PITT A CAPELLA GROUPS REFLECT ON PAST YEAR, DISCUSS NEW SEASON Anna Ligorio
Senior Staff Writer The 2012 film “Pitch Perfect” introduced viewers to many things — the infamous Cup Song, Anna Kendrick and most notably, cutthroat college a capella competitions. But how much of this a capella depiction from the movie is accurate, and how much is just fiction? According to Irene Cho, president of the Songburghs, a co-ed a cappella group at Pitt, some parts of the movie are very accurate. “So you know how, in Pitch Perfect, they do the ICCA’s, the competition where they all compete and like they do medleys and like choreo?” Cho said. “We do the same thing.” Along with the Songburghs, Pitt has many other a cappella groups. Some of these groups include Sounds Like Treble, a women’s group; The Pitt Pendulums, Pitt’s oldest
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group; Pittch Please, a men’s group; Pitches & Tones, C Flat Run and Pitt Avaaz. Krittika Banerji, a junior at Pitt and member of Pitt Avaaz, a co-ed South Asian a cappella group, said her group usually performs a fusion of western and South Asian music. “For most of our live performances, we do a mashup of like an Indian song and like a Western song,” she said. “It’s a pretty cool mashup, so we kind of do a mixture of both.” Anya Lee, a rising senior and president of the co-ed Pitches and Tones, said when it comes time to audition for a group, newcomers should look through each a capella group's Instagram and YouTube accounts to get a better grip on what style of music they make. “I know each group likes to dabble in lots The Songburghs, a co-ed a cappella group at Pitt. of different genres of music, but each group Image courtesy of Irene Cho See A capella on page 56
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KENNY PICKETT, PREPARING FOR FINAL CAMPAIGN, ISN’T READY TO LEAVE PITTSBURGH JUST YET
Dalton Coppola Sports Editor
Head football coach Pat Narduzzi was preparing to lead an exhausted 4-7 Pitt team into a seemingly meaningless contest against the No. 2 Miami Hurricanes in November 2017. Pitt fans didn’t have much to be excited about after another season of mediocrity and a campaign that would conclude without a trip to a bowl game. Narduzzi had been acting as the operator to a quarterback carousel with Ben DiNucci and Max Browne all season long, unable to find the stability he needed to win consistently. But ahead of the matchup against the highly ranked Hurricanes, Narduzzi decided to change things up, sending then-first-year quarterback Kenny Pickett under center for his first career start in the season finale. In a game that will go down in Pitt football history, Pickett led the Panthers to a 2414 upset win. The Panthers spoiled one of the most storied college football programs in the
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nation’s run at a national title after Pickett accounted for all three Panther touchdowns in the game — including the game winner. After scrambling for 22 yards and diving for the front pylon, Pickett secured a Pitt victory. The Panther Pitt erupted as Pickett’s teammates swarmed him in the end zone and, for the first time in what seemed like years, Pitt fans had something to be excited about — their quarterback of the future had arrived. Pickett, a native of the Jersey Shore, decided to trade in the sandy shores for the bridges and hills of Pittsburgh, nearly six hours west of the Garden State. The physical differences were obvious, but what stuck out to the quarterback most were the people of Pittsburgh. Although Pickett was initially wary of spending his next four years in an urban area, he quickly realized Pittsburgh and the people who lived there were unlike any other city. “I’m not a city kid,” Pickett said. “I was not drawn to the city, I really wanted more of a See Pickett on page 58
Quarterback Kenny Pickett could have left for the NFL Draft, but after falling in love with Pittsburgh, he opted to spend another year in the Steel City. TPN File Photo
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‘THE GREATER SOCIAL GOOD’:
PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR THE YEAR OF DATA AND SOCIETY Grace Stringer For The Pitt News
From art to biology, calculus to cooking, Eleanor Mattern said everyone at Pitt utilizes and benefits from responsible data science, making it subconsciously interdisciplinary. “We’re all producing data whether we know it or not,” Mattern, the director of the School of Computing and Information’s Sara Fine Institute, said. “There’s data being collected about us, we’re using data in some ways … there’s a recognition that this is a universal theme that unites all of us.” Mattern leads the committee for the Year of Data and Society — the upcoming 2021-22 installment in the annual “Year Of ” series run by the Office of the Provost. The committee with faculty, students and staff will be established soon to help plan a year of events focused on
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responsible data practices. This follows last year’s Year of Engagement, which hosted virtual events — such as social media challenges, virtual reading series and online civic advising quizzes — due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Provost Ann Cudd announced the Year of Data and Society on April 28. She said in the announcement that this year’s theme will be greatly beneficial to Pitt’s research community, and that data science is a part of almost every aspect of the University. “Data science now permeates education, government, medicine, engineering, entertainment, science, the arts, humanities and business, touching nearly every facet of life,” Cudd said. “All parts of our University collect and use data and each offers unique perspectives on Eleanor Mattern leads the committee for the Year of Data and Society — the how data can contribute to student and upcoming 2021-22 installment in the annual “Year Of” series hosted by the See Year of on page 57 Image via Tom Altany, University of Pittsburgh
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TO GET FULL EXPERIENCE, FANS MUST INVEST IN NON-REVENUE SPORTS Staff Writer Non-revenue college sports rest in an interesting niche, carved out by the whims of American sports fans and their interests. Football and basketball take precedence in the college landscape, just as they do in the American pro leagues. As such, other sports like soccer, volleyball and softball can’t rely on funding from their own box offices to stay afloat — thus earning the moniker “non-revenue.” But just because these sports don’t rake in the big dollars doesn’t mean they aren’t worth watching. Non-revenue sports are an untapped gold mine for viewing pleasure, especially as they leave Pitt’s flagship sports in the dust from a competitive standpoint. Athletic Direc-
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tor Heather Lyke doesn’t just focus on the sports that pull in revenue, and neither should students. “We created an environment where it’s a big deal when you win a championship,” Lyke said in a May media availability. “We’re going to celebrate [a championship], we’re going to display it … We wanted to create an environment … and create this culture that every team mattered.” Multiple sports that lie in this category succeeded at the highest levels this past academic year: Pitt’s non-revenue sports are firmly entering the limelight of college athletics after decades spent as afterthoughts. Football and basketball, on the other hand, languish behind, flirting with the See Non-revenue
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Kaycee Orwig senior staff photographer
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THE TOP FIVE PITT PROGRAMS TO WATCH IN 2021 Kyle Saxon
Senior Staff Writer Pitt Athletics’ storied history often plays a factor in a student’s decision to join the Panther family. New students usually have a vision of taking in a football game at Heinz Field or being a part of the Oakland Zoo before they even set foot on campus. But while Pitt may be best known for its history of football and basketball success, some of its most exciting programs receive much less publicity than they deserve. Over the past year, several Panther teams reached unprecedented heights and are poised to find even more success in the coming season. Here are the Top 5 Pitt programs to watch in 2021-22. 5. Baseball In a 2021 season in which it was projected to finish last in the ACC, Pitt baseball made tremendous strides as a program. Despite an abrupt end
l Commuting
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Ahead of a 2021-22 school year where many of Pitt’s teams have lofty hopes, next year. Lucas Zheng staff photographer
WWW.COMMUTE.PITT.COM
commuting@bc.pitt.edu 412.624.4034
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to their season after barely missing an NCAA Tournament berth, the Panthers enter the 2022 season with a strong returning core and the most excitement surrounding the team in years. Pitt played just 16 games in 2020 before the pandemic cut the season short. With a 2020 roster that featured 21 new players and a low level of collective experience, the program’s expectations for 2021 were almost entirely unknown. The last place preseason projection exemplified the struggles Pitt baseball had suffered through since joining the ACC –– but their eventual 23-20 finish to the 2021 campaign showed the dramatic progress that head coach Mike Bell has made in just three full seasons. Following a 22-12 start, the Panthers seemed poised to host a regional round of the NCAA Tournament but a head-scratching 1-8 finish to the year left Pitt disappointed on selection day.
