Hospitals during the holidays: Students and nurses help out over break Sarah Connor and Joanna Li Staff Writers
While some people are putting a honey-glazed Christmas ham into the oven and cozying up with loved ones to watch “A Christmas Story,” Pitt student Trisha Klan starts her work day. Instead of sipping hot cocoa and decorating a tree, the third-year student will celebrate Christmas while working in a hospital. Klan is a patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills, which is about 13 miles from Oakland, and is no stranger to inconvenient holiday work schedules. “I worked on Thanksgiving. It was an overnight so I worked from 11 p.m. the night before into 7 a.m. that morning,” she said. “I’m working Christmas too, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.” Klan has learned to make the most of her shifts. And after many 5 a.m. sessions taking patients’ vital signs over the holidays, she’s seen how people react to being in hospitals during the season. “It’s especially interesting to work around this time, because even if it’s not an actual holiday you see how people are affected by the holidays,” she said. She said she has seen many more people come through the emergency room at this time of the year than in September or any other non-holiday month. The reasoning behind this phenomenon remains a bit of a mystery for Klan and her co-workers, but some of the Jefferson
pittnews.com
Hospital workers have theories. “Some nurses say that for elderly patients especially, the family may be trying to get them into a nursing home, so they’ll bring in their relative and say ‘He
ilies at the holidays experience severe depression, so that’s when we get a lot of suicidal ideation and stuff like that,” she said. Klan is required to sit with patients
UPMC Presbyterian lights up decorations on its front lawn during the holiday season. Kyleen Considine VISUAL EDITOR has heart problems, he needs [to be] admitted’ so they have more time to plan the holiday festivities,” Klan said. Some of her patients have a very different problem — patients who are alone for the holidays find the season particularly rough. “Other people who may not have fam-
who have suicidal thoughts to make sure they do not harm themselves — something she said is extremely difficult. But Klan found an escape from focusing on the sadness of this situation. “At first, it was really hard for me to care for these patients — especially at this time of the year when everyone is
December 11, 2017
trying so hard to be cheerful — because it was such a sad situation,” she said. “But then I remember that at least they are here getting help. The reminder that they are not on their own gives me hope.” Klan also said car accidents because of bad weather and drunk driving bring in a high amount of patients to the ER throughout the season. Picking up a shift during Christmas her first year on the job, Bethany Peng, a registered nurse at Allegheny General Hospital, is anticipating accidents like these. Working an around-the-clock job, Peng is needed on the front line throughout the year. And although she’s never worked a Christmas, she feels that it will be similar to when she worked on Thanksgiving. “This is my first job being a nurse, so I have no idea what to expect during the holiday,” Peng said. “But nursing is really unpredictable and you never know what the day is going to be like. It could be calm in the morning and crazy in the afternoon.” Like Klan, Peng is looking for a way to cope with the gloomy atmosphere at the hospital during the holidays. Even though she is hoping for a more festive and joyful space during Christmas, Peng knows it will be quite the opposite. “Most people want to go home for the holiday, so the only people left in the hospital are the ones that are super sick. See Hospitals on page 18
2
Making the grade: Professors set aside time to score student work
Anthropology professor Robert Hayden often spends more than an hour grading a single paper. Aaron Schoen STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Salina Pressimone, Caroline Bourque and Rachel Glasser The Pitt News Staff
Last weekend you could probably find Leonardo Solano buried in the dissertation room of Hillman, or pocketed away somewhere in Panera Bread, grading 160 pages of undergraduate Spanish papers. While it usually takes graduate students such as Solano a long time to grade papers during the semester, finals is an especially grueling time that involves late nights, little sleep and plummeting diets. “That’s why [grad students] get fat, they work so much just grading,” Solano, a fourth-year Hispanic languages and literature grad student said. The stress of finals isn’t just felt by students, but by professors too. Each exam taken or paper submitted translates to a document a professor or teaching assistant must grade. Once finals week is over for students, professors are still working into the first few days of break to complete their part. According to Solano, the Hispanic Languages and Literatures department uses a detailed evaluation sheet that advises instructors about how to assess content, sentence grammar, style and transitions to
pittnews.com
make grading more objective. Solano supplements these standardized methods with his own requirement for students to write five drafts of their work and then meet with him throughout the semester to talk about the pieces. “For me it’s an ongoing process,” he said. “The better professor you want to be, the more time you want to spend.” Solano said grading just one paper can take up to an hour because he spends time on both grammar and content and frequently rereads his students’ work. “It depends on the flow, it depends on the student,” he said. “Every student is different and has different needs.” Robert Hayden, an anthropology professor who has taught at Pitt for 31 years, frequently spends more than an hour grading each term paper produced by the 20 students in his ethno-national violence writing-intensive course. He edits for grammatical errors, but he focuses the majority of his efforts on the papers’ content. “I’m much more concerned with how the paper is conceptualized and with how the ideas are playing out, how they’re supported or not supported,” Hayden said. After his students submit their drafts,
