Point Park Globe Fall 2017 Issue 7

IN THIS ISSUE: PAGE

@PPUGlobe October 11, 2017

Lawrence caught in hot water after pipe joint bursts

4 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 CHURCH, STATE AND ASSEMBLY

Issue 7

Mayor of Pittsburgh holds town hall with students

By Nikole Kost Photo Editor

Editor-in-Chief

FLOOD page 2

ppuglobe.com

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

By Alexander Popichak

Vanessa Vivas and Mya Burns were working on homework on the seventh floor of Lawrence Hall Thursday night when Burns heard a loud noise followed by a rushing sound.

“There was a really loud noise that sounded like an air conditioner,” Burns said Thursday. “Sometimes the air conditioning is really loud in some buildings in Point Park. We looked at each other and kind of wrote it off for a couple seconds.”

According to Matt Abbott, director of operations for the Physical Plant, a small hot water supply line servicing faucets in the southwest corner of the building burst at a juncture point and water had burst through the ceiling, gushing water into the hallway below.

“I didn’t know what was happening, or that there was water until I stepped outside the room,” Vivas, a freshman theatre arts major, said Thursday.

Burns was closest to the door and when the rushing noise continued, she decided to look into the hallway outside.

“There was a stream of water, like a jet of water coming out of the ceiling,” Burns said. “It was pouring, like blasting onto the other wall and there was already a

Students take to Market Square for Las Vegas memorial demonstration Lauren Ortego explains why gun control should be taken more seriously Soccer teams have dominating weekend in home conference play

Gracey Evans|The Globe The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) protested outside the Wyndham Grand Hotel Friday morning. WBC remixed popular songs to fit their beliefs and sang about mass shootings being caused by gays. Members of the WBC stepped on and kicked around the American flag. Counter protesters to the church were also present.

USG discusses general housekeeping Gov’t addresses budgeting, club funding, attire USG

By Hannah Walden USG Beat Writer

Returning to the seventh floor of the Student Center after last week’s meeting in Lawrence Hall 200, United Student Government (USG) discussed the upcoming budget period and the next guest speaker to appear in front of the student body.

USG Treasurer Josh Croup announced the opening of applications for club funds during the second budget period. The funding ap-

plication opened Oct. 10 at 8 a.m. and will close on Oct. 24 at 11:50 p.m. The Finance Committee will then review proposals at the USG meeting following the due date. Following the meeting, funds will be distributed to clubs.

The Rules Committee recommended a measure to clarify the use of electronics and the appropriate attire during legislative body meetings.

The committee also approved a measure to include Bylaw 604.5 on its club funding application, reminding clubs of the requirement to recognize USG on all club advertising. Clubs are required

to use the USG logo and include a brief message stating that USG funded the club.

Both motions were carried unanimously.

The Student Concerns Committee also gave additional dates for Student Concerns tables, which will be held Oct. 16 from 12-3 p.m. and Oct. 17 from 2-4 p.m.

Both events will be held right outside the Cafe on the second floor of Lawrence Hall.

President Pro-Tempore Daniel Murphy announced he will be posting USG office hours outside of the USG office Making the hours public

USG page 2

The Department of Education hosted Mayor Bill Peduto as a guest speaker on Oct. 3 in Lawrence Hall’s Ballroom.

“We would like our students who are studying leadership to have the ability to talk to him in a setting where they can ask him questions about how he’s proceeding,” Dr. Eric Stennett, Director of the Ed.D in Leadership and Administration program, said.

The series of guest speakers centers around leadership and is meant to have students learn from other leader’s experiences.

Peduto is the first of the program’s series of guest speakers.

“We feel like he exhibits leadership characteristics and qualities that are indicative of outstanding leaders,” Stennett said. “We feel like the things he’s doing in the city right now are progressive, especially his work with resilience and he’s actually gaining national attention with some of his ideas.”

President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement stating: “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”

On June 1, 2017, Peduto tweeted, “As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement

PEDUTO page 2

Families gather on campus over the weekend for packed schedule of events

By Robert Berger Co-News Editor

From a trip to the zoo, athletic events and a night of java and jazz in Village Park, families from near and far took part in Point Park’s annual Family Weekend festivities.

The weekend events kicked off at Highmark Stadium as the men’s and women’s soccer teams faced Midway University in a pair of conference matchups. The women’s team led things off with a shutout win.

The men’s game followed also resulting in a victory for Point Park.

Following the soccer victories was a welcome reception in the Lawrence Hall Lobby.

CulinArt catered the event providing families hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Families toured the student photo gallery located in the lobby at this time during the reception. The work consisted of projects from stu-

dents in the documentary photography class.

Also on Friday night, the Pioneer volleyball team hosted West Virgina Tech University for a conference matchup in the Student Center gym. The Pioneers earned a win after four sets.

Both Friday and Saturday nights featured a “Night on Broadway,” a showcase with performances from students in the theatre department.

In the University Center on both Friday and Saturday, student films from previous cinema production students were screened. Freshman 3D animation major, Aaron Tannen’s parents traveled from Delaware for the weekend and spent their Friday night watching student films.

“All the movies were actually really good, I was very impressed with each of them,” Allen Tannen said at the Java and Jazz event Saturday night.

Point Park shuttles ran throughout Saturday afternoon as Pittsburgh exploration was the weekend theme. Exploration events went underway Saturday morning with a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.

Saturday afternoon also featured a Point Park volleyball game in the Student Center gym. The Pioneers took on section rivals Rio Grande University. In three sets, Point Park walked away with another athletics win.

Also on Saturday afternoon, looping shuttles ran to various Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Shuttle stops included the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Shadyside and Station Square. Families were able to hop on and off freely. The loop took about 45 minutes to complete.

At Schenley Park on Saturday, the men’s and women’s

FAMILY page 2

Nikole Kost | The Globe Mayor Bill Peduto is the first guest speaker in the leadership series hosted by the education department.

Weather Forecast Today: Showers H 74, L 60

Thursday: Mostly Cloudy, H 71, L 59 Friday: Mostly Cloudy, H 76, L 58 Saturday: Sunny, H 79, L60

Sunday: Mostly Sunny, H 80, L 54 Monday: Mostly Cloudy, H 65, L 46 Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, H 67, L 44

Point Park

GLOBE

2

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Offices still drying out after Thursday waterworks

LOCAL John Siciliano, Point Park alumnus of the class of 1997, recently earned a recurring role on the CBS television show “Bull,” according to the university twitter.

Siciliano double-majored in broadcast journalism and acting while playing on a soccer scholarship. In 1993, Siciliano was hit by a drunk driver resulting in his right leg being amputated four inches above his knee. In the past, Siciliano has held roles on “Scrubs,” “Workaholics,” and “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.”

In the show, Siciliano will play a former FBI agent who is handicapped. He will return to Point Park Oct. 17 to teach students in the acting for the camera class.

---A 20 year-old University of Pittsburgh student, Alina Sheykhet was found dead at her off-campus home in Oakland. Sheykhet suffered blunt force trauma, who was found by her roommate, according to the Pittsburgh Police Bureau.

Police are actively searching for her ex-boyfriend, Matthew Darby, who is considered a person of interest at this point. Last month after breaking into her apartment, Sheykhet filed for a Protection From Abuse order, according to The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.

Sheykhet’s death is currently being ruled a homicide, however investigation is still progress.

Josh Croup| The Globe A hot water pipe connection burst in Lawrence Hall around 11 p.m. Thursday.

