12-1-17 by The Pitt News

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | December 1, 2017 | Volume 108 | Issue 77

Students reconcile religion, identity

CHOIR YOU ASKING

Sid Lingala Staff Writer

Bridget Duffy felt uncomfortable practicing her family religion of Catholicism when she found out same-sex couples could not get married in Catholic churches and infants of same-sex couples were not allowed to be baptized. “I’m a traditional person. But I need someone else to tell me that God doesn’t hate me,” Duffy said. Duffy, a senior double majoring in English writing and classics who identifies as lesbian, spoke on a panel of people in the LGBTQ+ community at an event hosted by the Rainbow Alliance Thursday night in the William Pitt Union. Hope Kay, a sophomore majoring in finance, facilitated the discussion, asking the panelists questions regarding their journeys coming to terms with their identity while maintaining a religious faith. The panelists began the event by describing their initial struggles with personal identity and faith. Timothy Miller, another panelist and a sophomore majoring in English writing and political science, identifies as gay. He said his search for religion as he transitioned from his family’s religion of United Methodism — which finds

The Heinz Chapel Choir performed its first of a six-part concert series “Where There is Charity & Love” Thursday night in Heinz Chapel. Aaron Schoen STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

STUDENT IMMERSES IN AFRICAN CULTURES

Heck led, titled “Identity, Culture & Education — Examples from Kenya and Ethiopia.” Staff Writer The event was part of the “Let’s Talk Africa Speaking about his travels to Africa, Der- Series,” sponsored by the African Studies Proric Heck described his experiences research- gram. Heck, a graduate student at Pitt, studies ing African cultures as “amazing.” social and comparative analysis in education. “It was not only informative for me, it was His discussion detailed his travels to Ethiopia transformative,” Heck said. About 20 students gathered in Posvar Hall this past summer and Kenya from two years ago, which have contributed to his research See Panel on page 3 Thursday afternoon to attend a discussion on race in the classroom.

Hannah Schneider

Heck, along with 15 others, traveled to Ethiopia for five weeks this past summer as part of the Fulbright-Hays Program — a program that awards grants to teachers, administrators and graduate students to train or do research abroad. They received a grant to research cultures in Africa with the intent of later writing curriculum for U.S. schools. Eleven of the 16 attendants of the program were elementar y through high school See Series on page 3

News

ALUM STUDIES SAFETY OF NUCLEAR ENERGY David Solomon For The Pitt News

Sola Talabi always had a vision that one day he would “turn the lights on in Africa.” “Five thousand children die every day in Africa because they don’t have access to power,” he said. “I call that an emergency.” Talabi’s vision motivated him to spend the last 20 years pursuing a cost-effective solution to the energy crisis that endangers millions of people in Africa and around the world. Talabi — a 39-year-old engineer and Pitt alumnus — works in the Pittsburgh area testing the safety of small modular reactors, or SMRs, which can be used to produce nuclear energy. He founded Pittsburgh-Technical in 2014, a research company that looks to develop safe and efficient nuclear energy for use in both developed and developing countries. “The message is that nuclear power is OK and our research is gonna show that,” Talabi said. “People fear nuclear energy in the same way they fear planes, despite the fact that statistically, planes are much safer than cars.” Born in Nigeria, Talabi received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Pitt in 2001. He eventually received three more degrees from Carnegie Mellon — a master’s in mechanical engineering, a master’s in business, and a Ph.D. in engineering and public policy. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he worked as an engineer for Westinghouse Electric — a company that produces nuclear power — for more than a decade. “The people [at Pitt] were so welcoming and the staff was extremely helpful,” he said. “It was because of the University that I was even able to get my start at Westinghouse.” Talabi’s job at Westinghouse jump-started his career in nuclear engineering and eventually led him to his current research with SMRs. He said SMRs only produce energy when specific natural conditions —

