The Pitt News October 20, 2015 Issue 45 Volume 106
Beyond the Red
On campuses across the United States, sexual violence spikes during the first six to eight weeks — a period of time labeled “the red zone.” Some say, though, the label does more harm than good. | by Dale Shoemaker | Photo by Theo Schwarz On fall weekends, while the air is fresh and still invitingly warm, the same scene rolls. Speakers up, drinks served and best clothes on, as Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University students pour into South Oakland homes and bars for evenings of fun. While the music and students’ spirits are up, research shows the rate of sexual violence rises too. Two separate studies — from 2007 and 2008, respectively — show that nearly half of sexual assaults on college campuses will happen during the first six to eight
weeks of the fall semester, a time the 2008 study labels “the red zone.” Title IX coordinators at Pittsburgh’s two largest universities, though, shy from adopting the term. Rather, Katie Pope from Pitt and Holly Hippensteel from Carnegie Mellon have said sexual violence is a year-round problem. And although the studies show sexual violence on college campus goes up nationally during the red zone, the coordinators said they don’t have the numbers to back up the trend locally. After publishing the results of a 126-
page campus climate survey from the Association of American Universities in September, Pitt administrators have said they are not letting the red zone label alter their focus from eliminating sexual assault on campus. Though university administrators and other professionals are united in their fight against sexual violence, the red zone — both the label and the spike — divides them. The red zone According to “Risk of Unwanted Sex for College Women: Evidence for a Red
Zone,” — the 2008 study published in the Journal of American College Health — the red zone is the time during the academic year, usually the first six to eight weeks, when sexual violence rates peak. Both the 2007 study — which the U.S. Department of Justice funded — and the 2008 study said the red zone can last from the beginning of the school year until mid-October or all the way to Thanksgiving. According to the 2008 study, a college student has a 0.4 percent chance of See Red Zone on page 2
Red Zone, pg. 1
pittnews.com
being assaulted on any given day during the red zone, as compared to a 0.23 percent risk throughout the first six months of the academic year. According to the 2007 study, nearly 50 percent of forced sexual assaults at colleges happened from August to November. Christopher Krebs, now a researcher at the Research Triangle Institute, led the Department of Justice’s sexual assault on college campuses study, and said while his study never uses the phrase “red zone,” the “data suggests that the red zone exists.” “It’s an exciting time and a fun time, but it’s also a vulnerable time,” Krebs said. “I think it’s real and I think it makes sense.” Other schools outside of Pittsburgh do refer to this period as the red zone. West Virginia University and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania dedicate sections of their websites to educating students about the red zone. IUP spokesperson Michelle Fryling, said the school includes information about the red zone on its website because it is part of the school’s “aggressive” education program to curb sexual violence. Colleen Harshbarger, director of WVU’s office of wellness and health promotion, which is in charge of sexual assault education, did not return a request for comment. On Pittsburgh’s campuses At Pittsburgh’s two largest campuses, Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University, neither said it has enough data on sexual assaults to show the red zone exists. Pope, who Pitt hired as its first full-time Title IX coordinator this semester, said she doesn’t want to diminish the occurrence of sexual assault on campus, but also doesn’t want to squeeze students into a statistic. “We don’t have the data to back [the red zone] up,” Pope said. “While I don’t want to, in any way, negate someone’s experience, I never want someone to think, ‘Well this didn’t happen to me my first semester so it really didn’t happen.’ I never want someone to take a trend and apply it to them.” Next door, Hippensteel, CMU’s Title IX coordinator, said her office doesn’t have numbers to prove it has a red zone — mainly because victims don’t always report right
October 20, 2015
