Point Park Globe Fall 2019 Issue 3

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@PPUGlobe September 11, 2019

News photo editor Jared Murphy reviews horror film IT Chapter Two Justine Quach celebrates Mac Miller after event at Blue Slide Park The men’s soccer team scored seven goals to solidify their second win ppuglobe.com

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Issue 3

CMI ANNOUNCES FELLOWSHIP WINNER Title IX promotes interactive safety app Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief

New to the fall 2019 semester, students can now download uSafeUS to their smartphones to find digital resources and tools typically found on handouts and pamphlets in the university’s Title IX office.

Director of Title IX and Diversity Vanessa Love described the inspiration to adopt the app.

“I’ve been searching for an app since I came here because I wanted to find something where students would access Title IX on their phone or something quick, because a lot of times students don’t want to come to my office, and they don’t read the policy online,” Love said. “So, I was thinking, how can they get the information without coming to me?” uSafeUS offers information as well as interactive features for students to utilize.

“When I found this app...I knew that that was something that was needed

Jared Murphy | The Globe

Erica Hensley of Mississippi Today, the inaugural winner of the $20,000 Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship, spoke via video chat to those in attendance at a news conference in the Center for Media Innovation on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Hensley was one of six finalists in the fellowship’s first year, and she will be working with the university throughout the duration of her project.

Australia to America: short filmmaker presents at the Center for Media Innovation Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor

On Sept. 3, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Center for Media Innovation (CMI) hosted a special guest: award-winning Australian filmmaker Genevieve Clay-Smith, who gave a public talk on her journey of becoming an ally for people with disabilities and how she is changing the very core of the film industry with her work. Clay-Smith’s talk was a precursor to seven of her short films being screened from Sept. 4 through Sept. 11, at the ReelAbilities Pittsburgh Film Festival, presented by local organization Film Pittsburgh.

ReelAbilities is an international film festival and is presented in various cities such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Los Angeles. The festival, initially started in Manhattan in 2007, was a pioneer in screening award-winning films about people with disabilities that included the input of people with disabilities in the filmmaking process.

The event at the CMI, entitled “The Power of Inclusive Filmmaking,” was intended to reach local filmmakers, but

was also open to the public.

Tickets were $5 and admission was free for Point Park students. Clay-Smith previously spoke with KDKA about her films premiering at the festival.

“I love any opportunity to share inclusive filmmaking overseas and beyond the shores of Australia. And I also love the ethos of the ReelAbilities Film Festival.

I’ve known of the festival for a very long time, Bus Stop has had films screened at it for a very long time, so there was those two reasons,” ClaySmith said. “I wanted to help to share what we do with an audience in another country, and I wanted to get further involved in ReelAbilities because I believe in the festival and I believe in the work that it does and I think it’s a very important festival. I think any festival that is promoting cinema that expresses the stories of people with disability is cinema that people need to pay attention to.”

Clay-Smith is the co-founder of two companies which work toward providing opportunities for people with disabilities. She is the

executive director and former CEO of Bus Stop Films, a non-profit which educates people with disabilities about the film industry and gives life-changing experiences and employment opportunities for its students.

Clay-Smith has noted that students with intellectual disabilities have experienced transformational growth during their studies at Bus Stop Films.

“We...noticed an increase in literacy and writing skills, communication, verbal communication skills, and social skills, as well as work-ready skills—skills that are transferable to other industries, not just the film industry. So we ended up finding that film studies program was not just giving people access to education, it was having this transformational impact on people’s lives,” Clay-Smith said.

Clay-Smith began her talk with how she originally started making inclusive films and commercials, which now add up to 19 according to the Bus Stop Films website. When she was a 19-year-old filmmaker, Clay-Smith worked with the

FILM page 3

here, because a lot of the students came to me and said that they would be in uncomfortable situations, like conversations, but they wanted to be polite,” Love said. “I knew that that was a perfect way to create a distraction when you don’t have someone there to do it for you.”

“You never know when you might need it in a situation where you’re not comfortable to tell the person, ‘hey, I have to go,’” senior Marissa Johnson said.

Johnson has not used uSafeUS, but said she would be interested.

On the left side of the home page, students have four interactive options to avoid or to get out of uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situations.

“Time to Leave” triggers a fake call or text message from a contact of the user’s choice.

“So far, that’s the most used portion,” Love said.

“Expect Me” allows users to choose up to three people

USAFE page 2

New cinema grant offered for seniors Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect

Every year, Cinema Department Safety Coordinator Terry Shirk adds to and tweaks the student filmmaking handbook. This year, he was able to include information regarding a new $2,500 grant opportunity that senior film students can apply for.

However, the opportunity is the result of an instance of filmmaking gone wrong.

On Feb. 20, 2014, tragedy struck on the set of “Midnight Rider,” an indie film directed by Randall Miller.

The set was on a CSX-owned railway bridge just outside of Doctortown, Ga. The film crew did not have permission to shoot there.

When a train suddenly made its way across the bridge, Sarah Jones, 27, a camera assistant for the film, was struck and killed.

Her death marked the beginning of Safety for Sarah, which started as a social media movement but has since gone on to become the Safety for Sarah Jones Film Foundation.

The foundation, which was started by Sarah’s parents, Richard Jones and Elizabeth McCartha Jones, partners with higher education institutions through its Sarah Jones Safety Grant Program. This year, Point Park joined the list of partners.

“We met over the sum-

mer via phone,” Shirk said.

“I sent them a copy of the handbook and talked to them about how we take safety very seriously and discussed how students plan to make good decisions and how I monitor them and this handbook. And they decided that we would make a good partner.”

The grant will be awarded annually to any senior film student working on their thesis, or P4 level film.

Students who win the grant will put the funds towards on-set safety measures.

The grant and partnership is the newest addition to the Cinema Department’s relatively recent focus on safety. And according to Shirk, his position of Safety Coordinator is not common at the university level.

“It’s unique that Point Park is one of a handful of universities that has a dedicated safety coordinator for their film program,” Shirk said. “That doesn’t mean other programs don’t take it seriously, but Point Park decided to create a position focused solely on overseeing the safety of student production work.”

Shirk has been in his position at Point Park for the past five years, following a program review by Emerson College, where its main suggestion was to hire staff to focus solely on student safety for the department.

“Every year we have a

SAFETY page 3

Weather Forecast Today: Scattered Thunderstorms H 89, L 68

Thursday: Scattered Thunderstorms, H 83, L 66 Friday: Scattered Thunderstorms, H 84, L 68

Saturday: Scattered Showers, H 81, L 59 Sunday: Partly Cloudy, H 81, L 59 Monday: Partly Cloudy, H 82, L 63 Tuesday: Scattered Showers, H 82, L 63

Point Park

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

NEWS

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Voting issues prominent in Allegheny County

Election cycle brings student registration and new voting process Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor

According to data from the Pennsylvania state government, there are currently 952,343 registered voters in Allegheny County as of Aug. 26, 2019. Out of all Allegheny County voters, 76,812 are voters ages 1824. That means a little over eight percent of all voters in Allegheny County are made up of young adults.

On Aug. 26 and 28, NextGen America set up a table in Lawrence Hall lobby to register students to vote.

