Point Park Globe Fall 2017 Issue 12

IN THIS ISSUE: PAGE

@PPUGlobe November 15, 2017

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Students share how they plan to spend their Thanksgiving break Beth Turnbull justifies respecting people rather than just their opinion Volleyball team eliminated from first round of conference tournament ppuglobe.com

Celebrating 50 years of covering the world of Point Park University news

Issue 12

PRESIDENTS’ CUP OF TEA Student government swears in new vice president, senators-at-large USG

By Hannah Walden USG Beat Writer

Gracey Evans | The Globe United Student Government President Bobby Bertha performs “I’m a Little Teapot” as part of the “President-Off” competition between Bertha and University President Paul Hennigan. The competition was part of Radio Somewhere’s Live WPPJ recording Monday in the JVH auditorium.

United Student Government (USG) President Bobby Bertha appointed Senator Kaylee Kearns as vice president.

According to a USG press release announcing her nomination Friday, Kearns is a sophomore sports, arts and entertainment management major representing the Rowland School of Business. She has been an “avid member” since her freshman year and has been a part of the finance, rules and student concerns committees.

“It is an honor to be nominated and recognized for the work and dedication that I have been putting forward,” Kearns said in the press release. “I know it is a big jump from Senator to Vice President, but I am ready to take on that challenge.”

Library Director Liz Evans was scheduled to speak

at the start of the meeting this week, as mentioned in the USG agenda and in the most recent press release.

However, she did not attend and the meeting moved forward without any mention of her absence or when or if it would be rescheduled.

The meeting continued with the treasurer’s report and committee reports.

“We are encouraged by the events that we are seeing going on campus, that are funded by USG,” Treasurer Josh Croup said during the treasurer’s report. “I encourage all senators to go and attend these events to put your face out there and talk to your constituents about how we can better serve them.”

NextGen Rising sent in a revised mission statement within their constitution to USG rules committee.

The revised mission statement read: “The purpose of this organization shall be to improve our local communities, as well as the country as a whole socially and ethically by promoting campus votership among

students and engaging them on the issues that are of greatest concern to them.

This effort ranges from meeting for pizza dinners to discuss personal political concerns, to providing shuttles to our local place of voting, to organizing students to take part in activist efforts in the larger Pittsburgh community.”

After conducting a roll call vote, the motion to accept the revised mission statement passes.

sion later in the event when the audience could play an active role in the presentation and “talk back.”

Students could submit a question by writing one on a card and handing it to an usher or by tweeting one with the hashtag #MediaPioneers. Everyone in attendance was given two blank cards and a pen for this purpose.

Much of the second half involved Ruddy’s experiences with Trump, a friend he’s “known for 20 years and known very well for ten.” He recalled meeting Trump due to the geographic location of Newsmax in West Palm Beach, Fl., where the two are known to play golf.

According to Ruddy, Newsmax is not “ideologically driven” despite having an “ideological perspective,” this being “center-right.” The digital media site is a source for news, politics, health and finance that primarily reaches a baby boomer audience, Ruddy said in the presentation.

“My mantra as a journalist is that journalism is a very basic bulwark of a democracy,” Ruddy said.

The first portion of the event addressed the current state of journalism. Ruddy discussed a saturated digital media environment, media monopolies and fake news.

USG page 2

Criminal Justice Club shows appreciation to local law enforcement Christopher Ruddy discusses state of bers and future leaders of the journalism, Trump administration club to repeat,” said Justin

Courtesy of USG | Submitted

By Kayla Snyder

Co-Copy Desk Chief

Last year, members of the Criminal Justice Club started an initiative to deliver cakes to different police zones around Pittsburgh to show their appreciation for law enforcement officials.

This year, the newfound tradition scales more than just the Pittsburgh police zones, adding Point Park’s police department as well.

The Criminal Justice Club presented a cake to the Point Park Police this year but intends to do a much larger event in the spring, according to club advisor Sean Elliot Martin.

“We did have a conversation asking how we could extend the event to Point Park because we felt it was something we should also do,” Carlin Diachun, a senior criminal justice studies major and president of the club, said.

“It’s important that the city guys get recognition, but it’s important that we carry that over to the guys closest to us.”

The main focus of the Criminal Justice Club stems from three tiers: career development, networking and public service.

Recently, the public service tier has morphed into focusing on police appreciation. To show their appreciation, the criminal justice club hand-delivers cakes designed specifically for the six police zones.

“We wanted it to be something simple so that it wasn’t too grandiose for future mem-

Stocklas, a junior criminal justice studies major and vice president of the club. “We wanted it to be something [the police] actually enjoyed, and everyone likes cake.”

Since the start of the event last year, the Criminal Justice Club has delivered six cakes to the respective police zones around campus and one to the Point Park Police Department.

“A cake is celebratory,” Martin said. “It’s associated with birthdays, special occasions, congratulations and thanks. They can be decorated and we settled on the American flag with the blue line across it, representing police officers.”

Diachun recalls Martin saying, “It’s easy to say you appreciate the police, but it’s not so easy to show something or you doing something to appreciate them. You can easily say you support them, but what have you done?”

According to Diachun, Martin was the driving force to actually purchase the cakes and deliver them.

The club only services the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Point Park Police Department because of logistical reasons, according to Diachun.

“For our purpose, as a starting point for this tradition, we said let’s start with the patrol guys, because they’re first in line,” Diachun said.

This event was not created because of any recent polit-

CAKE page 2

By Nicole Pampena Co-News Editor

Christopher Ruddy, founder and CEO of Newsmax Media Inc., discussed his career in the media and friendship with President Donald Trump during his appearance that was met with a silent protest at the Pittsburgh Playhouse last Wednesday.

The second installment of the Center for Media Innovation’s (CMI) TalkBack Series was designed to feature Ruddy not only as a figure that fits the description “media pioneer,” but also as someone who is close to the president.

Director of the CMI Andy Conte moderated the Q&A ses-

RUDDY page 2

Gracey Evans | The Globe

Chris Ruddy, also known as the “Trump Whisperer,” talks in a Q&A session with Andrew Conte, Director of the CMI, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse Wednesday as part of Point Park’s Talk Back Series.

Weather Forecast Today: Mostly Cloudy H 52, L 40

Thursday: Cloudy, H 43, L 30 Friday: Partly Cloudy, H 49, L 43 Saturday: Rain, H 55, L31

Sunday: Cloudy, H 34, L 24 Monday: Partly Cloudy, H 35, L 29 Tuesday: Cloudy, H 39, L 29

Point Park

GLOBE

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

do CRI no MEt USG looking to update club rosters RcEP roORT NOVEMBER 6 Club leaders must respond or be deemed inactive MONDAY, ss 5:02 p.m.

