10-28-19

The Pitt News

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T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | october 28, 2019 ­| Volume 110 | Issue 52

ONE YEAR LATER, COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO HEAL AFTER TREE OF LIFE ATTACK

PITTSBURGHERS COMMEMORATE MASSACRE WITH DAY OF SERVICE Rebecca Johnson Staff Writer

These three words served as the night’s theme — projected onto screens as attendees arrived, incorporated into the event’s logo and repeated many times by various speakers.

Jamie Lebovitz, a 54-year-old Mt. Lebanon resident who grew up in Squirrel Hill and volunteered for Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh, said that she appreciated the focus on these phrases.

“The service meant so much to me because it wasn’t dwelling on … what happened last year, it’s where we go into the future, together,” Lebovitz said. “That was the message that I felt, was we need to work together and be together to move towards a better future.”

When Gary Dubin biked into the Shadyside EMS station on Sunday morning, he wasn’t looking for help — he was delivering freshly baked cookies.

Dubin, the director of development at the Medical and Health Sciences Foundation at UPMC, was one of 44 cyclists who brought baked goods to first responders at 11 sites across Pittsburgh’s East End that morning. He wanted to express gratitude to those who helped his family during the Tree of Life massacre last year.

“I’m Jewish, and one of the synagogues in the Tree of Life building, my father-in-law was in it,” Dubin said.

“There are few words that could say what it meant to have the first responders come out and give back to the Jewish community.”

When a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, every first-responder site in Pittsburgh answered. Along with the cyclists, a cohort of drivers visited 41 other sites throughout the City to honor first responders for the one-year commemoration of the Tree of Life massacre. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh organized the delivery with various congregations, Jewish organizations and victims’ families. The event was one of 31 service activities happening around Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Kate Rothstein, who works with the Federation, said the bike event was one way to unite the Pittsburgh community

See Gathering on page 2

See Service on page 3

Family members of the victims of the Tree of Life massacre light candles in their memory. Members of the community gathered in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall on Sunday evening to commemorate one year after the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Carolyn Pallof | staff photographer

Sarah Berg and Madison Brewer Staff Writers

Rose Mallinger loved to dance. Joyce Fienberg helped everyone she could. David and Cecil Rosenthal were called “the boys,” and were inseparable. In a video played at a large memorial Sunday, family members described their loved ones whose lives, and those of seven other Jews, were taken on Oct. 27, 2018.

In remembrance of the victims of the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue, more than 2,000 people traveled Sunday evening to the gathering at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall for a community event involving speeches, prayers and music.

The Tree of Life massacre took the lives

of 11 Jewish worshippers attending Saturday services across the synagogue’s three different congregations, located in Squirrel Hill — a close-knit City neighborhood known for its acceptance and tolerance. It is the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit that fights anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Amy Bardack, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said the commemoration was created in line with the wishes of the victims’ families, who sat in the front of the hall, just behind the speakers.

“We asked them what was most important for them on this day, and three words kept emerging,” Bardack said. “Remember, repair, together.”

News

Video: Tree of Life Community Gathering pittnews.com

The Tree of Life massacre: What happened pittnews.com

BLACK ALUMNI, STUDENTS DEDICATE TIME CAPSULE TO BE OPENED IN 2069 Carolyn Brodie

Staff Writer If all goes according to plan, black Pitt students will open a time capsule in 2069 containing physical reminders of black activism on campus.

Alumni, including the founders of the Africana program and black activists, gathered Friday in Hillman Library to dedicate the capsule and reflect on progress made by the black student community — and address the areas where improvement is still to be made. The event included the launch of “Say It Loud,” a book detailing the computer center takeover and similar black activism at Pitt, as well as a panel discussion on social justice and race issues at Pitt.

Among the alumni attending was Jack Daniel, a black alumnus who graduated in

Gathering, pg. 1 Lebovitz added that since the attack, she has experienced a renewed sense of engagement with her community.

“Sometimes things happen for bad, but good things come out of bad things,” Lebovitz said. “I personally feel more connected to my Jewish faith. I feel more connected to the community. I feel more involved in volunteerism and to really work on repairing the world.”

