11-8-2016 by The Pitt News

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | november 8, 2016 | Volume 107 | Issue 73

Ping Pong Clinton rallies at Pitt one last time Club climbs ranks Brady Langmann Culture Editor

Shay Sinha likes to humble his opponents. When Sinha started at Pitt this fall, his go-to icebreaker was that he was a pingpong player. His fellow first-years weren’t impressed — they asked him if there was something else he could do with his time. Instead of telling his Tower C floormates that he beat someone in the USA Table Tennis Men’s Top 50 in July or snagged a game from an Olympian in high school, Sinha left it to a bet: $100 to whoever could defeat him. “I don’t mind people who give respect to a sport,” Sinha said, “but people who think that, ‘Oh, this is easy,’ or ‘I can beat everyone’ — those are the people I beat the hardest.” Sinha, whose coach growing up taught him to not let his challengers score a single point if possible, crushed everyone who was foolish enough to meet him at the table. Easy wins. Seeking better competition this semester, Sinha decided to join the Pitt Ping Pong Club. The group, formed three years ago, has 30 active members, ranging from competitors like Sinha — who enter national tournaments in hopes of increasing their USA Table Tennis ranking — to players who just want to socialize and learn more about the game. See Ping Pong on page 9

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TPN reflects on election coverage Pitt students and community members wait in line to hear Clinton speak Monday. Julia Zhu STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Amina Doghri and Noah Coco

listen and respect each other,” Clinton said to a crowd of more than 2,000 people gathered in front of and around the stage she spoke The Pitt News Staff from. With the towering Cathedral of Learning The former secretary of state discussed and a massive American flag as her backdrop, equal pay, free tuition for public colleges and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary universities and financial planning for those Clinton got the final word at Pitt Monday, already in debt. She also denounced her opcapping off a campaign season that’s brought ponent Donald Trump’s “hateful rhetoric” politicians to the area on a weekly basis. and painted a hopeful future for the country “So, tomorrow is the election, and that in a final attempt to rally voters in Pennsylis just the beginning. We have to heal this vania — a state crucial to the outcome of the country. We have to bring people together — election.

Clinton’s motorcade pulled in at about 12:20 p.m. to the sounds of the crowd chanting her first name. Mid-speech, Clinton played to attendees’ enthusiasm by invoking her opponent’s argument that she’s been playing the “woman card,” to which both the Democratic candidate and the swelling crowd responded, “Deal me in.” Most supporters — many of whom waited in a line that stretched from the Cathedral to Heinz Chapel — carried “Stronger Together” signs and dressed in campaign shirts, See Clinton on page 8

News

Coverage today Live online at pittnews.com/election

an election season in review

TPN weighs in on covering the 2016 presidential election The Pitt News has covered the 2016 election from the very beginning, when the Republican party still boasted a lengthy list of potential candidates and Bernie Sanders’ political revolution seemed an imminent possibility. Our reporters, photographers and videographers have documented about 30 rallies, stump speeches and protests, not including the stories we’ve done on student campaign workers, groups and voting preferences. As college journalists on a metropolitan campus, we often bear witness to the extremes of political discourse. Yet for many of us, this election has been especially poignant, bringing together all of the issues that define this particular moment in time: climate change, immigration, the wealth gap, police brutality, student debt, education and healthcare reform, to name a few. The purpose of a newspaper — or a news outlet in general — can vary. But largely, reporters are responsible for keeping a historical record. When asked, many TPN staffers said they felt like part of history reporting on this election. They’re right. Future Pitt students may someday wonder what campus was like in the midst of one of the most contentious, vitriolic and polarizing election cycles in recent history. Well, we’ve been here for all of it, beginning to bitter end, and here’s what we’ve seen and learned.

Photos taken from various campaign events around Pittsburgh. Top Left, Bottom Left: Stephen Caruso, Top Right: John Hamilton (also pictured in bottom left), Bottom Right: Julia Zhu

from the unbiased to the thinly veiled bias to the blatantly biased. We’ve watched the polls fluctuate. We’ve listened to countless campaign speeches. But even with all the time we have devoted to learning about these candidates, the future that will unfold with the new president is still a mystery. As a reporter, I am looking forward to making a record of that mystery as soon as it begins, whichever way it goes. Rachel Glasser: Staff Writer At my first two political rallies, I had the opportunity to cover Donald Trump and Chelsea Clinton. My press passes from these events now hang proudly from my bedpost — remindLauren Rosenblatt: ers of the Downtown protests, the enthused crowds, the impasNews Editor I remember talking about how to cover the election season sioned rhetoric and the stress of the events. My inexperience back in May when I accepted a position as an editor at The Pitt coupled with chasing after supporters, dissenters, candidates News. We didn’t have a clue how to cover it and scrambled to and speakers sometimes made me seriously consider getting a see what Pitt Newsers had done four and eight years ago. But prescription for Xanax. I certainly can’t say I’m upset that eleceight years ago saw a different election — historic for a different tion season will soon be over. But I am glad I had the opportureason and tense between the two candidates. Nothing could nity to be a part of all the fun while it lasted. prepare us for the significance of this election. We’ve spent the past months reading political reporting,

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November 8,2016

Emily Brindley: Assistant News Editor The first political event I covered this election season was Trump’s April p visit to Pittsburgh. I interviewed wed Trump supporters in front of Soldiers & Sailors, tried to interrview a man who turned out to o be an undercover cop and then n marched with hundreds of protesters on a three-mile trek from Oakland to Downtown. I was captivated by the energy flowing from both sides. Seven months later, and angry people fill the rallies and protests, hurling insults at each other and at reporters when they try to ask simple questions. It’s invigorating orating to hear honest opinions, but the effect

Kate Koenig

Protestors outside a Donald Trump rally downtown in April. Theo Schwarz SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER begins to wear off when those opinions center around hatred. Amina Doghri: Staff Writer I wanted to report on the rallies so I could be part of American history. Having a news pass, you get to have a pretty great view and access to the candidates, which is a completely different perspective than being just part of the crowd. The crowd itself always seemed

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to be mostly supporters tinged with a few undecided people, but I’ve never had a negative experience with any of them. Some didn’t want their name published — and refused an interview — but most were more than willing to talk about their views. I think maybe it’s because very few people, being a small part of a larger event, have been told that their views are important. So for them, it was a chance to have their opinion matter, their voice heard and

their name to be part of history as well. Stephen Caruso: Online Visual Editor When I think about covering the 2016 election, I’m reminded of George C. Scott’s famous opening speech to the movie “Patton,” when the namesake general preps his soldiers for battle. “Thirty years from now, [you’ll be] sitting around your fireside with your grandson on

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your knee,” Scott said. “And [he’ll ask] you: ‘What did you do in the great World War II?’” Scott continues that his men wouldn’t have to feel they did nothing but transfer horse manure by spade when embroiled in a world of turmoil. I know in the grand scheme of this election, my handful of quotes and captured moments don’t mean much and might still be akin to shoveling sh*t. But knowing I could tell any future grandkids about waking at 5 a.m. to drive to Cleveland and the RNC, or skipping classes to follow an anti-Donald Trump march through Downtown Pittsburgh or the time Hillary Clinton walked smiling and waving into my camera eye makes me proud of the role I played. Theo Schwartz: Staff Photographer About the photos on this page: So much yelling with so little being said. [I remember] Trump supporters and protesters clash[ing] outside the David Lawrence Convention Center on April 13. In some cases, when the thin line of police officers separating the factions couldn’t stop it, the shouting match devolved into physical conflict. With no bystanders to witness, and all participants seemingly set in their ways, I kept asking myself: ‘what’s the point of all this?’

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | november 8, 2016 | Volume 107 | Issue 73

Ping Pong Clinton rallies at Pitt one last time Club climbs ranks Brady Langmann Culture Editor

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TPN reflects on election coverage Pitt students and community members wait in line to hear Clinton speak Monday. Julia Zhu STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Amina Doghri and Noah Coco

Opinions

column

from the editorial board

Pa. should reject judge retirement proposal Today, the biggest decision facing most Americans will be who should lead the free world — no big deal. But Pennsylvanians will have to answer their own question this Election Day: Should state judges be able to serve until they are 75 years old? The Pennsylvania Judicial Retirement Age Amendment would raise the state’s mandatory retirement age for judges in Pennsylvania from 70. Only nine other states have limits above that mark, and Pennsylvanians should vote against joining them. This ballot option is a vote for maintaining the status quo when what we really need is growth and progress. Having an age limit for judges at all may seem arbitrary, but imposing a new, increased limit just entrenches unnecessary policies. There is no good reason that a 70-year-old judge is fundamentally more competent than a 75-year-old judge, but that works both ways. Supporters of the increased age limit argue that experience is something worth cherishing and that an additional five years on the bench will allow judges to deepen their knowledge and wisdom. But is that really a long enough period for substantial personal development to occur? Obviously there’s no age limit for learning, but these are people whose purpose is to make massive decisions based on interpretation of the law. A radical shift in jurisprudence after decades of service is not necessarily a positive goal. Most judges are intelligent people, so they will presumably have a capac-

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ity to grow with the times. But banking on the ability of existing judges to grow with society is a less worthy goal than regularly updating our pool of officials. Just five years ago, discussions of police brutality and widespread acceptance of transgender people was not the mainstream norm, but they were issues that appeared in court nonetheless. Having the right officials at the right time matters. Additionally, the amendment would force 19 judges who will turn 70 this year — including state Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Saylor — to retire by 2017, according to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. This is supposed to be cause for concern, but really it’s an opportunity to update what is arguably the most consequential and most overlooked branch of our state government. Ultimately, the amendment’s greatest beneficiaries would be the judges themselves. They get the opportunity to take five more years of state salaries and maintain their positions of authority. These are not benefits that trickle down to average citizens, regardless of their political affiliation. Conservatives should, presumably, be against enhancing the individual power of government officials. Liberals should, presumably, be against a policy that may leave progressive agendas waiting until midnight on someone’s birthday. While they’re busy making a historic electoral vote, Pennsylvanians should show they’re ready to embrace the future by voting “no” on tomorrow’s ballot question.

keep ballot questions clear

TNS

Nick Eustis

For The Pitt News When you vote today, there will be a question on your ballot about the retirement age of state judges. In full, it reads: “Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to require that justices of the Supreme Court, judges and magisterial district judges be retired on the last day of the calendar year in which they attain the age of 75 years?” A tad wordy, perhaps, but a relatively straightforward question, right? Not exactly. The question seems clear until you find out that there is already an established retirement age of 70 for Pennsylvania state judges. The amendment would raise that existing age, not create one from scratch. That information is important because a Franklin and Marshall College poll in September found that 64 percent of those polled would

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vote “yes” on the amendment’s current wording while only 45 percent would vote “yes” when told about the existing retirement age. It’s troubling that simply the wording of a ballot question can influence how the public votes, which in turn influences the law. This isn’t a problem limited to Pennsylvania — people in all states should be able to understand what their votes actually support. According to Craig Burnett, a professor of political science at Hofstra University, state ballot questions appear because of constitutional requirements or organized support from interest groups. But across the country, there are problems with the way ballot questions are worded, largely because of complex language and the omission of relevant information that completely obscures what the question really means. See Eustis on page 5

Eustis, pg. 4 The United Kingdom’s ballot for the Brexit vote is an example of a good ballot question, at least in terms of clarity. The ballot reads “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” Nothing more. The question doesn’t obscure anything and uses simple, honest, direct language. A University of Utah study looked at more than 1,200 ballot questions from 1997 to 2007 and found that the average question was written at a seventeenth-grade reading level. In other words, you’d need to be in the middle of a master’s degree program to be able to understand what you’re voting on. This is only worsened by information from the Literacy Project Foundation, which reports that 50 percent of Americans cannot read a book written at an eighthgrade level. The complex wording hurdle has serious implications for the fate of these ballot measures because voters can make errors or simply abstain from making a decision. Defenders of the language would respond by saying that voters should do their research before the election, but even doing extra homework on ballot initiatives can lead voters astray when amendments come paired with heavily funded ad campaigns meant to persuade and potentially deceive. The most egregious example of this scenario is an amendment on Florida’s ballot this election. The full amendment, called Amendment 1, reads: “This amendment establishes a right under Florida’s constitution for consumers to own or lease solar equipment installed on their property to generate electricity for their own use. State and local governments shall retain their abilities to protect consumer rights and public health, safety and welfare and to ensure that consumers who do not choose to install solar are not required to subsidize the costs of backup power and electric grid access to those who do.” Basically, the initiative is concerned with regulating solar power in Florida. Supporters advertised the amendment as “an easy choice” that “protects consumer’s” ability to generate their own solar power. But funding for these ad campaigns has come primarily from companies like Florida Power & Light and Duke Energy. These are energy

