10-6-15 by The Pitt News

The Pitt News T h e in de p e n d e n t st ude nt ne w spap e r of t he University of Pittsburgh

Student input, a work in progress

Zine Scene Page 6 October 6, 2015 | Issue 36 | Volume 106

Pitt print in three dimensions

Elizabeth Lepro

Assistant News Editor Students asked the Pitt administration to hear them out last week, and Kenyon Bonner said he’s listening. On Sept. 25, students from Free the Planet and Americans for Informed Democracy dropped off a letter for Chancellor Patrick Gallagher describing their disappointment with the lack of student engagement in Pitt’s Strategic Planning initiative, called the Plan for Pitt. Last Wednesday Bonner, the interim dean of students, met with nine students from Free the Planet, Students for Justice in Palestine and AID in a conference room near his office to discuss their concerns. “I felt like we could have done a better job [in the past] of communicating all the ways we did engage students,” Bonner said after the meeting. In order to gather student input about strategic planning last year, Pitt circulated its annual satisfaction survey and held town hall meetings for student engagement, according to Bonner. Students will have another opportunity to give input at an open forum that will take place tonight from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the William Pitt Union ballroom. Bonner said the forum was already in the works before he met with the students, but he hadn’t determined the date until last week. Bonner said he and Vice Provost David DeJong reached out to student leaders for input in the four-year strategic plan. Nick Goodfellow, a member of AID, said student leaders shouldn’t make up the extent of student engagement. “We questioned the methodology and made

Pitt researcher Minking Chyu, holding a printed metal blade, stands next to one of Pitt’s three 3-D printers. Courtesy of Emily Brindley

Emily Brindley Staff Writer

The labs beneath the basement of Benedum Hall look pretty barren to the uninformed visitor. But the Additive Manufacturing Lab, where Minking Chyu works, holds the weight of several million dollars’ worth of equipment. This lab’s purpose is additive manufacturing, commonly called 3-D printing. The most common type of 3-D printers create objects by depositing a small amount of plastic on the print bed, then adding additional plastic layer by layer until the plastic takes form. The machines in Chyu’s lab, however, are not See Forum on page 3 your average 3-D printers — they use metal

instead of plastic. These three expensive machines are more sophisticated than consumer-grade plastic printers, and cost from $350,000 to $1 million. In June, the National Energy Technology Laboratory awarded Pitt a grant through the University Turbine Systems Research Program. The grant included $798,594 from the Department of Energy and $216,896 in matching funds from Pitt, totaling more than $1 million. The funds will support Chyu’s research on using 3-D printing to create layers of metal to fortify the components inside gas turbines, which power most commercial jets, that will offer protection from the hot, harsh environment within the engine.

Pitt bought these printers over the past five years and used them for various research projects before Chyu began his current project. Chyu wants to see these protective shields become the standard in turbine engine design. The coating is made of a strong metal alloy — also known as an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy — that is difficult to manipulate in traditional cutting processes — or “subtractive manufacturing.” “Additive manufacturing — 3-D printing — has been around for a while, but gas turbines are their own machine,” Chyu said. “They aren’t kitchen equipment, or household See 3-D Printer on page 3

News

The Pitt News

Habitat talks need for adequate housing

Habitat for Humanity celebrated World Habitat Day by raising awareness for its cause outside the WPU. Kate Koenig STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Casey Schmauder Staff Writer

Pitt’s Habitat for Humanity handed out Skittles and M&M packages Monday, but the messages on the candy wrappers were not so sweet. “By 2030, UN-HABITAT, [United Nations Human Settlements Program] estimates an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world’s population, will need access to housing,” read a message attached to the candy. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., members of Habitat for Humanity tabled outside the William Pitt Union to advocate for their first celebration of World Habitat Day — a day raising awareness, through the candy messages, for the need for affordable, adequate housing. According to Advocacy Chair Abby McKinley, about 70 people stopped by throughout the day. “We try to raise awareness for our club and the need for adequate housing,”

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McKinley, a junior majoring in occupational therapy, said. “So many families don’t have housing and, as college students, I don’t think we always see that. Especially in an area such as Oakland which really isn’t that impoverished.” At its table, the club had paper medals that people could write their names on and tape to the table to show they stopped by, supported the cause and learned something new about Habitat. The club plans to enter these names into a raffle to win Habitat for Humanity apparel. It will announce the winner at the club meeting on Tuesday night. The first celebration of World Habitat Day was in 1986.