Fourth-year Hispanic languages and literature graduate student Leonardo Solano spends late nights at Hillman Library grading undergraduates’ Spanish papers. Aaron Schoen STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Hayden returns them, loaded with edits, ed readings,” Hayden said. “And that takes accompanied by a summary document that a lot of time.” Like Hayden, Solano said the extensive contains general comments about the paper. “It’s a lot of work to go through [all the notes and constructive criticism he offers papers], but you know, a W-course to me, I his students takes the most time. “I hate to read the feedback. It’s like tormean that’s what I’m supposed to be doing,” Hayden said. “From my point of view, the ture, a really painful process because you don’t want to see the mistakes,” he said. “But exercise is a high level of writing.” Aside from the 20-page paper that is the I learned that we need to get used to that.” Solano said he invests this sort of time focus of Hayden’s ethno-national violence class, students must also take two-to-three while still cognizant of his own demands exams throughout the semester. Each exam as a grad student in the final stages of writallows students to select two essay questions ing his dissertation. Despite his attempts to spread his papers out over a longer period from three, four or five choices. Hayden, who also teaches cultures and of time, Solano said grad students somesocieties of India, has developed a system times must sacrifice the time put into gradfor grading these exams. He separates the ing finals to budget time for their own work. “You cannot pay attention as much as responses to each essay question into piles. He reads through the answers for one ques- you want especially during finals,” he said. tion and puts comments on each answer be- “You cannot be as detailed as you want as fore moving on to the next question. He re- you do it throughout the semester.” For Birney Young, a public speaking inreads the answers, ordering them from best to “least best” before rereading them a third structor at Pitt, finals season lacks the usual time and assigning final grades. The pro- piles of papers and scantrons. Instead, his cess, for a class of 40 such as cultures and final exams are performance-based impromptu speeches, which students do not societies of India, takes several days. “How I have to grade the exams is taking know the topic of until moments before into account what people are demonstrating their speech. that they’ve learned. And that takes repeatSee Grading on page 15
December 11, 2017
3
column Ben Sheppard
Scrap the Saturday final
Columnist
Opening PeopleSoft and finding your final exam dates is like opening your presents on Christmas — sometimes you’re elated, other times you’re more than a little let down. Discoveringg all your finals are on the first days of finals nals week, or earlier, is a feeling of puree joy. It’s like getting a new gaming aming system or a mythical Red Ryder BB gun. Seeing ng an early morning Saturday rday final, on the other hand, is the equivalent of a hefty sack of coal. But unlike ike the meritocratic system that’s supposed to operate on n Christmas, where here
you earn your presents based on being “naughty” or “nice,” the layout of your finals week seems more random. Beyond the frontloading of final assignments for liberal arts majors, who often end up with most of their work due the week before finals or at the beginning of the week, it doesn’t feel like your schedule has much rhyme or reason to it. The Sat-
Garrett Aguilar SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
pittnews.com
urday final is one of the biggest nuisances for Pitt students as the semester comes to a close. Forced to stay on campus in perpetual boredom during finals week with only one exam Saturday, students are cut off from access to University services and unable to benefit from time at home. The Saturday final is a tradition be abolished. that’s ripe to b Finals week at Pitt is not a fun time. Students are overcaffeinated, sleep-deprived and cranky. None of these qualities lend themselves to a productive, upbeat or exciting campus. Too often, students with only late finals spend their free time this week solitude in their dorms or in so apartments, as friends have alapar ready gone home for the break or are too t busy studying. During that tha seemingly endless week
December 11, 2017
sophomore year in 2016, I envied my fellow students who got to leave early after finishing up their exams. They returned home to excited parents and siblings. I, meanwhile, returned to pointless YouTube videos and random Wikipedia articles, waiting for my late final. I was unable to return to employment at home or even spend time with my family because I was stuck at Pitt waiting for a final. Students with exams earlier in the week — or before finals week altogether — might begrudge those of us who have exams at the very end of the week because of the extra time we have to cram. But oftentimes, we don’t using the time to study — and possibly for good reason. Research, including a 2012 study from the University of California, Los Angeles, shows much of the knowledge gained cramming during exams week doesn’t stick, so the extra time mostly goes to waste. I was at least a little lucky in that I See Saturday on page 12
4
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
5
online Men’s basketball falls to WVU | Women’s basketball defeats UNCW
No time-outs:
Balling over
Junior center Kalista Walters attempts a layup during the Panther’s victory over Towson. Thomas Yang | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
B
eing a Division I athlete comes with undeniable perks — official gear, tuition aid and the chance to be on television. But athletes miss out on a lot — including enjoying a full winter break of relaxation and family. “That’s one of the sacrifices you have to make if you want to play Division I basketball,” Ryan Luther, a senior forward on the men’s basketball team, said. “You’re going to be away from your family on holidays.” Luther’s teammates on the men’s team, along with the women’s basketball squad, will be busy over winter break, transitioning from non-conference to competitive ACC play. Both teams will face six opponents before the spring semester starts Jan. 8. The men’s team has games scheduled against McNeese, Delaware State and Towson before starting conference play with games against No. 10 Miami, Louisville and Virginia Tech. The women will play Penn State, Bucknell, Virginia, Chicago State, Wake Forest and UNC. Spending less time worrying about academics gives the players considerably more time to focus on basketball. This could be especially useful, as both teams are at a point where they could use mo-
pittnews.com
Break