Drug Violation from USG page 1

LOCAL Employees from LG’s South Korean company headquarters visited Pittsburgh Monday and Tuesday to meet with local officials and discuss future partnership opportunities in the city.

According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the company is interested in working with the Carnegie Mellon University robotics and artificial intelligence program. The company met Monday at the university to see what partnership possibilities exist. Along with working with local colleges, The Tribune-Review reported that Monday night, the tech company had dinner with Mayor Bill Peduto to discuss the potential future of LG’s presence in Pittsburgh. According to the article, LG brought over 40 representatives to visit the city. LG currently has no facilities in Pittsburgh, however councilmen are hopeful this will change in the near future.

---This Friday at Light Up Night, the Honors Program will hold a bake sale benefiting local disabled children. Members of the program will meet Wednesday night in the dining hall kitchen to bake cookies and other baked goods. Proceeds made from the sale will benefit the Alliance Toy Drive. Along with the bake sale, the Honors Program annually collects toys for children under the age of three who have developmental disabilities. The club will be set up outside the Patteson Building during the Light Up Night festivities.

---President Hennigan confirmed Monday at Radio Somewhere Live that the Pittsburgh Playhouse construction is on schedule. Construction is to be completed by June and will be fully functional in time for the start of the fall 2019 semester.

There will be another Student Concerns table on Wednesday, Nov. 15 in front of the Point Cafe from 12-3 p.m.

President Pro-Tempore Daniel Murphy brought up the USG dress code before the senators, reminding them what qualifies as appropriate attire.

“As far as wearing jackets, I am fine with that seeing that it is getting colder. I am just asking that the USG logo be visible,” President Pro-Tempore Murphy said.

President Bertha swore in Carlin Diachun and Justin Stocklas as a Senator-at-Large. This position is for students who want to be involved in USG, but are unable to attend every meeting. The position is also offered when the organization approaches or surpasses the representative count.

“I was a club leader, and working with USG for club funding has sparked an interest in joining,” Diachun said. “I want to fulfill the gaps and holes in USG and help wherever I can.”

The meeting ended with President Bertha announcing to senators that the university wants USG’s participation in a food drive Dec. 5.

Club leaders have been contacted via email to resend their club constitutions and an updated list of members by Nov. 27. If club leaders do not respond, the club will be considered inactive.

Disclosure: USG Treasurer Josh Croup is co-sports editor for the Globe.

do

Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu

Lawrence Hall Cleared

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7 1:02 p.m.

Drug Violation Thayer Hall Cleared

4:00 p.m.

Theft Student Center Cleared

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12 10:00 p.m.

Theft Thayer Hall Unfounded

10:10 p.m.

Harassment Lawrence Hall Cleared

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Cakes delivered to Ruddy event met campus, city police with little backlash from CAKE page 1 ical debate surrounding police officers, as the club does not focus on politics.

“At this point last year, we were in the heat of the political debate of what is policing and what are the cases of brutality and policy issues,” Diachun said. “We don’t want our club to be focused on politics… We don’t, as a club, take a stance on those. It became important to us that we make this event not focused on that.”

Martin said a lot of officers lost their morale within the last couple of years, so it was necessary to appreciate them in some kind of way.

“Anytime something goes badly, everybody knows about it,” Martin said. “Every time an officer does something questionable, it’s all over the news. We don’t hear about the countless times about officers who are doing the right thing.”

The club, consisting of 1520 members, takes at least five members to each zone. Deliveries occur near holidays to the six zones. The first one took place last November to Zone 1, which experiences the most crime. The next Cakes for Cops event will take place at Zone 2 this Saturday, Nov. 18.

Kayla Snyder klsnyde2@pointpark.edu

Courtesy of Pittsburgh Police | Submitted

The Forensic Science Club delivered cakes to local police departments

from RUDDY page 1 “Everybody has their view [on fake news,]” Ruddy said.

“Everybody’s interpreting it the way they’d like.”

Ruddy, however, championed a free press, calling it a concept currently being challenged by media consolidation efforts. The shared goal of a free press forms a “common ground between Democrats and Republicans,” he said.

One attendee asked how Ruddy can defend free press when the president attacks it. “[Trump] loves the press,” Ruddy said. “I think he doesn’t like when the press attacks… if you attack, you give [the press] credibility, but it’s in his nature to punch back.”

Ruddy reiterated multiple times throughout the presentation that Trump does not hate the press.

Another audience member asked if there are any unbiased media outlets.

Ruddy said he likes bias and defended the use of it in the media by referencing a liberal paper from his hometown where “everything had a label and you understood when you read it.”

“I knew where they were coming from so it didn’t skew

my view,” Ruddy said.

Outside of the theater, the silent protestors hung a sheet near the box office that read “hate speech is not free speech.”

They also set up a table in the lobby making t-shirts in protest of the event.

The group was unable to hang the sheet off of the theater’s balcony as originally intended because they were told it was a fire hazard, according to one of the protest’s leaders, Princess Winder, a sophomore stage management major.

“When he got out we agreed we’d just stand and put our fists up,” Winder said. “I feel as though [the event] was censored very heavily. A lot of our questions did not get answered.”

Brennan Burke, a junior sports, art and entertainment management major and president of the Young Americans for Liberty Club, was glad Point Park hosted Ruddy.

“I felt like he did a good job acknowledging any biases,” Burke said. “I hope we have more events like this… left or right.”

Nicole Pampena nmpanpe@pointpark.edu

A&E

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

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Eminem in a fight to revive rap spotlight with new single The Real Slim Shady confronts aging, staying relevant in latest music

By Nick Horwat Co-A&E Editor

Many of today’s rap fans would consider Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. It’s easy to overlook these claims until you sit down and actually take a look at his body of work.

With 15 Grammy Awards, 56 top 100 songs and an Academy Award it’s hard to deny that he is one of the best.

All but one of his albums have peaked at number one on the Billboard top album sales list, and that outlier still charted at number two.

He is one of the top rap stars in the industry. He’s been in the game since 1996 with the release of “Infinite,” and ever since then, every album that he has put out has had multiple hits that are still played to this day.

Be honest with yourself, you probably know every word to “The Real Slim Shady.”

Recently, Eminem set a release date for his ninth studio album, “Revival,” for Nov. 17. This would also be his first full album release since 2013 when he came out with “The Marshall Mathers LP 2.”