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Sola Talabi, a Pitt alumnus and founder of Pittsburgh Technical, is researching advanced nuclear reactors in Pittsburgh. Courtesy of Sola Talabi such as gravity — are met within the containment of the SMR. If a condition isn’t met, the SMR stops functioning, but its safety mechanisms still work — meaning the reactor won’t melt down and will cool off much quicker than a larger reactor. The containment of the SMR is also composed of material that absorbs radionuclides — radioactive atoms that can produce harmful radiation. “You might be familiar with some of the accidents that have occurred — Fukushima [Daiichi nuclear disaster], Chernobyl [disaster],” Talabi said. “We have designed this reactor so that these accidents cannot occur, so we are calling it an accident-proof reactor.” Talabi’s said his research in Pittsburgh — funded by the U.S. Department of En-

ergy — involves simulating scenarios in which a SMR would experience a severe accident and showing that the accident would present minimal risk. Using a system of cameras and laser sensors, he can monitor a mock SMR and record how it functions during different scenarios. He said these trials aim to prove the technology is safe so it can be approved for broader use. He estimates SMR technology will be widely used in five to 10 years and that the final report of his research to be filed in March 2018. “What I really envision for [SMRs] is for one to power, say, a whole town as opposed to having an energy plant power multiple areas at once,” he said. SMRs were invented to power submarines — although they have never been fitted to power anything else up to this point

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— and so they are significantly smaller and produce a relatively small amount of energy than the larger nuclear reactors currently used to produce power. As a result, SMRs are safer, and cheaper, than larger nuclear because they are less complex and require less man power to maintain — making it more feasible that they could be available in developing countries. Tom Congedo, a Pitt adjunct professor with several decades of experience working with nuclear reactors, has met with Talabi a few times to learn about his research. “He is really a next level thinker,” Congedo said. “Talabi is pushing for nuclear energy to move beyond what is currently accepted.” Congedo — along with Dan Cole, director of Pitt’s Stephen R. Tritch Nuclear Engineering Program, and Heng Ban, a Pitt thermophysics researcher — hopes to form a research partnership between Talabi and Pitt in the future. Cole said this research partnership would benefit both University research and the nuclear engineering field as a whole, although the team still doesn’t know exactly when the partnership will form or what it will involve. Cole said the partnership would have a particular emphasis on student education and getting students involved in nuclear research. “We would have the opportunity to have students work on projects that would be the next generation of nuclear reactors,” Cole said. Talabi said in the future, the SMR could be transported by truck to a town that needs energy. Then, it could be easily plugged into that town’s power grid to provide clean and efficient energy for several decades. He hopes SMRs will one day be as common as any other commercial technology. “If cell phones could fix the issue of telecommunications, I believe that this technology could fix [the energy crisis] just as easily,” Talabi said.

Series, pg. 1 teachers, and the remaining five were Pitt graduate students. Heck narrated his trip to Ethiopia through a photo essay projected onto a screen behind him, describing himself as a “budding photographer.” He said since there was a lingual and cultural barrier, photography allowed him to immerse himself further in the culture. “I found that the camera was the best introduction for me to these places,” Heck said. Heck said that throughout the trip, he tended to trail behind the group, taking photographs and observing. His photographs documented his friends, colleagues and Ethiopian citizens in places such as Wolaita Sodo University and the Cheery Children Education Centre — where the group lived and volunteered. Rather than trying to merge his culture with Ethiopians’ or share his culture with Ethiopians, he tried to connect with the culture and ask questions. “If you go to a place and you are not able to absorb it, you’re not able to really dig

Panel, pg. 1 homosexuality to be incompatible with traditional Christian doctrine — to a pagan religion involved a lot of research into different religions’ values and beliefs. “I had to find a religion that best promotes who I am,” Miller said. The panelists also discussed any aspects of practicing their religions they would like to change to better fit their identities and beliefs. Duffy said women should have a more active role in Catholicism and the Church should change the way it approaches the LGBTQ+ community. “The number of Catholic priests is declining. Numbers would grow if they opened to women,” Duffy said. “The Pope said that gay people are

