Point Park Globe Fall 2019 Issue 1

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@PPUGlobe August 28, 2019

Jared Murphy | The Globe

Incoming freshmen engage with a Pioneer Experience event by flashing their phone flashlights in the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Part-time faculty rally together in an attempt to gain better pay ing the USW Local 1088.

Since then, they have been fighting to increase parttime pay and create job stability for the adjunct professors within their respective universities.

The union helps the part-time professors at Point Park negotiate their contracts with university administration, with their most recent contract expiring on Aug. 1.

Damon DiCicco, a parttime professor within Point Park’s communication department and the president of USW Local 1088, says that a new agreement was hoped to be reached before that date. As September approaches, no agreement has been made.

“The university has been unwilling to make us a reasonable offer regarding pay,” DiCicco said. “Over time, our pay has improved, but we’re still lacking compared to what the fulltime faculty earns for doing essentially the same job.”

DiCicco says that pay increases have been the most significant achievement upon unionization; over the life of their most-recent three-year contract, they received an overall pay increase of 21.5 percent. That brought per-course pay range for part-timers from $2,091$2,727 in the fall of 2015, to $2,541-$3,315 in the spring of 2019. Although, he says that’s still not nearly enough to measure their worth.

USW Local 1088 has reached some agreements with university administration regarding how courses are assigned to them and taking leaves of absences according to DiCicco, but part-timers will still be entering the school year with no raise.

On Aug. 19, parttime professors gathered

together at Village Park on Point Park’s move-in day in the hopes of bringing attention to their struggles to new students and parents. They distributed informational materials and held signs reading “honk if you support adjuncts” and “don’t nickel and dime the part-time.”

The inspiration for part-time professors to form the USW Local 1088 union did not happen on a whim. In 2013, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article by Daniel Kovalik titled “Death of an Adjunct,” written in response to the tragic death of former Duquesne University adjunct professor Margaret Mary Vojtko.

After teaching French at Duquesne for 25 years, Vojtko received a letter from Adult Protective Services saying that she needed public assistance to take care of herself. According to the Labor Center at the University of California Berkeley from 2015, 25 percent of part-time faculty are on public assistance.

Duquesne stripped Vojtko’s courses away from her over the years, eventually “letting her go” for being “too old and too sick,” according to Kovalik’s story. Although, at 83 years old with cancer, she never missed a day of class and had “many glowing evaluations from students.” Her loss of employment thrust the woman with health problems to be stuck in extreme poverty, ending with a deadly heart attack.

Kovalik wrote “Death of an Adjunct” after becoming friends with Vojtko during her time of distress, and talking her through difficult times. He is an adjunct professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh in WAGES page 2

Issue 1

New shuttles receive mixed reception Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a cashier in the United States earns an average of $11.17 per hour. At Point Park University, the lowest paid part-time faculty member earns $9.73 per hour.

That’s why it’s common for part-time faculty members to work a few jobs at once.

Richard Schiavoni holds two other jobs in addition to being a part-time professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences department at Point Park. When he is not teaching courses during the week, he is working for a local newspaper and takes photographs on the weekends.

Carol Lorenz drives back and forth between Point Park and Robert Morris University, teaching classes in Performing Arts and Communications. She is also a tutor and a substitute teacher on the side for extra income.

Girard Holt is a parttime professor of dance at Point Park, but he also teaches courses at the Pennsylvania Academy of Dance in Sewickley and at Seton Hill University. These schools are between thirty to sixty minutes of driving to one another.

Schiavoni, Lorenz and Holt all have more in common than sharing the same title of “part-time professor” (also known as adjuncts) at Point Park University: they are also key players in the long fight for better worker treatment of adjuncts through unionization.

In 2016, part-time faculty from Point Park and Robert Morris formed a union chapter through United SteelWorkers, form-

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Pittsburgh concert venues saw a few Globe staffers in attendance The Globe’s first online student shares pros and cons of online classes Volleyball finishes 3-1 after opening weekend in Michigan tournament

On Aug. 14, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Paylo released the new transportation schedule for the Point Park shuttle service planned for the Fall 2019 semester.

Notably, several routes have been added. The shuttles now service the South Side, Strip District, Mt. Washington and Station Square.

According to the transportation schedule, stops on these routes include The Cheesecake Factory, Highmark Stadium, the Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines, Wholey’s Fish Market, AMC Loews Theater and Target in the Waterfront and a Giant Eagle store in the South Side.

“It’s about coverage of the city,” Paylo said, regarding the new routes. “What are areas that students can utilize that can assist them in, really, their daily lives on campus? Where are they going to have the most access to things such as grocery stores,

restaurants, entertainment options, those types of ideas that would get them a wider range of offers in the city?”

The only exclusion from the shuttle schedule was the long-time route to Oakland.

On Aug. 15, in response to the elimination of the Oakland shuttle route, senior musical theatre major at Point Park and Oakland resident Rachel Parker started a petition on change.org entitled “Get Point Park’s Oakland Shuttles back.”

“One of my friends who graduated last spring reached out to ask what was going on with the shuttle services, and she gave me the idea to start a petition,” Parker said.

“After talking with her, my roommates and other concerned Oakland students, I figured it couldn’t hurt to start one. I honestly thought we would get 500 signatures, and I would turn it in to Paylo. When I woke up the next morning and saw we were over 1,000, I was shocked.”

The absence of the Oak-

SHUTTLES page 2

University hires new directors to manage COPA and Playhouse Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect

During the Spring 2019 semester, former artistic director of the Conservatory of Performing Arts, Ronald Allan-Lindblom, stepped down from his position in order to focus on directing shows in the newly-built Downtown Pittsburgh Playhouse.

And after several months of vacancy, the university announced via its website that not one, but two new directors had been hired in preparation for the upcoming semester.

This year, Steven Breese steps into the position of artistic director and dean of the Conservatory. Alongside him, Drew Martorella has been hired as the assistant vice president and managing director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse, a brand new position.

“We are thrilled to welcome Steven and Drew to Point Park,” President Paul Hennigan said in a statement given in the official announcement. “Their fresh energy, commitment and vision to the University’s mission for our nationally-recognized Conservatory and award-winning Pittsburgh Playhouse will set the agenda for years to come and provide an exceptional student academic experience as well an entertaining, unique and thought-provoking slate of programming for the public.”

Both Breese and Martorella, who come from universities

out of state, expressed their excitement to begin their work in Pittsburgh and at Point Park.

“There is so much to learn and discover about this institution and the culture of Point Park University,” Martorella said. “I look forward to working closely with Steven Breese, and I am excited to work with the students.”

“The position at Point Park was really attractive,” Breese said. “And I wasn’t on the job market when it came up. But the Pittsburgh Downtown Cultural District is really something to be proud of, and Point Park University is located at the heart of it, and that is really exciting.”

Breese also commended President Hennigan’s dedication to the arts, citing it as a reason for coming to Point Park.

“The president has a vision and desire to invest in the arts and build a magnificent theater,” Breese said.

“Not every university has a president this willing to support the arts.”

Breese is leaving his position as the dean of the College of Arts, Communication and Design at Long Island University to move to Pittsburgh and take on directing the Conservatory. However, his career and experience in the arts extends beyond higher education.

“I’ve been a dean at three different places,” Breese said.

“But I was also an actor, a di-

COPA page 4

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Thursday: Sunny, H 83, L 63 Friday: Sunny, H 89, L 68 Saturday: Mostly Sunny, H 85, L 66

Sunday: Mostly Cloudy, H 81, L 66 Monday: Scattered Showers, H 82, L 67 Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, H 81, L 66

Point Park

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Adjuncts may be making less than a local cashier from WAGES page 1 addition to a human and labor rights lawyer.

“I may have been the last person she called before she died,” said Kovalik.

When Sharon Brady, USW Local 1088 Vice President and part-time Theater Arts professor at Point Park saw this story, she became so “morally outraged” that she and others began the effort to unionize other part-timers. They started organizing the faculty in 2013, won the vote in 2014, and got certified with their first contract in November of 2015.

“Unionizing shed a light on the issue,” Brady said.

“Many people didn’t even know what an adjunct was.”

An adjunct appears different now than what they have looked like in the past, according to Robin Sowards, Organizer and Researcher for the United Steelworkers. He says that part-time professors used to be people who were teaching on the side as a hobby, not teaching for a career.

“They’d bring some special expertise to the table,” Sowards said. “Like a tax lawyer teaches one course in tax law. They’d be

a practitioner.”

Sowards says that today, many people who intended to become fulltime professors ended up falling into their positions as part-time professors, because less and less fulltime positions are available.

DiCicco earned his Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Washington.

“What you end up with is a lot of people like myself, who have Ph.D.s and graduated from doctoral programs with plans to be career academics, who were unable to find full-time positions,” DiCicco said. “People end up in this hamster wheel of driving around to two or three different schools to try to cobble together enough classes to make a living.

Universities figured out it’s a lot cheaper to hire four adjuncts than one tenured faculty member.”

Sowards said that universities have a “structural incentive” to poorly pay their part-time faculty, because they produce more and more people with graduate degrees, but have fewer livable jobs for them.

Universities make money off of these future adjuncts while they’re in graduate

school, but then don’t fairly compensate them upon graduation when they’re looking for a job in a university, Sowards explains.

Part-timers at Point Park have more support than just that of each other’s; full-time faculty also are supportive of them.

Karen Dwyer, a full-time professor of creative writing classes in the Literary Arts and Social Justice Department at Point Park, says that the part-time faculty are their allies.

Point Park full-time faculty has been a part of the Newspaper Guild Union since 2017, forming Local 38061, where Dwyer is the chair.

“We stand with our colleagues in the parttime union,” Dwyer said.

“Professors are grossly underpaid in the Pittsburgh area.”