away — but said she does believe it still exists. “I do think it’s a reality,” Hippensteel said. “I do think more incidents occur but that doesn’t translate to an increase in reports.” What causes the possible spike in incidents, however, is not clear. “Our hypothesis is that folks are new to campus and they’re figuring out the social scene and going out more than during the year when there are more academic stressors,” Hippensteel said. According to Krebs, the data only shows the problem exists, not how to solve it. “We don’t know enough to why it keeps happening, it’s something we keep struggling with,” Krebs said. “Our research is more trying to understand the problem and the magnitude of the problem. These are school specific situations that need to be measured and understood.” On our campus At Pitt, 21 percent of women, 6.2 percent of men and 19.6 percent of TGQN — transgender men and women, genderqueer, gender nonconforming and questioning individuals — have had a nonconsensual sexual experience during their four years on campus, figures that came from the recent AAU survey. Pitt released its results of the widely publicized AAU survey — which aimed to measure the sexual assault climate on 28 colleges and universities — on Sept. 21. While the survey gave an overall picture of the prevalence and occurrence of sexual assault on campus, it did not break incidents down by month, leaving the question of the red zone unanswered. Before the survey, Pitt measured the rate of sexual assault on campus through its crime and safety log, which the Jeanne Clery Act requires of all colleges and universities. In 2014, Pitt police recorded 20 reported rapes, though it didn’t break that number down by month. An unproductive label The researchers of the 2008 study noted the potential harm of labeling the spike they found, as it could lessen the perceived risk of sexual violence throughout the rest of the year. “Theoretically, education about the clasSee Red Zone on page 4
2
pittnews.com
October 20, 2015
3
Red Zone, pg. 2 sic red zone may place women at higher risk during lower-risk time periods if they perceive those times to be relatively safe,” the authors wrote. Pitt and CMU’s Title IX coordinators said the label was unhelpful at the least. “It can make people defensive. It can make men defensive, it can make women fearful. It doesn’t help,” Hippensteel, CMU’s Title IX coordinator, said. Though its data in the AAU survey provided a stark reality of the Oakland campus, other Pitt administrators, including interim vice provost and dean of students Kenyon Bonner, shy from attaching the red zone label to the first part of the fall semester. “Even the use of the term ‘red zone’ is not the most appropriate reference to sexual assault,” Bonner said. “It’s probably not sensitive.” Similarly, Pitt’s former sexual assault coordinator, Mary Koch-Ruiz, who retired to coordinating only part-time earlier this month, said the label is not productive. Koch-Ruiz did not return multiple voice-
pittnews.com
mail messages asking for interview but said in an email through a Pitt spokesperson the red zone label trivializes a serious issue. “I do not think the label is productive because it minimizes a serious issue,” KochRuiz said. While sexual violence does spike during September, it is only one month that sees a peak in sexual violence, Koch-Ruiz said. Other months, like February, when students arrive back on campus after winter recess, and April, as the academic year winds down, also see increases in sexual violence, KochRuiz said. To Pope, Pitt’s Title IX coordinator, the red zone label ignores these other months. “I’m not saying these reports aren’t coming in [during the red zone]. I don’t think we should be focusing on the six weeks, I think we need to look at the whole of the year,” Pope said. Fighting sexual assault year-round At the same time Pope, Bonner and others at Pitt reject the red zone label, they are redoubling their efforts to prevent sexual violence on campus, especially among freshmen — the group most at risk for sexual vio-
lence. “Do I think we need to give first-year students a whole lot of education and a whole lot of resources? Absolutely,” Pope said. “But I never want anybody to think what happened to them doesn’t count because it wasn’t in a certain time period.” Overall, Pitt’s plan to combat sexual assault is simple. Raise awareness, educate faculty, staff and students and change the culture. Formed last April, Pitt’s Sexual Assault Task Force is breaking the AAU data down into six categories — alcohol and drugs, increasing reporting, marginalized groups, education, support for men, and support for faculty and staff — that each of six committees will address. By next year, the task force will introduce new education programs for students, new training for faculty and staff and a plan to make sure victims get the help they need. “At the end of the day we have to change the culture,” Bonner said. “The students sort of told us what the culture is like ... now our job is to try to change that culture.” Since the U.S. Department of Education
October 20, 2015
issued its “Dear Colleague” letter to higher education administrators — which brought awareness to the issue of sexaul assault on campuses — in April 2011, Pope said universities across the country are taking sexual violence more seriously. The biggest change, according to Pope, is that people are not as afraid to talk about sexual assault when it happens. “I won’t say we’ve seen the culture-change we want to see but it’s certainly brought the issue to the table,” Pope said. Red zone in the city On the city-scale, Pittsburgh sees an uptick in sexual violence in the first few months of fall, according to Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, in part because of the number of universities in the area. “We’re a county with 10 colleges,” PAAR executive director Alison Hall said. “You can certainly draw a correlation.” In 2014, PAAR helped 3,160 people in Allegheny County, according to Hall. From the beginning of August to the end of October, PAAR saw 382 people. Compared to the number of people PAAR saw in July and See Red Zone on page 5
4
Red Zone, pg. 4 August last year, Hall said, the organization saw about 20 to 25 percent more people in September and October. Overall, data is the one thing that can prove — or at least suggest — the existence of a red zone. But even some organizations that serve all of Pittsburgh, like Pittsburgh’s Center for Victims, only track the number of people they see annually, not month by month. The center does not, however, see the existence of a definitive red zone mainly because victims often don’t report an assault directly after it happens, Danielle Hanna, the center’s community engagement assistant said. “There’s a lot of stigma behind it in college. There’s different stigmas whether you were drinking, whether you want it. Stigmas make healing even harder,” Hannah said. Causes and solutions Generally, sexual assault experts agree that an influx of new students on campus, more parties and increased consumption of alcohol cause upswings in sexual violence. To solve the problem at Pitt, Pope said making resources transparent is most important so students who are victimized report their assaults right away and can immediately begin healing. Getting students to report sexual violence as soon as it happens, and making sure victims know what resources are available to them is one part of Pitt’s plan to change its campus. Also part of the plan is educating others in bystander intervention training and respecting others. In the end, no one is quick to embrace
pittnews.com
the red zone label, just like no one denies sexual violence is a problem on college campuses. Red zone or not, though, professionals in Pittsburgh and around the country say colleges need a culture change, one that shuns sexual violence and one that encourages reporting and healing. “When the environment is such that we’re encouraging students to report it, we’re talking about the resources, we’re trying to eliminate the stigma around it, hopefully we begin to change the culture,” Pope said.
October 20, 2015
5
The Pitt News Editor-in-Chief DANIELLE FOX
Managing Editor HARRISON KAMINSKY
News Editor DALE SHOEMAKER
Opinions Editor BETHEL HABTE
newsdesk.tpn@gmail.com
tpnopinions@pittnews.com
Sports Editor DAN SOSTEK
Culture Editor JACK TRAINOR
tpnsports@gmail.com
aeeditors@gmail.com
Visual Editor NIKKI MORIELLO
Layout Editor EMILY HOWER
pittnewsphoto@gmail.com
tpnlayout@gmail.com
Online Editor STEVEN ROOMBERG
Copy Chief MICHELLE REAGLE
tpnonline@gmail.com
tpncopydesk@gmail.com
Elizabeth Lepro | Assistant News Editor Lauren Rosenblatt | Assistant News Editor Nick Voutsinos | Assistant Opinions Editor Chris Puzia | Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor Danah Bialoruski | Assistant Layout Editor Sydney Harper | Multimedia Editor Jenna Stearns | Social Media Editor
Katie Krater | Assistant Copy Chief
editor@pittnews.com
manager@pittnews.com
Copy Staff Bridget Montgomery Anjuli Das Sierra Smith Sydney Mengel Sarah Choflet Kelsey Hunter
Matthew Maelli Kyleen Pickaring Casey Talay Corey Forman Alex Stryker Maria Castello
Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left. The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and
student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.