Floors 6 and 7 were off limits overnight and a restoration firm placed dehumidifiers on affected floors. The seventh floor hosts faculty offices and the Globe.

from FLOOD page 1 puddle on the ground.”

When the break happened around 11:30 p.m.

Thursday night, Burns and Vivas were the only two students on the floor. The sev-

enth floor of Lawrence hosts offices for the Literary Arts department, Conservatory of Performing Arts professors and the Globe.

After contacting Public Safety, Vivas took to Snapchat to warn other Lawrence

Hall residents of the break.

“I took a picture and put it on the Lawrence Hall story, my story, and within minutes there was a group of girls that came down to witness it and they were taking videos and pictures, and then freaking out as well,” Vivas said. “It went from the two of us there alone to a good group of people that were there to witness this phenomenon.”

Public Safety officers responded in minutes. The water gushed for nearly an hour before being shut off at 12:18 a.m. By that point, water had spread halfway down the seventh floor hallway and seeped into two offices on the sixth floor.

Abbot said the line was repaired 75 minutes after being detected and cleanup began immediately. Hot water was shut off to the building during the repair, but cold water was still available from faucets and toilets.

Water was fully restored to Lawrence Hall residents by

1:55 a.m. Friday.

“The housekeeping department, along with the Physical Plant, did an exceptional job as first responders to limit damages,” Abbott said Monday via email. “A professional restoration company was called in for the weekend and the Physical Plant took all precautions necessary to prepare the offices for occupancy on Monday. We will continue to monitor the area to determine if anything needs to be replaced.”

Faculty were able to fully use their offices Monday as industrial dehumidifying machines and fans lined the hallways. The Globe offices, which house some archived papers and equipment, were untouched by the water.

“It was so ironic that it happened on this floor because it’s so quiet here all the time,” Vivas said.

Alexander Popichak apopic@pointpark.edu

Peduto: “My job is to give people a direction” from PEDUTO page 1 for our people, our economy & future.”

Peduto was recognized across the nation for his decision.

“My job is to give people a direction and push them further than what they feel comfortable with,” Peduto said.

Major topics discussed were the history of Pittsburgh, ending hunger and homelessness, poverty, economics, diversity issues and dealing with direct conflict.

“It has been 23 years of working in city government, nearly 30 years of working in politics and government in Western Pennsylvania, sleeping on couches to run political campaigns, living in places like Farrell, PA and outside of Erie and Millcreek and Somerset and Dubois and working very very hard for the opportunity to get here,” Peduto said. “To have this job and to have ideas and then wanting to be around after the job is done and never having to say, ‘I wish I would have.’”

Point Park’s President Paul Hennigan has known Peduto for 23 years.

“I was the Chief Financial Officer for Mayor Tom Murphy for the first six years of Tom Murphy’s administration,” Hennigan said. “Bill was a staff person to Councilman Dan Cohen…, he has an incredible vision for the city and he’s really good about talking about his vision.”

Peduto was elected as the mayor of Pittsburgh on Nov. 5, 2013 and began his four year term in Jan. 2014.

He is the 60th mayor of

Pittsburgh.

“I would rather be voted out of office than to compromise on the things I really believe in,” Peduto said.

The event ended with a standing ovation.

Future speakers in the series will include sports leaders, CEOs, nonprofit and education leaders.

“I just can’t let the cat out of the bag quite yet,” Stennett said.

Nikole Kost nkost@pointpark.edu

University welcomes families with music, CulinArt representatives sporting events, food and festivities to speak to student families relaxed in the park. government next week from FAMILY page 1 a great day,” Urban said.

Saturday night wrapped The trio consisted of keyboards,

cross country teams competed in the Carnegie Mellon University Invitational as part of Family Weekend Festivities.

The Pioneers put up a strong showing, finishing ninth and seventh respectively.

Freshman broadcast major Dylan Allen competed at the meet, and his mother Rebecca Urban traveled from Altoona for the weekend.

“It was a beautiful day, I got to meet the other parents and his team mates and it was

up on campus at Village Park with the annual java and jazz in park. Families enjoyed desserts provided by CulinArt including apple and peach cobbler, cookies, hot chocolate and hot apple cider.

“This is a beautiful setting being right in the middle of the city,” Urban said. “The weather turned out perfectly too.”

For the fourth year in a row, the James Johnson Trio played a collection of free formed jazz as students and

drums and saxophone.

“It’s great now that we’ve done it a few years now, I think it’s a really cool event for families and the students,” keyboard player Cliff Barnes said.

Events concluded on Sunday morning with another soccer double header. The men’s soccer team got things underway with another shutout victory to conference opponent Brescia University. The women’s team followed also earning a shutout, completing a family weekend sweep.

In the Lawrence Hall dining hall, family brunch was served. A variety of food was provided by CulinArt, including breakfast sandwiches, pizza and pasta.

Robert Berger raberge@pointpark.edu

from USG page 1 allows USG to be more accessible to the student body.

USG President Bobby Bertha also swore in two senators, Alexis Slavicek and Hattie Charney, to represent the School of Communication.

“I want to be a voice for the student body,” Charney, a sophomore broadcast reporting and journalism double major, said Tuesday. “I want people to know that their voices are heard.”

Keith Paylo, Dean of Students, and Michael Gieseke, Dean of Student Life, questioned the process of excusing senators that, for one reason or another, could not make the required meetings.

BSU OPENS UP STAGE

Disclosure: USG Treasurer Josh Croup is Co-Sports Editor for the Globe.

Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu

Correction

ü

Get Involved! Be Heard!

Have your own show!

2nd floor of Lawrence Hall near Dining Services

Check out wppjradio.com

“Remember that you represent a constituency in this room, and you don’t represent each other,” Paylo said.

“By someone not being here, that means the people they represent are now not being represented at this moment.

That is how important you being in this room is.”

Two CulinArt representatives will speak at the next USG meeting to answer students questions and concerns on Oct. 16 on the seventh floor of the student center.

Carmen Amadio | The Globe

The Black Student Union held its first open mic night of the year Oct. 5 in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom. Students attending have the chance to take the floor and perform a variety of acts from song and dance to spoken word. Students also played group games and wrote a group poem.

In last week’s United Student Government (USG) coverage, we incorrectly distinguished that USG’s internal budget was annual.

The $10,000 internal budget is on a semester-by-semester basis. The largest expense of the semesterly budget is stipends for executive cabinet members.

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

3

Center for Student Success celebrates tutors “International Tutor Appreciation Week” marked

By Aidan Segal For The Globe

The first room exiting the elevator on West Penn’s fifth floor has a bookshelf compacted with many of the required textbooks. Littered with equations, the whiteboard reveals the extensive work of both the tutor and the student.

The Center for Student Success’ tutoring service just celebrated International Tutoring Appreciation Week and they have a collective expectation that they will see an increase in attendance with the coming exams.

Tutoring is free to all students, whether the students can schedule oneon-one sessions for a more personable atmosphere, attending drop-in hours for a more casual setting or even getting assistance online, where students don’t even have to walk out their door.

Natacia Owens is the Student Success and Tutoring Coordinator and it is her job to manage and facilitate a welcoming tutoring environment.

“I have always liked helping people,” Owens said. “If they can’t find their way, I’m pretty sure I can find it.”

As International Tutoring Appreciation Week came to a close, Owens’ employees were awarded for their hard work with snacks, water bottles, a card and more to accompany the week’s festivities.