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WHO’S WHO: YOUR GUIDE TO THE BIG NAMES AT PITT Colm Slevin Staff Writer
Pitt is filled with students — just over 30,000, from all across the state, country and even the world. That makes it virtually impossible to remember everyone’s name, let alone all the “important” people like faculty members and leaders of student organizations. So we’ve got you covered. Here’s a guide to the big names at Pitt that you will hear — and read in The Pitt News — most during the year. Chancellor Patrick Gallagher As Pitt’s 18th chancellor, Gallagher received his Ph.D. in physics from Pitt in 1991 before becoming chancellor in 2014. In between, President Barack Obama appointed him to direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2009. These positions earned him his own Wikipedia page. At Pitt, he’s responsible for the general well-being of the University, cultivating Pitt’s relationship with the Oakland community and raising University funds. He’s worked
on construction projects across campus and started new programs to prevent sexual misconduct on campus. He’s also made commitments toward advancing racial equity on campus, admitting last May that Pitt “let down” its Black students following the mur-
der of George Floyd and subsequent civil rights movement. Harshitha Ramanan, SGB president After an unusually tumultuous Student Government Board elections last spring, Ramanan won the SGB presidency with
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. TPN File Photo
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Student Government Board President Vice Provost and Dean of Students Ann Cudd. TPN File Photo Harshitha Ramanan. Courtesy photo Kenyon Bonner. TPN File Photo
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62.72% of the vote — the highest voting percentage in the past five years. Ramanan — a rising junior neuroscience major — has made the presidency entertaining, playing bachelorette and going on “dates” to see who she would appoint chief of staff. In her position, she’ll serve as a representative for Pitt students in meetings with faculty and administration. Ann Cudd, provost and senior vice chancellor Chances are you’ve already gotten some emails from Cudd and wondered what exactly a “provost” is. Cudd acts as the University’s chief academic officer and is in charge of developing and implementing various academic programs and initiatives. She helped launch an initiative to match federal Pell Grants. Prior to being appointed provost in 2018, Cudd served as Boston University’s Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in phiSee Who’s who on page 63
Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Clyde Wilson Pickett. via University of Pittsburgh
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PLAY CLUB, INTRAMURAL SPORTS TO STAY ACTIVE
Zack Gibney
Staff Writer From sunrise to sunset, Division I student athletes are tasked with balancing a full academic workload with morning workouts, practices and other program activities. While some students may have loved being a high school athlete, they may not have the time or abilities to carry that over to the college level. Fortunately, Pitt has a plethora of options that allow students to stay active without having to make the same degree of commitment to play a Division I sport. Whether you’re looking to play competitively or just to pass time with friends, there is no shortage of opportunities at Pitt. Club sports are a way that students can play in an organized and competitive fashion without varsity-level commitment. Club
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teams generally involve high school-like attributes such as tryouts, practices and traveling to games, but don't have the intense competition and time commitment of varsity sports. While the time commitment for each club sport varies, it typically involves several practices a week on top of games scattered throughout the semester. Club teams compete against other clublevel teams from other universities in the area. Pitt frequently plays other big-name schools from the region such as Penn State, Ohio State and Robert Morris universities. For those looking for a more laid-back setting, intramural sports are another popular on-campus option. Pitt Campus Recreation offers intramural sports such as cornhole, dodgeball, kickball, pickleball and Club and intramural sports, such as men’s club lacrosse, are a popular way volleyball. Intramural sports are generally for students to stay active and continue to play the sports they love. See Club sports on page 62 Kaycee Orwig senior staff photographer
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Honors, pg. 15 sity College London and a master’s degree from the University of London. The National Endowment for the Humanities, the Rockefeller Foundation and the U.K. Arts and Humanities Research Council funded her research, which includes topics such as race and state formation in Ecuador and Caribbean migration to South America. Tyler Viljaste, a rising senior politics and philosophy and finance double major, served as the only student on the search committee — which consisted mainly of professors. Viljaste said after the interview process, he felt that Foote could be a role model for him and other students. “She’s not only really charismatic and down to earth, but she’s also just so accomplished and so brilliant and the way she carried herself made it seem like she’s someone that I feel like a lot of students will be able to look up to, myself included,” Viljaste said. Viljaste — who has been an Honors College student since his first year — has seen and experienced the changes made to the UHC by previous deans. Viljaste said he is interested to see how Foote’s vision will transform the college. “That’s sort of the interesting part of where this honors college might go or transform into in the next couple of years,” Villjaste said. “She has a really exciting vision, she’s here to not maintain the status quo, but to try new things and have it be sort of transformative and a leader in the Honors College space.” From a student perspective, Viljaste — who is also heavily involved in Student Government Board and is an incoming co-chief of staff — said he
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values deans who are “open, accessible and inviting,” and enjoys meeting students and listening to student feedback and input. Viljaste said he’s excited by Foote’s appreciation for student input and dedication to meeting students. “The thing that really excited me about Nicola when she talked, was like student input is super core to the way she operates, like that’s how she operates at Arizona State University at Barrett,” Viljaste said. Dave Hornyak, assistant dean of the
sonal characteristics I’ve already seen in her enthusiasm and approachability,” Hornyak said. “I cannot wait to begin working with her on a daily basis.” Hornyak said Foote wants to meet as many students as possible, and is brainstorming ways to interact with students. These include meeting students in residence halls, informal “get-to-know-you” meetings, summer research programs and taking advantage of Zoom and Microsoft Teams’ accessibility. As Foote nears the start of her time
lenged like never before, but through their resiliency were able to still accomplish their goals, pursue meaningful internships and fellowships and be awarded prestigious national scholarships,” Foote said. “I look forward to the opportunity to lead continued innovation and growth at Pitt Honors, and to work with some of the most talented, hardworking and socially engaged students in the nation.”
Nicola Foote, incoming dean of Pitt’s University Honors College. Image via University of Pittsburgh Honors College, said he also admires Foote’s focus on student feedback and looks forward to working with her. “I admire her student-centered focus and her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the per-
as Pitt’s Honors College dean, she said she is excited to lead and work with Pitt Honors students, who have proven their resiliency despite the challenges of the pandemic. “Students and faculty have been chal-
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Troy pg. 18 Council and scored an interview. I proceeded to absolutely bomb it, putting the kibosh on my political aspirations. While this was happening, I was unable to find a way to play tennis — I’m not nearly good enough to play club tennis — and my experiences with Pitt’s environmental clubs were fine, but hardly inspiring. I felt by October like I had wasted my first few months blowing opportunities and failing to get involved in any meaningful way. In no derogatory fashion towards the glorious sport of table tennis, Ping Pong Club was my lone success. Hopefully, incoming first-year students find a bit more success their first semester than I did. It’s possible that you might find an extracurricular calling right away. I sincerely hope you do, but it’s also possible that you get to campus and strike out on clubs and activities. This isn’t to discourage you from getting involved — quite the opposite, actually. Your first year is the time to dip your toes into a dozen different activities knowing full well you may only stick with two or three. I’m not advocating for overwhelming yourself, just keeping an open mind and a willingness to try new things. As I was building a formidable collection of losses from the convenience of my dorm room, I was also beginning to dabble in writing again. I never wrote for my high school’s newspaper. Funny enough, my most recent work in journalism prior to joining The Pitt News was probably blogging about Brawl Stars, a mobile game that I admittedly have a residual affinity for. But as of the fall semester, I was an opinions columnist without a home, writing and submitting a handful of op-eds to this publication that are rotting in a spreadsheet somewhere in cyberspace.