For other members of the Pittsburgh community affected by the massacre, the future is a time to continue to grow. Shirley Christie — a 65-year-old Edgewood resident who knew Jerry Rabinowitz, one of the victims — said that she was appreciative of the event and hoped for more unifying community events in the future.

“It would be great if we had more of these things that unite people and if more people were to show up and be a part of things like this,” Christie said. “I hope that we won’t forget.”

Before hearing from the speakers, members of Pitt’s track and field, wres-

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1963 and the founder of the Afro-American Cultural Society, which has since been renamed as the Black Action Society.

“For the last 200 years, we’ve had a white man’s chancellor. When I see that only 5% of Pitt’s student population is black, and less than that number for Pitt professors, I can’t be so excited,” Daniel said.

Daniel joined about 60 other African American Alumni Council members at the event as part of the weekend’s Homecoming celebrations. The event commemorated 50 years since the sit-in with the dedication of a time capsule containing artifacts of black life at Pitt — set to be opened in another 50 years. The artifacts Alumni Ronald Morris, class of 1978 administration of justice major (left), and inside the capsule represent the progress Henry Davis, class of 1976 history and economics major, pose in front of the Black Action Society History Display in the William Pitt Union on Friday afterSee Say It Loud on page 4 noon. Sarah Cutshall | visual editor tling, softball, gymnastics and men’s basketball teams marched down the aisles of the auditorium. They placed 11 bouquets of yellow flowers into 11 vases, one for each lost life.

Abena Atuobi, a junior studying marketing and supply chain management and a member of the track and field team, said that she was grateful to participate in the event.

“Being an athlete, we put so much into our sport, but we also have to give back in the best way we can,” Atuobi said. “Being offered this opportunity to be a part of the ceremony is a big thing I never would have thought I would be a part of.”

During the gathering, a video of six of the victims’ families was shown. The other families did not wish to participate in the making of the video because, in part, they said it was too painful to be interviewed about their loved ones. In the video, family members describe their loved ones, with moments of lightheartedness breaking the somber silence in the room. The audience laughed as they heard that Rose Mallinger used to crash weddings

to dance with her friends and that David Rosenthal was remembered as the “Mayor of Squirrel Hill.”

In addition to Jewish clergy and government officials, leaders from other faiths also spoke at the event.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto all shared readings of poems and prayers. Wasi Mohamed, the former executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, and Rev. Liddy Barlow, executive minister of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, spoke about the religious call to “love thy neighbor.”

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, said widespread support is what keeps him hopeful in the face of what he calls “h-speech” — the hatred he hears everyday that he said can lead to violent acts.

“My path … is to decry any and all hspeech,” Myers said. “If America is ever going to succeed, it will do so when everyone — and I mean everyone — is on this experiment called democracy together.”

October 28, 2019

The other two congregations are finding their own path for grieving. AnneMarie Mizel Nelson, the daughter of the founders of Dor Hadash, said their congregation is slowly healing.

“Dor Hadash was wounded by this act of hatred,” Nelson said. “We are healing, and we are on our way to being stronger than ever.”

Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, of New Light Congregation, emphatically called for change — specifically tighter gun control — to a standing ovation.

“We must not delay for the sake of the victims of this crime,” Perlman said. “We must begin to eliminate some of these weapons and figure out a way to keep weapons out of the hands of killers.”

But Perlman said he still has hope for the future.

“I am hopeful that living in this City of champions, we will continue to make this one of the greatest cities on Earth,” Perlman said. “Where we befriend one another not despite our religious or ethnic differences, but because of our religious and ethnic differences.”

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Service, pg. 1 and give back to the first responders who risked their lives last year. During the massacre, four officers were injured — Daniel Mead, Michael Smidga, Anthony Burke and Timothy Matson.

Mead, Burke and Matson have yet to return to work.

