Nov. 21 to Dec. 11.
https://teaching.pitt.edu/omet/
After almost two years of learning in a pandemic, Pitt students are still adjusting to exams and presenta tions that take place in the classroom and not on the computer screen. Finals are around the corner and stu dents are busy preparing for the tests ahead.
Eileen Zhang, a sophomore nursing major, only has two finals this semester, but her professors also sched uled tests right before finals week. Zhang said she finds it difficult to balance all of the exams with her tight schedule.
“It’s just hard to sort of manage time and also get some relaxation in,” Zhang said.
Finals week begins on Monday and runs until the end of the week. With less than a week to prepare and finish up some last minute study sessions, students are feeling the pressure to perform well on their finals. To cure those end-of-semester worries, many use their fa vorite stress relief activities to clear their minds and re fresh before hitting the books again.
Zhang said she tries to practice self-care during fi nals week by picking up hobbies that make her feel re laxed and happy.
“I’m definitely hanging out with friends, like grab bing dinner maybe after we’re all studying at home,” Zhang said. “I also really like crocheting. That’s a good stress reliever, I would say.”
Other students also complained about the lack of time professors give students between finals, making it harder to find time to study and prepare for tests the next day. When one final ends, it feels like another be gins for many students.
To manage her stress during finals week, Kara Vohra, a junior finance major on the pre-law track, uti lizes the gym as a way to take a study break. She enjoys going up to the Petersen Events Center between her classes and studying.
“I think I definitely try to make an effort to work out more because I think exercise definitely helps you re lieve stress in ways that, you know, daily activities prob ably can’t,” Vohra said. “I tried to make it to the Pete a few more times this week.”
Omkar Betsur, president of the Therapy Dogs Club, said the therapy dogs are a useful resource on Pitt’s cam pus for students who need a furry companion to relax and de-stress.
“It promotes student mental wellness by bringing animals that relax student anxiety, provides a system for anyone who’s going through academic or any personal hardships and troubles, and we’re just there for students to have a break in their week,” Betsur, a junior biology major, said.
Aside from visiting the therapy dogs, Betsur said he likes to relax and refresh during finals week by watching and playing soccer, as well as participating in new things
around campus.
“I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is to take a break every now and then and do what you enjoy,” Bet sur said. “If you do more that you enjoy, your mind will be fresher.”
The Therapy Dogs Club will have a special finals week event on Friday at Hillman Library. The dogs are also available throughout the semester at Student Health Services and the Cathedral of Learning every Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Pitt also offers other resources on campus for stu dents looking for extra support during finals week. The Stress Free Zone on the third floor of the William Pitt Union provides a space for students to relax through wellness practices like yoga, meditation and mindful ness audio stations. The University also provides coun seling services for students who want to talk with a clini cian through the University Counseling Center.
First-year students experiencing their first finals week can feel stressed, overwhelmed and burnt out. With the adjustment from high school to the academic demands of professors, rigorous studying is both intimi dating and tiring.
Vohra said to relieve some of the stress, students new to finals should start studying early and make a plan that works with their schedules.
“Don’t procrastinate. Don’t wait till the last second to study,” Vohra said. “Definitely make yourself a study plan to follow for like the last two weeks.”
Vohra also shared some personal study tips that she likes to use for exams.
“I still to this day write down how many Power Points I need to go through or how many slides I need to go through and then like x-ing them out is just so venerating,” Vohra said. “You should definitely try that.”
Luke Folmar, a junior marketing major, shared tips on how to help first-year students navigate a busy finals week.
“Start studying early so you’re ready,” Folmar said. “[First years] should also make sure they know the final weighting of the grade.”
Folmar also said “relaxing with friends on the week end” is the best way to de-stress before he takes his final exams. He added that meeting up with friends is a great way to take a study break for a few hours.
Betsur said although it may feel like it, final grades for one semester don’t define your career path or worth as a student.
“There’s just so much more you’re going to learn and grow that it’s not the end of the world at all,” Betsur said.
Zhang echoed Betsur’s advice and said students shouldn’t dwell on their finals and to stay hopeful through the challenging week.
“It will all work out in the end, like finals aren’t every thing,” Zhang said. “If you just push through this week, it’ll feel so much better.”
Piles of last minute homework, cramming for exams and late nights at the library — finals week ee rily approaches. This week is one of the most stressful weeks for most Pitt students. However, listening to mu sic may help relieve some of that stress. Here is a list of five playlists, albums and songs to listen to during the upcoming difficult week.
I bet you know exactly what this looks like — an anime-style depiction of a girl wearing headphones studying with her cat looking out the window — she is iconic. Lofi Girl started streaming in 2015, making this one of the longest running videos on the platform. It runs 24/7, providing calming lyric-free beats and a live chat to accompany the music.
The lack of lyrics makes this perfect to listen to while doing work. It provides the background noise some people need to study while not distracting them with words. Its relaxing tunes also can help keep the stress levels lower while studying.
Since it’s a livestream, there is an endless amount of new beats to listen to, making it perfect for long study sessions, entering into the right headspace and getting into the groove. The live chat provides another level of de-stressing. If listeners need a break from working, they can pop into the chat and talk with other listeners. Many chatters discuss study tips, which is beneficial. They are also from all over the world, which is fun to converse with during a study break.
If finals week is just too full with work, listen to this live stream to remain calm. Study with Lofi Girl and her cat — she’s festive right now, with a Santa hat and ornaments decorating her room.
“Hello, I’m In Delaware” by City and Colour City and Colour will serenade you with acoustic guitar and soft singing. This song is an acoustic folk tune filled with beautiful strumming and melodious lyrics. The singer, Dallas Green, does a wonderful job at evoking strong emotion in listeners as he sings about falling in love with a girl and having to leave her be hind.
The live version performed in Saint John, New Brunswick on May 2, 2017 is also an amazing listen. This version is also on Spotify.
This song is great to listen to after finishing an in tense study session. It will help clear your head, calm your nerves and entrance you.
“James Brown Is Dead” by L.A. Style
Need to get hyped before that ECE 1140 Trains fi nal presentation? Blast “James Brown Is Dead” to get that adrenaline pumping. This electronic dance music will transport listeners to a loud Dutch club in 1992 filled with flashing lights and tons of movement. The catchy beat makes heads nod and feet tap.
L.A. Style perfectly encapsulated electronic dance music with this single. If the study session approaches late night hours, play this song. Its high energy, fastpaced beat, frantic rave vibes will wake you up. The song never slows down and will give you the boost of energy you need to continue cramming. It also may get you on your feet to dance around during a welldeserved study break.
“When The Sun Goes Down” by Kenny Chesney
This 2004 album will make all stress leave your body upon listening. The 11 country songs transport listeners to a fun-filled camping trip sitting around a fire singing and playing the guitar with friends. There are many people who dislike country music, but its simplicity aids in de-stressing from finals. Country music is easy to predict as most songs follow a similar outline, making this album easy to digest, which is per fect during finals week.
Chesney’s soothing voice tells listeners a story with each song, most with happy undertones. Listen to this album as you take the brutally cold walk to the library to begin the day’s studying — this will set you up for a successful, clear-headed and less-stressful work ses sion.
“The
“The Duck Song” is a classic childhood memory, which is perfect for de-stressing during this upcoming hellish week. Transport back to 2009 with this song when times were easier, and finals week didn’t exist in elementary school. Listeners can ignore the impending doom and live in the past for three minutes.
This song and animation is innocent and simplis tic. Watching the video is a fun experience for all. It is a perfect break in between memorizing flashcards and reviewing study guides.
Finals week is not enjoyable, but listening to these tunes can make it feel less dreadful. Study hard, and maybe dance to “James Brown Is Dead” in the library — on the ground floor, of course — this week.
FRI, dec. 9-THURS, dec. 15
Avatar: The Way of Water (PG-13)
No passes through 1/2/23
Thu: 3:00, 6:40
Violent Night (R)
Fri: 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30
Sat & Sun: 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30
Mon & Tue: 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30
Wed: 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30
Thu: 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30
The Fabelmans (PG-13)
Fri: 3:45, 6:45, 9:45
Sat & Sun: 12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9:45
Mon & Tue: 3:45, 6:45, 9:45
Wed: 3:45, 6:45, 9:45
Thu: 3:45, 6:45, 9:45
The Menu (R)
No passes through 12/18/22
Fri: 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35
Sat & Sun: 12:35, 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35
Mon & Tue: 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35
Wed: 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35
Thu: 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (PG-13)
Fri: 3:20, 6:30, 9:40
Sat & Sun: 12:10, 3:20, 6:30, 9:40
Mon & Tue: 3:20, 6:30, 9:40
Wed: 3:20, 6:30, 9:40
Movies & Showtimes subject to change - visit manorpgh.com
Most people keep track of time in seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months or years. Harry Kloman has a different method.
“I think, ‘Who graduated when?’ That’s when something happened,“ Kloman said. ”For 25 years, I’ve marked time by my Pitt News students.”
Harry Kloman will retire as the news adviser for The Pitt News this month, after 25 years at the newspaper. He will continue teaching journalism courses as an adjunct professor in the English de partment, as he has done since 1988, 10 years be fore he started advising The Pitt News.
Before becoming the news adviser, Kloman served on the advisory board for The Pitt News for three years and taught a course called “The Pitt News,” where the writers and editors of the news paper met to discuss their work. When the news adviser position opened up at the end of the fall 1997 semester, Kloman says then-editor-in-chief Anthony Breznican encouraged him to apply. Ter ry Lucas, the general manager of The Pitt News from 1986 to 2020, said he chose Kloman for the job because of his knowledge of The Pitt News and experience working in journalism.
“He has a really strong knowledge of journal ism principles and ethics, and you certainly want that in the news adviser,” Lucas said.
Kloman saw The Pitt News undergo major changes in his time as its news adviser. In 1998, The Pitt News published five print editions each week, each one at least 20 pages long, and rarely published articles to its “rudimentary” website. Now, in 2022, The Pitt News publishes most of its articles online and produces just one short print edition each week. Besides changes to the news paper’s medium, Kloman says he has seen changes in The Pitt News staff itself — some positive and some negative.
“This is a less confrontational generation,” Kloman said. “That makes working in the news room much more pleasant, when you’re not con fronting one another, but part of the job of jour nalism is sometimes to confront people.”
One of Kloman’s important contributions to The Pitt News has been his daily critiques, which he writes for all Pitt News content — including news, sports, culture, opinion, blogs, visuals and more — published in print or online. Katelyn Po lantz, who served as news writer, copy editor, cocopy chief and editor-in-chief for The Pitt News in 2008-09 and now works as a senior reporter for CNN, said the critiques were very important to her when she wrote for The Pitt News.
“I remember looking forward so much to read ing his critiques, which I think he’s done every day that he’s been news adviser, every day there’s a pub lication,” Polantz said. “It’s just an amazing approach to, like, a hands-on teaching format for news writ ing, for journalism.”
Kloman also made himself as available as pos sible to students with questions about their articles
before publication. According to Lucas, this meant working during his time off around the newspa per and responding to last-minute calls for advice.
“[He would] make a concerted effort… to take his vacation time when the paper wasn’t publishing,” Lucas said. “He was always willing to read over a story if an editor would call him at like, midnight before the 1 [a.m.] deadline to the printer.”
Kloman held students at The Pitt News to the standard that they could do just as well as any professional outlet and advocated for their inde pendence, two things that have made the paper stronger, according to Rebecca Johnson, a senior economics and political science major and the current editor-in-chief of the newspaper.
