10-7-20

The Pitt News

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 7, 2020 ­| Volume 111 | Issue 33

Cover by Sarah Cutshall | Visual Editor

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH FOCUSES ON HELPING STUDENTS THROUGH PANDEMIC

Martha Layne

Assistant News Editor The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainty about jobs and health for many Americans. Cassandra Long, a University Counseling Center staff clinician, said college students also face increased anxieties about paying for college, online courses and the increase in social isolation. She said a focus on holistic health is the key to managing this additional stress.

“When we do not take care of our mental health, it impacts our ability to cope with everyday life stressors and limits the contributions that we can make to our relationships and environment,” Long said. “In order for students to thrive during their collegiate experience, they need to focus on their holistic well-being, which includes an emphasis on their mental health.”

Pitt’s Mental Health Awareness Month officially began on Oct. 1 and will last throughout the month of October. MHAM consists of various virtual events — such as open mic nights, webinars and art exhibits — that aim to raise awareness for mental health, change the stigmas surrounding mental illnesses and remind students of resources around campus that can help them in their mental health journey.

MHAM was organized by the Student Government Board, the University Counseling Center and student mental health organizations such as the Pitt’s chapters of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Active Minds. According to Student Affairs spokesperson Janine Fisher, MHAM has been formally celebrated at Pitt every year for at least the past decade. The events this year focus on mental health aspects surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 pandemic.

Danielle Floyd, the chair of the SGB wellness committee, said MHAM planners intentionally wanted to address the unprecedented challenges college students have faced from the pandemic and social justice movements.

“It would be tone-deaf to ignore how much these things are impacting our students,” Floyd, a sophomore economics major, said. “We have been placed under an extreme amount of stress due to the combination of the uncertainty of the pandemic and the need to keep up their grades.”

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Jay Darr, the director of the University Counseling Center, said the pandemic’s uncertainty can bring up natural responses of fear and anxiety.

“It’s important to frame discussions about COVID and mental health around the concept that we’re having a common or normal response (e.g., fear, worry, irritability, decreased ability to concentrate, changes in appetite, sleep, substance use, etc.) to an abnormal situation,” Darr said in an email. “Further, it is well documented that the pandemic has exprobated preexisting barriers to accessing mental health

Kamakashi Sharma is the president of Pitt’s chapter of Active Minds, an organization that works on addressing and destroying stigmas surrounding mental health. Sharma said organizers purposefully created MHAM events to address mental health within minority groups, as well as events to help students struggling with mental health amid the pandemic.

“We hope that through this month, the student body will be able to interact with discussions and webinars about mental health in these specific contexts,” Sharma, a junior neuroscience, psychology and French triple major,

Pitt’s Mental Health Awareness Month officially started on Oct. 1.

TPN File Photo care, especially for BIPOC communities.”

Graham Dore is the president of the Pitt branch of NAMI, an organization that aims to spread mental health literacy around campus for students and faculty. He said besides working to plan events, SGB leaders asked mental health club leaders for guidance on how to respectfully approach conversations about mental illnesses without feeding into the stigmas surrounding them.

According to Dore, a senior neuroscience and psychology major, about 90% of MHAM volunteers participated in stigma training, which included conversations on defining stigmas and how to have healthy and destigmatized discussions about mental illnesses.

said. “As the main goal of Active Minds is to destroy the stigma around mental health, seeing the diverse events for MHAM is exciting, as the discussions around mental health will only expand from here.”

Isabel Dobbs, vice president of Active Minds, said the organization stands out with its focus on peer support.

“Active Minds specifically works through a peer-education model in which peers help to advocate and raise awareness to other peers,” Dobbs, a junior neuroscience and psychology double major, said. “During COVID, we have been lucky to move to a virtual model to meet as a club and discuss ideas, and we have also been working with other groups on campus to

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host events for MHAM and beyond.”

Active Minds has planned three webinars for MHAM. The first webinar, which occurred Thursday, discussed Active Mind’s “Validate, Appreciate, Refer” module. Sharma said the module is designed to help individuals in supporting a peer when they’re struggling with their mental health.

Active Minds will host its second event, “What is Therapy,” on Oct. 15 with the goal of educating students about the basics of therapy.

The event will include a discussion of resources and the diverse scope of mental health care.

Finally, the group will host a lineup of local mental health professionals speaking about how mental health is related to their career or experiences on Oct. 22.

For MHAM, Dore said NAMI created a virtual art exhibit, titled “Putting Mind Into Matter: An Art Exhibit on Mental Health and Creativity,” in conjunction with the Center for Creativity and the studio arts department. Students and faculty were asked to submit artwork expressing their mental health journey. According to Dore, they received about 20 pieces and will keep the submission period open through the month.

For those interested in learning about what Pitt is doing to support students during the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, Floyd said she recommends attending the SGB town hall on Oct. 20. The town hall will feature Darr, Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner, Dr. Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for health science and school of medicine dean, and Clyde Pickett, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion.

With all of the events offered this month, Dore said he encourages students to carve out time to attend events to take care of their mental health.

“Mental health is for everyone,” Dore said.

“I know that sometimes, it can be hard to find a little bit of time to set aside an hour or two hours or something to do these — maybe you’re just not available. But, if you are available to attend any of them, I really recommend that.”

2

SGB ADDRESSES TOWER B QUARANTINE, DINING CONCERNS

Nathan Fitchett Staff Writer

Despite recent COVID-19 numbers showing an overall decrease in cases, Student Government Board warned students at its Tuesday night virtual meeting to continue to be mindful of safe quarantine practices throughout the remainder of the semester.

“Even as the numbers start to look better than in past weeks, there is no point in this semester where we should really let our guard down,” Eric Macadangdang, the board president, said. “Wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings and following proper hygiene should always be a routine that we continue to do throughout the entirety of the semester.”

Macadangdang’s comments were prompted in part by Pitt’s quarantine of about 60 students in Litchfield Tower B on Friday. The University took action after it saw an increase in cases coming from the residence hall in the last few weeks.

But the discussion of quarantining on campus was not all negative, with board members making a point to commend student organizations for finding ways to operate amid pandemic restrictions. Aboli Kesbhat, the allocations committee chair, said she has been happy to see the amount of clubs making an effort to continue operating this semester.

“I wanted to commend student groups who have made their programming accessible in a virtual environment,” Kesbhat said. “It has been incredible to see student groups still make strides toward their missions as organizations in a less than ideal environment.”

Besides discussing the state of the pandemic on campus, SGB also talked about its meeting with Compass Group, the ongoing Mental Health Awareness Month and the kickoff of SGB’s new civic advising program.

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SGB met with Joe Beaman, Pitt’s dining services director, to discuss student concerns surrounding Compass Group, Pitt’s new dining service provider. Tyler Viljaste, vice president and chief of cabinet, said one of the main points discussed was concerns surrounding meal plan minimums for first-year students.

Beaman said Pitt’s policies on meal plan minimums reflected that of other universities, which SGB contested by stat-

provider this year, we believe it’s really critical to understand what parts of our dining system are working or not working for our students,” Abraham said.

