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@PPUGlobe October 25, 2017
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Forensic science student interns with local children’s hospital Amanda Meyers explains how Colin Kaepernick is fighting for justice Women’s soccer sweeps home games against top conference teams ppuglobe.com
Celebrating 50 years of covering the world of Point Park University news
Issue 9
Phi Beta Lambda collecting Podcast explores bottle caps for child patients Duquesne missing By Sarah Gibson Copy Editor
Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) found a new way for students to make a difference and it’s as easy as saving a bottle cap. PBL, Point Park’s business fraternity, started collecting bottle caps around campus. Each plastic bottle cap that is collected will provide one minute of dialysis for a local child in need. Joseph Tischler, a senior sports, art and entertainment management major and the vice president of programming for PBL, said he found Caps for Kids from a project sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation. “I was doing research for community service
Monster Ball in the CMI open to all schools By Lauren Clouser
projects that would be easy to start out with but still have good impact,” Tischler said. “From there, I found a contact who had actually worked with it.” Tischler explained that the process began with setting up bins all over campus. Members of PBL
collect the caps, where Tischler then “personally [delivers] them to the contact who gives them to the company.” Zac Seymour, a junior public relations and advertising major and vice presi-
CAPS page 2
persons cases By Alexander Popichak Editor-in-Chief
Duquesne graduate student Dakota James disappeared this past winter under mysterious circumstances, and after a six-week
DETECTIVE FOR A DAY
Mary Anne Doggett | The Globe Grace Pankieyicc, sophomore sports arts and entertainment management student paints a pumpkin in Village Park Tuesday evening at the Forensic Science Club’s Pumpkin Palooza as part of foresnsic science week.
Copy Editor
The first annual Monster Ball will be held on Oct. 31 at the Center for Media Innovation (CMI). The Halloween-themed event will take place from 2:30-4 p.m., and will feature the efforts of both students and faculty. Students are encouraged to come in costume, and Halloween treats will be offered. According to a promotional flyer, the presentations will focus on “themes of monstrosity, terror, fear, the supernatural and more” and can range from anything from films to dance to art. A scavenger hunt will also take place before the Monster Ball, where students can dress up and find candy at different places on campus. Jonas Prida, the assistant provost for curriculum, assessment and accreditation, said that the scavenger hunt will be a way for students to become more familiar with the different offices on campus. “The library is one of the stops, student life is one of the stops, the registrar’s office, the Title IX office will all have candy or treats there,” Prida said. The scavenger hunt begins at 9 and ends at 2:30 as the Monster Ball begins. According to Prida, there will also be a costume contest. To participate, students can take a photograph of themselves in costume and send it
MONSTER BALL page 3
By Robert Berger Co-News Editor
Last week, Point Park’s Forensic Science Club held their Forensic Science Week hosting different crimethemed events each day. Festivities began Monday morning in Village Park with a forensic-inspired bake sale. The club sold treats with a forensic twist to students and faculty throughout the day. Club treasurer and junior forensic and investigative science major Gillian Stinson was satisfied with the results.
“We had some really cool stuff like fingerprint cookies, chalk outline cookies and brownies,” Stinson said. “We did really well and made around $60 off of it.” All purchases were donation-based. Events continued on Tuesday evening once again at Village Park with the annual, Pumpkin Palooza. The evening was co-hosted with the All Things Horror Club. Throughout the night, students painted mini pumpkins and ate snacks while the films “Haunted Mansion” and “The Addams Family” were
CMI director speaks at USG meeting
screened. A new addition made by the club for this year was a chance to create blood splatter artwork. “We got a lot of compliments from the art,” Stinson said. “We definitely gave away over 100 canvases that night... there were none left over at the end, which was pretty cool.” Crime Scene Day followed Pumpkin Palooza Wednesday afternoon. Held in the Lawrence Hall lobby, a crime scene was set up using a manikin from a forensic science
FORENSICS page 3
city-wide search, his body was found in the Ohio River. Two years earlier, Duquesne nursing student Paul Kochu went missing under mysterious circumstances, and after an extensive search, Kochu’s body was discovered in Wheeling, W.Va. The striking similarities in the characteristics of the two men and the circumstances of their disappearance are the subject of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s first-ever serialized podcast produced in conjunction with the Center for Media Innovation (CMI.) Michael A. Fuoco, an enterprise reporter for the Post-Gazette, had been working on a long-form story about the similarities in the cases when an editor’s podcast recommendation induced an idea. “I was working on it for a print story for three months and my editor recommended a podcast ‘In the Dark’ which has nothing to do with missing people,” Fuoco said Monday in the CMI. “I downloaded it and within five minutes of listening to it it dawned on me like a light bulb going off - I had a narrative that would work as a podcast.” Fuoco looked to the CMI as a place to record and produce the podcast, and happened upon the work of graduate student and Post-Gazette intern Ashley Murray. The two worked for five months producing the five-part serial podcast, combining interviews Fuoco had taped for his print story as well as interviews conducted in the CMI.
PODCAST page 3
WAKE ME UP B4 YOU BINGO
USG By Hannah Walden USG Beat Writer
The United Student Government (USG) meeting kicked off with guest speaker Andy Conte, director of the Center for Media Innovation (CMI). Conte addressed questions from senators and discussed how the CMI can be used by students of any major. Conte began with reviewing events held at the CMI this semester. He first addressed the CMI’s one year anniversary along with the plaque dedicated to Richard M. Scaife.
USG page 2
Mary Anne Doggett | The Globe
Kooper Sheeley, sophomore sports arts and entertainment management student plays bingo with friends during CAB’s late night bingo this past Thursday night in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom.
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
30 hours of treatment already funded from CAPS page 1 dent of marketing for PBL, explained more of what the club does along with community service projects in an interview in Thayer Hall. “We do that community service project, we have two more planned for this semester,” Seymour said. “We put on Phi Beta Lambda week, we do induction ceremonies, and then after our induction ceremony we go out and feed the homeless.” Seymour said the purpose of community projects like Caps for Kids isn’t for advertisement for the club. “[Caps for Kids] is for the kids,” Seymour said. “This isn’t for us. Any time we post it isn’t about us, it’s about community service.” Not only is it a way for students to help the com-
LOCAL Assistant Professor of Human Resource (HR) Management Sandra Mervosh recently started a partner program aimed to connect students with real world professionals. Students in the HR program were matched on campus with employers depending on personal interest, according to the university website. During the event, students were given time to network with employers from companies such as UPMC, PPG and BNY Mellon. ---Fourteen years ago on Monday, Point Park officially achieved the status of a university. After reviewing finances, academics and student life as well as being visited by a review team, the State Department of Education made the final decision, according to an October 2003 Post-Gazette article. In the six years leading up to the decision, Point Park saw an enrollment spike of 1,000 students, leading to a total enrollment of 3,228 students, according to the article. ---Point Park volleyball will host their annual “Volley for Vision” event Saturday at the Point Park Student Center Gym. Fans in attendance will have the chance to enter Chinese auctions in which proceeds will be donated to the Team Cassie charity organization. The foundation works to better the lives of the local special-needs community. Special-needs children in attendance will be named as honorary members of the Pioneer volleyball team and welcome to attend a free volleyball clinic run by Point Park volleyball players.
