The Pitt News
The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | november 4, 2016 | Volume 107 | Issue 71
CLINTON COMING BACK Emily Brindley
Assistant News Editor In her final sprint before voters head to the polls on Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will skid through Pittsburgh one last time on Friday. Clinton will make an appearance at the Great Hall at Heinz Field at 12:45 p.m. Friday afternoon, four days before the presidential election. According to Clinton’s campaign, she will be discussing the stakes of this year’s election, as well as her plan to make the American economy beneficial for everyone. In Pennsylvania, which has emerged as a key battleground state this year, Clinton holds a three-point lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump, according to Real Clear Politics. Clinton’s lead here is less secure after FBI Director James Comey wrote a letter to Congress on Oct. 28, and said the bureau is investigating another set of emails. Her lead has subsequently dropped nationally from 5.5 points to 2.9 points, according to the data journalism website FiveThirtyEight. Comey originally concluded the bureau’s initial investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server in July and issued a statement suggesting the Department of Justice not file any charges against Clinton, although he said her actions were “extremely careless.” In the letter released a week ago, however, Comey said See Clinton on page 2
Gretchen Van Hoesen of the still-striking Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed at a free concert at Rodef Shalom in Oakland Thursday Night. Stephen Caruso SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
LAS PALMAS CLOSES DOWN
Alexa Bakalarski
health code violations, including rat contamination and cockroaches. Four of Las Palmas’ 12 recent violaAfter conducting seven inspections tions were found to be high-risk. The vioover the past three months, the Allegheny lations include chew marks from animals County Health Department ordered the on food packages still sitting on shelves Atwood Street staple, Las Palmas Mexican — including pasta, beans, rice and cookGrocery Store, to close down Tuesday. ies — high temperatures for food in the The most recent three-hour inspecdeli coolers and roaches in food preparation, which took place Tuesday, found 12 Assistant News Editor
tion areas. The Health Department report lists a re-inspection as “pending,” but lists no reinspection date. The inspector also observed a woman from a large white van bringing in cakes for Las Palmas to sell, according to the report. Because the Health Department is See Las Palmas on page 2
News ELON PROF DISPUTES TITLE IX REPORTING Wesley Hood Staff Writer
Ann Cahill stood in front of a crowd Thursday evening and called for sexual assault survivors to be allowed one right: the freedom of silence. For some survivors, talking about their experience — particularly talking with counselors or Title IX officers they aren’t familiar with — can aggravate their pain, Cahill, a professor of philosophy at Elon University, said. She added that even survivors who are ready to talk with people they know, including their professors, should be given the right to choose when and if their case is reported to their university’s Title IX office. In a lecture Thursday afternoon, Cahill challenged Pitt’s current regulations –– which follow federal guidelines –– that say professors and other University employees have to report cases of sexual violence to the authorities, even if the victim of the violence would rather keep quiet. Changing these regulations, she told a crowd of about 40 people, would allow survivors to talk with any confidant they feel comfortable with and to report their cases at their
Las Palmas, pg. 1 not certain if the woman operates out of a permitted kitchen, the department ordered the store to temporarily stop selling food from that vendor. The Health Department inspector found small amounts of dried food debris on the front blade of the deli slicer, the top basin of the meat grinder, on utensils in the clean dish sink and along the blade of the meat saw. The inspector noted none of the three appliances were used on the day of the inspection. The inspector also observed adult German and American roaches in food preparation areas, as well as rat droppings along a bottom grocery shelf and numerous fruit flies throughout Las Palmas.
pittnews.com
own pace. “Current policies place survivors of sexual assault at risk for further traumatization,” Cahill said. Addressing this and related issues, Cahill gave three lectures Thursday as part of a series which the Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies program sponsored. In addition to the legal aspects of Title IX regulations, Cahill focused specifically on whether or not survivors and their confidants have an ethical obligation to report their assaults to a higher authority. Cahill was adamant about upholding the rights of survivors of sexual violence in part because such crimes are so prevalent on college campuses. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Title IX Tracker there are 282 active sexual-violence investigations at 213 colleges as of Oct. 31. And according to Pitt’s Campus Climate Survey released last September, 11.7 percent of female, 3.4 percent of male and 5.7 percent of “other gender” undergraduate students at Pitt have experienced unwanted sexual penetration or touching as Ann Cahill, professor of philosophy at Elon University, spoke about See Assault on page 3 mandatory reporting of sexual assault Jordan Mondell ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR The Health Department conducted an initial inspection of Las Palmas on Aug. 3, when the store received 13 violations — two of which were high-risk. Re-inspections were scheduled and conducted on Aug. 16, Aug. 18, Sept. 14 and Sept. 26 . The Health Department inspected and permitted Las Palmas to stay open after the first three inspections, but placed a “consumer alert” sign on Las Palmas after the Sept. 14 inspection. After finding almost all of the violations from the last inspection corrected, the Health Department removed the “consumer alert” sign after an inspection on Sept. 26 and gave Las Palmas an “inspected and permitted” sign. The Health Department visited Las Palmas again on Oct. 27, and served up 11 health violations, including three high-risk. The violations included cross-
contamination prevention, too-high temperatures for food and pest management. The Health Department placed an “inspected and permitted” sign on Las Palmas, pending the re-inspection conducted Tuesday, which the store failed. Melissa Wade, a spokesperson for the Health Department, said she was not able to comment on whether Las Palmas would be allowed to reopen if it passes another reinspection. The Health Department has not yet listed a reinspection date on its website. Gabriel Berumen, who is listed on the Health Department’s report as the contact person for Las Palmas, did not respond to several phone calls Thursday afternoon seeking comment about the closure. Las Palmas was closed Thursday and its doors were locked. No one was present at the property.