“We are actively thinking of new ways to continue this dialogue between students and dining staff.”

SGB also gave an update on the ongoing Mental Health Awareness Month, which kicked off last week with several online events. Last week’s events in-

Student Government Board met Tuesday night via Zoom.

Zoom Screenshot

ing that wasn’t an excuse. Viljaste said it appears there may be room to amend these meal plans in the future.

Other concerns included a lack of food diversity in dining halls, as well as limited meal options for students with common food allergies. Beaman said Compass plans to address both of these areas in the future.

Board member Annalise Abraham said SGB wants to continue collecting feedback from students about how dining services can be improved.

“We really want to emphasize that, especially since we have a new dining

cluded a seminar from Active Minds on how to engage with peers about mental health and a webinar hosted by SGB’s diversity and inclusion committee on intergenerational trauma. The Black Action Society will host a workshop on Wednesday about Black wellness. Links for all of this month’s events can now be found on SGB’s website or on its Facebook page.

In an update from last week’s meeting, Cedric Humphrey, executive vice president, said the board plans to meet Friday with Pitt police chief James Loftus and Ted Fritz, vice chancellor for

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public safety. Humphrey said SGB plans to discuss dissatisfactions with the police’s handling of student concerns with police accountability on campus. He said he also wants to try to improve lines of communication between students and campus police.

This week also marked the launch of SGB’s Civic Advising Program, which will offer 35 hours per week of advising to all undergraduate students. Counselors walk students through a “civic pathways diagnostic,” which is a survey that helps to determine which areas of civic engagement are best suited for students interests and skills. Advisers then help students create long-term plans to engage with the civic service areas they are most interested in.

Macadangdang closed the meeting by again reminding students to reach out to SGB with any concerns they may have.

“I know I sound like a broken record, but Student Government Board’s success largely relies on communication from our student body, so please don't hesitate to make your voice heard,” Macadangdang said.

Allocations The allocations committee received six requests for a total of $5,239.82, approved $4,789.82 and postponed review on one request. Two of the requests required approval from the board.

Biomedical Engineering Society requested $1,120 for the 2020 National Biomedical Engineering Society National Conference. The board approved in full.

Women’s Choral Ensemble requested $1,800 for virtual choir video editing by Christopher Boyd. The board approved in full.

3

SOME STUDENT ORGS BEGIN TO MEET IN PERSON AS PANDEMIC CONTINUES

Alice Tang Staff Writer

Some Pitt club leaders and members are slowly emerging from behind their Zoom screens to practice their hobbies and interests together in person.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, clubs reimagined and modified their meetings and activities this semester to meet health guidelines, which, for the majority of organizations, has resulted in strictly online meetings.

But on Sept. 14, Pitt sent an email to hundreds of student organizations allowing them to apply to hold in-person meetings.

Student Affairs spokesperson Janine Fisher said there were definite factors that determined whether clubs would be granted approval to meet in person.

“Organizations are granted permission for activities that include a detailed health and safety plan, which outlines how the organization will ensure that University and CDC CO-

VID-19 guidelines are being followed,” Fisher said. “In general, these activities must be something that cannot be held virtually.”

Once clubs get approved, Fisher said the rules for meeting in person require following their health and safety plan. Requests for each tabling event, meeting and practice are due at least seven days prior to the activity taking place, and requests for programs and events are due at least 21 days beforehand.

The new rules also require approved clubs to have at least two designated people present to ensure all participants follow the safety protocol. Fisher said in addition to getting authorized by SORC to meet in person, clubs must separately secure a reservation in the meeting location noted on their request form. Organizations that do not follow the rules may be held accountable to the Student Code of Conduct.

Fisher also said clubs are allowed to reapply, but it does not guarantee approval.

Although there are certain conditions to

meet in person, it is not impossible to get approved. Mary Grace Mooney, the president of the Pitt Irish dance club, said her club was allowed to meet in person. Mooney, a junior civil engineering major, said the club was offering optional in-person practices for dancers who wanted access to a studio to work on solo choreography.

In order to ensure safety, Mooney said the studio used in the William Pitt Union has floor markings for social distancing and that each dancer must wear masks and wash their hands frequently.

Mooney said she thinks her club could have been accepted for a few reasons.

“I think because we are not practicing group dances in the studio, it makes it possible to meet safely,” Mooney said. “If we had tried to practice our typical group dancing I’m sure we would have been denied, so we adapted and only allow solo practices now.”

Mooney said she was not too concerned about the risks of meeting in person for now, because everyone has been following the safety procedures with no issues.

“There are obviously some risks associated, and I would never want to have a mandatory in-person meeting in case some of our members didn’t feel comfortable attending,” Mooney said. “We only have around three to four mem-

bers attend each in-person practice anyways, which makes it easier to space out in the studio.”

Pitt has also approved in-person meetings for the Habitat for Humanity club, an affiliate of the nonprofit that provides affordable homes to local, low-income families. Volunteers help build homes alongside Habitat Pittsburgh construction supervisors and other volunteers. Cecelia Hembrough, the club vice president, said Habitat for Humanity applied for approval because the construction projects and volunteer work could not be done remotely.“Our affiliates are still building, albeit with masks, socially distanced and outside as much as possible,” Hembrough, a senior molecular biology major, said.

“They depend on labor from volunteers to be able to finish houses for the families that they provide for.”

Hembrough said the club’s in-person workdays, which often took place outside of Allegheny County before COVID-19, now face more limited work locations. She said the club will take smaller groups to affiliates, spreading out among more vehicles for traveling, working outside exclusively with masks on and quarantining for 14 days after returning from the workday.

Find the full story online at

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Pitt Irish dance club met in person on Tuesday evening in the William Pitt Union fitness center. Sarah Cutshall Visual Editor

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October 7, 2020

4

STUDENTS ON 3 TOWER B FLOORS QUARANTINED, PITT TO TEST BUILDING FOR COVID-19 Rebecca Johnson and Jon Moss The Pitt News Staff

Pitt placed around 60 students across three floors of Litchfield Tower B in quarantine Friday evening and will test the building's roughly 360 total residents for COVID-19, following an increase in virus cases among building residents over the last several weeks.

Pitt spokesperson Pat McMahon said Friday that there have been nine positive cases reported between Sept.

23 and Friday in the Central Oakland residence hall, which is Pitt’s largest.

The University included five in last Tuesday’s case report and two in Friday’s case report, but did not include the remaining two received Friday in Friday’s case report.

When asked whether the cases constitute a cluster, defined as a group of five or more cases that can be epidemiologically linked, McMahon said Monday evening that the University is still conducting contact tracing for the most recently reported cases to better understand if the Tower B cases are indeed linked.

“Nonetheless, in light of the common resident hall, we are proceeding cautiously and continuing our investigation,” McMahon said.