The album is accompa-

nied by the first single “Walk on Water” featuring Beyoncé, which debuted Nov. 10.

“Walk on Water” is a stripped down piano ballad with Beyoncé handling the chorus while Eminem gives verses that look like a coming of age song for him. Throughout the song you hear the sounds of crumpling and furious writing on papers, with Eminem lightly talking to himself, a small look into how songwriting is not as easy as it may seem for him.

Eminem’s verses are totally a reflection of himself; how he is growing older and has changed as a musician from his days with blonde hair and had a tad less of a serious sound to his music. He mentions how intimidating it can be to be looked up to by so many, “Kids look to me as a god… if only they knew it’s a facade and it’s exhaustive.”

He goes on to notice that other rappers are becoming just as popular but he won’t give up his spotlight without a fight. “As I grow out of sight, out of mind, I might go out of mine… How do I ever let this mic go without a fight?”

Those topics are a constant throughout his three verses, while the chorus belted by Beyoncé is about how celebrities are just regular

DoD News | Via Flickr Creative Commons

Eminem performs during The Concert for Valor in Washington, D.C. Nov. 11, 2014. His ninth studio album, “Revival,” comes out Nov. 17. people that were put on pedestals and now they feel the pressures of being in the eye of so many.

After the final chorus is finished there is a small outro from Eminem, a few record scratches and the words of recent Eminem we have become so familiar with.

“As long as I got a mic, I’m godlike,” Eminem says.

Another line follows but it ends abruptly after a mention of “Stan,” another popular song Eminem had penned.

The way the final line is cut out with such a different sound from the rest of the song leads me to believe that the rest of the album will not have as deep of a meaning as this song had.

The album “Revival” is an addition to a theme that Eminem has with his album titles, harking back to past albums titled “Relapse” and “Recovery.” All the titles and subsequent songs are little glimpses into how, after a near fatal drug overdose,

Eminem has become sober and staying on top of the rap world.

No matter what the rest of the album sounds like, it will most likely be a chart topper thanks to his millions of fans worldwide. I am personally excited to see where this album takes him. He is now 45 years old and it is a wonder if Eminem is starting a decline or if he still has a strong grasp on the spotlight.

Nick Horwat njhorwa@pointpark.edu.

Bob Dylan stays true to rebellious roots

Folk prophet avoided the classics in Pittsburgh show

By Amanda Myers For the Globe

Anyone showing up to Heinz Hall last Monday evening expecting Bob Dylan to roll out with a harmonica around his neck and happily put on a greatest hits show was surely mistaken.

Dylan is as rebellious as he was in his folk days, but sheds that identity of his former self in both song and appearance.

Arriving to the stage in an oversized blazer with bedhead hair, Dylan appeared to be in favor of the ruffedup Frank Sinatra look as his backing band donned similar styles. He’s also keener to the suave standards that Sinatra famously made his own.

A majority of Dylan’s set focused on his most recent albums, like cover compilations “Triplicate” and “Fallen Angels,” as well as his 2000s era masterpiece, “Tempest.”

It’s often hard to understand what Dylan is saying, even if you have the lyrics memorized to his songs.

When singing the classics, he somehow fits right into the swing of things. These songs that have been around for decades still have potency when a man as musically diverse as Dylan breathes new life into them.

“Once Upon a Time” and “The September of My Years” were notable highlights. You could feel the wonder of their innocence even within Dylan’s off-putting gravel-like tone.

That tone may not have been preferred by everyone in the audience when it was

time for him to play his own hits.

“It Ain’t Me Babe” was nearly unrecognizable until it came time for the chorus as the audience broke out into an unsure applause. The ultimate throw-off moment had to be when he went poetic on the crowd with a spoken word version of “Tangled Up in Blue.”

Dylan was able to bring things back around, however, with a two song encore mounting hits “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Ballad of a Thin Man” against one another. It was here that an audience of mixed ages was reminded of Dylan’s impressive foothold in culture and the music that reflected it.

He left without saying a word, just as he did upon entering. He’s a man of mystique that prefers to let his songs, and those of others, speak for him.

You couldn’t say the same about Mavis Staples, who opened the show for Dylan.

The Chicago dynamo and former Staples singer was electric in her onstage delivery. She hit high notes with stamina through a voice that is also a little rough for wear.

Through multiple proposals shouted from the crowd and commentary about Dylan’s stage moves, she had the crowd settled perfectly in the palm of her hand.

Her mission was to make us feel good, and she certainly delivered.

Amanda Myers admyers@pointpark.edu

Nick Horwat | Screenshot via Netflix

“Big Mouth” makes puberty funny

By Lauren Ortego Co-Copy Desk Chief

Imagine you and your friends having a show when you were 12-years-old and going through the worst time of your young life: puberty.

Imagining it? It’s bad, right?

Bring up a lot of traumatizing moments? Put that into an animated show filled with masturbation jokes, awkward first kisses, a bat mitzvah and some of comedy’s best performers and you have “Big Mouth.”

I had heard a lot about “Big Mouth,” the advertising was everywhere and I watched the trailer on Facebook upwards of eight times, so when my roommates and I finally decided to sit down and watch it, I thought I was prepared for the content.

I wasn’t.

The show ended up being one of my favorites, despite it’s wildly inappropriate content - there’s literally a scene in which the “Hormone Monster,” a character that haunts one of the main characters, Andrew Glouberman, voiced

by John Mulaney, does some questionable things to the dismembered head of NPR host, Garrison Keillor.

What I enjoyed most about the show wasn’t it’s grotesque humor, but it’s equal treatment of both the

boys in the show and their female friend, Jessi, voiced by Jessi Glaser.

Jessi gains a “hormone monstress” of her own voiced

by Maya Rudolph.

Puberty as experienced by adolescent boys is seen in almost every and any show that involves young teens, but rarely is the puberty that girls go through talked about.

Which is weird considering women make up some 50 percent of the population.

The show follows a pretty standard setup. The kids try to do something relatively normal and they’re immediately stopped by their blooming hormones. In their adventures appear some pretty colorful characters including the ghost of Duke Ellington, voiced by “Get Out” director and one-half of the comedy duo Key and Peele, Jordan Peele.

There are a few people who can’t seem to stomach the rather sensitive topics surrounding puberty that “Big Mouth” has associated itself with, but once you get past it’s outwardly absurd and gross shenanigans, underneath is a story about a group of friends just trying to make it to high school.