While the immediate concerns of full-time and part-time professors differ, Dwyer says that they are all advocating for the same things through their unions: compensation and security. She says that if the part-time faculty decided to go on strike, the full-timers would refuse against the administration to substitute in for them.

“We would stand with them,” Dwyer said.

Another main advancement that the unionization process has made is a grievance procedure. If a part-time professor feels that their rights have been violated or not respected under their contract, such as a course being unjustly taken away from them, or being discriminated against on the basis of gender or race, they now have the option to file a grievance.

Once they file, they can sit down with administration and talk it out. If the adjunct and administration can’t reach an agreement, they have the option of taking that grievance to an arbitrator.

“Normally, under the law and without a union contract, you’re an atwill employee in the state of Pennsylvania, and that means they can fire you at any time, for any reason, or for no reason,” Sowards said.

DiCicco said it’s important to remember that part-time professors aren’t teaching to become rich, they are all committed to teaching students.

“Just because someone doesn’t do it for the

money, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be paid reasonably,” DiCicco said.

United SteelWorkers members and university faculty members say that they are trying to put the needs of the students above everything else.

“If somebody has to work four jobs, they don’t have any time to meet with you, they don’t have time to respond to your emails in a prompt fashion, they may not have time to do more labor-intensive kinds of assignments that will take them longer to grade,” Sowards said.

Bill Schackner, a reporter for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reached out to Point Park spokesman Lou Corsaro, who responded to the adjunct negotiations and although he would not discuss specifics, said that “it strives to offer competitive pay and knows the importance of its workers.”

“Point Park University is committed to arriving at a contract with its parttime faculty that will be fair to all,” Corsaro said.

Nicole Fuschino

nmfusch@pointpark.edu

Debate over U-Pass Program remains ongoing from SHUTTLES page 1 land route in this semester’s transportation schedule has received the most protest out of any change in the shuttle routes amongst the student body. As of Aug. 26, the total number of signatures on the petition was 2,301. That total is around, if not more than, half the number of students who are enrolled at the university based on fall 2018 data.

Parker’s ultimate objective is to gain 2,500 signatures on the petition, but she said she would contact Dean Paylo for a third time after gaining 2,000 signatures, a goal reached on Aug. 20.

Dean Paylo is aware of students’ concerns and posts on social media about the controversy and has received related emails. He said that he reads every email he receives from students and that they should continue to submit their concerns to him.

Paylo also said that he will be working with the United Student Government (USG) on this issue.

According to Paylo, many people are involved in the decision-making process for determining shuttle routes and stops. Vice President of Operations at the Physical Plant Christopher Hill, Director of Transportation and Administrative Services Jan Pekar and even President Paul Hennigan have some sway over the shuttles.

Hennigan was committed to extending the shuttle services to Oakland for one year after the Pittsburgh Playhouse was relocated in Downtown Pittsburgh. Now that a new academic year has started, that commitment has been fulfilled. However, Parker argues that students living in Oakland require the shuttles and that concerns have been going unanswered by the administration.

“The new shuttle routes leave the Oakland student body stranded,” Parker said.

“Students move to Oakland for cheaper housing options and the free shuttle service the school has always provided. They waited the en-

tire summer to tell us where shuttles were going and now have avoided all questions and concerns about the shuttles and the student safety that is tied into the necessity of them. It makes me feel like they knew Oakland students would be outraged and have decided to ignore us hoping we would give up.”

The free shuttles to Oakland were never intended for students living in Oakland, according to Paylo. The original purpose of the shuttles to Oakland was to transport Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) students to and from the Pittsburgh Playhouse once situated in Oakland.

“Well, the creation of the Oakland loop was an academic loop to the Pittsburgh Playhouse,” Paylo said. “It was located in South Oakland. The creation of that and the purpose of that shuttle was...an academic purpose...because we owned the Pittsburgh Playhouse, had classes out there, shows out there. We needed to get students, in all honesty,

to a location off-campus that was still part of our campus.

And the creation of that shuttle system years ago was for that reason.”

Due to the Pittsburgh Playhouse’s location in Downtown and Hennigan’s one year extension of the Oakland shuttles having expired after the end of last year, Paylo said that “the purpose of that shuttle no longer exists.”

Despite the lack of an academic purpose to the Oakland shuttles, Parker said that students living in Oakland were left unprepared by the sudden news of the loss of the shuttle route and will be forced to go through serious financial straits to commute to campus.

“I guess the contingency plan is to drop money on a bus pass that was supposed to be for food and eat less,” Parker said. “I mean we’re talking an extra $97.50 a month or $1072.50 annually.

That’s not pocket money for most students. It would be great if Point Park could join

the U-Pass program because it would save commuters a lot of money. I just don’t understand how a school made up of mostly commuters isn’t a part of the program already.”

The U-Pass Program is a system that allows students, staff and faculty to ride on any Port Authority vehicle at any time by using their school ID. Schools such as the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Chatham University participate in the U-Pass Program.

When asked about the alternative of switching from the shuttle service to the U-Pass Program, Paylo said that he had engaged in talks with the person in charge of the U-Pass Program, and that the idea of switching to the system provided by the Port Authority has been brought up every year.

“I think the misnomer is is that it’s free to those students at other colleges and universities. And that is not true,” Paylo said. “Students at those colleges or universities, and some of them are

very large, [have] transportation fees and so forth. You cannot just all of a sudden say, ‘PAT or Port Authority, you’re gonna let our students use it for free.’ It comes at a cost. So we have to balance, obviously, that in our discussions with the Port Authority of what that cost will be.”

Based on his latest meeting with the Port Authority, Paylo said that conversations would be open, and he would be given updates to the changes within the U-Pass Program.

Usage and feedback on the shuttle services this semester will be taken in consideration by the administration, so the routes listed for this semester may not be identical next semester.

While not listed in the email sent out, shuttles to East Liberty will also be provided on the weekends through the Student Activities Involvement and Leadership (SAIL) office.

Amanda Andrews

aaandre@pointpark.edu

2019-20 MEDIA INNOVATION SPEAKER SERIES All shows start at 7 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Playhouse Molly Burke, YouTuber and disability rights activist

Sept. 12, 2019

Quil Lawrence, NPR

Oct. 17, 2019

Jim Acosta, CNN

Feb. 6, 2020

Neda Ulaby, NPR

May 7, 2020

Dara Collins | The Globe

NEWS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

University is confident in security for fall semester

Security measures resemble last year, students encouraged to reach out Hayley Keys Co-News Editor

According to the “Gun Violence Archive,” there have been over 200 reported mass shootings in the U.S. in 2019. Some have occurred in educational establishments, prompting several students to question if their school is equipped to handle situations of that nature.

“Our police officers and dispatchers are trained to respond to any act of violence, one being an event such as an active shooter,” Deputy Police Chief Nicholas Black said. “We train monthly and maintain a proactive approach for any means of domestic terrorism.”

During the fall semester, Point Park’s police force will meet with freshmen students to explain security on campus as well as walk the students through ALICE (alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate).

“I felt very well informed,” junior Makahla Wiler said. “They went over all the security details, which is nice, and I didn’t get that at my last college.”

The ALICE program is used to ensure the safety of students and faculty during the event of an active shooter on campus.

“If there was ever to be a shooting on campus, our police officers are trained,” Dean of Student Life Mi-

chael Gieseke said. “They have worked...to ensure that our police officers have worked with the city’s police officers, so there is a familiarity.”

Gieseke works closely with Black and the other officers to help maintain a high level of safety of campus.

“Our goals will be to continue to maintain a safe environment for the students, faculty and staff,” Black said. “We want to continue to target our areas of vulnerability with police presence and visual deterrents.”

These precautionary measures are not a new concept however, and the security plan is nearly identical to what it was during the spring semester.

“As of right now, I don’t believe we are doing anything less than we did last year, and I am not aware of us adding another layer,” Gieseke said.

This includes the desk attendant hours, which were reduced last year.

“In order to guarantee that nobody gets past the front door area who does not belong there, every single student would have to scan in every time,” Gieseke said. “There is a cost to that, as you can imagine.”

The price tag has prevented heightened security, but Black was confident with the choice that was made just last year.

Recent violence worries students Frequent incidents stir Downtown Pittsburgh Sarah Gibson Co-Opinions Editor

A string of violent incidents in the Downtown Pittsburgh area have left some students concerned for their safety.

The first incident occurred on Aug. 8, when two women in Downtown Pittsburgh were stabbed, one fatally. A police officer was investigating a woman sleeping under a bus shelter when a man walked up to the woman talking to the officer and stabbed her in what seemed to be a random act of violence. He then turned around and did the same to another woman. This incident was located near Smithfield Street and Sixth Avenue. The area is close in proximity to the Burlington Coat Factory and the entrance to the Duquesne Club.

The next act of violence occurred on Aug. 13, at 11 p.m., at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Wood Street, where a man was stabbed following an argument. After that, the victim tried to run and was chased by his assailant into Market Square where he was able to get help.

On Friday, Aug. 23, Downtown Pittsburgh saw

its third stabbing this month when a woman was stabbed at Triangle Park across from the Fairmont Hotel involving a dispute over money.

United Student Government (USG) President Jake Berlin was particularly troubled over this incident, noting on Twitter that the incident occured in a place that was less than ten minutes away from the Wyndham Hotel, where Point Park freshmen were celebrating convocation on the very same day.

Many students have reported not receiving a PointALERT for any of these situations. This comes right after the unveiling of the new PointALERT system enabled this semester, where students have to opt in or out of receiving the alerts via PointWeb. It is unclear as to whether or not Point Park Police were dispatched to the scenes of these incidents. The police blotter made available online so students can see when the Point Park Police have been dispatched has not been updated since October of last year. The police blotter can be found on Point Park’s website.

Sarah Gibson

sagibso@pointpark.edu

“Nothing has changed with our desk attendants,” Black said. “They will maintain the same schedule.”