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I finally snagged a proper position as an opinions columnist here in mid-January. I wrote several columns — some good, some about the Pittsburgh flag — and made a few friends. Then I became an editor, and I’ve since written a bunch of editorials, a few more columns and, between getting to know my desk better and working with the editorial board, made a whole bunch of friends. I wouldn’t have gotten this sleep-depriving, amazing opportunity if it wasn’t for the disappointment that riddled my first semester here. If my simultaneously self-indulgent and half-hearted hall council campaign worked out I definitely wouldn’t be writing this article, and I probably wouldn’t be writing for The Pitt News at all. Likewise, I probably wouldn’t have stuck with Free the Planet, an environmental club on campus that I joined early last fall. We’ve made progress on some really impactful work surrounding air quality and I was even able to — get this — meet some of the members in person, many of whom I consider friends. My early extracurricular failures were pretty crushing, especially as my friends seem to find success or at least contentment around every corner. But if I hadn’t come to college with an open mind and even a bit of legacy anxiety spilling over from high school, I likely would have missed out on my favorite college experiences thus far. I encourage everyone to avoid the anxiety part, but keep the open mind. College is a license to try things, fail at things and achieve things that seemed far too ambitious just a short time before. Take that license and run with it. There’s a pretty good chance you’ll find — as I’ve repeatedly described joining and writing for The Pitt News — the coolest thing ever. Jack Troy writes about politics, SGB and being tired of capitalism. Write to him at jpt40@ pitt.edu.
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DiBlasi, pg. 20 At least, it will begin that way, but humanity has an incredible ability to adjust to its circumstances. Both the seeming end of the pandemic and arriving at college highlight how new and wonderful the world can be, but I worry that we will begin taking our reclaimed freedoms for granted all too soon. And besides our tendency to adjust, college may be incredibly difficult. I was told that college is an amazing experience and guaranteed to be the best time of my life. I’ve come to hate that idea. It doesn’t hold true for everyone, and I’ve seen and felt firsthand how difficult it can be to flourish right out of the gate. At some point, almost every student’s classes get too difficult, or they experience crippling anxiety about what to major in or trouble finding extracurricular activities they like. Socially, I was incredibly lucky to find a group of amazing friends on my floor in my first year at college, but it really was luck. There’s a chance that, on top of studies, new and returning students need to put in extra effort to find the people that they’ll connect with. It all depends on your socializing style — some people need to find one or two people to develop deep friendships with, others need a wider-ranging group of friends. It’s not always easy, but life is better when you get to experience it through someone else’s eyes, too. It’s not necessary to work through the difficulties of college alone. Through these difficulties, college can feel like it takes a long time, but again, it’ll also feel like it’s over in a flash. Anyone, no matter where they are
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in life, would be well-served to preserve the feeling of awe that comes with new experiences. Whether you’re a new or returning student, if you find yourself becoming bored with the college experience, find a way to spark that feeling again. Oakland, and Pittsburgh in general, have a lot of ways for you to do so if you look for them — there’s not a whole class called “Secret Pittsburgh” for nothing. Visit one of Pittsburgh’s surprising amount of great coffee shops, such as Redhawk, De Fer or Commonplace. Visit a part of Schenley Park you’ve never
been to before, pet a cat or dog if you encounter one on the street, become a regular somewhere or find a favorite study spot. If you’re like me and sometimes need a push to get out of Oakland, take a bus Downtown, even if it’s just to find a bench somewhere and watch people pass by. Sometimes I think about that sense of awe I felt when first arriving at college, watching helicopters land on a huge building with strange people, and I catch myself thinking that I’ve somehow wasted and exhausted my precious naïveté. But the world of things to know
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and experience is vast, far too vast for one person to exhaust. In the first year of a post-pandemic Pitt, seize your opportunity to understand what you have and enjoy what you can lose. Lucas DiBlasi writes primarily about politics, economics and music. Feel free to email your opinions on Weezer (or whatever else) to him at LND28@pitt.edu.
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Kreutzer, pg. 21 Bagels in Benedum Hall is better than the one in Posvar Hall. Both take dining dollars, both serve a delicious plain toasted bagel with cream cheese and yet only one serves specialty coffee drinks to get you through the required collegiate algebra class that nearly took me out during my first year. Even if you’re one of the lucky ones that never has to set foot in Benedum Hall, I’d venture to say that the bagels and drinks are worth the trek up the hill.
Beware the buses Picture this. You’re late to class. It’s a normal Thursday morning in Pittsburgh, which means the sky is the color of coal and it's thunderstorming. You’re running down Fifth Avenue, dodging pigeons and Pathfinder tours. Suddenly, you see it. But it’s too late. A giant red bus is plummeting down what you formerly believed to be a one-way street, on course for a pothole filled to the brim with murky water and a single Five Guys receipt. Before you can leap out of the way, a tsunami of gray water crashes on the sidewalk. You cannot escape. I’ve
spent many morning recitations wringing out my jeans in a Cathedral bathroom after being the victim of a Port Authority soaking. Beware of your surroundings. Hillman naps are a thing Finals week is a special breed of brutal. Hillman library fills up quickly and chaotically, bursting with sleep-deprived students running on dining hall coffee. Securing a table is a noble feat, not to mention the pride one feels being able to hang on to this prime real estate for the entire day. For those mid-day slumps when giv-
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ing up a table to make the cold, dark trek back to the dorm feels impossible, taking a 20-minute power nap in Hillman is not only acceptable, but I’d go as far as to say it is encouraged. Don’t be afraid to leave Oakland Don’t get me wrong, Oakland is great. I love the restaurants, green spaces and, of course, Miss Cathy. But my affinity for the Steel City increased exponentially once I worked up the courage to venture to another one of Pittsburgh’s 90 different neighborhoods. Shadyside and South Side are prime destinations for shopping and restaurants. Lawrenceville has everything from bowling to an old church where you can get pierogies and beer. Downtown has the best views of Pittsburgh’s beautiful stadiums in the North Shore and world-renowned theatres where you can use your Pitt ID to get discounted tickets to all kinds of live events. By far the cheapest and easiest way to get around the city is using your Pitt ID and the Transit app to get free, simple transportation to any neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Julia writes primarily about sociopolitical issues, but also sometimes bagels. Write to Julia at JRK142@pitt.edu.