November 4, 2016
Clinton, pg. 1 the bureau “learned of the existence of [new] emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation.” Clinton’s visit on Friday will be her fourth trip to Pittsburgh this election season. Two of her past campaign stops were alongside her running mate, Tim Kaine, most recently on Oct. 22, and previously in July. Clinton also made a solo stop at a South Side rally in June. Trump has also made stops in Pittsburgh this year. In April, Trump campaigned in Oakland at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall before speaking Downtown. Trump later held a rally at the airport in June and, most recently, spoke at the Shale Insight conference in September. Those interested in attending Clinton’s campaign event Friday can RSVP here.
2
Assault, pg. 2 a result of either force or incapacitation since they entered college. Title IX policies frequently state, as Pitt’s does, that confidants –– those who sexual assault survivors open up to –– who are also university employees must relay any and all information they are given to the Title IX office. “Survivors of sexual assault or harassment disclose information to confidants, often not thinking that the confidant must legally report the information disclosed,” Cahill said. Yet because such policies are federally mandates, universities that do not do an appropriate job of handling situations of sexual assault in accordance with Title IX legislation risk losing their federal funding. “Most colleges I’ve encountered haven’t strayed away from a blanket, or cover-all policy, simply because they fear facing implications from the government,” Cahill said. “In creating blanket policies, they want to cover all of their bases to prevent this from happening.”
pittnews.com
Pitt’s Title IX policy and website make it clear that the University’s main goal is to protect all members of the community. Pitt requires employees to report all instances of sexual violence. This means that if a survivor trusts his or her story with someone who works for the University, that person is mandated and obligated to report incidents to the Title IX coordinator. Pamela Connelly, associate vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, oversees the Title IX office at Pitt and said she did not wish to comment for this story, directing questions to Katie Pope, the Title IX coordinator at Pitt. According to Pope, Pitt’s policies are designed to protect survivors of sexual violence and ensure that a student doesn’t have to report their own sexual assault against their will. “Certainly no survivor is obligated to report his or her assault to Title IX,” Pope said. Cahill, though, said Title IX policies falter by requiring confidants to report regardless of the circumstances. She disagreed with policies like Pitt’s and argued that confidants should be allowed to re-
spect the privacy of a survivor who opens up to them. “My hope in giving these talks is that faculty and members of the University community engage in conversations about what problems blanket policies like Pitt’s entail,” Cahill said after her lecture. “The policies that the vast majority of higher education institutions have adopted in compliance of Title IX, render virtually all faculty or staff as mandatory reporters in a mechanism of defense.” Kevin Hudson, a junior humanities area major, attended the event after hearing about others experiences with the policies. “I know people who have been through this process, and I wanted to understand what Title IX actually entails,” Hudson said. “Now, knowing that, I understand why some survivors find the process difficult.” After a sexual assault is reported, the University has to open an investigation. Cahill argued that students might not be interested in beginning that process, but are just trying to seek an understanding person to talk with. Todd Reeser, program director for
November 4, 2016
GSWS, said that because all Pitt staff members are mandatory reporters, some conversations which come up in relation to lectures –– especially within the GSWS department –– qualify as incidents that must be reported. “Because of this, we wanted to bring someone to the University who could speak on Title IX and help students understand just what exactly Title IX entails,” Reeser said. Emily Migdal, an undeclared sophomore who has been a reporter for The Pitt News, disagreed with Cahill’s evaluation of Pitt’s Title IX office. “As with most things, mandatory reporting doesn’t come without its faults. But I think, in a lot of ways, despite what Cahill said, it does more good than harm,” Migdal said. “I think that Pitt’s policy is definitely better than most universities, and for that I think we should be appreciative.” Despite differing views, everyone in attendance agreed on the importance of supporting survivors. “We do wrong by survivors when we imply that mandatory reporting is necessary,” Cahill said.