“Big Mouth” additionally presents charm in it’s self-awareness, mentioning Netflix a few times, the ori-

gin of the name of the show and the absolute madness of the plot being centered mostly around young boys doing what young boys do best in the final episode. Because everyone loves a good meta reference.

The sub-plot line of Andrew and fellow principle character Nick Birch, voiced by the shows creator Nick Kroll, finding out that Jessi’s mom is cheating on her dad with the woman in charge of Jessi’s bat mitzvah reveals the show’s ability to flex its muscles as an after-school special ordeal.

It even has an episode regarding teen pregnancies, although it is between a 13-year-old boy and his sentient pillow.

Overall, “Big Mouth” is a show about the struggles of being young, in love and confused, all while going through the monsters that all people must face at some point in their young life. The allstar voice actors really shine through in this setting, and the plot brings something refreshingly real to the scene of pre-teen shows.

Netflix did announce that a second season will be in the works, but no official release date has been set.

Lauren Ortego leorteg@pointpark.edu

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FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

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Thanksgiving break approaches Students plan to study, work, attend concerts, more

By Lauren Ortego Co-Copy Desk Chief

Joe Truesdell’s dad has his own way of celebrating Thanksgiving and it involves a turkey breast, a smoker and up to 12 hours of preparation.

Truesdell is just one student heading into the first break of the semester next week, joining others whose plans range from relaxing with family to attending concerts, working and catching up on homework.

Thanksgiving break is next week, and comes about two weeks before the last week of classes, and three before finals week, Dec. 12-15.

On Thanksgiving Day, Truesdell, a senior business management major, said his family does “all the normal stuff.” They go to his aunt’s house, hang out, play

board games and just enjoy each other’s company. But there is one small oddity in the day.

“My dad, he likes smoking his own meats,” Truesdell said. “So he’ll like, get his own turkey breast and he’ll smoke it here at the house and then we’ll bring it over. So we usually have two kinds of turkey going on.”

Truesdell also plans on attending Lady Gaga’s Joanne World Tour concert in Pittsburgh Nov. 20.

Another student, Alexa Newborough, a sophomore theatre arts major, works at the King’s in Gibsonia, Pa. and even banks on working the morning of Thanksgiving before going home to see her family.

“So much for time off,” Newborough said. “But, you know, money is fun.”

Newborough is not alone when it comes to

Lauren Ortego | The Globe Sarah Balkey, sophomore SAEM major, marks her calendar for Thanksgiving Break.

working over the holiday break. Sarah Balkey, a sophomore sports, arts and entertainment management major, is also planning on working for most of the week at an assisted living facility near her home in Wexford, Pa. In addition to working and seeing her family, Balkey additionally plans on traveling across the state to see rapper Hoodie Allen perform in both Philadelphia and New York City, one day after the other.

“I knew I’d be on break, and it was the perfect time,” Balkey said. “It’s the last show of the tour, too, so I knew that would be fun.”

Thanksgiving is often a holiday spent with extended family, but some students, like senior psychology major Maia Gilmour, originally from Brattleboro, Vt., cannot justify traveling all the way home just to come back a few weeks later, as much as they would like to.

“I’ve always sort of rationalized staying at school for Thanksgiving because in just two weeks, I’ll be home for winter break,”

Gilmour said. “It’s not very easy to get [home]. There’s no direct trains from Pittsburgh to Vermont.”

Gilmour is going to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, who is also from Vermont, and his extended family in Pittsburgh. The pair are exceptionally close, and Gilmour says their families prove to be very similar, making her feel right at home.

Also spending some quality time with her boyfriend is senior cinema production major Sophie Turiansky.

Turiansky is planning on making the eight-hour journey back home to West Chester, Pa., but not before making a quick side-trip.

“I’m actually going home Monday, because my boyfriend and I are going up to his camp for a weekend,” Turiansky said in an interview in Boulevard Apartments. “So, we’ll spend a day up there, which is nice, and then I’ll go home for the week.”

Turiansky plans on making a few important visits while home, including going to see her dad,

spending Thanksgiving Day with her mom and seeing her horse. Turiansky’s family used to own a farm, but when they made a move, they had to give away a few of their animals.

“We gave him to a sort of therapeutic riding school... so I still get to see him and ride him, even though he’s not mine,” Turiansky said.

“And I have a little puppy that I so desperately can’t wait to see.”

All five students expressed relief at finally getting a break from the stress of the fall semester, and look forward to seeing and spending time with their families and their pets.

“I feel like when I’m in ‘school-mode’ my heart is in two places -- here, and at home,” Newborough said.

“So, when I’m at home, I miss it here; when I’m here, I miss home. But it is good to have a change of scene, even for a little bit. Oh god, and my cat -- I get to see my cat for days in a row.”

Lauren Ortego leorteg@pointpark.edu

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FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

5

Seniors experience last round of scheduling

By Briana Walton For The Globe

Hannah Hepler was relieved. Alannah Owens was thankful it was over. Azurai Phillips was amazed at how easy the process was.

While registering for classes can bring stress to students twice a year, for seniors, the task has brought upon feelings of relief and even joy as they schedule for the last time.

On Tuesday, Nov. 7th and Wednesday, Nov. 8th, seniors registered for the spring semester; likely the last classes many will be taking as an undergraduate.

During the add and drop period on PointWeb, students may choose the classes they wish to reserve.

Students have access to a faculty and academic advisor to aid with the scheduling process.

“This year, being a senior and scheduling for my last semester at university, It was almost this really relieving and surreal moment.”

Hannah Hepler Psychology Student Point Park University

Students register on different dates depending on factors such as year and number of credits. Freshmen have not registered yet - they will be registering tomorrow and Friday.

Hannah Hepler, a senior psychology major, has taken 18 credits in past semesters, but in the spring she will be taking only 12.

“This year, being a senior and scheduling for my last semester at university, it was almost this really relieving and surreal moment.” Hepler said.

One of the classes she will be taking includes her senior thesis.

Dr. Robert McInerney, an Associate Professor of Psychology, as well as the faculty advisor for the psychology students, explains that the psychology seniors must write a 50-page thesis paper spanning over two semesters.

“My advice to students would be to keep your grade point average up and your stress level down,” McInerney said. “My feeling about it is students who are less stressed out...the byproduct of that is good academic stuff.”

He believes that this can be applied to all students and not just psychology students.

Like Hepler, Alannah Owens, a senior human resources management major will be taking four classes.

“I’m in honors so I’ve been kind of spoiled because we can register early,” Owens said. “Even though I schedule early, sometimes it was frustrating.”