mentum heading into tough ACC play. Luther focused on the positives of the short vacation. He sees the break as a time to improve as a team. “Everybody’s only commitment is going to be the team,” Luther said. “It’s a chance for us to really get better not only on the floor, but off the floor.” The team will spend most of its holiday season with each other — Luther said they plan to make the most of it. “Our coaching staff does a really good job of planning some fun stuff off the floor, whether it’s going to the movies or going out to eat, and I think it’s good for team bonding,” Luther said. “We try to get together as a team because we’re most likely the only people on campus.” The team has no specific plans to celebrate the holidays together over the break, but junior forward Jared WilsonFrame said the team will be together all the time while they’re still on campus. Wilson-Frame isn’t bothered by the brief holiday break. He sees it as a positive for everyone on the team because of the extended time the players will get to spend on the court. “It’s definitely a good thing,” WilsonFrame said. “Everyone here came to play
Grant Burghman Staff Writer
basketball knowing that this is kind of going to be your lifestyle.” Despite the hectic schedule, the men’s team will have a chance to celebrate Christmas at home for a few days, as their last game before the holiday will be on Dec. 22, and their first game after will be Dec. 30. “We will have a couple days off for the holiday so if people want to see their families, they’ll have that opportunity for Christmas,” Luther said. “Some guys are fortunate enough to live close, but other guys are really far away, and that’s just a sacrifice you have to make.” One of the most important changes in the season for both squads is going from non-conference to ACC play. The women’s team will start their first ACC game right before the new year — Dec. 28 — at Virginia. “We prepare for each team the same,” junior center Kalista Walters said. “We take the competition seriously the whole season no matter who we play, whether we are an underdog or not, we stay consistent.”
December 11, 2017
Junior forward Jared Wilson-Frame directs his teammates during the second half of Pitt’s loss to West Virginia Saturday night. Thomas Yang | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Kyla Nelson, a first-year guard, said the extra time to train over the break is exactly what the team needs. “I think it’s definitely essential,” Nelson said. “One, because of all the food over the holidays and trying to run it off. But also we have to stay sharp so it’s understandable that we have to keep practicing during the winter break, and it means that when finals do come later in the semester it is more manageable.” Nelson won’t have time to travel home to England over break. Instead, her family will be flying out to see her. She said she’s excited to show them the city she now lives in. “[I want to] go out and explore Pittsburgh more because I haven’t been able to do that really,” she said. “I definitely want to do that when they come.” Reaching this level of competition requires serious commitment and sacrifices. Players on both teams understand what that can mean. “It’s always hard to choose between spending time with your family and playing basketball,” Walters said. “But I think that’s the choice you have to make when you play D1 basketball.”
6
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
7
Seniors secure plans in last semester
Laura Howe Staff Writer
Speaking from experience, Aikta Rajput has some pretty simple advice for Pitt undergrads — be positive. “Don’t sweat anything. Don’t be upset for more than five minutes, don’t fight with your friends, don’t take anything too seriously because it goes by so fast,” she said. “You’re going to regret wasting any time doing anything negative.” Rajput is a senior information systems major, and will be graduating next semester before heading to medical school. She and several thousand other Pitt students will find themselves in April 2018 entering a new, post-collegiate time of their lives — pursuing a career path, graduate school or a gap year after graduation. Rajput said she plans on spending her last months at Pitt completing the last credits left in her major, working as a trivia host at random bars and spending time with her friends. “It’s the last time I’m going to be with them for a very long time,” she said. Other seniors are trying to salvage time with friends while also looking forward. Tarina Usher, a senior psy-
pittnews.com
chology major, said she plans to apply for jobs at the beginning of next semester. She plans on going straight into the workforce after she receives her degree — but is still unsure of what her career path will look like. “My palms started sweating when I started thinking about having to find a job,” she said. “It’s kind of relieving because I’m almost done but it’s also like, oh no, I need to find a job and, like, prepare for a non-college life, so it’s a little anxious-ridden.” Elana DiCocco, a senior natural sciences major, found herself in a similar state of job uncertainty, and said moving home was the only plan she had finalized. “I had plans to go to optometry school, but I decided to take a year off because I’m not sure if I want to do that, so I didn’t want to waste time applying and spending money on applications,” she said. DiCocco is applying to work at Catholic Heart Workcamp, a service camp for high school students, so she can spend a gap year deciding if optometry school is for her. If she does not get that position, she plans on finding a lab job in Philadelphia. “Once I graduate I’ll have to do adult things and get a job, and right now the only thing I have to worry about See Semester on page 13
December 11, 2017
Abby Katz STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
8
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
9
3 times Pitt beat the clock Dominic Campbell Staff Writer
It’s those last-minute moments, when the game is close and time is expiring, that make a game exciting for fans to watch. Whether it’s basketball, soccer or football, buzzer-beating scores can turn a game around. Pitt has played in many incredible last-minute games over the years, but there are three that stand out for keeping Panther fans invested in the team. Two of these moments come from the 2007-08 basketball season. The first was Pitt’s win over Duke 10 years ago — Dec. 20, 2007 — at Madison Square Garden in the Aeropostale Classic. Unlike now, Pitt was a top-tier team First-year linebacker Saleem Brightwell returns an interception 70 yards in — ranked No. 11 in the country — while the fourth quarter of the Panthers’ 43-42 win against Clemson. Mike WilDuke was carrying out its traditional liams (7) made a shoestring tackle to prevent a touchdown. dominance, ranked at No. 6. The game Courtesy of Pete Madia/Pitt Athletics moved back-and-forth between the overtime. second. halves, with Duke taking a 12-point lead With 16 seconds to go in the extra peThe two teams stayed on each other in the first and Pitt getting even in the until the very end, sending the game into riod, Pitt was down by two and needed