3
The Pitt News
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
ELIZABETH LEPRO
DALE SHOEMAKER
editor@pittnews.com
manager@pittnews.com
News Editor
Opinions Editor
LAUREN ROSENBLATT
KIRSTEN WONG
newsdesk.tpn@gmail.com
tpnopinions@pittnews.com
Sports Editor
Culture Editor
STEVE ROTSTEIN
BRADY LANGMANN
tpnsports@gmail.com
aeeditors@gmail.com
Visual Editor
Layout Editor
ELAINA ZACHOS
DANAH BIALORUSKI
pittnewsphoto@gmail.com
tpnlayout@gmail.com
Online Editor
Copy Chief
PETER LOREI
SIERRA SMITH
tpnonline@gmail.com
tpncopydesk@gmail.com
Emily Brindley | Assistant News Editor Alexa Bakalarski | Assistant News Editor Matt Moret | Assistant Opinions Editor
Alexandria Stryker | Assistant Copy Chief
Ashwini Sivaganesh | Assistant Sports Editor Jordan Mondell | Assistant Visual Editor Emily Hower | Assistant Layout Editor Amanda Reed | Online Engagement Editor
pittnews.com
Copy Staff Amanda Sobczak Bridget Montgomery Corey Foreman Katie Krater Matthew Maelli
Mia DiFelice Michelle Reagle Rielly Galvin Sarah Choflet Sydney Mengel
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 let-
ters@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, studentwritten and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is pub- lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the
editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Committee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, faculty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and editorial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.
Business Manager CALVIN REIF
Sales Manager SEAN HENNESSY Marketing Manager LARA PETORAK Graphic Designers
advertising@pittnews.com
Production Manager MAYA PUSKARIC Account Executives
Inside Sales Manager MARISSA ALTEMUS Digital Manager ISAAC PROCH Inside Sales Executive
Matt Hyre
Robert Capone
Marty Waters
Sarah Moore
Maya Puskaric
Matty Houck
Julianne Rohac
Arianna Taddei
David Barone
Chad Boronky
Izzy Krempa
Jill Baldauf
Isabel Scrabis
November 4, 2016
4
SPONSORED CONTENT
FINANCIAL FRIDAY:
Pay Yourself First to Effectively Save for Retirement Mark Mulkeen
If you’re a senior, you’ve probably been receiving paychecks for a while. Whether they are from summer work, internships, or working while in school, hopefully that trend will continue immediately after graduation, but the way you use that paycheck may very well change going forward. Thinking about retirement might be something you’ve never done before. But the second you graduate college and enter the real world you should immediately begin planning for retirement. If you do, it can make a difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout your career. “Even with that in mind, it’s understandable to think you’ll have a hard time setting aside part of your salary to save at this age,” said Rich Ramassini, senior vice president of PNC investments in Pittsburgh. “Savings can often take a back seat, especially when one considers takehome pay, living expenses, and any debts, and that’s why we talk about “paying yourself first,” Ramassini said But what does that mean? “Pay yourself first” refers to the idea of setting aside some of your paycheck to savings, with your retirement fund or 401k usually being the type of savings account referenced before spending your salary on liv-
pittnews.com
ing expenses, bills and discretionary spending. I’m not going to get into all the details of retirement funds today, but it is important for me to note that retirement funds involve compound interest, which is vitally important to saving early. Compound interest refers to the mathematical process where interest is made on both original money contributed and interest already earned on the funds deposited. This is important in the context of retirement savings because it means that saving earlier can make a significant difference in the amount your retirement account receives. The following is a relatively conservative example of a college graduate saving for retirement, and it displays the vital importance of saving early. This person makes $40,000 per year from age twenty-two to sixty-five. He contributes six percent of his salary – a smaller portion than recommended – to his 401(k). His employer matches the average of three percent, and the portfolio makes a modest return of six percent. If he starts saving at age twenty-two and continues until age sixty-five, he will have amassed around $500,000 in 401(k) funds. This amount is the equivalent of twelve and a half years of his salary. If he starts saving just ten years later at age thirty-two, that amount ends up being almost half
PHOTO VIA PEXELS
at around $260,000, just six and a half years worth of his salary. Even then this conservative estimate would be less than optimal, so it’s advisable to contribute even more than this amount, although hopefully your salary will rise over time as well. This should be more than enough to convince you to save for retirement early, often, and contribute as much as you can. However after all this, I still understand how difficult it is to contribute a portion of your salary to sav-
November 4, 2016
ings every time. We’re only human, and we’re always going to be tempted to spend our salary, rather than stash it away. However, an answer to our human temptation exists: direct deposit. Once you get that job, go ahead and celebrate, but also ask about setting up your direct deposit to automatically transfer a portion every paycheck to your retirement savings account. It will help with one of the most important things saving can accomplish: putting your mind at ease.