Sometimes the classes that she would need would be full or some of her classes required prerequisites that she had to complete.

She talked to her advisor who helped map out the classes she needed as well as help out with any other scheduling issues she came across.

This semester, however, she did not have any issues registering for her classes.

“It’s finally over,” Owens said with a sigh of relief. “I had a slight enjoyment. It was exciting.”

Azurai Phillips, a senior English major, has had a similar experience to Hepler and Owens when scheduling for the spring.

“This was the easiest one I had ever done…” Phillips said. “During previous semesters it was very hard and extremely difficult. It always took a super long time… you might not get the classes that you need because it takes so long and it freezes up.”

In her first year, she went to the computer lab to find many who were dealing with the same issues as her.

“I was feeling stressed out as a freshman on campus so it was nice to know that other people were having the same problems as me,” Phillips said.

The Office of the Registrar changed the time students could begin adding courses from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., the time the office opens. Phillips said this could have been one of the reasons it was easier to schedule classes.

Dr. Jonas Prida, Assistant Provost and Interim Registrar, did not have anything to do with the time change, but is glad with how the Registrar has been handling creating positive experiences for students.

Briana Walton | The Globe Alannah Owens, a senior a senior human resources management major and psychology minor, looks at PointWeb at the class options she can take for the upcoming spring semester. The spring semester will be her final semester at the university.

“Ultimately what you want is for students to feel like they are getting served properly and that there are no problems,” Prida said.

At a conference, Prida heard a man make the observation that “the only

C O H E N

&

thing that should be hard about university are classes.” This stuck with Prida - he believes that processes like registering for classes should be simple.

“All of the mechanics of this should be easy,” Prida

G R I G S B Y

T R U S T

said. “The class should be really hard but the mechanics of how you exist here should not be.”

Briana Walton bnwalto@pointpark.edu

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PIONEER PUBLIC

Shaniece Lawrence

By Matt Petras

Co-Features Editor

Senior Shaniece Lawrence was already studying biological science but didn’t realize she wanted to use that to become a pediatrician until she joined Strong Women, Strong Girls.

“It’s basically a club where we go mentor little girls in different elementary schools and we empower them and tell them that yes, you can do anything and everything your heart desires, and don’t let anyone tell you different,” she said. “I’d never realized how much I enjoyed working with children until that point.”

Other than pursuing her education, Lawrence, the re-

cording secretary of United Student Government, keeps herself busy.

As recording secretary, Lawrence takes notes of meetings, including records of votes and attendance.

She’s been a part of USG for three years - she was also a senator and president pro-tempore. She got involved with USG because she wanted to make a difference.

“They actually deal with a lot of student concerns and I feel like that would be the perfect, and I do mean perfect, opportunity and chance to actually do something worthwhile,” Lawrence said.

“Because three years ago I felt like not much was being done and I felt like I should probably be in it to actually

Carley Bonk | The Globe

drive that force and get stuff done.”

In her spare time, Lawrence likes to paint ceramic figurines. She’s particularly proud of how her little brown porcelain dog turned out, but she’s also painted a purple and blue owl, a bust of Bart Simpson’s face and more.

She also adores playing video games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Saint’s Row” that offer open, sprawling worlds to explore.

“I kind of escape from the real world and just focus on the game. It also calms me down,” she said.

Soon after, she sighed.

“School is very stressful.”

Matt Petras mapetra@pointpark.edu

Check out the “Pioneer Public” video online at ppuglobe.com

6

OPINIONS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

THE

GL BE’S POINT This year, be grateful

Last year at this time, the headline for the Globe’s Point was a bit more harrowing than this week’s. “Support groups necessary” was the headline that sat atop the first graph of the editorial – “This year’s election, as pointed out in both opinions pieces this week, has been unusually intense.” We then detailed post-election mayhem, noting the support groups provided on campus for students after Donald Trump was elected.

A year later, the world is in a different place, sure. Time has a way of doing that. But it’s not so vastly different -- while protests and riots are less frequent, the social effects of the election are still prevalent in many ways.

It’s true that we could say a lot about where we are as a nation.

We could also say very little. Much to the opposite of progression, we have seen a lot of hate this past year. Though we at the Globe would like to think the positives of the last year outweigh the negatives.

We’re not interested in comprising a list of regressions and strides we’ve accomplished as a country and comparing this week in 2017 to where we were last year in 2016. What we are saying is Thanksgiving break is

knocking at the door, and before we welcome it in with open (and hungry) arms, we want to take a moment and be grateful for this year and everything it has taught us.

What we need to acknowledge is that although the life of a student is often difficult, we are also incredibly lucky to be where we are. We live in the most innovative country in the world, go to a diverse university with an unusually open-minded student body and we are pursuing our futures in an ever-growing and changing city. Our campus is one the most accepting places in Pittsburgh, and that is exactly what we need as young college students.

Sure, things are always going to be difficult, but it’s in the hardest times we grow the most. School, work and life are going to throw everything they have at us no matter what we do. Striving to succeed is one thing, but being thankful for what we have during those times is another thing. Just take some time next week, whether it is an hour or a minute, and think about the things you have and be thankful.

The Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu.

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Hey, Trump: don’t play games with Asia

How the president’s tour had the ability to go very wrong

By Jordan Slobodinsky Co-Opinions Editor

This past week, President Donald Trump visited Asia on a tour, including visits to Vietnam, the Philippines and China. Supposedly, the visit was meant as a way for the president to meet with foreign diplomats and attend summits.

I cannot express to you how high my stress levels were.

Over the course of almost two weeks, President Trump has been touring the continent that, quite honestly, is responsible for most of the technological advances in the world. Can you imagine if this tour went poorly and companies like Samsung, Sony and Toshiba decided to discontinue production to the United States because of his visit?

Trump screwing things up in Asia could’ve quite honestly been the death of technological entertainment for America. Some of the best technology in the world comes from Asia. It’s no joke, if you look at some of your devices that are not Apple or Microsoft, then it is probably a company based in Asia.

If there was a world where Trump angers Asian government officials enough

to ban companies from doing business with the United States, then I think Americans would lose some of their sense of fun. That would mean no more of the aforementioned companies or Mitsubishi or Yamaha, and losing Sony would mean losing PlayStation.

“Trump screwing things up in Asia could’ve quite honestly been the death of technological entertainment for America.”

Jordan Slobodinsky Co-Opinions Editor, The Globe

Thankfully, it all went well and Asia doesn’t hate us... yet.