Wiler, like some students, is concerned about the cut of desk attendant hours.

“They should have someone at the desk at all times in Lawrence and Academic [Halls] for everyone’s safety,” Wiler said.

But even though it worries her, she still has confidence in the campus police.

“Whenever you call them or need help with something, they will answer and be there immediately,” Wiler said.

Ultimately, the security team at Point Park is ready for the upcoming school year and will work with the students to ensure a safe semester.

“We have to make sure that we are providing our students, our faculty and our staff with the most appropriate and secure environment,” Gieseke said.

If a student feels unsafe or wishes to ask for help, both Gieseke and Black encourage them to reach out.

“We want students to reach out to us, contact our dispatch center, stop and speak with an officer and utilize the ‘Point Park Police Tip App’,” Black said.

Hayley Keys

hekeys@pointpark.edu

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Sports Editor Layout Editor Delivery Assistant Staff Writers Staff Photographers Copy Editors If interested, contact Editor-in-Chief Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

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NEWS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Dean Paylo resigns position as advisor to USG USG

By Sarah Gibson USG Beat Writer

The first United Student Government (USG) meeting of the year brought change on many fronts, including the meeting’s venue. Meetings were moved from the seventh floor Student Center to the JVH in Thayer Hall.

During the meeting, USG advisor and Dean of Student Life Michael Gieseke introduced a new addition to the appendix of the USG constitution, which cannot be changed in the future, unlike bylaws. The addition is called the FAIR policy, which is the university’s answer to systemic problems that could exist if USG were to be discriminatory towards any club or organization.

Gieseke explained that the year before, USG had been accused of discrimination by a club and an investigation had been launched.

While USG was found not to have been discriminatory, the FAIR policy was introduced to make sure there was a formal way to deal with these possible situations. He explained that the FAIR policy ensures that ev-

ery complaint goes through a formal process.

USG Advisor and Dean of Students Dean Keith Paylo, in an effort to remain unbiased in future uses of the FAIR policy, resigned as an advisor to USG in the case that he could make an unbiased decision if the FAIR policy needed to be used.

“Believe me, I’ve enjoyed my 12 years with you, but I think it’s necessary and fair to this organization and to the student body I represent to do this,” Paylo said.

The other major order of business was executive cabinet appointments. President Jake Berlin took the floor to formally nominate Jordyn Hronec as the new Recording Secretary of USG. She was appointed standing Recording Secretary without opposition.

President Berlin then formally nominated Senator Jess Wrzosek as the new Parliamentarian. When it came time for discussion, Senator Mathew Johnson noted that per USG bylaws, the President must announce the name of a candidate at least 24 hours before the meeting at which the candidate will be appointed. Additionally, the candidate shall be required to speak for five minutes to the legislative body

and answer questions.

This spurred a discussion regarding whether or not any further appointments to the executive cabinet could be made at that time.

Vice President Alexa Lake determined that nominees may not be officially appointed following the discussion.

Berlin then made a motion to appoint Senator Wrzosek as acting Parliamentarian. This was met with opposition from Senator Dennis McDermott. However, Vice President Lake moved to vote on whether Senator Wrzosek would be acting Parliamentarian, citing the fact that in order for clubs to be recognized for funding, a Parliamentarian must be appointed. The motion passed.

Berlin then nominated Kari Dettorre as acting Communications Director. The motion was seconded, and discussion was opened. The motion was ultimately passed.

President Berlin put the motion forward that Vice President Lake would serve as acting Treasurer until the search for a new Treasurer was completed. Berlin elaborated that most students interested in the Treasurer position had been dissuaded by the mandatory eight hours

CMI announces O’Donnell Fellowship top six finalists Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief

On Aug. 26, the Center for Media Innovation (CMI) announced the top six finalists with potential to receive the $20,000 award from the Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship.

The finalists include Sergio Chapa, a reporter of the Houston Chronicle; Douglas Fischer, Executive Director of Environmental Health Sciences; Erica Hensley, Health/Data Reporter and Knight Foundation Fellow of Mississippi Today; Nick Keppler, Freelance Journalist and Editor; Maria Rose, Morning Edition Producer for NPR and WESA-FM; and Matt Stroud, CEO and Executive Editor of Postindustrial Media.

“We initially thought we were going to do five finalists, and, based on the strength of the presentations, we ended up including six, and we’re really pleased,” Director of the CMI Andy Conte said. “They came in from all across the country, and there are a lot of really creative, innovative ideas. And they all have that really strong targeted approach to news deserts, which is something we wanted.”

Earlier this spring, the CMI announced its partnership with the Allegheny Foundation to fund the fellowship over a three-year period and award the money to a journalist to utilize creative storytelling in news deserts or underserved markets.

The CMI began accepting applications in May and promoted the fellowship throughout the summer.

By the deadline in July, the fellowship yielded nearly 30 applications from all over the country, including Alaska, Texas, Arizona, Illinois and local applicants from the Pittsburgh area.

“It was overwhelming first the responses that we got,” Conte said. “Then I think the other feeling that I had was that we’re at this time with journalism where so much of the news is negative...and it was re-

ally affirming to hear from so many people who were talking about ways to move forward and ways to innovate and try new things and try to address these issues where there is little or no local news.”

“This is the first year of the fellowship, so we’re trying to spread the word as much as we can,” said Lou Corsaro, Managing Director of University Marketing and Public Relations. “Since this is going to continue from year to year, we want to try to expand the reach.”

Conte and Corsaro said they used a number of methods to promote the fellowship including social media promotions, videos, digital advertisements and other promotional strategies.

“We created a series of videos that talked about ‘what is a news desert,’ ‘why is this fellowship significant,’ ‘who is Doris O’Donnell,’ ‘why should you apply for it,’ and then we used social to push all those out,” Conte said.

Aside from digital promoting, Conte and Corsaro reached out to journalists and universities across the country.

“Very few people have ever heard of Doris O’Donnell in the first place, so we were trying to spread the message about who she was,” Conte said. “Then, being a brand new fellowship, people didn’t really know what it was about, so just the messaging all around that was really important to get the word out and try to let people all across the country know what was going on.”

Conte and Corsaro are pleased with the applicants’ presentations and the inaugural application process for the fellowship.

“It was so gratifying to see so many people from across the country recognize what we were trying to do, respond to it and come up with these really terrific ideas for it,” Conte said.

According to the CMI’s press release, Keppler, a finalist from Pittsburgh, proposes a project to report

on Alaska’s Kodiak Island, possibly the world’s most inflated drug market. Houston native Chapa plans to cover earthquakes in news-deprived areas seemingly affected by intense drilling and fracking.

The panelist of judges considered value, innovation, engagement, diversity and ability when choosing the Top Six, and they will look to the same criteria once again when deciding the winner.

The judges include NPR’s David Folkenflick, Amber Hunt of the Cincinnati Enquirer and “Accused” podcast, Brentin Mock of Citylab, Carl Prine of the Navy Times and News Desert Researcher Penny Abernathy, Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics at the University of North Carolina.

A portion of the award should be used to visit the university once in the fall, spring and once again in April, when the winner finishes their proposed project, according to Conte. Conte wants students to be heavily involved in the process.

“I would love them to meet with students and talk about their project and how they’re going about it,” Conte said. “That’s one of the things we’ve tried to do with the Center is expose our students to top-level journalists around the country, so this is another opportunity to bring in somebody who’s at the top of their game.”

The winner will be announced at the CMI on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

“I think we all felt validated by this process...it’s a pretty big deal for a university the size of ours to take on something like this and say, we’re going to do a national award and we’re going to put it out there and make sure that journalists all across the country hear about it and apply for it,” Conte said.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, do something big.”

Dara Collins

dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

Jordyn Hronec | The Globe

Alexa Lake was sworn in as Vice President at the last USG meeting of the Spring 2019 semester. now required in the SAIL office per week and that it would take more time to find a student ready for the commitment.

Senator McDermott questioned why one person would be allowed to occupy two positions in the executive cabinet. Berlin noted that the acting Treasurer is not a part of the executive cabinet, as acting positions in the cabinet are temporary.

Senator Mya Jackson and Senator Jade Steele then expressed a desire to serve as acting Treasurer.

Berlin said he appreciated those who volunteered and reminded the legislative body that electing an interim Treasurer was crucial for clubs to obtain funding. He ultimately used the executive power of the President to appoint Jade Steele as the acting Treasurer.

The positions of Parliamentarian, Communications Director and Treasurer will

be permanently filled within the upcoming weeks. The process for electing the President Pro-Tempore requires the vote of the legislative body. Senator Frank-Rempel won the majority and was appointed as the permanent President Pro-Tempore for the semester.

Vice President Lake then brought up a request for a special election regarding freshmen. The special election would allow freshmen, as well as any upperclassman, to run in the fall so they wouldn’t have to wait until the spring semester to join USG. The motion passed without opposition.

DISCLAIMER: Jordyn Hronec is the Editor-Elect of The Globe.

Sarah Gibson

sagibso@pointpark.edu

COPA begins fall with new faculty from COPA page 1 rector, and a playwright in Chicago.”

Breese described the job of a college dean as being “multi-faceted”, due to different schools having different budgets and having to balance academics, the arts and financials.

“Most things pass through a dean’s office,” Breese said. “When a dean is doing their job well, they are supporting students and faculty to do well.”

In preparation for the semester, and in order to integrate into Point Park University, Breese said he must learn as much as he can about the school and its culture.

“There are three ways to learn,” Breese said. “The first way is to get on campus and to spend as much time as possible with faculty and staff.

Then, I have to look at data.

Then, I have to learn about the curriculum.”

Breese also plans to spend as much time as possible talking with students and focusing on the upcoming season.

And while Breese prepares to serve as the Dean of COPA, Martorella is preparing for a successful season at the Playhouse.