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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

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Forum, pg. 1 the point again that student leaders are not exactly representative of the student population,” Goodfellow, who dropped off the initial letter, said. Bonner said he understood this concern. In response, the University is reaching out to the entire student body by advertising today’s forum on the Pitt home page, through a Campus Connect message and on social media. Goodfellow is pleased about the open forum, but added that he would like to see students become members of the strategic planning committees. The committees, which the plan refers to as “working groups,” are teams made up of departmental deans, vice deans and professors, who can facilitate assigned sections of the plan’s goals. These goals include advancing the curricula of Pitt’s classes and strengthening the community by focusing on diversity and expanded global opportunities for students. Sage Lincoln, a member of Free the Planet who helped write the letter, said she also talked with Bonner about sending out an e-mail survey to students who can’t make it tonight. Bonner said he plans to set up another forum this semester that would take place after 5:30 in the

T P N S U D O K U

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evening on a Monday or Wednesday, based on when the group told him would be most accessible to students. Bonner has not yet set a date for this forum. Lincoln said Bonner was receptive and open to the students’ comments, but she’s waiting to see the results before she considers the problem solved. “You can’t just have one forum meeting and expect that to be effective,” Lincoln, a senior geology, ecology and urban studies major said. Bonner submitted the students’ ideas to the planning committee, and said he was interested in Lincoln’s proposal that the working groups hold their own input sessions. This way, Licoln said students who have something to say about community relations, for example, can address the people working on that topic. Bonner said the working groups will ensure that each specific initiative aligns with the plan’s bigger picture. “The strategic plan can be overbearing,” Bonner said. Bonner said he will use tomorrow night’s forum as a springboard for the rest of the planning process. “Anytime you hear feedback and students say, ‘We didn’t get it,’” Bonner said, “You have to listen to that.”

3-D Printer, pg. 1 equipment — they’re a hostile environment.” Chyu is the Leighton and Mary Orr Chair Professor in the Swanson School of Engineering, the Associate Dean for International Initiatives and the Dean of the recently revealed Sichuan University–Pittsburgh Institute in China. Chyu received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1986, and has published nearly 300 technical papers, many relating to power and propulsion systems such as gas turbines. To someone without scientific inclinations, the machines in Chyu’s lab may look like big, bulky boxes — but these boxes are on the leading edge of innovation. Shelley Martin, the spokesperson at NETL, said in an e-mail that the NETL received more than 30 applications for the 2015 funding. The projects it selected, including Chyu’s, “will facilitate the development of next-generation turbine technology,” Martin said. Chyu’s project, which he expects to be a three-year venture, is one of nine that the UTSR selected for funding in 2015. Markus Chmielus, assistant professor of

mechanical engineering and materials science, said past 3-D printing projects at Pitt have received funding from America Makes and Research for Additive Manufacturing in Pennsylvania. However, this is the first UTSR grant that Pitt has received for 3-D printing. Chyu said the novelty of this project introduces some unavoidable problems. For instance, Chyu will have to design the entire process from scratch, and handle any unforeseen difficulties as they arise. “Any new project has risks, especially when it involves very new ideas,” Chyu said. “But the risk is worth the innovations to the field.” Albert To, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, said the Swanson School of Engineering has three 3-D printers that “print” in metal. Although there are many more plastic printers across campus, To said these metal machines are too cuttingedge to be widespread. Chyu said, at the end the project, he hopes his research will apply to the actual manufacturing process of turbine engine parts. “This approach will bring us over a new horizon,” Chyu said. “We’re glad to be the first one to undertake that.”