Business Manager MATT REILLY
advertising@pittnews.com
pittnews.com
October 20, 2015
Sales Manager DAVE BARR
Inside Sales Manager KELSEY MCCONVILLE
Marketing Manager KRISTINE APRILE
University Account Executive ALEX KANNER
Graphic Designers
Account Executives
Inside Sales Executive
Matt Hyre Jillian Miller Maya Puskaric
Dave Barrone Antonio Blundo Rob Capone Calvin Reif Allison Soenksen Frany Tish
Marissa Altemus Victoria Hetrick Annie Seagers
6
Opinions from the editorial board
Republican candidates’ tax proposals out-of-touch If you haven’t heard Presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., complain about how little the “billionaire class” pays in taxes by now, you might as well have never heard him speak at all. “Let me tell you, Donald Trump and his billionaire friends under my policies are going to pay a hell of a lot more in taxes today — taxes in the future than they’re paying today,” Sanders said at last week’s Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas. Sanders’ competitor, leader in the Democratic primary polls, Hillary Clinton, agreed, despite being a member of the one percent herself. “Right now, the wealthy pay too little,” Clinton said at the same debate. Both Democratic candidates seem to believe that a tax hike on the wealthiest one percent will solve many ills in our country. A hike will pay for universal access to higher education, as Sanders has proposed. Alternatively, it can give Washington more than enough cash to provide financial relief for students facing mountains of debt from unpaid student loans, as Clinton has proposed. The benefits of a top-earner tax hike seem almost too good to be true, but as Patricia Cohen reported for The New York Times last Friday, mainstream economists have said these campaign promises could actually work. “Most economists today would agree that raising taxes modestly
pittnews.com
would bring in more revenue” without doing any serious damage to the economy, Roberton Williams, a fellow at the Tax Policy Center, told The New York Times. Nonetheless, all the Republican candidates have proposed tax cuts for America’s wealthiest earners. They say higher taxes would discourage job creation and overall growth. In that, assuming the top one percent consists solely of employers, higher taxes will lead them to spend less on job creation, inhibiting the growth of the middle class in the process. Yet, as the one percent continues to stretch their incomes, the average income in the middle class remains relatively stagnant. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average income of earners in top 20 percent grew by 42.6 percent between 1979 and 2012, when adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, the average incomes of earners in the middle 60 percent grew by only 9.5 percent. Republicans need to forget continued relief schemes — a tax hike on top-earners is needed to grow the middle-class. Why? According to the The New York Times report, increasing the tax rate on the top one percent from accounting for a third of their income to 45 percent would bring in a total $276 billion to the government — while still leaving at least $1 million left over for the majority of one-percent households. In fact, just increasing the tax rate on the 0.1 percent of earn-
ers to a 40 percent rate would produce $55 billion in extra revenue. “That would more than cover, for example, the estimated $47 billion cost of eliminating undergraduate tuition at all the country’s four-year public colleges and universities,” wrote Cohen. Seeing that education is currently the main route to a livable wage in this country, more affordable education for all certainly has the potential to push more people in the middle class and keep them there. A tax hike could also decrease the costs associated with health care and child care, as the government could afford to expand medicare and subsidize public prek services. This would be invaluable to middle-class families, considering that the costs associated with such services rose by more than $10,000 from 2000 to 2012 for the average middle-class family with two children, according to the Center for American Progress. Again, this is all while the average income within the middle class remained relatively stagnant. Thus, Democrats like Sanders are not exaggerating when they harp on the positive effects taxes on higher income brackets can bring. Such policies can only help to grow and sustain a middle class. Republicans should take note. A strong middle-class — not a few wealthy billionaires — is what we need to really “make America great again.”
October 20, 2015
WHISTLEBLOWERS PROVIDE SERVICE, DESERVE PROTECTION Matt Moret Columnist
Last week’s Democratic debate contained few moments of total consensus. Of course, the exception was when moderator Anderson Cooper asked if former NSA contractor Edward Snowden should go to jail. All of the candidates wanted to throw the book at Snowden, mainly arguing that he fled from legal consequences. As former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reasoned, “He could have been a whistleblower, he could have gotten all the protections of a whistleblower. He chose not to do that.” Whistleblowers are an important part to any democracy, as they expose wrongdoings to the public and drum up pressure for reform. All of the democratic candidates agree with this sentiment as well. Yet, there are two problems with Clinton’s argument in particular. The first is that Snowden was, beyond question, a whistleblower. He exposed illegal activities by the National Security Agency, for which he worked. Second, the “protections” Clinton referenced wouldn’t have protected him at all. Critics of Snowden, such as Secretary of State John Kerry,