munity, it’s also a way for students to work together for a good cause. Resident Educators (REs) are encouraged to involve their floors, and there’s currently a friendly competition going on between floors to see who can collect the most bottle caps. Jason Carr, a sophomore cinema production major and freshman RE, made his own collection bin and set it up next to the recycling bins on his floor to make it as easy as Nicole Pampena|The Globe possible for his residents Caps for Kids donating bins can most commonly be found near to donate bottle caps. recycling bins on campus. “I definitely think that getting involved is thing bigger instead of just pected to run to the end of important, especially for going to classes.” the semester and could exfreshmen dorms,” Carr According to Tischler, tend to the end of the year said. “It’s definitely just an the community service if it continues to succeed. easier way of kind of get- project has shown success ting a footing in the school so far, with enough bottle and knowing your way caps to provide 30 hours of Sarah Gibson around campus and feeling Dialysis. The project is exsagibso@pointpark.edu like you’re a part of some-
Clubs budget proposals to be examined Funding main focal point of next week’s meeting from USG page 1 Scaife, who passed away in 2014, owned the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and donated money towards the construction of the CMI. Conte also addressed the “Cybersecurity and the Media” panel the CMI hosted in Washington D.C. at the Newseum. The Point Park Talk Back Series sponsored by Title IX was covered as well as the “Pittsburgh (Not) Paris Climate Challenge.” Senators outside the School of Communication asked Conte about how they can use the CMI’s resources. In response, Conte brought up the upcoming Monster Ball event set for Oct. 31. Conte told senators
about the podcast studio, pushing his desire for more students to use the space and encouraging them to start podcasts of their own. He said if any students are interested in learning how to create a podcast, there will be an informational workshop Nov. 2. “Last year we had a lot of U-View content on the outside monitors and I don’t believe that I’ve seen that this year, so how can we work back to that?” USG Treasurer Josh Croup asked. According to Conte, the CMI switched software so the university is on the same system, which is preventing U-View YouTube videos from playing on the monitors facing the street. Conte is also working on fixing the ticker outside the CMI. Last year, headlines of the Tribune-Review and Globe stories scrolled across, but technology issues have prevented it from continuing this year. All university students have access to the CMI through the ID scanners, it is not based on major or what school your major is housed in. After the guest speaker, the meeting turned into general housekeeping. Croup reminded senators that the deadline for the second budget period for clubs ended on Oct. 24 and senators are required to review submissions. On Oct. 30 funds will be distributed to clubs
CR CRIME REPORT - OCT. do IM3 -EOCT. 20 notR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3 5:07 p.m. EcPr Student Center Lot OoRss Harassment Under Investigation T
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4 4:39 p.m.
Lawrence Hall Vandalism Under Investigation
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8 3:25 p.m.
Third Avenue Theft Cleared
MONDAY, OCTOBER 9 1:24 p.m.
Lawrence Hall Theft Under Investigation
5:20 p.m.
Academic Hall Trespassing Arrest-No Campus Affiliation
2:00 p.m.
Village Park Drug Violation Arrest-No Campus Affiliation
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12 10:36 p.m.
Lawrence Hall Trespassing Arrest-No Campus Affiliation
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 1:08 a.m.
Fourth Avenue Drug Violation Cleared
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 1:21 a.m.
Boulevard of the Allies Domestic Cleared
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16 11:33 a.m.
West Penn Lot Drug Violation Cleared
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20 1:32 p.m.
Boulevard of the Allies Alcohol Violation Cleared
o n ot cro s
4:47 a.m.
Frontier Hall Harassment Under Investigation
during the meeting. The Rules Committee motioned and passed the amendment to change the title of the School of Business to the Rowland School of Business in all USG-related documents such as the constitution and bylaws.
“I wanted to be involved in the legislative body, USG is a good platform to do that.” Kris Chandler
Senator, United Student Government The Student Concerns Committee will have tables on Oct. 30 and 31, from 12 -3 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. The tables will be outside of the Cafe on the second floor of Lawrence Hall. The committee also created an email account at studentconcerns@pointpark.edu. Continuing his goal of expanding USG, President Bobby Bertha swore in Kris Chandler to represent the Conservatory of Performing Arts. President Bertha hopes to fill ten more seats. Chandler, a screenwriting and political science double major, served as a senator in the past, after he was sworn
into office in the spring 2016 semester. “There are two reasons why I wanted to come back to USG,” Chandler said. “One, I wanted to be involved in the legislative body, USG is a good platform to do that. And two, as a double major myself, it is difficult to be represented and I want to help more students who are double majors through this platform.” After management from CulinArt visited and spoke to USG last week, a step has been taken to improve the quality of food being served. According to Dean of Students Keith Paylo, the issue regarding raw chicken in the Cafe has been resolved. From this point forward, frozen chicken will be fully replaced with fresh chicken. The meeting ended with Dean Paylo, Dean of Student Life and USG advisor Michael Gieseke and senators discussing the lack of student involvement during sporting events. Senators discussed what would be the best course of action to advertise games and schedules. Dean Paylo explains the easiest way to find the schedules would be on the website under “Athletics” and then “Schedules.” Disclosure: Josh Croup is co-sports editor at the Globe.
Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu
NEWS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
First serialized podcast by Post-Gazette was produced in the CMI radio studio from PODCAST page 1 “From day one it was like we had worked together for years,” Fuoco said. “I saw it as a very symbiotic relationship - I had a lot of experience as a reporter, zero experience in podcast. Ashley is a very bright and insightful journalist but she also brings a lot of digital skills and producing skills to it.” For Murray, who has been working with audio since 2008, the project has become a point of pride within a new genre. “I was honored and excited to be asked to do this project with Mike,” Murray, an M.A. media communications student said Monday in the CMI. “I worked on podcasting for two other media outlets. One was arts and features and another was environmental and legal questions, so those were different than this because this is really a human story - it’s a narrative unfolding over several chapters.” The five episodes will be released weekly starting Oct. 24, with the final episode debuting Nov. 21. The Post-Gazette will host a panel discussion of the cases at the University Center GRW Theater on Dec. 7. Chapter 1 provides an
overview of the two disappearances and looks at the psychological impact. Chapter 2 breaks down the timeline of Paul Kochu’s life and Chapter 3 does the same for Dakota James. Chapter 4 examines the investigation and how police treated the families of Kochu and James, and also presents the disappearances in the lens the “Smiley Face” serial killer theory. “[The Smiley Face Killer] theory claims that over 100 young white males out drinking with friends go missing and end up for unknown reasons in a body of water nearby and drowned from Boston to Minnesota,” Fuoco said. In each instance, investigators have found a graffitied smiley face near the dumping sites of the bodies. Chapter 5 looks at what the Kochu and James families have done since their sons were found, and how they processed grief. Fuoco said that the series never set out to solve the Kochu and James cases, but rather lay out the facts and examine the investigation. “There’s a lot of questions that remain, there’s a lot of mystery,” Fuoco said. “What Ashley and I tried to do was to shed light on the questions. I don’t know if we answer the questions, but we
certainly provide our listeners with a lot of options for them to consider and decide on their own.”
Three Rivers, Two Mysteries Chapter 1: An Overview (10/24) Chapter 2: The life of Paul Kochu (10/31) Chapter 3: the life of Dakota James. (11/7) Chapter 4: the investigation and the Smiley Face Killer (11/14) Chapter 5: The psychological effects (11/21) Listen: post-gazette.com/ twomysteries Over the course of producing the podcast, Fuoco interviewed experts, detectives, supervisors and the James and Kochu families. Fuoco said that while the narrative is driven by the two disappearances, a major theme of the later episodes is the psychological toll a family endures while looking for, and ultimately grieving their loved one. “The narrative works as a glimpse into the trauma of the families, who are not only traumatized by the death of a child but furthermore are increasingly psychologically
affected,” Fuoco said. “These people lost a child but don’t know what happened. For the Kochu family, it’s going on three years and for the James family it’s going on one year. Every day they think of a scenario of how their child died and that’s a very difficult thing to go through and they express in very heartfelt, candid and raw emotion about all of this.” Fuoco explained that the family’s cooperation in telling their sons’ stories has been paramount to being able to produce the podcast. In recent years, the Post-Gazette has worked to diversify their multi-platform offerings as this will be the first serialized podcast with more to follow. “This may be our first serialized podcast, but Michael and Ashley’s remarkable piece of work makes it inevitable that it will not be our last,” Post-Gazette Executive Editor David M. Shribman said in a statement Monday. “We began more than two centuries ago as a print product, but in the last decade we have committed ourselves to telling compelling stories like this one on different platforms.”
