last year’s YSU meet.

Shields did however set a facility record with her 2 minutes, 47 seconds finish

in the 1,000 meter race. She finished 15 seconds ahead of her competition who was Sydni Townsend of the University of Pittsburgh.

While the entire team did not compete, a number of athletes still had the chance to compete against athletes from both National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and II. Senior Kara Rohlf completed the 5,000 meter race in 19 minutes, 8 seconds to lead the Pioneers in the event.

For the men’s team, senior Andre Bennett claimed the highest placement finishing third in the men’s 1,000 meter race. Bennett finished with a time of 2 minutes, 39 seconds. He was also the top collegiate runner in the race as the top two finishers ran unattached In the high jump, senior Michael Morris reached a jump of 1.90 meters, just .9 meters shy of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) nationals qualifying standard.

He placed seventh overall in

the event.

Freshman Doug Kostelansky made his debut on a collegiate level track competing in the men’s mile race claiming 11th place. Kostelansky finished in 4 minutes, 42 seconds.

Kostelansky is one of many freshman added to the roster since last year’s conference wins for the both the men and women.

The women’s team has since added Allyssa Campbell, Nia Goodman and Mya Mackenzie to their roster.

Along with Kostelansky, the men’s team have added Christian Babo, Brody Carlin, Dan Compton, Robert Hays, Dennis McDermott, Jarrid McKenzie, Camden Seybert, Julius Thomas and Jared Thompson to their arsenal.

The team will continue competition next Saturday at University Park, Pa. in the Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge.

Robert Berger raberge@pointpark.edu

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

SPORTS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Women’s basketball 2-2 RSC over break Senior Weir tallies 1,000th career point, four double-doubles

By Allison Schubert Co-Sports Editor

The women’s basketball team faced seven opponents over winter break, four of which were River States Conference (RSC) teams.

Of those four games, the Pioneers went 2-2, advancing their overall RSC record to 2-4 and placing them fourth in the RSC East Division as they go into the new year.

Point Park began their break by hosting conference opponent WVU Tech on Dec. 8. Junior guard Tyra James led all scorers with 20 points, but it was a last-second long jump shot from sophomore guard Michelle Burns that handed the Golden Bears their first and only RSC loss of the season so far, with Burns’s shot clutching the game 61-59 for the Pioneers.

Despite the closeness on the scoreboard, Point Park led in every line of the stat sheet except free throws. The Pioneers out-rebounded WVU Tech 42-39, forced 13 turnovers, and shot 36 percent from beyond the arc, compared to the Golden Bears’ 17 percent.

One week after the buzzer-beater win, Point Park traveled to Rio Grande for a matchup against the No.20 ranked team.

The RedStorm used their size to their advantage and out-rebounded the Pioneers 57-36, ultimately handing them a 69-55 win.

Three Pioneers contributed double digits to the scoreboard, with Burns scoring

Emilee Fails| Point Park Athletics Junior guard Baylie Mook dribbles around a defender during a match-up against WVU Tech earlier this month. The women’s team is now 6-11 overall on the year and 2-4 in conference play.

a team-high 14 points and senior Sam Weir and captain Kaitlyn Smith tallying 12 points apiece.

After the loss to Rio Grande, Point Park started a stretch of three non-conference games, all held in Pittsburgh, but all held at different venues.

The first game in the stretch was on Dec. 17th against Washington Adventist University.

Weir posted a double-double, grabbing ten

rebounds and notching 20 points, which put her over the 1,000 career point mark in her time at Point Park.

Ten total players for the Pioneers contributed at least four points.

The Pioneers saw season highs in points (74), field goals (25), 3-pointers (nine), assists (19), scoring margin (+30), rebounds (46), rebound margin (+13) and free-throw percentage (.938; 15 for 16) in their game against the Shock.

Twelve days after a game of highs, Point Park hosted (RV) Lawrence Tech at the Community College of Beaver County.

Weir posted another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, as well as two other Pioneers in double digits with Smith and Burns tallying 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Despite being down just one point at halftime, Point Park was outscored 35-15 in the second half, resulting in a

65-46 loss for the Pioneers.

Two days later, Point Park celebrated the last day of 2018 with a 61-59 win over the last non-conference opponent they would see over the break, Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

Junior guard Ariana Sanders tied with Burns for a team-high 13 points, but it was the Point Park defense that held off the Cougars late in the fourth quarter to hold on for the win.

The new year brought a similar story for the Pioneers as they narrowly defeated RSC opponent Midway 71-68, giving them their first backto-back wins of the season.

Smith led all scorers with 19 points, and Weir and Sanders both posted double-doubles with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 11 points and 12 rebounds, respectively.

The Pioneers’ final game over break was a road matchup against the RSC West Division’s Cincinnati Christian University.

Weir recorded her fourth double-double in seven games with 13 points and 14 rebounds, but Point Park as a team shot only 32 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc, which ended in a 68-50 loss.

Point Park will return to CCAC - Allegheny on Jan. 12 for an RSC game against Ohio Christian before a brief road trip the following weekend to face Brescia University and IU - Southeast.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu