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Pioneer Public: Alum Allissa Logsdon creates faith-inspired music Dennis McDermott shares an open response to last week’s Opinions content Sophomore Alyssa Campbell takes first place at CMU Invitational ppuglobe.com
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Issue 8
Pittsburgh adopts PUMPKIN PATCH IN THE PARK UN Sustainable Development Goals Students react to news of Pittsburgh as second city to incorporate new sustainability plan Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor
The city of Pittsburgh and the state of Pennsylvania have unveiled a variety of new announcements related to climate action and other social causes in the last two weeks. Mayor Bill Peduto attended the United Nations Climate Summit as a representative of the nation’s mayors and met with New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio. On Oct. 4, Peduto announced in a press release that Pittsburgh would be striving toward the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and were looking to see improvements by 2030. Pittsburgh is the second city to follow the SDGs, and New York City was the first. “The UN SDGs provide a framework for holding Pittsburgh accountable to a common set of goals that will make it a better and more resilient city for all. Working with stakeholders across the city, these goals will allow us to aid the residents who need our help now and the future generations of Pittsburghers to come,” Mayor Peduto said in the press release. In the press release, the Mayor’s office said that it will be working with “a partnership network of local, national and international organizations that are working to help measure progress against the Sustainable Development Goals” to achieve the goals. This includes a key partnership with OnePGH, an initiative from the Mayor’s office started within the last few years. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), The University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University and the Pittsburgh Foundation, a local non-profit, have been considered leaders in regional sustainability projects. The SDGs include ending poverty, ending hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequality, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and pro-
duction, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace and justice strong institutions and partnerships to achieve the goal. Freshman BFA acting major Samson Allen was surprised and slightly skeptical of the announcement.
“I’m glad there’s some social activity towards ending poverty and world hunger.” Samson Allen Freshman Acting BFA major “My opinion is that I would not have expected this from Pittsburgh,” Allen said. “I’m glad there’s some social activity towards ending poverty and world hunger. I’m going to be intrigued to see what announcements they make.” Junior Broadcast Reporting major Elean Troia said she felt that by striving for the SDGs, Pittsburgh was responding to global pressures and that she was glad for it. “I’m not from here...I’m from Venezuela. Knowing where I’m living now can influence [what Pittsburgh is doing],” Troia said. The SDGs stems from groundwork laid out by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, first created in 2000. The eight goals, to eradicate poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and global partnership for development, were set to be achieved by 2015. The Millennium Goals did increase primary education from 83 to 91 percent worldwide and greatly improved access to piped drink-
GOALS page 2
Emma Federkeil | The Globe
Freshman information technology major Maddie Mitchell paints Handsome Squidward on a pumpkin during CAB’s Pittsburgh Pumpkin Patch event in Village Park on Oct. 14.
SSDP leaders hope to educate New club offers info on drug policy Hayley Keys Co-News Editor
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is a new club on campus aimed at drug education. Their mission statement is to provide an unbiased, safety-focused education on drugs and drug policy. Christian Ferraro, a junior psychology major, is the president and founder of SSDP. He said he wanted to create a club that brought awareness and education to a subject that is normally neglected due to its taboo nature. “I googled drug activism because I wanted for so long to do for drugs what drugs have done for me,” Ferraro said. “Then I found a petition made by Pitt’s chapter [of SSDP] and I was like, why don’t I just start a club at Point Park?” According to Ferraro, there was minimal resistance from the administration. However, he did have to work hard to get the club approved for the fall semester. “Everybody had the same questions, they were like, is this going to be a club where people put up posters that say, ‘let’s go to the wharf
and smoke weed’,” he said. “I was like, ‘no we’re gonna get together in a room and talk about how we can go there, and smoke weed legally one day’. I mean people are gonna have their opinions about it, but there was not a lot of pushback.” Vince Rugani, the University’s Alcohol and Drug Educator, said he was worried at first, but after talking with Ferraro, he felt more confident. “I was hesitant because I didn’t know exactly what the club would mean for Point Park,” Rugani said. “When we were having the initial conversation, I just wanted to make sure that it was clear that the University could not go against federal law because we receive federal funding for student aid. But after we talked and I understood their perspective, I felt better.” Rugani explained that any university that receives federal funding for student aid is required to follow federal law or students could risk losing their federal aid. He said the clubs who promote activism do not affect this policy because they are not breaking the law.
“I believe [SSDP’s] approach is more of an activism standpoint, and that’s something I’m very proud of,” Rugani said. “If a student believes in something, absolutely go with your gut and your heart and voice your concerns. That is the only way change is going to occur.” Chris Newell is the treasurer of SSDP and Ferraro’s roommate. He said he was drawn to help the club after witnessing his friend’s passion for the organization. “I’ve seen [Ferraro] work really hard to get this whole thing approved, and I’ve seen his work ethic and his mannerisms in helping SSDP become a professional club,” Newell said. “It’s interesting and its definitely unorthodox, but it’s really good what he’s doing in general.” While some up-andcoming clubs might struggle to get recognition or even proper branding, Ferraro and Newell aren’t alone in their efforts. Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international non-profit advocacy and education organization focused on ending the war
SSDP page 3
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
USG reaches out to student body for feedback, tenatively plans to change club funding process Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor
The United Student Government (USG) is looking to rebrand the organization and some of its key practices. USG sent out an email via Campus Announcements on Friday, Oct. 11 seeking student feedback on potential changes the organization is exploring. A link to a PointSync survey called “Funding and Name Change Referendum” was included in the email. It asked for student involvement in clubs, students’ preferences for how money is allocated to clubs and organizations and students’ thoughts on proposed alternative names for USG. The survey is available until Friday, Oct. 18. This referendum was sent to students in the middle of the fall semester. Vice President of USG, Alexa Lake, said that the timing of this was purposeful. “We wanted students and clubs to have a sense of what the status quo is instead of pushing changes too early in the semester,” Lake said. “We find ourselves at an equilibrium where everyone is settled, and we still have time to implement reforms before spring.” For most student organizations, their primary source of funding comes from USG. Expenses for campus events, food and other items for meetings are just some things covered under a typical budget; however, under the current
funding system, every expenditure has to be approved by USG. USG uses request-based funding, which has been the standard for several semesters. Request-Based Funding requires clubs to convince USG to provide funding by submitting a “quote” of their requested funds, and clubs do not know the exact amount of funds they will receive until the funding meeting, after which they can make appeals. The alternative being proposed is budget-based funding. Clubs and organizations would receive advanced notice of their funds before the beginning of each semester, and there would be less direct USG oversight. In this system, club leaders would have to keep records of attendance and the kinds of events they hold throughout the semester. If approved, USG would start following this model for the spring 2020 semester. “Simply, request-based funding allocates more money to clubs who are better able to convince the financial committee of their needs. Under budget-based funding, clubs would receive more money if they...provide more hours of engagement for more students and...spend more of what they are allocated in a [funding] period,” a statement in the referendum said. “Engagement” is not exclusive to club members and their attendance. Clubs and or-
ganizations would also have to track attendance to open campus-wide events held over the semester. “There are two things USG should care about when funding: student engagement and utilization of funds,” Lake said. “A club with few members that provides events and engagement to many will not be hampered by low official membership. This system, in my view, will permit new organizations to flourish and grow faster than before.” In request-based funding, clubs or organizations can lose funds if they do not properly fill out forms like the APF-100, whereas with budget-based funding, clubs will lose funds if they do not track meetings, attendance and event hours. According to Vice President Lake, USG is in favor of the budget-based funding method. “The current budget system takes quite a bit of manual and subjective work on our and student organizations’ behalf. All I’ve heard is support for a budget-based system, which would eliminate redundant control over how clubs run and empower them to operate without strict USG oversight,” Lake said. “This is the final step to determine whether we should move forward with this improvement.” While the questionnaire is being called a referendum, technically it is not as much.