Alexander Popichak apopic@pointpark.edu
Monster Ball to unveil ‘Haunted America’ course from MONSTER BALL page 1 to the twitter address for the Center for Inclusive Excellence, which is @pointparkCIE. Andrew Conte, director of the CMI, said that the Monster Ball is based off the literary arts symposium, which takes place in the spring. The literary arts department hosts the symposium and provides the opportunity for students of all majors to come together and share their work. “My first experience with [the symposium] was this past year and I was like, ‘This is awesome, we should do it
more often,’” Conte said in a phone interview on Tuesday. Assistant literary arts professor, Jessica McCort, was involved in the planning of the Monster Ball, and stated that the goal is to have these types of events every month. “Every month would be a different theme,” McCort said in an in-office interview on Thursday. “That’s our goal. So this month it’s Monster Ball, and in the month of November we would have a salon that’s oriented towards a different theme.” McCort will also be a presenter at Monster Ball and will
discuss her course Haunted America, which will take place during the spring semester. According to McCort, the course looks at America “as a haunted landscape, and how that reveals different cultural anxieties and fears.” The Monster Ball is designed as more of a roundtable discussion rather than a traditional presentation setting. Each presentation is allotted ten minutes and will include time for discussion and questions. There is no strict structure for what can be submitted. “We’re pretty open to
pretty much anything that would fit with the theme,” McCort said. Prida said that the goal of the Monster Ball is to bring students from different majors together to see what each other are doing. “I think as more students know more students, it is incredibly helpful for the community at large,” Prida said. “And really it’s about eating candy.”
Lauren Clouser lclous@pointpark.edu
Forensics club to host mystery dinner from FORENSICS page 1 class. Students solved the murder of the fictitious Dr. Funk through reading four witness statements. Eventually Dr. Funk’s death was ruled a homicide due to blunt force trauma. According to Stinson, this was a favorite among students including herself as it gave students of all majors the chance to put themselves in the shoes of a crime scene investigator. “A lot of people saw the dummy and stopped to talk and see what it was all about, which was pretty cool,” Stinson said. As participants solved the crime, their name was entered into a raffle giving them the chance to win items such as a Starbucks gift card, a club t-shirt and a Forensic Files DVD. Forensic week events wrapped up on Thursday with Cereal Killer Night in Lawrence Hall 220. The club served cereal and popcorn while playing “Zodiac” the movie. “Even if people didn’t stay for the whole movie, we had a lot of people come buy and grab some cereal and watch a little bit of the movie to see what was going on,” Stinson said. As a whole, the Forensic Science Club uses the week to raise awareness about their organization. Next semester the club plans to hold a murder mystery diner open to all students and faculty. When it comes to the club, Stinson noted that anyone is welcome, no matter what their major. “If you think all the crime shows are cool...or if you are interested in that kind of stuff, we plan our events to cater towards that rather than the forensic science major,” Stinson said.
Robert Berger raberge@pointpark.edu
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FEATURES
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
International forensics student interns at hospital Teacher, friends, advisor encourage Villanueva’s work By Kayla Snyder
Co-Copy Desk Chief
From a young age, Clare Rachel Villanueva always knew her future job had something to do with dead bodies. When she was deciding what to study, a teacher suggested forensics because of her love for science and law. “I was instantly in love with it, because it’s basically CSI and I love dead bodies,” Villanueva said. As a junior forensic science student, she is not only progressing towards her goal via an internship, but is set to further explore her major and related double minors. Villanueva is a Philippines native who moved to the American Samoa when she was six years old with her family. Two years ago, with the pursuit to study forensics and move from home, she packed her bags and headed for Pittsburgh. Her curious nature has left quite the impression on her professor Edward Strimlan. “For her little size, she loves to ask questions,” Strimlan said. Her international advisor, Amanda Avampato, says that Villanueva is an outgoing student who stays heavily involved. Her roommate, Cassandra Vaglienti, who lives off campus with Villanueva, describes her as a sweet and busy human being. These three have all helped out Villanueva, who is currently interning at Children’s Hospital of UPMC of Pittsburgh along-
side a lab mentor who treats children’s brain tumors. As well as attending class full-time and completing her internship, she works with the university’s food provider, CulinArt, and is involved in multiple clubs across campus including the Forensics Club, Knitting and Crocheting Club, Criminal Justice and Strong Women, Strong Girls. Her internship focuses a lot on pediatric cancers and finding cures for them. Villanueva was searching for an internship that correlated to either her major or her double minors and this one fit perfectly.
“She wants to push it, not to hear a certain statement, but understand.” Edward Strimlan
Assistant Professor Point Park University “This internship that she got, which is a fascinating subject matter, she got on her own,” Strimlan said. “She wanted to know if she could get an internship on her own. I told her absolutely.” She tries to help out as much as she can at her internship due to the professional nature of the job. She does cell cultures, reads reports or papers and helps with experiments as she can.
“When I was younger, I used to obsess over shows like ‘1000 Ways To Die,’ ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘Bones,’” Villanueva said. “You get to solve mysteries and crime scenes and you basically are a detective and that’s so cool because you find out who did it.” In August 2015, in the pursuit of finding a school for forensics outside of Hawaii, Villanueva packed her bags and moved from the small island in the Pacific Ocean to attend Point Park. “At first [moving] was a huge change that I had to majorly adapt to because I come from an island that’s really hot and has no snow whatsoever,” Villanueva said. “The coldest it can go is possibly 80 degrees. When I moved here, the seasons also changed, and with the weather, it was all overwhelming.” Because she is a forensics major, Villanueva has had Strimlan for four classes. Strimlan said that Villanueva was unlike any of the other students in his class. “She’s one of the most inquisitive students that I’ve ever come across,” Strimlan said. “She fascinates me with the way that she looks at certain subject matters. She wants to push it, not to hear a certain statement, but understand.” Villanueva is active within the international student population on campus, attending events and volunteering for orientations. According to Avampato, Villanueva faced adver-
Gracey Evans | The Globe Headshot of Forensics Student, Clare Villanueva.
sity in her first year at the university that most American students don’t deal with until they’re older in life. “She handled it so well and that’s a lot to be said about not only a person in a younger generation, but also an international student,” Avampato said. Within the international program, Villanueva met her now-roommate senior English major, Vaglienti. Vaglienti describes Villanueva as one of the hardest working people she knows. She said that Villan-
ueva wanted to add a triple minor and also graduate early, but decided not to add the extra minor. “Ironically enough, I’m a procrastinator,” Villanueva said, laughing. “I have free time in between classes to catch up on homework, but sometimes, I’m ahead. When midterms came, I started watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ That definitely affected the whole thing, but balancing time is something I try to do as best as I can.”
Kayla Snyder klsnyde2@pointpark.edu
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
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Pumpkin Palooza takes over Village Park
Students decorate pumpkins, watch scary movies By Megan Bixler For The Globe
Jordan Cook-Henry started covering the tables that lined Village Park with Halloween-themed tablecloths. Gillian Stinson helped Mindy Vivio and the rest of the club members make popcorn and other snacks. In the center of the park, Ashley Rae helped initiate the spooky movies that were being shown that night. This was the Pumpkin Palooza event, a joint effort from the Forensic Science Club (FSC) and All Things Horror celebrating pumpkins and more last Tuesday night. “We wanted to bring people together and let them know a little about the club and what we do,” Jordan Cook-Henry said. Cook-Henry, current president of the Forensic Science club, was certainly eager to kick off the event. There were several new things added into the event this year.
“We wanted to bring people together and let them know a little about the club and what we do.” Jordan Cook-Henry
President Forensic Science Club Pumpkin Palooza is usually an event hosted by both clubs. Located in Village Park, it consisted of painting mini pumpkins, eating some different snacks, and watching movies. This year, however, the FSC added a little twist with blood splatter art. “The blood splatter art was something we added into the event for a little touch of forensic science,” vice president of FSC and forensic science major Mindy Vivio said. “We wanted to not only educate on
the different types of blood splatter, but also give the students a piece of their own art to take with them.” The Forensic Science club had been planning an entire week’s worth of events and activities related both to the holiday and the club, itself. The week had been something the members were planning before the semester began, with a different event each day. “This year was the first we’ve hosted activities for an entire week,” Gillian Stinson, forensic science major and treasurer of the FSC said. “We wanted a different event each day, and based each one off of what we’ve learned in class.” The event hosted two movies, “Haunted Mansion” and “The Addams Family.” Of the snacks that were provided, there were popcorn, chips and queso dip, Oreo dirt pudding and warm cider and hot chocolate to drink. Once students began lining up for the event, the festivities took off in no time. The movies began playing, and students grabbed some snacks and headed off to one of the tables. All Things Horror president, Ashley Rae, like Cook-Henry, was also hoping for a night for people to bond and get ready for Halloween. “Pumpkin Palooza is one of my favorite events to have, and I hope it carries on in the future,” Rae said. “The event has always been successful with a good turnout of people attending.” Of the many students, freshman theater production major Lillian Torres, was attending the event for the first time. She joined some friends at the pumpkin painting table and enjoyed being creative with the different colored paints made available. “I really enjoyed the event,” Torres said. “I went to a boarding school before where we did stuff like this, so it reminds me of home.” Along with the festivities, both clubs wished to bring more awareness by giving students a taste of
page 5 photos Allison Hritz| The Globe Students were given the opportunity to paint miniature pumpkins at Pumpkin Palooza in Village Park last Tuesday.