“My position is a new position, so I don’t have a predecessor,” Martorella said. “It was created as a response to the magnificent construction and renovation that Point Park undertook in building the Playhouse. I believe that the initial idea for the position

stemmed from the idea that it’s true that when you build a new building, you have the opportunity to make a statement.

You can sense and support the goals of students, and you can interact with and use the facility to move careers forward.”

Martorella is leaving behind his position as the executive director of UCCS Presents at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. He is excited to join the Point Park community, as well as the Pittsburgh community.

Martorella is also exploring new ideas for the Playhouse to be a resource for all Point Park students.

“As someone with a background in higher education and the arts, the arts thrive when all folks feel welcome,” Martorella said. “I also have a background in student success. So from the larger idea of student life, all students should be welcome and able to use the facility. I want students from all disciplines to feel like it’s their facility.”

This upcoming season, the Playhouse will host a number of productions, such as “Parade” in March 2020 and “Pump Up the Volume” in April 2020. Both Breese and Martorella expressed their excitement for these shows, as well as how they will be received.

The two directors also plan for their doors to always be open to students and faculty.

Jordyn Hronec

jthrone@pointpark.edu

FEATURES

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

5

Point Park students fill seats at summer concerts

By Globe Staff

Ariana Grande Tia Bailey

Pittsburgh was packed with Ariana Grande fans on June 12, for her concert at PPG Paints Arena.

Grande’s show was opened by Social House, as other opening act Normani was ill, but they still kept the crowd’s energy up. They played their popular song “Magic in the Hamptons,” as well as a new song to later be released.

After the opening act, videos of Grande played while fans waited impatiently. Finally, she began her five act show with “Raindrops (An Angel Cried).”

Grande didn’t interact with the audience much, other than expressing her gratitude in between songs. There were no props other than a graffiti car in “7 Rings,” and most of the visuals were played on a projector.

Grande sang songs from her two latest albums, “Sweetener” and “Thank U Next,” as well as older hits, such as “Break Free” and “Love Me Harder.”

She finished the show with an encore of her song “Thank

U Next,” dancing around the stage while she and her dancers held up pride flags. During this song, Grande got choked up while singing about her late ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, who is from Pittsburgh. The stadium cheered loudly as she sang about him, and she ended the show by shooting confetti from the stage.

Sad Summer Festival Dara Collins

Mayday Parade said it best in “Kids In Love,” “The summer was full of mistakes we wouldn’t learn from.”

However, if there’s anything Pittsburgh did learn this summer, it’s that Sad Summer Festival was far from a mistake. Comparable to Vans Warped Tour’s younger sibling, Sad Summer Festival saw more cheers than tears except during Three Cheers for Five Years.

The stellar lineup included headliners The Maine, Mayday Parade, State Champs and The Wonder Years with supporting acts Jetty Bones, Just Friends, Mom Jeans and Stand Atlantic.

Held on July 19, at Stage AE in the North Shore, the first-year festival drew a diverse crowd of music enthusiasts. The Maine and

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Jonas Brothers @ PPG Paints Arena

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Bastille @ Stage AE

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Tyler the Creator @ Stage AE

NF @ Stage AE

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Mayday Parade’s frontmen John O’Callaghan and Derek Sanders stopped their bands’ sets to acknowledge the festival’s dedication to inclusiveness and love.

O’Callaghan urged the crowd to wrap their arms around one another, claiming that it’s so much easier to love than hate one another, and Sanders, a high school outcast, credited Warped Tour for making him feel welcome and expressed his love for the way music brings a diverse group of individuals together.

Alternative Press commended the festival as a whole for its collaboration with OurMusicMyBody to heavily focus its rules on consent and policies surrounding sexual assault and sexual harassment.

A safe environment is any festival’s number one priority for its concert goers and employees, and a rock festival is no exception - especially with the moshers and crowd surfers. Mosh pits broke in the center of an otherwise crowded pit and new surfers were thrown up into the hands of strangers almost every minute.

With surfers above, moshers beside and everyone else somewhere in the middle,

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Backstreet Boys @ PPG Paints Arena

Chris Brown @ PPG Paints Arena

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Chance the Rapper @ PPG Paints Arena Alysse Baer | The Globe

PIONEER PUBLIC Hayley Oakley

By Hannah Walden Co-Features/A&E Editor

Then 17-year-old Hayley Oakley from Lynchburg, Va. had no idea how attending a concert in Pittsburgh would change her life or how hard she would fall in love with downtown’s music and college scenes.

When Oakley attended a One Direction concert at Heinz Field back in 2015, she explored downtown and stumbled upon Point Park’s campus on accident. Curious about a university in the heart of downtown, she did her research and fell in love with

the city life and music culture.

Now 21 years old, she has the same passion for music, concerts, festivals and the fan experience as she did back then - which is exactly why the senior is working toward a degree in sports, arts and entertainment management (SAEM) with a concentration in entertainment.

“I really like VIP fan packages,” Oakley said in a phone interview. “As a fan myself, I know what’s fun and what’s affordable and what the fan wants at the end of the day.

The excitement of when a fan meets their favorite artists and get their signed stuff is just so wonderful.”

During her time at Point Park, Oakley hasn’t come short of internship and work experiences both on and off campus. Oakley served as Vice President of the Point Blank Comedy Collective from 2018 to 2019 and was very hands on in putting together Point Blank Live.

“I kind of want to be cheesy and say [that I’m proud] of

everything that I’ve done,” Oakley said. “I’m proud of myself for taking these opportunities, volunteering, working on sets, for doing Point Blank Live and for being proud of our work and that we made it happen.”

Off-campus experiences started in 2016 when Oakley volunteered to pass out wristbands at Thrival Festival in Swissvale. The next year, she worked in the box office where she made connections with some people from LiveNation that helped her get a position at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown in their box office.

Oakley also worked as a production runner on “Dancing with the Stars LIVE” at Heinz Hall in January 2019.

“I find it sort of funny that the year before I bought a ticket and went to that event and the next year I was working that event,” Oakley said.

Oakley also interned at Stage AE during the summer of 2018 as a member of a street team where she and other interns would promote shows

everyone came together for one common denominator: the bands in front and the music swirling around.

John Mayer Kayla Snyder

Sundays, according to John Mayer, are laundry days.

The 41-year-old musician expressed his utmost gratitude for all of those in attendance on a Sunday evening on July 28, at PPG Paints Arena. Playing for an arena of 12,000 in attendance, that night was the perfect way to spend a Sunday evening.

Mayer, being the only act on his 2019 World Tour presented an interesting opportunity for fans to be surprised with the setlist that night.

Split into two acts, Mayer performed songs across his seven different albums. From taking fan requests to playing whatever he wanted, Mayer created a unique setlist for those in attendance.

From some of his most popular up-beat songs such as “Your Body is a Wonderland” to more ballad-like songs such as “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” Mayer brought an electric energy to the City of Bridges.

Act One brought more of the newer Mayer to the stage, while Act Two was a mix of older and newer versions of himself. With extended guitar solos after nearly every song, Mayer made being a musician to that caliber look easy and effortless.

With such passion for music, during the last song before his encore, “Gravity” he sampled “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember” with multiple members of his band performing that piece.

After performing 25 songs across the two acts, Mayer finished out the show with two versions of himself.

The folksy-ballad like Mayer featured in his song “Born and Raised” was up first, followed by his summer 2018 eclectic pop single “New Light”, stun-

ning the crowd. Needless to say, those in attendance saw him in a new light after the show.

Khalid Kayla Snyder

The day after John Mayer rocked the house at PPG Paints Arena, Khalid brought a different type of magic to Pittsburgh on July 29, on his Free Spirit Tour.

Happy-go-lucky Khalid brought an infectious energy to the stage and the crowd for his performance to 12,500 thousand fans. From an incredible and meticulous light production to his unique and authentic sound, Khalid brought a performance that was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

Taking the stage was the performer alongside his backup dancers. Despite having the backup dancers, Khalid’s vocals were enough to blow everyone away. From playing hits that could be heard on the radio station such as “Young, Dumb and Broke,” “Eastside” and “Location,” fans were singing along the entire duration of the concert.

One of the most unique parts of the show happened when Khalid took center stage with nothing but a stool to sit on and a microphone in his hand while the perimeter of the stage was decorated with a drape-like feel creating a box around the singer and the stage. Using light production to their advantage, Khalid’s team was able to create an illusion that the singer was in a box.

From ballads such as “Heaven” to high-energy songs such as “My Bad,” Khalid’s set list had something for everyone. Casual fans and die-hard fans could find something enjoyable about this show whether it was the pure vocals or the incredible stage and light production, the Free Spirit Tour kept everyone on their toes the entire night.

Julia Cavataio | The Globe

happening that summer by hanging up flyers in coffee shops and restaurants across the city.

While Oakley prefers to manage and work the music side of entertainment, she doesn’t want to miss out on the wonderful opportunities and

experiences the other aspects of the entertainment world has to offer.

Check out the full profile at ppuglobe.com

Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu

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

6

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

A&E

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Tia’s Tickets: A summer spent in the movie theater

By Tia Bailey Co-Features/A&E Editor

School was out for the summer, and everyone was rushing home with big plans for the next three and a half months - some people were working all summer, while others were going on vacation.

I spent the majority of my summer at the movie theater, seeing as many movies as I could before heading back to campus in the fall.

Aladdin

The first Disney remake of the summer was “Aladdin,” the story of a street rat who falls in love with a princess and meets a genie.

Like Disney’s other live-action remakes, “Aladdin” featured some new songs and had more to the plot than the original cartoon. Jasmine (played by Naomi Scott) and Genie (played by Will Smith) had more to their characters than in the original. Genie found himself a love interest, while Jasmine’s character was stronger and stood up for herself more than in the cartoon.