“He’s never shy about telling you there’s some thing you can improve… but he never underesti mates students,” Johnson said. “He’s a really fierce ally of students and students’ freedom of speech, and he always pushes…for The Pitt News to be an independent student newspaper.”
The connection between Kloman and his stu dents and colleagues extended beyond the doors of The Pitt News’ office. He keeps up with Pitt News alumni after graduation. He introduced Lu cas to Ethiopian cuisine, which he wrote a book about in 2010. He watched Lucas’s children grow up — one time, Lucas said, he even went to the pet store with them to pick out a pet hamster. He went to Polantz’s wedding and visits her in Washington, D.C. every summer.
Polantz said she considers Kloman as not only a mentor, but also a friend.
“We discuss Pitt, he tells me about the stu dents, he tells me about the great things that Pitt News does, but we also debate journalism still to this day,” Polantz said. “He’s a really dear friend and I hope he doesn’t have less engagement with journalism now that he’s going to be retired be cause I really, I still need him in my life to talk about news and news writing.”
Kloman will hang on to several mementos from his time at The Pitt News, some of them gifts from his former students — a John Cougar Mel lencamp CD, a decorative plate from Israel, a Col or-Me-Mine vase inadvertently broken by a for mer editor during an April Fool’s prank and then glued back together. But that’s not all he will take with him when he leaves his office on the fourth floor of the WPU for the last time.
“I feel so lucky to have been able to do things that I enjoy doing,” Kloman said. “That’s what I’ll take away, the pleasure of having enjoyed my work.”
Well, Panthers, we finally made it to the end of the semester. There were definitely many ups and downs, but as the weather begins to chill and winter break is on the horizon, we thought it would be the perfect time to reflect.
Here are the top 10 moments that happened during the fall semester.
1.
Nothing beats a good old-fashioned rivalry. This year’s Backyard Brawl did not disappoint with the Panthers beating the Mountaineers 3831. And who could forget quarterback Kedon Slovis’s rousing speech with such colorful lan guage to get the crowd going?
The Gravy Train pulled into the Pittsburgh station this fall to bring us the hits and make some questionable comments about the hotness of Cathy. Nothing beat the creative signs and the rousing introduction by Waka Flocka Flame who joined the crowd to dance.
3. Sanders, Obama, Fetterman and Shapiro visit Pitt’s campus
We were lucky enough to have not one, not two, but four politicians come to campus!
Both Sen. Bernie Sanders and former President Barack Obama came to support the Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania and made amaz ing speeches — even in the rain! Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman, our new governor-elect and senator-elect, respectively, also made some appearances to get out the vote, and clearly it worked.
4.
5. Life became somewhat normal
After nearly three years of COVID-19 affect ing our normal college life, we were able to go back to classes fully in person and have the op tion to wear a mask on campus. While the pan demic is definitely far from over, it was nice to gain a semblance of normalcy this semester.
6. Jennette McCurdy visited campus McCurdy, the former iCarly star and writer of the best-selling book “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” also joined us to discuss her new book as well her complicated relationship with her mother.
7. Soccer, volleyball and basketball have success
Nothing feels better than bragging rights, and Pitt students had multiple teams to brag about this semester. Men’s soccer has reached the quarter finals of the NCAA tournament, vol leyball is at the No. 2 seed and men’s basketball won their first conference game this season — and this was all this past weekend!
8. Raising Cane’s proposed Oakland store
Who doesn’t love chicken? The popular fast food chain proposed a new location in Oakland and we can’t wait! Hopefully, it opens before we all graduate, and we can all get some chicken with the famous Cane’s sauce.
9. Brittany Broski visited campus
The kombucha girl meme turned TikTok star graced Pitt’s campus this semester to talk about fan culture and virality. Is Pitt one degree of separation from Harry Styles now?
saved
After Chancellor Patrick Gallagher an nounced last April that Pitt’s in-state tuition discount was in jeopardy, many students were worried about affording college. Thankfully, not only was in-state tuition saved, but the governor offered relief checks for the COVID-19 pan demic to students.