Today's difficulty level: Hard Puzzles by Dailysudoku.com

October 6, 2015

Opinions from the editorial board

Attend Pitt forum, help initiate positive change Chancellor Gallagher and his administration are inviting the student body to have a say in policy making. Today, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., in the William Pitt Ballroom, the University will host a “Student Open Forum and Brainstorm Session,” where administration, such as Vice Provost David Dejong and Interim Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner, will take questions and give students a chance to voice their concerns about upcoming University policy goals and initiatives. We should all take advantage of this chance to affect University policy. If students disagree with a policy plan or initiative, it’s easier to stop it before it starts, rather than trying to fix them once they have already become a reality. It’s worth noting, however, that it took some work to include all students in these policy efforts. For instance, this openforum would not be happening if it wasn’t for the of Americans for Informed Democracy and Free the Planet — the student organizations sent an open-letter to Chancellor Gallagher on Sept. 24, urging him to better include student perspectives on said policy efforts. Don’t let their efforts go in

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vain. Starting with the forum today, all student voices will, ideally, be heard and taken into consideration when it comes to University policy — still, being heard requires speaking. At the forum, students and administration will discuss the policy goals outlined in “The Plan for Pitt,” the administration’s strategic planning framework. The strategy focuses on further improving things like campus diversity and affordability. If students want the University to take their opinions into consideration, students must actively participate. Of course, this means the University must open up campus discussions to students — which it is now doing — but it also means that a representative sample of students must be attending these discussions, as well. The best ideas will have the most student input. For example, we can’t really tackle diversity if we’re only hearing from a small number of students on the problem. Therefore, all students should go to the forum today — if not solely for the campus-wide benefits, at least do it for the free pizza.

column

college food insecurity demands action

Morgan Cummings stocks shelves in The Pitt Pantry. Valkyrie Speaker STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Kirsten Wong

For The Pitt News When a college student is food insecure, it undermines the education meant to someday put bread on their tables. The idea that most college students are privileged and wealthy enough to afford food is simply not the reality. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 1.82 million individuals in Pennsylvania — 14.3 percent — experienced food insecurity and were at risk of hunger in 2012.

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Feeding America found that in 2014, one in 10 hungry adults seeking emergency food assistance were students — 2 million being full-time students. Universities, therefore, need to address this reality present on their campuses by ensuring that every student has access to affordable, quality food. Universities need to address food insecurity among their students simply because the government has failed to do so adequately. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is

one of the largest federal nutrition assistance programs that offers access to healthy food for low-income families. However, the USDA reports that most students who are enrolled in higher education are not eligible for SNAP benefits, unless they work at least 20 hours a week, or take care of a dependent household member under the age of six. This is despite the fact that an increasing number of low-income students are enrolling in universities. See Wong on page 5

Wong, pg. 4 According to the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 75 percent of the 8.6 million students who received the Pell Grant reported having no savings or cash on hand when entering college. The Pell Grant is a federal grant that provides need-based financial assistance to lowincome college students. With no financial cushion to fall back on, low-income students are already at an educational disadvantage — seeing that access to basic necessities, such as food, is directly related to academic performance. According to the Food Research and Action Center, food-insecure students had lower GPAs and higher rates of poor health than their food-secure counterparts . They were also twice as likely to work a job on top of their class loads. These seemingly contradictory results could be because low-income students may have less financial support upon entering college, resulting in a struggle to balance school and work in order to pay

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for their tuition and basic needs. It may be hard to think of college students as a population in need of food assistance, but it’s a very real possibility for many undergrads. Pitt itself has recognized the problems food insecurity causes and currently provides a campus food pantry for students. T h e P i t t Pant r y serves as a f o o d p ant r y for students w h o m a y suffer from financial issues or food insecurity here at the University of Pittsburgh. PittServes is in partnership with the Bellefield Presbyterian Church to help ensure that all students have access to healthy, well-balanced food options. As long as students fit the income

guidelines and provide their student Pitt ID, they are welcome to shop at the pantry twice a month. Healthy food options at the pantry include pasta, fruits and vegetables, soup and even gluten-free items. This is essential, because studies have revealed that food-insecure and lowincome people are especially v u l n e rable to obesity. Several factors contribute to this relationship, with one example being how healthy food is often more expensive than non-healthy food. In fact, eating healthier food will cost $550 more annually than non-healthy foods, according to the Huffington Post. Therefore, food pantries help to undermine the effects

In 2014, one in 10 hungry adults seeking food assistance were students...