Field organizer for the city of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Sebastian Avila has worked with NextGen since 2017, and was running the table in Lawrence Hall. Avila stressed the importance of the organization’s outreach to Point Park University.

“So NextGen is the largest youth organization in the entire country,” Avila said.

“We focus on mobilizing young people throughout different universities to register and vote. And Point Park is a crucial school to Pittsburgh’s city and [the] Pittsburgh area. So we’d thought it’d be a good idea to make sure we register as many students as possible here.”

A lot of different nuances go into the registration process. Even for those already registered, some may need to make changes to their information in order to not experience any diffi-

culties at the polls.

“A lot of people—we have either sophomores or juniors—who lived at different addresses throughout campus, maybe they moved from [a] dorm to a different apartment or something like that,” Avila said. “Or we even have freshmen who are coming in from different states, from different cities, who have never been registered before and we’re just registering them to their current most accurate address to make sure there is no problems whatsoever when they go to the voting polls.”

NextGen America is a bipartisan organization, founded in 2013, with a focus on progressive issues such as LGBTQ rights, racial equality, affordable healthcare and primarily climate change. Formerly known as NextGen Climate, the organization rebranded in 2017 to NextGen America to cover a broader spectrum of issues. The group operates in Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona and Nevada.

Regional Organizing Director for Pennsylvania Michael Saoma was also running the table with Avila. He said that Pennsylvania has one of the easier processes for registering to vote.

In Virginia, people are required to input their full Social Security number, which “makes people distrustful”

according to Saoma. He also said that there are many nuances in the voting registration procedure and that it “varies from state to state.”

Registering young voters is only one of several issues concerning local organizations in Allegheny County.

On Aug. 30, the Allegheny County Interim Board of Election met in the Allegheny County Courthouse on Grant St. to discuss new methods of submitting and tallying ballots. In early 2019, Independent Green Party 2016 presidential candidate Jill Stein won a lawsuit to recount votes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

As part of the legal settlement, Pennsylvania is required to do a complete overhaul of DREs and adopt a new voting procedure which will allow a people-verifiable receipt trail for recount purposes. Allegheny County has been experiencing specific difficulties to choose an inexpensive and secure new voting method, prompting this meeting.

One of the speakers at the meeting was Beth Schwanke, the executive director at the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security. “...the most secure and least expensive method of voting is hand-marked paper ballots, counted by optical scan machines with ballot-marking devices available for voters who are unable to hand-mark paper ballots,” Schwanke said.

Katie Williams | The Globe

Gabby Ritterson runs NextGen America voter registration table.

The subsequent meeting to be hosted by the Allegheny County Interim Board on Sept. 9 was canceled according to the Allegheny County Courthouse website “to allow time for mock elections, requested by the Board, to be conducted.” Their calender states that the next meeting will not be until Oct. 22.

The University of Pittsburgh is coordinating with NextGen America to create an event on their campus on Sept. 24, National Voter Registration Day. The last day to register to vote for Pennsylvanians is Oct. 7. The general election will take place on Nov. 5.

Amanda Andrews

aaandre@pointpark.edu

uSafeUS app fights sexual harrassment and assault from USAFE page 1 to track your GPS location while walking to a new location.

“A lot of students have said that they don’t feel safe going [out] at night in downtown,” Love said. “That’s one of the measures to make them feel a little bit more safer so that they can give someone the ability to watch them go from one location to another location.”

“Sound the Alarm” causes the phone’s flashlight to strobe, and a loud alarm will turn on.

The “Angel Drink” feature lists real drink recipes such as a lime drop martini or blue crush mojito, but hidden in the recipes is three versions of the Angel Drink recipe. In lieu of ingredients, the Angel Drink “recipe” provides steps for a bartender to take to help the user leave, ask another individual to leave or call the police.

The icons on the right side of the home page provide general information.

“Find Help” provides campus, local and national resources. Specific resources for male survivors, the LGBTQ+ community and multicultural individuals is also available.

“We know that males are less likely to report incidences of sexual assault and sexual harassment, so it’s a good place for them to get the information without coming because they don’t come to the office,” Love said. “A lot of that is because of the ideas of masculinity, so they don’t report when something happens to them. So, we

have very, very little reports of males, but we know that it’s happening based on statistics.”

“Helpful Answers” allows the user to find answers about sexual assault, stalking and dating violence. “What Next?” serves as a step-by-step guide on finding medical attention, reporting to officials, moving forward, finding support and practicing self-care.

“So a lot of times, students specifically, they’re like ‘something happened, but I don’t know that it was sexual assault,’ so they can go through here and look and see what happened to them,” Love said.

No matter what feature the user is using, they can hide the app from the individual or party they are with by tapping the eye icon in the bottom right corner. The screen will switch from the uSafeUS app to The Weather Channel.

Registered students can also receive notifications from the university’s Title IX office through the app.

Love used a grant from Futures Without Violence through the Office of Women’s Health to fund the purchase of the app subscription for the student body.

Students are able to use uSafeUS for the next three years free of charge.

“What I hear from students, especially freshmen, is that, ‘I don’t want to have that conversation,’ so this kind of gets you out of having a conversation,” Love said. “And a lot of times, especially when we’re talking about sexual assault or lack of consent, they fight, flight or freeze. They freeze, they don’t have the

conversation. So, if we can give you something that can kind of stop you from freezing, and kind of prevent that from happening, then we should do that.”

Roughly 90 students are using the app, according to Love, after it was discussed in the freshman and transfer orientation sessions. Love is planning promotional tactics to reach more of the student body.

“I think it sounds useful, and I’ll definitely look into downloading it,” Johnson said after a briefing on the app. “I think especially for campus safety and just have the resources, it’s a good thing for freshmen but also upperclassmen.”

Love hopes more students will download uSafeUS throughout the semester.

“It would never be mandatory, but ideally, we would like everyone to have the information...so when they need the information they can go there,” Love said. “I think it’s just a good way for students who will not come to the office who aren’t ready for that step to just get the information. And also, of course, the prevention side of things that prevents certain uncomfortable situations.”

While Love believes the prevention measures and interactive features are useful, she wants to ensure students know all the information is now at their fingertips.

“I also think it’s important for students to understand the definition of sexual assault and the definition of consent, so if something should happen to someone, a friend, they can direct them to

Screenshot of uSafe iPhone Application | uSafe

An example of one of the options uSafeUS provides for students who need to leave a potentially dangerous situation. “Angel Drink” allows someone to discreetly communicate with a bartender. the right place to go or to the app if they’re not willing to come to the office,” Love said.

“Information is important...I think they need to know about Title IX, they need to know about my office, they need to know about the resources that we provide for them.”

“If my daughter were in college, I would want her to have it on her phone,” Love added.

In addition to uSafeUS, students are able to utilize the PointParkPD Tips app

which was implemented in May of 2017.

Developed by tip411, the PointParkPD Tips app allows students to submit anonymous tips about crimes, drug use, bullying, hazing or other suspicious activity, according to a university press release. Point Park Police instantly receive the tips via text and email.