The term “survey” is more appropriate to describe USG’s inquiry. Lake and USG President Jake Berlin said that USG would take student feedback into serious consideration. “The referendum is not a vote, per se, but a means of analyzing how open to change different segments of the student body are,” Lake said. “This was done after an audience member at [one of] the meeting[s] suggested we reach out to students for feedback. I think it’s a good idea when the issues are this big,” Berlin said. “We don’t need an entire campus worth of input on buying staplers for the office, but it is nice to have engagement when it comes to a decision of this magnitude.” According to Berlin, he and Vice President Lake have been working on budgetary reform since the summer. “Every year since I was a freshman, I have heard clubs express concerns about the funding process,” Berlin said. “Past USG Presidents tried to make changes but there were always people who were unhappy. We’re trying to minimize the amount of unhappiness. We understand that no system will ever be perfect but we are trying to find the best scenario for a majority of clubs.” Berlin is passionate about another possible change to USG: the actual title of the organization. Student Government Association (SGA), Association
HSO HOLDS PINKNIC FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Alexis Wary | The Globe
Tyler Levesque (left), Vitoria Garcia (middle) and Sara Buchdahl (right) participate in Pinknic, one of the Honors Student Organization’s month-long Pink Feet events. Proceeds went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
of Student Government (ASG) and Government of Point Park University (GoPPU) are among the proposed alternatives. The survey also includes a form for students to submit their own ideas for names. “For years, USG has been seen as self-serving rather than student-serving. When people hear the phrase ‘USG’, their brain shuts off because people are tired of hearing about it. We wanted a fresh start to rebrand ourselves and allow us to reintroduce ourselves to the students,” Berlin said. “Like any corporation that redesigns their logo or public presence, we wanted something simple and approachable. ‘USG’ is actually confusing outside of Point Park—some schools use it to mean Undergraduate Student Government, University Student Government, etc. ‘SGA’ is used by most universities and is commonly accepted as standard in Pittsburgh. We are the outlier and we wanted to be more consistent.” Berlin likes that GoPPU removes the word “student” from the organization name, which he said could lend to better legitimacy for the organization, and that the acronym could perhaps add school spirit. “Either way, whether it’s GoPPU or SGA or something else that the students come up with, the majority of our senate and the entirety of the executive cabinet believes the name needs to change,” he said. The survey also included options where students could respond with their indifference to the new options or state their preference for the current budgeting system and organization name. “This conversation needs to happen now because funding changes and name changes are big decisions that will outlast us once we’re gone,” Berlin said. “I wanted to leverage all of the student enthusiasm from the last election when we saw more support for change than ever before.” According to Lake, last semester’s election also inspired her budgetary reform plans. “The funding change has been my passion project from election. Jake has been the main proponent of a name change,” she said. “These projects are separate, but together we feel that they can fundamentally change how USG and the student body interact.” Amanda Andrews
aaandre@pointpark.edu
Mayor Peduto has the city join social and climate plan from GOALS page 1 ing water; however, hundreds of millions still did not have access to clean drinking water. It was decided that the sustainable goals needed to be expanded upon and continued, thus leading to the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Their goal date is 2030, within 15 years of drafting the goals, just like with its predecessor the Millennium Goals. The Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf also signed an executive order on Oct. 3 stating that Pennsylvania will join neighboring states the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “By creating a market-based approach for in-
vestment in building energy efficiency, locally-sourced clean and renewable power generation and emissions reduction, Governor Wolf is helping to further innovation, create green jobs and respond strongly to the challenge of climate change,” Peduto said. “Locally, Pennsylvania’s inclusion in RGGI will provide Pittsburgh a great resource to help advance the City’s 2030 climate targets of 50 percent emissions reduction and 100 percent renewable energy.” Pittsburgh was in national news in 2017 for Mayor Peduto’s firm rebuttal of being included in President Trump’s rhetoric against the Paris Climate Agreement. Amanda Andrews
aaandre@pointpark.edu
Amanda Andrews | The Globe
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s office is in the City County Building located on Grant Street.
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
Students for Sensible Drug Policy sees growth in first semester, plans to expand from SSDP page 1 on drugs. They have multiple chapters on college campuses across the country and push youth activists to fight for a safer future surrounding drugs. Ferraro said the organization gave him the push to start the club by sending him information and even assigning him a representative to help him build up Point Park’s chapter. “Doing this through an organization gives me a lot of stability and it’s more structured,” Ferraro said. “When I got a table at the activities fair, I contacted them, and they sent me all this cool stuff. I had cards and posters and stickers, even a book about my free speech rights on campus, like doing it through them is so beneficial, they have my back.” Outside of the organization, Ferraro takes it upon himself to do research and create presentations for the weekly meetings. “This whole vaping THC epidemic, where everyone is getting lung disease and stuff, has so much misinformation going around. So I made it my duty to read as much as I possibly could and look at the facts,” Ferraro said. “I gave a presentation on the differences between Juuling, smoking cigarettes, and why joints are actually turning out to be more dangerous, which a lot of people don’t think is the case.”
Along with the presentations, Ferraro also tries to incorporate more useful information for students on a day-to-day basis. “We talked about how to essentially, like how to make your own THC cart, like a wax cartridge,” Ferraro said. “Kids will get them and just hit them and not even care how to spot fake carts, which could have dangerous pesticides in them and scary things like that. That’s why it’s worth coming to and worth listening to these presentations, especially if you are a user of these drugs.” He also attends events outside the University in order to broaden his knowledge and get in contact with potential speakers. “We have a doctor coming in Oct. 24, and he’s going to talk about the medical benefits of psilocybin mushrooms. I thought we could maybe do a tie-dye day around 4/20 and maybe even a psychedelic art auction to raise money,” Ferraro said. “I want a lot of speakers to come in through. Doctors and neurologists and therapists who travel the world using these substances and maybe even someone who was incarcerated for minor drug offenses who can talk about how corrupt the system is.” Newell mentioned that they were considering reaching out the local Pittsburgh community.