Owens argued that if the tutoring is effective enough, students may not need to re-

turn to the tutoring center with a fuller understanding of the content.

“One thing I do tell my tutors is that their ultimate goal is to work themselves out of a job. Seems kind of counterproductive, right?” Owens said. “But at the same time, as soon as someone doesn’t have the answer to something, they know where to come.”

Paul Spiker, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Iowa State University, has worked as a math tutor for about a year and encourages students to stop by whenever they need assistance.

“I have always liked helping people; if they can’t find their way, I’m pretty sure I can find it.”

Natacia Owens

Student Success and Tutoring Coordinator Center for Student Success

“Why not take advantage of it while you can?” Spiker said.

Students who have yet to attend a tutoring session tend to have a misconception with how the program actually works, according to Spiker.

“Students expect that we

Jordan Slobodinsky| The Globe

A tutor at the Center of Student Success helps a student with her homework. Tutoring is provided free to students and tutors are available via appointment or during drop-in sessions. can do their homework and take-home exams for them,” Spiker said. “We are really here to point you in the right direction.”

Down the short hallway is the second room. With the door open, Alex Vaughn can be seen before even entering, at the first table, with his laptop open.

Some students are unsure about coming to tutoring, according to Vaughn.

Vaughn, a senior math and engineering major, admitted to not being comfortable asking for help in the past.

He has been a tutor for a month and a half recognizes the common issues that

many college students tend to struggle with, like comprehension in the classroom.

“We’ll help you figure it out and apply it to what the teacher is saying,” Vaughn said.

Chelsey Driskel, a graduate student who also works at the International Students Services and Enrollment office, has seen both ends of the tutoring department. As a tutor, she specializes in helping with journalism students.

Even with her expertise in journalism, she consistently utilizes the online tutoring program for writing assignments.

It is a non-traditional approach to tutoring as it is not

face-to-face, but it is still opportunity for students to receive feedback on their writing and to further develop their skills as a writer.

“I use it all the time because I feel as though, even though I am a tutor, I always want to better myself. And I think it is a great resource,” Driskel said. “I don’t think anybody is the best writer.”

Driskel, like Spiker, encourages students to use tutoring to help them excel in their courses.

“There is no shame in needing help, no matter what the subject is,” Driskel said.

Aidan Segal alsegal@pointpark.edu

CHECK OUT OUR NEW

Arts & Entertainment

SECTION ONLINE AT PPUGLOBE.COM/CATEGORIES/AandE

4

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

FEATURES

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Dancers perform in solidarity with Vegas victims

By Keera Frye For The Globe

The sounds of 115 sighs became one in Market Square.

University dancers and other students, 115 altogether, according to organizers, came together Monday afternoon for Boulevard of the Arts, a dance tribute to the victims of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas.

“It was breathtaking,” freshman Abby Wolf said after watching the tribute.

“Everyone was so united, and you could hear them sigh and breathe together like they were trying to take in everything that had happened.”

In Las Vegas, 58 people were killed and nearly 500 were injured, according to a USA Today article published last Friday. This tragedy had a direct impact on the dance department with around 12 dancers being from Las Vegas and having loved ones affected, according to senior dance major

Point Park dancers visited in Market Square staged a live art installation in solidarity for the Las Vegas shooting victims and their families Monday.

Lauren Gerlowski.

“Hearing my friends cry, friends who I’ve never even heard their voice tremble before, and breakdown because of how much this affected them really made me eager to do something about it,” senior dance major Anamaria Gonzalez said.

The tribute was organized, choreographed and performed by Point Park dance students who wanted to express how they felt about the Las Vegas shooting and try to make people aware of the impact of such an event. Senior dance major Lauren Gerlowski led in the organization of the tribute while Emma Page and Samantha Dauer choreographed the tribute dance.

In their senior modern dance class, Gonzalez said that her and other senior dance majors discussed the shooting in Las Vegas and how it made them feel. This discussion was the catalyst for the Boulevard of the Arts tribute.

Gerlowski said a mass email was sent to Point Park’s dance majors explaining the tribute idea and asking dancers to participate and invite their friends to participate as well.

“We felt so deeply about what was happening that we wanted to do something about it with our art,” Gerlowski said. “We wanted to

Demonstration photos by Keera Frye | The Globe Dancers and community members demonstrated solidarity with the Las Vegas shooting victims and their families Monday.

show that art can make a change and that what we’re training for can be more than just technique. It can be for a difference.”

When choreographing the tribute dance, Page and Dauer were inspired by New York’s Tay West Silence for victims of 9/11. They decided that simplistic and repetitive movements would make the best impact for the message and sadness they wanted to convey.

“We wanted to create a kind of meditative moment of recognizing all of the people who were affected,” Page said. “Instead of making it about throwing your leg in the air, because yeah, that’s cool, but we wanted it to have real meaning and be

impactful.”

Bystanders gravitated toward the dancers as they circled Market Square, holding hands, sighing and performing the simplistic choreographed movements.

As dancers joined hands and reached to the sky, some of them became emotional.

“I got teary-eyed when we were all moving and holding hands,” Gonzalez said. “It was just so beautiful to see all of us finally putting our efforts into something that was artistically beautiful but also socially impactful.”

Keera Frye kafrye@pointpark.edu

SPJ moves out of shadows with new president

By Carley Bonk

Co-Features Editor

Taking over the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ), new president Lindsay Haslett has some ideas in mind for revamping a campus organization that has primarily been absent from the conversation. by taking a more hands-on approach than in the past.

“I wanted to make Point Park more encompassing [for communication students],” Haslett said in an interview in her office last Wednesday. “You have journalists who do things like sports shows, vlogs and columns; this will be a centralized place to share resources and discuss resources.”

Haslett graduated from Duquesne University in 2014 with a degree in Media Communications. She began her Masters in Business Administration at Point Park last fall. Though SPJ has been a part of the campus community for a few years, their presence has been primarily inactive.

“The last post on PointSync was from 2010,” Haslett said. “We have about 24 members now, but we hope to be able to establish a group of close journalists who want to share their opinions with each other.”

Aimee-Marie Dorsten, advisor to the society, said that expanding is one of their main aspirations.

“We’re looking forward to more students - from all across the School of Communication - joining our club,” Dorsten said in an email statement. “Our goal is to help them network and gain access to professional development before they look for an internship or job.”

According to Haslett, SPJ has a few other goals in mind - hosting events that

will provide real-world connections in the field.

Josh Wolf, one of the first jailed vloggers, will be speaking at the Center for Media Innovation Nov. 6 during the organization’s chapter meeting.

“Josh will be sharing with us his experience as a jailed journalist who was not protected by California Shield Law because he was a student video journalist, rather than a paid reporter,” Dorsten said. “We’ll also talk about his choice for not revealing his sources or the identity of those he filmed during a G-20 summit protest.”

“I’ve always been one to encourage students to get involved on campus and this is something I really see as having potential.”

Jess Paterchak

SPJ Member Point Park University

SPJ also hosted a bake sale Sept. 27, where the organization used its location in the West Penn lobby elevator lines to get the word out to students on their way to class about their presence on campus.

The group will also be hosting a fundraiser at the Primanti Bros. in Market Square Oct. 24, where 10 percent of purchases between 4:00-6:00 p.m. will go to SPJ. “We hope to partner with other student journalists and

professionals as a means to help students locate internships and employment after school,” Dorsten said.

Students like Jess Paterchak, who are already involved, are looking forward to changes that will make SPJ a more noticeable presence on campus.