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, pg. 22 school together, and I never saw this side until we ran around to every Welcome Week event just to get free tote bags, fanny packs, food, Amazon gift boxes and more. This applies to everyone, but commuters especially — take advantage of the free stuff you get as a college student. Your Pitt ID works as a bus pass, and Pitt’s Commuter Student Programs will have events at the beginning of the fall semester with plenty more free useful things like portable chargers and really nice Pitt script lunch bags to keep your packed lunch cold all day long. You will lose a certain amount of time of your day to the commute I spend nearly 2 hours a day commuting back and forth to campus. In the very beginning of college, I used to try to go back home in the middle of the day during the gap between my classes, because that’s what most non-commuters did — they had dorms to retire to for an afternoon nap. After about two weeks I realized how painfully stupid it was and just accepted that I had to get used to being on campus for 12 to 14 hours a day. My advice — take advantage of the commute. In my case, I usually use the time to take a quick nap, listen to an audiobook or even do work on my phone. Pulling out a laptop on a crowded bus just sucks, but some people do that too. I prefer to just take advantage of the Canvas, Google Docs, Drive and Slides apps. By the end of the day, I’ve gotten two hours’ worth of work done just by sitting on the bus. You will spend so much money on food I beg of you, for the sake of your wallet, pack a lunch. Yes, sometimes we all need to cry in Panera during finals week over a bread bowl filled with mac ‘n cheese, and sometimes that Roots salad is just too good to resist because you saw someone else with one in Hillman and now you can’t stop thinking about it and also Five Guys Cajun fries just need to happen sometimes. Don’t even get me started on the Milkshake Factory — that place is dangerous. But regardless, always pack a lunch, snacks and even dinner if you can fit it. Commuting burns a lot of calories, because you’re doing a lot more walking and standing around than non-commuter students. Out of boredom, hunger or just plain studying and forgetting that you’re eating, you will eat constantly. I eat breakfast before I leave my house in the morning, and pack a full lunch and dinner in my cooler bag, along with a large variety of snacks. To maximize food space, I
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only put food that needs to be refrigerated in my lunch bag, and everything else goes in a separate bag in my backpack. Commuting is sort of like backpacking Your backpack will be massive, and that is okay. I travel and hike a lot, so I am fortunate enough to have lightweight gear that can easily be transferred from hiking bag to school bag. I actually have a sort of packing cube system in my gigantic green backpack, because it just makes things so much easier. When you’re on campus for so long every day, crash at a friend’s place for a night or pull an all-nighter at Hillman, you really have to be prepared — or at least I do, because I don’t
like to be caught without everything I need on me. I even use a lot of the same items I would while backpacking or traveling that are lighter weight than their full-size counterparts. I always carry a full mini toiletry kit, a mini firstaid kit, a lock, a tote bag, an extra layer and a change of comfortable clothes and shoes along with my school supplies, food and a big water bottle. Carrying all that stuff on your back gets exhausting, so if you would prefer to rent a locker on campus to keep things as well, there is always that option. People will judge you for living with your parents — don’t let it get to you If you do choose to live with your parents
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and commute from home, people will judge you all the time. It’s sad, but it’s true. The best piece of advice I can offer is to just not let it get to you. You get home cooked meals, an emotional support system and you’re making the best financial decision of your undergraduate career. The money you save by commuting can go toward building a future for yourself. When you get to take that money and put it toward a house or grad school or a trip to Hawaii, you won’t regret commuting. Dalia Maeroff writes primarily about issues of psychology, education, culture and environmentalism. Write to her at DAM291@pitt.edu.
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Letter, pg. 26 note sometimes and that’s OK. The key is to keep playing and strumming. Keep adding more range to your symphony. Eventually you will end up with a neat group of people to surround yourself with — folks with whom you can unfurl a picnic blanket on a warm night in Schenley Plaza, go on a trip to a nearby park, eat at a new restaurant on the other side of town or even go and see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra through Pitt’s reduced price program. Save and cherish this eclectic crew, and the special music you all make together. To help introduce you to life at Pitt and get you started on your college journey, we at The Pitt News have compiled this New Student Guide. Our amazing news writers have compiled a guide of the year’s key dates, ways to get involved on campus and more. Our wonderful columnists have written numerous advice columns, offering their hard-won wisdom about different ways to approach your time here at Pitt and resources you may find useful. The culture desk has some suggestions on escapes from the hustle and bustle of the City and some Pittsburgh pop culture history. And our sports writers have all the information you need on Pitt Athletics so you’ll be fully stocked on your Panther trivia. Beyond this 64-page special edition, we hope you will stay tuned to TPN through the summer and this tumultuous time for the latest news about Pitt and the Oakland community. We have teams of student journalists focused on covering nearly every aspect of campus and how it is changing during the pandemic and this time of social upheaval. The best way to keep in touch is
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to subscribe to our email newsletter at pittnews.com/newsletter — you’ll know about the news as soon as we do, which is even sometimes how administrators hear of it. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @ThePittNews and like us on Facebook. As readers and new members of the Pitt community, we want to hear from you, too. Feel free to reach out with story ideas, things you think we should be covering, responses to articles or any questions about our 111-year-old newspaper. Nothing is too big or too small. If you are interested in helping to tell the story of the Pitt community, we would be honored to have you join our staff. We are always looking for our next team of editors, reporters, columnists, photographers, videographers and copy editors to work at our award-winning newspaper. No prior experience is necessary to join — I joined my first year barely knowing how to format a quote properly, and now the chancellor knows me by name. If I can do it, so can you — if you’re interested in joining our team, you can apply at pittnews.com/application. I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your summer as best you can, and we’ll catch you around Oakland sometime soon. Remember to keep in touch with us for updates as August gets closer. All my best, Jon Moss Editor-in-Chief editor@pittnews.com 412-648-7985
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Boba, pg. 28 smoothies for first-timers. Now that things are beginning to open up again, these locations have seen more business than they did in 2020, according to Liang. “[It’s been] a little bit better than last year,” Liang said. “We have a lot of students in here, but right now because mostly they’re doing online classes, so they don't come to the campus.” Martin said one of the best things about boba is the sheer variety of flavors and combinations someone can get. “There's so many variations and combinations that you can do with bubble tea, whether it be milk tea, or you could do like some people do smoothies, or like coffees. So that's what I would put the most emphasis on,” Martin said. “There's just so much that is possible for boba and that's why I love it so much.”
Two employees prepare drinks at Fuku Tea. TPN File Photo
Students in Oakland can visit a few different shops close to Pitt’s campus to try bubble tea for themselves, such as Fuku Tea. Jon Moss editor-in-chief
Lin Hou crafts a cup of bubble tea at Chick’n Bubbly. TPN File Photo
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Nature, pg. 27 The Carnegie Library Patio // Maria Scanga, For The Pitt News It’s already such a gift to have the historic main Carnegie Library right in the heart of campus, but the gifts of the library just keep on giving as you meander through its museum marble-like architecture and adorable book alcoves tucked way in the back of the first floor. And if the library part of it isn’t exciting enough, the little outdoor patio in the center of the building is the biggest surprise of all. I stumbled upon it one night in a desperate attempt to find an open study space, and it has been warming my tired college student heart ever since. The patio has outdoor tables and chairs that are the perfect size to spread out your books, notes and laptop. It’s also perfect for studying with a friend or two. The space is decorated with green ivy and cozy fairy lights, so it doesn’t feel like studying in a typical college library. The sun hits just right, not too overpowering, but not super chilly. Even though it’s in the middle of the library and locked in by the library’s walls, the
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patio sits above bushes and small trees. Birds are always sneaking their way onto the patio for some peace and quiet, and hearing their chirps in their background makes you feel very connected to nature. Cathy Lawn // Julia DiPietro, For The Pitt News While the Cathy lawn may be deemed one of Pitt’s most popular and bustling locations, it’s for good reason. Being at the center of campus, it’s only a short walk from the lower campus dorms. On sunny days, you can find students packed out on the grass in hammocks, playing games or doing homework. Once the weather hits 55 degrees, it’s only a matter of time before the infamous spike ball games start popping up. What some people might not catch is that it’s also an underrated location for a beautiful Pittsburgh sunrise. The best spot is right behind the Heinz Memorial Chapel. Sit out on a blanket with friends in the early morning and immerse yourself in the glowy bright horizon. The green grass is layered with crisp dew, the sun illuminates the surrounding buildings, Cathy herself is tinted a vibrant orange color. For a first-year just getting to know cam-
pus, you can’t beat this hidden gem. It’s a great spot to be with nature on quiet mornings, particularly when you want to avoid the crowds of people that come later on in the day. Schenley Park // Kaitlyn Nuebel, Staff Writer People who are weary about going to college in a city often fear that they will have to sacrifice the typical green campus look for concrete and traffic. Lucky for you, Pitt has the best of both worlds, but unfortunately Pitt’s tuition doesn’t include a Hannah Montana wig. I’m talking, of course, about Schenley Park. There are plenty of green spaces where you can relax on campus, but Schenley Park is where you go to sweat out any of the semester stress with a hike or round of disc golf. No matter what you want to do outdoors, you’ll probably find room for it somewhere within Schenley’s 456 acres of land. The park includes a playground, skate rink, track, soccer field, softball field, some tennis courts, a golf course and a bunch of other things that I’ve read about but never actually seen. So if you’re worried that Pittsburgh won’t have enough nature for you to en-
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joy, don’t be. If you’re like me, you’ll get lost every time you go to Schenley Park. Ironically, this is about four more times than I’ve gotten lost in the City. My advice is to take your phone with you — or better yet, a friend.