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groups that use fossil fuels and thus have a vested interest in inhibiting solar power, not promoting it. The deceptive wording suggests that those companies will be hurt by a “yes” vote, but the opposite is true. The first sentence of the amendment “establishes a right under Florida’s constitution” for consumers to install solar energy on their property, but Floridians already have that right. The second half of the amendment, according to columnist and author Carl Hiaasen, “opens the way for municipalities and the state to hit local solar providers with fees and regulations that could prevent them from selling low-cost electricity to customers.” So energy groups who want to remain afloat have taken advantage of the amendment’s trickery. As per usual, money tends to muddy the already murky waters of political decision-making. The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to consider removing Amendment 1 from the ballot after opponents filed a case for precisely the reasons mentioned above. But it remains on the ballot. As long as state legislatures write ballot questions, the questions will continue to be subject to partisan bias. Even establishing a nonpartisan committee to write ballot questions would run into the problem of having to work with the state legislatures, which opens the committee up to subconscious bias and possible corruption. The simplest problem to solve is the complexity of the wording. Far too often, as in Florida and Pennsylvania, ballot questions appear in complex legalese. The first thing that needs to happen is for ballot questions to carry simple, direct language that makes clear what is up for voting. Of course, politics is, and always will be, political. It should at least be understandable.

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Culture Emily Suruda

For The Pitt News Hips moving, Latin rhythms playing and dancers gliding. A man twists his female partner three times, then their hands sway from left to right. Surrounded by four other swinging couples, their feet meet one another’s, and he gives her one more spin. The Salsa Club, a student organization devoted to practicing and teaching Latin dances, held its once-a-semester Salsa Night last Friday, and this fall’s theme was glow-in-the-dark. About 30 students got into the salsa dancing mood in darkness, surrounded by glow sticks and light-up balloons in the O’Hara Student Center’s second floor ballroom. The night kicked off at 9 p.m. with Kirby Shramuk, the Salsa Club’s secretary, and Adriana Miranda, the club’s vice president, teaching beginner salsa dancing lessons for a half hour. The rest of the evening was spent on bachata, a type of dance from the Dominican Republic that is a three step dance with a tap. There was no music playing in the background except for Shramuk on stage giving step-by-step directions on basic salsa and bachata moves. Miranda was Shramuk’s dance partner during this part of the evening, and the two moved their feet forward and backward, counting steps up to eight over and over again. Lyndsey Nagy, a junior biology major, started the club a year ago. Nagy never danced before college, but the bug hit when she was introduced to salsa on vacation in Mexico. Nagy participated in salsa dancing workshops with the Spanish Club until the club stopped holding the sessions in her second semester. Nagy missed the lessons and realized that it was difficult to learn salsa if there are no inexpensive resources to do so. After she secured funding from SGB to make the club official last year, Nagy began offering free professional instructions and workshops every week. Now the club hosts two specialty workshops a semester, one Salsa Night a semester and salsa workshops every Sunday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The only differences between members and those who show up to the workshops, aside from fee of up to $15, is that official members can run for officer positions and have more say in the group. No one has to audition to join the club. Shramuk, a junior supply chain management and global management major, joined the club after a salsa-dancing friend convinced her to attend a workshop. She’s been in love ever since.