often accuse whistleblowers of disregarding American security interests. But these interests, and the basis for American democracy, include transparency. Cornell University’s legal dictionary defines a whistleblower as “an employee who alleges wrongdoing by his or her employer of the sort that violates public law or tends to injure a considerable number of people.” Employees of both corporations and branches of government can engage in whistleblowing, but the protections extended to these people are limited and unclear. The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 protects government employees from legal retaliation. “Retaliation” can include lawsuits for breaching internal policy and firing based only on the exposure of information. This protection does not apply to members of the self-regulating intelligence community or the military branches — seeing as they are technically not employees of the government. Employees working in these fields can only express concerns about the legality of agency practices through internal reporting, according to the 1998 Intelligence Community Whistleblower See Moret on page 8
7
Moret, pg. 7 Protection Act. The same is true for military service members , who fall under the Military Whistleblower Protection Act of 1988. This process doesn’t amount to much help at all. In order to prevent premature security leaks, employees must report suspected misconduct to their supervisors before reaching out to members of Congress, who are supposed to handle the subsequent investigations. This reporting makes the whistleblower a target more than it protects them, as the government can criminally investigate, arrest and jail whistleblowers on espionage charges once it has identified them as a potential leak. This is exactly what happened to NSA staffer Thomas Drake in 2007. Drake worked at the NSA, analyzing the agency’s data collection systems for weaknesses, operating under a $3 billion program known as Trailblazer. When investigating the efficiency of the
pittnews.com
operation, Drake realized that it was essentially a domestic spying operation, a precursor of PRISM, the NSA program Snowden later revealed. Drake complained internally to superiors, as is outlined in whistleblower procedures. However, the government redacted 90 percent of the official report based on the information Drake gathered from public viewing, leaving people outside of the NSA in the dark. Nothing came of his report, so Drake began passing the unclassified NSA documents to the Baltimore Sun. After the Sun article came out, Drake and the officials who helped take part in the report were targeted in government raids. Ultimately, Drake pled guilty to “exceeding authorized use of a computer” but a federal judge dropped all espionage charges due to insufficient evidence. Drake followed every stage of the law and the government responded with raids, spying charges and years of intense legal attacks for telling the truth. Drake’s experience provides context for the most recent case of whistleblow-
ing. Last week, an anonymous source shared government documents about the Obama administration’s drone program. The Intercept, the investigative news site that broke the Snowden story, has published these documents as “The Drone Papers.” As it turns out, the papers highlight severe negligence in how we conduct drone strikes. The documents show an underreporting of drone strike casualties, in that, on average, during the 60 day period in which the CIA is supposed to identify and approve targets for killing, only two days are dedicated to actual identification. The rest of the time is reserved to get strike authorization up through the chain of command. Consequently, 70 percent of civilian casualties occur because of insufficient identification measures, according to the revealed papers. Information such as the kind revealed in “The Drone Papers” might be able to shift the 58 percent approval rate Pew Research Center found for American drone strikes. It could help a Pitt student
October 20, 2015
voting for the first time decide how he or she feels about Hillary Clinton, who helped develop and defend the program, and subsequently, save civilian lives that would otherwise be taken by drone strikes. Once the source of “The Drone Papers” is revealed, though, the whistleblower will likely be dragged through the mud just like Snowden and Drake, simply because these people often are “breaking the law” by coming forward, as politicians tend to argue. Government retaliation speaks more to a need for reforming the legal procedures surrounding whistleblowers than to the morality behind whistleblowers’ actions, simply because, these individuals give us the tools to better evaluate government actions and make informed voting decisions. We as voters can’t truly decide unless we know of all the options. Matt Moret primarily writes on politics and rhetoric for The Pitt News. Write to Matt at mdm123@pitt.edu
8
Culture
NOW HEAR THIS: ‘STORIES UNTOLD’
Jack Shelly Staff Writer