Schenley Park. TPN File Photo
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Stages, pg. 30 blies Drury. Vila-Roger — a lecturer in the theater arts department, who is directing the play — explained that it tells the story of the first genocide of the 20th century from the perspective of a group of actors who are reenacting the extinction of the Herero tribe at the hands of German colonizers. “It is about a group of six people who are doing a presentation on Germany’s colonization and subsequent genocide of the Herero peoples,” Vila-Roger said. “The play jumps back and forth between the actual presentation to the audience in realm time and the rehearsals where they are putting the presentation together.” “The Drag Seed” follows the story of a boy named Carson who is determined to get the crown at his school’s drag pageant. Hobart, the director of the production, hopes this show will be a fun way for students to get involved and to present a new story to the audience. “I know my play is really just a super fun one and is giving students opportunities that they haven’t had before. It’s not like a drama or anything, it’s sort of a spoof kind of play, it’s super camp and super queer, which is so exciting,” Hobart said. This upcoming season will also have two productions as a part of the reading series. Annmarie Duggan, outgoing chair of theater arts, explains that the reading series will present newly written plays to the audience. “We will read them so the playwrights can hear them for the first time and our performers can learn to deal with a script that there’s no information about it yet, it’s just what the author put on the page and you’re bringing it to life,” Duggan said. Kelly Trumbull, a visiting assistant professor in the theater arts department, is directing “Sub-Par,” the reading series’ fall production written by Pitt MFA graduate José Pérez IV. Duggan said this play will be read for the first time, so even the actors do not have prior knowledge of the story. “The actors will still be able to have the scripts in their hands and just let us know what this new script is like and
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maybe what’s working and what is not,” Duggan said. Pitt Stages did not have in-person productions last season and Hobart, who is directing an in-person play this season, was a part of virtual productions. Hobart said she enjoyed making theater virtually because it required her to think differently about how to put the show together. “It's been really fun to problem solve and still make theater in really difficult circumstances,” Hobart said. Although the theater department hopes to be fully in person this sea-
son, Hobart said there are things about Zoom theater that she will miss, specifically the amount of reach productions can have when presented virtually. “Something I love about Zoom theater is how many people can watch it and access it,” Hobart said. “I would love again for us to be able to distribute the project in a wider scope, like we did with Zoom theater. But I’m not sure how those will work out quite yet. I think it’ll take some getting used to.” Duggan said she sees this fall as a way for the theater department to be able to fully work together once again and reach
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audiences through the productions in an in-person setting. She hopes the Pitt community will support the theater department’s in-person reopening. “I think the fall is going to be really exciting. I think that we as a department stuck together through COVID-19 and so we are still a unit, the student faculty and staff,” Duggan said. “I don’t think we could be more excited to be back together in person and tell stories and produce plays.”
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Fish, pg. 32 average. Bettas should be set alone in a five gallon tank. “Get a single male betta. You have a single fish, maybe some snails, and have a lot of plants,” she said. “It's a nice five gallon tank with a good filter, nice lighting and that makes it as close to the fish's natural setting.” Most fish aren’t going to be well suited to the small spaces you have to work with as a college student. But if by chance you happen to have more spare room for a tank larger than five gallons, you could try for some “tetras” or a school of “barbs” that like to hang out in groups of three or four and require a 20 to 29 gallon tank that will probably cost about $100 to $150. What size tank do you need? Well, it all depends on the size of the space you’re dealing with. Most people walk into a pet store and start by shopping for the kind of fish that they want. This isn’t really an efficient way of doing things. Because you could go on and on and on about how you’d love to have a clownfish, but chances are you don’t have the space for a saltwater aquarium and all the set-up it requires. So before you go looking for a fish, Lukacsena said you should first think about the amount of space you have in your room. You want your fish to be happy and healthy, with the right amount of space they need, because some small fish can live up to three years, Lukacsena added. Larger fish, such as the barbs, angel fish or cichlids can live upwards of 10 years. What other equipment should your tank have?
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Many times people make the mistake of getting plastic plants only for their fish tanks. It’s much better for your fish if the plants in their aquarium are alive and active. Lukacsena said this helps with the filtering process, by making sure the water stays clean. She also said natural plants help with tank maintenance because they create natural oxygen. Besides these natural plants, getting a proper filter is a must for your tank. It’s the best way to make sure the habitat is clean and scum-free. Lukacsena suggested getting a filter that corresponds with your tank size, but you could even go up a couple sizes for more cleaning power. Filters range in price depending on tank size, but start at around $10 for small fish. With a tank full of a fish or two and some snail or plant companions, Lukacsena said your fish-keeping venture can quickly become a hobby, because of the relaxing rhythms of fish care, something that college students always need. “You're actually inviting nature into your environment,” she said. “I think it's fun, it's entertaining and relaxing.”
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Movies, pg. 34 The Perks of Being a Wallflower // Maria Scanga, For The Pitt News Based on the iconic book of the same title by Stephen Chbosky, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” film was both based and filmed in Pittsburgh. The book was an essential young-teenaged read — making outcasts like me who struggled to make friends during the awful years that are middle school — feel validated. When the movie came out and was an instant success, that validation only multiplied. The most iconic scene in the film occurs when the three main characters — Charlie (Logan Lerman), Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller) — join together for one last night, driving through the very recognizable Fort Pitt Tunnel into Downtown. With David Bowie’s “Heroes” on full blast and the nighttime skyline of Pittsburgh in full view, it’s one of the most memorable movie scenes about friendship. One of the group's favorite hangout spots is also a Pittsburgh staple — King’s Family Restaurant. It’s the perfect diner food spot. And lucky for you, they have those iconic brownies with frowny faces that any Pittsburgh-raised child knows all too well. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl // Jessica McKenzie, Staff Writer If you were anything like me in middle school, reading tear-jerking teenage books that eventually turned into blockbuster movies a few years down the road was your favorite pastime. We're throwing it back to 2015 for this one, when the Sundance film adaptation of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews — a Pittsburgh native himself — came out. At the time I wasn't paying much attention to the setting of the film or book, since I had no idea I would end up going to Pitt. But after rewatching the film as a Panther, I noticed plenty of recognizable locations. First and foremost, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The film is about a girl battling cancer, and what better place to receive treatment than our beloved UPMC? The main characters also attend Schenley High School in North Oakland, which is just a stone’s throw away from campus. The main character, Greg (Thomas Mann), is aiming to go to "Pittsburgh State University" — which we can infer is our beloved Pitt.
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Overall, this film is distinctive for its quirky, nostalgic portrayal of high school — awkward social cliques and all. Though the young adult terminal illness genre can be overrated at times, this film portrays it excellently, embracing the flaws of teenagers and emphasizing how much our high school friendships affect us in the long run. So, grab your friends and a box of tissues to get ready to relive some high school memories as you watch it. Happiest Season // Kaitlyn Nuebel, Staff Writer I swear Pittsburgh felt gayer when Kristen Stewart and Dan Levy were in town
filming “Happiest Season.” What’s great about this movie — other than the fact that it’s a lesbian holiday rom-com filmed in Pittsburgh — is that it’s set in Pittsburgh, too. This gives locals plenty of things to pay attention to, in addition to Kristen Stewart’s slick wardrobe, of course. Shot in areas like the Ross Park Mall and Butler Street, the movie centers on the relationship between Abby (Kristen Stewart), a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University, and her girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis), a writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Abby visits Harper’s family for Christmas, but things become
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chaotic when she realizes that Harper’s family doesn’t know they are dating. Essentially it’s every lesbian’s worst nightmare set in a dream city — talk about using creative liberty. Watching “Happiest Season” is one of my guilty pleasures, mainly because for 102 minutes I’m able to convince myself that my world has collided with those of gay icons. Though, I will admit, I found some of the film’s creative decisions to be a bit troubling, like the fact that Pitt isn’t even mentioned once. It’s something I’ve decided to overlook so I can enjoy the movie.