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
a big play. Junior guard Levance Fields had possession of the ball and was looking to get it to junior forward Sam Young off a screen. Realizing he couldn’t get the ball to Young, he decided to drive to the hoop, but made space before the Duke defender. This gave Fields the opportunity to hit a 3-pointer to give Pitt the lead with six seconds to go. Duke drove down the court, but missed two shots, handing the game to Pitt. This is one of the biggest games — and wins — in program history, and was one of the finest moments in Fields’ career, in which he became one of the most prominent point guards in Pitt history. “I knew our guys would compete and battle when it came down to it,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “I saw that I knew tonight.” Anot her st andout moment du r ing t hat s e as on was t he B ackyard Braw l See Top Three on page 14
10
column
Put the fun back in ffiinals
Sarah Shearer
Senior Columnist
dents flock to the cement-gray building and voluntarily confine themselves to the annoyingly noisy
Abby Katz STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
ground floor, or a depressingly utilitarian desk on upper levels. But feeling downtrodden by the last week of the semester isn’t the approach students should take this year. “I just roll up into fetal position and cry,” Joseph Griffith said of his method for preparing for finals. Although Griffith, a Pitt junior and physics, astronomy and mathematics major is partly joking, this kind of mindset pervades university culture and might be making this time of the year significantly more painful for students than it needs to be. Before I go on, I must make one thing vitally clear — finals are important. We are college students, paying large amounts of money to get an education and should by no means undermine the importance of doing our best in school. And if that’s true, students should be See Stress on page 16
The Pitt news crossword 12/11/17
“You can do this Tiana — you always make it through in the end,” Tiana Han says resolutely to herself. Han, a Pitt junior and biology major, lights a candle, settles into the desk in her apartment and gets down to business. She will only be there for a few hours at a time, though, taking breaks to hit the gym and going to bed earlier than normal. Meanwhile, a group of girls sit around a table on the second floor of Hillman Library peppered with open laptops, half-eaten salads from Hello Bistro and a frequently dipped-into “party sized” bag of peanut M&M’s. This gathering isn’t party-like — the girls look exhausted. One gazes worriedly at her laptop screen with both hands on her head as if to hold in all the
information she’s attempting to funnel in there. It’s Friday evening, but you’d never guess from the paneling of coldly lit sheets of light bathing the floor in an eternal, artificial daytime. As finals week begins, those open tables in Hillman will be fewer and farther bet we e n as stu-
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
11
Saturday, pg. 4 could leave Saturday afternoon to return home. One of my friends, unfortunately, had a Saturday 4 p.m. final. He was forced to wait until Sunday on a campus that resembled a ghost town — metaphorical tumbleweeds and all. Of course, it doesn’t have to be like this. The days on end of boredom and solitude are simply pointless, and easy to resolve. I offer two potential solutions to Saturday finals. Pitt should either extend final exam hours Monday through Friday or take into account that not every professor and class will need a slot during finals week for an exam. An extension of finals hours can be accomplished. Adding an additional slot every day during the week from 8 to 10 p.m. would be simple, requiring only that night classes cut their final exam session to end at 8 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m. And while these classes would end up with less time officially, many exams during these periods already don’t run the full time they’re allotted. When students pushed for an end to Saturday finals back in 2014, the University said its main concern was whether all classes would be able to get a slot for an exam if the week shrank from five days to six. “We only have so many blocks in the grid that can work,” Daniel Stump, Pitt’s then-manager of course and class scheduling, said in January 2014. “That’s why we have a Saturday final — it’s just not
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
possible to remove the Saturday finals.” But it’s still possible for the University Registrar to assign finals slots in a way that more effectively condenses the finals schedule. Instead of automatically assigning final exam dates to every class, professors should request if they want a slot. I have taken 13 history classes at Pitt — only two had a final during finals week. Yet because every class gets a slot for an exam during finals week regardless of whether it’s used or not, all were assigned final exam dates. This has occurred in other classes I’ve taken, ranging from neuroscience to film studies. These 11 classes without exams during finals week stole potential time slots from other classes that needed a final. Requiring professors to explicitly request a final would minimize the amount of dates that are assigned and will help create a shorter finals week. These are reasonable changes that would greatly benefit Pitt students. We shouldn’t sit through a week of frustration and boredom at the expense of time with our family and potential earnings. We don’t need reason to prolong the stress during an already demoralizing finals week. The Student Government Board and University administrators should work toward implementing these changes to finals week. Show the University community you can slay a beast we all loathe — the Saturday final. Ben primarily writes about local politics and student issues for The Pitt News. Write to Ben at bps29@pitt.edu.