Dara Collins

dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

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USG attempts to change name of organization Senators question decorum in legislative body debate USG

By Sarah Gibson USG Beat Writer

At their second meeting of the year on Sept. 9, the United Student Government (USG) introduced a resolution for a student vote to change the name of “United Student Government” to “Government of Point Park University,” which would shorten to “GoPPU.”

“We thought why not change the name and the process and give us a fresh start and re-energize this organization,” President Jake Berlin said of the resolution before it opened for comment. “The Government of Point Park University will eliminate the ‘student’ component, which cheapens us.”

Berlin also made a point to say that the group’s current name and acronym could be confusing to those

who were just coming in contact with it.

Senator Dennis McDermott said he had “several” concerns regarding this resolution, the first being the cost to the organization.

President Berlin clarified that if the students vote for GoPPU, only merchandise and other items being bought in the future would have the name changed, and nothing would be replaced until it had to be.

Berlin made the example of the engraved door bearing USG’s current name, which would be kept until a point in time when it needed to be replaced.

McDermott said that rebranding USG would not change how the student body saw the body, and that changing the actions of USG would be the only way to get rid of the stigma surrounding the organization.

When it came time for comment, USG Communications Director Kari Dettorre and President of the Black Student Union (BSU)

Brandon Rodgers both took time to mention that they thought the opportunity to have the student body decide whether or not to change the name of USG was a good idea. Dettorre mentioned that rebranding was a good idea from a communications standpoint, and Rodgers agreed that there was a negative connotation with USG. Rodgers noted that if the organization represented the student body, the students should have a say in the name if there was going to be a change.

During this discourse, Parliamentarian Jess Wrzosek expressed to Senator McDermott that not only is it incredibly common for businesses to change their name when they want a fresh start, but that every person who had taken the floor to speak had something positive to say except Senator McDermott.

She implied that McDermott had not said a single positive thing about the

new board. McDermott responded by saying that he believed in the organization but hadn’t gotten the chance to share his ideas about the upcoming year.

After a vote, the resolution failed to get a threefourths majority, and the motion failed, with two nays from Senators McDermott and Mya Jackson and one abstention from Senator Kasey Newman.

The meeting then passed several more resolutions, including one that allows electronics to be used during meetings so that USG can be completely paperless. All resolutions except for the one regarding USG’s possible name change referendum passed unanimously. Also, Kari Dettorre and Jess Wrzosek were officially sworn in as Communications Director and Parliamentarian, respectively.

Sarah Gibson sagibso@pointpark.edu

Sarah Jones Foundation emphasizes safety on film sets

Sarah Gibson | The Globe

Senator Dennis McDermott argues why USG should keep its traditional moniker after a proposal suggesting a rebranding effort.

Filmmaker fights for inclusion in films from FILM page 1 organization Down Syndrome New South Wales and documented their Up Up and Away program. Through this process, she met and interviewed several people with Down Syndrome and was inspired by one of the participants, Shakespeare enthusiast Gerard O’Dwyer, to make a film in which he was the lead actor.

In 2009, their efforts were rewarded. The film, “Be My Brother,” won Best Film at TropFest, one of Australia’s biggest film festivals.

Gerard O’Dwyer also won the award for Best Male Actor at the festival, and he now serves as an ambassador for Bus Stop Films.

“And to this day, ten years on...I have never seen a negative consequence to inclusion,” Clay-Smith said.

Clay-Smith said the ultimate goal of the talk at the CMI was to communicate with Pittsburghers that inclusion is feasible and should be prioritized.

“I hope that I help people to understand that inclusion is really simple and if we can be inclusive in the film industry, we can be inclusive in any industry,” Clay-Smith said.

“Employment and equal opportunity for employment for people with disability is a human right. People should be able to access jobs of choice.

Our workforces should be inclusive, and I hope that I’ve helped people [to] understand that inclusion isn’t

hard, it doesn’t slow people down, it doesn’t compromise on quality. It’s an attitude and an action that creates social change.”

Clay-Smith’s talk was coordinated primarily by ReelAbilities and Film Pittsburgh. One of the organizers and executive director of Film Pittsburgh, Kathryn Spitz Cohan, described how the CMI became the venue for the event.

“I am good friends with Laura Boyd and Cara Friez from the Cinema Arts Department,” Cohan said. “So I’ve known them and worked with them for years, and I reached out to them and said ‘you know I have this incredible filmmaker coming over from Australia and she doesn’t just want to come to the film festival and do a 20 minute Q&A. She would like to do a talk to filmmakers.’ And they suggested this, and I’ve walked by [the CMI] many times and think it’s amazing. So I immediately loved the idea of doing it here.”

Cohan is also familiar with Andrew Conte, the director of the CMI, who was very “amenable” to hosting Clay-Smith’s talk, according to Cohan.

“It’s great that we’re able to bring these kinds of events to campus,” Conte said. “I thought it was a really good opportunity.”

from SAFETY page 1 balcony and died, due to exhaustion. Safety is somehuge safety presentation thing that we have to recdone by Terry,” Kate Grif- ognize and accept in the fith, a sophomore cinema industry if we’re going to production major said. “It’s move forward...Sarah is a going over everything, the big example we talk about rules of the road of what in class, but there are doznot to do on set. There’s ens more.” new rules every year. We Senior cinema produchave to think about, lo- tion major, Kelly Tran, only cations, electrical work, learned about the Safety for weather...everything and Sarah grant this semester anything that can go wrong through a Facebook post, on a set. They want to make but according to Tran, sure that you’re safe every she’s known Sarah’s story time you’re on set.” since her freshman year of The Sarah Jones tragedy school. is just one example of safety Tran plans to apply errors that film students are for the grant this year in made aware of in class. order to fund safety mea“In the case of Sarah, sures on the set of her sesomeone decided to film nior thesis film, “Emily Has where they weren’t allowed a Body”. Tran is currently to and someone was tragi- in pre-production and is cally killed because of it,” in the process of raising Griffith said. “And even $8,000 for the film. on the Mister Rogers movThe film, which is ie set, someone fell off a about a thirteen year old

Jared Murphy | The Globe

Amanda Andrews

aaandre@pointpark.edu

Cinema Safety Coordinator Terry Shirk poses in front of a Safety for Sarah light that shines on a wall in the soundstage of the Playhouse.

girl named Emily, features scenes in a car and where the main character’s hair catches on fire.

“Obviously there are some things to be cautious about especially with the fire, and we aren’t going to really set her hair on fire,’” Tran said. “We are going to try and make it as realistic as possible while making our talent safe and protected. We have a scene in a car, but Point Park doesn’t let us shoot in a car, so we will use a green screen. We want our actors to be in the best space they can be in, so my top priority is making everyone feel safe and happy.”

In order to keep her actors safe, she will have to hire effects artists, Tran said. The grant would be put towards paying them.

“We would hire an effects artists for the fire and for the green screen,” Tran said. “And we would use the money for a space to bring the vehicle in and execute the scene properly.”

For senior thesis students like Tran looking to apply for the grant, details on how to do so are listed on page 35 of the student filmmaker’s handbook, curated by Shirk. According to Shirk, he plans to review applications in October and meet with a faculty committee to narrow down the top three candidates and work with the Sarah Jones Film Foundation to award a winner in December.