“We were talking about doing something with homeless shelters in the area and potentially going around and passing out these bags that have information,” Newell said. “We also want to get the student body involved as much as possible, we want student participation.” According to Newell the club has seen steady growth since the first meeting, and he is hoping to see more new faces every week. “I would say at the first meeting we had a little over 10 students show up, but more recently we’ve had almost 20 people show up, so we’re definitely growing,” Newell said. Ferraro said that he wants the club to be open to all students, even those who weren’t sure of their opinions on drugs. “Even if you don’t think the system is corrupt or maybe drugs aren’t for you, I just want to educate, that’s all I want to do,” Ferraro said. Newell also suggested that drugs needed to be talked about and that the conversation could have important effects on those participating. “Even though there is such a negative stigma around the word drug in general, we’re trying to show that these things are not as they seem,” Newell said. “There is more to it, and it’s not always so black and white.” Hayley Keys
hekeys@pointpark.edu
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OCT. 9, 2019 - OCT. 16, 2019
Wednesday, October 9th 3:30 p.m. - Village Park Theft
Thursday, October 10th 12:34 p.m. - University Center Theft
Alysse Baer| The Globe
Chris Hill speaks at USG Vice President of the Physical Plant talks possible renovations, turnstiles and shuttles USG By Sarah Gibson USG Beat Writer
The United Student Government (USG) of Point Park University swore in four new members this week, including the new Treasurer, Laura Draghiciu, two new at large senators, and one final senator, Sadie Pillion-Gardner, who had been elected in the last election. The new at-large senators, Francisco Alba and Gillian Paluch, were both applicants for the Treasurer position but weren’t chosen. However, they did express a desire to be senators-at-large if they were to not be appointed as Treasurer. USG’s guest speaker this week was Chris Hill, Vice President of Operations at the Physical Plant. Hill discussed several of the Physical Plant’s upgrades over the summer, explained some of their plans for the future and went over some statistics with the legislative body. One of these statistics showed that the Physical Plant had already received close to 2,000 work orders this semester. Another statistic tracked the shuttle usage for the first week of the semester and showed that only one student used the Mount Washington shuttle. When it came to student feedback, President Berlin brought up the newly-placed graphic on the side of Boulevard Apartments and asked who decided to put it there. Hill said that it was a decision made by the Marketing and Enrollment team, but that he personally liked the new mural, but that if students really didn’t like it, the letters could be easily removed. The letters were not painted on but actually are large stickers. Hill also asked for stu-
dents to send him any suggestions they may have for upgrading the commuter lounge space that currently exists on the fourth floor of Lawrence Hall. Hill stated that he was interested in knowing if students were more in favor of upgrading the space to be a lounge space or a new meeting space. He invited students to email him at chill@pointpark.edu. At the end of Chris Hill’s segment of the meeting, Jake Berlin expressed USG’s interest in the activities of the Physical Plant and offered USG’s help in further projects. “The library may tell you that they want their desk moved six feet back, but the majority of students are telling you that’s unnecessary,” Berlin said. “Enrollment and Marketing may tell you they may want those words on the building, but the majority of students will tell you that’s unnecessary. And somebody from Student Affairs may tell you that shuttles should go to Mount Washington, but you can see the majority of students think that’s unnecessary. So if there’s ever an instance where you can come to USG and say that someone has an idea and do students support it, we can help you just as much as you can help us.” President Berlin mentioned that after talking with CES, he was able to schedule some USG legislative body meetings in Lawrence 200 to see if it was a better fit for the group than the JVH. USG also recognized two new clubs, the Tap Club and PPU Fashion club. USG mentioned that it will have a representative from the PPU Police Department as a guest speaker in two weeks. Next week’s meeting will take place on Sunday. Sarah Gibson
sagibso@pointpark.edu
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
FEATURES
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Conservatory showcases contemporary choreography By Rosalie Anthony Staff Writer
This previous weekend, Oct. 10 through Oct. 13, the Conservatory of Performing Arts’ (COPA) Dance Department showcased four contemporary dance choreographers in the department’s performance season theme, “Women’s Voices.” Choreographers included Amy Hall Garner, Pearlann Porter, Yin Yue and Martha Nichols. In the George Rowland Performing Arts proscenium Performance Studio, there is no curtain and minimal backstage space, so before the show, the stage mimicked a blank canvas. Steven Breese, Dean of COPA and Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse, introduced the show and graciously thanked everyone who had some part in making the show happen. Opening the performance was Hall Garner’s piece, “Cadence,” which was more of a contemporary ballet piece. There were 24 dancers which included large ensemble parts, partnering and some smaller groups. The costumes included colorful, halter tops and skirts with flat ballet shoes for the women and long sleeve puffy shirts with tight pants for the men. “Her process was long and she’s very tough, but it was fulfilling,” junior dance major Danielle Bowen said about the process. “She was creating the piece as we walked into rehearsal. She based a lot of it off what we could do, and not exactly on a set idea, so it was very collaborative. She brings a lot of her own personal style and own way of moving into it.” “NOW:PLAYING” was next to premiere, choreographed by Point Park’s own Porter, a graduate of the COPA
PIONEER PUBLIC Allissa Logsdon By Hannah Walden Co-Features/A&E Editor
When looking for colleges to attend, Allissa Logsdon was attracted to Point Park’s Pioneer Star contest. Personally never believing she would be good enough to win, she was honored to have won and be given the opportunities that come with winning the contest. “I remember reading about it online—it sounded like a dream,” Logsdon said. “A music video, a free professional EP and a concert at Stage AE.” Logsdon, 21, had been interested in Pioneer Star since the start of her college career. Logsdon applied her skills from sophomore, junior and
program that has been teaching at Point Park for 20 years. Porter is also the Artistic Director of her own company named “The Pillow Project,” which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year and has run “The Space Upstairs,” the location for her company, for 13 years. The piece that premiered was a snippet of what will be performed in December by her own company. A significant aspect of the piece was the five dancers’ shoe variety. “I wanted them to have to adapt the work,” Porter said. “At first, I know the costumes are going to be different in themselves because they all have different personalities. This work is so much about adaptation because they would literally have to adapt the work into the light, they have to adapt the physicality of the music and they have to adapt my choreography.” Porter was inspired to create her work with projectors as the only light source from a piece she incorporated projection with a couple years ago. “Lighting is a huge part of my work,” Porter said. “I’ve always said famously, my work doesn’t really work in daylight or outdoors. I started thinking about what projection light can accomplish... If I want to do something [with this light source] I want to reinvent and deconstruct the theater ... I deliberately picked dancers that were very patient and people who I had watched dance that give me ideas and are fun to have in the room.” The music was produced in collaboration by PJ Roduta, who is an accompanist on staff who has worked at Point Park as long as Porter has been teaching, and John Lambert, Porter’s partner. “Music for me usually comes first,” Porter said. “I see, I hear the music and the senior year, winning her senior year during 2018-2019. Logsdon achieved her goal that she had since the start of college right before she graduated in spring 2019 with a degree in sports, arts and entertainment management. Logsdon has been involved with music from a young age. She started playing the piano at just six years old, and has now been playing for 15 years and began getting serious about singing when she was in middle school. It wasn’t until the last few years she started learning and playing the guitar and ukulele. She also grew up singing in her local church, making her comfortable on stage. “I think when I really started wanting to perform was when I started writing music,” Logsdon said. “There is something so special about singing your original songs to an audience. No one has ever heard them before…they have never existed outside of your own mind. They start as ideas in your head, turn into melodies in your bedroom and then all of a sudden, you are sharing your creation to a room full of people. It’s like
Dancer Melanie Martinez in Amy Hall Garner’s “Cadence.”