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Pitt’s Salsa Club hosted its once-a-semester Salsa Night last Friday. Li Yi STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Latin Vibes: Salsa Club Heats up O’Hara

“We try to introduce a lot to people, because when you go out [to dance] here in the city, a lot of times you’ll get a mix between Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Kizomba and Cha Cha,” Shramuk said. There are several places in Pittsburgh that offer salsa dancing nights, including Los Sabrosos Dance Studio in Garfield and Seviche, a restaurant located downtown that recently offered free salsa lessons on Nov. 7. Dancers looking to practice more regularly can also attend Salsa Fridays held in Cabaret at Theatre Square. Nicolette Pawlowski and Agustin Garcia, two professional instructors who teach the Sunday workshops at Pitt and help choreograph the performing team routines, run the studio Los Sabrosos in Pittsburgh. Shramuk said the teachers bring technique to workshops, because they take lessons with world champions. “We get experience worth thousands of dollars

for free on campus,” Shramuk said. Salsa Night picked up speed around 10:30 p.m. More guests started asking each other to dance, and suddenly, there were 11 couples on the floor. A few couples showcasing their intermediate dancing abilities with sharp, perfected movements while the rest focused on becoming more comfortable with the rhythms and dances with music playing in the background. The evening’s attire varied with some dancers donning dresses with heels and other dancers dressed down with sneakers or only socks. At Salsa Night, looks don’t matter — it’s all about moves. Paula Dzimira, a first-year anthropology and biology major at Pitt who attended Salsa Night for the first time, said those moves weren’t as difficult as she originally thought. “It’s a lot easier than it looks if you have a good

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partner,” Dzimira said. “The instructors really work with you if you’re a beginner like me who has absolutely no rhythm or skill.” For salsa dancing veterans, the club created a performance team last fall semester. Its next performance is on Nov. 18. during the intermission of the Caribbean and Latin American Student Association Fashion Show. Nagy aims to have the performance team in competitions by next year. Shramuk has found that salsa dancing helps her outlook. In life, she looks at situations just like learning a challenging dance move, handling it as she would on the dance floor. “For four minutes, your world is just about dancing,” Shramuk said. “I don’t know where I’d be without dancing.”

Drag culture nears mainstream at Pitt Nick Eustis

For The Pitt News

Terry Tan SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

In drag culture, sometimes you have to embrace extravagance. At Pitt Rainbow Alliance’s Panther Drag event Sept. 17. — which takes place annually in the William Pitt Union — students drew their drag names on coloring boards, tried on different styles of makeup and, of course, walked the runway in dazzling colors and materials. Pitt is an enthusiastic audience for drag — the act of dressing and performing as the opposite gender — as Peter Crouch, president of Rainbow Alliance, well knows. According to Crouch, almost 300 people were in attendance at this year’s show. “We can tell from even the promotion stage before drag events that they are super popular for

students,” Crouch said. In general though, drag stands at a crossroads of American culture, the intersection of the mainstream and the underground: too bizarre for venues outside the nightclub scene, yet popular enough to deserve Emmys. Drag — both at Pitt and on the national level — is close to becoming a more mainstream form of entertainment. But with larger social attitudes still shying away from gender fluidity, it’s not there quite yet. The excitement for drag at Pitt isn’t just a trend sparked by the popularity of the competitive reality show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Rainbow Alliance has hosted an annual drag show since 2000, nine years before the first season of “Drag Race” aired. Past drag shows at Pitt have even been the stomping ground of future “Drag

Race” contestants. Pitt alumnus Justin Honard, now better known as Alaska Thunderf*** 5000, performed for some of her first audiences at the Rainbow Alliance drag show before being selected for the fifth season of “Drag Race.” This was in addition to recently winning season two of “All Stars Drag Race” earlier this month. The supportive and inclusive atmosphere at Pitt is without a doubt a factor in the success of campus drag events. In an interview with Madison Scull for Pitt online publication Fresh U, Marcus Robinson, former president of Rainbow Alliance, said that Pitt has supported the LGBTQ+ community for the past several years.