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of this correlation — in that, they give lower-income students access to healthier food options that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Food pantries can make all the difference when it comes to low-income students making ends meet to afford the cost of college — whether that may be decreasing the necessity of loans or giving students more time to study instead of working extra hours to pay for grocery expenses. Campus food pantries, like Pitt Pantry, help to address food insecurity, but eliminating the problem will require a campus-wide effort. All students need to help encourage the growth of their campus food pantries by donating food and/ or volunteering at the pantry itself. With food insecurity, the social mobility that is supposed to come with a college degree, is no longer guaranteed. Therefore, we need to stop assuming and start recognizing this reality for many college students. Write to Kirsten Wong at kew101@ pitt.edu.

Culture

Zine scene: annual festival creates community

Lizzee Solomon shows off her original art. Britnee Meiser STAFF WRITER

Britnee Meiser Staff Writer

A Mexican travel guide. A Kim Kardashian coloring book. Bernie Sanders memorabilia. However varied these items are, they coexisted terrifically as zines displayed on neighboring tables at Pittsburgh’s fifth annual Zine Fair last Sunday, waiting for artists to purchase or trade them. A zine, short for fanzine, is a self-published piece of work similar to a magazine. Zines can be about anything — literature, comics, photography, fan fiction — it doesn’t matter. The fair is put on every year by artists and volunteers dedicated to the craft of zine printing. At the fair in the Union Project, a Highland Park church-turned-artistic venue on Negley

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Avenue, zine publishers paid either $10 or $20 — depending on table size — to set up a table and showcase, share or sell their work. This year, there were 42 vendors sharing a few dozen tables, as approximately 530 people cruised the aisles in the large assembly hall. “I like coming to support my friends,” said Pitt research specialist Andres Gutierrez, who has attended the fair for the past couple years. “[The Zine Fair] is a mix of Pitt Students, former Pitt students, CMU students—the whole Pittsburgh scene.” Vendors displayed their zines, and any other original creations for sale, in whatever fashion they liked. Add in a few hundred people at a time and a Pgh Taco stand outside, and the result was equal parts colorful and crazy. All the money the Zine Fair makes — from

sponsorships and tabling fees — goes toward creating next year’s fair. Its volunteers are Pittsburgh artists, writers and print makers, who created and promoted the fair. Event coordinators — who are self-appointed volunteers — began meeting in June, and continued weekly meetings up until the fair where they secured the venue, reached out to promoters and sponsors, wrote press releases and designed posters, all in preparation of the event. “[The Zine Fair] is a great opportunity to get your work out there, and is by far the best event to make a profit,” said Lizzee Solomon, a CMU graduate and zine creator. She has published five issues of her original, comic-based zine “Mutual Paradise.” The zine creation process is different for everyone, but hard work remains constant. For Solomon, it begins with the pencil work—writing and drawing the comics. Then, she scans the images into the computer and uses Photoshop to create the page layout and size. Finally, she takes them to the printer, which is the only part of the process where she has any help. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love it,” said Solomon. “It’s not quick and it doesn’t make much money. But coming back [to the Zine Fair] and having people come up to you and tell you they liked your zine and want the newest [issue] — it’s really rewarding.” Solomon has attended Pittsburgh’s Zine fair every year since it began in 2011. She sells her zines for $5 a piece. While zines can be a fun side-business for creators, some see trading with other zine makers as even more beneficial.