For ten more days, Pitt students are demanding conversation about mental illness through art. “Stories Untold,” a student art exhibition raising awareness for students’ mental health, features 45 written and visual pieces by 32 different student artists. “If someone looks like they could use a hug, give one,” a sign advises in front of the Conney M. Kimbo Gallery on the main floor of the William Pitt Union. That sentiment is the spirit of the student exhibit, which runs until Friday, Oct. 30. The collection of student narratives detail experiences with mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, depression, anorexia and anxiety in an effort to spark a larger conversation about mental health at Pitt. The Pitt Program Council organized the exhibit as part of a larger push by the University to address mental health on campus, according to PPC member Amanda Chan, a senior who works at the Kimbo Gallery desk . In order to underscore the diverse nature of mental illness and its effect, the exhibit’s submissions included a wide range of mediums and experiences, including poetry, visual art and sound recordings. There are also barcodes which students can scan on their smartphones to view multimedia accompaniments on the Pitt Stories Untold website, which will permanently house the student’s work. Although deeply personal, the exhibit welcomed all voices, according to contributing artist Kevin Tang, a senior studying neuroscience and one of the exhibit’s four curators. “I do not believe any artist was nervous about putting forward their own
pittnews.com
Sophomore Ethan Phillips looks art detailing mental illness in “Stories Untold.” Nikki Moriello | Visual Editor personal and powerful works. We welcomed all levels of skill and offered anonymity to any student who wished so, and really emphasized that it would be a safe space for the artists to share their stories,” said Tang. “Interestingly, a good percent of students did not wish to be anonymous, which said loudly how much they also wish to fight the stigma against mental health.” PPC collaborated with an array of campus organizations to find submissions, including the Honors College, Talk About It, Active Minds and the University Counseling Center. Amongst the art, the gallery offers brochures and flyers on
mental health assistance available to students at Pitt. The largest piece in the exhibit, “Empty bottles, empty souls,” features three rows of empty pill bottles. Instead of labels, Kayla LeMaster, the artist wrote the hurtful things that people have said to her about her struggles with depression. “It must suck to want to die,” reads one of the labels. “Nobody cares about your life,” reads another. “‘Empty bottles, empty souls’ was my favorite in the exhibit,” said sophomore accounting major Lori Bennett, who visited the exhibit last Thursday after a
October 20, 2015
friend told her about it. “I think if nothing else this will get people talking about mental illness and help students realize that their words can have a powerful impact,” Bennett said. The submissions aren’t always about the artists’ battles. Sam Mostofa, a junior psychology and neuroscience major, wrote “Dear Abrar” about her younger brother who has lived with depression since he was just seven years old. A picture of Mostofa and her brother, as well as his toy car, accompany the letter, tangibly reminding the audience that See Stories on page 11
9
TRIPLE PLAY: BALLET THEATER OPENS WITH DECORATED BILL For The Pitt News The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will begin its season this weekend with an energized bill of three classic ballets spanning time and place. “Mixed Repertory #1,” which plays from Friday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 25 at the Benedum Center, evades themes and categorization with masterworks from Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine, New York’s William Forsythe and Czech-visionary Jiřί Kylián. PBT Artistic Director called the collection “an important step forward for our repertory,” as all three choreographers are well known for “chang[ing] the face of modern-day ballet.” “This show is specifically interesting because it’s three small, shorter ballets instead of just one story,” said Caitlin Peabody, who has danced for PBT for seven years and will be part of a movement in all three ballets. PBT puts on more than 50 performances each year in the Benedum and on the road. The season-opener’s ballets includes a mixed repertoire of styles — from classical to folk to contemporary — and is accompanied by contrasting music genres, ranging from classical or-
pittnews.com
chestra to electronic. There is no specific storyline, however, instead relying on the intrigue of varying stylistic elements — like music and dance — to tie the three ballets together. “The ballet has a really long contemporary feel instead of classical and the vibe of the whole show in general is rather exciting,” Peabody said. Balanchine’s Wyoming-inspired “Western Symphony” ventures into the territory of classical ballet and American folk dance with its dashing cowboys and lively dance hall girls. The choreography of this particular piece hints at the formation and gestures of American folk dance. Hershy Kay, an American composer, arranger and orchestrator who composed the music for this piece, said “Balanchine was inspired after visiting Wyoming in the ’40s and was fascinated by American themes and western apparel.” The work, which first premiered in New York in 1954, is non-narrative, flowing through a series of energetic sketches featuring raucous cowboys and pin-up-clad women. See Ballet on page 11
Pittsburgh Ballet Theater debuts season this weekend. Taken by Duane Rieder
The Pitt news crossword 10/20/15
Yesh Patel
October 20, 2015
10
Stories, pg. 9
Ballet, pg. 10