McMahon said the students on the three quarantined floors are not permitted to leave their room, except “to use the bathroom, to get a COVID test or for medical emergencies.” He added that meals are delivered daily to the quarantined students. Students who have tested positive have been moved to Pitt’s isolation housing, located outside of Tower B. McMahon also said that residents in Tower B’s 19 other floors are being asked to socialize only with members of their pods or friends on their floor. He said the University will test all Tower B residents for COVID-19, beginning Monday at 9 a.m.

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Eric Macadangdang, the president of Student Government Board, said he did not get word about the measures put in place for Tower B until Monday afternoon.

“Obviously, I would love to know this information beforehand,” Macadangdang said. “But I know that more than anything, I wanted to make sure they acted upon it and I’m happy to hear that they did, ever since they started seeing

es they could give to those students in quarantine and in isolation are good.”

Macadangdang also said it is “extremely important” to make sure students are part of the contact tracing process, and assist in these efforts if called upon.

“It only helps the community whenever people comply and take part in the process,” Macadangdang said.

McMahon said as a matter of prac-

Pitt’s outdoor COVID-19 testing site is located outside Posvar Hall.

Wu Caiyi Senior Staff Photographer

that trend last week.”

Macadangdang added that he thought the University responded well to the situation with what he described as “very strong” measures.

“It’s not going to be the most ideal situation, especially for the kids in Tower B, but it is what it has to be in terms of the health and safety of us all,” Macadangdang said. “Hopefully we can make sure that the University is up and at it in making sure that the accommodations and the help desk, the resourc-

tice, Pitt does not make “broad notifications” about situations that give the University “concern.” He added that “appropriate notifications” were made to members of the administration, and Pitt’s Resilience Steering Committee, which includes student leaders, received a briefing Monday afternoon.

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5

Opinions Leah Mensch

WE CAN’T NEGLECT PSYCHOTIC ILNESSES

Opinions Editor

Warning: This column contains content relating to mental illness, which some readers may not be comfortable with. If you are struggling with mental health problems, consider contacting the University Counseling Center.

We have, over the past decade, come a long way in opening conversation around mental illness. Or, at least, certain mental illnesses.

Celebrities have dedicated their platforms to mental health. Depression is represented on television shows, and more and more people seem to be understanding that it’s not laziness or a bad day — but a serious mental illness. We’re starting to open conversations about more inclusive eating disorder treatment, and college students now have access to resources like campus dieticians.

It’s nowhere near perfect, though at the very least, we’re trying. But while some mental illnesses

have become more acceptable to talk about, others — specifically any kind of psychotic illness — have been left behind.

Psychosis — by definition — is a loss of contact with reality. During a psychotic episode, no matter how brief, a person’s thoughts and perceptions are altered, and they might have a difficult time deciphering between what is real and what isn’t. They might also hallucinate, disassociate from their body or location and experience delusions. Other symptoms include incoherent speech and detached, inappropriate behavior.

When someone is experiencing psychosis, it can be obvious, but it can also be discreet. At least 4% of the American population has a psychotic illness. Whether obvious or not, chances are, you know at least someone with one.

Aside from schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder — for which psychotic symptoms are necessary for diagnosis — most other psy-

a subtype of post-traumatic stress disorder — PTSD-SP — that includes trauma-induced psychosis. And though it isn’t at the moment, some researchers argue that anorexia should be classified as a psychotic illness due mainly to extreme body image distortions.

For some people, psychosis is a chronic experience, or at least, something that comes and goes. But not everyone who experiences psychosis has a psychotic illness, or any kind of mental illness with psychotic symptoms. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 3% of people will have an unprecedented psychotic episode — often referred to as a psychotic break — at some point in their life. It may happen only once, and it might not be induced by a mental illness. Severe sleep withdrawal, for example, can cause psychosis. Substance-induced psychosis is often a symptom of drug withdrawal, and physical illnesses — often autoimmune diseases like

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Shruti Talekar Senior Staff Photographer chotic illnesses are more difficult to parse. Bipolar is technically a psychotic illness, although some people with bipolar only experience hypomania — a more mild form of mania, which includes euphoria, increased energy and decreased need for sleep, but often excludes psychosis. Borderline personality disorder, especially when the person is under duress, can sometimes include psychotic symptoms. About 20% of people with major depressive disorder simultaneously experience symptoms of psychosis. There’s also

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lupus, AIDS and multiple sclerosis — can result in psychosis, too.

When I was diagnosed with bipolar a few years ago, I thought my life was over. Not because of what my clinicians told me, but because in high school health class, and even my college psychopathology class, I learned that psychosis was the worst thing that could possibly happen to a person. In reality, it’s unpleasant. Sometimes I don’t even notice it. On rare occasions, it’s debilitating — though I’m not sure it’s any more de-

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bilitating, at least for me, than any other mental illness I’ve had.

Not every person with a psychotic illness is high-functioning, just like not everyone with depression is high-functioning. There are a lot of factors that play into this — such as genetics, environment, age of symptom onset and course of treatment. But often with proper adjustment time, and usually a lot of trial and error, proper medication and therapy makes psychosis relatively manageable. Most people with psychotic illnesses will continue to show symptoms, at least intermittently, but can live full lives.

Increased stigma is correlated with decreased treatment, which is to say, the less we talk about psychotic illnesses, the less people are going to feel comfortable seeking treatment. There are so many barriers that prevent adequate treatment — health insurance, income, race and education, to name a few. I know that working to end stigma won’t fix all of these. But I do know that it’s one fewer barrier. And I know that upwards of 40% of people with schizophrenia and about 20% of people with bipolar attempt suicide at least once in their lifetime. I know that if people had proper treatment, these numbers would not be zero — but they would be lower.

One of the sweetest things about curbing mental illness stigma is being able to talk about it without being harshly judged, and without people making assumptions about you. I don’t think we’re in this place with psychotic illnesses.

I don’t think we’re even close. They are still taboo and frankly, they’ve been left behind. I want us to bring them to the table the way we have other mental illnesses.

To be clear, I don’t think we’ve done nearly enough to de-stigmatize depression, anxiety disorders and eating disorders, either. But the effort and commitment is clearly there. I am so grateful for the work clinicians and everyday people have done over the past decade to push the conversation around mental health forward. But we just can’t progress in de-stigmatizing mental illness while neglecting psychotic illnesses.

Leah writes primarily about plants, wellness culture and the spices of the world. Write to them at LEM140@pitt.edu.

6

EVERY TV SHOW SHOULD HAVE A MUSICAL EPISODE

Alex Dolinger

Senior Staff Columnist Aren’t we all starved for joy? The world is full of garbage, but I think that more garbage is the cure. There are days when nothing can make me feel a genuine human emotion, with the exception of one single phenomenon, and that phenomenon is musical episodes of television shows.

Does anyone remember when we still used cable, and commercials for the “Grey’s Anatomy” musical episode would play? I had never experienced such chaos in my life. I watched the episode with my mom, and now I can confidently say that every television show on air should have a musical episode.

I would like to start off by defining the subject at hand. When I say “musical episode,” I don’t mean any old episode of “Glee.”