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deeply into the atmosphere and understand the environment. You really might leave without understanding,” Heck said. “If you go with your current perspective … and you don’t have more inquiries than you have answers, you run the mistake of missing some very rich and very powerful things.” One event Heck described during his presentation was “the jumping dance,” a dance performed by the Maasai people of Kenya. In this competitive traditional dance, men gather in a circle and take turns jumping as high as they can while keeping their arms down at their sides. Heck projected a photograph of his American friend, shown with his arms flailing, attempting to participate in the dance. While the Kenyans were more skilled, Heck said, both communities were trying to make a connection with one another. “There’s still a desire to connect. That’s what I want you to take from this,” Heck said. “There’s a desire to be of and be within this photo. And that was really the ethos of our entire trip. To be with, to be of, and to become one.” Anna-Maria Karnes, a graduate student

in the School of Education who also participated in the Fulbright-Hays Program trip to Ethiopia, said the speech has an impact on everyone who came. It’s important to learn about different cultures, Karnes said, and to know what’s going on in different countries. “If you can learn about each other, we learn how to get along, how to love each other, how to be in a society together,” Karnes said. “It’s so important that we know what’s really going on in a country.” Nektarios Kasamias, a first-year urban studies major who attended the event, likewise put a lot of value on studying other cultures — something he said people don’t do often enough. “It helps you to contextualize yourself and your thoughts if you know more about the world,” Kasamias said. “I think it is good to slowly open your mind and just think about these things more often. I think some people never think about them.” Kasamias also said more undergraduates should come to events discussing different cultures, since diverse identities can empower individuals. “We can use our diasporal identities to be

more empowered,” Kasamias said. “Even if you’re not going to specialize in this field, it’s really good to just be exposed and just think about something.” Ruba Idris, a senior health services student and president of the African Students Organization, said that in order to make positive change around the world, you have to be aware of different cultures. “Awareness is one of the most important steps in making change,” Idris said. “Once you’re aware about certain things around the world, then you’re able to put yourself into a position where you can better everything around you.” Utilizing the Ethiopian language Amharic, Heck said there are “a million reasons” for American educators and professionals to invest in Africa because it has the potential to expand knowledge and awareness of different cultures to Americans. “‘Gibizha’ means invitation [in Amharic],” Heck said. “I think we have to extend a gibizha to people of different backgrounds and cultures, so that we can learn more about ourselves and about them.”

struggling and they need help. I’m not struggling with identifying as gay and the Church’s attitude has to go away.” But other panelists described how their religions and religious institutions acknowledge their identities in a positive way. Duffy said the description of God in her current practicing religion, the Episcopal Church, illustrates LGBTQ+ values. “For God, they use gender-neutral pronouns, which is cool,” Duffy said. “God is an entity. God is above gender.” After describing how their respective religions viewed their identities, panelists spoke about how their respective religions tried to make their LGBTQ+ members feel comfortable. One panelist said his Hebrew school in his hometown is trying to accommodate the com-

munity’s needs. “My Hebrew school is thinking of getting gender-neutral bathrooms. I thought that was very awesome,” he said. Kay also asked the panel if any sacred texts from their religions spoke to them. Duffy said she particularly connected with a line from the Bible. “The line was ‘Before you formed in the womb, I knew,’” Duffy said. “God knew you at your uttermost core. Being gay is a part of who I am at the core. God made me that way on purpose.” After Kay concluded, audience members asked the panelists questions. One audience member asked what it felt like to transition to a new religion, referring to the stories of two panelists earlier in the night who spoke about chang-

ing their faith to better suit their identities. Miller said his pagan religion, Chthonioi Alexandrian Wicca, affirms his views. “Alexandrian Wicca is based on the energies you feel. It allows same-sex initiations. It is a very sex-positive sect,” Miller said. Dan Marino, a first year majoring in linguistics who attended the event, said he was raised Catholic and has never looked into other denominations of Christianity. But after the event, Marino said he thought he would “get into Episcopalism” — which Duffy said is similar to Catholicism but accommodates the LGBTQ+ community. “It’s not bad to question your religion,” Marino said. “It is good to look at other avenues.” Bridget Duffy is a copy editor for The Pitt News.