“I really wanted to have that connection of ‘We’re all part of the same City, we all want to be here for each other,’” Rothstein said. “I thought people biking to different parts of the City would be a great way to link different parts of the City, because all of the first responder sites came to the aid of Tree of Life last year.”

Rothstein said the actions of the first responders were especially meaningful given a history of governments turning a blind eye to violence against Jews. “[First responders] came without question. This hasn’t always been the case in Jewish history,” Rothstein said.

“They rushed into the synagogue, they risked their [lives]. They were also injured, some pretty severely. Some are

still not back to work.”

For Mike Bess, a paramedic with the Medic 9 and Rescue 1 teams, Pittsburghers showing up with gifts of appreciation meant a lot.

“Sometimes, this job gets taken for granted. Sometimes, it feels like we aren’t appreciated,” Bess said. “But, they drove here on their bicycles from Shadyside — that’s dedication. They took time out of their days and brought their kids. Hopefully, that will inspire future generations.”

Damian Jones, of Highland Park, delivered cookies to the Medic 9 station in Shadyside with his two young children, making volunteering a family affair. Jones said it’s important for his children to learn about volunteerism.

“I have kids and it’s important to show that we give back, and there’s a community here in Pittsburgh that takes care of each other,” Jones said.

“Volunteering and taking care of those who have been through something and are in need, it’s the right thing to do.”

The bike delivery was just one of the events organized as part of the “Repair” arm of the “Remember. Repair.

THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH STUDENT EVENT CALENDAR SPONSORED BY

OCT. 28TH - NOV. 3RD

Together” mantra established in the wake of the massacre to unite the Pittsburgh community.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh also held two blood drives, with about 100 community members donating at its Squirrel Hill location and 47 in the South Hills.

Stephanie Levin, the chief engagement and innovation officer of the Peninsula Jewish Community Center in the San Francisco Bay area, lent her support in Pittsburgh this weekend.

She said the Pittsburgh community is special, something she recognized from her first visit last December.

“Almost every person that I met had some connection either to this place or Tree of Life, including Uber drivers and people in the airport when I was trying to figure out how to even get to the Uber driver,” Levin said. “There’s something really magical about this place and the way that people are connected and seem to take care of each other.”

Levin said volunteering, especially in the face of tragedy, is a way that anyone — of any age, religion or ability — can make an impact, however small.

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“When things like this happen, people feel powerless. They really don’t know what to do,” Levin said. “Volunteering is a wonderful way to bring people together on a day like today so no one has to be alone and everyone can be a part of the community.”

For the Pittsburgh Jewish community, this past year has been difficult, Rothstein said — but, she also reiterated that it’s been one of growth.

“It’s been a really long and hard year in the community,” Rothstein said.

“But, it’s also been a year of learning that we are here for each other. It’s been a year of working to try to make things better — in the Jewish community and outside the Jewish community.”

For students new to Pittsburgh, Levin said, to prevent future attacks, she recommends using Pitt’s diverse campus to befriend people with different backgrounds.

“This is a beautifully diverse community,” Levin said. “Our best chance of ensuring that the Oct. 27 shooting doesn’t happen again is knowing and learning about people who are different than us.”

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FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 28, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

10/28/19

of the black student population and of the Africana Studies department, formerly the Black Studies Department, marking the centennial of its 1969 founding.

Daniel’s Afro-American Cultural Society carried out a 40-student-strong occupation of the University’s computer center in the Cathedral of Learning on Jan. 15, 1969. Students occupied the space until the University met their demands — which included increasing the admittance of black students to 20% of the total student population. The group suggested the establishment of a recruitment team to meet this goal, as well additional demands including improving the depiction of Africans and Africa in curricula and establishing Africana Studies department.

Following the protest, the University committed to raising the black student population to 20%. But this goal remains unfulfilled, as the current statistic is 5.6% of undergraduate students and 3.8% of graduate students, according to a source sheet circulated at the event.

A letter authored by the current cohort of Black Action Society students was included in the time capsule. The letter called upon future leaders to continue the fight for equality, and serves as a benchmark for measuring future progress by addressing issues faced by the black community in 2019 — police brutality, low representation of black students at Pitt and the 2016 election of President Donald Trump.