This is much more than that. I’m talking about television shows that do not involve regular song and dance. These shows have no song or dance of any kind. Then, suddenly, they release one single episode where the whole cast showcases the musical talent they do or don’t have.

When I research this subject, I see a lot of negativity because it seems that most writers aren’t brave enough to show their support of musical episodes. I attribute this to shame, so it’s a good thing that I have none. I love these musical episodes. They are brilliant, and there is nothing wrong with them.

Unfortunately, only a handful of these musical episodes exist. I am qualified to discuss exactly three of them — ”Once More, With Feeling” from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Duet” from “The Flash” and of course “Song Beneath the Song” from “Grey’s Anatomy.” These are the only shows containing mini-musicals that I have watched, so I am able to speak to how they fit in with the rest of the show. The spoiler-free zone ends here.

All of these episodes do great work advancing the plot of their respective shows.

In fact, these are all quite dramatic. For example, in “Song Beneath the Song,” Callie Torres, a main character on “Grey’s Anatomy,” gets in a car accident and hallucinates a series of musical numbers performed by her colleagues while she fights for her life.

In both “Buffy” and “The Flash,” the musical numbers are brought on by a supernatural

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being who makes everyone sing, but the affected characters are all going through very intense relationship drama.

All this is to say that these musical episodes aren’t even filler, and these are all shows that have a lot of filler. All of these characters are being beaten down by plots so crazy that they simply must sing about it. “Once More, With Feeling” is a personal favorite of mine because Joss Whedon wrote completely original songs for the occasion, and they slap unreasonably hard while also being hilarious. The other two episodes mostly utilize covers, but “Duet” features two original songs — one of which is by Pasek and Paul, which is absolutely hysteri-

ald, a six-time Tony Award winner, was on a “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff called “Private Practice” and she never got to sing. Andrew Rannells, a seasoned Broadway actor, is all over the television scene and was on “Girls” for six entire years and only got to sing a 16-bar cut from “Smash,” of all things.

This is truly such a waste, and most television shows are offenders. I believe we’re making progress by letting Rannells sing on “Big Mouth” and letting the cast of “Riverdale” do whatever the hell they’re doing. While we’re definitely seeing more musical episodes emerge, I see a lot of pushback that I honestly think is absurd.

You simply cannot tell me that watching

Promiti Debi Senior Staff Photographer cal to me.

While these musical episodes can be called “cringy” or “disgraceful” or “something that Alex would definitely like,” I think they are a great way to spice up a season and utilize the usually under-utilized vocal talent of so many actors. When it comes to “Grey’s Anatomy,” Sara Ramirez — the actor who plays Callie Torres — is a Tony Award winner for their role in “Spamalot”, so having them belt to “The Story” by Brandi Carlile seems like a no-brainer to me.

This is my main justification for creating more musical episodes today. There are so many television shows that tragically cast prolific Broadway belters and don’t let them sing at all. Audra goddamn McDon-

these musical episodes doesn’t fill you with emotion. They could definitely be negative emotions, like secondhand embarrassment or deep, deep anger when you hear Owen sing “How to Save A Life” by The Fray on “Grey’s Anatomy.” He seriously sounds like a rejected muppet. It’s okay to be upset. But isn’t it great to feel something? Even if just for an hour?

Personally, musical episodes make me laugh hard enough to get a full abdominal workout. I think they are so funny and often so poorly executed that I wheeze with glee. I think that “Once More, With Feeling” is the best of the bunch in terms of plot and payoff, but when Buffy starts moving in slow motion and Giles begins his “Slipping Through

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My Fingers”-esque ballad, I cannot help but cackle.

Also, let’s get real. Music makes us happy.

When life is super depressing, I make sure Joni Mitchell is absolutely blowing the roof off of my apartment. Music has all sorts of psychological benefits, like making us happier and more motivated. Basically, I don’t think I’m qualified to say that these musical episodes are a form of music therapy, but I am going to heavily imply it.

I think we need more of these minimusicals in our lives. Who are they hurting?

No one. Who are they helping? Sad nerds.

I haven’t done any research but I think that an increase in musical episodes will have a net positive effect and probably end the coin shortage.

“But is a musical episode really appropriate for every TV show?” Yes. These musical episodes can portray a whole range of subjects and genres. “Song Beneath The Song” was full of looming death. “Once More, With Feeling” was full of relationship angst and intense confessions with some quirky supernatural elements. “Duet” was just an excuse for former “Glee” stars to wear fun costumes and remind us that they can sing.

Thus, I think there’s room in most television shows to sing some silly little songs and bring the joy that we so desperately need.

This column is a cry for help. Network executives, Audra McDonald, Pitt film students and anyone else who may be reading — please make more musical episodes of television shows. You can truly just pop one in the middle of the season and have your main characters finally get together, but through song. Absolutely everyone will like it, and if they say that they don’t, it’s probably because they like it so much that they’re shy about it. Musical episodes are the best part of modern television, and they are a valuable storytelling tool that should be used literally all the time.

Alex is a senior theatre major with a minor in creative writing. They primarily write satire about how the world is ending. You can reach them at ard108@pitt.edu.

7

from the editorial board

Student Self-Care Days provide little care

Flex@Pitt’s term schedule this past fall often feels anything but flexible.

Provost Ann Cudd announced two weeks ago that Pitt would implement the flex model in the spring, too. Pitt is extending winter break by a week — students will now start classes on Jan. 19 instead of Jan. 11 — and axing spring break entirely. The calendar now includes two “Student SelfCare Days” — Feb. 23 and March 24.

Similarly, the fall semester schedule commenced a week early this year so students could finish instruction by Thanksgiving break. Rather than returning to campus afterward, students will take most finals online. The fall schedule includes one “Student Self-Care Day” — Wednesday, Oct. 14. But right now, the thought of a student self-care day in a week and a half feels like putting a band-aid on a broken leg.

We understand that Pitt is choosing to condense the academic calendar in order to curb viral spread. It makes sense that the University wouldn’t want students traveling to and from home over breaks, and bringing COVID-19 back with them. But administrators have to understand that this schedule takes a toll on students’ mental health. We need more than just one or two random, unstructured days off of class to ease the pace of this semester.

Young adults — particularly college students — already suffered some of the highest rates of mental illness pre-pandemic, and the pandemic has only made things worse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data in late August that suggested young adults 18 to 24 years in age might be suffering mentally at far higher rates than the average population. Of the young adults surveyed, 62.9% reported experiencing depression, anxiety or both. 24.7% reported having started or increased substance use to cope with pandemic-related emotions. Ultimately, 74.9% of young adults surveyed reported at least one adverse mental health symptom. In comparison, only 15.1% of people over the

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age of 65 reported feeling adverse mental health symptoms.

One day off in the middle of the week just doesn’t feel like enough. It’s supposed to be a day of relaxation, but students instead are likely going to use it to just catch up on work and study for exams — which they might have the following day. It’s not a break from work as much as it is a break from the specific class a student has that day. It would be much more relaxing if Pitt scheduled the self-care days on a Friday or a Monday so that students could have a long weekend. But the administration is probably avoiding this to discourage students from leaving campus.