piece emerges from the music. I close my eyes and I can see something happening... It has so many layers and components to it, it accommodated to the variation I really wanted to show in this, and it allowed itself to a lot of play.” The third dance piece, and first of the second act, was Yue’s piece entitled “Citizen.” The 20-minute piece was adapted from a 40-minute piece Yue’s dance company, YY Dance Company based in New York, performed. The cast of seven female dancers alternated between dancing as a group, trios, duets and solos. The costumes were dark red or green loose-fitting pants with long sleeve shirts. “She doesn’t base her movement off of a concept, she creates it with music and it ends up forming into a concept,” senior dance major Kaitlyn Downs said, describing how Yue drew her inspiration. “She talked a lot about different imagery with us. She told us [for this piece] we can imagine New York City, the day after an apocalypse, walking out and having that frantic, urgent, soul-searching feeling you see in the choreography.” The piece integrates physopening the door to your soul and letting everyone come inside. It’s kind of magical… and scary.” Songwriting is one of Logsdon’s passions, as she has been writing since she was about 13 years old. She mostly writes about her struggles and how she feels. Logsdon describes herself as not being outwardly emotional, and she uses her bottled up emotions in her music. “Although my music is a little bit dark, I always try to incorporate an element of hope,” Logsdon said. “My faith is the most important component of my music and really what inspires me to write. My music doesn’t always ‘scream Jesus,’ but it opens the door for me to talk about my story, my struggles and how God saved me from it all. God gave me a voice and put music in my soul. It’s because of Him that I do what I do.” According to Logsdon, each band/artist can submit up to three pre-recorded songs to the Pioneer Star Contest and other faculty members listen to all the audio files and decide the top
ical strength and stamina, which contrasts the visual appeal of groovy, flowy movement. Yue’s movement is very specific since she has created her own technique on how to achieve her signature movement quality. “This experience has been very rewarding,” Downs said. “The movement is different than anything else I’ve ever done. It’s really an incredible feeling to extend past your body’s point of exhaustion and realize that your body is so much stronger than you think, to be able to push through the piece and get stronger and stronger each run.” Nichols’ “A Decline from a Sound of Prosperous Condition” closed the performance. The piece is about having to conform to the pressures of society and other people. Throughout the piece, internal conflict builds and eventually, at the end, there is an explosion of emotion. The 28-person cast wore white with no skin showing, other than their hands and face. “I loved working with [Nichols],” sophomore dance major Olivia Brookes said of the process. “She’s a very down to earth person, and she un-
Mark Simpson | Submitted
derstands it would take time for things to develop. We started slow and then got progressively faster and faster. She had us do imrov exercises with different prompts or ideas she gave us to get into our own heads and get [the piece] connected to our own stories.” “I know when I’m dancing with everybody in the cast, everybody feels connected,” Brookes said. “Everyone has this really good energy to them... I feel like we all mesh together very well. With that many people [in the cast] it takes time to make sure everything’s exactly the same because the choreography is very detailed.” Dylan Allen, a junior sports, arts and entertainment management major, came to the show opening night and throughly enjoyed Nichols’ piece. “I’d say the last one [was one of my favorites] without hesitation,” Allen said. “The way they moved and knew their movement and when to do it with perfect timing, they’re geniuses if you have to know all that at the same time.”
Rosalie Anthony rantho@pointpark.edu
Grace Ruiz | Submitted
three. Those top three artists will be interviewed and a winner is decided. When Logsdon applied, she submitted recordings of two original songs, “House on Fire” and “Quicksand,” playing piano on both tracks. She describes her genre as predominantly pop/rock. “I perform a little of ev-
erything when I’m gigging, but the music I write is definitely edgy and dramatic.” Logsdon said. Read the full story 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.
A&E
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
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Commonly banned book ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ touches on anti-war themes, alien society and effects of PTSD By Chandni Shah For The Globe
Language has the ability to transcend time, articulating the events of history and the lasting effects those events possess. Books are the keepers of language, passing on the words of past generations to guide the future — to point us in the right direction. So, when these books get banned from certain parts of the world, areas of the country and even schools, we are taking out an important piece of our history. Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, “Slaughterhouse-Five,” is a perfect example of this, ranking 29th on the American Library Association’s list of banned or challenged classics. The novel follows the story of Billy Pilgrim as he suffers the effects of PTSD from World War II. He travels through his life in non-chronological order, gets kidnapped by the Tralfamadorian alien race and gives us a painful rendition of the Dresden bomb-
ings. Vonnegut knocks down the rigid structures of science and physics with his skewed version of time and forces the reader to ponder the absurdity of war in a country where there always seems to be one. Down to its core, “Slaughterhouse-Five” is an anti-war novel. The alternate title “The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death” gives us more insight into the novel’s purpose; the Children’s Crusade was a real event that took place where children went to join the Crusades in Jerusalem, but many of them turned back and died before they even arrived. The pointless loss of life is a major theme in “Slaughterhouse-Five” and stems from the reality that people who fought in past wars didn’t fully understand what they were dying for, thus making them as ignorant as children. Apparently, some didn’t like this very much and banned the book for its violence and realistic depictions. “The Atlantic” wrote that it was banned or challenged at
POINT PERK
COFFEEHOUSE presents
least 18 times and the Drake Public School Board in North Dakota burned 32 copies of it in the 70s. Some called the novel anti-Christian and condemned it for its vulgar language, saying that it possessed too much sexual content. The last recorded ban of the book was in 2010 in Michigan. The books that force us to think about the way we live are the ones that we must hold on to. Without these major pieces of history we will continue to make the same mistakes, and that’s essentially what Vonnegut wanted to tell us with his work. We see the repeating of history even when the book was being set on fire, a hapless parallel to the city of Dresden drowning in flames about 30 years earlier. Overall, the reason this book rubs people the wrong way is because it doesn’t leave out the shocking features of America’s history that some strive to forget about. Vonnegut writes that “there is nothing intelligent
”Slaughterhouse-Five” book cover.
to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again.” Our country has participated in its fair share of massacres, but we fail to see the absurdity in the forms of war that the world has brought to life. “Slaughterhouse-Five” pushes us to question our values and illustrates the everlasting effects on the vic-
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
tims of war. We must push for important novels like this to be read before we continue to repeat the mistakes of the past. If we fail to do so, history, as Robert Penn Warren once wrote, will “drip in darkness like a leaking pipe in the cellar.” And so it goes.