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Opinions

column

Friday Fly: Nordy’s Place Maggie Koontz Columnist

“Friday Fly” is a recurring column dedicated to a fly on the wall’s perspective on campus spots and daily life here at Pitt. This is the third installment. As the flow of students through the William Pitt Union basement slows and shadows lengthen, the bright blue Nordy’s sign beckons students for a night of fun activities or a meal with friends. Through the large glass windows, students coming into Nordy’s Place can see ping-pong tables, a billiards table and a foosball table — all in use this particular evening. Two glass doors just to the left of the neon sign open into the lounge area inside from the coldly lit cafeteria. Miniature square lights in the ceiling and narrow tubes of light affixed to support columns provide a comfortable amount of light that doesn’t hurt your eyes — unlike the fluorescent lights in most buildings on campus. Patches of tile and faux wood cover the floor, giving way as you go farther back to a carpeted area to sit and study. Tall bar chairs around black circular tables pepper the room, as well as a few smaller tables. Wooden doors, some real and some decorative, form a ring around the left half of the room. A stage stands in front of them, the past and future site of everything from heartfelt open mics to somewhat staler Student Government Board meetings. If there’s any afterglow of energy left over now, it’s hard to see it. The space is open and empty on a weeknight without any events, like the scenery for a performance without any words or actors. On the right, clear glass doors open into the commuter’s lounge, a safe haven for tired traveling students. In this lounge, which is separate from Nordy’s, students slouch on chairs and listlessly scroll on their phones to pass the time. A couple of students enter the commuter’s lounge with their dinners in the form of takeout boxes from restaurants around Oakland. Near the entrance on

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Garrett Aguilar STAFF ILLUSTRATOR the left, a wooden bar where undergrads can check out recreational equipment clings in the shape of the letter L to the corner of the room. At the very back of Nordy’s, another bar with various appliances stands desolate, only really active and popular during events. Hungry students passing by might be enticed by a glass old-timey popcorn machine on the counter, but the contraption almost always disappoints when closer inspection reveals that it’s empty. The lighting behind the bar at first leaves the contents of the set of cupboards a mystery as well. Unfortunately, they’re just as poorly stocked as the food machines. Over by the pool table, a boy in a long-sleeved plaid shirt plays a game with a girl in an olive sweater. Visibly concentrating, the girl takes careful aim, but misses the cue ball. She quickly attempts the shot again, but the boy objects — that was her turn. A lighthearted argument ensues, but the girl finally gets to take her second shot. The game proceeds without any more points of contention. Two guys at a nearby ping-pong table seem to be embracing their competitive nature too, as they exchange good-natured verbal jabs back and forth over the net with every hit. A third provides commentary, visibly adding to the excitement of the game. The guys trade places after each round, with the loser taking a turn as commentator. Occasionally, the tiny white ball flies across the room, sending the guys in a comical chase through study groups and friends eating personal pizzas. The ball seems to spend more time off the table than on it. While the students play their games, an employee sits at the wooden activities desk. His laptop is open in front

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of him and he stares intently at it, although the girl sitting beside him seems to be taking most of his attention. She is probably keeping him company, since this job can be quite boring most of the time. The location is also great for a meal, whether it is by yourself or with others. Sitting on one of the bar chairs at a tall circular table, a boy wearing a Pitt script sweatshirt eats some soft tacos from the nearby Taco Bell for dinner. He has his earbuds in, presumably listening to music, and he stares at his laptop screen, showing an assignment on CourseWeb. Nordy’s has more to offer than just games. It’s a relaxing place to work. A student sprawls out on one of the patterned comfortable chairs in the carpeted corner. His feet are propped up on a small wooden table and his blue headphones sit snugly over his ears. The boy has a hardcover book by Peggy Noonan open on his lap and he lightly underlines some words with the pencil in his hand. The students here might look more relaxed than their peers anxiously cramming throughout the rest of campus. You’d never know that these kids, absorbed in their novels and chasing after rogue ping-pong balls, are facing the same impending doom. Maggie primarily writes creative nonfiction and about student life for The Pitt News. Write to her at mmk93@ pitt.edu. The Pitt News is looking for students interested in creative writing, including creative nonfiction, poetry and short stories to write for the Opinions section. If interested, please contact opinions@pittnews.com.