Instead, the administration might consider giving two consecutive days during the week, like Tuesday, Oct. 13 and Wednesday, Oct. 14 to provide a bit more relief. They might also ask instructors not to schedule exams and assignments the day after — in this case Oct. 15 — to ensure that students can actually relax on the self-care day. And for the spring, instead of starting the spring semester a week later, administration should consider having students start on time, and incorporating multiple days off that account for spring break throughout the semester. This seems more bearable than just rushing right through the semester.

Clearly, the pandemic — even without this condensed schedule — is taking its toll on us. It feels sometimes like administrators don’t really care. The only reason students have a second self-care day in the spring is because Eric Macadangdang, the Student Government Board president, advocated for it. On campus, students are far more isolated than usual. At Pitt, we primarily don’t have in-person classes either, for quarantine relief. Again, this is the right choice, and the safe choice, but the administration still needs to do more than slap a day off on the calendar, tell us to relax and hope for the best.

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October 7, 2020

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8

Culture

FILM AS REBELLION: CHARLES BURNETT, JULIE DASH CLOSE WEEK OF BLACK STUDY

Charlie Taylor Culture Editor

Daniel Alexander Jones and his fellow master of fine arts students fell in love with the films of Charles Burnett and Julie Dash while studying at Brown University in the ’90s. So in love, in fact, that Jones felt moved to write and perform a love letter for the pair.

“You focused, revealing all the contradiction and fragility, all the creativity and bravery, all the shadows and bright fire,” Jones read from the letter. “Your lenses were lenses of radical love.”

This letter was part of “Love is the Great Rebellion,” the final event of the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics’ Black Study Intensive. Jones joined Burnett and Dash for a Friday afternoon discussion, livestreamed on CAAPP’s Crowdcast and YouTube channels, about their work and legacy as members of the L.A. Rebellion — a group of Black film students at UCLA in the ’60s and ’70s whose work rejected the conventions of Hollywood cinema.

Dawn Lundy Martin, director of CAAPP and an English writing professor, said she invited Dash and Burnett to speak in part because she, like Jones, found herself inspired by their work during the beginning of her career.

“They were the first films that I actually saw

by Black filmmakers that weren’t stereotyping Black people,” Martin said. “I’ve been rewatching their films for 25 years, and I thought how wonderful it would be to gather them and have them talk about their legacy.”

After screening clips from the filmmakers’ work — including Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep” and Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust” — and delivering his love letter, Jones asked Burnett and Dash questions about the Rebellion, their past films and the current state of Black filmmaking.

When Jones asked them about the role of collaboration in the Rebellion, Burnett said much of his interaction with other students involved actively trying to do what Martin pointed out — represent Black experience in a

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truthful, non-stereotypical way.

“There were a few people of color when I was [at UCLA], but the films that they were making didn’t speak to us, and Hollywood was perpetuating these stereotypes,” Burnett said.

“When we came and gathered in a certain mass, we had these intense discussions about, ‘What are we supposed to be doing as Black filmmakers?’”

Burnett and Dash also shared excerpts from their current projects. Burnett’s latest short film,

son — he did do it, he admits to doing it. But there’s no empathy or anything in this world, it seems like,” Burnett said. “These people didn’t get a fair trial.”

Dash’s newest work, “Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl,” is a documentary about Black writer and culinary anthropologist Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor. Besides that project, Dash said she wants to produce a screenplay of hers that she first wrote more than a decade ago about the all-Black, all-female 6888th Central

Black filmmakers Charles Burnett and Julie Dash spoke Friday afternoon about their work and legacy as members of the L.A. Rebellion, a group of Black film students at UCLA in the ’60s and ’70s. Via CAAPP “The Law of Parties,” follows the aftermath of the fictional trial of Robert Hall. Hall gave an acquaintance a ride to a liquor store, which implicated him in a murder case and led to his execution.

Although the film is fictional, Burnett said he based it on a real Texas law that holds anyone involved in a murder responsible for the crime, whether or not they actually carried it out.

“I tried to say everything that I possibly could, and not make the guy an innocent per-

Postal Directory Battalion during World War II. Dash said she has yet to find a studio willing to pick up that project and later added that it can be difficult to fund films that accurately speak to the Black experience, because in her view, production companies often place profit over authenticity.

“I want to see me on the screen,” she said. “I don’t get to see that. When we do sometimes get to see it, it’s distorted.”

Elyssa Pollio, a senior mathematics major

October 7, 2020

who attended the event, said Dash’s discussion of her struggles made her reflect on the role of women and people of color in cinema.

“Sometimes I think of how difficult it would be to be the first of something. She also talked about how much adversity she had to deal with in the film industry. Even a white female director has to deal with a lot of stuff,” Pollio said. “I really appreciated hearing her talk.”

Also in attendance was Neepa Majumdar, an associate professor of film and media studies, who said she first encountered the work of the L.A. Rebellion during grad school. She said hearing Burnett and Dash speak made her feel like she “had a front row seat at a moment in cinematic history that [she] had only encountered in the abstract before.”

Majumdar also said the conversation made her reflect on academia’s role in racist systems, which tend to value the work of white artists over that of Black artists.

“Just as Hollywood excluded the voices of Black filmmakers, similarly, the academic discipline of film studies has routinely excluded the histories and perspectives of Black filmmakers and viewers from its textbooks and curricula,” Majumdar said. “My hope is that this is changing now.”

As the final event of CAAPP’s Black Study Intensive, “Love is the Great Rebellion” closed a week full of conversation about the revolutionary power of art. Martin said she and coorganizer Angie Cruz wanted the week to have a natural flow, from Emily Greenwood’s lecture on Aristotle’s views of slavery to poetry readings and workshops to this final event.

“I’m a poet, and that’s the kind of center of the work we do, is this cross-genre collaboration between poetry and other art forms,” Martin said. “To end on film — these wonderful, historic films by these legendary filmmakers — just seemed to make sense as a kind of punctuation at the end.”

9

KEEPING IT SHORT WITH THE CENTER FOR CREATIVITY’S ONE MINUTE FILM FESTIVAL

Siddhi Shockey Senior Staff Writer

In the age of COVID-19, apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels have altered our concept of filmmaking. With everyone living in physically confined spaces, filmmakers have to get creative in how they approach their project, something the Center for Creativity has decided to take advantage of.

The Center for Creativity is hosting its first One Minute Film Festival, a competition designed to get Pitt students to create films of 60 seconds or less. Throughout the month of October, the C4C will accept and post submissions on its website. The C4C will also host workshops to help filmmakers and screenwriters produce their films.