“SPJ has kind of been hidden in the shadows but we are working to get it

more set up,” Paterchak said. “I’ve always been one to encourage students to get involved on campus and this is something I really see as having potential.”

SPJ is hopeful about changes attracting new members, according to Dorsten.

“We are really excited that the Society of Professional Journalists is gaining

ground on campus,” Dorsten said.

Anyone who is interested in joining can visit SPJ’s national website, contact Haslett or Dorsten with any questions or can attend the meeting and Wolf discussion.

Carley Bonk cmbonk@pointpark.edu

PIONEER PUBLIC

Gina Baker

By Matt Petras

Co-Features Editor

It was after a grim event in freshman student Gina Baker’s life that she decided she wanted to study mortuary science.

“I wasn’t really keen on anything for a long time there, and then my seventh grade year my grandfather passed away from a heart attack suddenly,” Baker said. “And for a very, very short amount of time, I was around a funeral home.”

After giving it more thought and doing some research, she decided she wanted to work in the funeral services industry.

“For a while there, I was a whole emotional mess about

it, because I would be like, ‘I want to be a funeral services major because of this!’ and cry about it and all that crap,” Baker said.

The major is only pursued by a small selection of Point Park University students - conventionally, mortuary science majors at Point Park spend their last year at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (PIMS), as Point Park doesn’t offer all of the necessary courses.

Baker came into college with some experience in the field. While she was a senior at Belle Vernon High School in Pennsylvania, Baker got to miss a day of school to shadow Ferguson’s Funeral Home and Crematory, also in Belle

Nikole Kost | For The Globe

Vernon, for her graduation project. She helped out with a funeral and had the opportunity to check the place out.

“They were all super nice and really caring and understanding toward everything,” Baker said.

Cracking into this business fulfills her desire to help people in an unconventional fashion. One of her hobbies is photography, and, naturally, she likes it because seeing photos often cheers people up.

“I’m all about making other people happy,” Baker said.

“I don’t know why, it’s just been that thing I always do.”

Matt Petras mapetra@pointpark.edu

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

OPINIONS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

THE

GL BE’S POINT

5

The importance of speaking up A response to the Westboro Baptist church protest

By Sarah Gibson For the Globe

Gushing over midterms In the wake of a seemingly endless barrage of natural disasters stretching across the United States, it may seem inane to document the Great Lawrence Hall Pipe Rupture of 2017.

You can take a look at our coverage concerning the incident in our news section this week. It has the details about the water-soaked rumpus that temporarily took over the seventh floor of Lawrence Hall Friday night.

Presently, the seventh floor is getting a makeover -- in the sense that it’s recovering from the mini flood. Essentially, this means the floor, which houses English Department offices, dance studios and the Globe office, is filled with the sound of dehumidifiers. Walking down the hallway is like walking through a thousand pleasant hairdryers.

If you’re looking for a Beyoncé moment, your time is now.

There are plenty of wild things happening within the world of Point Park, including this uninvited waterworks explosion. Midterms are also on their merry way.

While we acknowledge that Point Park doesn’t employ an entirely conventional midterm schedule, we all have those occasional midterms that quite liter-

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

I grew up in a community with a very sheltered view of homosexuality. What little I knew about being gay had very negative connotations. If you were gay, it meant that your parents didn’t care about you.

It meant you were a predator.

It meant you were evil. I look back on this institutionalized homophobia, and I’m taken aback. It absolutely boggles my mind now to think that people still perceive LGBT people in this way.

My views changed when I discovered that my uncle, whom I have been very close with my entire life, was gay.

It turned my worldview on its head. My uncle was not evil or scary. He couldn’t be gay.

But he definitely was.

After realizing that what I had been taught my whole life was incredibly twisted and wrong, I set out on making sure I was educated on what was actually true. Enter the Westboro Baptist Church.

I haven’t thought of the Westboro Baptist Church organically in years, and when I heard they were coming to Pittsburgh, I actually thought it was a joke. The idea that someone could still adamantThe Point Park Globe ly hate gay people as cartoonglobe@pointpark.edu. ish as they do almost made

ally spring out of nowhere. They creep up on you and I, sparing little of our dignity in the wake of their desolation. And depending on the severity and the unforeseen nature of the midterm, one might even equate them to a floor-wide pipe eruption.

We flail about, stuffing towels into leaking corners in an attempt to stop the seeping. We pull all nighters cramming until our eyes begin to glaze over and we start to see mirages of freedom, and then we still can’t remember half of what’s on our multiple choice answer exam.

It’s an epidemic, really.

To attempt to reach a conclusion for any of this ruckus would be juvenile. Pipes burst.

Midterms exist. But we think something we can look towards as a beacon of hope is that while the majority of the seventh floor was wrecked by the water, the Globe office remained completely unscathed. Both rooms that make up our publication were spared.

Maybe you will be, too.

Or maybe you’ll be besieged by a flood of pipe water and have to air out all of your electronics.

Either way, go to class.

me laugh. By this point, I had come upon my own realization that I was bisexual. I wasn’t evil, scary and I certainly didn’t think I was going to hell.

In the end, it just ended up making me sad. What cheered me up, however, was what I saw in response to the news of Westboro’s coming.

“My views changed when I discovered that my uncle... was gay.”

Sarah Gibson For the Globe

What I saw was unity. People from all programs, backgrounds and places making plans with each other to counter-protest peacefully to make a stand for something that they believed in.

In a time where protesting is becoming more and more dangerous due to growing instances of violence towards and among protesters, the Westboro Baptist Church reminded me not to stay quiet about what I think.

While the LGBT commu-

nity as a whole has been making leaps and bounds in progress especially in the last decade, it’s very important to remember not to take those progressions for granted, and to stand up for injustice when we see it. Without constant fighting and passion for the cause, it lends the opportunity to forget where we once were as a movement.

It’s also important to remember that as Americans, we are privileged to have the right to protest. In other countries, people could be killed for trying to express their beliefs like this, and we should consider ourselves lucky to be able to do so.

That being said, it’s also very important to remember to remain peaceful at these protests. The instant the first punch is thrown, it no longer is a peaceful protest.

It’s very important to remember that especially in times where protesting might seem scary, it’s not time to go quietly. Don’t shy away from your opportunity to express yourself, especially while you’re in college.

Find a group. Go with friends. This is your time to be a part of something and make a change, even if you perceive that change as small.

Sarah Gibson sagibson@pointpark.edu.

The Las Vegas massacre should be a wake up call Americans on both sides of the aisle need to come together on gun reform

By Lauren Ortego Co-Copy Desk Chief

Twelve. It’s the number of mass shootings my parents had lived through by the time they were my age. One hundred and thirty. That’s my number.

That’s how many mass shootings have happened since I was born in 1996, and those are just the headline-worthy ones.

According to the United States’ Congressional Research Service, a mass shooting is broadly defined as an event in which four or more people, not including the shooter, are killed or injured by gunfire in a public area.

I am tired, Point Park.

Columbine, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Aurora, Sandy Hook, Waco, Charleston, San Bernardino, Orlando and now, Las Vegas.

We all recognize those names. We all know what they mean. And after each and every single one we thought, “Oh, this is the one. This will result in stricter laws, for sure.” And every time, we were wrong.

In the span of a year and a half, we have lived through two of the largest mass shootings in modern U.S. history. I’m not kidding when I say that this is the only advanced country in the world where this continues to happen.

Do you know what happened when a gunman opened fire and killed 35 people in Australia?