As a part of the spooky theme, the organizations provided blood splatter canvas painting for students.
what they have to offer. For a Tuesday night, the event seemed to have brought a way for students to unwind a little as midterms have
been flooding the classrooms this past week. “I certainly hope to see this event again next year,” Torres said. “It’s nice to be
outside, watching a movie, enjoying food and getting to be artsy all at once.”
Megan Bixler mlbixle@pointpark.edu
PIONEER PUBLIC
The Shuffler By Matt Petras
Co-Features Editor
The Lawrence Hall Shuffler is a spooky ghost that exists. “I do exist, that’s true,” he said in a phone interview. The polarizing figure is said to shuffle through halls, turn lights on and off and move objects around, according to a Facebook post from Haunted Pittsburgh. It’s also believed that The Shuffler is actually the ghost of Michael Musmanno, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice who served in the 1950s and 60s and lived in Lawrence Hall because of an agreement with the university. On that subject, the supposed legal expert was tight
lipped. “I plead the fifth,” he said. While it was hard to make out much of what The Shuffler said on the phone, because his voice was so spooky, the specter explained that throughout the month of October he has been attempting to terrorize folks across campus. He’s been having some difficulties, he said. “It’s frustrating, really. I followed this kid around the other day. He skipped breakfast and showering to start an essay due two hours later. Then his boss at his internship called him unprofessional, and he cried. After that, he had to get ready for his 6-9 at the top floor of West Penn, and the elevators
Gracey Evans | The Globe
were broken,” he said. “I was going to make some tapping noises and go ‘Ooooohhhh I’m a spooooky ghoooooost!’ That wouldn’t have phased him at all!” From The Shuffler’s perspective, students are already suffering so much that it’s hard to do anything all that effective. “These kids are so stressed I could make blood spew from their notebooks and they would just open a new one. It appears that the true fright this Halloween is not The Shuffler,” he said, beginning to cry. “The true fright this Halloween is the existential dread of being a college student.”
Matt Petras mapetra@pointpark.edu
Check out the “Pioneer Public” video online at ppuglobe.com
6
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
FEATURES
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Halloween decorations haunt the university
Students, faculty celebrate spookiness around campus By Briana Walton For The Globe
Student Production Services (SPS) has a skeleton, wall clings and a dancing mummy along with hand-made drawings throughout the office. A resident hallway in Lawrence Hall even has decorations on the doors among its unique theme, and the Dining Hall in the same building shows a temporary display of beautifully painted pumpkins. These decorations come as the university gears up for several Halloween events and activities. For example, the annual Campus Activities Board dance is tonight. While working one day, Colleen O’Neil, a freshman Broadcast Reporting major, and two of her coworkers decorated the office with the different decorations that were given to them. At SPS, the decorations range from store-bought decorations to student-made ones that were either drawn or
just colored. Some of the decorations were store-bought items such as wall clings, a small skeleton sitting on his gravestone, and a dancing mummy that was dressed up by one of the SPS employees. “It was fun because we listened to Halloween-themed music and I got to bond with my coworkers in a creative way,” O’Neil said. The office does more than just decorate for Halloween. Every year they participate in a contest through the library. The SPS workers pick a theme and everyone dresses up and takes a group picture. They also decorate the office for many other holidays. Some of the residents on the 16th floor were creative in their Halloween decorations amongst the floor’s year-round unique island theme. Many of the deep blue doors are decorated in var-
page 6 photos Briana Walton| The Globe Student Production Services (SPS) celebrates Halloween by decorating around the office space.
ious Halloween-themed decorations. Some doors have cobwebs and spiders while some have some more creative decorations. “There is a triple room and on the door, they have a Halloween wreath,”
Monae Findley, a sophomore broadcast reporting major and the floor’s Resident Educator said. “It’s really pretty and it’s really different.” She says that the wreath is her favorite decoration on the floor. It has orange, yellow and black spheres, as well as four orange pumpkins mixed in.
“It was fun because we listened to Halloween-themed music and I got to bond with my coworkers in a creative way.” Colleen O’Neil Broadcast Reporting Point Park University
A string of small skeletons hangs from a door on the 16th floor of Lawrence Hall.
One of the first doors that can be seen after getting off of the elevators has a string of small skeletons lining the top of the door. Another has a large black and orange spider hanging above the peep-hole. Sarah Howe, a fresh-
come one, come all, to the ‘
man dance major, decorated the outside of her door with a banner that says “happy” in a pumpkin-like orange lettering and “halloween” in black. Below that begins the black tape with white lettering stating “Enter at your own risk.” The Dining Hall has a temporary display of pumpkins that students painted at the annual Apple Fest. The painted pumpkins are displayed out on a table where students can vote for their favorite pumpkin. “The pumpkins are displayed for about a week. After that, we will pull the votes, count everything, and give away prizes,” Director of Dining Terry Chavara said. “Everyone will have their pumpkin returned to them so they can have it for Halloween through Thanksgiving.” It is through decorations that many places feel festive and even sometimes make people feel more like they are at home. “My family and I decorate our front yard every Halloween. My sister keeps sending me pictures,” Howe said. “Everyone in the hall decorated so it made me want to decorate because I miss decorating.”
Briana Walton bnwalto@pointpark.edu.
Nov. 7th, 8 - 10pm
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OPINIONS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
THE
GL BE’S POINT
vampires, werewolves and zombies as accepted characters and costumes during this time. “The Walking Dead” just returned on Sunday, the show tells the story of survivors in a world where the dead rise. But here’s the reality folks. When people die, they are gone. This year proved that in an emphatic way with the deaths of prominent and influential celebrities like Tom Petty, Jerry Lewis and a myriad of others. This year we even saw Adam West, the guy who played the invincible character of Batman, pass away. The ideology of death should be something we are mindful of year-round, not just in October when we decide to parody it. This Halloween, enjoy yourself. Watch movies, eat candy and be totally surprised when something creepy jumps out at you while walking through a haunted house. Throughout this month, remember that fear is not something everyone celebrates. Remember that there are people who are living in actual terror and they do not want to celebrate it.
The Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu.