Curtiss Porter, another founding member of the Pitt Black Action Society, gave opening remarks at the panel. He explained what he thought Pitt’s black community needed to do by describing the “sankofa,” a Ghanain symbol of a bird with its head turned backwards, that symbolized remembering the past while also pursuing the forward march of knowledge.

“Looking back 50 years [on the founding of black studies at Pitt] is only important if we look forward,” Porter said.

Porter then introduced members of a panel for a discussion on the future of racial justice in Pittsburgh, including T. Elon Dancy II, director of Pitt’s Center for Urban Education, Johnathan White, a doctoral candidate in Pitt’s history department, State Rep. Summer Lee, D-34, and

Brian Burley, a board member for Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens Youth Organization. During the panel, Dancy II emphasized the importance of “self-determination and the pursuit of freedom.”

Dancy recalled the statistic of the University’s 5% black population and spoke to what he called the colonization of the education system, with a white and Eurocentric curriculum as the “default.”

“An institution misses the mark with no black representation. [Black] students don’t have to choose to go to Pitt,” Dancy said.

Lee echoed Dancy’s sentiments and referenced the University’s Equity Report which named Pittsburgh as the worst city in the United States for the quality of life of its black residents.

“Why shouldn’t black people leave the University?” Lee said. “Our culture is worth being included. Lack of awareness on [issues of inclusion of black people and black cultures] is an excuse.”

The panel also discussed the diversity of the greater Pittsburgh region, where Burley said there is still work to be done.

“Pittsburgh and the universities situated within Pittsburgh must do a better job of intentionality and accountability. Only three out of every 20 people in this region are minorities,” Burley said. “That is not socially sustainable.”

Though the event was primarily for and almost entirely comprised of black and African American alumni, members of the Black Student Union at Pitt Bradford, including junior psychology and criminal justice double major Domynique Hammond, also attended the panel discussion.

“The advantages of having a black alumni network like the AAAC is that it becomes a family. It is really hard when you go to a predominantly white institution and you’re a black student,” Hammond said. “I feel like I’m the elephant in the room [in these spaces] — it feels weird. To see other black students and black alumni gives me a sense of belonging.”

Despite the panel’s subject matter, Hammond felt empowered by the panelists’ contributions.

“My favorite quote [from the panel] was from Summer Lee,” Hammond said.

“She said that our ancestors didn’t fight to give us certain rights. ‘Our ancestors died to give us power.’”

The Pitt news crossword

Say It Loud, pg. 2

October 28, 2019

ACROSS 1 Gives in to gravity 5 Annoying little kids 9 Hunter’s plastic duck, e.g.

14 Clear off the road, as snow 15 Actress Gilbert of “The Conners” 16 Make amends 17 What “Ten-hut!” is short for 19 Income __ 20 *Do business shrewdly 22 Tidy up 23 “__ you kidding?”

24 Off-the-wall 27 Walmart warehouse club 28 *Murmur lovingly 32 Muslim mystic 33 Lake near Carson City 34 *Basic experimentation method 39 Sea item sold by 39-Down, in a tongue-twister 40 Say no to 41 *Like a typical walking stride 44 Bygone Japanese audio brand 48 Conclusion 49 Boardroom VIP 50 The Lone __ 52 Compromising standpoint ... and what the answers to starred clues contain?

55 Deck alternative 58 Belittle 59 17-syllable Japanese poem 60 Suffix with major 61 Auth. unknown 62 Desert retreats 63 Monica’s brother on “Friends” 64 German thinker Immanuel

10/28/19

By Craig Stowe

3 Pep rally cheer 4 Candy and such 5 Turkey’s largest city 6 Principal 7 Spur to action 8 Beach footwear 9 Job of typing in facts and figures 10 List-shortening abbr.