The Prime Minister donned a bulletproof vest and proposed stricter gun laws in the country, including a ban of many semi-automatic weapons and enforcing a mandatory gun buy back. The result? They haven’t had a mass shooting since 1996, and the current support to keep those laws in place is overwhelming.

Look, I know we’ll never be Australia. I’m not delusional. The worship of guns in this country is both sickening and counter-productive.

The very thought that allowing citizens to carry assault rifles is perfectly fine and normal is insane and mind-boggling. This man had 23 guns in his hotel room. Twenty-three guns that he legally purchased and used to kill and injure over 500 people.

“Guns don’t kill people.

People kill people.”

Sure. Technically, you’re right. People do kill people.

That’s a pretty solid sentiment.

Certainly it’s not dogs or canaries that are going around committing mass murder, so yeah.

People kill people. And what do you think makes it easier? If you answered “easy access to guns, loose restrictions, irregular reg-

ulations and loopholes,” you might just be right. Guns may not kill people, but they sure make it easier.

Let’s, if you will, address the other arguments lined up in the arsenal of those who find there’s no problem with regular people owning military grade weapons.

“People will find a way to kill each other, even without guns.”

Again, you’re technically right. We’ve been committing murder since humans have existed. Killing each other is basically a favorite human pastime, like baseball or racism is to America.

But it is a lot harder to commit mass murder with a knife than it is an automatic firearm, though I’m sure it’s not impossible. Automatic and semi-automatic rifles are literally made to kill large amounts of people.

That’s why they’re called “assault” rifles and not “I’m using this to defend myself because this is America and George Washington wanted me to have this AK-47” rifles.

Which brings me to a third argument, “It’s my Constitutional right, just like the First Amendment.”

Yes. In the Constitution it does, in fact, say you have a right to “bear arms.” But let’s take a closer look at the histor-

ical context of that right held so dearly by the folks at the National Rifle Association.

The Constitution was written while the newly-founded America was coming out of it’s post-Revolutionary War high.

We won our freedom, and no one could take it away from us.

We feared a strong central government because it too closely mimicked the very monarchy we had escaped from. The idea was that you would have a way to defend yourself in case the government ever tried to attack the people they vowed to represent.

Rifles were also not what they are today. They were less likely to hit the target, and it would be very hard to kill many people at once seeing as you had to load it up, a process which could take a minute or so. Shooting one was basically taking a blind shot into air.

This is divisive. It’s divisive and it’s political and each side does have noticeably different feelings and it’s an argument we have had at least twice a year since I was in high school.

But it shouldn’t be.

Because we’re talking about the lives and safety of our fellow Americans, of our children, of our students, of our brothers and sisters. My cousin was in the line of fire in Las Vegas last week. He was at the

concert, he saw the bodies, he helped people as best he could.

I’m proud that he did, but he should not have to.

We deserve to feel safe in public spaces. We deserve to feel like we can go to concerts, or to school or to the movies.

We deserve not be killed in what media outlets and politicians alike will call a “national tragedy” before moving on to the next problem a week later after no legislative action is taken.

Your prayers and well-wishes are welcomed and accepted and are great PR, but why don’t we stop praying for this to stop and start actually doing something about it.

For God’s sake, how many times does Jimmy Kimmel need to cry on night time television for this country to actually care about something?

I know it’s easy to give up.

Nothing was done after Sandy Hook, which literally involved a mass killing of children, so why would anything be done, now?

But I beg of you, please, get angry. Please call your representatives. Please do something - anything. Because if not, this is just going to keep happening again and again and again and again.

Lauren Ortego leorteg@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

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 Casey Hoolahan, Social Media Coordinator Nick Horwat, Copy Editor Allison Hritz, Staff Photographer Eva Humphreys, Copy Editor Chloe Jakiela, Staff Photographer Nikole Kost, Photo Editor Casey McGaw, Asst. Social Media Coordinator 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 Michael Richter, Co-A&E 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

6

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

CROUP’S CORNER

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Women’s soccer tallies 2 shutouts in return home Allison Schubert

By Josh Croup

Sports Columnist

Showing off for the family Ah, it’s that time of year again.

The free t-shirts were plenty, the free food was at its peak and the dad jokes were embarrassing (but admit it, you still laughed).

Family Weekend at Point Park, especially in the Athletic Department, typically marks one of the busier weekends of the fall sports schedule. This year was no different.

There were eight total competitions and events between soccer, volleyball and cross country last weekend, and each Point Park team showed the grit and determination that this program has been known for in recent years.

Let’s just say there was a lot of winning last weekend.

The volleyball team was coming off a really tough loss last weekend against Asbury University. The Pioneers bounced back with a sweep of Ohio Christian on the road Tuesday and returned home to host West Virginia Tech and Rio Grande.

Point Park took down the Golden Bears Friday in four sets and went on to sweep Rio Grande Saturday. They’re games the Pioneers should have won and they took care of business.

Oh, and they’ve now won seven of their last eight games.

Oh, and they’re now in first place in the River States Conference (RSC) East with a 6-3 record entering the week.

Speaking of winning, let’s talk about the soccer teams.

The men and women hosted Midway and Brescia last Friday and Sunday respectively.

The women had a perfect 5-0 all-time record against Midway, shutting out the Eagles in each game leading up to Saturday. That shutout streak continued as the Pioneers took a close 1-0 win. The men followed suit with a 4-1 win of their own.

The women also hosted a struggling Brescia team Sunday, which was coming off a 7-0 loss against Carlow two

days prior. Point Park also had a 6-0 all-time record against Brescia with shutouts in each contest.

That trend continued as Point Park carried out a 7-0 win.

The men also hosted Brescia that morning, executing a 3-0 win with each goal coming in the first half.

Both improved to 3-1 in conference play with the weekend sweeps.

If you’re keeping track at home, that’s six wins for Point Park and none for the visiting teams so far.

The cross country teams also were in action Saturday at Schenley Park. As part of Family Weekend, the Pioneers recognized their seniors and welcomed family members with a nice ceremony after the race that included sandwiches and speeches from seniors.

Before the festivities, the athletes showed off for their parents. Some of the runners on both sides posted personal records on the course that Point Park frequently trains on with an overall solid performance leading into the conference preview in two weeks.

The team’s best runner, Anna Shields, was given the week off after an impressive showing at Louisville the prior weekend.

Her coach said after the race that he thinks Shields would have won the race had she competed Saturday, but the women still posted a 7thplace finish out of 16 teams.

The men finished ninth of 19 teams at the competitive meet.

The weekend as a whole made for some proud Pioneer parents and for some happy Pioneer coaches and athletes.

The teams did what they have historically done in recent years across the board: win.

I’d call that a successful Family Weekend.

After all, who doesn’t like winning now and again? Especially when it’s in front of your family or on your home turf.

Josh Croup jdcroup@pointpark.edu

Friday the 13th Special $13 TATTOOS (plus $7 manditory tip) Plus piercing specials

PITTSBURGH TATTOO CO.

Tattoos & Piercing

DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH

412-201-9075 • tattoo-pittsburgh.com @pittsburghtattoocompany

Copy Editor

The women’s soccer team recorded two more shutout wins in conference play this weekend against Midway University and Brescia University, both at Highmark Stadium.

The first came on Friday against Midway with a 1-0 victory.

Even with the one-goal margin, the Pioneers outshot the Eagles 21-2, with nearly a third of those coming from senior midfielder Izzy Hunter.