Chandni Shah crshah@pointpark.edu
Hulu movie ‘Little Monsters’ mixes horror with comedic fun and a touch of romance
Zombie movie tickles funny bones By Hannah Walden Co-Features/A&E Editor
Alysse Baer| The Globe
Tove Lo releases fourth studio album ‘Sunshine Kitty’ By Mya Burns Copy Editor
On Sept. 20, 2019, Swedish singer Tove Lo released her fourth studio album, “Sunshine Kitty.” The indie-alternative album is full of tracks that are like an iceberg— if you just listen to the beat and the sound of the lyrics, you can bop along to it. However, once you sit down and listen to the lyrics, the song is a lot deeper than you first thought. The poppy, club-music sounds of “Sunshine Kitty” brings the last few warm bits of sunshine into the beginning of fall. The sound of this album is at the same time new and the same old Tove sound. Listening to the songs the first time, they sound like fresh summer hits to play in the car with the windows down. Once you give them a second listen, they get stuck in your head, and you’ll find yourself reaching for them to tide you over into the cold beginnings of cuffing season in fall. Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson, known by her stage name Tove Lo, began in music long before her rise to fame with her song “Habits (Stay High).” Called “Sweden’s darkest pop export” by Roll-
ing Stone, she has released four studio albums: “Queen of the Clouds,” “Lady Wood,” “BLUE LIPS” and now “Sunshine Kitty.” Tove’s music started very dark and grungy and didn’t really stray too far away as she progressed as a musician. Tove Lo has always put out vulnerable music, skyrocketing into fame with her song “Habits (Stay High)” which talks about the feeling of wanting to avoid the reality of a breakup after it happens. But this album pairs even more vulnerable lyrics with beats that could either keep you staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. on a night where you’re too far into your bag or drag you onto the dance floor at a club around the same time. Her confidence in her lyrics and herself has been growing throughout her albums, and this album shows this growth. Although she is still vulnerable in this album, she has an air of confidence, self-assuredness, and stability that her previous albums did not have. Read the full story online at ppuglobe.com
Mya Burns mnburns@pointpark.edu
If you enjoyed the comedy/zombie thriller “Shaun of the Dead,” Hulu’s “Little Monsters” might hit your funny bone and entertain with the typical zombie action. “Little Monsters” is a delightfully hilarious and wonderful story of how a horrible situation can change someone’s life for the better. Disguising this zombie movie with humor and personal growth sets it apart from other zombie thrillers. The story begins with the main character, Dave, and a montage of how he is in a terrible relationship where he and his girlfriend constantly argue in different settings, both in private and in public, and are just terrible for each other. After the opening credits with them arguing, Dave packs up some of his things and leaves to crash at his sister’s house. Dave, like many young people, has multiple bad habits that he has a hard time containing, especially around his five-year-old nephew, Felix, including swearing and playing violent zombie-killing video games. We learn that Felix has many food allergies, with a very strict list of foods he can eat, and needs Epi-Pens if he ingests anything he isn’t supposed to. If this isn’t an easy to pick out piece of foreshadowing, I don’t know what is, especially when he is taught how to use an EpiPen over and over. Throughout the movie all of the information that we need to know is easy to understand and doesn’t have any big plot twists. It is a straightforward funny story solely meant to entertain
and not build a large and complex world with the lore. After Dave’s terrible breakup, he tries to distract himself by spending time with Felix and starts taking him to kindergarten. Here, he mets Felix’s teacher, Ms. Caroline, who he immediately starts crushing on as she is a very happy, bubbly and approachable person. From the first moment, the audience sees her interacting with the kids with such kindness. In an attempt to get closer to Ms. Caroline, he agrees to help chaperone the class field trip to Pleasant Valley Farm, which has attractions like mini golf, a petting zoo and hay rides. It is during the bus ride to the farm when the action starts to pick up, as the audience is cut away from the bus and to a U.S. military testing base, located right down the road from the farm. Inside the testing base, we learn that the U.S. military has been testing all kinds of crazy things on people and animals, including how to weaponize zombies. A “test subject” gets out and the disease spreads, creating more zombies or providing more dead people for the zombies to eat. This new zombie army escapes the base and head for the farm, comically killing and turning some of the farm’s guests over on the mini golf section. As soon as the bus pulls into the farm and the kids get off, they find out the host of a popular children’s TV show is visiting the farm for an episode of the show. The kids run up and see Mr. Teddy McGiggle outside of the show’s van where he is ready to play the character. Teddy’s sidekick, a little frog puppet named Froggsy, is sticking out of the sunroof of the van to keep up the il-
lusion to the children. Teddy McGiggle is the equivalent of Steve from “Blue’s Clues,” if he had to wear a green polka-dot suit, talked and laughed in an obnoxious voice, had a terribly annoying dance, had depression and hated his job. Throughout the movie, on top of keeping the kids safe, it is also very important for Dave and Ms. Caroline to keep up the illusion that all of the zombies attacking the farm is just a game. Somehow these five year olds look past all of the blood and flesh and literal dead people trying to eat them and believe everything that Ms. Caroline says. The kids don’t feel like they are in danger, they truly believe this is an extreme game of tag and they can’t “be it.” While struggling to keep the kids safe, Dave really grows as a person and as a character. He becomes motivated to keep his nephew and the other kids in his class safe and alive, to help Ms. Caroline keep the kids safe and to be a better, more positive person. Some of my favorite parts of this movie, other than the comical parts, are the moments when Dave and Ms. Caroline use music to calm the kids down and focus them on “the game.” Especially when Dave played a rendition of “Sweet Caroline” with Ms. Caroline on her ukulele turning a stressful scene into a heartwarming one. This movie might not provide a scary Halloween vibe to a seasonal movie night, but as a comedy with a little romance in it, “Little Monsters” surely gets the job done.
Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu
6
OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
THE
GL BE’S POINT
It’s spooky season Fall took its good, sweet time getting here, but it’s finally here. Lovers of the season can finally check their weather apps with glee at the sight of 50 to 60 degree weather every day. Tree leaves are changing noticeably, and in a few short weeks, the holiday of Halloween will be upon us. As college students, the appeal of Halloween has undergone some changes. As kids, the holiday has obvious perks. Free candy, fun costumes and school parties make the early fall season especially great. In college, Halloween is exciting for different reasons. It is still an excuse to dress up, which always has the potential to be fun, but it’s also an excuse to throw parties. On Point Park’s campus, there’s not really a party scene. There’s no room for it. Students looking to party hard can still find plenty of
action off campus. On campus, many clubs are also hosting Halloween-themed events for students looking to get festive. Fall activities can vary and don’t have to be exactly traditional. Some students may choose to celebrate in the form of daily Point Perk pumpkin spice lattes. Others may enjoy donning their fall sweaters. Some are tirelessly working on a sweet costume to wow at any get-together. The month of October is a great one. The weather is typically mild, a change in the seasons can allow for a change of pace, and the holiday season provides something to look forward to. No matter how Pioneers choose to celebrate this year, safe, intelligent decision-making is a must for a successful spooky season.
Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu
Alysse Baer | The Globe
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
NBA manager supports Hong Kong Viral tweet angers Chinese government By Mason Strawn For The Globe
What’s more important: the people’s choice or the bottom line? Freedom or money? A pro-democracy tweet or a communist country’s demand? That’s the question being asked to the NBA right now. Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets’ General Manager, is the one to blame; well, blame isn’t really the word to use. More like the one who shined light on a matter that no one else has really done, since the NBA and China have gotten along so well. On Friday, Oct. 4, while the Rockets were in China for their preseason practices and games, Morey published a tweet of a picture stating, “Fight for Freedom, stand with Hong Kong” after the recent reports of protestors fighting against China’s communist government. China has tried to silence the protestors by means of beating, jailing and reports of even killing protestors in a way of stopping the widespread riots. The protests are becoming such a problem that the entire country of China is considering banning any form of masks so that they can identify protestors and arrest them later. It’s practically today’s version of Tiananmen’s square, but on a larger, more drawn out scale. After his tweet went viral, the Chinese government was furious. Almost immediately after the tweet grew, China declared that they would be cancelling any games with the
NBA that involved any of their national teams, and called for the shutdown of any event or practicing involving the NBA in the country. The message was brutal and clear: attack our government, and you will lose one of your biggest markets. Now the NBA isn’t the only one to be forced to back down to China; popular gaming company, Blizzard, recently banned its top Esports participants after they stood with the Hong Kong protestors, as one of Blizzard’s biggest player groups are Chinese teens and young adults. Multiple other companies, including the likes of Apple and Vans, have also been pressured into not supporting the protestors or anyone that is allied with them in any sort of way. The NBA and China have a long history. From big names like Jeremy Lin and Yao Ming, to basketball being one of the nation’s biggest and most beloved sports, the NBA is a huge deal in one of the biggest countries in the world. Even college teams are known to play there, like our very own Point Park Men’s Basketball team, practicing and competing in a tournament hosted in the powerful country. This means if the NBA lost China, they would lose a huge amount of income, players and fans alike; all due to a tweet. Morey would later go on to delete the tweet, and even stated an apology to the country, but it was too late. China made itself very clear: punish the Rockets’ GM, or else.
The NBA recently released a report that pretty much goes as follows: “In our league we have freedom of speech so we can’t punish the Rocket’s GM, but shame on him anyway for supporting a group of pro-democrats in a communist country that is abusing them.” I am infuriated as I type this reading over a report that practically states that we must do what China says, which is wrong because we’re going to lose a boat load of money because they’ll ban us for not obeying them. It’s like having that one friend that has dirt on you and you must do what they say or else your life will be ruined because of how embarrassing it is. It’s honestly sick. As of Oct. 10, the NBA still had some of its teams’ practices in the Asian country, but has also lost major brands such as Li-Ang and ANTA; two major shoe companies that support known athletes such as Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Rajon Rondo and soon to be hall of famer Dwyane Wade. At this rate, everyone that is told to do something by China will just roll over and do exactly what they’re told. That can’t be allowed, no matter how many citizens and power the country has. The US and other foreign companies and groups need to stop looking at their bottom line, stare China right in the face, and say, “no” when pressured by the communist country, plain and simple.
Mason Strawn mtstraw@pointpark.edu
A student’s response: ‘I hope we can all learn and grow’ By Dennis McDermott For The Globe
This article is a direct response to an article that appeared in the Opinions section of The Globe last week. This really should go without saying, but I want everyone to know that not only the opinion presented last week, but also the opinion I am about to present, do not reflect the opinions of The Globe or any of its many members that work hard each and every week to put this paper together. I would also like to state that I do not agree with what some have said to Logan on Twitter and written on his whiteboard, but I believe that more responses than not are not without merit. Logan, early in your article you wrote that ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 election that you went from “not having opinions to having nothing but opinions.” I’m really curious as to what about Donald Trump and the 2016 election piqued your interest and moved you from political apathy to political activism. I really do want to know. If you
would like to either tell me personally, write another article in response, or take a picture of this article and post it to your “followers” on Twitter and get it “trending,” go for it. I’m flexible. I think it’s important for you to consider the fact that you were able to “decide” to take an interest in politics and to recognize and appreciate that you enjoy a massive amount of privilege with the ability to make that choice. Many of our students on campus, and thousands of people around the United States, are forced to “take an interest” in politics because they are facing mounting medical bills, homelessness, racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism and transphobia. Recognizing your privilege is an important skill for everyone to learn and one that is necessary to learn to have positive interactions with not only people on campus, but people in future areas of employment and really just in general. Speaking of transphobia. You said the tweets you had liked and even tweeted (that
at the very least displayed negative opinions towards the transgender community), did not reflect your opinion, so what is your opinion? Do you regret liking the transphobic tweets and tweeting that transphobic statement? Logan, own up to your actions, recognize the things you’ve said and say can, and do hurt people. Point Park is a diverse and accepting campus. Point Park is a safe place for people of all kinds of different backgrounds and opinions. Point Park is accepting of everyone, but Point Park’s students will not accept racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism, discrimination and transphobia. Logan, I am not accusing you of being any of these things, but you really need to take a good look at how you present yourself (whether it be on social media or in person), and try to understand why some people may accuse you of being these things. You also need to take a look at the people you support and what they stand for - everything they stand for. If I thought a candidate I
was supporting was any of the things I previously mentioned, I would not vote for that candidate under any circumstances. I would encourage you to delete and unlike the tweets I mentioned, and if you can work up the courage to do so, apologize. It’s actually really easy to do, many people will forgive you and you will feel a lot better for it. Finally, do not accuse our university of being unaccepting when you set it up for failure in your own biased test. You are entitled to your own opinions, but what you have done is manipulative and wrong. Asking questions about “jolly ranchers” and Pixar movies until you can slowly work your way up to controversial political topics through manipulative boundary pushing is wrong. You took something that I imagine many people on your floor may have enjoyed and even looked forward to, and turned it into something that not only offends others but makes them feel uncomfortable. By your actions, you have made Point Park,
even if by the most miniscule amount, a less accepting place, but I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for some reason. I’m willing to accept that you thought the question “Should the US have a wall?” was a harmless question that deserved a serious answer. If that truly is the case, let me help you understand why that question is harmful, may offend some and may make others uncomfortable. I will reiterate my tweet to you because I’m assuming that since you responded to everyone else’s tweet and not mine, that you just missed it. Many of our students have been directly affected or know someone who has been directly affected by the border policy and wall, and it’s important for you to realize that asking a question in which one answer means the separation of a group of people from their loved ones, is wrong. Thank you, and I hope we can all learn and grow from these recent events.
Dennis McDermott dpmcder@pointpark.edu
Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Dara Collins Editor-Elect: Jordyn Hronec Business Manager: Cortnie Phillips Faculty Adviser: Aimee-Marie Dorsten Administrative Adviser: Dean Keith Paylo The Globe board consists of Dara Collins, Jordyn Hronec and fellow editors. Opinion articles, letters to the editor, columns and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the position of the newspaper or editorial board. The Globe reserves the right to refuse advertising and edit all submitted articles and letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed and include author’s contact information. The Globe offices are located at the corner of Wood Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard. Writers should address letters to:
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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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SPORTS
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All In with Allison
Editor-in-Chief
Adventist University. Think you’ve heard this before? That’s because the Pioneers already took on Washington Adventist back on Sept. 12. The Pioneers didn’t falter in the second meeting, securing a 3-1 victory. Geert Bijl found the back of the net twice, with Christopher Ciucanu notching the other goal. Meanwhile, for Washington, Francisco Villanueva
began scoring in the second half. However, it was too little, too late against the red-hot Pioneers. Wessel Rietveld said that playing Washington Adventist at Highmark Stadium gave the Pioneers an advantage, mainly due to the size of the pitch. The Dutch international said that the 10-game winning streak is a testament to hard work.