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A cappella, pg. 36 primarily has one genre of music that they do the most,” Lee said. “If you're looking to be a little bit more pop or a little bit more alternative or something a little more Broadway, there's a group for all of those things.” For Banerji, joining Pitt Avaaz was a great way for her to appreciate her South Asian heritage while also performing a cappella. “Being South Asian, I thought it'd be a cool way to stay connected to my culture,”
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Banerji said. “I also auditioned for a couple others, and I think this one just appealed to me the most.” Banerji said she has been involved in singing and performing since she was young. Because of this, she knew she wanted to join an a cappella group before she even came to Pitt. “I have always been singing since I was young, I did choir all of high school and musical theater, so I couldn’t see myself not being in some type of vocal group in college,” Banerji said. A cappella groups aren’t just performance outlets for talented student vo-
calists. According to Sreya Dey, rising sophomore and business manager of the Songburghs, joining a cappella groups isn’t always competitive, and it is a way to meet other students and create friendships. “Everybody's on the same page, and we all respect each other's opinions and value each other's membership,” Dey said. “One thing that I really like about our group is that we all are friends, but we also know how to switch and go in business mode when we need to.” The COVID-19 pandemic forced a cappella groups to adjust to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pitt safety
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guidelines this past academic year. According to Dey, the Songburghs did not participate in any of their usual performances or competitions. Instead, the group rehearsed and learned music for fun. Cho said the Songburghs toned down their rehearsals and practices to focus on their members' mental health. “I think something that a lot of people struggled with was just burnout, not just in the a capella sense, but just also the life sense,” Cho said. “It came to a point where we decided that it would be better for us to prioritize mental health by making sure that we all have the time to just kind of rest and recharge. Of all the things Lee has learned from COVID-19, she said when the season starts up again in the fall semester she’ll be implementing new rules, particularly about cleaning. Lee, who served as the tech director for all of the a cappella groups on campus her sophomore and junior years, wants the mics especially to be clean. “All the a cappella groups on campus share one set of maybe 20 microphones,” Lee said. “I'm not running that anymore but for whoever I'm training I will definitely have a new system for cleaning and for checking out the equipment just so that we keep it all on track.” And with COVID-19 restrictions loosening, a capella groups can now look forward to a revival of in-person performances in the fall. One of these performances, an annual Halloween concert, includes all of Pitt’s a cappella groups. “In the fall, we have our retreat as well as a Halloween concert, which is with all of the a cappella groups combined,” Dey said. “And we're hopefully getting ready to get back on track and perform at the ICCA’s in the spring semester.” For Cho, some of her favorite moments with the Songburghs have been performing in concerts with her group. She said being able to show off their hard work throughout the year is an incredibly satisfying feeling, no matter where the group places. “I remember thinking that no matter where we placed, or no matter what the results would be, I would be completely satisfied just knowing that we finally got to show people how much time and dedication we put into it,” Cho said. Diana Velasquez contributed reporting.
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Year of, pg. 39 faculty success, human well-being and the greater social good." Cudd tasked her Data Science Task Force last year with coming up with strategies to implement data science into University educational programs, which is outlined in a final report. According to Mattern, initiatives from this report, such as the practice of responsible data science, are going to be utilized in the creation of Year of Data and Society programs. “While data science initiatives are already well established at many institutions, it is not too late to be a leader in this area … Pitt has the opportunity to step out of the pack and take a national leadership position,” the report said. Ethical data science is also a major concern for Mattern. She said there is room at Pitt for increased engagement with responsible data practices, by building it into the curriculum. “There’s an opportunity for us at the University of Pittsburgh to really think critically about the impacts of data and society — to also build up our curriculum around socially responsible data practices,” Mattern said. Mattern added that socially responsible data science is essential for the mitigation of harm, especially around the violation of privacy laws and ethical issues. She said the Year of Data and Society provides the perfect opportunity for the University to draw attention and awareness to complex circumstances. “There will be a lot of interesting programming events that [students] might be interested in participating in throughout the year,” Mattern said. “It might spark new ideas or raise some
Quinn Aker
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qpa1@pitt.edu
awareness about complicated ethical issues or policy issues around data.” One of the programs students should mark on their calendar, Mattern said, is a kickoff event that will likely happen at the beginning of the fall semester. She said around late June, the Year of Data and Society committee will have a website and Twitter account running to update the Pitt community on any progress. Mattern added that the success of the Year of Data and Society relies heavily on engagement from Pitt students. Mattern said any form of engagement
— such as participating in events or submitting proposals for programming events — is highly encouraged, because it emphasizes the interconnectedness of data science. Following the Year of Data and Society, Mattern said she hopes to see its goals represented in the University’s regular curriculum, further increasing Pitt’s standing in data science. “Many of us are producing or using datasets in our capacity as faculty, as students and staff. We use data or we collect data, we analyze data for projects that we're doing,” Mattern said. “One
thread that will cut across this Year of [Data and Society] will be an interest in building some awareness about socially responsible data practices so when we work with data … we can do so ethically.”
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Pickett, pg. 38 campus life … But I really fell in love with the City and fell in love with Oakland. There’s always stuff to do. It’s always buzzin’.” After four years, 21 victories as a starter, 8,552 yards in total offense and a couple of unforgettable upset victories against some of the nation’s best programs, Pickett isn’t ready to call another city home just yet. Pickett was eligible to enter the NFL Draft following the 2020 season and many believed he would. Pickett possesses many of the tools NFL scouts look for. He can move the chains with his legs and his arm — a prime example of the new wave of “dual threat” prospects professional teams now covet. He also participated in the program’s Senior Day festivities — giving the impression this would be the last time the Panther faithful saw Pickett don the blue and gold on the North Shore at Heinz Field. To the surprise, and delight, of Pitt fans, Pickett announced via his personal Instagram account in December that he would be returning for another year. The caption of his post was direct and to the point — “One more year. #H2P.” It wasn’t just the fans who were elated to
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hear the news. Even Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke jumped on the bandwagon as she too expressed her excitement at the news that Pickett would be returning. “Kenny Pickett coming back at quarterback is a real plus,” Lyke said at a May media availability. “For the leadership, for his personality … We have great expectations for that program.” Once the news had spread throughout the team, it seemed the entire program had been electrified. On National Signing Day, more than a week after Pickett’s announcement, wide receivers coach Chris Beatty said he was pleased his receivers would be catching passes from Pickett for another year. “He’s our leader,” Beatty, who has since accepted a job with the Los Angeles Chargers, said. “The receiver room is happy about it, the O-Line room is happy about it and the whole building is happy about it. He makes us a better team.” The decision to return unsurprisingly didn’t come easily to Pickett. The thought of hearing the commissioner call your name, signing an NFL deal and playing in front of sold-out professional stadiums is certainly a difficult scenario for any college athlete to pass on. But after consulting many people — including his parents, coaches, teammates and
sources inside the NFL — he decided another year in the Steel City was the best option for him and his career. “Up until [the day of] I really wasn’t sure,” Pickett said. “I was probably 50-50 the entire way. I told myself no matter what decision I made I was going to be 100% ... at the end of the day, after talking with my parents, I really just wanted to come back for one more year and improve my game and my draft stock … I’ve been all in since I made that decision.” A year after making his impeccable first impression in the Miami game, Pickett started all 14 games and led the Panthers to the program’s first ACC Coastal Division title and a trip to the ACC Title game against the juggernaut Clemson Tigers — a game the Panthers would lose 42-10. It wasn’t the result the team had wanted, but it was the first step towards returning to the elite stratosphere of college football programs — a year Pickett used to learn and grow. “That was a year of learning,” Pickett said. “We won the Coastal, which obviously [hadn’t] been done here before, we got to play in the ACC Championship Game. I got a lot of experience and went through a lot of adversity … it really helped me get mentally stronger for the back half of my career.” Pickett’s mental toughness was certainly put to the test last season. The entire Pitt athletics program was put under a microscope during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pitt required all players and coaches to follow the same guidelines students had to follow, meaning the people the players could see were severely limited and the team was forced to play without fans in the crowd. But one of the hardest parts of last season, for Pickett, was being forced to sit out of two of the Panthers’ biggest games of the season against No. 13 Miami and No. 3 Notre Dame. Pickett injured his ankle in a contest against Boston College — an injury, according to