12
Semester, pg. 8 is passing, finding a job,” she said. “I tell my parents ‘school’s so hard’ and they’re like, ‘well the world isn’t any easier.’” DiCocco applied to Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering for bioengineering when she first came to Pitt, but was waitlisted, so she attended the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. After her first semester, she decided to continue as a biology major, but eventually switched to natural sciences her sophomore year. Her advice to underclassmen is to explore other major options if they had any doubts about their career path. “If you’re having second thoughts about your major, get out now before it’s too late,” she said. “Change it now before you have too many courses you can’t change, because you want to get out in four years, I guarantee it.” Rajput and Usher also changed their major or track during their career at Pitt. Rajput, who was initially a chemistry major, found the field of study to be too hard for her. She switched to the business school her sophomore year and
had to deal with the stress of catching up on courses, but other than that she had no regrets about her time at Pitt. “I had a great experience, I had a good balance of studying and hanging out with friends, I had the best friends,” she said. “I don’t think I would have done anything differently.” Usher came to Pitt intending to enter the nutrition program, but said she struggled with some of the science classes required, and decided to switch to psychology so that she could graduate on time. She said her sophomore fall semester was painful because she realized things were not going as she planned, but also said she’s better off now. “I’m happy where I’m at now and all the events that led up to now, so that’s a good thing,” she said. “Looking back I probably would have done something more math- or statistics-related as my major instead of humanities, because I miss math and I didn’t really take math in college.” Usher said she will miss being in an academic environment, which fosters a different sort of learning than the “real world.”
“[I’ll miss] always learning really interesting material. I know in the real world you’re always learning still, but you’re not reading scholarly articles,” she said. “The professors too, because there have been a lot of really good, impactful professors I’ve had that I’ll miss.” Usher was passionate about what Pitt offered beyond the classroom, including participating in her service fraternity Alpha P hi Omega. She encouraged underclassmen to find their passion in one of the organizations on campus. “Find that one that suits you and just stick to it and give it your all, because that’s what has kept me sane in college,” she said. “Definitely my favorite experience was joining APO, so that was like the turning point in my college career.” Rajput was also involved in Greek life at Pitt, recalling her sorority rush for Alpha Epsilon Phi as one of her favorite college experiences. Despite her plans to travel the world next year — hoping to see places like Thailand, Europe and Australia the summer after graduation — she too is reluctant to leave Pitt behind. “I’m not ready for it,” she said. “It’s
going to be very bittersweet because it’s probably going to be the best semester of college, I’m already in grad school, I get to hang out with my friends, but it’s going to go by so fast.” Closer to home, Rajput said she is excited to try out things in Pittsburgh she had never done before she graduates, such as kayaking and going on Pittsburgh’s inclines. She insisted it is important for students to have a balance between school work and social life. “Make sure you do your schoolwork, but like wake up early to do your schoolwork to go out,” she said. “Do anything you possibly can to have a good time, because it goes by so fast.”