11 Courteney who played Monica on “Friends” 12 Single 13 “By all means!”

18 Phillies’ div.

21 Significant stretch of time 24 Twice cuatro 25 Way in 26 Forest female 29 “__ tree falls in the forest ... ” 30 High-end chocolatier DOWN 31 __ es Salaam 1 Reproduces like 32 Lustful salmon 34 At that time 2 __ Gibson, first 35 Oboe or clarinet African-American 36 Not feeling well to win a Grand 37 __ volente: God Slam tennis title willing

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

38 Vigorous qualities to put into one’s work 39 See 39-Across 42 Nancy Drew’s beau 43 Walk feebly 44 Arctic jacket 45 Exotic lizard kept as a pet 46 Was happening 47 Passionate

10/28/19

51 Buenos Aires’ country: Abbr.

52 Karaoke prop that often ends in “c” nowadays 53 Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” 54 Tolkien creatures 55 Vietnamese soup 56 Small battery 57 “__ the season ... ”

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Opinions

Editorial: Acknowledge fake ads, not just fake news pittnews.com

POETRY: WE ARE THE TREE OF LIFE

One year later: Perspective from a Tree of Life Congregation member Aidan Segal

For The Pitt News

Opinions editor Leah Mensch wears a Tree of Life necklace.

Leela Ekambarapu | staff photographer

Leah Mensch

and I thought Tisha B’Av is the saddest day on my Jewish calendar Editor’s Note: this poem is a line-unit pal- I never again will live in a world where indrome. It is to be read forwards, then back- I am not scared wards (line by line) for an alternate meaning. I am proud to be Jewish will my pride put my future children’s lives in danger? this is our city will we ever find peace during Shabbat again? this is my city this community is the reason I no longer wonder we loved fiercely what calamity can cultivate and even so I have found a beautiful sliver of light in he suspended us amongst a violence most had outsiders applauding our community’s resilience, of never known course they cannot see what I see 14 dead, 23 injured, all Jews must die gathering in love, as one, is 15 years from now I will tell my children why not enough for us to heal but our synagogue door is padlocked accepting the devastation is even if supposed to help us rise, but I can’t our faith does not cease they say leaving the community is we are broken painful, but it’ s harder to stay here only a fool would say letting go of anger is we can fight off this hatred far out of reach, behind layers of fog and in a way that is humble but bold my neighbors, my people, my city condemn this our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters will not see us as violence we rise from the ashes but it’s too late that isn’t the way the world works, but still to use our bridges as our strength they say things cannot get worse he didn’t want us yet humanity does in this community the sun doesn’t shine in Pittsburgh I look around this neighborhood Opinions Editor

to heartbreak, a crime scene, grief this city, these people, once felt like an entrance into a more united structure Pittsburgh has been bent and torn and twisted I didn’t realize right away that this would break me, would break us

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(read from bottom to top) Leah thanks her mother for persistently watering her Jewish roots and teaching her that first and foremost, religion is about love.

Write to Leah at LEM140@pitt.edu.

Outside the doors of the upstairs chapel in the Tree of Life Synagogue is a glass case containing a Torah scroll rescued from Czechoslovakia sometime during the Holocaust. Judah Samet, a fixture at the synagogue, survived the Holocaust as a young child — his family escaped death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Both Samet and the Torah scroll were witnesses to the most depraved, devastating act in history and, years later, on Oct. 27, 2018, they would again witness the unrelenting force of the longest hatred. Only this time it was not in Europe, but in a synagogue in the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill where an active shooter yelled, “All Jews must die,” as he massacred 11 of my fellow congregants.

Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha is my family’s synagogue. We joined in 2016, after I had spent my whole life going to Rodef Shalom, which is where our congregation has been relocated as a result of the shooting.

Just a few months before the attack, my little sister was bat-mitzvahed in the very sanctuary that saw the worst of the bloodshed.

The fateful Shabbat morning was disorienting and surreal, though I wasn’t there. I was home in my bed sleeping while the rest of my family was downstairs in the living room watching the news without even a clue as to what would soon appear on the screen.

As soon as the aerial shots of our synagogue on a dreary fall morning in Pittsburgh emerged, my older sister frantically raced up the stairs and woke me up saying, “There’s a shooting at Tree of Life.”