While only receiving a 57% score on Rotten Tomatoes, people online seemed to love the movie. Some were skeptical about Will Smith taking over as Robin Williams’ Genie, but ultimately thought that he did a good job.

“Aladdin” was exciting

and well-done, and it was fun to see the magic brought to life.

Toy Story 4

On March 19, Pixar released a trailer on YouTube for “Toy Story 4.”

When the movie was first announced a few years ago, the release date for the movie was supposed to be on Jun. 16, 2017, but it got pushed back. It finally was released to theaters this year on Jun. 20.

The movie follows the toys after they had moved on from being Andy’s toys to Bonnie’s. A new toy made

by Bonnie in kindergarten, Forky, is introduced to the group and helps push the storyline along. The movie has a bittersweet and satisfying end.

“Toy Story 4” currently has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is loved by both audiences and critics.

Spider-Man: Far from Home

Fans of The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) were impatiently waiting to see “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” as it was the first movie after “Avengers: Endgame,” which was released earlier this year in April.

“Far from Home” picks up eight months after the events in “Endgame,” and follows Peter Parker and his friends as they go on a trip to

Europe. We are introduced to a new character, Mysterio (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), and we watch as Peter tries to be a normal high school kid despite Nick Fury’s efforts to become the new Iron Man. The way the movie shows Peter trying to accept the events of “Endgame” is done in a realistic way, and we’re able to see his growth throughout.

The mid-credits scene ends on a cliffhanger, and features a surprise cameo from the original “Spider-Man” movies. “Far From Home” was a satisfying end to the MCU’s Phase 3.

Midsommar

Last summer, Ari Aster gave us “Hereditary,” and this year, we got “Midsommar,” a flowery nightmare of a movie about a Swedish festival.

“Midsommar” was released in the United States on July 3, with a runtime of two and a half hours.

The film is about a group of graduate students who visit Sweden to partake in a festival that only happens every 90 years. As soon as they get there, things seem off, and as the movie goes on, it only gets weirder; it’s more than what meets the eye.

“Midsommar” is in no way your typical horror movie, as it ends up being more than just that.

Crawl

“Crawl” is a drama/ thriller movie about a Florida woman who gets stuck in her dad’s house during a hurricane - with alligators.

“Crawl” was released on July 12, and has since received the approval of both critics and audiences, and was given an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie centers around a competitive swimmer, Hayley, who goes to check on her dad during a hurricane, only to find him injured from an alligator under his house. “ C r a w l ” begins with Hayley at a swimming competition, setting up a plot point for the rest of the movie, as most of the film takes place in water.

One of the things that makes the film so suspenseful is that Hayley isn’t your typical stupid scary movie character - she’s actually very smart. She makes the best decisions possible, using her swimming background to her advantage, yet things still go wrong. It shows that sometimes, even if you do everything right, some things are just out of your control.

“Crawl” is suspenseful, fun and will have you at the edge of your seat. The film is estimated to come out on DVD and Blu-Ray in October 2019.

Dark

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” produced and co-written by Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro, was released on Friday, Aug. 9. The movie was based on the collections of stories published from the early 80’s to the early 90’s.

Rather than showing a bunch of random stories like the books, Director André Øvredal selected six of the stories from the books and put them all into one storyline.

“Scary Stories” centers around a group of teenagers who break into a haunted house and find a cursed book of scary stories, which the main character steals.

This awakens the ghost who owned the book, and she begins to write more stories about the group and other people they know; this is where the stories from the collection of “Scary Stories” begin to come into play.

The movie focuses more on del Toro’s original plot than the stories the movie is named after. It was fun to see for the nostalgia, and to see some old favorite stories brought to life, but otherwise is simply not the same as the books.

The end of the movie did imply that a sequel is in order. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is still in theaters.

Scary Stories to Tell in the

Tia Bailey tbaile@pointpark.edu

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA STUDENTS VISIT UNITED KINGDOM

The Spring 2019 International Media class traveled to the United Kingdom in May for a two-week media studies trip.

The class traveled to five cities across England and Scotland: London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Top left: Submitted | The Globe Top right: Emma Federkeil | The Globe Bottom left: Julia Cavataio | The Globe Bottom right: Emma Federkeil | The Globe

OPINIONS

The Globe staff’s first online student shares thoughts on online classes Online learning can have its benefits, faults

By Alice Conyers-Jones Staff Writer

This article is the first of what I hope will be a series of installments that highlight the perspectives of the online student experience here at Point Park. I recently learned that I am probably the first online student to be on The Globe staff. I never imagined myself to be the first at anything, and so I’m enjoying my moment in the limelight.

If it is later determined that this is not the case, then may the true forerunner please step forward. But not too soon, though. I’m a senior in the online program, and it’s been quite a ride so far. There’s so much to share. Before I begin to talk about my delight, and yes, my grief with the online program, I’d like to talk about how it came to be.

I reached out to PPU staffers Emily Hendrick and Danielle Brooks for a historical perspective. As is the case with most successful endeavors, the development of the online format began at the top - namely, with the President and Provost offices. The program was created in response to the shifting preferences of the adult student population from evening and weekend classes to fully online learning. Launched in April 2014, PPU’s online program enrolled its first 48 students in Fall 2014, and graduated its

first class the following May. From an initial offering of five degree programs five years ago, the program now offers more than 20 programs to nearly 800 students online. Participants can choose from 10 baccalaureate, three post-baccalaureate, nine master, two doctoral and two certificate programs, according to the university’s website.

“My first reaction to the online program was something like ‘love at first sight.’”

Alice Conyers-Jones Staff Writer

My first reaction to the online program was something like “love at first sight.” I was attracted to the program for several reasons: no classrooms (love it!), high level of writing (I would rather scribe than talk), potential for shorter matriculation (it’s taking me four years, but I’ve taken several breaks between sessions) and shorter, accelerated sessions (this is okay sometimes, and I may address

in another installment).

Then, after about two years, as various quirks emerged on both sides, the love affair became one of mutual respect. One such quirk, which continues to be a source of agitation for me, is the 24-48 hour response time for answers to questions directed at instructors. Simply stated, the time frame is too long. For those who may not know, undergraduate online study consists of eight weekly, specific and distinctive modules with tight deadlines for each week’s assignments.

With only seven days to fulfill the requirements for a given week, it doesn’t sit well with me that instructors can take up to two of those days to respond to an inquiry. It’s possible to miss a deadline waiting on a badly-needed response from an instructor.

A more beneficial timeframe to respond, given our peculiar circumstances, is 12 hours or less.

That’s it for now, but I hope I’ve at least piqued your interest in the unique benefits and challenges of the online program. Of course, this is an opinion piece, and therefore these are my opinions, but I welcome yours, if you’re so inclined. Your feedback could inspire the content for future installments.

Alice Conyers-Jones aconye@pointpark.edu

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

7

GL BE’S POINT

THE

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Why every student deserves to be heard With a new school year comes new events and problems to tackle. Even though classes have only just begun, this year has already seen its fair share of issues and student concerns.

The first major issue, which we are covering in our news section this week, is the changes to the shuttle services.

Specifically, the lack of an Oakland shuttle for this semester.

The next major issue is also being covered this week.

The adjunct professors at Point Park are working with the United Steelworkers Union to fight for better wages.

Finally, an ongoing issue of campus security, especially in light of three recent stabbings all within walking distance of our campus.

Though opinions vary, we at The Globe are dedicated to covering these issues as thoroughly as possible. We will be providing our readers with updates as they happen, and we will provide a neutral, factbased voice within our pages.

However, though we are all members of the student media, we are, first and foremost, students. Every single member of The Globe staff is a student who pays tuition to attend this university and thus

deserves a voice when it comes to university matters that affect the student body. The voice of students is not one to be overlooked.

We, the student population of Point Park, deserve reliable transportation in order to attend class. We deserve a faculty which is paid a fair wage. And we deserve to feel safe both on campus and in the city. It is the University’s responsibility to make sure our tuition dollars are going toward better resources for students and toward a better pay for staff.

Oftentimes, we at The Globe are forced to grapple with our dedication to providing unbiased news to students, as well as our own opinions. However, we thoroughly believe that we have the ability to provide reliable news while also wanting the best for the student body. We respect and accept any and all opinions relating to these issues, and we welcome any student to write to us and provide new insight.

Our opinion section is a place for conversation.

So Point Park, please continue to fight the good fight.

The Globe is always here as a resource.

Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu

Letter from the Editor: I do know what I don’t know

By Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief

Lately, I have been reflecting on the past three years I have spent at this university.

In the fall of 2016, I began my journey at Point Park University pursuing a degree in Journalism. I declared a minor in Multimedia after my sophomore year, and I am now about to start my final year with a clearer picture than I started with just three years ago.

But it certainly is not crystal clear.

In high school, I realized my love for writing. As an inexperienced 18-year-old, the only career paths that crossed my mind were author and journalist. I was never much of a bookworm, so author was out. By process of elimination, I set my sights on journalism.

Fast forward to three months after my high school graduation, and I’m in my first semester at Point Park.

From day one, I have been involved at The Globe. Also, on day one, I quit - but I’ll get back to that later.

I remember when Professor Gina Catanzarite showed

my Survey of Mass Communication class the starting salaries for each discipline in the School of Communication, and almost every single student’s facial expression twisted in horror.

Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Keith Paylo added the title of Professor, when he taught my section of City University Life.

Near the end of the semester, I recall him asking the class if we planned to change our major or if we would stick with our current path.

As a college freshman, I should have watched my mouth a little more. I responded to Dean Paylo with, “I’m not going to half-ass my job.”

Freshman year came and went. I finished with good grades, great friends and even better experiences.

During the first semester of my sophomore year, I shadowed AT&T SportsNet at high school football games with five other students. I came to Point Park with a heavy focus on writing, and that experience solidified that television just wasn’t for me.