7
Kaepernick sends another message
The NFL player’s lawsuit highlights his true cause By Amanda Myers For the Globe
Halloween isn’t so scary The month of October is synonymous with candy, costumes and, of course, scary movies. The human race has been fascinated with tales of ghosts and ghouls since medieval times. Even in 2017 we saw the remake of Stephen King’s “IT” rejuvenate the film industry’s horror genre. October is certainly a time of year that has the potential to be frightening at times, but it may overshadow some of the real horrors of 2017. While the majority of the population may focus on scares they would find in a horror movie marathon, some have missed out on some true scares. Just one month ago the world faced three deadly hurricanes by the names of Harvey, Irma and Maria. Those names should frighten people more than a clown named Pennywise. Sure, being lead into the sewer by this clown would be frightening, but what about the thousands of people in Houston who had to flee their homes for fear of death? What about the entire island of Puerto Rico going without power or proper aid? We at the Globe think that those people have experienced real fear. The world also associates
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
Colin Kaepernick first sitting, then kneeling, during preseason games last year ignited a radical media firestorm concerning nationalist pride and racial injustice. Over a year later, the “protests” linger on as the NFL pivots between the rights of their players, to the grievances expressed by the president and his base. Kaepernick is one of the only people who still remains scarred from his examples of free speech -- a free agent who appears to have been blacklisted by the league. On Oct. 15, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL that suggests collusion is happening within the organization. This is not a way for Kaepernick to revel in his glory as a quarterback, but understand why 39 backup quarterbacks have signed before him. Without getting too technical, the former 49er was quite a success when he appeared on the field. He played in two National Football Conference (NFC) championship games and nearly made it to a Super Bowl. This is not a question of talent on his part, rather a fear of sensationalism and aggression for giving him a spot
on behalf of a team and their fans. It seems as though the NFL would rather hire second string quarterbacks than take a risk in signing a controversial, yet entirely capable, athlete. In order to gain a spot and show his talent, Kaepernick has said he that would stand for the anthem if given the opportunity. Keeping with his cause, he plans to donate all his jersey sales so the money will go back into communities affected by violence and racial injustice. While the media (typically right-leaning organizations like Fox) have painted his actions as a means to boost to his public persona or a way to distract from his supposedly poor playing, Kaepernick has only ever signified that his actions were meant to address the problems happening in the country. He never wanted to draw unnecessary attention to himself, only the issues. If the armed forces and veterans were offended by his statement of free speech, they failed to understand the importance of it as a right of the Constitution and country they fight to hold sacred. Who really needs to adjust their perception on right or wrong is the NFL. The league
has long stirred controversy for continuing to let abusive and violent players perform on the field. Josh Brown, Greg Hardy and our very own Ben Roethlisberger are just a few of the players who got off with little to no consequences after being accused of physical or sexual assault. The same could be said for players with records that include drug and gun charges. It’s fine to sweep these actions under the rug because they happen in private, not on the field for a football-obsessed nation to see. Keeping the violent players ties into the idea of preserving the business of the league, while Kaepernick kneeling is only seen as a loss of money in relation to ticket sales or advertising. Standing up against the elitist corporations on behalf of the people struggling to use their voices does not seem to matter to the NFL. Until Kaepernick gets the spot he so deserves, here’s hoping he continues to be the defiant, afro-donning, activist we know him to be.
Amanda Myers admyers@pointpark.edu.
Allies should learn when to speak up and when to step aside Why Bernie Sanders’ decision to drop out of the Women’s Convention is beneficial By Autumn Barszczowski Business Manager
Within the past week, organizers of the Women’s Convention in Detroit announced that Bernie Sanders would be one of the event’s opening speakers. Since this announcement he has dropped out of the convention in order to visit Puerto Rico following the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. However, it is still important to discuss the fact that this news was met with confusion and concern as many began to consider why the organizers chose Sanders to speak. When I heard about the original announcement, I was immediately thrown back to my senior year history class on women’s rights. We spent that semester talking about topics like religion, violence and how power plays a large role in the way our society treats women. It was one of the most memorable classes I have taken. Before I continue, I’d like to give a shout out to my high school teacher for opening up this series of discussions on women’s rights and giving high school seniors the opportunity to dis-
cuss the ongoing problems in our society. There are not many teachers who are willing to sit and discuss topics like rape and other forms of violence on a weekly basis. Your students will forever be grateful for the knowledge they gained. But in the end, this course was not flawless, as nothing truly is. The one problem I had was that our source material was “A Call to Action” by Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. While the topics in his book are prevalent issues for women’s rights on a global level, there are times where these topics should be discussed through the perspective of those affected by these issues. I am always one to advocate for bringing allies of these oppressed groups into important conversations and utilizing their privilege to spread the message about these issues; however, there are times where we should be listening to the people who are experiencing these issues in their day-to-day lives. Just as my history class would have benefited from source material written by women of various backgrounds, the Women’s Con-
vention will benefit from focusing on the women speakers that they are hosting. Events like these are meant to be a platform for those to tell their stories and have people learn about the struggles being faced on a daily basis. When you bring in a name like Sanders, you are inadvertently diverting attention away from the women who will be at the event. People will be drawn to this event to hear him speak despite losing in the primaries during the 2016 presidential election, and the message this convention is trying to send will be lost in the shuffle to see what Sanders will say. Sanders is an important activist for the midterm elections happening next year and for many of the issues that are being challenged during Donald Trump’s term as president. We need him to headline for many of these issues, but there are times where he needs to step aside and allow for other voices to be heard. People like Sanders are helping us to navigate this tough political climate but we have to recognize what times are appropriate
for him to be included and when we should focus on new perspectives. Those who are familiar with Sanders know how he views the world and the experiences that brought him to this point; but there are plenty of women who are itching to share their stories and to become the story-
tellers that we need in this crisis. Sanders’ open spot at the convention is the perfect stage for these perspectives to be heard and we should allow them to have this opportunity.
Autumn Barszczkowski adbarsz@pointpark.edu.
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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:
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Carmen Amadio, Copy Editor Victoria Bails, 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 Eva Humphreys, Copy Editor Chloe Jakiela, Staff Photographer Madison Kelkis, Copy Editor Nikole Kost, Photo Editor Casey McGaw, Asst. Social Media Coordinator
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8
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
CROUP’S CORNER
Women’s soccer knocks off top two RSC teams By Josh Croup
By Josh Croup
Sports Columnist
Anticipated weekend lives up to the hype Once the seasonal Halloween stores close down at the end of the season, many of the spaces will be replaced with Christmas shops and calendar stores. I personally love the calendar stores. There’s a wide variety of creativity on display, from the simplest of 12-month displays to the most complicated and unique daily agendas. When we open a new calendar at the start of a new year, we circle a few dates. They’re the important dates: birthdays, holidays, vacation days, etc. When the Point Park soccer teams got this season’s schedule, they circled last weekend, and for good reason. West Virginia Tech and Rio Grande were going to be among the top teams in the River States Conference (RSC) entering the year. It was a widely accepted fact. Especially on the men’s side, where Rio Grande was coming off two straight years in the national championship, winning the crown two years ago. West Virginia Tech entered the season as the No. 6 team in the nation. Last weekend came towards the end of the 2017 schedule, with only one conference game afterwards. The weekend delivered every bit of the hype that we could have expected. No, the men didn’t win either contest. But they showed that they can play with the best teams in the country, forcing the No. 3 team in the nation to overtime with multiple chances to win the game. The men showed their resiliency and what can happen when they play as one cohesive unit - something that the team was missing at the beginning of the year. They wanted the win against Rio Grande and they probably deserved it. Ask head coach Jeroen Walstra. “We showed a lot of heart,” Walstra said. “I think we wanted it more than they did.” Both teams recognized the importance of the weekend. For the men, postseason seeding was on the line. For the women, a pair of losses meant they might miss the confer-
ence tournament for the first time in six years. But both teams showed up to play and delivered thrillers that should be remembered by these players in the years to come. “This was the best I’ve seen us play in a while,” Maggie Kuhn, women’s head coach said. The women trailed by two at halftime against Rio Grande and somehow made a comeback to win 3-2 in regulation. The men exchanged goals with Rio Grande and somehow kept the RedStorm to just two goals on 21 total shots in regulation. I can only imagine what the scene at Highmark Stadium would have looked like if they were able to pull off the overtime upset. They didn’t defeat the RedStorm despite having their backs against the wall, but the Pioneers didn’t hold their heads after the game. Players exchanged fist bumps, hugs and handshakes after the grueling 107-minute contest concluded. There was a mutual respect shown on the field. For Rio Grande, it was a respect for the team that gave its all and pushed them to one of their toughest tests of the season. For Point Park, it was a respect for the unbelievable talent that the RedStorm roster has; a roster built to win a national championship. The games all had playoff atmospheres. Next up is a date with crosstown rival Carlow. The women’s team is on the outside edge of the playoff picture and the men’s squad is winless this season. Saturday’s game at Highmark Stadium is the next date circled on the Point Park’s calendar, with the start of the conference tournament next. Last weekend showed everybody the exciting potential of both teams. Last weekend showed the character the teams have developed throughout the year. Last weekend can now get crossed off the calendar as we turn the page to the more important dates: the conference tournament.
Josh Croup jdcroup@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Co-Sports Editor
Point Park entered last weekend on the verge of missing the conference tournament for the first time in six years, needing to pick up wins against the top two teams in the River States Conference (RSC) to stay alive in the postseason race. Friday and Sunday against West Virginia Tech and Rio Grande, the Pioneers did just that, sweeping the season’s most critical conference weekend at home. The Pioneers handed West Virginia Tech its first conference loss of the season Friday night to improve to 4-2-1 in RSC play on the season. All they needed were two first half goals to hold off the Golden Bears. Lauren Bower scored her third goal of the season and the first goal of the night for Point Park in the 23rd minute off a pass from Nikki Polens.