5
Opinions
Q A
&
VIJAY CHOKAL-INGAM: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS RACIST Chokal-Ingam, an Indian American, pretended to be the black in order to increase his chances of getting accepted into medical school. He interviewed under a fake name at several prestigious schools, including Pitt.| by Amber Montgomery | Staff Writer
Vijay Chokal-Ingam describes, in his book, how and why he applied to Pitt’s Medical School as a black man. Courtesy of Chokal-Ingam
pittnews.com
Vijay Chokal-Ingam may not be as well-known as his famous sister, actress and comedian Mindy Kaling, but he’s generated a bit of chatter about his book, “Almost Black: The True Story of How I Got into Medical School by Pretending to be Black.” The book details Chokal-Ingam’s experiences as an Indian-American who pretended to be a black man named Jojo Chokal-Ingam in order to benefit from affirmative action programs at prestigious medical schools, including Pitt’s School of Medicine, where he was eventually rejected. Chokal-Ingam includes proof of letters he received from Pitt admissions officers on his website. School of Medicine administrators declined to confirm the documents or comment on Chokal-Ingam’s admissions process. While applying to medical schools in 1998, Chokal-Ingam claimed to be a member of the Organization of Black Students and checked the box on applications self-identifying his race as black. He also shaved his head and trimmed his eyelashes to play the part of a young, aspiring black doctor. With a 3.1 GPA and 31 MCAT score, he managed to interview at 11 prestigious medical schools. Chokal-Ingam’s controversial actions stem from his belief that affirmative action policies — which favor members of disadvantaged groups, including people of color, primarily in employment and school acceptance — are racist. This election, Chokal-Ingam is adamantly supporting Donald Trump in hopes
that the Supreme Court justices he appoints will overturn affirmative action. As part of her research for a column on Chokal-Ingam’s book, The Pitt News’ writer Amber Montgomery chatted with the author about his motivations. Amber Montgomery: “So let’s start at the beginning, tell me how you got the idea to ‘hack’ affirmative action to get into medical school.” Vijay Chokal-Ingam: “Well, back in college, all of my Indian-American pre-medical friends got crushed. Unless they were like a Rhodes Scholar, they got rejected from medical school. So I started to freak out about my own chances of admission … I studied statistics and economics at UChicago, so I could look at the published statistical data [from] the American Association of Medical Colleges and find my own chances of admission. What I figured out is that as an Asian-American, I was pretty much screwed — there was almost no chance that I was going to get in. But, ironically, as a black student, I had a pretty high chance of admission. According to statistical data from the American Association of Medical Colleges, if I pulled the same scam last year, as an AsianAmerican with a 3.1 GPA and 31 MCAT score, I had about 18 percent chance of admission. On the other hand, a black student with the same grades and test scores has a 76 percent chance. So, by changing my race, I could dramatically
November 4, 2016
Q
A
improve my chance of admission. So I came up with the scam of shaving my head, trimming my eyelashes, joining an organization of black students and applying as an AfricanAmerican. Suddenly, I became a real contender at top schools like Yale and the University of Pittsburgh. My friends all thought it was just a joke until I got waitlisted by the Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, which were then ranked the third and fourth best medical schools in the country, despite the fact that I had a pretty pitiful GPA. You’d be amazed how much difference checking a box on an application form can make on your chances of admission.” AM: “So we’ll get more into that in a little bit, but first, I’m wondering about the timing of the book because this all went down in the late 1990s, right? 1998 and 1999 were when you were doing the interviews?” VC: “Yep. I decided to come out with this book now for a very important reason. I believe that the election of 2016 is a national referendum on the future of affirmative action. I think the people have a right to know what affirmative action is and how it impacts their chances of admission to college or graduate school. And, fortunately, there is someone with the courage to fight affirmative action racism — there is someone with the courage to expose the hypocrisy of people like Presi-
Q
A
See Q&A on page 8
6
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: THE KEY TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Amber Montgomery Columnist
It’s a Monday afternoon, and I hustle home after my Democratic theory class. A few minutes past 7 p.m., I call his phone number and ask to speak with Mr. ChokalIngam, the man who changed his racial identity in order to go to medical school. A friendly voice answers me back, telling me to call him Vijay and assuring me it’s fine to ask him whatever I please. We immediately dive into the details of his scam. For details on Chokal-Ingam’s book, and scam, see page 8. In the process of promoting the book, his media contact reached out to The Pitt News, which is how he got to me. We spoke about his grievances with affirmative action and his experiences with racism. For him, these two concepts are one in the same. “Racism is racism, whether you call it
pittnews.com
affirmative action or apartheid or whatever,” Chokal-Ingam said, a sentiment he repeated throughout our talk. It’s perhaps the heartbeat of his argument and that of many opponents of affirmative action: that because affirmative action takes race into account and gives racial preference, it is racism. But I disagree. It’s just not that simple. The crux of how racism works in America has to do with assumed hierarchy, meaning that when we look at race in our country we have to take into account the centuries of oppression levied by perceived dominant groups, usually white people, against black Americans, Hispanics, women and other disenfranchised groups. John F. Kennedy first instituted the policy in 1961 to highlight the government’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunity for all in the face of the intense and apparent racism of the American ’60s.