Sunday marked one year since the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in the history of the United States — what Mayor Bill Peduto would call the “darkest day of Pittsburgh’s history.”

October 28, 2019

While it was likely the most tragic incident in the City’s history, it was merely another chapter in ours.

Understanding anti-Semitism is as integral to Jewish identity as lighting the Sabbath candles or teaching children Hebrew prayers. Every year on Passover we read the Haggadah, which chronicles the Jewish Exodus from slavery in Egypt. “In every generation they rise up to destroy us,” the Haggadah says.

But in every generation “they” have failed.

The fiercest of history’s empires who sought our extermination are in ruins today, But Jews, on the other hand, are still here speaking the same language, practicing the same religion and living in the same land as they did 3,500 years ago.

Out of the ashes of Europe with six million of our brothers and sisters viciously murdered, we didn’t wallow in despair, we fought and died for independence in our ancestral homeland in Israel and we got it. And should the opportunity arise, there are those ready and willing to do everything in their power to take it away from us.

It is our resilience that has sustained us through centuries of persecution, and it has sustained us in the past year in the aftermath of the shooting.

Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers — my rabbi — is the face of that resilience. He saved four congregants in the sanctuary, then got them to escape through the back door before barricading himself in the bathroom as he stayed on the line with 911.

The responsibility of being the voice of such a historic calamity was thrust upon him with no time to react. With the eyes of the nation on him, he demonstrated the compassion and wisdom of Judaism, and what basic human decency looks like. He has handled every moment of it with the utmost class.

See Segal on page 6

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Segal, pg. 5 He has resolved that the fight against hatred begins with us and our language. In fact, he has even decided to eliminate the word “hate” from his vocabulary, calling it the H-word.

In an article featured in Time, he writes, “H speech frequently leads to violence, as it did in Pittsburgh and, alas, other places … If you don’t like something, I urge you not to say ‘I ‘H’ it.’

Rather, say: ‘I don’t like it.’ This simple act is necessary to restore civil discourse to our society, buffeted as it has increasingly been by too much uncivil discourse.”

He has become America’s Rabbi.

The first Shabbat following the shooting took place at Beth Shalom congregation, where more than a thousand people of all backgrounds came in support of our community. At one point during the service we sang “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem which translates to “The Hope.”

Never before in my life did I ever feel more connected to world Jewry than I did at the moment. Listening to the beautiful Hebrew words echo all throughout the sanctuary while a family wrapped themselves in an Israeli flag overwhelmed me with pride and made me think about what a gift it is to be Jewish, to belong to such a people.

The 11 beautiful souls taken from us that day — Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Malinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein and Melvin Wax — had that feeling every time they entered the synagogue for religious services. They were guardians of the faith — entirely dedicated to their religion and preserving this ancient and storied tradition — and they died for it.

And just as they died for it, we must live for it and never take it for granted. We are links in a miraculous chain and in the City of Pittsburgh, one year later, it is as strong as ever.

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Flowers, candles and chalk drawings were placed outside the Tree of Life Synagogue on Sunday afternoon. Sarah Cutshall | visual editor

October 28, 2019

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Sports

Weekend Sports Recap: Soccer teams contrast triumph and tribulation pittnews.com

FOOTBALL TAKEAWAYS: PANTHERS SUFFER SELF-INFLICTED SETBACK TO MIAMI

Trent Leonard and Stephen Thompson Sports Editors

The past week surrounding Pitt football had been filled with hope and optimism. Talk of New Year’s Six bowls and double-digit wins filled the thoughts, Twitter posts and column inches of spectators and fans. But ominous clouds on Saturday foreshadowed the foggy future that now remains for Pitt following its deflating 16-12 loss to Miami this weekend.

Self-inflicted wounds continue to be an issue The team from South Florida added a win this weekend, but it wasn’t the Hurricanes that beat Pitt. It was penalties, dropped footballs and conservative playcalling that doomed the home team.