As the second semester of my second year began, I start-

ed my first internship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC as a marketing and communications intern. I worked with social media, took photographs, wrote - the whole nine yards. This was the first experience that really piqued my interest in marketing, and served as the main reason why I added a minor in Multimedia to expand my knowledge in other areas of communication.

I often doubted myself, my skills and my career throughout my junior year.

This feeling waned the second semester, but I still found myself significantly less confident in my future than when I arrived at Point Park.

Just when I thought that wave of doubt would never crash, I found myself living in my highest high. I traveled to the United Kingdom with the International Media class this past May, and I would not trade that experience for all the money in the world.

My biggest takeaway from the information the media professionals shared with us was it’s okay to not have a concrete plan, it’s okay to not know everything

and it’s absolutely okay to change your mind. Most of the professionals we spoke to began their careers in another area of communication and now lead very successful careers.

Most recently, I finished a co-op with PJ Dick - Trumbull - Lindy Paving. If you’re not familiar with the name, it’s a construction company.

I walked through dust and dirt in steel toe boots and a hard hat with a camera in one hand and another slung across my chest.

Now, you might find yourself wondering, ”What is the point of this girl telling me her life story?”

When I applied to this university, I had no idea I would ever find myself working in sports, healthcare or construction, but I have done all three in the span of three years.

The point I want to make is, it is perfectly okay, I dare to even say normal, to not have any clue what you want to do right now.

I came to Point Park with no idea what I was getting into with journalism, and I have certainly steered away from a

journalism focus in the last few months - and that’s okay.

I wanted to make a career out of something I really enjoy: writing. While I still love writing, I do not believe I want to write all day every day - and that’s okay. I changed my mind, and it’s okay for you to change your mind, too.

Remember when I said I quit my first day at The Globe? My byline now identifies me as the Editor-in-Chief.

I used to be a copy editor (for about two hours), a staff writer, Co-Sports Editor and Editor-Elect, and I remember thinking Dean Paylo was crazy for asking me if I would ever consider becoming the Editor-in-Chief of this paper.

But here I am, and there you are, making decisions that have an unknown outcome and will lead to a bright future you never expected.

Dara Collins

dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Dara Collins Editor-Elect: Jordyn Hronec Business Manager: Cortnie Phillips Faculty Adviser: Aimee-Marie Dorsten Administrative Adviser: Dean Keith Paylo The Globe board consists of Dara Collins, Jordyn Hronec 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: Amanda Andrews, Hayley Keys Photo Editor: Jared Murphy Features/A&E Editors: Hannah Walden, Tia Bailey Photo Editor: Julia Cavataio

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 Editor: Allison Schubert Photo Editor: Hannah Johnston

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: Sara Cronin, Nathan Vrablic

Public Relations Coordinator: Diego Febres-Cordero Graphic Design: Alysse Baer Staff Photographers: Joie Knouse, Emma Federkeil, Siena Ciancia Staff Writers: Rosalie Anthony, Alice Conyers-Jones, Rachel McKriger

Opinions Editors: Sarah Gibson, Shannon Copy Editors: Mya Burns, Justine Quach Hartnett Delivery Assistant: Mya Burns Online Editor: Nicole Pampena

Social Media Coordinator: Hannah Johnston

8

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

All In with Allison

By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist

Welcome to Sports Good old Point Park.

It is my fourth and final year at this fine establishment, but most importantly, it is my fourth and final year of writing for my beloved sports section.

I was going to make this column super sentimental and take the theme of “the last firsts,” but that is way too cliche and not really me.

So instead, let me introduce you to the sports section of The Globe.

This section is all about what runs the athletic world of the university. We talk track and field, volleyball, current sports trends, e-sports, basketball, soccer, and literally everything in between. Our goal is to make this the go-to hub for all things Point Park University athletics.

Now that you have an idea of what we hope to do for you, the reader, let’s get into the fun stuff.

Anna Shields. For those that do not know this Point Park celebrity, Shields was the epitome of what an all-star athlete should be. She beat record after record (most of which she set in the first place) on the track for both track and field and cross country, and was one of the nicest people off of it.

For the past three years of my time here, this sports section was 70 percent Shields, 30 percent ‘other.’ Not having her around is going to be a huge change to the section this year, but it might not be as different as I am imagining.

Senior men’s cros country captain Xavier Stephens has a spotlight on him this year and sophomore women’s cross country standout Alyssa Campbell has proven herself even with Shields around, so I am super excited

to see what she does outside of the shadow.

Volleyball is already off to a great start, going 3-1 in their first four matches, all of which were part of the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Bird Classic this past weekend.

Our new Editor-in-Chief, Dara Collins, wrote more about what happened and what to expect in her article this week.

Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams are very optimistic for this season (there are articles on both of these sports, too!) and are hopeful that they will be able to bring home some rings to Point Park.

The women did this both in 2015 and 2017, and despite winning the River States Conference (RSC) last season, they were eliminated in the RSC Semifinals during the playoffs last season.

This season, they are back with a vengeance, and with a brand new head coach.

Bethanie Moreschi was hired as the interim head coach for this season after seven-year head coach Maggie Kuhn took a new coaching job with the PSAC’s Seton Hill University.

Typically, this column will be used to highlight a specific thing or person related to Point Park sports.

I like to go in-depth on one subject or introduce things to the Point Park community that otherwise go unnoticed when it comes to our athletic department.

This column was a weird one for me, but I think it’s a nice introduction to all we do in the sports section. So, welcome to sports.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Volleyball fills holes with talent in recruiting class

Roster additions increase bench depth

By Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief

There are six spots to fill on a volleyball court, and Point Park graduated six athletes last semester that claimed one of those spots for much of last season.

Power hitters Jordan Dixon, Erica Gumz, Ashley Taylor and Destiny Tucker alongside defensive specialist Ali Peterson and libero Morgan Dangelo played their last season and have left their uniforms for new Pioneers.

On the bright side, Tucker didn’t travel far. In fact, she just moved to the sidelines.

Tucker will now serve as the team’s assistant coach beside second-year head coach Bridget Bielich.

“I think the chemistry the returners have with Destiny is so strong that it will be amazing having her as the assistant,” junior middle hitter Jazlyn Rozier said. “I think we all look up to her in a lot of different ways.”

As talent graduates and moves on, new talent steps foot in the Student Center gym. The Pioneers welcome four athletes this season.

“Ariel [Rafferty] is coming back, and she will be a huge help because of her height,” senior setter Julia Menosky said, providing a brief rundown on the new faces. “She’s really good at getting on top of the ball.

Taylor [Small] is an incoming freshman who is very versatile. She has so much power hitting a ball, but also can play defense and set.”

Small is young but talented, according to Associate Director of Athletics and Director of Athletic Communication Kevin Taylor. Taylor said she has the potential to be a backup at multiple positions if not earn a spot as a starter.

“Adapting is really just your mindset,” Small said. “If you’re going to be hitting, focus on the swing.

Setting is getting the ball in the right place for the hitter, and passing is just being aware of what’s happening so you don’t let the ball drop.”

The second half of the recruiting class appears just as talented, according to Menosky.

“Michaela [Shevell] is a sweet defensive specialist and has a ton of grit playing in the back row,” Menosky said. “Maria [Ferragonio] is a transfer setter from Eastern Kentucky, and she will be a huge help with her knowledge of the game and being able to play multiple positions if need be.”

Returning to the team are decorated players Menosky and Camryn LaMonaca At the 2018 River States Conference (RSC) Volleyball Championship, Menosky was named to the All-RSC Second Team and LaMonaca, a junior outside hitter, was named Point Park’s Champion of Character.

Seniors Brittney Bianco and Haley English, juniors Rozier and Jada Jones and sophomore Ashley Castelli join the returning squad as key parts to the lineup. The roster also returns outside hitters Abby Miller, Kristy Lippert and Madison Sima.

“The returning players are all really confident in one another’s ability which is a huge advantage,” Rozier said. “It’s hard being on a team where you don’t trust or feel confident with the person on the court next to you. All of the returners have so much talent as well as the newcomers.”

The Pioneers have not advanced to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championship since 2016 when they proceeded despite a quarterfinals loss because of their No. 1 RSC seed status.

Since then, they suffered two more consecutive loss-

es in the quarterfinal round and hope 2019 will be the streak-breaking season.

“Although we have a three-year losing streak, that isn’t stopping us from anything this year,” Rozier said. “I don’t think there is anything we need to change, more so it’s a mindset. We all need to have the same mindset going into the season and we will dominate.”

The Pioneers opened their season at the Michigan-Dearborn Early Bird Tournament on Aug. 2324. Point Park finished the season-opening weekend with a 3-1 record, sweeping two of four opponents.

With one preseason tournament under their belts, the Pioneers will play in the Emileigh Cooper Memorial Tournament in Rio Grande, Ohio, this weekend before their first regular season game at Washington and Jefferson on Sept.

10.

Following the Presidents, another week of practice lies ahead of the Pioneers in preparation for their first home game on Sept. 17 against Salem International University. Point Park will then open RSC play at Carlow University on Sept. 24.

“I’m so excited for this season,” Menosky said. “The returners have been playing together for a couple years now, and we’re all so close off the court that I think it will help us on the court as well. We have all the talent and pieces to make it far this year, and I’m excited to make it happen.”

Even the fresh faces feel the connection within the team.

“I’m stoked to be a college volleyball player, but [I look forward to] just being really close with the team and having fun playing the sport I love,” Small said.

Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

Men’s soccer looks to build off last year’s run

By Rachael McKriger Staff Writer

Long days out in the sweltering heat can break people down. However, for the members of the Point Park men’s soccer team, it’s just business as usual and another day of training.