I’m tired of being stressed whenever Trump leaves the country. It isn’t bad enough

that he’s trying to become allies with the Russians and piss off North Korea, but he also has the ability to screw up relations with Asia that would severely hurt us.

We shouldn’t have to be scared when this guy we call our president leaves the country, but we are because he isn’t a proper politician.

It’s honestly terrifying to think that the cheeto that leads our country is one bad tweet away from starting nuclear war.

I would argue that a lot of America is nervous about Trump and how he handles foreign tours. When I mistakenly voted for Trump last November, I honestly thought the man could make some smart decisions on these kinds of situations. For the most part, it looks Trump did not screw anything up with Asian leaders this time.

I’m sure that over the course of the next three years, there will be plenty more tours around the world where my heart won’t stop pounding in my chest for weeks at a time. It just infuriates me that myself and fellow Americans have to be scared of the man who is supposed to lead us leaves our soil.

Jordan Slobodinsky jeslobo@pointpark.edu

Americans must learn to respect people, not opinions

How to escape the echo chamber of thought we create for ourselves

By Beth Turnbull Co-Opinions Editor

I have a lot of opinions.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about many things, especially politics. There are many things I don’t understand (mostly the economy), but I can support my arguments when necessary.

Americans are passionate people. We’ve seen a lot of debates about the way our country should be run over the past few years, but the way in which we debate these things has changed.

What has troubled me the most since the 2016 election is the way in which we have stopped communicating with each other.

It’s become shockingly common to see posts on Facebook that say “unfriend me if you voted for Donald Trump” or “I’m deleting anyone who doesn’t believe in gun control.” Even I am guilty of this, I had one of my best friends muted on Twitter for two months because I couldn’t stand her tweets comparing President Bill Clinton’s actions to then-nominee Trump’s. It has gone beyond an agreement to disagree, we have placed opinions on a

pedestal.

This sounds extremely petty, and it is, but it highlights a larger problem. We don’t listen to opinions that don’t match our own, and we are unwilling to defend the opinions we already hold.

This is becoming very dangerous for our country and our national discourse.

Why are we so content with hearing our own opinions shouted back at us in the echo chamber we’ve created?

The simple answer is that it’s easier when you don’t have to defend what you believe in. If you feel justified, hey, you probably are. We are just shouting across the aisle at people we disagree with, they are shouting back at us and no one is benefiting.

So how do we change?

By realizing that opinions don’t deserve respect, people do. Opinions should be challenged and discussed.

Opinions should be flexible and fluid when new information presents itself. But that’s not what’s happening in our national conversation. We are staying comfortable by only presenting our ideas to the people who already agree with them. We cannot sit by and let false

opinions continue to be praised.

We should always be searching for ways in which we can improve our understanding of things, to form better, clearer opinions.

Pride will try to get in the way. We can’t let it.

I’ll admit, it’s not fun to

“We are just shouting across the aisle at people we disagree with...and no one is benefiting.”

Beth Turnbull

Co-Opinions Editor The Globe

argue with a friend or family member about something you disagree on. No one enjoys having their opinions challenged and their logic called out. But it’s necessary and valuable.

The holidays are here, and whether we like it or

not, this is the perfect time for discussion with the people we love, keeping in mind that good discussions don’t have to be combative.

The world we live in as Point Park students is different than the world our parents and grandparents grew up in.

Point Park is a liberal arts college in the middle of a city, many of us likely have a different perspectives on things like LGBT rights because of the environment we exist in. The discussion has changed a lot in the past five to 10 years.

We need to be mindful of why people feel the way they do, but we also need to realize that it is an explanation, not an excuse, and to respectfully oppose them when their arguments don’t hold up.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

As Americans, we should be receptive to the concerns of our fellow citizens and welcome friendly argument. If we can’t talk to each other anymore, it’s all downhill from here.

ERROR 404 OPINION NOT FOUND

Beth Turnbull eturnb@pointpark.edu

Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Alexander Popichak Editor-Elect: Emily Bennett Business Manager: Autumn Barszczowski Faculty Adviser: Dr. Steven Hallock Administrative Adviser: Dean Keith Paylo The Globe board consists of Alexander Popichak, Emily Bennett 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 in rooms 710 and 712 Lawrence Hall.

Writers should address letters to:

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

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 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

Carmen Amadio, Copy Editor Robert Berger, Co-News Editor Sabrina Bodon, Online Editor Carley Bonk, Co-Features Editor Lauren Clouser, Copy Editor Dara Collins, Co-Sports Editor Rania Draklellis, Layout Editor Josh Croup, Co-Sports Editor, Editor Emeritus Gracey Evans, Photo Editor Shelby Fink, Copy Editor Sarah Gibson, Copy Editor Casey Hoolahan, Social Media Coordinator Nick Horwat, Co-A&E Editor, Copy Editor Allison Hritz, Staff Photographer The Rev. Eva Humphreys, Copy Editor Chloe Jakiela, Staff Photographer Madison Kelkis, Copy Editor Nikole Kost, Photo Editor Mary Moses, Copy Editor

Kayla Novak, Copy Editor Hannah O’Toole, Social Media Coordinator Isabelle Opsitos, Graphic Designer Lauren Ortego, Co-Copy Desk Chief Sarah Pais, Copy Editor Nicole Pampena, Co-News Editor Heather Peloza, Copy Editor, Delivery Assistant Matt Petras, Co-Features Editor Veronica Rodriguez, Graphic Designer Allison Schubert, Copy Editor Zac Seymour, PR and Marketing Coordinator Jordan Slobodinsky, Co-Opinions Editor Kayla Snyder, Co-Copy Desk Chief Michael Stinelli, Co-A&E Editor Mike Turk, Staff Writer Beth Turnbull, Co-Opinions Editor Hannah Walden, Copy Editor, USG Beat Writer Kelsey Wolfe, Copy Editor Alexa Yanyanin, Public Relations Coordinator

SPORTS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

CROUP’S CORNER

By Josh Croup

Sports Columnist

Cross country prepares for biggest run yet They started the season talking about a suburb of Portland, Ore. Their goals and standards were set beyond the conference championships.

They knew of their potential long before their first meet and have rightfully looked forward to this weekend since the summer.

Now, their wait is over as their standards keep rising.

They’ll finally meet the city they’ve talked about since the preseason against the best runners in the nation.

The cross country teams travel to Vancouver, Wash. this weekend for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships.

The women enter the weekend as the champions of the River States Conference (RSC) and with one of the top runners in the nation.

Anna Shields has led the way for the Pioneers this season and has dominated the hundreds of runners that she’s gone up against en route to earning the 2017 RSC Runner of the Year award.