depression affects young children as well as adults. “I wanted to make the point that depression does not always have a ‘why’ answer,” said Mostafa. “Depression isn’t picky. It affects the young, old, boys and girls, anyone. No one asks a cancer patient ‘why’ they have cancer.” Some of the pieces in the exhibit are more conceptual than literal. “Deterioration,” by senior studio art major Sam Coutch, features three miniatures of an individual whose body is overrun by fungi and weeds, showing the “deterioration” of general motivation accompanying mental illness. Another painting, Tang’s “Persona,” features an individual whose face is composed of several masks, representing the need people with depression feel to cover up their symptoms rather than share them. Some exhibits are more literal, like studio arts major Maya Elaine’s submission, “How a Panic Attack Feels,” that consists of a series of 11 photographs showing woman slowly succumbing to an attack while reading a book. She grows more visibly distressed in each progressive picture until she is balled up and lying on the ground. Other pieces speak to the strength of students who battle mental illness. “Clarity,” by senior english and philosophy major Victoria Sterling, is an abstract painting of leaves and seashells. It conveys painting as the artist’s healthy way to cope with anxiety, as opposed to self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. “Students may recognize the benefits of art therapy and may seek appropriate therapy if they are dealing with any of these mental health issues. So, there is a cathartic element to the exhibit as well,” said Tang. Although the subject matter of “Stories Untold” is generally dark, the simple fact that the artists have survived to share their struggles and educate others creates a sense of hope which pervades the artwork. “I think the exhibit has helped me realize that mental illness is not something you either have or don’t have, but a spectrum,” Chan said, “and hopefully it does that for everyone who comes to see it.”
William Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated,” has peered into the future since it debuted in the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987. Forsythe said the ballet, which is set to electronic music, is “a theme and [variation] in the strictest sense. Making use of academic virtuosity, it extends and accelerates these traditional figures of classical ballet.” Jiřί Kylián’s “Sinfonietta” will ground the audience in the contemporary as a five-
pittnews.com
movement piece representative of “modern, free Czech,” according to a press release. With a poetic vocabulary, the glory of orchestral fanfare will create an euphoric environment. “In general you can see a lot of variety in this show,” said Gabrielle Thurlow, who has been a classical dancer for PBT for more than 10 years, and will also be a part of a movement in all three ballets. “All three pieces are very different and there is also a fair amount of humor involved which the audience will love.”
October 20, 2015
Correction:
In Thursday, Oct. 15’s story “Good Will Biking,” The Pitt News incorrectly reported that Jerry Kraynick, owner of Kraynick’s Bike Shop, fixes customer’s bikes for free. In actuality, customers may fix their own bikes with free help, but Kraynick does not service bikes in his store without charge. The Pitt News regrets this error.
11
pittnews.com
October 20, 2015
12
Sports
PITT FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: WEEK SEVEN Jeremy Tepper
Senior Staff Writer
With a new coach, quarterback and swagger, the Pitt football team is positioning itself as a conference contender.. Following Saturday’s road win at Georgia Tech, the Panthers are now at the top of the ACC Coastal with a 3-0 conference record, while finding themselves ranked 25th in the Associated Press top 25. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi looked back on the game, the ranking breakthrough and his quarterback’s performance in his weekly press conference Monday. Ranking Significance Pitt’s standing in the top 25 marks the first time the poll has placed Pitt since 2010 . It’s a considerable achievement for a team that went 6-7 last year, though
Nathan Peterman has shined this season. Emily Klenk | Staff Photographer
Narduzzi brushed the recognition off as meaningless at this point in the season. “I came in here last night and congratulated them, but really, what does it mean? It doesn’t mean a thing until the end of the season,” Narduzzi said. Narduzzi knows that Pitt’s spot in the rankings can vanish in an instant. He added that the AP poll saw a number of teams ranked in the preseason only to fall out quickly after lackluster performances. There is greater accomplishment in garnering the recognition during the season, Narduzzi said. It means that his team earned it as opposed to a team that earned the ranking in the preseason. “The great thing is they were nowhere on the radar. Weren’t even a blip a week ago,” Narduzzi said. “We talk about earning respect, and our kids earned it. It wasn’t something they were given preseason, so it’s something they did on the field to get that.” See Football on page 14
AP RANKING A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME Dan Sostek Sports Editor
The Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs. Donald Trump is running for president. And Pitt football is ranked in the AP poll . What a time to be alive. Following a win on Saturday at Georgia Tech, head coach Pat Narduzzi and his Pitt Panthers garnered recognition in the Associated Press’ national poll, finding themselves at number 25.