Passing the Torch
Point Park has an interesting tradition that it never meant to have. Since 2014, there has steadily been a standout female runner that has made headlines repeatedly every week. From 2014 to the 201617 season, we had the Katie Guarnaccia era. From 2016 until last year, we had the Anna Shields era. That 2016-17 season I refer to as the Guarnaccia-Shields era. Now, we are just entering into the Alyssa Campbell era, with her most recent headline being a first place finish at the Carnegie Mellon University Invitational last Saturday, posting a time of 18 minutes and 36 seconds. Before we get more into Campbell, I want to revisit the Guarnaccia and Shields eras, when the women’s cross country team was an unstoppable force among the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Guarnaccia came to Point Park as a freshman from North Allegheny in 2014. By the time she was a sophomore, she was already setting school records. At the Lock Haven meet in late September of 2015, Guarnaccia crushed her own school record by one minute and 14 seconds for a time of 21 minutes and 42 seconds. By this time, she had also finished in the top five of all four meets that Point Park had participated in that year. She did not stop there, though. When the Guarnaccia-Shields era of 2016-17 hit, it was time for Guarnaccia to begin passing the baton to Shields, but she would not
By Dara Collins
Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu
Sports Columnist
hand it off just yet. Both runners set school records in the NAIA National Championship meet. Guarnaccia finished 59th in the meet, with Shields following right behind at 60th. Guarnaccia finished with a time of 18 minutes, 20.55 seconds. Shields finished just five-hundredths of a second after. Both women beat Guarnaccia’s record from the previous year’s national championship, which was 18 minutes, 28 seconds. Following the 2016-17 season, Guarnaccia passed the torch to Shields when she decided to take a year off, so Shields began to shine on her own. For those of you that do not know, Anna Shields is somewhat of a legend here. She broke practically every record possible - then re-broke her own records just because she could. Throughout her time at Point Park, Shields racked up ten NAIA national championships and 15 NAIA All-American honors. She also amassed 13 All-River States Conference (RSC) honors in just the 2018-19 season alone. Needless to say, she’s impressive. Everyone thought that the Shields era would be followed by a period of loss, but the torch was passed yet again; this time, to Alyssa Campbell. Since taking on the role of torch-bearer, Campbell has been keeping the flame burning bright. She just needs to keep that flame alive until it’s time to pass it again.
7
Volleyball splits RSC matches Point Park volleyball lost their top spot in the conference division after splitting its weekend of River States Conference contests. The Pioneers started the weekend on a high note with a sweep of Ohio Christian University. Point Park stole the match by a slim margin at times by scores of 26-24, 2519 and 26-24. “For us to go into extra points is because we didn’t play consistent enough this weekend,” middle hitter Jazlyn Rozier said. “We chose when we wanted to play and take plays off. We need to play consistently every single game every single play.” Point Park maintained control in the second set but trailed in sets one and three before collecting their thoughts to seal the Eagles’ fate. Senior outside hitter Haley English recorded the team-high of 11 kills including the game-ending kill. Seniors Brittney Bianco and Maria Ferragonio dished out 16 and 11 assists, respectively, to the attack. “Against Ohio Christian, we stayed aggressive and used their mistakes to our advantage,” English said. Setter Julia Menosky and defensive specialist Micaela Shevell collected 11 digs each in the back row. Rozier highlighted defense at the net with four blocks, and hitters Kristy Lippert, Madison Sima and Taylor Small chipped in two apiece. With one game finished, the Pioneers prepared for the divisional showdown with Indiana University East. Point Park and IU East were tied at the start of the day for No. 1 in the RSC East rankings. By the end of the match, only IU East remained. “In Saturday’s game, we lacked communication which caused us to play as individuals, but we’re looking forward to playing them again so that we can get our
By Allison Schubert
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
Nick Koehler | Point Park Athletics Senior Haley English returns a serve in a match held in the Student Center gym two weeks ago.
revenge,” English said. Set one tied at 25-25 before the Red Wolves scored the final two points to gain a 1-0 advantage. Point Park found itself neck and neck with IU East midway through the second set before the Red Wolves took control and increased the Pioneers’ deficit. Point Park took the lead by one point in set three, but that was the closest the team came to a chance of winning. The Red Wolves closed out set three, and ultimately the game, with a final score of 25-20. IU East posted 46 kills compared to Point Park’s 27. The Red Wolves boasted a hitting percentage of 17.4% as the Pioneers fell flat at 4.1%. Rozier highlighted the net once again, but this time on the attack, with nine kills. Bianco and Ferragonio were repeat stat leaders in assists totaling 14 and 11, respectively. The Pioneer defense was put to work with Menosky collecting the team-high 11 digs. English and Shevell picked up nine digs each, and Bianco and Ferragonio also contributed eight apiece. Sima remained a top defensive player in the front row, finishing with four blocks. English looks forward to the IU East rematch at home on Nov. 8.
“We now know what to expect against IU East and being home should give us the advantage,” English said. “If we focus on the basics and staying disciplined, we should have no problem getting the win.” The Pioneers, now 14-6 (4-3 RSC), are tied with West Virginia Tech for second place in the RSC East. “Although we didn’t get the results we wanted, we continue to strive to improve our play as a team and hope to have better results this upcoming weekend,” Ferragonio said. Point Park will take to the road once again this weekend for another road contest against RSC West opponents Indiana University Kokomo on Friday and Cincinnati Christian University on Saturday. IU Kokomo leads the RSC West with an undefeated conference record, and CCU finds itself on the opposite end of the rankings and has yet to win a RSC contest, as of Oct. 14. “I think we’re going to work on the individuals on the court of having that mindset of wanting to win,” Rozier said. “We know that we have a target on our backs and teams want to beat us.”
Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
Men remain undefeated in RSC play yet again By Rachael McKriger Staff Writer
Point Park has no intention of slowing down right now. The Pioneers men’s soccer team recorded two more victories last week, extending their win streak to double-digit numbers. Point Park has been undefeated since Sept. 4, marking 10 victories in a row. The Pioneers chugged away, managing to secure wins with long stretches on the road and matches within only hours from each other. It’s business as usual for the team, who has their sights set on RSC glory and trophies. The members of the men’s soccer team do know, though, to keep it one game at a time. They’re also keeping faith and building confidence in the way they’re playing, according to defender Conner Kelly. “Our morale is incredible,” Kelly said. “We just have to stick to our game plan each game and focus on winning. We’re dedicated to continuing this streak.” Point Park spent three straight matches on the road two weeks ago. This past week, the team returned to Highmark Stadium to take on Washington
Nick Koehler | Point Park Athletics Junior forward Mitchell Roell takes a shot on goal in a game two weeks ago. Roell has a career high in goals (9) this season.