For underclassmen, the grant will be available to them for their senior projects. However, safety on set is always a topic that students must be mindful of, which is due in part to the work of Shirk and the rest of the department.

“The goal in any type of film is that everyone should be able to go home at the end of the day and be okay,” Griffith said.

Jordyn Hronec

jthrone@pointpark.edu

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

FEATURES

The best to-do’s in Pittsburgh

By Tia Bailey Co-Features/A&E Editor

Living in a city is exciting.

Each city has its own quirks special traditions, festivals, hot spots and more. Pittsburgh, of course, is no different.

Downtown Pittsburgh, where Point Park is located, has a lot for people to do. Market Square is a perfect example - it always has concerts, farmer’s markets, night markets and even giant games such as corn hole and connect four.

It is also lined with many different restaurants, including Wolfie’s Pub, where Point Park students get a 15% discount with student ID. There’s also favorites like Millie’s, Milkshake Factory, Genoa’s and Pizza Fiesta, all within walking distance.

When it’s warm out, PPG Place Plaza has a water feature with fountains coming from the ground. Once winter is here, it turns into an ice skating rink around a giant Christmas tree. After Jan. 2, this upcoming year, Wednesdays are Student Nights, with discounted admission when you present your student ID. If you love downtown but miss nature, head to Point State Park, sit by the fountain and look out to the North Shore. For some fun with friends, bring a blanket and some food and have a picnic in the grass.

North Shore is great for entertainment. PNC Park and Heinz Field are both located here, so you can go to a baseball or football game, respectively. If museums are more your thing, then the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Science Center are also on the North Shore. Students get free admission with student IDs. If you’re looking for fun places to shop, you can go to the Strip District. The Strip has a bunch of little shops lining the streets including fresh local produce. Some shops are Yinzer-themed for those interested in Pittsburgh culture and

PIONEER PUBLIC Jayy Braxx

By Hannah Walden Co-Features/A&E Editor

At only seven years old, Jayvon Braxton became interested in the world of music after his uncle taught him to play “Lean on Me” on the piano. Since then his passion for music has grown and matured with him.

Since then, Braxton, 23, has learned how to play the clarinet and a variety of percussion instruments including drums, bongos and maracas to name a few.

Braxton spent the first two years of his college career at

sayings.

For more food, shopping and entertainment, take a visit to the South Side. It’s home to many bars and pubs to eat at, as well as some chain favorites like Domino’s and Dairy Queen. South Side also has clothing stores like Urban Outfitters, American Eagle Headquarters and thrift stores. If you want to watch movies, the South Side Works Cinema is the way to go.

The Waterfront is another hot spot for shopping and fun. Here you’ll find stores like Target, Marshall’s, Michael’s and more, as well as a Dave and Buster’s and a huge AMC theater. Shuttles run to the Waterfront every Friday, so there’s no excuse not to go.

Before the weather gets too cold, everyone should stop

by Kennywood for Phantom Fright Nights. Kennywood is always a fun option when you’re bored on the weekends,

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CAB HOSTS FIRST COFFEEHOUSE

and there’s even more to do during their Fright Nights. Go ride some roller coasters, eat some Potato Patch fries and try not to get scared by the actors dressed up as zombies.

Oakland is home to the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, which is free with student ID, as well as Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. All of the above are Instagrammable places, so grab some friends and add all the art to your feed.

Oakland is also where Schenley Park is located, perfect for spending time in nature, and is another great picnic spot.

Take advantage of what the city and university has to offer, and go out and explore Pittsburgh. There’s so much to do, and you’ll make lots of memories along the way.

Tia Bailey tbaile@pointpark.edu

Katie Williams| The Globe Northern Whale performs at Village Park on Sept. 6

BLACK STUDENT UNION HOLDS MIXER WITH FREE FOOD AND GAMES

Katie Williams | The Globe BSU members Divine Kennedy and Michael Moran hand out drinks at mixer event in the Lawrence Hall fourth floor lounge on Sept. 3

Thiel College to play football before transferring to Point Park in spring 2017, where he learned how to play the guitar, and has since started learning the bass guitar.

“My uncle never really played music around me as much as he listened to it around me,” Braxton said in a phone interview.

Braxton’s music ability doesn’t stop there, as he has been making a name for himself in the music industry as a rapper. Since 2013 Braxton, whose stage name is Jayy Braxx, has created and run a record label and signed a few local artists while producing his own music.

“At Genius Society, I believe that everyone is a genius in their own way,” Braxton said.

Braxton hopes to use Genius Society for more non-profit work, believing that it shouldn’t be just him, but all people who run their own companies to aid their communities.

“I really want to help people and underprivileged communities to get resources and opportunities,” Braxton said. “I want to reach a point where we can provide guidance from the brand and members that represent it [...] I believe that this is more than just me.”

Since starting Genius Society and his rap career, Braxton has had his fair share of experiences and opportunities. From flying to Portland, Ore. to make and record music, to opening concerts with artists such as Kevin Gates, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Treble, NVSV, Lyn Starr, DJ Femi and Warren G; who has worked with artists such as Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre and even Tupac. He has also performed at two VH1 music festivals and NAACP music festival and had magazine features in Soul Pitt and Round Table Empire.

Braxton has also met Pittsburgh rappers Wiz

Jayy Braxx | Submitted

Khalifa and Mac Miller, and even exchanged numbers with Miller at the Spirit Lounge in Lawrenceville.

Check out the full profile at ppuglobe.com

Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu

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

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A&E

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

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Pennywise terrorizes audiences and Derry citizens in ‘It Chapter Two’

By Jared Murphy News Photo Editor

Twenty-seven years ago, the Losers Club made an oath that they would return to Derry if Pennywise ever surfaced again. Now as grown adults, Mike Hanlon convinces the rest of the Losers Club to come back and kill Pennywise once and for all.

“IT Chapter 2” cranks the scares and gore up to 10 from Chapter 1. Right away in the opening scene, the sheer grotesqueness of the film is shown.

Adrian Mellon and his boyfriend Don Hagarty get beat up, and Mellon gets thrown off a bridge in a bloody mess simply because of their sexuality. Within a few minutes Pennywise claims Mellon as his first victim in a gruesome manner by eating him.

This movie leaves no loose ends or questions left unanswered from the previous installment. Hanlon explains the whole backstory of Pennywise and his origin. We also get plenty of detail about each character’s current situation and story. This movie

does an excellent job of giving the background information needed and details to fully understand the storyline running between the two films.

What really makes this movie for me are all the scares.

There are plenty of jump scares to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, but the real scares come from the forms and shapes Pennywise takes on.

At the ending of the movie, Pennywise takes on a larger-than-life spider form, ready to eat and kill the Loser Club. Before that scene, the dancing clown takes on the forms of the Losers biggest childhood fears, shape shifting into dead Georgie, Beverly’s father and plenty of other decaying, zombie-like bodies.

At one point, Stanley’s decapitated head grows spider arms and tries to eat Richie.

The horrors of this movie play off the characters’ childhood traumas that clearly still have an impact on each of them twenty-seven years later.