Students of color are still suffering from the effects of the ’60s. Persistent institutional racism means we still need affirmative action policies. Chokal-Ingam doesn’t deny the intensity of racial problems today, citing his own experiences of discrimination when he was pretending to be black. He told me about being accused of shoplifting at a local grocery shore near the University of Chicago and about being pulled over on Lake Shore Drive — all things that had never happened to him when he was Vijay. Still, he argues against giving minorities an advantage in college admissions. Recognizing the deeply ingrained problem of racism in our country while at the same time proposing to take away policies that counteract the weight of that racial disadvantage seems counterintuitive. Chokal-Ingam, and other affirmative See Montgomery on page 11
November 4, 2016
Courtesy of Chokal-Ingam
7
Q&A, pg. 6 dent Barack Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who supported Harvard’s racist affirmative action policies. That man is Donald Trump. I believe that Donald Trump will end affirmative action like Lincoln ended slavery, and his commitment to appointing justices in the mold of [Antonin] Scalia, who was a strong affirmative action opponent, as he said in the [second presidential debate], reinforces that commitment.” AM: “In general, what did you mean to illustrate about racism and affirmative action in this country by sharing your experience in ‘Almost Black?’” VC: “First of all, I didn’t have a plan. I was always amazed by the differences in the ways that people treated me when I was black compared to when I was Indian-American. As an Indian-American, I walked into a store a thousand times and never had a problem. Suddenly, I walk into the same store and get accused of shoplifting. I remember driving down Lake
Q
A
Shore Drive in Chicago, which is what I did a thousand times before, and suddenly getting pulled over by cops and being asked questions like, “How did you get such an expensive car?” That never happened to me back when I was Indian-American, and I kind of realized that there are two speed limits in America: one if you’re black, one for everybody else. And if you’re not black, you can go about five to 10 miles faster. So there is a very serious problem with racism in this country and we need to address it. I don’t diminish the racism faced by African-Americans, I simply think that one form of racism, you know, racial discrimination by police and others, is not justification for more racism in the form of affirmative action.” AM: “So that’s really interesting that you found that people treated you differently when you were black. Did you notice any of that specifically during the application process or in the interviews?” VC: “I think, ultimately, I got rejected from the University of Pittsburgh, and I think that’s because what I learned was that the
Q
A
medical schools have, they’ll usually have a minority person interview you, like a real black person interview you, and that person is kind of like a human bulls*** detector … and that happened at a couple other schools too. So it wasn’t smooth sailing.” Editor’s note Chokal-Ingam can confirm he had interviews at Pitt with Ellen Frank, professor emeritus of psychiatry, and Paula Davis, assistant vice chancellor for health sciences diversity. But both women said that after decades of interviewing potential medical school candidates, neither were able to recall “Jojo’s interview specifically. Pitt’s School of Medicine Office of Admissions and Financial Aid also denied to release any information surrounding his rejection, his status as an affirmative action candidate or whether his application may have been thrown out because they suspected he lied about his race. The Pitt News could not independently verify this information, because the School of Medicine declined to comment. AM: “So, to go off of that, do your grievances with affirmative action have more to do with the policy as a whole
or specifically with how it treats AsianAmericans?” VC: “Racism is racism, whether you call it affirmative action or apartheid or whatever. I think you should read the end of my book to see, racism is racism. We shouldn’t discriminate against people based on their race. On the other hand … I was very fortunate, I grew up in an affluent family, I grew up in one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts. My mother was a doctor, I never got any financial aid at the University of Chicago and somehow schools ... were willing to consider me one of their affirmative action candidates … There are people who are significantly disadvantaged in this country, and affirmative action that is based on socioeconomic status, that’s fine. If you want to give advantage to people who have been discriminated against, that’s great. However, I think it is the ultimate form of racism to assume that everyone who is black or Hispanic is disadvantaged. It’s the ultimate form of racism to assume that everyone who is white or Asian-American is rich, because that’s just not true.”
The Pitt News SuDoku 11/4/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com
pittnews.com
November 4, 2016
8
Sports
See Online For Pitt-Miami coverage on Saturday
PREDICTION: PITT 34, MIAMI 31 Steve Rotstein Sports Editor
Though there are still four games left in the regular season, the Pitt Panthers and the freefalling Miami Hurricanes –– a team that’s lost its last four games in a row –– will collide in Miami in a must-win battle for both teams on Saturday. The Panthers will enter the 12:30 p.m. matchup coming off their first home loss of the season, a 39-36 defeat against Virginia Tech that seriously damaged the team’s division title chances. Meanwhile, after a 4-0 start earned Miami a top-10 national ranking this season, the Hurricanes have lost four games in a row and sit in fifth place in the Coastal Division with a 1-3 ACC record. Still, both teams were tabbed as division title contenders before the season for a reason. Here are the keys to watch for in the critical conference showdown: Reversing the trend The Panthers’ series with Miami has pro-
duced plenty of marquee matchups over the last 20 years, although the results have been extremely one-sided. Pitt ended an eight-game losing streak against the Hurricanes with a 35-23 win at Miami in 2014. But the Hurricanes came back to Heinz Field last year and defeated the Panthers in the regular season finale, 29-24, and have won nine of the last 10 games in the series. The Hurricanes appeared to be returning to prominence under first-year head coach Mark Richt, then fell into a downward spiral the last four weeks. But Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi attributes the team’s losing streak to the strength of its schedule more than anything. Miami has lost by one point vs. Florida State, seven points vs. North Carolina, 21 points at Virginia Tech and three points at Notre Dame –– all of which are ranked in the top 25 or have been at some point this season. See Preview on page 10