At the end of the month, the center will host the festival via Zoom and hand out trophies for first-, second- and third-place winners, as well as a $250 donation to a student organization of the first-place winner’s choice. The C4C will also

On the Rocks (R) Fri: 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Sat & Sun: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Mon & Tue: 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Wed: 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Thu: 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Possessor Uncut (NR) Fri: 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 Sat & Sun: 2:55, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 Mon & Tue: 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 Wed: 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 Thu: 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 Kajillionare (R) Fri - Tue: 7:10 Wed: 7:10 Thu: 7:10 The Trial of the Chicago 7 (R) Fri: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Sat & Sun: 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Mon & Tue: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Wed: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Thu: 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Tenet (PG-13) Fri-Tue: 4:00, 9:25 Wed: 4:00, 9:25 Thu: 4:00, 9:25

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have a screenplay writing competition with similar prizes.

Chad Brown, a workshop assistant at the C4C, said he hopes the festival will inspire amateur and experienced filmmakers alike to develop one-minute documentaries, music videos and narrative shorts either safely in a group or alone.

“With the One Minute Film Festival, we’re

the festival is open to anyone from any major or department within the University.

“A one-minute film is something that’s very accessible,” Schuckers said. “It’s similar to the kinds of TikToks and content that [students are] used to. They may not realize necessarily how creative they can be until they give it a try.”

Schuckers highlighted the convenience of making one-minute films during a semester

The Center for Creativity is hosting its first One Minute Film Festival, a competition designed to get Pitt students to create films of 60 seconds or less.

Courtesy of Center for Creativity trying to show that we all have stories to tell and this visual vocabulary that we can use to express ourselves,” Brown said. “That’s the big driving force behind the film festival.”

With the emergence of apps such as TikTok and its predecessor, Vine, Brown said he feels filmmaking like this has become increasingly more accessible. Much like these video apps, Brown said these one-minute videos can be shot on your phone or with high quality equipment and can be edited with any sort of software.

“We accept any form of moving image and that includes ones made on your cell phone,” Brown said. “For folks that don’t have access to that film equipment or editing software, or just want to express themselves through their words, we’re opening it up to them as well through the one-page screenplays.”

Erik Schuckers — the manager of communications and programming for the C4C — said

when many are working from home. He said he hopes this will allow people to work with one another on their films, though the C4C emphasizes that any collaborations should follow all of the University’s COVID-19 guidelines.

“You can certainly make a film on your own, but the natural inclination, and I think the nature of film, is to bring people together to work on the project,” Schuckers said. “It’s something that’s easier to do — as everything is easier to do — in person. But it can translate, in these times, that you can collaborate across distance and virtually.”

The festival is open to international and regional campus students, as well. Brown said he hopes that, even with social distancing and remote workshops in place, this event will bring the entire Pitt community together.

“With social distancing, the film industry as a whole is sort of reeling and figuring out how to restructure and make films,” Brown said. “We’re

October 7, 2020

hoping that people find those creative ways to collaborate, but it’s also totally open to solo artists, international students and satellite campuses.

Anybody, anywhere can participate.”

Aditi Sridhar, a participant in the film festival, said she wants to create a film that’s funny and relatable. Sridhar said she is in the process of writing a screenplay about a college student who wakes up and gets ready to write a paper due that evening, but quickly gets sidetracked until it’s 30 minutes before the deadline. In the rush to get her paper done, she gets a notification from her professor that the deadline is actually the next day, so she pushes the paper off again until the next day.

“I think all of us feel like we’re going through this, especially during COVID because you’re balancing school stuff, you’re on Zoom all the time,” Sridhar, a sophomore film studies and psychology major, said. “But at the end of the day, you’re confined to your computer and your room and your activities that you can do that are corona-safe in your apartment.”

In this way, Sridhar said she feels that COVID-19 has also limited how creative the topics of her film can be. She said she thinks many people are tired of reading articles and watching videos about life in quarantine.

“Films are made to immerse yourself into a different world, and if you’re immersing yourself into that same world that you’re already living in, it’s hard,” Sridhar said.

Despite the logistical challenges that COVID-19 poses, Brown said the C4C is eager to see how the films turn out. Brown also mentioned that he’s interested to see how working remotely and using platforms such as Zoom will allow the film community to adapt in these times.

“If we kind of give up a little of what was, and really think about what this technology can do for performing arts, it’s a whole new art form, and it’s kind of exciting to explore that,” Brown said.

Whether it’s through collaborating on films or taking some free time to paint, Schuckers said the C4C hopes to continue providing avenues

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10

PITTSBURGH LGBTQ+ FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 35TH ANNIVERSARY

Beatrice McDermott Staff Writer

This October, cozy up with a thoughtprovoking romantic drama set in the Pittsburgh Hill District and a heartfelt rom-com about a gay Muslim man to celebrate the legacy of LGBTQ+ cinema with the ReelQ Film Festival.

The festival opens virtually Thursday with “Monsoon,” starring Henry Golding from “Crazy Rich Asians,” and continues until Oct. 17. The festival will also feature the renowned 1985 film “Desert Hearts” as well as contemporary films, including “Rehabilitation of the Hill” and “Breaking Fast.”

Rich Cummings founded the festival in 1985 to provide a platform for LGBTQ+ films that were excluded from mainstream media. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival is online this year, but it will have a drive-in movie screening on Oct. 17. Viewers can buy full-access festival passes or purchase tickets for individual films, with discounts available to students. Similar to an in-person film festival, the features are only available for a limited time, and audience members are encouraged to vote for their favorite film.

TJ Murphy, the executive director of the film festival, said ReelQ wanted to host an online event after collaborating virtually with City of Asylum in May. “This is our most accessible festival yet,” Murphy said. “There’s a chat feature involved in our online platform, where the audience can talk during the film to each other.”

Murphy said he values the sense of community in film. He also said that audiences should feel comfortable discussing the films and engaging in unfamiliar storylines.

“Movies have the power to bring everyone together in a really strong way,” Murphy said. “I hope, in the virtual world this year, that people are still making those connections with each other.”

The festival catalog offers dozens of narrative features, documentaries and shorts.

Murphy recommends “Alice Junior,” a Brazilian film about a trans teenage YouTuber.

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“It’s a really, really fantastic film. It’s incredibly heartfelt,” Murphy said. “I’m really excited about it. It’s definitely one of my favorite films that has come out these last few years.”

Although the festival showcases several foreign films, “Rehabilitation of the Hill,” the narrative feature available Friday, hits close to home.

The film tells the story of two young women, Kelly and Michele, working to restore Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. Even though Kelly and Michele have

Hill House,” Wren said. “That’s where I first felt the idea about writing it in the Hill District. There’s so much history in that neighborhood, and also the current state of the neighborhood.”

Wren also emphasized the importance of sharing the Hill District’s story, often an overlooked chapter of Pittsburgh history. In the mid-1900s, the neighborhood was one of the country’s most influential and popular centers for art and jazz. The neighborhood experienced an economic decline in the 1950s after thousands of buildings were torn

The ReelQ LGBTQ+ film festival opens virtually Thursday with “Monsoon,” starring Henry Golding from “Crazy Rich Asians.”

Photo courtesy of TJ Murphy conflicting plans for the future of the Hill, their dedication and passion for the neighborhood eventually evolves into romance.