The movie balances elements of horror and comedy very well. Sprinkling humorous lines here and there al-

most made me calm down and be less tense, but then it would be right back to being scared. This played well throughout the movie by continuously changing the pace.

Most of the movie I wasn’t sure if I should be letting my guard down or bracing myself for another scare.

Even though this movie is a lengthy two hours and fifty minutes, it doesn’t feel dragged out. We are given a plethora of information in Chapter 2 that we didn’t get in first chapter. Each scene and line is crucial to the storyline and paying close attention pays off for the viewer by fully understanding the story.

“IT Chapter 2” does a great job of tying together loose ends and giving audiences the background information necessary to the story.

A satisfying watch for anyone who’s seen the first installment, “IT Chapter 2” is a truly terrifying movie that comes together full circle and leaves viewers with all their questions answered.

Jared Murphy jgmurph@pointpark.edu

Lana Del Rey makes fans emotional with first new album in two years

By Mya Burns Copy Editor

On Aug. 30, 2019, Lana Del Rey released her newest album named “Norman F****** Rockwell!” Although it had been only two years since her last album, for fans it felt like decades.

Norman Rockwell was an American painter and illustrator whose art depicted the everyday lives of Americans. According to an interview from Vanity Fair, Lana Del Rey said that for her and the producer of the album, Jack Antonoff, the title of the album is poking fun at the current “American Dream” and also at news headlines that we are being inundated with relating to various interpretations of American values.

The title track starts out calling the subject of the song a “man child,” which sets the tone for the rest of the song.

Many of Del Rey’s songs usually discuss men that she loves but are emotionally unavailable to her in some way. They don’t typically criticize the subject except to say that they hurt her. However, this song is almost exclusively about the shortcomings of the subject.

With lines like “your poetry’s bad and you blame the news,” and “you act like a kid even though you stand 6’2.” Lana is pointing out something that I think everyone will experience at some point: someone that loves to hear themselves talk.

Next up on the album we have “Mariners Apartment Complex.” This song is very similar to the sentiment of the first song, but sounds a little bit more exasperated. The first two lines of the song, “You took my sadness out of context, at the Mariners Apartment Complex,” really hit for me. In recent years, I and a lot of my friends have experienced relationships with the men mentioned in the first song where they would romanticize our sadness or use it to explain why the relationship was toxic. The next line, “I ain’t no candle in the wind,” shows that now Lana doesn’t want her role in a relationship to be the person that guides or saves her partner. She can be there for you as a lover, but not as a mother.

“Venice B****” is the next song on the album. This song is one that I think most directly references the theme of Norman Rockwell and paints a scene of an ideal American life.

Although the American dream has definitely morphed over the years, I think that there is still an ideal of how our generation would love to live as an adult. Our generation wants to be in a relationship filled with passion, lust and just a little bit of hardship to have something to complain about. A relationship filled with art, and anything but a 9 to 5 job.

To me, “Love song” is the most stereotypically La-

na-sounding song on the entire album. The piano and strings in this song add minimal instrumentals to accompany Lana’s lyrics about this love that seems to be genuinely good to her. It also sounds very similar to a lot of songs from her album “Born to Die,” referencing fast cars, reckless living, passionate love and being a star. The line “be my once in a lifetime” made my heart flip because that sentiment is definitely how you feel at the beginning of an exciting relationship. Every new relationship feels like the only thing in the world that matters at that time in your life.

“Cinnamon Girl” is very similar to “Love song” sonically, but the lyrics are very different. This love sounds like the second half of a new relationship that isn’t working, where you realize that things aren’t as picture perfect as you anticipated. Communication closes up, things become more distant, and there’s things that are left unsaid because you don’t know if it will be the thing that causes everything to fall apart.

Themes of this song that seem very Lana are the mention of “the pills that you take, violet, blue, green and red, to keep me at arms length.” Many of the men that Lana sings about are unavailable to her or pushing her away in some way, but that seems to just draw her in.

The line in this song that really stuck with me was “If you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.”

Overall, I’m glad that Lana has returned with this album.

It shows a lot of growth in her personality as a songwriter.

She’s shown a more stable side of herself, one that’s able to stand up to men that aren’t good to her and one that recognizes that she isn’t happy but is able to continue to fight for herself and her career.

Check out the full review at ppuglobe.com

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Mya Burns mnburns@pointpark.edu

Alysse Baer | The Globe

Weinstein’s abuse of power and a culture of silence

By Hannah Walden Co-Features/A&E Editor

Money and power are two things that make the entertainment world go round, but so are power and abuse.

Through a culture of silence, Harvey Weinstein was able to sexually harass and abuse more than 80 women for over three decades.

On Sept. 2, Hulu released “Untouchable,” depicting the rise and fall of Weinstein, his acquisition of power and his determination to protect that power, scandal after scandal.

This documentary blends the experiences of Weinstein’s employees and his victims perfectly with powerful testimony and evidence to back up their experiences. As the documentary continues, the accounts of Weinstein’s actions somehow manage to become more and more monstrous, as if the longer he got away with his actions the more emboldened he felt.

Actresses like Erika Rosenbaum and Hope D’Amore shared similar dreams, to make it in the competitive world of movies and entertainment and become a famous actress.

Weinstein took advantage of their fear of messing with the wrong person and ruining their chances of achieving their dreams.

“If he gets what he wanted, no matter what it is, it doesn’t matter what it takes to get there,” D’Amore said in the documentary. “It doesn’t matter. [He believes] that if [he] got what [he] wanted, it was consensual. I think he believes that.”

The most upsetting part of this documentary was that many of his assistants and employees knew there was something going on. It was through silence of powerful

people that the story became “that actress slept with him to get a part,” and not that these women were abused and assaulted.

It is also very apparent that Weinstein had developed a pattern of abuse.

It would usually start in a friendly public space like a party or special event. Then he would convince them to go back to his hotel room for a drink and to further discuss their interest in becoming famous actresses.

This would quickly turn into asking for massages and trying to normalize holding meetings with these women without wearing pants, and it only gets worse from there.

All of the women and employees that were interviewed felt the same way about Weinstein, that he was a bully who believed he was invincible behind his wall of power, that at first meeting he was an interesting man who seemed very passionate about movies and the entertainment industry, but when the friendly group setting faded to uncomfortable one-on-ones he was a different man.

After Weinstein’s first scandal was paid off in a matter of days after the suit was filed, the assistant to Weinstein’s brother, Bob, quit because of the lack of outrage and the amount of complacent people.

“So many people were complacent and didn’t do anything because of money and power,” Kathy Declesis said in the documentary. “It’s easier to stay silent and keep everything the way it is, don’t rock the boat, because everyone is getting a piece of it.”

Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu

OPINIONS

GL BE’S POINT

THE

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Have an open mind online Several weeks ago, Twitter user “Jim Varona” tweeted: “Walking by yourself at night is an underrated therapy session.”

The tweet went viral, but not in a necessarily good way.

The replies to the tweet were filled with female users voicing their disagreement and disbelief at the misunderstanding that men seem to have regarding the female experience, especially when it comes to seemingly mundane activities, such as walking alone at night.