Seven minutes later, Chloe Bowser drew a free kick after a West Virginia Tech foul. Her free kick found Izzy Hunter who struck for her fifth goal of the season to put Point Park up 2-0. Sophomore goalkeeper Ashtyn Webb made four saves for her fifth shutout of the year. Point Park outshot West Virginia Tech 11-9 on the evening with four shots on net. Rio Grande came into Sunday’s game with Point Park after dropping a 2-1 final two nights prior against Carlow at Highmark Stadium, the RedStorm’s first conference loss of the year. The RedStorm tied last
“Our team has a lot of heart” Noel Hartle
Senior Midfielder, Point Park Women’s Soccer
Megan Bixler | Point Park Athletics Junior defender Abby Magliocca reaches the ball before her opponent during Saturday’s game against Rio Grande. The Pioneers won 3-2.
XC squads claim team, individual victories at RSC preview meet By Josh Croup
Co-Sports Editor
The men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated their dress rehearsal Saturday at the Asbury University Invitational ahead of the Nov. 4 River States Conference (RSC) meet. It was the last chance for both squads to compete before conferences and also against RSC competition, with six teams represented. The women came out on top in the 5K race with the best team score, led by Anna Shields once again. Shields posted a course-record time of 18 minutes, 44 seconds. Freshman Alyssa Boyd took second at the meet, as seven Pioneers Robert Berger | Point Park Athletics finished in the top ten. Sophomore Xavier Stephens placed first individually at the Asbury InvitationPoint Park claimed four al on Saturday. The men’s team as a whole also placed first at the meet.
of the top five overall spots, with junior Kara Rohlf finishing fourth and freshman Kayla Roberts in fifth. The men ran away with the team victory as well in the 8K race, with sophomore Xavier Stephens winning the individual title by 14 seconds. The Pioneers had three of the race’s top four finishers, with senior Chris Hunt and freshman Bailey Rotellini following in third and fourth place, respectively. Half of the top 20 finishers in both races were in Point Park jerseys. The course in Wilmore, Ky., is the same one the Pioneers will run at the RSC Championship Meet in two weeks.
Josh Croup jdcroup@pointpark.edu
weekend with the Golden Bears at home. After 35 scoreless minutes, Rio Grande struck first off a free kick from Jenna Jones, her third of the season. Jones is a two-sport athlete at Rio Grande, earning all-conference honors as a pitcher on the softball team last year. That tally was followed minutes later by the RedStorm’s leading goal scorer Payten Davis, who notched her sixth goal of the season. Rio Grande took what Point Park head coach Maggie Kuhn called a “vulnerable” two-goal lead into the locker room. Senior Noel Hartle said the coaches encouraged the team during halftime. “Our team has a lot of heart and I think our coaches do a great job of lifting us up, especially when we’re down,” Hartle said. The RedStorm’s goalkeeper Andrea Vera, who claimed RSC Defender of the Week honors at the beginning of the month, left the game at the end of the first half due to injury. She was replaced in net by Alli Jones, who made her season debut Sunday. Momentum started to shift in the 12th minute of the second half when Izzy Hunter beat Jones on a penalty kick for her team-best sixth goal of the year. “I think we knew we were back in the game then,” Hunter said. “We knew we needed only one more goal.” Two minutes later, Morgan French received a pass through traffic from Olajua Pedemonte and beat Jones for the equalizer. 10 minutes later in the 70th minute, Hunter pointed up field towards Lauren Bower. She received the pass and put the ball past Jones for her fourth goal of the season and the game-winning tally. Point Park took the lead thanks to Lauren Bower’s fourth goal of the season off a pass from Izzy Hunter. It was the game winner. “As soon as I saw Izzy point, I knew what to do,” Bower said. “I thought she was pointing at me telling me to go. I had a feeling.” Kuhn said the team took advantage of its opportunities in the second half and didn’t look back at the first. “The ingredient was missing was pure hard work,” Kuhn said. “When we put them under pressure, it worked. We were able to change the momentum of the game. I give them a lot of credit. They responded well.” Point Park recognized its seven seniors before the game in the last weekend home game of the season, including Hunter, Hartle, Justina Cincotti, Alex Gradwell, Audra Lewis, Katy Melhuish, and Bella Wilson. The Pioneers will play as the road team against Carlow at Highmark Stadium on Saturday with an improved 5-2-1 RSC record. “We’re on a high,” Hunter said. “Hopefully we can go into Carlow off two wins and smash them.”
Josh Croup jdcroup@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
9
Men’s soccer forces OT on No. 3 Rio By Josh Croup
Co-Sports Editor
The men’s soccer team dropped two tough 3-2 finals against two of the top teams in the River States Conference (RSC) last weekend, ending its five-game winning streak and dropping the club to fourth in the conference standings. The anticipated home weekend began against West Virginia Tech on Friday night at Highmark Stadium and concluded an overtime thriller against the No. 3 team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Rio Grande RedStorm. After scoring the game’s first two goals early Friday against West Virginia Tech, the Pioneers allowed three unanswered tallies against the Golden Bears to drop the 3-2 decision. The Pioneers’ winning streak was snapped as they entered the weekend winners of 10 of their last 11 games. Alan Ramos scored both goals for Point Park, bringing his season total to 12. Ramos scored his first of the day 2:30 into the game off a well-timed pass from Roberto Whitley through the defense. Ramos capitalized on a penalty kick nine minutes into the game to give Point Park an early 2-0 advantage.
The Golden Bears tallied their first goal of the game in the 29th minute to cut their deficit in half heading into halftime. West Virginia Tech’s Manuel Garcia and Cameron Glennon scored within seven minutes of each other early in the second half to finish the day’s scoring. The Golden Bears held a clear shot advantage, out-shooting the Pioneers 22-9 and 14-4 in shots on goal. The bigger test of the weekend came Sunday against the nation’s No. 3 team and defending national tournament runner-up. Point Park was confident heading into the weekend’s conclusion. “After the game against WVU (Tech), we knew we could do damage to Rio or anyone else in the country,” Ramos said. Roberto Whitley took a penalty kick five minutes into the game, but missed the net on the team’s first real chance of the game. Rio Grande’s Harry Reilly got one past goalkeeper Juan Somoza to give the RedStorm a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. Rio Grande took the short lead into halftime. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Ramos scored the equalizer on a pass from
Megan Bixler | Point Park Athletics Senior defender Josh Williams races to keep the ball out of Point Park’s zone during Friday’s contest against West Virginia Tech. The Pioneers held a fivegame winning streak before dropping the game 2-3 to the Golden Bears.