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“Trading becomes a conversation that lends itself to developing the community, which is what we’re all about. You’ve invested your heart in the work, and you want to distribute it,” said event organizer Juan Fernandez. Fernandez creates comic zines and runs the Pittsburgh Comic Salon — an organization that brings together local comic writers and cartoonists. In creating the Zine Fair, Fernandez and co-coordinator Raiona Gaydos aim to make a space that promotes direct communication between zine creators and readers. “There’s something powerful about the physicality [of the zine],” said Gaydos. “It’s all direct. There’s no middleman, no institution of publishers telling you what you can and can’t do.” Gaydos and Fernandez recognize the significance of zines acting as outlets for writers and readers who have trouble communicating verbally. For those people, Fernandez said, zines are the best form of self-expression. “So long as you have the gumption to write something and print it, a conversation will happen,” he said. “That’s the immediacy [and] legitimacy about zines.” As the Zine Fair’s influence spreads, the artist-reader conversations that Fernandez and Gaydos hope for will become inevitable. From fandom and pop culture junkies to science lovers and political enthusiasts, as the fair proves, there’s a zine for every interest. “It brings a sense of community,” said Gutierrez, “and creates a common forum that says it’s okay to express yourself whatever way you want to.”

Trading becomes a conversation that lends itself to developing the community -Juan Fernandez

Building his ark: Noah kicks off late-night career Matt Maielli Staff Writer The stage may be new, but the “Daily Show” goes on all the same. Last Monday, Trevor Noah, a comedian from South Africa and previous “Daily Show” senior international correspondent, went from correspondent to host as Jon Stewart’s 17-year tenure on the desk ended. Fans, critics and everyone in between wondered how this change would play out after Stewart built the Comedy Central show into one of the smartest political satires on the air. The answer is a resounding “not too shabby.” The show has the same intro, same theme, same structure and “Moments of Zen,” but Noah’s first week – right down to the guest list including Kevin Hart, Chris

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Christie and Ryan Adams – symbolized the new “Daily Show” as a whole. Noah’s delivery is quicker than Stewart’s, but not out of anxiety. The first few monologues felt like Noah was doing a stand-up set, except he was seated with pictures. There was also a distinct lack of Noah’s promised focus on the online news cycle, a point he made in early press releases. Perhaps this focus is more of a goal than a starting point. Also missing was some good old-fashioned Fox News mockery, one of Stewart’s favorite targets. It was a missed oppurtunity, as Fox host and Stewart-frenemy, Bill O’Reilly, has a new book out, “Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a See The Daily Show on page 8

Trevor Noah started his first week as host of “The Daily Show” last week. TNS

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The Daily Show, pg. 7 Presidency,” and that joke writes itself. Otherwise, Noah showed viewers he can flip the coin from funny to serious when Thursday night’s show began with a message to the victims of the Oregon community college shooting, delivering the late night standard tragedy prompt “I guess I can do what I do best, and that is try and make people laugh.” In what was Noah’s first real challenge as host, he did his best Stewart impression by being candidly honest about himself. “I haven’t had time to feel, let alone think, about everything that is happening,” he said, recalling all of Stewart’s straightfaced responses to gun violence. Monday night kicked off with Noah praising Stewart’s work and influence, stating that Stewart was our “political dad,” acknowledging that it’ll take time to get used to his absence. “And it’s weird because dad has left. And now it feels like the family has a new stepdad — and he’s black,” Noah said. Tuesday and Wednesday nights were a

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little heavier, tackling topics like the General Assembly of the United Nations, ISIS, Syria and the 2016 election, all accompanied by a confident chuckle from the host. Noah also coined the term “Panderdemic,” referring to politicians’ attempts to please everyone — read: voters. Noah took time to do some funny faces, voices, and traditional CNN bashing — all very Stewart-esque — with a joke that compared Wolf Blitzer to a broken iPad. An interview with Whitney Wolfe, the founder and CEO of Bumble, a dating app in which women always make the first move, was thoroughly nervous, with Noah not establishing a rapport until almost the end. Wednesday’s field piece featuring correspondents from “The Best F--king News Team Ever,” Jordan Klepper and new African-American correspondent Roy Wood Jr., covering police bias was bold, approaching the story from two sides — black and white. On Thursday night, Noah shined when he took an alternate look at republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump jokes are starting to get stale — how many different ways can you make fun of his hair?