The Pitt News SuDoku 12/11/17 courtesy of dailysudoku.com
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
13
Top Three, pg. 10 against rival West Virginia Feb. 7, 2008. In a close matchup against the Mountaineers, the No. 21 Panthers were looking to beat their nemesis to the south and get back up the polls after losing Levance Fields to a broken foot. The game was close throughout, because of lackluster shooting by both teams — WVU at 35.8 percent and Pitt not far ahead at 40 percent. The Panthers also shot poorly from 3-point range — 5-15 — while the Mountaineers shot an abysmal 7-17 from the foul line. With only 9.5 seconds remaining in the game, Pitt was down 54-52. After a timeout and a ball out of bounds in the WVU half, senior guard Ronald Ramon was given the chance to change the game. Looking to give the ball away, he passed it to senior guard Keith Benjamin. After Benjamin got picked up by two Mountaineers, he passed it to the corner, back to Ramon, who made a smooth 3-pointer to win it at the buzzer for the Panthers. There’s nothing better for a Pitt fan than seeing WVU lose, especially at the last-second in the Petersen
pittnews.com
Levance Fields shoots the game-winning three in overtime to beat Duke in 2006. Ted Richardson/MCT Events Center. “We tried to get an open guy,” Ramon said. “It feels good.” Almost every Pitt fan can agree the best last-minute moment is Pitt football’s 43-42 win against No. 2 Clemson last season in Death Valley. Pitt was 5-4 and entered the game off of two back-to-back losses — a close fall to Virginia Tech and a terrible 51-28 defeat
against Miami. Clemson was the No. 2 team in the nation, undefeated and on its way to another playoff appearance and national championship. In a game that went back and forth from the opening kick to the final snap of the ball, Pitt and Clemson both racked yards on offense, with Clemson’s star junior quarterback Deshaun Watson throwing for 580 yards in the game. Pitt redshirt senior quar-
December 11, 2017
terback Nathan Peterman also had an impressive game, racking up 380 passing yards and five touchdowns. Clemson, up 42-40, had the ball with about a minute to play and had a chance to finally put Pitt away. On a fourth-and-1 for the Tigers, they tried to run the ball and let time expire, but Pitt senior linebacker Matt Galambos stopped the runner short and Pitt got the ball with 58 seconds remaining. As the offense moved within field goal range, senior kicker Chris Blewitt had the chance to clinch the game for the Panthers. Blewitt had already missed an extra point and had a field goal blocked earlier in the game, so there was an enormous amount of pressure to get this one through. Blewitt did just that, hitting a 48-yard field goal with six seconds left to give the Panthers the victory over the Tigers. “We went into the week [saying] we were going to shock the world,” head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Our kids believed.” The win against Clemson gave Pitt its second win against a No. 2 team since WVU in 2007, and helped them to win out the rest of the regular season, giving head coach Pat Narduzzi his second 8-4 season in two years.
14
Grading, pg. 3 “Usually there’s a common thread of things I’m grading for in all the speeches in public speaking,” he said. “Whether they’re able to speak without fidgeting, good eye contact, vocal variety and use of good transitions.” Though most have grown comfortable with public speaking by the end of the semester, Young said the pressure to perform a final speech in seven minutes has proved particularly difficult for some students. He recalled one student who broke into a cold sweat, freezing up two minutes into his speech before classmates shouted out questions related to his topic to prompt him to continue. “I don’t get any credit for that, that was just an awesome class and they helped him through it,” Young said. “He was able to finish the speech because the class collaborated together to throw him assistance whenever he needed it.” Young has also been an instructor for an argument class as well as a teaching assistant for rhetorical process. In grading papers for those classes, Young said he gives extra credit when a student includes a pun in their assign-
pittnews.com
ment — but only if it works well within the context of the paper. “You’re still doing a good paper and on top of that you’re putting in the extra work to make my life happier,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I give extra credit for that?” While Hayden doesn’t reward students for inserting puns in their assignments, his commitment to grading comes down to the effort his students put into the class and the assignments. “I’ve asked students to write pages, paragraphs on complex topics,” he said. “I’m going to invest the time to read those.”
December 11, 2017
15
Stress, pg. 11 grateful for the opportunity to show how much they’ve learned this semester — not dread the idea of preparing for it. Han has reclaimed finals week for herself, saying other students should consider doing the same. Instead of toiling away in front of books and lit laptop screens as night turns to morning, students should prioritize sleep, now more than ever. It could even help your GPA, according to a 2001 study in the College Student Journal. Students with a healthy sleep schedule, getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night, appeared to have better studying habits, averaging a 3.01. Those getting fewer than six hours averaged a GPA of 2.74. You may feel like a quitter leaving the library before midnight, but it’d probably be to your advantage. Han sets an earlier than normal bedtime for finals week, and sourly recalls the night she spent studying at the library until 2:30 a.m. before a biology final as a process she “would 10/10 not recommend.” “It’s just a high-stress environment,” Han says of Hillman. “It’s loud and distracting, and I feel like I get nothing done there.” Some say a little stress is good — motivating, even. A 2013 study from the University of California, Berkeley, found that rats subjected to acute, short-term stress conditions actually saw an increase in the proliferation of new neurons in the brain’s memory centers. And while a strategy seeking to replicate these results certainly might work for some students, it can be easy to let the stress become overwhelming. A 2014 study from UC Berkeley showed that chronic, prolonged stress can actually impair memory, and may even lead to the development of mental illnesses like anxiety and depression — consequences clearly detrimental to positive testing performance. Of course, some students thrive in noisier environments. But for those who would rather not run the rat race in the library, there are plenty of other places to prepare for the final week of the semester. Schenley Park is a great place to start, for instance. Exercising increases endorphin lev-
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