James Conner is coming off a 141-yard, three-touchdown performance. Jeff Ahearn SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
CLUB TENNIS POSTS RECORD FINISH AT USTA INVITATIONAL Mackenzie Rodrigues For The Pitt News
A youth movement helped propel the Pitt club tennis team to a record performance at the 2016 USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational last weekend. The Panthers built off their 13th-place finish at last year’s event with a seventh-place finish this year, setting a club record in the process. “We had a lot of tough competition, so it was difficult,” first-year Grace Wang said. “But we still managed to get seventh place out of 36 teams, which is the best the team has ever done at a national-level tournament.” The University of Florida ultimately won the tournament, which featured some of the
pittnews.com
best co-ed club tennis programs in the country, with 36 teams competing for the championship at the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. With its third Fall Invitational win in the last four years, Florida automatically qualified for the national championship tournament. Pitt’s improved performance at this year’s Fall Invitational, aided by a couple of newcomers, gives the team plenty of momentum in its quest to top last year’s performance at nationals in April. “We’ve had, I think it was 11 out of 13 new players already attend a tournament this semester, and all but four players on our team have attended a tournament this semester,” senior Andrew Friedman said. Five members of the club team attended the Fall Invitational: Fifth-year senior Anita
Jain, seniors Rithika Reddy and Friedman and first-years Nick Kshatri and Wang. Pitt faced three schools on Oct. 28, the tournament’s opening day –– Georgia Southern University at 10 a.m., Georgia College at 2 p.m. and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga at 6 p.m. The Panthers set the tone early in the morning, starting the tournament off with a dominating 30-8 win over Georgia Southern. But Pitt ran into a much stiffer test in the second match of pool play, suffering the team’s only defeat that day in a 26-18 loss to Georgia College. Pitt then resumed its commanding play with a 30-9 beatdown against the Tennessee Chattanooga to wrap up day one of the invitational. After finishing with a 2-1 record in pool
November 4, 2016
play, Pitt advanced to the round of 16 on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Panthers’ first matchup came against Vanderbilt University at 8 a.m., and Pitt cruised to a 26-15 win to advance to the quarterfinals. There, the Panthers ran into the eventual third-place finisher, the University of North Carolina. UNC proved too much for Pitt to handle, winning by a score of 30-15 to eliminate the Panthers from title contention. Pitt fell into the loser’s’ bracket on Sunday, Oct. 30, where the Panthers narrowly fell to Georgia Tech in a consolation match, 25-22. The team then secured its seventhplace finish with a 17-12 win over the University of Central Florida. Pitt would have improved its seed at naSee Tennis on page 10
9
Preview, pg. 9 “People can talk about a four-game skid. There’s a lot of people in the country that will be in a four-game skid when they play those folks,” Narduzzi said Monday at his weekly press conference. Miami is still a dangerous team, one that has owned the series between the former Big East and now ACC rivals for the better part of the 21st century. Pitt will need to turn the rivalry around to keep any hopes alive of winning the Coastal Division. Can the secondary stop Kaaya? If it’s balance you’re looking for, Pitt’s defense isn’t the place to find it. The Panthers have excelled at stopping the run this season, ranking No. 6 in the country with 103.8 rushing yards allowed per game. But opposing quarterbacks have made them pay in the passing game, as Pitt ranks No. 125 out of 128 FBS teams with 312.3 passing yards allowed per game. The Panthers have already faced plenty of talented quarterbacks throughout the year, and it won’t get any easier this week against Miami’s Brad Kaaya, an NFL-ready junior who was projected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft before the season. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback’s draft stock has fallen during the Hurricanes’ fourgame skid, but Kaaya has still had a solid season to date, completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,984 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Junior cornerback Avonte Maddox is listed as doubtful on Pitt’s injury report, while redshirt sophomore Phillipie Motley is out. Whoever is in at cornerback for the Panthers will likely have a tough time against Kaaya and Miami receivers Ahmmon Richards and Stacy Coley. “We’ll have our work cut out for us when we head down to Miami for Saturday’s game, and
pittnews.com
they’ve got plenty of speed and athleticism,” Narduzzi said. “We expect to get a lot of shots deep on our defense, and we’ve been working on that all week.” Feed the beast After Pitt running back James Conner rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries against Virginia Tech last week, Narduzzi gushed about the star redshirt junior’s performance. “He’s a beast. He’s a weapon, and they couldn’t take him away,” Narduzzi said at his postgame press conference. “I wish we would have given the ball to him 15 more times.” At his weekly media teleconference, Narduzzi said Conner has been practicing at a higher speed now than he was at the start of the season, and is only getting better after recovering from a torn MCL and Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the past year. Speaking at his media teleconference, Richt had high praise for Conner’s skill set, as well as the heart and fight he’s shown this year. “A bruiser, physical, tough, experienced, loves the game, loves life, obviously, after –– especially after what he went through,” Richt said. “Just a great story of faith and perseverance and toughness, physical and mental toughness, and now he’s healthy and pounding people.” Conner has rushed for 672 yards and 10 touchdowns in eight games this season, but has yet to receive 25 carries in a game. Now might be the time for the Panthers to start giving him a full workload if he’s finally back to full strength. PREDICTION: The 5-3 Panthers and 4-4 Hurricanes are evenly matched teams who haven’t quite stacked up against the top teams in the ACC, one of the strongest conferences in college football. The Panthers are hungry for a win after last week’s loss, while Miami is desperate to end its 4-game losing streak. A steady dose of Conner running behind Pitt’s stacked offensive line will wear Miami’s defense out and keep the Hurricanes in a tailspin. Pitt 34, Miami 31