The team is looking to build off their postseason run last year. After going 5-3-1 in the River States Conference (RSC), the Pioneers fell to Brescia University after a second-half game winning goal from the visitors. This year, it’s going back to the basics for Point Park. Right now, with the inclusion of nine freshman players, it’s all about building team camaraderie.

Senior defender/midfielder Wessel Rietveld said those long days on the pitch held build teamwork.

“We have a big group with a lot of depth and a positive attitude,” Rietveld said. “Everybody is working hard. I think we have a really talented group this season that is able to achieve great things, such as winning the conference. We have a lot of new players that can directly have an impact on

the team.”

One of those new players is Allan Deyarmin from New Kensington, Pa. The freshman midfielder is already bursting with confidence after training with his new team. Deyarmin said that nothing can get in the way of this year’s team.

“There is a lot of running, a lot of calorie burning and skill building,” Deyamin said.

“But, each morning we lace up our boots nice and tight to do it all again because as a team we have the competitive drive to conquer any other team that comes our way. We understand that, in order to succeed, we must train hard. Victory isn’t just handed out.”

Deyarmin said that working with upperclassmen players has evolved his training and his learning process. He called his teammates “great” and “constructive.”

One hurdle he’s been working on is communicating with teammates from different countries.Point Park’s team boasts plenty of diversity, with 17 different countries represented.

“Each country plays soccer differently, so we all have our own individual play styles,”

Deyarmin said. “We have had no problems finding unity as a team.”

Deyarmin and the other freshmen are learning the high expectations that Point Park has for its program. Jonathan Hanks, a junior from Ohio, is looking to put the playoff loss from last season behind them and move forward. He wants to start the year off fast with some victories, as the team opened last season with lopsided results.

“I love coming back with my teammates and it’s a good way of getting settled in early before classes start,” midfielder Hanks said. “We have big expectations for this upcoming season and I think we’ve made some crucial improvements to the squad that can help us achieve our goals.”

He called bringing in new freshmen a learning process, but said there are some talented newcomers.

“Everyone adds value to the squad in different ways,” Hanks said.

As a junior, he’ll be looked on for more leadership. Hanks said that he tries to give his best guidance to younger players. He stresses maintain-

Emilee Fails | Point Park Athletics Sophomore Christopher Ciucanu (left) celebrates a goal last season.

ing a positive attitude and he puts his best foot forward to encourage his teammates.

Rietveld is no stranger to being a leader, either.

Entering his senior year, the Dutch native said it comes down to being a good leader on and off the pitch.

“We show them what kind of behavior is accepted on and off the pitch,” Rietveld said. “Being on the soccer team for Point Park brings responsibilities with you as an individual. We show them how to be a role model and represent the school.”

Coming off an injury-riddled season last year, Rietveld said he appreciates coach Jeroen Walstra’s

belief in him and loves being a Pioneer because of him.

“I chose him over other coaches because I like his Dutch style of playing,” Rietveld said. “You can see that he has been around for a long time and he has a lot of knowledge that is needed to win games. He also has a lot of experience about the other schools we face in our conference and that helps when we play them.”

Does Rietveld also have those high standards for the program? You bet he does.

“We’re definitely aiming for a Top 20 ranking in the country,” Rietveld said.

Rachael McKriger rakrige@pointpark.edu

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019

9

Women to discover new front runner, men to develop depth

By Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief

The men’s and women’s cross country teams have undergone significant changes since the 2018 season.

Point Park University terminated four-year cross country head coach and fiveyear track and field head coach Kelly Parsley in February, thrusting assistant coach Jim Spisak into the role of interim head coach of the teams.

Spisak, now the official head coach, will direct both of the cross country teams to success with the help of assistant coach Tim Creamer.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing the student athletes on the team grow, both athletically and just as people in general,” Spisak said. “I think we have a really good morale and a good level of energy about us right now, and I’m just looking forward to seeing them translate that into racing very well, really improving a lot and being successful athletically.”

Aside from coaching staff changes, decorated athlete Anna Shields graduated this past spring, and the women’s side will be looking for its next star athlete in a shrinking roster list.

The women’s roster has shrunk by nearly half its size from the 2017 season, falling from 15 athletes to eight. There are no seniors on the 2019 roster, three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

“We’ll miss Anna,” Spisak said. “She was an incredible runner, but I think we still have a number of very good athletes who will be able to step out of her shadow and take on an even bigger responsibility.”

“Obviously having Anna on our team helped a lot, but this is also a great opportunity for all of us to prove

ourselves,” sophomore Alyssa Campbell said.

Spisak says Alyssa Frausto, a junior transfer from New Mexico Junior College, headlines the women’s recruiting class. As for veterans, high-placing runners Alex Barr, Reba Bartram, Alyssa Boyd and Campbell return for another season.

“Someone will be our number one runner and the other girls will need to have a bigger role too,” Spisak said.

“I think it’s a good dynamic...

I think some of them will enjoy the added responsibility and even the added focus on them now that Anna, our big front runner, is no longer with us.”

Although the men’s side also graduated a few star athletes, senior Xavier Stephens returns to highlight the 19-member men’s roster.

“Xavier Stephens was our number one runner last year, and he’s coming off a very good track season, so I’m definitely hoping for good things from him,” Spisak said.

Stephens placed second at the River States Conference (RSC) Championship last season, as did the team, and earned himself a spot in the national championship, regardless if Point Park advanced as a team.

Stephens finished with nothing less than a stellar performance.

Now known as the fastest man in Point Park men’s cross country history, Stephens finished with a sub 26-minute time for an 8,000-meter race. With his time of 25:59, Stephens broke the school record.

“I plan to keep working hard and get some good training,” Stephens said.

“I’ll try to stay healthy and consistent throughout the year.”

Spisak hopes to fill the remaining top spots with solid runners.

“We have a solid supporting cast around [Xavier], and I think some of them have a chance to run pretty well including Bryan Gutierrez and Doug Kostelansky,” Spisak said. “With the men, we really need to have strength in our numbers.”

The Pioneers welcome six men to the cross country roster to hopefully fulfill Spisak’s quest for more depth.

“It’s hard to say who will stand out more than the others,” Spisak said. “Hopefully, if they all work hard, they’ll all turn out to be pretty good runners.”

Both teams will kick off their seasons on Sept.

7, at the Edinboro Doug Watts Invitational in Edinboro, Pa. There are only four regular season meets before the RSC Championship and National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship in November.

The Pioneers typically enjoy the familiarity of their “home” course at Schenley Park only once a season for the Carnegie Mellon Invitational.

However, for the first time in program history, the Pioneers will race through Schenley Park for the 2019 RSC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 9.

“I want to win a conference championship on our home course,” Stephens said. “Most of us know this course very well and the freshmen will get to [learn the course] so there will be no surprises.”

The NAIA National Championship is slated just under two weeks later for Nov. 22, returning to its 2017 location of Vancouver, Washington.

Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

Former coach Kuhn reflects on time on Pioneer sidelines

By Rachael McKriger Staff Writer

Maggie Kuhn understands the challenges she’s going to face.

She’s moving away from home, leaving all of her family and friends to move three hours away. Kuhn’s next destination is Seton Hill University, a school in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

The former Point Park women’s soccer head coach decided it was time for a new environment and new obstacles.

However, the decision didn’t come easy for the seven-year head coach.

Kuhn was born and bred in Pittsburgh. Her roots are in the city and she joined the Point Park coaching staff with a goal in mind: to win the conference. She led the team in doing so back in 2015 and then followed it up with another conference win in 2017.

When the team won the conference, Kuhn said it was a weight off her shoulder.

“Winning the program’s first conference championship was really exciting,” Kuhn said. “We had come so close in the previous years, so to finally do it on home turf made it even

more exciting for the players.”

Last year tested the Point Park team and Kuhn. They struggled early in the season, but soon bounced back with an eight-game winning streak from September through October. Kuhn said that leaving the team and school was one of the hardest decisions she had to make. Making it even more difficult, according to Kuhn, was departing with this season’s senior class.

“In their first year, we won the conference for a second time,” Kuhn said.

“They, throughout the years, have proven themselves to be very hard workers and very team-oriented. They’re great leaders. I think having such a large class made them impact the team immediately. That experience helped them to be successful.”

Kuhn said she was looking forward to this season, due to the senior class coming back and the underclassmen that were retained. She also called this season’s recruiting class top-notch.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that they could make a good run in winning another conference title this year,” Kuhn said.

However, she’s anticipating a successful year of her own for Seton Hill. She called

her team impressive and she’s looking forward to working with them. In regard to moving, Kuhn said she’s excited for the challenge of pushing herself outside the box.

“I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone a little bit,” Kuhn said. “I’m three hours away from my family and friends. So, right now, I’m seeing what I’m capable of as well as getting an opportunity to support more brilliant young women. That’s what I’m most excited about.”

As for her last piece of advice for her former players at Point Park, Kuhn goes back to an old sentiment she told the team over the years.

“I always told the girls, I hope that they continue to leave the program better than they found it and continue to build off the successes that we’ve had in the past,” Kuhn said. “They need to continue to work hard, support each other and take care of each other. They need to make an impact both on and off the field. They did an excellent job of that throughout my time at Point Park — and they will continue to do well under their new coach, Bethany, who will be awesome for them.”

Rachael McKriger rakrige@pointpark.edu

Changes inspire new attitude in women’s team

By Allison Schubert Co-Sports Editor

The women’s soccer team ended last season on a bit of a sour note.

After winning the River States Conference (RSC) Championship in 2017, the women were looking to clinch back-to-back championship titles last year. They were set up for the title again with the most regular season wins (11) in program history going into the playoffs.

Point Park did not need to worry about the quarterfinal round; the women placed first in the conference, giving them a bye week to start playoffs and an automatic bid to the semifinal round of the RSC Playoffs to face then-No. 5 Indiana University (IU) East.

Earlier in the season, Point Park beat IU East in a close 1-0 match. Going into the playoffs, however, IU East was ready for their revenge.