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Clinton, pg.1 buttons and hats. “It’s great to be here at this extraordinary time in our country’s history at this great university,” Clinton said. Senatorial candidate Katie McGinty and chef Tom Colicchio introduced Clinton, sharing personal anecdotes to support the strength of her character. Congressman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto, Braddock mayor John Fetterman and Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald also spoke at the rally in support of the Democratic candidate. Clinton’s campaign has touted the celebrity card numerous times throughout the election. Recently, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi, Jay Z and Beyonce have all held shows or stumped in her favor. At Heinz Field on Friday, Clinton was joined onstage by local celebrities: businessman Mark Cuban and Steelers’ Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Franco Harris also came to support Clinton. Actors Bryan Cranston and Steve Carell — both filming a movie in Pittsburgh — popped by the Oakland Clinton campaign office Sunday to support her as well. The Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has poked fun at Clinton’s famous sup-

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porters, saying he doesn’t need rock stars or rappers to win him votes. He also visited Pittsburgh yesterday, speaking at the Pittsburgh International Airport to a crowd of about 6,000. Both candidates have squeezed in trips to make-or-break cities within the last few days. RealClearPolitics shows Clinton leading Trump by 2.9 points. Nationally, polls show Clinton with 44 percent of the vote and Trump with 41 percent. In Pennsylvania, Trump is trailing Clinton by 2.4 points. Behind Clinton on stage, Pitt students from various student groups around campus held vibrant blue “Stronger Together” signs. Michael Meehan, a first-year master’s student in health, physical activity and chronic disease, was one of those supporters. For Meehan, a Trump victory would mean a regression in the progress that President Obama has made for members of the LGBTQ+ community during his two terms. “Many of the LGBT rights Obama extended to federal employees and contractors was done via executive order, which means that a President Trump could undo it all at 12:01 [a.m.] on the day of the inauguration,” Meehan said. “Given what we’ve seen Donald Trump say and do, I worry that we’re going to be taken back to square one.” As statistics become more relevant in the final

hours, Clinton has spent most of her time encouraging voters to get out and cast their ballot and not be disheartened by long lines. “Tomorrow, each and every one of you gets to make a decision as to whether or not ... you will vote. Because in Pennsylvania, it’s all about election day. Other places around the country have been voting for weeks. I’m here to ask you to vote for yourself,” Clinton said. Although recent polls have shown Clinton favored to win, Diana Ritze, 67, from Butler, Pennsylvania, and her husband, Gene Ritze, 68, were at the rally Monday and worried she might not have the win secured. “Anything could happen [tomorrow]. I feel pretty confident — but not absolutely until it’s over,” Ritze said. Albert Tanjaya, a first-year student majoring in computer science, was still unsure which candidate would be better for the country when he came to the rally Monday morning. “I haven’t finalized my vote, so... this rally and hearing her speak has really helped me make a decision,” Tanjaya said. “Her speech was more of a unifying speech rather than a policy-based speech, and I think that really helps wrap everything up in the end.” Clinton’s talk was mainly centered on unifying Americans and making it to the polls. She did

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not mention any clear plan for health care reform or Obamacare, which was a disappointment to some attendees. After attending a Trump rally two weekends ago in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Janice Smallwood, 66, from Johnstown, was unsatisfied with his vague notion of “obliterating Obamacare.” “As a recipient of social security benefits, I want to make sure that 10 years from now I’m still receiving those benefits,” Smallwood said. In the face of this uncertain election, Clinton reminded the crowd that they will be voting for not only for themselves but for future generations as well. “When your kids and your grandkids ask you in the future what you did in 2016 when everything was on the line, you’ll be able to say you voted for a stronger, fairer, better America where we build bridges, not walls,” Clinton said. Clinton had three more stops before today’s election. After leaving Pittsburgh, Clinton headed to Allendale, Michigan, Philadelphia and Raleigh, North Carolina. She left Pittsburgh with a message of togetherness. “We don’t have to accept a dark and divisive vision for America,” Clinton said. “Tomorrow, you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America.”