We, of course, do not want to paint an ignorant portrait of men here at The Globe. But as an editorial staff that has an overwhelmingly female majority, we would like to take this moment to educate.

Walking alone anywhere at night is a concern for many women. And the fears from women responding to the tweet are not unjustified. For women everywhere, the world is still a dangerous place.

According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), one-in-six

women are the victims of attempted or completed rape.

Nine out of every 10 rape victims are female, and the majority of rape victims, of any gender, are between the ages of 12 and 34.

These statistics are current. Yet, according to RAINN, the rate of sexual assault and rape has decreased 63% since 1993. But the problem still exists, and women are faced with the threat of violence every day.

It is permissible for individuals to express their own experiences online. It always will and should be acceptable to do so. But we implore you that should your personal experience differ from that of another, that you hear out what they have to say. Take the time to learn about the experiences of others and to become a part of the movement to make the lives of others better. Because that is how we are going to overcome the issues that plague us.

Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu

‘Macheads’ celebrate at Blue Slide Park

By Justine Quach Copy Editor

This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of local rapper Mac Miller’s untimely death. His loyal fans, his “Macheads,” traveled from all over the world to come and celebrate his life.

Friday evening was the Mac Miller Memorial Celebration held at the newly named Mac Miller’s Blue Slide Park.

Hundreds of Macheads gathered together to listen to his music, sing, jump around and dance. They also shared memories and stories about how much his music had impacted their lives. And of course, everyone took turns sliding down the famous blue slide.

The best thing about Macheads is they never make you feel alone. You could have shown up by yourself, knowing no one, and you would have still felt accepted and part of the group. They are a very loving, respectful community.

Everyone followed the rules as well of no smoking, drinking, or littering at the park.

There was sensational artwork displayed of Malcom, candles were lit, blue roses spread about, news stations were around and there also were many beautiful

Summer jobs versus internships

By Shannon Hartnett Co-Opinions Editor

This summer I had a great job at Sandcastle Waterpark.

Summer has come and gone, and I am already thinking about next summer. Do I want to come back to this job, or should I shoot for getting an internship in 2020? I am honestly torn between the two options. I started making a pros and cons list in my head, but that eventually turned into nightmare scenarios.

When I start thinking about next summer, I feel anxious about it. All of these different dilemmas are popping up in my head. I really enjoy my job, and I am not complaining about the money either. I feel that as a nineteen year old college student, a source of income is important.

What if I get an internship that doesn’t pay? What if I stay at my job and never get any professional experience under my belt? What if I quit my job and then can’t find an internship at all? Or, what if I find one and my daily tasks only consist of making coffee and shredding paper? I would really be regretting quitting a perfectly good job for an outcome like that.

Images of these problems ran rampant around my brain, over and over. My head felt like a hamster wheel that was spinning so hard it was going to fall off the track and sky rocket out of my body. I did, however, finally start to calm

down and look at this problem rationally. I want to start by explaining where I’m at now so the whole situation can be taken into account.

I have worked at Sandcastle for four years now. I got promoted a couple of times, and now I have quite a few responsibilities to deal with at work. There are a lot of people who would want my position, and I don’t want to take what I have for granted.

Most people would say that internships are the way to go, because even if ultimately the internship doesn’t meet the standards I hoped for, at least I get the professional experience and get to add it to my resume.

Still, I am not content with this answer. I feel like my job is just as good a resume booster as an internship could be, and I am getting the experience needed in management and communicating.

Although I haven’t started the process by any means in looking for an internship, I have heard great things about Point Park’s resources. Maybe I could get an internship, it would be great and everything would work out, but on the other hand, what if it doesn’t?

The more I thought about this and the more I wrestled with myself, I came to a couple conclusions. Unfortunately, deciding what to do next summer was not one of the solutions I stumbled upon.

However, I decided that first and foremost, I need to

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

focus on what I am doing right now. That would be starting my second year at Point Park and the great opportunity I have of being the co-editor for the opinions section of The Globe.

My next conclusion is that I don’t need to have a definite answer for what I want to do nine months from now. Recently, the more I find myself planning and the more I find myself stressing about problems not in my control at the moment, the less excited I feel about the future.

If I am constantly worrying about my next move and only focusing on that next opportunity, I might miss out on some awesome opportunities right in front of me. I want to be excited for the future and what it holds for me.

If my anxiety overtakes my thoughts about success, then I will only start to run from it, and that is something I have decided I can’t let happen.

Taking things day by day and slowing down were some strategies that worked for me.

Another big one, that helped ease me the most, was talking about it. I talked to my parents, a couple close friends, and even had a conversation about it with my boss.

At the end of all the talking, I don’t have an answer, but I do have more confidence in the choices I will make in the future.

Shannon Hartnett snhartn@pointpark.edu

dogs. Most of the crowd was wearing Mac Miller clothing, sporting Mac Miller tattoos, and rocking Vans or Nikes on their feet.

“The best thing about Macheads is they never make you feel alone.”

Justine Quach Copy Editor

Mac’s father, Mark McCormick, was in attendance, and halfway through gave a very heartwarming, funny speech on behalf of him and his wife, Karen. He thanked everyone for attending, and for always loving and supporting his son over the years.

Mark also thanked everyone who signed the petition to rename the park after Malcom.

He then started to speak about his son, which brought many tears among the crowd, saying “He was fearless. He was competitive. He was ambitious, and he cared about everybody...and he remained loyal to his friends that helped him on his way. He was always loving and kind to others...and most importantly he was a [expletive] hard worker.”

Mr. McCormick named off a lot of the artists Malcom had worked with, who he had loved and admired, who had become a part of the McCormick family. He had some choice words about rapper French Montana, who had made some not so great comments about Mac after his passing. Mark also made sure to bring up how Mac’s dealer was finally arrested, and how they now have a sense of comfort. He said that drugs are worse now; he said that so much is now laced with fen-

tanyl and said, “Just don’t take the risk. It’s just not worth it”.

After his speech, there was more singing, dancing and story-telling, as well as children and Macheads taking turns down the slide. At the end of the celebration, everyone gathered around the slide for a massive group photo.

The very last part of the event was beautiful. It ended with a vigil where everyone held up lighters and calmed down while we all stood, swaying and singing to 2009. The feeling during that song cannot be put into words.

The environment throughout had given me chills (the good kind), made me feel welcome and that I was just among a huge group of friends. It’s hard to capture the true feelings I had that night, and many others had felt the same way.

Pictures won’t do it justice either. Saturday night, one of Malcom’s longest friends and DJ, Clockwork DJ, held a party in Penn Hills, where he spent over four hours just playing Mac Miller songs while everyone went wild with singing and dancing. He also did a livestream on Instagram the whole time, so those Macheads who could not attend could still witness it in some way and lessen their FOMO. The fact that one person has impacted the lives of so many people so intensely that, even after his death, he is still so loved and admired is phenomenal. Having so many strangers come from all over the world to support and celebrate a person is such a beautiful thing to witness. Also, that people including, his fans, can look beyond his addiction and his issues, and see him for the beautifully talented, funny and caring person he was, is so important and admirable.

Mac Miller will forever be remembered, and us Macheads will continue to keep his legacy alive and strong.