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Pickett, that required surgery. The Panthers would go on to lose the two contests by a combined score of 76-22. “Watching those games was really tough,” Pickett said. “The goal is to stay healthy throughout all of these games and help the team win.” But fortunately, one thing Pitt football has never lacked, according to Pickett, is toughness. “Toughness is what separated us back in the day and I think it’ll separate us this year,” Pickett said. “We have some tough players that play with a lot of tenacity and guys that want to get after it.” Pickett has proven time and time again that he is a Swiss Army knife under center and the ultimate competitor — he can do it all. The Jersey native sits third all-time in total offensive yards, just 2,956 yards away from being the all-time leader, and has the most rushing touchdowns as a quarterback since 1977-80. This dual-threat ability Pickett possesses has led many to believe that he could climb up NFL draft boards, just as 2020 first overall pick quarterback Joe Burrow and 2021 second overall pick quarterback Zack Wilson did after taking the college football world by storm in their final years of college football. But according to Pickett, this won’t change the way he plays his game — the goal is, and always has been, to win a championship as a Panther. “If we’re successful as a team, [my draft stock] will take care of itself,” Pickett said. “Burrow did it. Wilson did it. Obviously I have guys that I’m chasing, they kind of set the standard before me. But I think we have a really good team, we just have to put it all together and everything else will take care of itself. I’m just excited for September 4 against UMass and we’ll get this thing goin’ ... I would love to bring a championship back to this City and back to this school.”
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Non-revenue, pg. 40 idea of becoming a powerhouse without ever bringing it to fruition. The Panthers perennially hover just outside the Top 25 on the gridiron, while the basketball team is staring down the barrel of another reboot after head coach Jeff Capel’s first attempt petered out. The Pitt fanbase’s best shot at a national title isn’t at Heinz Field or the Petersen Events Center — it’s at the Petersen Sports Complex, home of the baseball, softball and soccer programs. Although the venues at this complex aren't anywhere near the size of Heinz Field and the Petersen Events Center, the facilities are certainly nothing to scoff at. Each of the teams that play there — baseball, softball and both men’s and women’s soccer — have their own turf field with stadium seating, all equipped with press boxes and a place to buy food. While these games may not sell out, they are certainly some of the most exciting games to attend on campus simply because these teams can compete with the nation’s best. With 347 colleges and universities competing in Division 1 athletics across various sports and levels of competition, very few fanbases are lucky enough to see their team win a championship unless they root for a dynastic program like Alabama football or Duke basketball. Diversifying one’s assets by following more than just the revenue earning sports increases the chance of reaching the championship Cloud Nine, being every fan’s goal. As Pitt’s oft-overlooked sports knock on the door of becoming dynasties of their own, that’s more true than ever before. More than that, though, non-revenue sports provide an inexpensive pathway to new hobbies, friends and interests. Soccer, the most popular sport in the world by a landslide, is largely shunned in the United States by an audience who prefers football to fútbol. That isn’t an indictment of the sport’s merit, but merely the preferences of American viewers set in stone before the global age of digital television. Streaming services make it possible to watch these less popular sporting events — people aren’t confined to watching what’s in their cable package,
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making watching this category of sports easier than ever before. To make the most of your Pitt athletics experience, it’s important to devote time to non-revenue sports. The programs are more successful than their mainstream counterparts, are enjoyable to watch, easy to attend, provide another chance to try new things and meet new people outside the realm of the athletic cash cows like basketball and football. Pitt’s softball team. TPN File Photo
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Akeo, pg. 11 ID-19 pandemic hit. The difficulties of her time abroad, compounded by a pandemic, made the former Panther think more seriously about returning stateside and beginning her career on the sidelines. It was a path that Akeo said she always knew she wanted to take. Before her time as a player was over, she initiated conversations with Fisher about how to get into coaching. He didn’t expect that her first gig would come at Pitt, but when a volunteer position opened up, it was an obvious match. At the end of her season last November, Fisher called and told Akeo that if she wanted it, the position was hers. “The conversation started when she was playing for me,” Fisher said. “She had expressed to me, as an undergrad, that it was something she was interested in when her playing career was over … The timing kind of worked out with the COVID pandemic and her pro season so that she was able to come back in January.” As a volunteer assistant coach, Akeo — a former ACC Setter of the Year who ranks third all time in career assists for Pitt — worked primarily with the Panther setters. Akeo said she dissected video and tracked data on the successes and failures of specific plays, on top of
developing winning strategies that produced results on the floor. In her new role, Akeo will further explore the ins and outs of running a volleyball program and add more responsibility to her plate. As director of operations she will oversee scheduling practices and games as well as equipment needs. But above all else, she’ll be the head coach’s “right hand person,” according to Fisher. He gushed about Akeo and laughed in
Kamalani Akeo joined middling Pitt volleyball as a walk-on and left it as a two-time conference champion with three wins in the NCAA Tournament. In her post-playing days, she looks to push program limits even further. Image courtesy of Alex Mowrey, Pitt Athletics seeming amazement while reminiscing about her time as a Panther. “I want to not underrate what a great human she is and what an overachiever [she is],” Fisher said. “She came to this program … as a walk-on and now her name’s on the Varsity Walk … She helped build this program.” As a member of one of his first recruiting classes, he and Akeo have a deep connection. They trust each other and Akeo’s knowledge of the program, built through her own experience
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as a player, was a major factor in her hiring and promotion, Fisher said. She played alongside and led some of the current team’s veterans while the program was trying to break through on conference and national stages. Alongside returning senior stars Kayla Lund and Chinaza Ndee, Akeo represents the convergence of two generations of historically great Pitt volleyball players. “We struggled together, we succeeded to-
gether,” Akeo said. “Being able to see them reach these goals that this program had been shooting for is amazing. And to see how they’ve grown as players and people, it’s been really gratifying.” There are the older — a relative term, given the short lifespan of college athletic careers — players in Ndee, Lund, Sabrina Starks, Zoi Faki and Kylee Levers, who all shared the floor with Akeo as teammates and now reap the benefits of her coaching. Then there’s the young talent — sophomore Chiamaka Nwokolo, red-
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shirt first-year Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Akeo’s younger sister, Lexis, also a sophomore, who is the spitting image of Kamalani. The Akeo sisters are similar players — creative passers who play with intelligence and thrive off of their knowledge of scheme and positioning. Their four-year age gap means that the two sisters narrowly missed playing with each other, but Kamalani said coaching her little sister is familiar, even before taking a job at Pitt. At home, the oldest Akeo sister, Lesli — who was a standout volleyball player herself at Siena College in Loudonville, New York — works together with Kamalani, offering whatever insight their combined knowledge can muster to help make Lexis the best player possible. “When [Lesli] came back home [after college], she coached me in club when I was younger and even helped coach me in high school,” Lexis said. “It’s been a whole volleyball tradition with us three girls and I’m glad that I was able to follow Kamalani … and continue that tradition with her.” Sometimes their relationship as sisters can add some stressors to the job of coaching. When Lexis plays, Kamalani’s emotions are heightened. The joy of success reaches higher peaks and the sting of mistakes drops to lower valleys. “It wasn’t a horrible thing, but it was a little bit of a struggle because I did feel more emotionally attached to her,” Akeo said. “So if she made errors … it hurts a little bit more inside. But the opposite too, if she did something really good, I’m super proud.” But after reaching the Elite Eight this year, a feat no Pitt team had ever accomplished, the two siblings were able to revel in their shared glory, a kind of ecstasy that they both agree was multiplied by their tight bond. As Akeo continues to help the Panthers reach never-before-seen success, she imprints herself further into the lore of a program she had a heavy hand in building and a City that, despite being thousands of miles from her childhood home, has become a new home for the self-described “adventurous spirit.” “Pittsburgh, the City, was actually a really nice change,” Akeo said. “I knew that I was getting myself into something different, especially with winters, but I’ve come to be okay with it. I still freeze … but I do love the City … I’ve made a lot of connections here, so that was another reason why it was like, ‘Why wouldn’t I come back?’”