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THE INNOVATION INSTITUTE Teams forged in the Blast Furnace shine on Demo Day Andrew Tindall The culmination of nine weeks of student startup work is coming soon, and you won’t want to miss it. The Innovation Institute’s sixth Blast Furnace Cohort is drawing to an end, and the final event is a pitch competition that is open to the public. You’ll get to see 18 different student teams, each presenting its new and unique business idea. The event is called Demo Day, and it’s a celebration of all the work that’s gone into these ideas behind the scenes. If you don’t know about Blast Furnace to begin with, you should. It’s a student startup accelerator, basically a two-month program that takes a team from “idea” to “company.” The Innovation Institute brings in venture capitalists, entrepreneurial successes and tons of other experts to work with the teams and share their expertise. Anyone can apply, whether or not you already have a team or a big entrepreneurial idea you’re itching to make real. All you need is entrepreneurial grit. Teams put in 30 hours of work every week, and the culmination is part competition, part celebration: Demo Day. On Demo Day, the teams compete in two rounds. In the first round, a representative from each team gives a one-minute “elevator pitch” outlining its idea. From the 18 teams, five are selected, based on their pitches, to go onto the second round. One team is audience-choice – you’ll have a chance to decide who makes the cut. The other four teams are decided by a panel of five judges, from Pittsburgh’s startup ecosystem. Sharon W. Alvarez is the Thomas Olofson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at Pitt’s School of Business, while

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Ilana Diamond is managing director of AlphaLab Gear, a Pittsburgh-area hardware development accelerator. Bobby Zappala is the founder of Ascender, like AlphaLab an accelerator and co-working space, where startups can put themselves together without having to worry about the overhead of a full office. Randy Eager is a four-time entrepreneur working with CMU’s own entrepreneurial foundations. The fifth judge, Max Pollock, is a Blast Furnace alumnus who went on to replicate the program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It’s an all-star judging cast. In the second round, the teams have a chance to give a longer pitch, and the winner is decided from these. A couple of the teams featured this year include a cafeteriafood delivery service called SuperSwipe,

and a building navigation system called InsideOut. Other teams range from food product importers to investment managers, drink dissolution capsule disseminators to full-service DNA PCR protocol providers. Besides the competition, there’s also a keynote speaker: Barry Rabkin, who is the chief marketing officer at Identified Technologies, a commercial drone company in the East Side of Pittsburgh. He’s also the president of Hackers and Founders in Pittsburgh. If you aren’t convinced yet, you might want to know about some past Blast Furnace success stories. uTranslated, a global translation service that has major clients in both the USA and China, was a Blast Furnace startup that went on to the Alphalab accelerator. Hibersense, a smart-HVAC

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system, went on to Alphalab Gear; and Aeronics, a team of recent Blast Furnace alumni who have developed a radically efficient way to store and carry medical oxygen in small tanks, went on to accept $50,000 in a New York startup accelerator called Quake. Thirty-six total companies have been formed from the 100-plus teams of 400plus students who have been through the Blast Furnace accelerator. It’ll be worth it to go just for the possibility of saying you saw a few future successes when they were just a few months into developing their idea. Whatever your best reason for going to Demo Day, you shouldn’t miss it. This cohort’s Demo Day falls on Thursday, Dec. 7, and it will take place at 5 p.m. in the William Pitt Union Lower Lounge.