The Connecticut-native came into this season on a mission. Track season is and always has been her bread and butter, but she knew she had a chance to do something special on the cross country course this year.

She’s been nothing but special this year and has every intention on competing for the individual national championship.

Shields finished 60th at last year’s national championship meet and tied a school record in the 5K race with her time of 18 minutes, 20.61 seconds.

Her offseason work helped her jump start her 2017 campaign in the first meet of the regular season. Shields won the Walsh University Invitational in

September and broke her school record by 1 minute, 2 seconds.

Her winning time of 17 minutes, 19 seconds would have given her a fourth-place finish at last year’s national championship. To earn NAIA All-American honors this weekend, Shields will have to place in the top 30 runners.

This year, six of her teammates on the women’s side will join the top seven men’s runners on the flight to Vancouver for the national championship.

The men qualified with their second-place finish last week at the RSC Championship, led by sophomore Xavier Stephens.

Head coach Kelly Parsley hyped up the teams at the beginning as the season as the best he’s brought in at Point Park, highlighted by a recruiting class that brought the depth to the team necessary to compete for a national championship berth.

The teams have lived up to their expectations so far this year and continue to push the boundaries for the limits of the Point Park cross country program.

Point Park has been represented at the national championship meet every year since 2011. This year marks the second time since 2015 that the men’s and women’s teams each earned spots in the meet.

I wrote earlier this season that this year’s squads could have their best seasons in program history. This weekend they can seal the deal on that historic season.

They took care of business in Kentucky two weekends ago. Now it’s time to continue to write history.

Josh Croup jdcroup@pointpark.edu

NAIA Cross Country National Championships Saturday-Vancouver, Wash.

Women

Year

Jr.

Anna Shields

Fr.

Alyssa Boyd

Year

Kara Roholf Jr. Kylie Archibeque Fr.

Fr. Kayla Roberts

Abby OʼConnell Sr.

Jr. Taylor Celich

MEn Jr. Sean Hilverding

Desmond Marrow Jr.

So. Xavier Stephens

Connor Wright Jr.

Sr. Chris Hunt

Eric Torres So.

Jr. Bradley Calleja

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

7

Season cut short in first round of RSC volleyball tourney

By Dara Collins Co-Sports Editor

The Pioneers ended their volleyball season on the opening day of the conference tournament last weekend.

River States Conference (RSC) East Division champion Indiana University (IU) East hosted the RSC Tournament last Friday and Saturday.

The 2017 All-RSC Volleyball Teams and Awards were presented in an award ceremony between the second and third quarterfinal matches last Friday.

Five Pioneers walked away with honors.

Junior libero Morgan Dangelo received the Champion of Character award.

“To me that says something, and I was humbled to know that I was able to be that teammate for my team,” Dangelo said.

Dangelo was also named to the All-RSC Second Team alongside firstyear Pioneers Meg Reineke and Erica Gumz.

“It feels like a great accomplishment,” Reineke said in a phone interview.

“I just feel like I did actually contribute to the team.”

Gumz attributed the honor to the hard work she put in as an individual and as a teammate.

“I just feel like our hard work has finally paid off, and it has been a goal of mine to win some type of award,” Gumz said, also in a phone interview. “This award just clarifies the hard work was worth it.”

Right side hitter Ashley Taylor and setter Julia Menosky had claimed RSC Attacker of the Week and Setter of the Week respectively for the first and third weeks of the season, and Menosky claimed the honor again during week seven.

The dynamic duo earned new honors and was named to the All-RSC First Team.

“I was very confident in the beginning of the season, but since I was out with an injury for a month, I didn’t

Megan Bixler| Point Park Athletics Junior right-side hitter Savannah Dishman leaps to score a kill against Pitt-Johnstown earlier in the season. Dishman collected seven kills and four digs during the match on Sept. 5. The Pioneers lost 2-3.

expect it,” Taylor said.

Menosky was also humbled by the award.

“It is such a big honor to receive first team, and I am so happy to have received it, but I wouldn’t have gotten it without my team,” Menosky said. “I owe it all to them.”

The quarterfinal matchups continued following the ceremony, and Point Park would face off against Asbury University to end day one.

The Pioneers hosted the Eagles in September. Point Park held a 2-0 lead before Asbury claimed three consecutive matches to win the match in a five-set thriller.

This time, it was the Eagles who led 2-0 to kick off the match.

The Pioneers clung to their spot in the tournament a little longer and won a close set three 25-23. Asbury reclaimed power and

closed out the set 25-17 to finish the match in four sets and send the Pioneers home.

“We just went out there like we had nothing to lose,” Gumz said. “We just wanted to play the best we could.”

The Eagles topped the Pioneers 54 kills to 48.

Reineke led the offense with the team-high of 14 kills and completed a double-double with 12 digs. Freshman Jazlyn Rozier trailed by one with 13 kills. Dangelo headlined defense with 17 digs.

Middle hitter Destiny Tucker totaled seven blocks.

Asbury later lost to IU Kokomo in five sets in an RSC West Division matchup in the semifinals.

The Pioneers finished their season 21-14 overall and 10-6 in the RSC. “I’m not really going to focus on how the last game ended but how the season ended as a whole,” Taylor said. “In my opinion, we did not underachieve. We learned, and sometimes things like that have to happen for us to grow.”

Taylor looks forward to her senior season with the Pioneers.

“I’m just excited to play with the same girls again for my senior year,” Taylor said. “Next year is a new year with familiar faces, and that can be our time.”

Familiar faces were few and far between this season.

“Other than the four girls that returned this year, we had a completely new team,” Dangelo said via phone interview. “Having almost a brand new team with as much talent as we did will take some time to gel into what we want Point Park Volleyball to be - and that is greatness.”

Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

8

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017

SPORTS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Slow starts hurt men’s basketball in pair of non-conference road games

By Derek Malush For The Globe

The Point Park men’s basketball team played catch up all week as the Pioneers came up short in their second contest of the season to the Washington Adventist Shock last Monday, 86-72.

“We came out a little lethargic” head coach Gabe Bubon said. “I blame myself for not putting the right people in the right places.”

The Pioneers shot 11 of 40 from the field in the first half as they saw themselves staring down the barrel of a 20-point deficit after 20 minutes of play.

Point Park accumulated 11 of its 18 turnovers and gave up five three-pointers all in the first half that aided in its slow start.

“We’re still trying to get used to each other, but at the same time are trying to be unselfish,” senior guard Gavin Rajahpillay said.