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Top 5, pg. 42 Despite the disappointing final stretch of the season, the Panthers will return the majority of their core in 2022, with the potential for some surprise returns from seniors that choose to exercise their extra year of eligibility. After amassing a program best 16 ACC wins, the Panthers are on an upward trajectory. New students should be sure to know the location of Charles L. Cost Field –– when the weather warms up in spring of 2022, it’ll be the place to be on campus. 4. Women’s Soccer Pitt women’s soccer made incremental progress over head coach Randy Waldrum’s first two seasons –– in his third season at the helm in 2020-21, his team made a massive leap. Waldrum inherited a program that had not won an ACC game in two seasons prior to his arrival in 2018. Last season, his squad totaled the most wins in program history and finished with an 11-5 overall record. Pitt had just one senior on their 2020-21 roster and will return the overwhelming majority of a talented core. While the Panthers posted a record of just 3-5 in conference play, Ambrose Urbanic Field will be one of the most feared destinations for opposing teams next season. Among returning players is junior forward Amanda West, who emerged as perhaps the best individual player in the country this past season, leading the country in goals, points and gamewinning goals. After another year of experience and growth, the Panthers should expect 2021-22 to be their best season in school history. 3. Football The 2020 season was one of lofty expectations for Pitt football. But after their roster and schedule were turned upside down by the pandemic, the Panthers finished with a very average record of 6-5. While the 2021 campaign initially appeared to be a year of rebuilding, the surprise return of star senior quarterback Kenny Pickett completely changed Pitt’s outlook for this season. Despite losing six tremendous defensive players to the NFL this offseason, Pitt’s defense will still be the strength of its team. While the 2021 defense will feature several new starters, the Panthers are loaded with young depth on the defensive line and in the secondary, all while returning their entire core of veteran linebackers. Offensively, Pitt will have the advantage at the quarterback position over most teams it will face and return the vast majority of its dynamic young playmakers, including sophomore wide receiver Jordan Addison. While the offensive line
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is rebuilding, there is no reason to believe it will hold the Panther offense back from improving on their 2020 campaign. While the team will look very different after 2021, new students can arrive at Heinz Field with high hopes for this season. With fans back in the stadium, Pitt’s most decorated athletic program is poised for a great year. 2. Men’s Soccer It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Pitt men’s soccer will be one of the best teams on campus this year. After posting their best season in program history, the Panthers have a very reasonable chance to return to the College Cup and contend for a national championship in 2021-22.
Pitt’s historic season featured a 16-4 record and an undefeated mark at Ambrose Urbanic Field. While head coach Jay Vidovich will have plenty of familiar faces on his roster this season, Pitt did lose a few players that were essential to its historic season, namely defenders Jasper Löeffelsend and Bryce Washington, as well as goalkeeper Nico Campuzano and forward Alexander Dexter. Even with these departures, the Panthers still return star junior forward and MAC Hermann Trophy finalist Valentin Noel along with a plethora of players who earned All-ACC honors and contributed to the team’s magical run this past year. Pitt should open and finish the 2021-
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22 season ranked as one of the best teams in the country. The only stipulation preventing the Panthers from sitting atop this list is the relative uncertainty surrounding how they will fill the void of some crucial players. 1. Women’s Volleyball Pitt’s most successful program in recent history is in a position to have perhaps their best season yet this upcoming season. After claiming three consecutive ACC championships from 2017-2019, Pitt volleyball took a slight step back by their standards in 2020-21.
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Club sports, pg. 44 held in one of Pitt’s many on-campus venues, namely Trees and Bellefield halls. Personally speaking, after having played baseball for more than a decade before enrolling at Pitt, I knew I would miss participating in athletics and the overall feeling of competition. Fortunately, I quickly found out that I would still have the opportunity to partake in the activities that I enjoyed in high school. Beginning my Pitt experience during the now-anointed “COVID Year” was an interesting experience to say the least. My friends and I struggled to find things to do after classes or during weekends, so we decided to join an intramural dodgeball league. We made the walk to Trees Hall every Monday and played dodgeball for an hour or so. It was a welcome break from the usual grind of classes and work, especially in a year riddled with restrictions on what you could do and uncertainty about the pandemic. It was certainly one of the bright spots of my first year. But club and intramural sports aren’t for everyone — there are still options for students to remain active and competitive
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while still taking classes and doing work outside of the classroom. Pitt’s numerous green spaces and fitness centers allow students to operate at their own pace. When the weather starts warming up, students will frequently run into many of their peers playing sports like Spikeball, throwing a frisbee or tossing around a football on the Cathedral lawn, outside Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall or around upper campus. Pitt’s accessibility to green spaces is something I really enjoyed in my first year. Considering the limitations on what we could do from a social standpoint, going outside on a nice day was something no one took for granted. Some of my best memories from last year came on the Cathedral lawn with my friends playing anything from Spikeball to cornhole. Whether incoming first-years are looking to continue to play the sports they love or just stay physically fit, there is certainly a wide range of options to choose from and build around the wants and needs of anyone. Pitt’s club hurling team (top) and quidditch club (bottom). TPN File Photos
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Who’s who, pg. 43 losophy and two master’s degrees from Pitt. Kenyon Bonner, incoming vice provost for student affairs Once the University finds a new dean of students, Bonner will take on a new role as vice provost for student affairs. In this position, he will supervise the new dean of students, be a part of the Chancellor’s Senior Leadership Team and be the liaison for the Student Affairs departments at Pitt’s four branch campuses. Bonner started at Pitt in 2004 in a number of positions before getting the vice provost and dean of students job in 2016. Along with his more official commitments, Bonner also hosts a YouTube series called “Riding in Cars With Kenyon.” New Dean of Students Alongside Bonner’s promotion, Pitt launched a search for a new dean of students who will oversee student resources, such as the University Counseling Center, the Career Center, PITT ARTS and more. A committee of administrators, faculty and students are in charge of selecting and interviewing candidates. Finalist interviews for the position began on June 7. The committee will make recommendations to Bonner, who will make the final decision about who gets the job. Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion Pickett began in his role last academic year. His job is to create a welcome, inclusive and equitable environment for students, faculty and staff. His tenure coincides with a push by Black students and student organizations for more equity and transparency within the University. Before coming to Pitt, Pickett was the chief diversity officer for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System since 2017, and previously served in that role for the nearby Community College of Allegheny County. He is also an alumnus of Pitt’s School of Education. Joseph McCarthy, vice provost for undergraduate studies McCarthy’s job is to improve undergraduate education and enhance the academic experience for undergraduate students. Before this position, he was an engineering professor in the Swanson School of Engineering. He was also named interim dean of the University Honors College last year.
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