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Sports PIKA SHOOTS FOR PITT AND PUERTO RICO Dominic Campbell

Staff Writer

First-year guard Pika Rodriguez has played four games so far during her inaugural season with the Pitt women’s basketball team. Sarah Cutshall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ika Rodriguez may have just started playing for the Pitt women’s basketball team, but she comes in with valuable experience that most players don’t have. Before the first-year guard arrived at Pitt, she devoted two years to the Puerto Rican national team. Now, she’s establishing her presence as a solid 3-point shooter for the Panthers. But part of her journey to international basketball consisted of finding out if she even enjoyed playing. Rodriguez grew up in Connecticut and started playing basketball in elementary school. The first sport she played was soccer, and while she enjoyed the game, she said it felt like something was missing. So, her family suggested she give basketball a chance, and she took a shot. “My dad introduced me to basketball because my uncle was actually in a Boys & Girls Club,” Rodriguez said. “He helped little people, at the ages of six and seven, basically elementary, play basketball and learn the basics of it, and after that I just started to fall in love with it.” Rodriguez improved throughout her grade school years and started to excel as a basketball player. Even though growing into her 5-foot-11 frame gave her an edge over other players, it was her determination in the gym and hours spent watching professional basketball with her dad at night that helped her develop solid playing skills.

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While attending school at Capital Preparatory Magnet School, Rodriguez won three Connecticut state championships in her first three years of high school but lost in the state semifinals as a senior. Her high school career might have been impressive on its own, but she didn’t start to get seriously noticed by coaches until she began playing travel basketball for her Amateur Athletic Union team, New Heights Youth Inc., in New York. That’s where Pitt head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio first took notice of her. After seeing her at AAU, McConnell-Serio decided Rodriguez was worth paying attention to and attended some of her high school games. “She happened to be on the team of another player we were recruiting,” McConnell-Serio said. “So we ended up watching her a lot, following her from her sophomore to her junior year. And when you see players that often, they start to grow on you.” Rodriguez’s biggest asset to her game is her shooting, and that’s something Pitt’s head coach noticed. McConnell-Serio, who coached both the U18 and U19 U.S. teams, saw Rodriguez perform at both international tournaments. “We just really liked her game,” McConnell-Serio said. “You’re always looking for shooters. When you have someone that can stretch the defense and knock down shots, it’s an important role in the team.”

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Pitt, however, wasn’t the only team to notice Rodriguez’s talent through AAU. The Puerto Rican Basketball Federation also spotted her at one of the AAU tournaments. Someone from the Puerto Rico organization approached Rodriguez’s assistant coach with an offer after watching her play during the tournament. Rodriguez said after discussing the phone call with her family, she decided to commit to play basketball for Puerto Rico. While Rodriguez had never lived outside of the United States, she was eligible to play basketball for Puerto Rico since her paternal grandmother was from there, according to International Basketball Federation regulations. She spent two years with Puerto Rico, playing in the 2016 U18 FIBA Americas Women’s Championship in Valdivia, Chile, during her first year and in the 2017 U19 Women’s World Cup in Udine and Cividale de Friuli for her second year. Rodriguez made major contributions in each tournaments, where she led the team and was second in the tournament in scoring in Chile with 16 points per game and achieved the same feat this year in Italy with 14.6 points per game. Her best performance from both tournaments was in the third place matchup against Brazil in Chile when she scored 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and was a perfect 7-7 from 3-point range in that game. Her efforts were not See Rodriguez on page 8

PANTHERS SET FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT

2016 after losing just two seniors to graduation. Most importantly, these Panthers have postseason experience, including three players who earned 2017 all-conference honors. The ACC named sophomore Nika Markovic, junior Kamalani Akeo and redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams to the All-ACC First Team and named first years Kayla Lund and Chinaza Ndee to the ACC All-Freshman Team. The Panthers enter Saturday’s match riding a dominant nine-game win streak, during which they’ve outscored the competition 27 sets to two. The team swept its last four op-

ponents and hasn’t conceded a single set since Nov. 12. But they’ll face an opponent who is red-hot as well — VCU currently owns the nation’s longest win streak at 27 consecutive matches. The Rams are led by their towering middle backs, 6-foot-3 junior Tori Baldwin and 6-foot sophomore Jasmine Sneed. Baldwin ranks fifth nationally in blocks per set, while Sneed is seventh. Together, the duo commands a VCU team that leads the nation in blocks. While VCU has a top-notch defensive front, Pitt boasts one of college volleyball’s premiere