Wessel Rietveld. Five minutes later, Jorge Guinovart scored the go-ahead goal from 25 yards out to put Rio Grande on top. It was the first goal of the season for last year’s RSC Male Athlete of the Year, who was in his fourth game of the season. With less than 10 minutes to go, a handball was called on the Rio Grande defense, giving Whitley another penalty kick and a chance to tie the game. He didn’t miss. The Pioneers tied the
Torres balances running, makeup, YouTube channel By Lauren Ortego Co-Copy Desk Chief
Being a full-time student, collegiate athlete, working two jobs and running a YouTube channel with over 11,000 subscribers sounds like a full plate for a 21-yearold, but Eric “Spiffy” Torres came with his own fork, knife and appetite. “I’ve always been very energetic, very just out there and outgoing,” Torres said. “I was always involved in pretty much everything. I kept busy with extracurricular activities; whether I was in the rotary club, student council and anything else I could throw on top of that, I would.” The Texas-native first heard about Point Park’s then budding track program back in 2014 from an email from his now coach, Kelly Parsley, and the rest was simply finding a major that fit him. He eventually decided on public relations and advertising. “I had known nothing about Pittsburgh, or Point Park in general,” Torres said. “So, I just kind of said, ‘You know, why not? Let me go ahead and take this chance and see what this school’s all about’ - and I loved it.” Torres’ mother was the person who jump-started his running career, “throwing” him into it at the age of five, and the appeal of the challenge that comes with solo sports has kept him in it ever since. “He’s really nice and outgoing; he’s very supportive,” Carlos Polanco, a teammate of Torres’ and business management major said. “I think our team is very close.” Even though he enjoys the solo aspects of running, Torres is still very much a team player. Coach Parsley suggested that Torres was like
the glue that keeps the men’s and women’s track teams from being totally separate, as his demeanor has earned him friends on both teams. “Eric is very charismatic, people flock to him because of his personality,” Parsley said. “He’s a really good balance for our team in terms of helping connect our men’s and women’s teams so there isn’t a big divide.” Thanks to this practically life-long career, Torres has grown accustomed to the packed schedule he now maintains. Adding two jobs into the mix, one at Whole Foods and the other at Sephora, is enough to stress most people out, but Torres remains positive. “Oh, I love it there,” Torres said, regarding his Sephora job. “I just love getting to play with makeup, talking to clients about the different products and seeing all the new arrivals that we get.” Torres has been wearing makeup since he was 17-years-old, starting small at first, but eventually becoming more comfortable with bigger, bolder looks. “I was a junior in high school and I remember my first time wearing makeup, I actually walked into Sephora by myself,” Torres said, laughing. “Not to the drug store or anything, I went straight for Sephora.” Makeup isn’t just a hobby for Torres. He hopes to, with the help of his PR and advertising degree, transform it into a career with his YouTube channel ‘SpiffdUp.’ There, he does everything from makeup tutorials how to look “Fall af” to answering questions from his subscribers to talking about everyday life situations. His channel, which he estimates to be about five years old, currently has 11,052 subscribers, to whom he refers to
as “his family.” “[YouTube] was one of the main outlets that allowed me to wear makeup and be a little bit more comfortable,” Torres said. “It was my excuse so I could be like ‘Mom, I’m wearing this because I have a YouTube channel and I have to.’” Torres is now a second semester sophomore, after taking a two-year break following his freshman year. During those two years, he lived in Mount Washington for one year and then eventually moved back home to Corpus Christi, where he was first hired at Sephora. Torres eventually felt everything falling into place perfectly, allowing him to return to school with a better mindset and more motivation. “I feel like it’s always important for college students... if you feel like you’re not mentally there, yet, don’t invest all the money if you’re not going to take it seriously,” Torres said. “That’s what I was facing the spring semester of my freshman year. I thought, ‘Let me just step back for a second, give me some time to mature up a bit and figure everything out.’” Looking to the future, Torres is excited that his team is currently ranked number one, as he’d finally get to visit the elusive west coast for the conference meet in Vancouver, Wa. He’s never been farther west than Texas and would love to see a change in scenery. Torres doesn’t see a change in pace any time soon, and is optimistic about what is to come. “I like what I do, and I like to stay busy,” Torres said. “I’ve just always been that way.”
Lauren Ortego leorteg@pointpark.edu
game and forced overtime with the odds stacked against them. Rio Grande hasn’t allowed three goals since the RedStorm were upset 3-2 in the 2014 NAIA National Tournament Second Round. Their streak continued Sunday. The RedStorm’s Omar Walcott fed a shot through the legs of Somoza in the seventh
minute of overtime to lift Rio Grande over Point Park. The Pioneers had a chance early in the overtime period when Ramos sent a header wide of the net. “We should have won,” head coach Jeroen Walstra said. “It was on Ramos’s head right there.” Point Park had three shots in overtime and 13 on the game, opposed to Rio Grande’s 23 total shots. “We just really wanted it,” captain Ricardo Dip said. “I think we wanted it more than them. It’s so unlucky, though.” The Pioneers fell to 5-3 in RSC play and enter the final conference home game against Carlow Saturday in fourth place. The top six of the 10 teams make the conference tournament, with the third and fourth seeds hosting the quarterfinal match-up. “We improve as each game goes by,” Ramos said. “I’m really proud of my teammates. We’re going to keep going strong against any team. We can beat any team and we know that.”
Josh Croup jdcroup@pointpark.edu
Volleyball drops 3 straight on road By Dara Collins Co-Sports Editor
The volleyball team ended its third four-game winning streak and suffered three consecutive losses on the road last week. The Pioneers kicked off the weekend of road matches at non-conference Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio last Thursday. The Cougars swept the Pioneers 25-16, 25-21 and 25-10, setting Point Park’s overall record back 17-10. “Mount Vernon is a very good defensive team,” captain Ashley Taylor said. “In my opinion, they didn’t have any big hitters that were killing us; it was all their defense.” The Pioneers recorded low numbers compared to previous matches. Outside hitter Meg Reineke led the Pioneer offense with six kills. Junior Carolina Urquieta followed with five kills. Taylor returned to the court after an ankle injury for a single set and put up five kills. “Even though I only played one set out of three, it helped gain my confidence and trust on the court that I’ve been missing for the last month of being injured,” Taylor said. Libero Morgan Dangelo headlined the defense with eight digs, and juniors Jordan Dixon followed with seven and Ali Peterson with six. The team picked up conference play at the Indiana University (IU) Southeast quad match last Saturday. Host IU Southeast gave Point Park its first loss of the day. The Grenadiers took the first set 25-22, and the Pioneers tied the match at 1-1 after winning set two 25-19. Point Park couldn’t maintain the momentum and lost the following two sets, losing the match 1-3. “We lacked focus a lot,” freshman Jazlyn Rozier said. “We couldn’t get
entirely on the same page. Effort and execution were a huge struggle for us to overcome.” Point Park nearly matched IU Southeast in kills, 46 to 47, but the Pioneers started to slack in the third and fourth sets. Taylor played her first full match since her injury and returned to the top of the pack, leading the Pioneers with ten kills. Dangelo led the defense with 20 digs. The Pioneers changed venues and moved on to play Brescia University. The Bearcats were the second team of the weekend to sweep the Pioneers 25-16, 25-21 and 25-22. “We struggled with communication,” outside hitter Erica Gumz said. “Everyone was kind of getting in their own heads. We were not really talking to our teammates well.” Taylor once again captained the Pioneer offense with seven kills, and Reineke and Gumz followed with six each. Setters Julia Menosky and Madison Weldon recorded 11 and 14 assists respectively. Weldon also collected two service aces. The Pioneers’ overall record dropped to 17-12. Their River States Conference (RSC) record followed and now stands at 7-5. Point Park returns home this weekend for a pair of matches against IU East and Ohio Christian University (OCU) on Friday and Saturday. The two teams stand with Point Park in the top three of the RSC East Division. The latter match against OCU marks the annual Volley for Vision event. All proceeds from the event benefit the Team Cassie Foundation, and the Pioneers will teach a free volleyball clinic for special-needs children following the game.
Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017
SPORTS
Green and gold run in Rozier’s family genes By Dara Collins Co-Sports Editor
Monroeville native Jazlyn Rozier is one of four freshman on the 2017 Point Park volleyball team and is one of three family members to commit to the green and gold uniform. And she has two left feet. Friend and teammate Camryn LaMonaca recalls Rozier tripping and stumbling while walking up the stairs, but no one would never expect that from the Rozier that appears on the court. The “ditzy and clumsy” middle hitter sits among the top five attackers on the team recording 145 kills this season as of Oct. 22, averaging 1.54 kills per game. During her junior year of high school, Rozier reached out to head volleyball coach Greg Lockley for college advice in the pursuit of a collegiate student-athlete career. Rozier began to second guess her decision at the start of her senior year when a teacher claimed the open position as head coach without any real knowledge of the game. “Sometimes I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore,’ because transitioning with a new coach was hard, but I stuck with it,” Rozier said. Sticking with the sport through the tough times worked out in Rozier’s favor. Rozier joined the Pioneers as one of 13 new players suiting up for the fall season. “I’m really pleased with her transition to the game,” head coach Mike Bruno said. “Her focus and mental toughness, I’m really pleased with those two areas of her development, and she’s showed leadership qualities at a young age.” LaMonaca agrees Rozier is young but independent. “She doesn’t need anyone to tell her what she needs to do,” LaMonaca said. “She just goes out there and does what she needs to do. Especially as a freshman, that’s a weird trait to have.” Bruno and assistant coach Bridget Bielich welcomed the newcomer with “full arms” and eased her fear of transitioning to a college sport, according to Rozier. “I was like walking on needles is what I felt like when I was out there, and now I just go out there and play,” Rozier said. “I was so in my head in the beginning.”