10. The Pitt News brought you quality jour nalism that you could trust
While not just notable this semester as it is every semester, The Pitt News brought the stu dents of Pitt amazing coverage of all of the cam pus events listed above. We hope next semester you continue to read and support the Pitt News. Have a great winter break!
Break out your cowboy boots, because Pitt Football is headed to El Paso, Texas, to take on No. 18 UCLA in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
The matchup is the first meeting between the Panthers and the Bruins since Sept. 16, 1972, when UCLA defeated Pitt 38-28. Both teams have a losing history playing in bowl games, with Pitt going 14-22 and UCLA going 16-19-1. Both teams have played in the Sun Bowl four times prior to this year.
The Bruins are looking to reach the 10 win threshold with a victory in the Sun Bowl — a total that will match the program’s best ever total. Pitt won four games in a row to end the regular season, and with a victory, the Pan thers can secure 20 wins over the past two seasons. Pitt has not won 20 games over the course of two seasons since the 1981 and 1982 campaigns, when Dan Marino was quarter back.
UCLA saw 10 players selected to PFF’s All-Pac-12 team, with senior running back Zach Charbonnet making the first team. Se nior wide receiver Jake Bobo and edge rushers Laiatu Latu and Gabriel Murphy make the sec ond team. Charbonnet also made PFF’s AllAmerican second team.
Senior Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a solid year playing quarterback for UCLA. He is a true dual threat, passing for 2,883 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven intercep tions, while also rushing for 631 yards with 11 touchdowns. The Pitt defense has struggled against mobile quarterbacks this season, no tably in the game against Louisville, and will need to adjust for the rushing threat.
"Their quarterback, I don’t know if you guys have seen him yet, but Dorian Thomp son-Robinson is good," head coach Pat
the Doak Walker award.
Latu and Murphy combined for 11 sacks and 67 tackles on the UCLA defense. Latu
year. He started the Peach Bowl last season but left the game after suffering a broken col larbone.
Pitt has not granted Patti the opportunity to start a full season, but when he played, he threw for a total of 558 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in his four years at Pitt.
Regardless of if Abanikanda opts in or out of the bowl game, passing is the highlight of Pitt’s gameplan. UCLA has the No. 120 ranked defense in the nation, allowing 275.7 yards per game to opponents. Their rushing defense is a stark contrast, being ranked No. 30 in the country and only allowing 142.2 yards per game. In comparison, Pitt has the No. 67 ranked pass defense and the No. 7 ranked rushing defense.
The Bruins rushed for the sixth most yards in the NCAA this year. If Pitt keeps Thompson Robinson in the pocket and forces him to throw the ball and make mistakes, they should match up well.
Narduzzi and the Panthers are excited about the ranked matchup and look to prove their strength against a Power Five opponent.
Narduzzi said. "He can run, he can throw, he can do a little bit of everything. I think he’s av eraging over five yards a carry. He’s an athlete and I know Chip Kelly will do a lot of different things to keep the ball in his hands."
Charbonnet had his second 1,000 yard sea son in a row, rushing for 1,359 yards with 14 touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 321 yards. Charbonnet, like Pitt’s junior running back Israel Abanikanda, was a semifinalist for
forced three fumbles on top of his sacks. De spite the hard hitting edge rushers, UCLA is ranked as the No. 84 scoring defense com pared to Pitt at No. 41.
The lineup for the Panthers is murky, with the transfer portal opening and players leav ing for the draft. Pitt is without Kedon Slovis after he entered the transfer portal on Mon day. Nick Patti will likely take the reins for Pitt’s bowl game for the second consecutive
"Getting a chance to play UCLA, the 18thranked team in the country, to be able to go up against such a great football team," Narduzzi said. “Our team has a great challenge ahead of us and we’re excited.”
The Sun Bowl will air on CBS and kick off at 2 p.m. on Dec. 30.
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