attacking forces — the Panthers rank 11th in the nation in kills per set, with 14.48. Pitt’s attack is led by Markovic, who paces the Panthers in points (473.5) and kills (393) this season. Markovic is one of the most efficient right-side hitters in the NCAA, with her 4.74 points per set ranking her at second in the nation for her position. Markovic is complemented by Williams, who ranks second on the team in points and kills for the season. The Panthers’ defense is anchored by redshirt junior Angela Seman (393 digs) and sophomore Layne Van Buskirk (101 blocks). The Panthers’ first-round opponent is a 30-win team from the Atlantic 10, just as in 2016. Pitt fared well in that game, notching a 3-1 win over a 30-2 Dayton, Ohio team. This season, the Panthers dominated other Atlantic 10 teams, notching 3-0 victories over Dayton and St. Louis in September. If Markovic and Williams can get the ball past VCU’s Baldwin and Sneed on a consistent basis, Pitt has a good chance of moving on in the tournament. The teams, however, find themselves in the same section of the bracket as perennial powerhouse Penn State (29-1 overall), which has won six championships since 2007. Whichever team emerges victorious will face the daunting task of playing the No. 1 Nittany Lions, assuming Penn State beats Howard in its first game. Two of Pitt’s last three tournament appearances — in 2003 and in 2016 — ended with 3-1 losses to Penn State. The Panthers may get the opportunity to take revenge and pull off a major upset against their in-state foe, but they’ll have to take care of business against VCU first.

how great of a shooter she was, ‘cause that girl can knock down some shots. She’s also a good passer.” Even though she is now a full-time Pitt Panther, playing for the Puerto Rican team brought Rodriguez a sense of heritage and pride. When the island was hit by Hurricane Irma in late August, then again by Hurricane Maria in mid-September, Rodriguez worried about the people of Puerto Rico. “Seeing how everyone was affected by it, I felt upset about it because they’re going through a struggle and we’re taking things for granted,” Rodriguez said. “We’re arguing about little things in this world, but they’re actually struggling out there.” The storms left many Puerto Ricans without

power, water, housing and basic supplies. Many people have fled, but there are still people missing and others looking for family members. Rodriguez said she is happy her family was OK and not in harm’s way. “We actually flew my stepmom’s grandmother out, so she’s here in the U.S.,” she said. “She’s telling us that, ‘It’s fine. It’s just a little hurricane.’” Rodriguez was also worried about the safety of her Puerto Rican teammates and coaches. It wasn’t easy to get in touch with them, but after a week she got a response. She managed to get in contact with her coaches, who told her that they were OK. She has heard from some of her teammates, but says the language barrier makes it hard to find out how they are actually doing.

“They don’t understand what I’m saying when I ask them, ‘Are you OK?’” Rodriguez said. “So they’ll just say yeah, and I’m like, ‘Are you sure? Do you want me to call you?’” Rodriguez talked to most of her former teammates to make sure they were safe, but still worries about her friends and family in Puerto Rico. She’s recognized how much she has taken for granted when there are people who have so little. She also wishes she could help out the territory she has represented. “Playing for Puerto Rico made me realize that it’s not just the people I know,” Rodriguez said. “The whole entire island is looking at you, and they’re proud of you because you have Puerto Rico across your chest. So not knowing if a specific family is OK is painful.”

Trent Leonard Staff Writer

After the Pitt women’s volleyball team finished its season tied as ACC champions for the first time in program history, the Panthers (25-6 overall, 18-2 ACC) earned a trip to the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament for the second straight year. The team will travel to the neutral site of Penn State for its first-round matchup against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams (30-2 overall, 14-0 Atlantic 10), who also finished as firsttime champions of their conference. The game will take place Friday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m. Similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the NCAA Volleyball Tournament includes 64 teams, 32 of which automatically qualify by winning their conference. The other 32 teams deemed most deserving are then given at-large bids by the selection committee. Last season, the Panthers anxiously watched the selection show to see if they had earned an at-large bid in the tournament. But this time around, there was no drama — Pitt earned an automatic berth by finishing first in the conference, tied with Louisville. Pitt’s spectacular regular season was the culmination of a three-year stretch in which the team continually climbed the ranks of the ACC, improving its conference record each year from 13-7 in 2015, to 15-5 in 2016, to 18-2 this season. That improvement resulted in head coach Dan Fisher’s 2017 ACC Coach of the Year award. Fisher has also accumulated an impressive 117-44 record in his five years at Pitt. Pitt brought back most of its players from