The film, shot in Pittsburgh, explores the impacts of gentrification and discrimination in the historically Black part of the City.

The film’s director and screenwriter, Demetrius Wren, said his decision to use the Hill District as the film’s setting was inspired by his personal connection to the community.

“My father-in-law’s office is in the Hill District. He works for the Pittsburgh Promise. Their office is next to what used to be the

down during the construction of the Civic Arena.

“When we think about rehabilitating neighborhoods, we think we’re just going to pour resources into buying and building nice things, but it doesn’t actually help the individuals who are there — it just displaces them,” Wren said. “What people really need is resources, equity.”

Wren said he took a broader, multi-layered approach to the film to recognize the value of communal success stories. For this reason, the film focuses on the neighborhood

October 7, 2020

as a whole, rather than a single character arc.

“Usually, in films like this — and I’m talking about mainstream Hollywood films — there might be an individual who makes it out,” Wren said. “Very rarely do we talk about an entire community coming up together.”

According to Wren, Pitt’s Film and Media Studies department helped fund the film, under one condition — that Wren try his best to incorporate Pittsburgh talent. As a result, Wren said he was able to work with Pitt students and hire local cast and crew members.

Christina Wren, Wren’s wife and coproducer who also stars as Kelly, expressed that working on the film felt like a communal effort, and that this spirit is reflected in the film.

“It was a joyful thing every day. There was a built-in mentorship program. We had people who had taken workshops with Demetrius in the Hill District coming in and participating with the crew,” she said. “It really felt like a celebration every day, like we were in some ways living the story of the film.”

The ReelQ Film Festival is also screening the narrative feature “Breaking Fast,” a self-described “queer rom-com about an Arab Muslim and an all-American jock.”

The film takes place during the month of Ramadan and follows the life of Mo, a gay Muslim man living in California.

According to Mike Mosallam, the film’s director and writer, “Breaking Fast” started off as a short film until he decided to continue the story with producer Seth Hauer.

“We didn’t set out to make a feature. After the short received the reception that it did in the festival community, we started to imagine what expanding the world would look like,” Mosallam said. “I feel like almost every step of this process has been a real organic one.”

Religion and sexual identity are central to the plot of “Breaking Fast.” Even though

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11

Sports Alex Lehmbeck

NARDUZZI, PITT LOOK FORWARD AFTER NC STATE UPSET

Sports Editor

Heinz Field has featured a consistent silence through Pitt’s first four matchups, absent of fans. That silence was more deafening than ever after the Panthers’ last-minute loss to the underdog NC State Wolfpack on Saturday, ending Pitt’s three-game win streak to start the season.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi said that silence carried into the locker room after the game, and even remained in the team’s meetings the next day as players digested the impact of the upset.

“In my 30 years of coaching, or whatever it’s been, I don’t know if I’ve seen a team as maturely take that,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t know if I’ve been in a team meeting where they were as quiet as I’ve seen, which tells me it hurts like a coach, and I think that’s what you want as a coach.”

Narduzzi expressed pride in his team’s emotional response to the loss, saying he’d feel slighted if the team didn’t take the result seriously. He thinks it will give them extra motivation the rest of the year. ”I think they understand how much sacrifice they’ve made this year with the pandemic oriented, and it’s like, ‘man, we’re doing all this, we can’t go out and play like that’,” Narduzzi said. “For whatever it is, sometimes you have to learn by the fire there, and I think that’s really what happened.”

Pitt will certainly need to get its mind right for the tough stretch ahead.

After starting the season with four straight home games, five of its final seven matchups will occur away from

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Pittsburgh. They’ll have to play three teams currently ranked in the AP top 10 during that stretch.

Narduzzi said the team is ready to hit the road, noting they won’t have to play in front of an away crowd this week at Boston College — although BC hasn’t announced a policy for the game yet.

“I think our kids enjoy going on the road, going into a different atmosphere,”

of their primary concerns if they want to emerge from this stretch unscathed — the most noticeable likely being the running game’s struggles. Pitt ranks 51 out of 74 FBS teams with 130.5 rushing yards per game this year, with nearly half of their rushing production Saturday coming from senior quarterback Kenny Pickett. Narduzzi said he’s not worried about Pickett’s increased role in short-yardage situations, after Pickett

Pitt came away satisfied with one result from Saturday’s game — the Panthers had no players absent from COVID-19 protocols for the second week in a row. Narduzzi credited Pitt’s discipline in that area to MAKO Medical, which he said now handles all of the team’s COVID testing duties.

“MAKO has done an incredible job of just — I was stressed out early in the year, and they have eliminated a lot of stresses,” Narduzzi said. “MAKO has been incredible as far as how they operate, the diligence that they get our results back and the quality of that company.”

Football head coach Pat Narduzzi discussed the team’s recent loss to NC State and upcoming challenges for the Panthers at his weekly press conference on Monday. Kaycee Orwig Assistant Visual Editor

Narduzzi said. “Not like we’re going to have to deal with any crowd noise. But the field is about the same size. Might have a little bit more extra sideline room, more space or not, but it’s playing the game of football and there’s 22 guys out there. It doesn’t really matter.”

The Panthers must address some

scored two touchdowns on the ground in goal line situations against the Wolfpack.

“Kenny wants the ball all the time,” Narduzzi said. “You want the ball in No. 8’s hands. Like I said, he played a heck of a ball game, and we have no regrets.

Kenny is tough.”

October 7, 2020

12

Griffin Floyd

PITT CROSS COUNTRY READY TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

Staff Writer

The lack of a regular offseason and schedule has proved detrimental for many sports leagues in their coronavirus-adjusted seasons. Without training camp and the preseason to prepare their bodies for the rigors of a professional season, the NFL has seen a staggering number of players injured through the first four weeks of the season. Major League Baseball had to deal with a fastpaced, hectic schedule as teams tried to cram in as much of a season as possible into three short months.

But for Pitt’s cross country team, none of those complications apply — in fact, the opposite has occurred. Members would normally arrive on campus in mid-August, but with the fall semester’s early start and the need for a twoweek quarantine, the Panthers came back to Pittsburgh Aug. 1. Senior men’s captain Zach Lefever said he enjoyed the extra time on campus.

“We were in quarantine, so I could only train with my roommates, but even being with them is totally different from running at home,” Lefever said.

Isolation is never fun, but it may have come with an unexpected benefit — improved team chemistry. Senior women’s captain Ally Brunton Unlike football players, cross country harriers don’t have extensive summer practices or a training camp together, so they didn’t miss out on any usual practice time.

While COVID-19 didn’t alter summer practices, the season itself changed drastically. The Panthers held their first meet of 2019 on Aug. 30. This year, they opened at Navy last Friday. The Panthers had four meets before the Atlantic Coast Conference championship last season, including a couple of major invitationals. But they only have two this year, and won’t face any ACC teams un-

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til the postseason begins.

Lefever said the compressed schedule does have some advantages. The Panthers can focus more exclusively on training because they have less meets.

Instead of worrying about a huge invitational, they can train through their meets and better prepare themselves for postseason play.