“Our field is a lot bigger and we’re used to it, so it was easier to play possession and dominate the game,” Rietveld, a senior, said. “It’s the best feeling to get rewarded for all the hard work we are putting in. Right now, we’re just playing great soccer with a good level of energy.” Three days later, the Pioneers headed west to Ohio, facing Ohio Christian University. Back in conference play, the Pioneers dominated with a 3-0 victory and a clean sheet. Yuki Takeda, Daan Stormink and Bijl found the back of the net. Kakanou Fotie, a senior defensive midfielder, said the key to success in Ohio was the team’s depth. “I credit our playing style and organization as the key to success,” Fotie said. “We discovered a playing style and identity that utilizes our strengths to the maximum which allows us to dominate against a lot of teams we’ve played so far. Along with our depth, this allows us to bring on players with different playing styles, which results in many people that contribute to the team’s success with goals and assists. [That] makes us play harder, knowing the
next person coming on can score as well.” Kelly, who recorded an assist on Bijl’s goal, said that depth and getting other players involved with scoring helps the team. “Getting everyone involved is important,” Kelly said. “We’re very happy to have such a deep bench to call on players to help the team.” After spending 10 days featuring in five matches, Point Park has a chance to take a rest. Their next match isn’t until Thursday. However, it’s a big one for the Pioneers, as they host city rival, Carlow. However, Carlow has yet to win a match this year. Rietveld knows that the Pioneers cannot undermine their rival. “We just have to keep doing what we are doing, but can’t do anything crazy,” Rietveld said. “That’s what got us the 10 wins in a row.” Meanwhile, Kelly said that the team will rest, but get good training sessions in. “Getting a break from our recent streaks of games is good for recovery,” Kelly said. “We’re ready to translate the break into a good match against Carlow.”
Rachael McKriger rakrige@pointpark.edu
8
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Women shut out OCU, improve to 2-2-1 in RSC Boyd, Goldstrohm connect with net in second conference win By Austin Alkire Co-Sports Editor
After the first two-thirds of their game against Ohio Christian, the women’s soccer team faced a harsh reality: you have to play how you practice, eventually. For the past few weeks, the Pioneers were practicing, as per usual. Throughout the season, head coach Bethanie Moreschi had her team working on multiple facets of the game, whether that be the basics, or capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Lately, however, the focus has shifted away from the norm; as of late, Moreschi has had her team trying to perfect the way they play in the final 30 minutes of the game. “We have been focusing quite a bit of time on final third attacks during training sessions which has really helped,” senior Bailey Boyd said. In their matchups against Washington Adventist and Ohio Christian, the practice had begun to pay off. Most particularly against the latter. “I believe that they were what really helped us dominate the majority of the game,” Boyd said. “We were able to possess the ball
and actually get some really good looks on net.” When Point Park took to Highmark Stadium to face off against Washington Adventist, for the second time this season in a non-conference game, the work was just as handy, for different, yet similar reasons. After beating the Washington Adventist Shock 3-1 previously, in what was the Pioneers’ first win of the season, Point Park looked to show off their prowess once again. Ten minutes into the game, senior Chloe Bowser took a corner. Fellow senior Gabby Widman took advantage of the opportunity and buried her second goal of the season. “Getting that first goal in any game is important. It allows us to gain momentum early on in the game,” Widman said. “This also gives us confidence knowing that we can play with these teams. All of the teams that we play are good teams and they always challenge us to be at our best and knowing that we can put a ball in the back of the net early on pushes us to keep fighting to score more than just one.” The Pioneers did indeed fight for more, however Shock forward Ariella Amaguana sent a 35 yard
shot into the back of the net to tie the game in the 24th minute. The rest of the first half saw no scoring from either side. The second half played out the same until the final 30 minutes where Point Park played how they practiced. In the 67th minute, Boyd put one in the back of the net to give the home team the lead, one which they would not surrender. Sophomore Taylor Goldstrohm and junior Brooke Doran each scored to give the Pioneers a 4-1 win over the Shock. For a team that struggled to start the season, the experience and time had started to take into effect. “I think since we were deeper into the season, we weren’t as panicked playing so we were able to have more composure in front of the net,” Bowser said. “We had more experience playing together and I think being able to connect more passes it really helped.” Later in the week, Bowser and the Pioneers took to Ohio to face the Ohio Christian Trailblazers for a River States Conference (RSC) game. If the scoresheet could speak for itself, it would have little to say offensively.
Nick Koehler | Point Park Athletics The seniors of the men’s and women’s cross country teams were honored at the CMU Invitational as a part of Senior Day. Between both cross country teams, six athletes are graduating.
Men and women both take top-five finish on Senior Day By Ben Reinke Staff Writer
Last Saturday, the cross country team traveled to Pittsburgh’s own Schenley Park to host the annual Carnegie Mellon Invitational. Both teams are used to racing on the Schenley course, which showed in the results. The women’s and men’s teams placed fourth and fifth respectively. “This is our third meet, and we’re continuing to improve,” head coach Jim Spisak said prior to the race. “I think we want to come away from this meet feeling that we did well. We want to run with, and even beat, runners that have been faster than us throughout the season. I think the kids all feel pretty confident, and they’re in a good place mentally going in.” Sophomore standout Alyssa Campbell took first place in the 5,000-meter race, with a time of 18 minutes and 36 seconds.
“I was not expecting that for sure,” Campbell said. “It was so humbling, so special.” Junior Reba Bartram followed closely behind Campbell, taking home third with a time of 19 minutes and 17 seconds. Rounding out the women’s team was Alyssa Frausto in 32nd, Alyssa Boyd in 40th, Alex Barr in 64th, Natalia Zucco in 75th and Mya Jackson in 89th. Sophomore Mya Jackson put up a personal best of 25 minutes in the meet. “It was very exciting,” Jackson said. “Since we were at Schenley, I was already familiar with the course. Last year, I ran around 29 minutes, and then it went down to 27. Then, it went down to 25. I only started running my senior year of high school, so it felt like a really good time for me.” Jackson credits her team for pushing her to her most recent achievement. “The team motivates
me,” Jackson explained. “I was intimidated and scared, but the team was so supportive and encourages me to run faster every time.” On the men’s side, senior captain Xavier Stephens led the Pioneers with a ninthplace finish. Following Stephens was Brody Carlin in 15th, Doug Kostelansky in 26th, Bryan Gutierrez in 30th, Dylan Allen in 40th, Carlos Polanco in 45th and John Ziegler in 50th. The men’s team ran just as well as the women’s team, with the top five men all finishing the 8,000-meter race with times under 29 minutes. Both cross country teams have a few weeks to continue training before Saturday, Oct. 26, when they will head to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Ben Reinke btreink@pointpark.edu
Nick Koehler | Point Park Athletics Sophomore forward Taylor Goldstrohm goes for a shot attempt in a game last week. Goldstrohm has five goals so far this season.
At least, that is, for the first two-thirds of the game. Once again the Pioneers’ practice had paid off. With the game locked at zero, Boyd and Goldstrohm both lit the lamp with goals in the final 15 minutes of the game. Point Park left Ohio with a 2-0 victory over the Trailblazers, giving the Pioneers their first multi-game winning streak of the season. However, there is still work to be done. Moreschi and her team would much rather prefer they capitalize on their chances sooner, rather than later, with that later being the final-thirds of games.
“I think [scoring/capitalizing on chances is] something that is improving and we can continue to work on as a group,” Moreschi said. “We still left a lot of goals out there on the field that we can’t afford to leave in future games.” The Pioneers, who are 2-2-1 in RSC play and sit at No. 6 in the conference at the time of publication, will have only one game in the coming week, for the first time this season. Point Park will take on the 0-1-4 Carlow Celtics in another first of the season.
Austin Alkire apalkir@pointpark.edu