Rodriguez, pg. 7 enough, though, as the game ended in a 70-64 loss for Puerto Rico. “I was like, ‘We need to pick our heads up,’” Rodriguez said. “We need to do better than this, because we are actually representing something that we love, and it’s not just basketball. It’s actually people that we are playing for.” Rodriguez’s new Panther teammates have also observed her strengths on the court, particularly redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop, who has noticed more about her game than her shot. “Before she got here, I already heard that she was a good player and a great shooter,” Diop said. “But when she got here I really saw

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Sophomore Nika Markovic cheers after scoring against Duke in November. The Pitt women’s volleyball team finished the regular season tied as ACC champions with Louisville. Thomas Yang SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

December 1. 2017

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Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to let-

ters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left. The Pitt News is an independent, studentwritten and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is published Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after ﬁrst being brought to the

editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Committee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. The editor in chief has the ﬁnal authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, faculty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and editorial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

Business Manager JILL BALDAUF advertising@pittnews.com

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Rachel Buck Kavi Galal Isabel Scrabis James Gavaghan Andrew Restrepo Dave Barone Paige Franjione Sean Hennessy

Wenhao Wu | Assistant Visual Editor Danah Bialoruski | Assistant Layout Editor

The Pitt news crossword 12/1/17

Jaime Viens | Online Engagement Editor

pittnews.com

December 1. 2017

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December 1. 2017

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. 3,4,6 houses available January and August 2018. Lawn St. Ward St. Call 412-287-5712. 4BR house, 2 bath. Newly remodeled, wall-to-wall carpeting, equipped kitchen, on busline, 15 minute walk to campus. $250/ person+ gas/electric. Call 412-548-2214. 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.

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Employment • CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER

Classifieds

For sale

• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER

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. $3,495+. Available 8/1/2018. NO PETS. Call Jason at 412-922-2141. Pictures- Info: tinyurl. com/pitthome

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.

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.

**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.

4 BR Home - Semple Street, located near Louisa. Equipped Kitchen, Full Basement. New central air added. Renting 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

R A T E S

Insertions

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

Rental Other

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 Oakland Ave. - Garden Court Apartments. Charming 2BR, hardwood floors, free heat. Move in May 1 or Aug. 1, 2018. Call 412-361-2695.

Add.

Apartment for rent. Highland Park area, 3rd floor, 1BR, private entrance, $700/ month +electric. 412-719-0321.

Employment Employment Other OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Management Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs. college, for upcoming

Services Services Other Cell Phone & Computer Repair. Atlas. 4753 Liberty Avenue Bloomfield, Pittsburgh PA 15224. 412-681-2092.

Services Other

House cleaning: Oakland House, undergoing renovations, needs cleaner/ organizer one day/ week. References & background required. 412-414-7290.

spring semester, to interview & process rental applicants, do internet postings & help staff our action- central office. Part time or full time OK. Starting

Phlebotomy Training Centerwww. justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals. Call 412-521-7334.

in January; full time over summer. $13/ hour. Perfect job for

Ward & S. Bouquet Streets - Studio, 1, 2 & 3BR apartments. Free parking. Move in May 1 or Aug. 1, 2018. Call 412-361-2695

current sophomores & juniors, graduating seniors set to enter grad school, returning grad students, and firstyear law students!

Rental Other

Mozart Management

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

mozartrents.com

412-682-7003 thane@

Personal, professional masseuse needed. Long term position. 2X/week. Washington County location. Call 724-223-0939 or 724-229-8868 any time.

December 1, 2017

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December 1. 2017