But Noah instead let Trump speak for himself and compared him with clips of various African presidents/dictators saying eerily similar things — especially ex-Libyan Dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s speech declaring President Barack Obama a Muslim from Kenya. The clips fit so well you’d think Trump was taking pointers. Noah finished the piece declaring, “But this great country is capable of bold leaps. It took one in 2008 when it elected its first black president and now in 2016, I say it is time to be bold once more and elect America’s first African president.” The jab was Noah’s best act of the week and was reminiscent of his stand-up, which featured South African presidents, and therefore was close to home. It also recalled Stewart’s voracious take-down of Trump when he saw a clip of the real-estate mogul eating pizza, a New York staple, with a fork. A later piece on Thursday featured another new correspondent, Desi Lydic, in which Noah tries to contain his inexplicably pumpkin-spice-crazed news team. The whole scene felt very reminiscent of the numerous times Stewart “lost control” of his

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news team. Though Stewart hosted a variety of musical acts, Noah wants to bring on more beats. Thursday night’s musical guest was singersongwriter Ryan Adams, who recently released a cover album of Taylor Swift’s 1989, symbolizing Noah’s earliest statements that he wants the show to emphasize more on music in the future than the previous “Daily Show.” Overall, it still feels like the same show, but Noah adds a more international perspective — he speaks several languages and even showcased one of them in the Trump bit. His successful first week reinforces “The Daily Show” as an institution, Comedy Central’s career parallel to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Viewers who previously tuned in for Stewart’s wisdom will instead find Noah’s curiosity on display, and Noah likely won’t be “eviscerating” anyone anytime soon. Though his interviewing may need some polishing, his charming delivery and accent will likely keep him in the chair for some time. So let him get comfortable.

Sports

Pitt football notebook: Week five Jeremy Tepper

Senior Staff Writer

Chad Voytik will continue to see time as a change-of-pace quarterback. Jeff Ahearn ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Pat Narduzzi is coming off of his first conference win as head coach, a 17-13 defensive showcase on the road at Virginia Tech. Now, he aims to keep his players’ confidence in check. Narduzzi emphasized maintaining a down-to-earth mindset despite last week’s win, as well as continuous competition and Chad Voytik’s involvement at his weekly press conference on Monday. No Let Downs Over the past few years, Pitt has struggled to string together consecutive impressive victories, often faltering one week after wowing pundits and fans. After a win against Virginia Tech, Narduzzi believes he can avoid a let down by keeping his

team level-headed. “The kids were feeling good on the airplane on the way back after the game, but we got them back down to earth yesterday just because there’s so many things we can do better offensively, defensively, special teams wise,” Narduzzi said. The key, Narduzzi said, is not overpraising his team and letting them get too high on themselves. “[We’re] not patting them on the back saying ‘Hey, you guys did a nice job, you can’t get any better,’” Narduzzi said. Despite the lack of overwhelming praise from the coaching staff, Narduzzi understands that compliments will come from students around Pitt. While he can See Football on page 10

homefield advantage no guarantee come mlb playoffs Chris Puzia

Assistant Sports Editor As if Pirates fans didn’t already have enough reason to despise Cubs ace Jake Arrieta, his Twitter feed might provide more fodder. “Whatever helps keep your hope alive, just know, it doesn’t matter,” Arrieta responded Sunday to a tweet suggesting PNC Park’s blackout crowd will rattle him in Wednesday’s Wild Card game. The dig at Arrieta likely had the 2013 Wild Card game in mind, when Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto dropped the baseball on the mound amid loud chants of his last name from the PNC Park faithful. I have to say, for the most part, regardless of what happened in 2013, Arrieta is right — the noise fans make won’t decide anything.