els, which reduces stress, makes you happier and helps you sleep. Accomplishing a run gives you the satisfaction of doing something from start to finish, which is hard to get from hours of studying. Healthy habits are key to making the most of finals week, so if the thought of going for a run causes you more stress than doing another chapter, take heart — you don’t have to go any further than your own kitchen. If you’re lucky enough to have a kitchen of your own, take advantage of it. Firing up the oven is one of the best forms of stress relief — you can be confident you’ll be proud of what you make, a fate not guaranteed from a test result. Even if you burn the chicken, you still made the chicken. It’s a tangible way to see that you’ve accomplished something, unlike the hours you spend pouring information into your brain, hoping it’s still there when your pencil hits the paper on the exam this week. Since classes aren’t in session during this last week, it’s actually more feasible to do activities like exercising or cooking than it is during the regular semester when classes and clubs limit free time during the day. Some students may see this as an opportunity to have uninterrupted study time for days on end — but that might be one of the worst ideas possible. Not only can overworking the brain contribute to a decline in memory and thinking skills, it also turns the week into a dreadful thing it really doesn’t have to be. Maybe the first step is taking a deep breath and realizing that there is time. There’s time for both an Organic Chemistry practice test and time for a 20 minute walk. Time to prepare the group project and time to bake chocolate chip cookies at the end of the day, too. Finals do not have to be the backbreaking affair we’ve dressed them up to be — maybe if we decided to look at the week under a different light, we’d see that. Sarah primarily writes about social issues and Pittsburgh life for The Pitt News. Write to Sarah at srs165@pitt.edu
16
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
17
Hospitals, pg. 2 They’re sad, too, because they can’t go home,” Peng said. “[Nurses] barely get to sit down and take a breath, and sometimes you don’t get to eat for the whole 12 to 13 hours.” Madeline Borsos experienced this holiday rush early on in her career. The sophomore premed student has been a clinical research assistant and on-call research assistant at UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Mercy for more than a year. As a native of the Pittsburgh area, Borsos has the opportunity to work full-time at local hospitals
pittnews.com
during her summer and winter breaks. She works primarily in the ER with trauma patients and those who are acutely ill and to follow up with patients who are in the intensive care unit and operating room. Borsos and her coworkers consider their jobs demanding because of the requirements of overnight shifts and being called into work at any time. Borsos said the hospitals are always decorated around this time of the year for those who are not fortunate enough to be home with their families for the holidays. “Every unit in the hospitals has some sort of holiday decoration or Christmas tree on dis-
play to make it feel like a little more like home for those who are not lucky enough to leave,” she said. Though upset that she has to work a major holiday, the festive decor encourages Peng to cheer up a bit. At Allegheny General, if a nurse works one year, they are able to spend the holiday at home the next year — alternating back and forth year to year. But for the moment, the best perk is getting the overtime holiday pay. “I’m hoping for the holiday season to be more festive and joyful in the hospital, especially for Christmas,” Peng said. “If not, then at least I’ll get paid more.”
December 11, 2017
18
I N D E X
Rentals & Sublet • NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER
For Rent North Oakland 3 BR Apartment. Available August 1, 2018. $1320-$1620 +gas & electric. 412-441-1211. info@ forbesmanagement. net. www.forbesmanagement.net. 6 or 7 BR House on N. Dithridge St. Available beginning in August 2018. 3 full bathrooms. 2 kitchens. 10 rooms total, on 3 levels, with one bathroom on each level. Refrigerators, ranges, ovens, dishwashers included. A/C. Washer and dryer in basement. On Pitt and CMU shuttle routes. $3600/month + gas and electric. Owner pays water, sewer, and city garbage collection charges. Please leave message at 412-372-9185.
South Oakland ** 5 Bedroom/2 full bath; HUGE HOMEduplex style, three stories. COMPLETELY REMODELED, 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens, 2 dining rooms, LAUNDRY and a huge yard to enjoy! Huge Bedrooms! Located on Dawson Street. PITT Shuttle stops directly in front of house, only 15 minute level walk to PITT/CMU. $3,195+. Available 8/1/2018.
pittnews.com
Employment • CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER
NO PETS. Call Jason at 412-922-2141. Pictures- Info: tinyurl. com/pitthome **AUGUST 2018: Furnished studios, 1,2,3,4 bedroom apartments. No pets. Non-smokers preferred. 412-621-0457. 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments. $1015 + electric, $1599 + electric respectively. Available August 1, 2018. Louisa St. 412-441-1211. info@ forbesmanagement. net. www.forbesmanagement.net. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Bedrooom Houses. August 2018. Bouquet St, Meyran, Semple, Neville, Chesterfield. 412-287-5712. 2 Bedrooms. Available Fall 2018. Heat included. 412-261-4620. 2-3-4 bedroom apartments and houses available in May and August 2018. Nice, clean, free laundry, includes exterior maintenance, new appliances, spacious, located on Semple and Mckee 412-414-9629. 3,4,6 houses available January and August 2018. Lawn St. Ward St. Call 412-287-5712. 4 BR Home - Semple Street, located near Louisa. Equipped Kitchen, Full Basement. New central air added. Renting
Classifieds
For sale
• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS
notices
services
• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE
for August 2018. (412) 343-4289 or 412-330-9498. Apartments for rent. 2, 3, and 4 bedroom apartments available. Some available on Dawson street, Atwood street, and Mckee Place. Newly remodeled. Some have laundry on site. Minutes from the University. For more info please call Mike at 412-849-8694 Available January 2018! Spacious 2 bedroom apartment Newly updated, fully furnished kitchen Very close to campus on Atwood St. 24 Hour Emergency Maintenance Secured Building $1450/month Robb Real Estate Co., LLC Ph: 412-682-7622
• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER
R A T E S
Insertions
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
6X
1-15 Words
$6.30
$11.90
$17.30
$22.00
$27.00
$30.20
+ $5.00
16-30 Words
$7.50
$14.20
$20.00
$25.00
$29.10
$32.30
+ $5.40
(Each Additional Word: $0.10)
Deadline:
Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978
South Oakland
dishwashers, laundry, etc. August 2018. Reasonable pricing. 412-445-6117.