By the end of the first half, neither team had tallied a point, sending both teams to the locker room empty-handed.

It was not until the 65th minute that the Pioneers recorded the only goal of the game. Junior midfielder Lauren Bower got one past the Eagles’ goalkeeper off a pass from Gabby Widman.

“We just don’t give up,” Bower said. “We had a goal, and we met it. We just keep working hard.”

The Pioneers were successful at keeping the ball on Midway’s side of the field, and sophomore starting goalkeeper Ashtyn Webb only had to make one save to give her another shutout.

The second victory of the weekend came Sunday afternoon against Brescia 7-0.

The Pioneers were again successful at keeping the net on the opponent’s side, outshooting the Bearcats 35-0.

Point Park made their statement in the first half, sending the Bearcats to the locker room down 0-4.

“I actually wasn’t too happy with how we played in the first half, despite what the score was,” head coach Maggie Kuhn said after the game. “We talked [at halftime] about possessing a little bit better in the final third, as well as creating

Mary Anne Doggett| The Globe Doreen Clark, sophomore midfielder, leads the ball towards the goal in Friday’s match against Midway University. The Pioneers won 1-0.

some better opportunities.”

Leading the scoring for the Pioneers were Hunter and Widman, with two goals and an assist each. Seniors Bella Wilson and Audra Lewis and freshman Morgan French also all added a goal a piece.

“It was pretty disappointing on Friday; I couldn’t hit net to save my life,” Hunter said. “This game paid off a lot better. Seven-nil, I can’t complain.”

Despite the early success the team has had in conference play so far, Kuhn believes there is always something to work on.

“We definitely have to work on our consistency,” Kuhn said. “I think that that’s probably one of the main things. When we’re playing well, we’re playing well, but the consistency just isn’t there at the moment. That’s what I’m going to be looking at going into Indiana University East, who’s going to be a very strong side.”

This weekend marked

only the second and third home games the women’s team has seen all season, highlighting a travel-heavy first half schedule.

Point Park’s only home game before last weekend came on Sept. 16 against Pikeville College. All three home games this far have resulted in shutouts in the Pioneer’s favor.

“I think we play a lot better when we’re at home, personally,” Hunter said. “We have our home crowd, and we practice on this field. We have the city in the background, and to me, this is the best stadium that I’ve played at. I think it just pumps us up and gets us ready for the game.”

The women are back on the road next weekend for more conference play with an evening game at Indiana University East on Thursday and an afternoon game at Ohio Christian University on Saturday.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

Men lift RSC record to 3-1

By Nick Horwat Copy Editor

The men’s soccer team continued their successful play this season with two more shutout victories against Midway University and Brescia University, winning the games 4-0 and 3-0 respectively, giving them a record of 8-3 and 3-1 in River States Conference (RSC) play.

Ryan Daniels started in net against Midway Friday and kept out all five of Midway’s shots that made it on net. The Pioneers had 14 shots on goal.

The scoring was opened up by sophomore Wessel Rietveld when he put a shot off the post and in the net not even two minutes into the match. Freshman Mitchell Roell scored his sixth goal of the year in the 26th minute extending the lead to 2-0. Three minutes later, senior Rejep Mukhammedov scored the third goal of the game.

The Pioneers went into the half leading 3-0. It was almost 4-0 when Roell put up an individual effort to score what he thought was his second of the game, but the goal was taken back when Nathanael Van Der Walt was given his second yellow card of the game resulting in a red card.

Van Der Walt was given his first yellow card for en-

tering the game without shin guards. He was sent off the field. He then came back into the game, but no official said he was allowed to re-enter the game. Roell’s goal was taken away and Van Der Walt was sent off again. The Pioneers would be forced to play a man down for the remainder of the game.

Point Park appealed the first yellow card as it should have only been a warning. The NAIA approved the appeal, and the card was dropped.

In the previous game, senior Josh Williams was given a red card only four minutes into the game, so the squad had a good feel on how to play with a man down.

“You just have to keep it tight and make sure everyone keeps with their individual jobs,” sophomore Marc Bentley said. “This happened last week, as well and we played well from that.”

The entire second half would be played a little more defensively since there was already a three-goal lead.

“Three up is very in our odds to just wait it out and win the game,” junior Ricardo Dip said.

Dip went on to be the only goal scorer in the second half.

He scored on a penalty kick at the 75th minute making the final score 4-0.

The Pioneer then welcomed Brescia University to Highmark Stadium on Sunday, defeating them 3-0 with Juan Somoza in goal.

Senior Alan Ramos was the first on the board in the 14th minute, scoring his seventh goal of the season and first goal since Sept. 18. The goal was assisted by Roberto Whitley, who was awarded the River States Conference (RSC) Offensive Player of the Week for Sept. 24 - Oct. 1.

Two more goals were scored in the first half, one by Josh Williams in the 31st minute, and the last by Kakanou Fotie in the 43rd minute. The game ended with a 3-0 victory.

The Pioneers opened RSC play with a loss to Asbury University. Since the loss they have won three straight, outscoring opponents 15-1.

“After losing our first game I think our heads got to realizing that we need to pick it up and not fall into a negative conference record,” senior Giovoni Lebrun said. “With our first loss of the conference out of the way we can put it behind us.”

The Pioneers continue RSC play on Thursday when they travel to Indiana University East.

Nick Horwat njhorwa@pointpark.edu

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

7

Centerfold and center court: the Danny McGibbeny story while the basketball team was having a “tremendous year” as described by the Pioneer, word of the media guide and its centerfold got sent through a local connection to Sports Illustrated.

The magazine did not publish the centerfold itself, however a “short take” mention was all McGibbeny needed to put the Pioneers on the map and garner “nationwide attention.”

By Nicole Pampena Co-News Editor

Danny Patrick McGibbeny’s first home run in life began at Point Park: running a centerfold in the 1972-73 basketball media guide depicting a scantily-clad woman that later earned mention in Sports Illustrated.

A 1973 journalism and communications graduate, this “stunt,” as local publications called it, allowed McGibbeny to quickly rise through the ranks of Pittsburgh sports before he lost his battle to cancer at the age of 26.

Shortly after his passing, his hometown of Brookline honored his memory by naming a baseball field after him and declaring Oct. 8, 1977 “Danny McGibbeny Day.” This month marks that 40-year anniversary of “The Gibber.”

From the first inning of his game, Daniel Patrick McGibbeny grew up surrounded by sports. His nephew, Clint Burton, who graduated from Point Park College’s 1983 computer science program, recalls his childhood playing everything from little league baseball to neighborhood football to basketball.

McGibbeny and Burton also enjoyed their relation to Daniel James McGibbeny, the executive sports editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette during that time.

“I’d have to say that Danny, as well as myself, we lived rather privileged lives having a grandfather that could get us access to all of the Steeler games and all the Pirate games and all the Penguin games,” Burton said.

McGibbeny would later seem to follow in his father’s footsteps by pursuing a journalism career at Robert Morris Junior College. He began as the two-year college’s student sports publicist and sports editor for the newspaper.

Upon switching teams and entering Point Park College as a junior transfer in 1971, McGibbeny got involved with the Sports Information Department through a work study introduced to him by his former high school basketball coach, Jerry Conboy. At the time, Conboy was coaching the college’s basketball program, which was still in its infancy.

According to a 1972 article in the Globe, McGibbeny served that year as a general staff member in the department, which was only in its first year.