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Pitchers of that high of a caliber do not let their performances ride on whether the people in their surrounding areas like them or not. And before you point at the aforementioned Cueto incident, let me remind you of a more recent Wild Card p e r for m anc e against the Pirates — last year’s Madison Bumgarner dominating the Buccos. I’ve seen the dampening effect of Bumgarner’s performance firsthand. Over the weekend I walked into a Dick’s Sporting Goods, littered with shirts saying something like, “The playoffs are ours,” for

the Pirates. But the first thing I heard when I got in the store was a customer walking by, looking at the shirt and scoffing, “Waste of money for a shirt they’ll o n l y n e e d for one day.” After that s e a s on ending loss last year at home, Pirates fans can’t take anything for granted simply based on the location of the game. This feeds into a larger point about the overprizing of home-field advantage in baseball games. While that postseason atmosphere can certainly amp up the home

Arrieta is right— the noise fans make won’t decide anything

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team, especially for teams not used to perennial playoff berths, these players are hyper-focused from the start. In football playoff games, the home team wins 66 percent of its games. In baseball, regular season or postseason, the home team wins 54 percent of the time — a little more than a coin-flip probability. Looking at the past 20 years of league championship series, the team with homefield advantage has won only 19 of 40 series. Will Houston’s Dallas Keuchel — who finished the season 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA — play under his capabilities because he’s in Yankee Stadium? I’m not the only one who’s doubtful.

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Football, pg. 9 only control so much, Narduzzi wants the team to look ahead and come out “motivated and hungry for the next game. “Not just sitting there going ‘Hey, we did good’ and everybody up on campus is tapping everybody on the back saying ‘Nice job, nice job’ and all that baloney,” Narduzzi said. “We can’t let that get to our kids because it can waterwall down the other way.” Competition Remains

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Over the first few weeks of the season, co-starters littered Pitt’s two deep depth chart. This week, there are no “OR’s”—the word that signified a position with two starter– as freshman running back Qadree Ollison and junior linebacker Bam Bradley are now listed as the sole starters at their respective positions. . “There’s always or’s,” Narduzzi said. “You can see a starter listed in there today and it may be different tomorrow.” Notably, the depth chart lists Ollison

as the sole starter at running back, while Bradley is the starter at the money linebacker, positions that previously had costarters. Coming off a 122-yard performance against Virginia Tech, Narduzzi said Ollison earned himself more playing time moving forward. “He got a bigger footprint at the running back spot just because what he did at the end. He’s starting to figure what is his style,” Narduzzi said. That style, Narduzzi said, is just hitting

October 6, 2015

the hole and running downhill. Elsewhere on the depth chart, Pitt continues to list junior Terrish Webb as the starting free safety. Reggie Mitchell held that spot going into the season, though Webb took over while Mitchell was hurt. Mitchell returned to action against Virginia Tech, playing mostly on special teams. Webb started, intercepting a pass and earning ACC co-defensive back of the week for his efforts. Mitchell will see more time going forward, though Narduzzi said Webb’s play has merited the defensive back more snaps. “Reggie’s a good football player. We certainly want to get him on the field,” Narduzzi said “Webb is playing well, and we want to play the guys that are playing well. I’m not subbing guys if we don’t need to.” Keeping Voytik Involved In the first week without quarterback competition, Voytik, Pitt’s backup quarterback, saw playing time in a package which utilized his running ability. Voytik ran five times for 37 yards against the Hokies and will take snaps under center in lieu of starting quarterback Nathan Peterman. “Every week we’re going to have something going in,” Narduzzi said. “He’s a great football player and you want keep getting him oiled up and ready to go.” Though Voytik didn’t pass the ball against Virginia Tech, Narduzzi plans to utilize Voytik’s passing ability in the future, as the coach says there is still potential for Voytik to air the ball out. “We know he’s capable of throwing the ball. Everybody thinks he’s going to run it and I don’t want that to be the case,” Narduzzi said. “He will run the ball and he will throw the ball.” How much Pitt will use Voytik will change week-to-week, as Pitt will use him situationally. “You base it on the situation of the game, whether it’s the weather conditions or how we’re holding up defensively,” Narduzzi said. Regardless, opposing teams will need to plan for Voytik, mostly because of the threat to break off 20-yard gains with his legs, like he did on his first snap Saturday against Virginia Tech. “Everybody’s vulnerable to quarterback runs,” Narduzzi said.