S orts Ping Pong, pg. 1 Kevin Jiang and Howard Chu, Pitt Ping Pong Club’s co-presidents, said they’re trying to take the club and its players from a recreational sport to a competitive one this year. That means entering more tournaments put on by the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association and training members to beat schools including Penn State University and University of Pennsylvania — both of which have coaches and hold tryouts for their teams. At Pitt, that’s a little tricky — the interest level in the sport isn’t high enough to hire a coach and be choosy about who joins the club. But that hasn’t stopped the squad from challenging other universities. Two weeks ago, the Pitt Ping Pong Club traveled to Philadelphia to compete at an NCTTA event at Trolley Car Table Tennis Club, where the club faced off against nearby schools including PSU, Penn, Temple University and Rowan University. Competing at events like this helps the squad qualify for regionals, which will be held at PSU in January. Thai Nguyen, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major and Pitt Ping Pong Club’s vice president, matched with a player from Temple for the first game. Nguyen made quick work of his foe, who may have underestimated him — Nguyen’s improved since his rivals saw him last year, training in Vietnam and a Pittsburgh-area pingpong club since then. He almost demolished Penn State as easily, but his opponent quickly caught on to Nguyen’s signature backhand, which spins differently with each hit. “I think pingpong is about reading people, too. And it’s about speed and knowing what the ball is doing,” Nguyen said. “It got messy. He read my serve, and he was doing really well with it. And he could destroy me.” With strong performances by Sinha and Nguyen, Pitt finished third out of six schools — a promising showing in advance of January’s tournament at Penn State. Until then, the club will continue to meet on the second floor balcony of the Fitzgerald Field House on Thursday nights. The hope is that Sinha, Jiang, Chu, Nguyen and a grad student named Yuqing Wu, who started training

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“But when we get into hardcore training, when we’re just doing rallies, getting used to the motion, we get really sweaty.” At another table, Nguyen — who played table tennis in Vietnam before moving to the United States in high school — practices spin and curve shots, chopping at the ball when it meets him. Miguel Xu, a first-year computer science major, simply watches his teammates practice from the sideline, transfixed by the metronome-like rhythm of each rally. “It’s very intimidating. Even if you think you can beat them, you can’t,” Xu said. “Even though it looks like they’re [playing to their GO ONLINE TO best ability], sometimes they’re just practicing, and they don’t show how they actually play in the real league.” For Xu, pingpong is the everyman’s sport, rewarding practice and concentration over athleticism. Many players, like Sinha and Nguyen, either hired coaches or trained at a facility to drastically improve their game without hitting the weight room every day. “Unlike other sports, you don’t have to be very tall to play,” Xu said. “Imagine basketball: If you are short, you’re dead. People are just going to dunk on you here in the U.S. But this one is not based on how tall or how muscular you are — it’s about how much skill and how much practice you’ve put in.” Everyone in the group has something to play for. Xu wants to compete in an NCTTA event by his senior year. Sinha’s dream is to play in the 2024 Olympics. Jiang’s biggest rival, though, lives at home. Jiang started playing pingpong at 13 when Thai Nguyen lines up one of his signature curve shots. Brady Langmann his family put a table in the basement. Jiang CULTURE EDITOR and his father — complete beginners at the it’s a highly-competitive Olympic event. Since matches well with defensive strategy of Chu, time — just hit a ball back and forth, getting table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, who hangs back and redirects Jiang’s attacks better with each year. Even though Jiang was the club’s best player until Sinha joined, he China’s dominated the field, winning 53 of the once the pace speeds up. As Chu and Jiang warm up, the duels get said his dad is more interested than he is in the 100 awarded medals. At the start of Pitt Ping Pong Club’s 6 p.m. longer, the returns harder to defend. During a sport. But when asked if he could beat his father, practices, it’s unclear at first whether the mem- seven-hit rally, the duo inches away a few feet bers are there for some after-class fun, or it’s from the table until it becomes an island caught Jiang paused, flashed a grin, then quickly regame time — they’re all straight-faced for the between warring battleships. Chu rockets the turned to the same stoic, poker-faced expression he wears when he plays. ball past Jiang’s head and misses the table. most part. “That’s tough to say,” Jiang said. “I guess “A lot of people say that table tennis isn’t Jiang, wearing a purple-black baseball jacket and stud earrings, pulls pingpong tables to a sport because you just kind of stand there, we’ll see after Thanksgiving break.” the balcony’s main area, while Chu sets up tall you’re within a really small vicinity,” Chu said. in China at around four years old and came one step away from playing for the national team, can finally beat a powerhouse school like PSU or Penn. If you walked in on one of the club’s training sessions, it would be easy to make the same mistake as Sinha’s Tower C challengers. At first glance, the skill level looks more basement back and forth than the exchange of bullets you see during off-hours Olympics programming. In the United States, most associate pingpong with game room fare like air hockey and foosball. But in China — where some of the club’s players are from, like Chu and Wu —