Tennis, pg. 9
From left to right: Anita Jain, Andrew Friedman, Rithika Reddy, Nick Kshatri, Grace Wang pictured at the 2016 USTA Fall Invitational. Courtesy of Pitt Club Tennis tionals with a win, but qualified nonetheless the relaxed, yet competitive atmosphere with a third-place finish at sectionals. Al- of the club team the most redeeming part though seventh wasn’t the place the Panthers about choosing club over Division I. That, were hoping for, the record performance in- and the record-setting win last weekend. “My favorite part of the team is the sodicates that Pitt’s talent is increasing. “We only lost by three games [against cial aspect, as well as the connections I’ve Georgia Tech], but definitely all of the made already,” Kshatri said. “The team is matches that we lost, we put up a good fight.” very inviting and friendly, and I feel like I’ve said Reddy, an industrial engineering major. instantly made 30 new friends.” This collective chemistry helped the This year, Pitt welcomed 13 new players to the roster, two of whom competed in Panthers qualify for nationals, where the the Fall Invitational: Kshatri and Wang. The Panthers finished last season in 28th place. goal is to have as many players attend tour- Although the club would love to set another record this spring, in the end, members said naments as possible. “Usually, the new players are a little bit it’s all about the experience. “When it’s all said and done, we’re not reluctant to go to some tournaments because of their class schedules … but once going to remember which place we come in you go to one, you realize how you can ac- at every single tournament,” Friedman said. commodate both class and tournaments to- “But we will remember a lot of relationships that we’ve made, the places we’ve traveled gether,” said Friedman, a chemistry major. Young players, like Kshatri, have found and the time we’ve spent together.”
November 4, 2016
10
Montgomery, pg. 7 action opponents, favor a solely socioeconomic approach to affirmative action, one that doesn’t take race into account at all, meaning the policies take more initiative in ensuring students from low-income backgrounds receive a leg-up in college admissions. That’s fair. The income-based achievement gap is a real issue, and I don’t disagree with the idea of making sure we have economic diversity in our higher institutions of learning in addition to race, ethnic and gender diversity. But where the logic fails is in connecting the way systemic and everyday experiences of racism and prejudice set back minorities when it comes to educational opportunities. Race inherently affects socioeconomic status — studies have shown that public schools predominantly attended by students of color are woefully underfunded. Early education is one of the most crucial factors in upward mobility. Making socioeconomicallybased affirmative action the be-all-end-all of affirmative action legislation would be akin to saying that minority groups who benefit from classic affirmative action policies no longer suffer from the institutionalized discrimination that inhibits equality of opportunity. The American Community Survey did a five-year study from 2009 to 2013 on pov-
erty among races in cities around the United States. In St. Louis, more than 29 percent of black Americans live in poverty while only 1.6 percent of white people do. Likewise, in Chicago it’s 35 percent black to 4 percent white. Black Americans are already more likely to live in poverty and when they do, it’s concentrated poverty where these economic disadvantages spread to the infrastructure, the businesses, the parks and — perhaps most importantly in this case — the schools. Affirmative action based only on socioeconomic status doesn’t take into account the prejudice minorities, even wealthy minorities, encounter every day. A poor black child is still going to experience more discrimination because of his or her race than a poor white child, because that’s how systemic racism works. In addition to creating equal opportunity and attempting to reverse the effects of years of discrimination, affirmative action also helps to create diverse populations of students in higher education institutions. In states that banned affirmative action, numbers on diversity and minority enrollment dropped in nearly all cases despite the state’s overall populations of college-aged minority students growing. California banned affirmative action in 1998. A 2015 New York Times study tracked
the data on black and Hispanic enrollment before and after the ban. The average Hispanic enrollment at University of California, Berkeley was 18 percent from the year 1990 up until the ban in 1998. The average after the ban, as recorded from 1998 to 2011, is now 14 percent. This demonstrates that even though the number of Hispanic students who were old enough to attend college increased, less of them enrolled after the ban. An open dialogue about societal issues is better when a diverse array of voices are involved in the conversation. When we fail to even try to understand affirmative action on its own terms and instead use it as a weapon to levy out more social discrimination against minorities, then we’ll never get to a place where we don’t need affirmative action policies. In the end, Jojo didn’t benefit that much from affirmative action. Of the 11 medical schools he received interviews to, he got waitlisted at four and accepted only to one, the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. In
addition to the fact that Jojo only applied as the black version of himself, we’ll never know for sure the discrepancies in admission that Vijay and Jojo may have actually faced. But it doesn’t really matter. Just because the fictional Jojo is black doesn’t mean we should hand him his pick of acceptances to medical schools without question, but it does mean he would have experienced a lifetime of racism and prejudice that Vijay simply wouldn’t have, regardless of either’s socioeconomic status. What affirmative action aims to do is provide a counterbalance to the discrimination Jojo would have faced throughout his life and put him on even footing with Vijay to get into medical school. Racism, discrimination, creating equal opportunity. You can call affirmative action whatever you want. But until we understand why we need the policy in the first place, it deserves to stay. Amber primarily writes about gender and politics for The Pitt News. Write to her at aem98@pitt.edu.