An earlier article in the Globe described the department as “a channel between the Pioneer teams and the media. Its members keep statistics at the games and send stories on the players back to hometown newspapers for exposure and recruiting purposes.”

John Leahy | Globe Archives Danny McGibbeny

In the fall of 1972, McGibbeny was up to bat as the department’s sports information director.

THE CENTERFOLD STUNT Jimmy Young, then a journalism and communications freshman and fellow member in the department, recalls McGibbeny treating his new position “like a full-time job.”

“Danny treated us like way more than a small 1,100-people commuter school,” Young said. “He had a much greater vision than what it really was.”

In October of that year, that vision was focused on the college’s basketball team, which was struggling to make a name for itself in a city saturated with sports.

McGibbeny said in the Globe around that time that “the group has ‘decided to fill the Pitt Field House for home games, no matter how it’s done.’”

The sports information director was primarily responsible for compiling and editing the basketball media guide each year, which contained team profiles and statistics to aid local press while covering the Pioneers.

The pitch was a fastball right down the middle. The “centerfold stunt” appeared in the 1972-73 basketball media guide where “about 1,500 copies…[would] be printed and distributed to local press, future recruits, the NAIA and NCAA, every college in the district and news outlets for opposing teams,” according to a November 1972 Globe.

Young summarized the unanimous reaction to the stunt: “We got a lot of publicity out of it.”

Burton, still a young kid upon the media guide release, agreed that it went over great, although he had not learned more until years later.

Even Conboy remembered it when Burton came to Point Park, telling him, “no more centerfolds.”

Conboy revealed that “one of Danny’s toughest jobs was trying to convince him that there should be a centerfold in the sports information pamphlet,” according to a 1979 issue of the Pioneer.

In the spring of 1973,

Image courtesy of Point Park University Archives Danny McGibbeny is credited with the original idea to include a centerfold, pictured above, in the 1972-73 basketball media guide.

LIFE AFTER POINT PARK McGibbeny went on to graduate in the spring of 1973, the same year that the city’s World Team Tennis franchise, the Pittsburgh Triangles, made its debut.

Immediately after graduation, he took a job as the team’s publicity director where he continued to assemble media guides (sans centerfolds) and handle the press.

The job also granted McGibbeny the opportunity to network with top-level names in tennis and Pittsburgh sports, which led him to befriend one of the Triangles’ owners, Frank Fuhrer.

At the same time, the McGibbenys and the Burtons were building a franchise of their own.

“Everyone in the family had a job [with the Triangles],” Burton said. “Dad did scoreboard, sisters were the ballgirls, I was a statistician…it seemed like everybody Danny knew had a job doing something.”

By 1975, it was home run after home run. McGibbeny became the team’s assistant general manager, and the Triangles won a World Team Tennis title, the King Trophy.

He met and worked with top players in the sport like Vitas Gerulaitis and Billie Jean King. He continued to be the “heart and soul of the management aspect of the team,” according to Burton. And he hadn’t forgotten about his Point Park roots.

Pete Zapadka, a journalism and communications major who graduated in December of 1974 needed an internship. He joined both the Triangles and the McGibbeny franchise as a statistician. He originally met McGibbeny around 1972 while they were students together.

“Knowing Danny helped me work out my life,” Zapadka said. “I got to meet great people and great tennis players. I got to do so many things because of Danny’s inclusiveness.”

Just kicking off his third year with the Triangles in 1976, McGibbeny had his thumb on the pulse of a championship team, but they weren’t doing well.

The team’s record was 9-18, and Mark Cox was feeling the strain of taking on the roles of both coach and player. Cox resigned, and the position went to a man who had never played tennis a day in his life.

“He had such a good relationship with the players themselves, [Fuhrer] figured that by taking the responsibility off of Mark Cox…he would lighten up,” Burton said.

Under McGibbeny’s lead, the Triangles went on a nine-match winning streak, according to a 1977 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, pushing their record to 15-3 for the remainder of the season and earning a secure spot in the playoffs.

“His whole key to being

John Stevens | The Pioneer Archives Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McGibbeny admire the plaque placed in the Sports Corner of the Journalism Wing of the Helen-Jean Moore Library.

the coach was the fact that he knew how to make the players feel comfortable, and just go out there and win,” Burton said. “He was their biggest cheerleader.”

The Triangles ended up losing in the World Team Tennis Eastern finals to the New York Apples. Meanwhile, Burton recalls the first signs of McGibbeny’s health declining.

MISSING MEMORIAL

In 1977, players began to leave, resulting in the Triangles folding as a team. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions McGibbeny becoming general manager over the merged Pittsburgh-Cleveland Tri-Nets, however he would resign a month later to work for Fuhrer’s credit insurance company.

Both Zapadka and Young do not recall when they found out McGibbeny was sick. Burton, a teenager by the late 70s, became close to McGibbeny while resting at home, but described his perspective as “in the dark.”

“Nobody really knew that he had lymphoma,” Burton said. “It was misdiagnosed for a while.”

On Sept. 6, 1977, after 17 days in Presbyterian University Hospital’s intensive care unit, McGibbeny passed away with his bases loaded, and his game not even half over.

On Oct. 8, friends, family and community members gathered in Brookline Park to play a softball game on the newly-named Danny McGibbeny Memorial Field.

While the game got rained out, speaker after speaker got up in Brookline’s recreation center to honor and remember “The Gibber.”

Back at Point Park, McGibbeny smiles on page two of the 1977-1978 basketball media guide. In 1979, the college placed a plaque in the sports corner of the journalism wing in the Helen-Jean Moore Library.

That plaque is currently missing.

According to Phill Harrity, the university’s access services and archival coordinator, the exact location of the plaque is unknown.

“There was a section of the library, the journalism section of the library, that was dedicated to him,” Harrity said.

“That’s when the library was located in Thayer Hall. The library moved over to [the University Center] in the 90s.

They took the plaque down when they moved.”

Harrity said it’s a “matter of where it was placed when it was moved.”

Both Harrity and Burton are trying to pinpoint the plaque, which has proven to be difficult when the majority of the library staff was not around in the 90s.

FORTY YEARS UNFORGOTTEN

While the grass needs cut

and home plate needs dusted off, Zapadka hit an RBI for “The Gibber” more than three decades after his death.

In 2014, Kevin Taylor, director of athletic communications, received a nomination form from Pete Zapadka to induct McGibbeny into the Pioneer Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I know he didn’t play sports [for the university,] but what he did and the notoriety he brought to the university, he should be in the Hall of Fame,” Zapadka said.

McGibbeny remains a nominee for Point Park. Even only six years after his death, he was elected into the 1983 Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, but again, never inducted.

The accolades and dedications surrounding McGibbeny long after his time, which extend further than the aforementioned, led Burton to wonder what could have been.

“We think about things in our life that change because of this path or this path…we can all start that crossroads thing with the day that he passed away,” Burton said. “I don’t think Danny would’ve stayed in the management business, I think he would’ve become like Jerry Maguire… he would’ve been that guy making the big deals with the big players.”

From 1971 up until the summer before his death, McGibbeny still found time to coach a community little league team, where he likely got to do more coaching than he did with professional tennis players.

“I’d have to say that he was like my idol,” Burton said.

“I cherished any time I got to spend with him because he was always on the move…and the kids on the team remember him with the same adulation.”

Zapadka left the Triangles while it was still under McGibbeny’s lead. He then spent more than 40 years on staff at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, all because McGibbeny’s father put in a good word for him.