In a game just as competitive as the last between the two, IU East upset the No. 1-ranked Pioneers and ended their season earlier than they had planned.

This season, the women are prepared to take back the title for what would be the third time in the past five years.

“Our main goal this year is to win everything and bring home the rings,” senior captain Gabby Widman said. “That’s our long term goal. To achieve that, we need to hit all of our short term goals, which include composure, scoring goals, staying fit and competing in our training so that way we can play our best when we get into games.”

The Pioneers have had one chance so far to test all of the work that they put in during the offseason. They traveled to the Montour Junction Sports Complex for an exhibition game against Davis and Elkins College in Elkins,

W.Va. No score was kept, but it was a good chance to see what the team had to work with this season.

“This season we are anticipating a different Point Park women’s soccer team – different in a good way,” Widman said. “The attitude of our team has changed and grown tremendously and the vibe is very positive.”

In addition to players being optimistic about this upcoming season, the RSC coaches were too when they voted Point Park third out of 11 teams in the RSC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll. Only Asbury and IU East rank above the Pioneers, clinching the first and second spots, respectively.

The biggest change to the women’s team this season is the loss of seven-year head coach Maggie Kuhn. Kuhn led the Pioneers to a combined 37-12-3 record throughout her tenure at Point Park, but left for a different coaching job in July.

Director of Athletics John Ashaolu hired interim head coach and La Roche alum Bethanie Moreschi in August to fill the shoes that Kuhn left behind.

“Bethanie Moreschi comes highly recommended, and I believe that she will hit the ground running as our interim women’s soccer head coach,” Ashaolu said in a statement after her hire.

Moreschi and the rest of this year’s women’s soccer team will face off against Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio this Friday after their first preseason game on Tuesday at No. 4 Spring Arbor.

The women will not make their debut back at Highmark Stadium until September 7 when the Pioneers host non-conference opponent Siena Heights in their home opener.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

10

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

SPORTS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Pittsburgh Center alum find success at Winter Meetings

By Emma Christley For The Globe

Every year, Student Advisory Board members of The Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing look forward to the chance to attend the Baseball Winter Meetings, an annual convention of Major and Minor League Baseball executives holding meetings and networking with others in their field.

In addition to catching up and trading advice with each other, these professionals are also looking for the best and brightest current students and recent graduates to “network with peers, fill job openings, attend educational workshops and discuss innovating trends in the industry” at the PBEO Job Fair section of the meetings.

Point Park has made it known over the past five years of attendance that our students are highly skilled, talented and qualified candidates. Successful alumni of the trip sing the praises of their experiences and often cite the experience directly with landing them in their post-graduation jobs.

Successful alumni who have once traveled to the Winter Meetings shared their experiences.

Matthew Kruth is currently a content producer for the NBA, but in 2016, he was one of about twelve Point Park students about to attend the Winter Meetings in National Harbor, Md. Initially on the fence, he almost decided not to attend the Meetings, but now Kruth credits the experience directly for giving him the opportunities he’s had in his career that have led him to his current role. Kruth says one of the most valuable lessons he learned was to put himself in situations that made him uncomfortable because it forced him to grow.

“For someone, such as myself, who had trouble in networking situations, it was important to learn to get over those fears in an environment where people are supportive and helpful,” Kruth said. “I felt like a brand new man once the craziness died down and we were on our way home.”

From his boldness at the Winter Meetings, Kruth was offered a position after graduation with the Staten Island Yankees in the communications department. While there, he learned how working in the minor leagues can prepare a sports professional for the rest of the industry, albeit through trial and error.

“My boss and I were responsible for everything from marketing, to social media, to game presentation, to press releases, to partnership activation,” Kruth said.

“In minor league baseball, it’s all hands on deck. It is usually not an easy job, but cutting your teeth in the minors garners a ton of respect in the sports industry.”

Casey McGaw also attended the 2016 Winter Meetings in Maryland, in addition to attending the year before in Nashville. She describes her experience at the Meetings as “absolute (but wonderful) insanity”.

McGaw describes days filled with workshops, obsessive job board stalking, interview requests and

running wildly across the various convention centers to be prompt to your next interview, which makes for a “very long, very exhausting, but very fun experience”.

McGaw is now going into her fourth season with the MiLB and her second as a full-time Social Media Coordinator for the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Her involvement with the Center led her to making the connections that, in addition to her experience at the Winter Meetings, helped her to land internships with various different teams that eventually led her to her current position.

“In sports, having minor league experience is 1,000 times better than having no experience,” McGaw said.

“Employers know that, in the minor leagues, you put in really hard work and it shows you can be a versatile employee. If you want to work in sports, this is one of the best places as a college student you can possibly start.”

The greatest thing McGaw stressed that would help any student looking to follow in her path is preparation.

“Go above and beyond to pursue opportunities,” McGaw said. “When I was hunting for a full-time job, I followed every social media person for a sports team I could. I reached out to some personally and picked their brains. Doing the bare minimum will get you nowhere. Don’t be afraid to put in some time, and to reach out to people for advice.”

Rebekah Mohrmann is currently the Media and Graphics/Promotions Assistant with the Salem Red Sox in Salem, Va. In Mohrmann’s case, the connections she made not only at the Winter Meetings, but also during her time at Point Park and with the Center, contributed greatly to her landing her current position in Salem.

“The Winter Meetings allowed me to feel comfortable interviewing, stay calm in frantic situations and environments, and really perfect the skills of organization and multitasking,” Mohrmann said. “While at the Meetings you have to always be on top of things: knowing what interview is next, where you have to be at what time, and who you’re interviewing with.”

Mohrmann didn’t get an interview with her future employer until the end of the conference, which is why she offers the advice to never give up.

“No matter how many rejections get thrown at you, you just have to keep chugging away towards your goal,” Mohrmann said.

Suzie Cool is currently the Marketing and Promotions Manager, On-Field Host and Color Analyst for the Salem Red Sox, but is also the Point Park alum who hired Mohrmann proof that connections really do matter.

Before making the trek down to Salem, Cool started as a Pirates Ball Girl, which then led her through the Pittsburgh sports world to opportunities with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Wheeling Nailers, ROOT Sports Pitts-

Casey McGaw | Submitted Casey McGaw (back) is currently the Social Media Coordinator for the Indianapolis Indians. Above, McGaw takes a picture of player James Marvel as he takes the field prior to a game.

burgh, Entercom Radio and AT&T Sports Network.

With her extensive and impressive resume, it should be no surprise that she left the Winter Meetings in 2017 with an offer from the Salem Red Sox as their On-Field Host and Media and Graphics Assistant.

Once in Salem, Cool was feeling unsure if she made the right decision leaving her home, friends, family and the city she grew up in, but through this feeling of uncertainty she came up with an idea that would change her life. Not having much experience in the broadcasting booth, Cool jumped right in and, during the 2018 season, Cool became the first female in Carolina League history to broadcast a baseball game.

It was her gumption that led her to taking on this new role that also led to the Salem Red Sox offering her the full-time position she now holds, but that still didn’t satisfy Cool. For the 2019 season, she dreamed of an all-female broadcasting booth. Along with Melanie Newman as the lead play-by-play announcer and herself as the color analyst, Cool’s vision came to life and history was made.

Before making Salem Red Sox history though, Cool attended the 2017 Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fl. She described her experience as “the most overwhelming couple of days due to the amount of preparation, interviews, and people that you encounter—but it was also something that you will only ever experience maybe once or twice in your lifetime.”

Her biggest takeaway from the experience was realizing just how big the business is.

“I think a lot of people focus solely on the Major Leagues, but the Minors is something truly special to be a part of,” Cool said. “It’s where most of the people you see in the Majors get their start. It truly helped me appreciate where I’ve been… because now I can fully say that I have seen almost every corner of this industry.”

These alumni have offered some of their best advice for having the best and most successful trip possible, should one decide to attend the Winter Meetings for themselves.

“The biggest thing I learned from my experience was to learn to be out of my comfort zone,” Kruth said. “To ask questions, be attentive, and to introduce myself to people. So many

of the people at the Winter Meetings are there to help young people break into the industry.”

“Connections matter; you have to stay quick and on your toes in order to succeed, and when the Center makes you go through Winter Meetings prep, take it seriously,” McGaw said.

The Center does not just send students without making sure to properly prepare them for their experience and works both as a group and one-on-one to send the best versions of the students to the Meetings.

“Point Park put a ton of time into prep work for the Winter Meetings,” Cool said. “From correcting our resumes to practicing elevator pitches, there wasn’t one thing that they didn’t cover before we were on our way to our interviews for our future jobs. The portfolio I used over two years ago is an example I show people to this day, and I still mimic most of the work that is included in it when I go

on interviews now.”

The Winter Meetings are not the only things these former students credit with their success. The Center itself, with the resources, connections and community it provides, gets students the experience and connections they need to succeed.

“The Center played a massive role in shaping who I am as a professional in the sports industry today,” Kruth said. “It provided guidance, mentors, and friends that will last a lifetime. People like Mike [Fetchko] and Tom [McMillan], the founders of the Center, have always been invaluable resources for as long as I have known them.

Thankfully, my experience with the Center continues to create opportunities to help current students reach their goals, just like the students who came before me helped me reach mine.”

Emma Christley eechris@pointpark.edu

NAIA Scholar Teams 2018-2019

Softball

3.47

Women’s Golf

3.46

Competitive Dance

3.44

Competitive Cheer

3.43

Women’s Soccer

3.39

Women’s Indoor Track & Field

3.39

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field

3.38

Women’s XC

3.38

Volleyball

3.34

Women’s Basketball

3.22

Men’s Indoor Track & Field

3.22

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field

3.19

Men’s Soccer

3.16

Men’s XC

3.15 Dara Collins | The Globe