Although the Student Center gym is unfamiliar territory for the Gateway High School graduate, Rozier looks to Bruno and fellow teammate Jada Jones for a familiar face. Rozier and Jones played under Bruno prior to their arrival at Point Park. Bruno was their assistant coach for the Pittsburgh 3 Rivers Volleyball Club. “They got a head start on some of the things that we teach and our philosophies,” Bruno said. Before committing to Point Park, Rozier considered other Division II and Division III schools including Westminster College, Saint Vincent College, Slippery Rock University and other schools as far as North Carolina. Ultimately, Rozier based her decision on the scholarship offered and her love of the city. And her parents. Rozier’s father, Ty Rozier, played on the men’s basketball team from 1995-1997. Jana Orlofske, Rozier’s mother, was inducted into the Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2008. Orlofske played for the volleyball team from 1994-1997 and earned a plethora of honors and awards during her career at Point Park. “I don’t want that to get to me because if I don’t live up to it, I don’t want to be sad that I didn’t live up to it,” Rozier said. “I think I’ll be okay playing all four years and getting better myself.” Orlofske is a former head coach for Gateway’s volleyball program, and Rozier recalls attending tournaments, summer camps and practices by her mother’s side. “I was like the little sister to all the older girls,” Rozier said. “Obviously I didn’t know how to play volleyball. I didn’t even know how to hit the ball, but I was just always around the game.” Rozier began playing at Gateway her freshman year. Despite not making the starting lineup, Rozier saw a lot of playing time. The versatile hitter then started the following three years. The All-WPIAL Class AAA athlete played all three positions at the net in high school: outside, middle and right side. The Pioneers utilize Rozier as a middle hitter and blocker. “I kept getting taller and no one else did, so of
course I was going to be a middle,” Rozier said, chuckling. While Rozier is aggressive on the court, according to LaMonaca, teammate Ashley Taylor compares Rozier to her little sister. “She is very sweet and fun, always puts a smile on my face and I think it’s awesome that even though she’s a few years younger than me, we can turn to each other for anything,” Taylor said. Before volleyball, Rozier participated in softball and basketball. The flexible athlete began playing basketball around the age of eight and quit her junior year of high school. She also ended her softball career before entering high school. Off the court, Rozier studies sports, art and entertainment management and plans to pursue a career concentrated in sports. Rozier is heavily involved on campus in the Black Student Union, the Center for Sports Media and Marketing and various mentoring programs.
Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY LAST WEEK’S SCOREBOARD OCT. 17 - OCT. 23
MEN’S SOCCER (10-5) (5-3) WEST VIRGINIA TECH 3, POINT PARK 2*..........................................Oct. 20 Goal: Ramos (12) RIO GRANDE 3, POINT PARK 2 (OT)*...................................................Oct. 22 Goal: Ramos (13), Whitley (10) Next: Oct. 28 @ Carlow
WOMEN’S SOCCER (8-6-1) (5-2-1) WEST VIRGINIA TECH 0, POINT PARK 2*..........................................Oct. 20 Goal: Bower (3), Hunter (5) RIO GRANDE 2, POINT PARK 3*............................................................Oct. 22 Goal: Hunter (6), French (5), Bower (4) Next: Oct. 25 vs. Shawnee State, Oct. 28 @ Carlow
VOLLEYBALL (17-12) (7-5)
POINT PARK 0, MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE 3...............................Oct. 19 POINT PARK 1, IU SOUTHEAST 3*........................................................Oct. 21 POINT PARK 0, BRESCIA 3*....................................................................Oct. 21 Next: Oct. 27 vs. IU East, Oct. 28 vs. Ohio Christian
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ASBURY UNIVERSITY INVITATIONAL................................................Oct. 21 Top 8K finishers: Stephens (27:26) Hunt (28:11), Rotellini (28:18) Next: Nov. 4 @ River States Conference Meet
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ASBURY UNIVERSITY INVITATIONAL................................................Oct. 21 Top 5K finishers: Shields (18:44), Boyd (19:53) Rohlf (20:26) Next: Nov. 4 @ River States Conference Meet
MEN’S BASKETBALL (0-0) (0-0) PICKED 8TH OF 13 IN RSC PRESEASON POLL Next: Oct. 30 @ Wilberforce
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (0-0) (0-0) PICKED 10th OF 13 IN RSC PRESEASON POLL Next: Oct. 25 @ Bethany, Oct. 28-29 @ Lawrence Tech Tip-Off Classic *River States Conference Game
Pioneering sports journalist describes career transition By Robert Berger Co-News Editor
To a standing room only crowd in 701 of the Student Center, journalist Dejan Kovacevic spoke to students and faculty about his 32 years of experience covering Pittsburgh sports. The presentation was made possible by the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing. It was the group’s second event of the semester and the second time Kovacevic has spoken at Point Park. Kovacevic took the floor with center co-director Tom McMillan, leading off the discussion speaking about his early days of covering Pittsburgh sports. He published his first article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1985, in which he covered Pittsburgh Central Catholic football. Kovacevic continued to write on a freelance basis for the Post-Gazette throughout his college career. He was hired upon graduation to cover high school sports and work on page layout. He was eventually given the full-time Penguins beat in 1997. He covered the team from then until the 2004 NHL lockout. After a stint of covering the Pittsburgh Pirates beat, he decided to leave the PostGazette and work for the Tribune Review in 2011 as the lead sports columnist. “It was there that I kind of figured out this wasn’t going anywhere,” Kovacevic said. “I don’t mean my job, I’m talking about the whole industry.” It was during his time at the Trib when he grew tired of the print industry. After 29 years in the business, Kovacevic left the Trib in 2014 to create his own subscription-based Pittsburgh sports website, DK Pittsburgh Sports. The website covers all
professional Pittsburgh sports teams and local colleges. McMillan continued the discussion asking about the risk when it came the creation of his website. Kovacevic admitted he had very little doubt that he would reach his goal of 10,000 subscriptions early on, which is exactly what happened. The site is nearly 500 subscribers away from 40,000. “I really felt newspapers misjudged people’s willingness to pay for something that’s quality online,” Kovacevic said. Kovacevic then mentioned the demographic of his readers. He revealed that the majority of DK’s readers are either “very young” or “very old.” It’s the 35-50 age demographic they struggle with readership the most. Kovacevic feels this is due to that age group being sceptical to pay for an online subscription. Also in terms of demographic, Kovacevic said the website’s biggest readership struggle is Steelers coverage. Kovacevic believes this is due to the fact that 45 percent of season ticket holders live outside of western Pennsylvania. “This city has become a hockey city,” Kovacevic said. McMillan continued the discussion asking what it is that sets DK apart from other sports coverage sites. One main point Kovacevic brought up is that DK is one of two Pittsburgh publications that sends reporters on every road trip. The Post-Gazette is the other. “The access that you get, the availability that you get on the road is way higher than at home,” Kovacevic said. According to Kovacevic, most major publications cut travel first to save money. However, he feels travel is one of the keys to DK’s success. Sophomore Noah Khorey was in attendance for his first time hearing about DK Pittsburgh Sports.
“It was cool to hear about how they get the behind the scenes stuff,” Khorey said. Kovacevic also said his site is different from major print publications because his writers have no deadline. He then recalled numerous times staying up late into the morning to publish stories, while newspapers reporters called it quits because of tight deadlines for printing. His site was also one of the first local outlets to record video of interviews to be embed in the story itself. This has since become a standard practice for all major media outlets. Kovacevic wrapped up by taking questions from students. One student asked what his opinion on the rise of social media is. He said journalists tweeting a plethora of information is bad business, as all of the information is being sent out for free. Another student addressed the coverage of women’s sports on DK. This lead Kovacevic to mention that DK was the only Pittsburgh publication to cover the 2016 Rio Olympics. Kovacevic himself has covered five Olympics in his career. Each semester, the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing works to bring industry professionals to Point Park. “You can hear from professors and guidance counselors and career development and all that’s very valuable but this is another piece,” McMillan said. “I think it doesn’t replace anything, but adds to everything you learn in class”. In the past, the Center has brought in speakers such as, NBC’s Doc Emrick, Greg Brown from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Cavaliers play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod.
Robert Berger raberge@pointpark.edu