Justine Quach jlquach@pointpark.edu

Justine Quach | The Globe Macheads brought paintings and flowers to Blue Slide Park for the second celebration of Mac Miller’s life on Sept. 6.

Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Dara Collins Editor-Elect: Jordyn Hronec Business Manager: Cortnie Phillips Faculty Adviser: Aimee-Marie Dorsten Administrative Adviser: Dean Keith Paylo The Globe board consists of Dara Collins, Jordyn Hronec and fellow editors. Opinion articles, letters to the editor, columns and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the position of the newspaper or editorial board. The Globe reserves the right to refuse advertising and edit all submitted articles and letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed and include author’s contact information. The Globe offices are located at the corner of Wood Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard. Writers should address letters to:

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News Editors: Amanda Andrews, Hayley Keys Photo Editor: Jared Murphy Features/A&E Editors: Hannah Walden, Tia Bailey Photo Editor: Julia Cavataio Sports Editors: Allison Schubert, Austin Alkire Photo Editor: Hannah Johnston

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Opinions Editors: Sarah Gibson, Shannon Copy Editors: Mya Burns, Justine Quach, Amara Phillips Hartnett Online Editor: Nicole Pampena Copy Desk: Sara Cronin, Nathan Vrablic Social Media Coordinator: Hannah Johnston

Delivery Assistant: Mya Burns, Veronica Marinelli

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All In with Allison

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

7

MENOSKY, SMALL NAMED PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist

AB: Astronomically Bad Antonio Brown.

As a yinzer myself, at a school that is in the heart of Yinzerville, I once adored him.

You cannot argue that the man is an insane running back. He has a workout routine more intense than most in the league (except James Harrison - no one can compete with him) and trains year-round.

If you own a screen - literally, any screen at all - you know about the recent buzz surrounding Brown.

Our once beloved Pittsburgh star has changed quite a bit, and definitely for the worst.

As we all know, Brown asked to be released from the Steelers after conflicts with Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin and essentially every other Steeler that exists.

Of course in this situation, Brown was being attacked and did absolutely nothing wrong at all, right?

Well, it turns out when he was granted his wish of freedom and moved across the country, the Oakland Raiders also “attacked” him.

After a hilarious video of Brown’s son asking where Roethlisberger was, Brown just decided that he was no longer going to attend training camp and other mandatory team activities because he didn’t need to… and then got mad when they fined him for violating his contract.

The Raiders forced Brown to issue a public apology to the team in order for him to play on opening week, and after he did so all was forgiven and it was like none of the turmoil even happened.

That was far from the end of things though, and the latest chapter of the Brown saga is by far my favorite.

Brown has most recently moved back across the country, but this time a little further north than the Steel City.

That’s right everyone, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are the latest to claim the troubled Brown as their own, a move that a lot speculated was Brown’s ultimate goal.

The Patriots and Steelers battled things out in Week 1, but Brown was not in the roster yet, so he avoided seeing his former teammates and that “awful, abusive” Tomlin for now. Brown is projected to be added to the roster and active in Week 2.

For now, things have calmed down a bit. At the time of publication, Brown has been quiet and seems to be appeased - at least for the time being.

He is the type of player that will allow his ego and desire to make more drive his future in the league. It honestly would not surprise me if he retired early because no one offers him the astronomical amount he desires in a few years.

He is undoubtedly the pettiest player in the league, and one of the most petty in all of the sports world.

I am not looking forward to seeing how his career progresses, and I certainly am sick of seeing his face all over social media. I am ready for this drama to come to an end and permanently.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

Cross country races in first meet of year

By Ben Reinke For The Globe

Last Saturday, the men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to compete in the Bethany Invitational in West Virginia. Both teams put up a top-ten performance, placing 8th and 4th, respectively.

On the men’s side, senior captain Xavier Stephens finished the 8,000-km race with a time of 27 minutes and 27 seconds, placing 14th overall.

Following Stephens was sophomore Brody Carlin in 30th, senior Bryan Gutierrez in 38th, senior Carlos Polanco in 40th, sophomore Doug Kostelansky in 51st, freshman Treven Carter in 67th and junior Dylan Allen in 70th.

“It was a bit of a tougher course,” Stephens said.

“Personally, I think I could’ve done better.”

Leading the herd for the women’s team was sophomore Alyssa Campbell, finishing 3rd overall.

Finishing behind Campbell was junior Alyssa Boyd in 11th, junior Reba Bartram in 16th, sophomore Alyssa Frausto in 31st, junior Alex Barr in 46th, freshman Natalia Zucco in 50th, and rounding out things on the women’s side was freshman Camilla Cortez in 77th.

“Overall, we are happy with how we did,” Campbell said.

Each of the women were able to finish in or under 27 minutes and 40 seconds, taking fourth place out of the 18 teams participating.

“We wanted to beat Waynesburg, who placed second overall,” Campbell said.

“So that’s going to motivate us to do better in the future since we were so close to them.”

Head coach Jim Spisak is proud of how both teams performed, especially because the women’s team raced six kilometers, as opposed to the usual five.

“From where they are in training, they performed well,” Spisak said. “For some of the younger runners, it was their first time racing this distance, and it’s the first time back for some of our older runners.”

“This should be our worst performance of the year,” Spisak said, explaining that the team should improve at every meet as the season progresses.

In less than two weeks, both teams will travel to the Lock Haven Invitational on Sept. 21.

Ben Reinke btreink@pointpark.edu

Michigan-Dearborn Athletics | Submitted LEFT: Freshman Taylor Small was named RSC Attacker of the week for the week of Aug. 26-Sept. 1. In the picture, Small goes up for a kill at the Michigan-Dearborn Early Bird Classic earlier this season, resulting in a 3-1 record.

Megan Bixler | Archives RIGHT: Senior Julia Menosky was named RSC Setter of the week for the week of Aug. 26-Sept. 1. In the photo, Menosky sets up a kill in a game from two seasons ago.

Men tally seven against PSU-GA

By Rachael McKriger Staff Writer

Wessel Rietveld missed last season due to injury.

However, last Wednesday, Rietveld made his first start since his injury. The senior made the most of it, netting two goals in a 7-0 victory against Penn State Greater Allegheny. Rietveld’s goals came within one minute of each other, helping the Pioneers cruise right past their opponent.

Rietveld said that the rehab process was long, but being on the pitch with his teammates made it worthwhile. The Dutch native said that scoring goals is one of the best feelings in the world.

“It felt good that after a year where I always had to watch the games from the stands, I could finally be the person that it was all about again,” Rietveld said.

Four other members of the Point Park men’s soccer team were able to score a goal. Lloyd van Wees joined Rietveld in finding the back of the net twice, including the first goal of the match.

The junior’s second goal came off a penalty kick.

Meanwhile, Daan Stormink, Emmanuel Ndayisenga and Khalid Binnahidh found the back of the net as well.

Rietveld said that keep-

ing possession helped the Pioneers. In addition to their seven goals, the Pioneers forced Penn State goalkeepers Hunter Huber and Colin Bucso to make 10 saves.

“We didn’t rush anything, stayed calm and did our work as soon as we came close to the goal, which is scoring goals,” Rietveld said.