Large 5 Bedroom. Mckee & Louisa. 2 bathrooms, free laundry, gas included. One block from Forbes. Available August 2018. 412-600-4219. jwquinn@mac.com
Ward & S. Bouquet Streets - Studio, 1, 2 & 3BR apartments. Free parking. Move in May 1 or Aug. 1, 2018. Call 412-361-2695
M.J. Kelly Realty. Studio, 1, 2, 3 and 4 Bedroom Apartments, Duplexes and Houses. N. & S. Oakland from $750-$2500. mjkellyrealty@gmail. com. 412-271-5550. www.mjkellyrealty. com New 3 Bedroom on Meyran. Free parking, central air. Available August 2018. 412-600-4219. jwquinn@mac.com Oakland Apartments Available Immediately: Completely remodeled. Includes laundry, dishwasher, off- street parking, all utilities, cable and internet. 2BR $1400. 3BR $1800. Contact Jarred Brown 814-403-2798.
Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unrelated people can share a single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Permits, Licensing & Inspections. 412-255-2175.
Oakland Ave. - Garden Court Apartments. Charming 2BR, hardwood floors, free heat. Move in Aug. 1, 2018. Call 412-361-2695.
Giant 7 Bedroom House with 3 Bathrooms. Near Atwood & Ward. Free parking &laundry. Available August 2018. 412-600-4219. jwquinn@mac.com.
PITT & CMU STUDENTS. Updated, spacious 3, 4, 5 Bedroom Houses. Close across boulevard on Pitt bus line. Multiple bathrooms, air conditioning,
Add.
Squirrel Hill Unfurnished 1st floor of Squirrel Hill duplex. Large LR, Large BR, kitchen and bath. Also, small office. Downtown bus across the street. One block to Oakland bus. Very safe neighborhood. $895/mo. Rent includes utilities. Call 212-818-8607 or email: squirrelhillapt@gmail.com
Rental Other 624 Minnesota St Pittsburgh PA 15207. 3 bedroom 1 1/2 bath. Newly updated2 blocks from Greenfield Bridge. Large kitchen, Washer & dryer included. Rent $1100/ month. Call Jimmy 412-400-7997 Apartment for rent. Highland Park area, 3rd floor, 1BR, private entrance, $700/ month +electric. 412-719-0321.
December 11, 2017
Rental Other Sublet - Looking for a female roommate to take over lease for Spring/Summer. Great location. Furnished or unfurnished. Apartment is in a safe building at Bates and Oakland 540-687-1212
Employment Employment Other Be Fit and Be Paid!! Our 5 year old dog needs daily robust walks/jogs. Every day for 1 hr, Mon-Fri, sometimes between 11-2. Lovely pitbull mutt. Oakland/Schenley Farms Area. crosano51@hotmail. com. Join KEYS Service Corps, AmeriCorps this January. Mentor, tutor, and inspire local youth. Full and part time paid positions with education award. Perfect for December grads! Possible internship credit. Call 412-350-2739. www.
Employment Other OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Management Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs. college, for upcoming spring semester, to interview & process rental applicants, do internet postings & help staff our action- central office. Part time or full time OK. Starting in January; full time over summer. $13/ hour. Perfect job for current sophomores & juniors, graduating seniors set to enter grad school, returning grad students, and firstyear law students! Mozart Management 412-682-7003 thane@ mozartrents.com Personal, professional masseuse needed. Long term position. 2X/week. Washington County location. Call 724-223-0939 or 724-229-8868 any time.
For Sale Merchandise Scott’s Hot Dogs now selling Christmas trees at Frankstown Avenue and Lincoln. Veterans welcome. 412-310-3769
Services Services Other House cleaning: Oakland House, undergoing renovations, needs cleaner/ organizer one day/ week. References & background required. 412-414-7290. Phlebotomy Training Centerwww. justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals. Call 412-521-7334.
keysservicecorps.org
19
pittnews.com
December 11, 2017
20