The Pitt News SuDoku 11/4/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com
pittnews.com
November 4, 2016
11
I N D E X
Rentals & Sublet
Employment
• NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER
• CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER
**2,3,5, and 6 Bedroom houses/Apartments in South Oakland. Available for rent August 2017. Very clean with different amenities (dishwasher, laundry, A/C, washer and dryer, 1-3 baths, off-street parking, newer appliances & sofas). Check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KenEckenrodeRealEstate/. Call Ken at 412-287-4438 for more information and showings. **AUGUST 2017: Furnished Studio, 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Bedroom Apts. No pets. Non-smokers preferred. 412-621-0457 1-2-3-4-5 Bedroom Houses & Apartments. 376 Meyran, 343 McKee, & Atwood, St. James, Bates St. $1,095-$2,000. Call 412-969-2790. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 bedroom apartments and houses available in May and August 2017. Nice, clean, free laundry, includes exterior
maintenance, new appliances, spacious, located on Meyran, Bates, Oakland, Semple, Wellsford, Dawson, Juliet. 412-414-9629.
pittnews.com
Classifieds
For Sale
Services
Announcements
• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS
• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE
• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER
2-3-4 bedroom houses. Available now or January 1st. At corner of Parkview and the Boulevard. Free laundry. Central air. Really nice. 412-414-9629. 4 BR Home - Semple Street. Equipped Kitchen, Full Basement. New central air added. Available immediately. Also renting for May and August 2017. (412) 343-4289. 5 and 6BR houses available Aug. 1, 2017. Laundry on site. To make an appointment call 412-812-9382.
6,7&8 bedroom houses available starting August 1st 2017. Five minute walk to Pitt. No pets. 1 year lease. Call 412-983-5222. South Oakland-Studio 1, 2, & 3 bedroom apartments available May 1, 2017 and Aug 1, 2017. Various Oakland locations. Free parking. Free heating. Call 412-361-2695.
AVAILABLE NOWSHADYSIDE/FRIENDSHIP Holden St. 2BR – Roof Deck! $1450 Maryland 3Br $1545 New SS Appliances! South Negley 1BR – Renovated! Spacious! $825 South Fairmount 1BR Private Entrance – $795 All Apartments are Pet Friendly! Call 412-455-5600 for a showing. AVAILABLE NOW – SQUIRREL HILL LUXURY RENOVATIONS! MODERN! GRANITE! SS APPLIANCES! ALL NEW! Eldridge St. – 1Br $895 Studio $750 Shady Ave – 1BR $1150 2BR $1295 Murray Ave – 3BR $1695 4BR $1750 All Apartments are Pet Friendly Call 412-455-5600 for a showing.
The Psychiatric Molecular Imaging Program is seeking men 18-25 years of age for brain imaging research studies. Participants must be in good p hysical and mental health, planning to stay in the Greater Pittsburgh area for the next 12 months, and willing to provide blood samples to confirm eligibility. The study involves questionnaires, interviews, and brain scanning. The research study will take place at UPMC Presbyterian University Hospital. Subjects will be compensated up to $800 upon completion. For details, call 412-586-9888.
R A T E S
Insertions
1X
2X
3X
1-15 Words
$6.30
$11.90
$17.30
$22.00
16-30 Words
$7.50
$14.20
$20.00
$25.00
(Each Additional Word: $0.10)
Deadline: Two business days prior by 3pm
SEASONAL MARKETING ASSISTANT Shadyside property management firm established in 1960 needs a Seasonal Marketing Assistant to work with Excel, Word, the internet from approximately NOW until July 15th; three days/week, Thursday through Saturday, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM; most hours will be solitary on the computer with no phone work; 40 words per minute and strong computer skills required; no experience needed & we will train you at our Shadyside office; free parking. $12/hour plus generous season end bonus.
|
Pamela’s diner looking for part-time weekend cashier. Strip and Squirrel Diswashers Squirrel Hill. Daylight hours. Call Jon at the Strip412-281-6366 or email Michelle at mmmika@aol.com. Phlebotomy Training Centerwww. justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals. Call 412-521-7334.
4X
5X
6X
Additional
$27.00
$30.20
$5.00
$29.10
$32.30
$5.40
Email: advertising@pittnews.com
Christian Home Health Care is hiring home health aids in the immediate area. Supplement your income around your busy class schedule. Nursing students are encouraged to apply. Call 412-323-0203, X 6132 or X 6141.
Come work where it’s Oktoberfest everyday. NOW HIRING: All kitchen staff including Managers at Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh. Apply in person Monday through Friday.
|
Phone: 412.648.7978
Residential treatment facility located in Robinson is now hiring! Gain hands on experience in the mental health field working with children & adolescents! Looking for full time or part time as needed direct care staff! *We accommodate school schedules!* Interested? Apply at: www.thebradleycenter.org/careers
Mozart Management. 412-682-7003. thane@mozartmagement.com
November 4, 2016
12