“Our workouts have been harder than they normally are, harder than it would be if we had more meets coming

“We don’t know what the other [ACC] teams are doing, but that’s fine because we know what we’re doing, and we know that we’re training hard and working our best,” Brunton said. “We’re definitely ready for it.”

The team doesn’t need to be together to practice plays or review the playbook — at the bare minimum, members just need to run. That solitary nature is well-suited for the current era of social distancing. The mental aspect of

Pitt’s cross country team got an early start to training on campus this season due to schedule adjustments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

TPN File Photo

up,” Lefever said.

The lack of conference opponents this season will also help the team ignore the outside noise. Every course is different, with variations in turf and terrain that impact speed. Because teams aren’t competing on a level playing field, the AP Poll and conference rankings will have less meaning, and Pitt can enter the postseason as a dark horse.

the sport — fighting against one’s own body while trying to grind through grueling long distances — remains unchanged. Strong leadership has proved vital to keeping the team focused and together, which Pitt’s coaching staff has taken on.

“Coach [Brad] Herbster is in the office for hours everyday, making sure we can get our training in,” Brunton said. “[The coaching staff ] has definitely

October 7, 2020

gone above and beyond to make sure we can still have this experience and compete.”

The two squads have taken different trajectories. The women’s team lost its top finishers of 2019 in the ACC Championship and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meets — Sam Shields to graduation, and Devon Hoernlein transferred to Maryland. In the absence of those standouts, the Panthers have 10 firstyear runners on the roster, and Brunton said she has adjusted her mindset to help the new additions settle into the grind of Division I athletics.

“I think this year my mindset is much more focused on my teammates, versus past years when I was more focused on improving myself,” Brunton said. “I want to make sure all the underclassmen are happy, safe, confident and ready to race and train.”

The men’s team is in win-now mode — two seniors and a graduate runner lead the pack on race days, and they want to make some waves in their final season.

“We have our eyes on ACCs at the end of the year,” Lefever said.

Despite the high hopes for the season, both teams had a tough day in Annapolis. The men’s team lost a close one, 23-37, while the women’s team lost 15-50.

As we’ve seen from other sports leagues, anything can happen in an abbreviated season, and the Panthers have the potential to make some noise in their third season under Herbster.

Lefever hopes the improvements he’s watched the program make since his first year will emerge this fall.

“We’ve been a historically bottomtier distance program in the ACC,” Lefever said. “Since my freshman year we’ve gotten better and better, and I feel like this year is the time to make a name for this program.”

13

Tyler Mathes

HOW FUTURE PITT FOOTBALL OPPONENTS ARE MANAGING COVID-19 ON CAMPUS

Staff Writer

Pitt’s football program has done well to contain the spread of COVID-19 this season. And how have the Panthers been able to keep positive cases so low? Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi spoke last week about his team’s collective health and what players have done to be able to play every game. “Our figures have been low from the beginning,� Narduzzi said. “Really haven’t done anything different than just continued to have a constant reminder that it can happen to you, whether it’s sticking up all the postponed games from last week or this week. You know, you’re one game away.�

Pitt has had very few absences since seven players missed the first game of the season on Sept. 12 against Austin Peay.

An uptick in cases at the beginning of September worried many Pitt students and fans.

But the five-day moving average of positive cases

has been on the decline, with only six new cases in the most recent report.

Pitt’s remaining schedule consists of seven ACC games — two home and five away— and most of its opponents have had similar success keeping their teams free from the virus and on the field.

Boston College, Oct. 10 Off to a strong start this year, Boston College hasn’t missed a game yet. BC’s played three total games, with two of them at home in Alumni Stadium, where the Eagles have yet to allow fans in,

Pitt football has been successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 with very few absences, after seven players missed the first game of the season on Sept. 12 against Austin Peay. Kaycee Orwig Assistant Visual Editor similar to Pitt with Heinz Field.

Boston College’s testing between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4 showed 13 total positives out of 5,281 tests.

None of those 13 positives include any players from the football team, but all football players and team personnel continue to be tested three times per week in accordance with ACC guidelines.

University of Miami, Oct. 17 Similar to Boston College, Miami is also three for three in scheduled games this season, but has allowed spectators in its home stadium.

The Hurricanes allow for 13,000 fans at each home game, about 20% of the total capacity at Hard Rock Stadium.

Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz rede-

pittnews.com

fined the idea of a “bubble� for his players coming into the season, and it’s worked out well for them so far. Diaz told his players to be aware of anyone they allow within 6 feet of them, no matter where they are. Diaz also pushes his players to remain vigilant, and never get complacent with negative tests.

The University of Miami COVID-19 dashboard shows positive tests on the decline since Sept. 16, with 14 active student cases as of Tuesday.

The University has run 20,413 tests since

Aug. 16, with only 476 of them returning positive.

Miami’s next home game won’t come until the Oct. 17 contest against Pitt.

Notre Dame, Oct. 24 The Fighting Irish entered their first, and potentially only, season in the ACC with backto-back wins before a COVID-19 outbreak postponed their game against Wake Forest on Sept.

26.

University administrators believe the outbreak, which encompassed 39 players at its peak, stemmed from the seven players who tested positive the Monday after the team’s second game of the season against the USF Bulls on Sept. 19.

The student body’s total number of positive

October 7, 2020

cases continues to grow, though is much less severe than an August outbreak that moved classes online. Notre Dame reported 785 positive cases as of Monday, an increase of 34 cases in the last week.

Florida State, Nov. 7 Unlike other schools in the conference, FSU lacks even basic transparency on the status of its team’s COVID-19 tests. When Mike Norvell, head coach of the Seminoles, tested positive two weeks ago, it was the first positive test FSU acknowledged.

FSU began to release weekly case updates on Sept. 20, after previously releasing only aggregate data. Since Sept. 20, 104 members of the FSU community, 98 students and six employees, tested positive.

Georgia Tech, Nov. 14 Georgia Tech is one of the schools allowing fans in person this fall. Bobby Dodd Stadium is expected to be at 20%Â capacity, with 11,000 fans, when the Panthers travel to Atlanta for the penultimate game of the season.

The Yellow Jackets have played all three of their games so far this year, although they probably would like mulligans on the last two after back-to-back blowout losses to Central Florida and Syracuse.

Georgia Tech as a university has also been excellent at containing the coronavirus. After seeing an initial spike in cases in late August, the school’s seven-day moving average has dropped to hover around two to three.

Virginia Tech, Nov. 21 The Hokies were slated to kick off their season Sept. 12 at home against NC State and then host Virginia the next weekend. But NC State had a COVID-19 outbreak that forced them to push the opening game back two weeks.

Then they couldn’t field a full team against Virginia. Finally, on Sept. 26, the Hokies started their season down 23 players and four coaches.

The university itself has struggled with outbreaks on campus as well, with 113Â positive students in the most recent seven-day period.

Blacksburg, Virginia, and Virginia Tech agreed to prohibit tailgating for fall sporting events in an

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