“He was just an attractive person; he drew people in,” Zapadka said. “He certainly touched my life in ways most people have not.”

Young never graduated from Point Park. Instead he took the opportunity to work full-time at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as well.

“He really helped out his fellow students,” Young said.

“I thought he was really ahead of his time, much more skilled.

Kind of like overqualified.”

McGibbeny never made it to the ninth inning, but he still won the game, not just for himself, but for his team.

“That’s the way he was,” Burton said. “He never forgot his friends, which is why in all these years they never forgot him.”

Nicole Pampena nmpampe@pointpark.edu

8

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017

SPORTS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Volleyball takes over division lead

By Dara Collins Co-Sports Editor

After a five-set loss to Asbury University Sept. 30, Point Park volleyball ended its four game winning streak.

The Pioneers are now in the driver’s seat to rebuild a new streak after a week of three straight conference victories.

“I think we focused more on our side of the net than what was on the other side, and I think that’s been the biggest opponent so far is ourselves,” assistant coach Bridget Bielich said. “I think the girls did a great job of coming in and playing Point Park volleyball.”

The Pioneers started their winning week at Ohio Christian University last Tuesday. Point Park only needed three sets to add a win to its record.

Point Park put up 42 kills

to Ohio Christian’s 24. Outside hitters Meg Reineke and Erica Gumz led the Pioneers with 13 kills each. Reineke topped off her double-double with the match-high in digs with 15.

“It was a little bit of a slow start for us,” Bielich said. “But what I did like was that we got better as the match went on, and we haven’t really done that much this season, so I think that the girls did a great job of staying focused and working hard and just grinding it out.”

The Pioneers hosted West Virginia Tech (WVU Tech) last Friday to kick off Family Weekend.

Point Park took care of business in in the first two sets to win 25-20 and 2522. The Golden Bears fought back to take set three 25-23 and even held a four-point

Sam Robinson | Point Park Athletics Libero Morgan Dangelo, outside hitter Meg Reineke and middle hitter Destiny Tucker celebrate a point gained during their match against West Virginia Tech on Friday. The Pioneers topped the Golden Bears 3-1.

lead in the fourth set.

“Sometimes we get in our heads when we get down by a couple points,” middle hitter Destiny Tucker said.

“We have to focus on what we can do individually but at the same time stay focused on the collective goal of winning and being aggressive and just playing volleyball and having fun.”

The Pioneers earned six straight points to gain the lead and rallied to finish the fourth set on top with a 25-21 victory.

“Even in the beginning of the year we’ve had a problem with consistency and playing hard all three sets and finishing all three sets,” setter Julia Menosky said.

Menosky tossed out 44 assists to her offense. Gumz led the team in kills for the second game in a row with 16.

Reineke and right-side hitter Savannah Dishman followed with ten kills each. “[WVU Tech] did a nice job of coming in, playing hard in our gym, but I think the girls did a great job of staying level headed and not getting too worked up whenever WVU Tech got a couple points here and there,” Bielich said.

Point Park closed out the weekend with a contest against Rio Grande. The Pioneers swept the RedStorm two weeks ago in a road match.

The only difference between two weeks ago and last

Sam Robinson | Point Park Athletics Right-side hitter Savannah Dishman and middle hitter Destiny Tucker block an attack from West Virginia Tech’s outside hitter Ana Monteiro on Friday. The Pioneers won the first match of Family Weekend 3-1.

Saturday was the court.

The RedStorm did not get a chance to score ten points in the first set, as Point Park won 25-9. The Pioneers continued to control the match, winning sets two and three 25-12 and 25-19.

Gumz again led the Pioneers in kills with 12, while Dishman and Tucker came in second with eight each.

The team totaled nine service aces, four of which came from Menosky. Libero Morgan Dangelo picked up 15 digs.

“Moving forward I think

we’re really going to start being more consistent and finishing every game and playing hard every game all the way through,” Menosky said.

The Pioneers improved their record to 16-9 overall and now sit atop the River States Conference (RSC) East Division with a 6-3 record.

The team is off until Saturday when they travel to Cincinnati Christian University for an RSC road match.

Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

Cross country has strong showing at lone local meet

By Emily MacIntyre For the Globe

The cross country team ran the Carnegie Mellon University Invitational Saturday, which acted as a home meet right in the team’s backyard of Schenley Park.

The women’s team ran first at 10 a.m., just missing the heat of the day and continuing their streak of success, placing in seventh of 16 teams who ran the 5K that day. The women ran without top runner Anna Shields, who had the week off after breaking 17 minutes last race at Louisville.

“Today was brutal, I’m not gonna lie,” freshman Kayla Roberts said. “And it was a lot [more] different than the other courses. We had a lot of flat, fast courses the past few meets. Today was a lot of hills.

We pushed ourselves more; we’re doing so good. Everyone has so much potential.”

Roberts was the top runner for the women’s previous race at Louisville after Shields. This week she came in 37th place at 20 minutes, 18 seconds. She picked up 47 seconds on her previous time.

The top performer last weekend for Point Park was freshman Alyssa Boyd, who placed 21st of 178 runners with a time of 19 minutes, 44 seconds, dropping 27 seconds off of her previous time.

“I felt it was a good result,” head coach Kelly Parsley said. “Both seniors ran personal bests, which is a great way to end their season.

Boyd has been battling illness recently so it was good to see her on top this race.”

The men’s team came in ninth of 19 overall in the 8K

race that started an hour after the women’s race.

The top performer for the men was junior Sean Hilverding, who finished in 27 minutes, 15 seconds in 25th of 208 runners.

Bradley Calleja was the second men’s finisher in 50th place with a time of 28 minutes and 23 seconds. Dannys Marrero followed as Point Park’s third finisher after he fell at the beginning of the race. He pushed through with a time of 28 minutes and 41 seconds.

“The men’s lineup has changed every week,” Parsley said. “Brad, one of our captains, really stepped up and we needed that. The men have a ways to go but it was a much better year.”

Schenley Park presents a tough, “hilly” course for runners.

“The first three miles felt okay, but then after that you’re turning around and coming back up to the finish then it’s all uphill,” freshman Zach Jenkins said. “Going into it, you’re not looking to run that fast because of how hilly it is. It’s a true cross country course.”

After the race parents and Pioneers alike gathered for a picnic just off the course and recognized their graduating seniors.

Point Park honored Brittany Maniet and Alexis Sherman, who are both captains, and Mckenzie Wilson, who had graduated a year early.

The entire team celebrated Point Park’s Family Weekend together as one big family.

“What I like about this team is being a part of this family,” freshman Dylan Al-

len said. “I love everyone on the team. I’m ready for the next three years and I’m happy for my mother being here today.”

The tradition of recognizing seniors was started by Parsley when he took over the program.

“I like tradition,” Parsley said. “All these sports have time for these recognitions at half time, but cross country doesn’t have a half time. It’s all about creating memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. It’s what I try to set up here at Point Park.”

Point Park will compete next at the Asbury University Invitational Saturday, Oct. 21.

Emily MacIntyre emacin@pointpark.edu

Emily MacIntyre| The Globe Senior Alexis Sherman ran a time of 22 minutes at the CMU meet on Saturday. The women came in seventh place out of 16 teams.

Emily MacIntyre| The Globe Junior Sean Hilverding keeps up with a runner from an opposing school at the CMU meet on Saturday. He placed 25th out of the 208 runners with a time of 27 minutes, 15 seconds. The men’s team placed ninth out of 19 teams.