The Pioneer bench was vital in the second half as they began storming back by dropping 47 points in the final 20 minutes. They pulled within 10 points with 2 minutes to go, but never came within single digits of the Shock.

Nebraska Community College transfer Michael Connor dropped 11 points off the bench as Rajahpillay was in foul trouble.

The team was led how-

ever by Rajahpillay who finished with 28 points along with Aaron Barlow, who tallied his second-straight double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.

Four Pioneers, including junior Asim Pleas who scored in 10 points of his own, ended the game scoring in double figures.

“I see passion in this team,” Bubon said. “Talk to me after the sixth game of the season and you will see who we really are.”

Point Park traveled to Penn State-Greater Allegheny two days later for another non-conference game.

The Pioneers could not hold on in the final minutes of the game Wednesday night as they dropped their second game in a row losing 82-77.

“We are still tinkering with the lineups and finding our true identity,” Bubon said.

The Pioneers hit a scoring drought midway through the first half as they were on the wrong side of a 21-3 run.

Despite being down 3113 in the first half, the Pioneers found themselves down by only 12 points at the end of the first 20 minutes.

Once again facing adversity coming into the second half, the Pioneers came out of the locker room hot as they started the half on a 17-5 run to make it a one-

point game at 51-50.

“It all comes down to pride, confidence, and feeling like we can get back into any game,” Pleas said about coming out of the half.

They captured their biggest lead of the game at 6662 with the help of a 14-2 Pioneer run with 9 minutes to go, but could not hold on until the final buzzer.

Rajahpillay tied the game 73-73 with under four minutes to go, but PSU-Greater Allegheny’s Jordan Payne quickly answered with a clutch three-pointer that gave them the lead for good.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been after a loss because I know what we are capable of,” Bubon said.

The Pioneers had another rough night shooting the ball as they finished shooting 38 percent from the floor and 1-for-8 at the free throw line.

“I missed two of those free throws and next game we’re definitely going to come out better at the line,” junior forward Aaron Barlow said.

The team was led by sophomore guard Daniel King who dropped 19 points to lead all scorers.

Pleas added some firepower of his own by notching a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pioneers.

“Winning the first game was the worst thing for us

Rivers guides team as lone captain for senior year

By Allison Schubert Copy Editor

When women’s basketball head coach Tony Grenek went to a round ball tournament at Geneva College four years ago looking for a point guard, two girls caught his attention.

One was Shaniya Rivers. The other was a better basketball player, but was not what Grenek was looking for.

“Shaniya fit the mold of the type of player that I want to coach,” Grenek said. “I knew she would come here, get herself a degree, work hard, listen and be respectful. There’s no ego to her; I could tell, and that’s why I chose to pursue Shaniya instead of the other player.”

Rivers grew up in Florida and always knew that she was more of a tomboy.

“My mom signed me up for cheerleading in second grade, but just standing around in the heat in Florida just wasn’t my thing,” Rivers said. “The next year I was playing flag football.”

That was not enough for Rivers, who wanted to move onto tackle football the year following. Her mom was not a fan of that idea, however, so Rivers began playing what she though was the next most exciting sport – basketball.

“I ended up beginning to play basketball when I was in fourth grade,” Rivers said. “I started playing when I was still in Florida, then began playing for

Hopewell when we moved to Pennsylvania.”

When Rivers got to Point Park, the team felt her impact immediately.

“She has always been a role player – taking charges, grabbing rebounds and making hustle plays,” Grenek said. “That’s always been her niche on a basketball court.”

Basketball has also introduced Rivers to some of her best friends, several of which she will have for life.

“We knew each other from high school because we played against each other, but we weren’t really friends back then,” teammate Sam Weir said. “Then we both came here, started hanging out and now she’s my son’s godmother. We can tell each other anything and she’s always there when I need her.”

Rivers was named the lone captain for her senior year, the only one of six seniors handed the honor.

The position has remained vacant on the team for the past two years.

“I think what she contributes most is her unselfishness,” Grenek said.

“She’s able to play any position on the floor. She’s selfless. Probably the greatest thing about her is her work ethic. Nobody on the floor in my 23 years of coaching has worked harder than her.

She’s the hardest working player I’ve ever coached.”

Grenek looks back on that round ball tournament

with fond memories about a great decision.

The other player he scouted is not even enrolled in college anymore.

Rivers is the captain of her basketball team for her last season in a Point Park uniform.

“I’m going to miss just playing the most,” Rivers said. “I think this team is really gelling together and it’s a fun team right now. I can’t wait to see what happens later in the season.”

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

Sam Robinson | Point Park Athletics Senior guard Gavin Rajahpillay prepares to shoot a foul shot against Indiana University (IU) East last season. Rajahpillay scored 388 points last season.

and losing on Wednesday was the best thing for us,” Bubon said. “It gave us false hope winning game one and losing game three gave the team the drive they needed.”

The Pioneers are 1-2 on the season as they play their next game Tuesday night at NCAA Division II Lake Erie

College in Painesville, Ohio for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Pioneers then travel to the Buffalo State Tournament this weekend, with their first game against the University of Maine at Fort-Kent on Friday night.

Derek Malush dwmalus@pointpark.edu

LAST WEEK’S SCOREBOARD NOV. 6 - NOV. 13 VOLLEYBALL (21-14, 10-6) POINT PARK 1, ASBURY 3**....................................................................Nov. 10 Taylor, Menosky named to All-RSC First Team Gumz, Reineke, Dangelo named to All-RSC Second Team Dangelo named Champion of Character

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Next: Nov. 18 @ NAIA National Championship Meet

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Next: Nov. 18 @ NAIA National Championship Meet

MEN’S BASKETBALL (1-2) (0-0) POINT PARK 72, (RV) WASHINGTON ADVENTIST 86......................Nov. 6 POINT PARK 77, PSU GREATER ALLEGHENY 82..............................Nov. 8 Next: Nov. 14 @ Lake Erie, Nov. 17 @ University of Maine at Fort Kent

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (3-2) (0-0) POINT PARK 94, PSU GREATER ALLEGHENY 44..............................Nov. 8 POINT PARK 75, MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE 81...........................Nov. 10 Next: Nov. 18 and 19 @ PSU Beaver Tournament **River States Conference Tournament

Sam Robinson | Point Park Athletics Senior guard Shaniya Rivers prepares for a foul shot attempt against the Rio Grande RedStorm last season. Rivers played in 28 games for the Pioneers during the 2016-2017 season and scored 81 points.