cardboard strips along the edge overlooking Pitt’s volleyball court, ensuring no erratic shots go overboard. There’s talk of the Singaporean woman on Penn’s team who embarrassed the boys at the Philadelphia tourney. Nguyen changes into gym shorts, ties his long, brownish-blonde hair into a ponytail and starts shuffling along the court. A couple players pick up paddles and start trading shots faster and faster until the tables fill and the entire gym rings with clink, pop, clink, pop. Chu faces Jiang, president vs. president. Jiang’s style is aggressive — he tries to win his points within the first three hits — which

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Narduzzi defends conservative play calls Steve Rotstein Sports Editor

kick an onside kick and you’re good.” But Henderson never got the chance at another return touchdown, and Chris Blewitt never got a chance to attempt an onside kick. After the Panthers held Miami running back Mark Walton to two rushes for 7 yards on the first two plays, Walton broke loose for a 55-yard touchdown on third down to seal the victory for the Hurricanes in what turned into a 51-28 blowout. “Now if I had known they were going to score, like the armchair quarterback guys ... then I would have said shoot, might as well just have an 18-yard run instead of a 55-yard run,” Narduzzi said. Nobody knew Miami was going to score, but that’s not the problem — the problem is expecting to force a three-and-out on defense, score two touchdowns and tack on two successful two-point conversions in less than three minutes, which is simply unrealistic. But Narduzzi said he had no regrets about the crucial calls. “Well, we’ve been a good run defense,” Narduzzi said. “Have we been a great pass defense? No. But we’ve been a great run defense, and I thought we could stop them.”

The Pitt news crossword 11/8/16

The Pitt football team and head coach Pat Narduzzi have taken a lot of flak for the way the defense has performed this season, especially when defending opponents’ passing games. Despite the criticism, Narduzzi made a couple of late-game decisions Saturday against Miami that required a lot of faith in his defense. The problem is, he may have shown too much faith. With under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Pitt trailed by 13 points. After a 1-yard gain by running back James Conner, the Panthers faced fourth-and-1 at their own 10-yard line. Rather than give one more handoff to the team’s All-American tailback and trying to pick up one yard behind All-ACC offensive linemen Adam Bisnowaty and Dorian Johnson, Narduzzi decided to punt the ball back to Miami. The Hurricanes then put together an eightplay, 41-yard field goal drive to extend their lead to 16. More importantly, they milked almost five minutes off the clock, and Pitt got the ball back Pat Narduzzi made questionable down 44-28 with only 3:21 left in the game. After a 5-yard scramble by quarterback Nacalls against Miami last weekend. Theo Schwarz SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

than Peterman and two incompletions, the Panthers faced a fourth-and-5 on their own 16-yard line with less than three minutes left. Although the team still needed two touchdowns and two successful two-point conversions just to tie the game, Narduzzi again gave the ball back to the Hurricanes. Narduzzi attempted to rationalize the decisions Monday at his weekly press conference. “We had three timeouts left, OK?” Narduzzi said. “I mean, if you go for it and you don’t get it, and you had three downs already to get 10 yards ... you might as well just grab a knife and stick it in you right then and start twisting it and pull it out, in my opinion.” While Narduzzi believed going for it on fourth down and failing to convert would have been coaching suicide, all the Panthers needed was five yards to keep the game alive. Instead, he gambled on his defense. “I’ve got faith in our defense,” Narduzzi said. “They ran the ball three times like we wanted them to. We had a chance to make a play in the backfield on third-and-3, call another timeout and we get what we want. And maybe Quadree [Henderson] takes one to the house, and then you

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November 8,2016