The Panthers were able to move the ball effectively against a typically stout Hurricanes defense, but could not finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals and turnovers. Pitt’s offense crossed midfield a total of five times, but could only muster four field goals and a fumble on those possessions.

This has been a problem for the Panthers all season long, and held true again this week. Settling for three points — especially during their three red zone trips — will simply not get the job done. Rudimentary math says that one touchdown wins the game, but the Panthers’ offense came up short in the clutch situations which they’ve built a reputation for thriving in.

There were key drops from senior receiver Maurice Ffrench and graduate transfer tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart, but the offensive line struggled to gain ground in short yardage situations — like on their penultimate drive, when sophomore running back V’lique Carter was stopped at the 1-yard line and Pitt was forced to kick a field goal.

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Offensive inadequacy affected defensive strategy That field goal gave the Panthers a 12-10 advantage and still required the defense to come up with a stop, but six points changes the complexion of the ensuing Miami possession. If the Panthers are nursing a five-, six- or even sevenpoint advantage, the Hurricanes have no choice but to shoot for the end zone.

Instead, Miami forced the Panthers to

for forcing field goals when backed up in their own zone would have come in handy. But with Jackson pressed up, Osborn broke one tackle and blew past the safeties who were protecting against the run.

Pitt is not a top-25 team This loss felt especially frustrating to Pitt fans, considering that the Panthers almost certainly would’ve cracked the AP Top 25 rankings with a win over a formi-

Redshirt sophomore Todd Sibley Jr. (23) stiff-arms Miami sophomore safety Amari Carter (05) to fight for extra yards before being shoved out of bounds.

Thomas Yang | assistant visual editor play more aggressively and defend against both a field goal and a touchdown. And as a result, Pitt was burned on Miami’s final drive, when redshirt senior receiver K.J. Osborn beat the pressing senior defensive back Dane Jackson for the game winning score.

With a larger lead, Jackson likely would have played in a looser technique that allowed him to keep Osborn in front of him and far from the end zone. From there, the Panther defense’s penchant

dable Hurricanes team. Pitt received the fourth-most media votes out of any nonranked team the previous week. With former No. 23 Iowa State and No. 24 Arizona State losing to fall out of the rankings, the No. 25 spot was there for the taking.

It’s fitting, then, that the Panthers didn’t beat Miami and become ranked in the AP Top 25. Because, simply put, Pitt is not a top-25 team.

A top-25 college football program doesn’t shoot itself in the foot at a na-

October 28, 2019

tionally embarrassing rate. Ranked teams don’t average 7.9 penalties (14th worst in the nation) for 74 yards per game (sixth worst in the nation).

Ranked teams average more than 2.1 offensive touchdowns per game (111th nationally). A team that settles for field goals from within the 10-yard line as often as Pitt doesn’t deserve to be ranked.

Most ranked teams average more than 121.1 rushing yards per game (108th nationally). And the ranked teams that don’t succeed on the ground certainly have a quarterback whose passer efficiency is higher than junior Kenny Pickett’s 115.30, which ranks 102nd out of 114 qualifying passers.

The only reason that Pitt came within a stone’s throw of ranked status in the first place was its defense, which has been thoroughly phenomenal. The Panthers rank 14th nationally in total defense, allowing only 291 yards per game, and first nationally with 4.75 sacks per game.

But having a top-20 defense and a bottom-30 offense isn’t a recipe for consistent success, and that became completely evident Saturday against Miami. After rattling off four straight wins by less than 10 points, it was only a matter of time until the Panthers were undone by their flaws.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi hasn’t won five games in a row in his time at Pitt, and that trend will continue until Pitt’s offense catches up with its defense. When Narduzzi had one of the best offenses in the country with James Conner and Quadree Henderson, the defense was Pitt’s Achilles heel. Now it’s the other way around. So, until the Panthers can boast an above-average unit on both sides of the ball, they deserve to be exactly what they’ve been throughout recent history — a merely decent team on the outside of the rankings looking in.

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I N D E X

Rentals & Sublet • NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER

For Rent South Oakland ***AUGUST 2020: Furnished studios, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments. No pets.