“We put them under pressure and played some great combinations resulting in four goals within 30 minutes. After this you could see that the other team sort of already gave up.”

Meanwhile, substitute Conner Kelly said that the Pioneers expect to win every game.

“We just have to stick to our game plan and keep our heads down to ensure the win week in and week out,” Kelly said. “We want to win and play the way we know how to play. As long as we play our game and stick to what we do best, we’re confident of a good result.”

Kelly, a sophomore from Beaver, Pa., said that the team is gaining confidence with each match.

“We play each game with the same intensity and always have the same goal in mind,” Kelly said. “We know conference games are important, but we’re eager

to show our worth and make a name this year.”

The result also gives Point Park more confidence before heading into their first home match of the season. The Pioneers started the season with three-straight road matches.

Rietveld said he’s excited to be home after a grueling travel schedule.

“It can be difficult since you’re not used to the field and all the traveling costs a lot of energy,” he explained.

“On the other hand, it is a lot of fun to see new places and it was great for our team bonding.”

Meanwhile, freshman Allan Deyarmin said the team owes it to the school to come out and have a strong performance.

“We owe it to them to perform and come out of the game with a win,” Deyarmin said. “Our home fans haven’t seen what we are capable of. I am positive they will be impressed.”

Point Park has a busy week. After Tuesday’s home game against Penn State Beaver, the Pioneers will hit the road once again on Thursday for a contest against Washington Adventist University in Maryland.

Rachael McKriger rakrige@pointpark.edu

Megan Bixler | Archives Senior Wessel Rietveld chases the ball in a game against WVU Tech last season at Highmark Stadium. Rietveld, who was out most of the season last year due to an injury, scored two goals in his first game back with the team.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

SPORTS

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Women’s soccer surrenders 2-0 lead at Highmark Stadium

By Austin Alkire Co-Sports Editor

As the second week of the season concluded, the women’s soccer team found itself still looking for its first win of the season, losing to both Lawrence Tech and Siena Heights.

The Pioneers’ week consisted of a Michigan road trip as well as their first home game of the season. The current fourgame losing streak (at the time of publication) finds Point Park ranked No. 9 in the River States Conference (RSC.) Sept. 1’s game against Lawrence Tech saw the Pioneers go down by a goal in the second minute of the game, thanks to a goal by Blue Devils’ forward Katelyn Mather. Point Park went into halftime down 2-0 after defender Laura Silverman capitalized on a 35-yard shot.

The Blue Devils’ first goal immediately changed the way the Pioneers had to look at their game, according to senior midfielder and captain Gabby Widman.

“We knew that we had to step our game up,” Widman said. “Being scored on first and early on in the game is a hard thing to deal with. We knew what needed to be done and we had to push even harder to try and score a goal.”

Mather continued her night over the Pioneers in the second half, assisting on the Blue Devils’ third goal of the game, provided by Dionna Hill in the 47th minute.

Mather rubbed salt in the wound by scoring her second of the game 15 minutes later to give Lawrence Tech a 4-0 lead, which they held onto

for the rest of the game.

Set plays defined Lawrence Tech’s control of the game, which helped identify an issue with the Pioneers for head coach Bethanie Moreschi.

“We didn’t have a lot of opportunities in that game, but they had a lot of opportunities against us, so we were able to take a chance to defend those,” Moreschi said. “I think one thing we are realizing is that for corner kicks, there are some things we can work on as far as marking up, we’ve been a little lazy about marking up, so that is definitely something we can do a whole lot better.”

Point Park was not able to gain control of the center of the field, allowing Lawrence Tech to control the play. This is the opposite of what Moreschi is looking for from her team.

“I think [we need to work on] possessing the ball and being able to switch through our center midfielders and center defenders to the other side of the field,” Moreschi said. “We were playing on one side only, and instead of utilizing our center midfielders who are supposed to direct our play - those girls in the center are supposed to be getting the ball and directing the play and deciding where we’re going from there.”

The Lawrence Tech game proceeded an ongoing issue for the Pioneers - the lack of goal scoring. Point Park was not doing what they practiced, according to Moreschi.

“Overall with Lawrence Tech, it wasn’t a great game for us,” Moreschi said. “We came from our Lourdes game on Friday where we did have a great game. We were playing

and moving the ball and doing all the things you’re supposed to do except scoring; that’s our biggest issue and honestly we just need that goal.”

The path to breaking through the goal scoring wall is through the details in the Pioneers’ game.

“Definitely a lot of small-sided stuff with big goals, where we are just working on that whole idea,” Moreschi said.

Fast forward from that Sept. 1 afternoon to Saturday, and the women’s soccer team was finally playing at home in Highmark Stadium under a cloudy sky.

That cloudy sky did not impact the Pioneers’ play for that first half, however.

In the 40th minute, sophomore forward Taylor Goldstrohm scored the first goal on the Pioneers’ season, creating a scene of high-fives and cheering from Point Park’s bench.

Just three minutes later, sophomore defender Emily Gillot continued the momentum for Point Park, advancing the ball up the field to create a corner kick for the home team.

Senior captain Chloe Bowser took the corner and fellow senior Gabby Widman seized the opportunity, scoring to make the Pioneers’ lead 2-0.

“We knew as a team that we just needed to keep scoring and that a one goal lead is hard to keep for any team,” Widman said. “The game was ours to lose so we had to push to try and score another goal and one way to do that was by getting opportunities at the goal.”

The host Pioneers came out in a 4-3-3 formation for

Submitted | Point Park Athletics Senior captain Chloe Bowser goes up against a midfielder from Siena Heights in the home opening match on Saturday.

the opening moments of the second half. Moreschi uses her teams comfortability with changing formations to her advantage.

“I play a lot of different formations,” Moreschi said.

“I am a big fan of being able to start from a solid formation and move one player to make the formation different.”

The sun came out to begin the second half, just as Siena Heights did. Two minutes into the second half, goalkeeper Ashtyn Webb shut down a Siena Heights breakaway, blocking the ball and diving out to cover it.

However, the away team broke through three minutes later as Isabel Remar scored to tie the game at two-a-piece.

In the 64th minute, Erin Tyson scored on a far right shot to give Siena Heights the lead.

Six minutes later, Me’Kenzi Guice redirected a rolling ball in the box out of play to shut down one of Siena Heights’ many scoring chances.

The Michigan team proceeded to score two goals in the final two minutes of the

game to make the final score 7-2. The first Siena Heights goal was when the momentum left the Pioneers’, something that was unable to be recovered, according to Gillot.

“The first 20 minutes of the game where we were able to capitalize on two goals was probably some of the best soccer we had played as a team all season, however as the game progressed we conceded a goal and from there it just felt like we couldn’t get that spark back,” Gillot said.

Despite the outcome for the Pioneers, the first two goals of the season are a boost in the confidence of the team, according to Widman.

“We now have the confidence in knowing that we can score goals,” Widman said.

“We can work as a team moving forward to push and encourage one another to keep scoring goals. Scoring one goal isn’t good enough. We have to keep pushing harder and harder to score more.”

Austin Alkire apalkir@pointpark.edu