pittnews.com
While the Panthers were in the AP Top 25 poll as recently as preseason of 2010 — when they placed 15th — the five seasons in between have made that time span feel longer. Over those five seasons, Pitt seemed hopeless. It never looked like they could crack the top 25 teams in the country. There was the coaching turnover — from Dave Wannstedt to Mike Haywood to Todd Graham to Paul Chryst — and during that 2010-2014 span it
was probably easier for an outsider to name the Prime Minister of Belgium than it was to remember who was the head coach of the Panthers. Their teams had talent but squandered it. Electrifying offensive talents littered the rosters, like running back Ray Graham, wide receiver Devin Street and even a year of rocket-armed quarterback Tom Savage. The Panthers also fielded one of the best collegiate defensive players of all time in defen-
October 20, 2015
sive tackle Aaron Donald. All of this still amounted to mediocrity. Over that five-year unranked span, Pitt football was the definition of an average team. Its record was 33-33, going 2-3 in lower-tier bowl games and never firmly establishing the program as anything, really.
Find the full story online at
pittnews.com
13
Football, pg. 13 That ranking is paired with a 5-1 record, which Narduzzi values more. “5-1 is the success. It’s not the number that they put next to our name,” Narduzzi said. Though he doesn’t think much of the ranking, Narduzzi expects competitors to now look at his team as target. “What does number 25 mean? It means that you might be a target now,” Narduzzi said. “Now the target’s on your back, they know who you are. You’re not going to jump up and surprise anybody.” Out of the Option Though the 31-28 win against Georgia Tech was the final result for which Pitt aimed, their run defense was helpless at times against the Yellow Jacket’s tricky rushing scheme. Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense ran for 376 yards that afternoon. Because of the particularity of the triple-option offense as opposed to more conventional offenses, Narduzzi doesn’t take the suboptimal performance as an indictment of his defense. “You throw that tape out,” Narduzzi said. “That game has nothing to do with run defense. It does for them, but that’s a whole different animal.” Pitt will revisit that tape multiple times during the offseason, Narduzzi said, but will move forward from their performance against the triple-option for now. Narduzzi still gleaned a positive angle from the overall subpar performance. After letting up 21 points in the first half, the Panthers allowed just sev-
pittnews.com
en in the second. Narduzzi credits that in part to their changes at the intermission. “I think our halftime adjustments and what we do, I don’t know if anybody does a better job than we do,” Narduzzi said of the team’s ability to devise game plan changes at halftime. “I’ve been around a lot, and what we do at halftime, I think, is as good as anyone in the country.” Peterman’s Strong Play Another game, another accurate performance for quarterback Nathan Peterman. Against Georgia Tech, Peterman completed 14 of 21 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns. On the year, Peterman has now completed 66.7 percent of his passes and compiled a 9-to-3 touchdown to interception ratio. Peterman’s completion percentage ranks 18th in the country while his quarterback rating of 157.8 stands at 13th. Narduzzi was complimentary of his signal caller’s play. “Nathan’s a very talented player. He’s one of the most accurate quarterbacks I’ve been around. When you watch [him], he puts the ball where it needs to be,” Narduzzi said. “[He’s] very intelligent, plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played.” Pitt offensive coordinator Jim Chaney helps guide Peterman to success, Narduzzi said. “You can have a talented quarterback and a bad play caller and make him look bad,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve seen that around the country, some closer than others.”
ACC Coastal Standings #25 Pittsburgh #23 Duke North carolina virginia miami (fl) viriginia tech georgia tech
October 20, 2015
Conference W-l
overall W-l
3-0
5-1
2-0
5-1
2-0
5-1
1-1
2-4
1-1
4-2
1-2
3-4
0-4
2-5
14