Non‑smokers pre­ ferred. 412‑621‑0457. **2,3,4, 5, and 6 Bed­room houses/ Apart­ments in South Oak­land. Available for rent August 2020.

Very clean with dif­ferent amenities (dishwasher, laun­ dry, A/C, washer and dryer, 1‑3 baths, off‑street parking, newer ap­pliances & sofas). Check out my Face­book page: https:­//www. facebook.­com/ KenEckenrode­ RealEstate/. Call Ken at 412‑287‑4438 for more informa­tion and showings.

1‑6 bedroom. All newly renovated, air‑conditioning, dish­washer, washer/ dryer, and parking.

Most units on busline and close to Pitt.

Avail­able Summer 2020. 412‑915‑0856 or email klucca@veri­ zon.net.

2 BR 1 BA on cam­pus bus route. Avail­able November 1st. $750/

pittnews.com

Employment • CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER

month includ­ing utilities and ca­ble.

On street park­ing. No pets. 412‑576‑8734 2‑3‑4‑5‑6‑7 bedroom apartments and houses available in May and August 2020. Nice, clean, free laundry, in­

cludes exterior main‑ tenance, new appli‑ ances, spa­cious, and located on Semple, Oak­land Ave., Mey‑ ran Ave., Welsford, Bates, Dawson, and Mckee 412‑414‑9629. douridaboud­ propertymanage­ ment.com 3 BD apartments available in South Oakland from $1195‑$1600 M.J. Kelly Real Estate mjkellyrealty@gmail.­ com. 412‑271‑5550.

3408 Parkview Ave. 2 BD for $950 & 3 BD for $1,295.

Available immedi­ ately. Pet Friendly & Parking. CALL NOW! 412‑455‑5600 4 BR HOME ‑ SEM­PLE STREET, LO­CATED NEAR LOUISA. EQUIPPED KITCHEN, FULL BASEMENT. NEW CENTRAL AIR ADDED. AVAIL­ ABLE IMMEDI­ ATELY AND RENT­ING FOR MAY

Classifieds

For sale

• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

AND AUGUST 2020.

412‑ 343‑4289 or 412‑330‑9498.

416 Oakland Ave., Garden Court. Bright and spacious 2BR, 1BA. Hardwood floors, laundry.

Move May 1 or Au­ gust 1, 2020. Call 412‑361‑2695.

Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unre­lated people can share a single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Per­mits, Licensing & In­spections.

412‑255‑2175.

South Oakland Houses and Apart­ ments with Laundry and Central Air Call or Text 412‑38‑Lease

Rental Other 2 bedroom apartment in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. $480 per month includes wa­ter.

Pay utilities. EIK Near public trans­portation.

Security de­posit re‑ quired. 302‑331‑5833

• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER

R A T E S

Insertions

1-15 Words

16-30 Words

1X

2X

3X

4X

$6.30

$11.90

$17.30

$22.00

$7.50

$14.20

$20.00

$25.00

5X $27.00 $29.10

6X $30.20 $32.30

Add. + $5.00 + $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978

is seeking caring indi­ viduals to provide

companionship, light housekeeping and personal care to

se­niors. We offer FLEXIBLE

hours and great

bene­fits. Please call 412‑363 5500

to schedule an inter­ view NOW!

Part Time Banquet

Servers needed at The PRIORY HO­TEL.

Starting rate of $11

an hour. If inter­ested please email zach@ priory.com or call 412‑224‑6306.

Personal, profes­sional masseuse needed.

Long term position.

Washington County location. Call 724‑223‑0939 any time.

SNOW REMOVAL

For winter 2019‑2020.

Near the Cathe­dral of Learning. Ex­cellent

pay. If inter­ested call 412‑682‑7672

For Sale For Sale

Employment Other Employment Other

For Sale: Pitt Team

Comfort Keepers, a

teams. COA’s in­

Post‑Gazette Top Workplace 2019,

Autographed Foot­ balls 1976&1980

cluded. $700 each.

Bob 412‑973‑0770

October 28, 2019

8