2-26-15

Vol. 105 Issue 122

@thepittnews

Pittnews.com

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Club sports respond to allocations changes Graphic designed by Alexandra Ryan / Production Manager

Emma Solak Staff Writer When family members of the Pitt women’s club soccer team open up their mailboxes this semester, they’re going to find more than just bills and catalogs.

Because of a significant change in club sports funding, the team has implemented a letter-writing campaign asking team members’ family and friends for money so it can continue to operate as a team this season.

At the end of 2014, the previous Student Government Board passed Bill 025, which dictated a new formula for club sports team allocations based on how much the club sports teams fundraise on their own. The bill updated section 3.05 of the allocations manual.

Some teams said they are in favor of this new policy, as it will give them a clearer idea of how much funding to expect from SGB. Others, who have never done much fundraising before, are walking on new ground.

Under the new policy, for the first $5,000 accrued in the team’s Student Organization Resource Center (SORC) account, from fundraising or other means, SGB can match up to one-half of this amount at a $1:2 ratio, according to the updated allocations manual.

For example, if a club needed $1,000 to attend a tournament, it would have to raise $666.66 themselves and SGB could allocate $333.33.

For amounts over the initial $5,000, SGB may match at a $1:3 ratio. For exam-

Allocations

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February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 1

ALLOCATIONS ple, once over $5,000, if a team needed $1,000 for new equipment, the team would have to raise $750 themselves and SGB could allocate $250.

SGB also capped its funding at $10,000 for any team with 50 members or less and at $15,000 for teams with 51 or more members. For teams choosing not to participate in the new policy, SGB has capped its funding at $1,000.

According to SGB executive vice president Nasreen Harun, clubs can still request money, but the new rules give them a clearer idea of whether or not SGB will grant their request.

“People seem to like the policy because it provides them with more clarity,” Harun said.

These changes, according to SGB President Graeme Meyer, resulted from a reevaluation of SGB’s spending for the 2014 fiscal year, which showed that club sports received 35 percent of the funds allocated by SGB — more than any other category. SGB also looked at the increase in the funding of club sports versus other student organizations from 2011 to 2014. SGB reported a $70,401 increase in club sport spending, with the next highest group — academic groups — increasing spending

by $37,492. SGB also saw a 62 percent increase in growth in the number of academic groups — more than 2.5 times the amount of growth in club sports teams — but not an equal increase in funding.

Meyer said the new policy allowed SGB to “continue to support [club sports] while ensuring fiscally responsible funding practices.”

the team needs to fundraise as much as they can before its season begins.

“When the need for money arises, such as qualifying for regionals, which could be as close as two weeks away, we can’t just fundraise for these certain monetary needs at the time that we need them,” Takacs said.

Takacs said she implemented a preemptive fundraising pitch, a letter-writ-

“The budget process is much more streamlined, but...we don’t want to hinder student groups.”

Graeme Meyer Club sports also have the option to pursue alternate fundraising support from the University, such as Pitt’s new crowdfunding platform, EngagePitt.

Abby Takacs, who will take over as president of the women’s club soccer team in the fall, said the changes will force to the team “to make a dollar go further.”

Takacs, a junior majoring in natural science, said that, because of the busy and unpredictable nature of the season,

ing campaign in which each member of the team submitted ten mailing addresses of family and friends to receive a letter explaining SGB’s changes and how her team would be affected. The letters concluded by asking for donations.

Takacs said she did not wish to discuss how much money the campaign has brought in so far.

In the letters, Takacs said she explained that the team plays for fun, but, in order to keep the program function-

ing, the team needs to attend as many games as they can to qualify for tournaments.

Though they don’t receive the same recognition as the varsity teams, club sports at Pitt are just as successful.

For example, the women’s club soccer team has gone to nationals the past four years, according to Takacs, and the men’s club volleyball team has traveled to tournaments as far as Dallas, Tex., Reno, Nev. and Orlando, Fla., according to Cummings.

“Being a part of this team has helped me learn how to create and maintain a cohesive working environment just as much as it has helped me find a competitive outlet,” Cummings said.

He said the men’s club volleyball team contributes to the University by working for the varsity team and engaging with the campus community via fundraisers. Cummings also said the team worked with SGB to improve the allocations process by offering their insight and opinions.

Unlike competitive club sports at several other schools, club sports teams at Pitt are certified student organizations.

According to Tommy Otterbine, program director of club sports at Penn State, club sports at Penn State make

Club Sports

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Post-Ferguson, expert discusses race in Pittsburgh Lauren Wilson Staff Writer With a projector, Professor David Harris displayed images on a projection screen from the 1960s Civil Rights protests. Then, he displayed images from the Ferguson, Mo. protests last year.

To Harris, the images were nearly identical.

“This was American policing [back then],” Harris said. “So I have to ask, who was the genius who brought the [police] dogs to Ferguson?”

Harris, a Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Professor of Law and expert on racial profiling and police at Pitt, presented “The Collision of Race and Criminal Justice: Lessons from the Aftermath of Ferguson,” on Wednesday after-

noon in the Cathedral of Learning. The lecture was part of a speaker series by the University’s Center of Race and Social Problems. The previous lecture in the series, last Wednesday, featured Orlando Patterson, the John Cowles Professor of Sociology at Harvard University.

About 160 people attended Harris’ lecture, according to Larry Davis, dean of the School of Social Work and director of the Center on Race and Social Problems. Reed Smith LLC, a Pittsburgh law firm, sponsors the series.

Sala Udin, city councilman and civil rights activist, introduced Harris, calling him the “leading national authority on racial profiling.” In 1998, Harris’ research on racial profiling encouraged the passing of “The Traffic Stops Statistics Study Act” which outlawed law enforcement officers from using race as the primary factor in making a traffic stop.

“We’ve come a long way, but not far enough,” Harris said. “With race and criminal justice, you are never writing on a blank slate.”

University professors, community members and students listened to Harris discuss Ferguson and how the Pittsburgh police could improve community relations.

Harris said in his speech that, following Ferguson, it is important for Americans to hold urban police accountable, by, for example, advocating for body cameras on officers.

“What is it about urban police forces that continue a culture of violence and racism?” he asked.

In Pittsburgh, Harris said, the new bureau police chief, Cameron McLay, is doing a good job of working with the community, especially amidst the police brutality protests in December.

No incidents occurred during the December protests and police did not interfere except to block traffic, according to prior Pitt News reports.

Additionally, McLay was photographed on New Year’s Eve, holding a sign that read, “I resolve to challenge racism @ work #EndWhiteSilence.”

Sonya Toler, spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh police, said, “The Chief believes that the bureau needs to be involved in the community to build solid relationships, which is the foundation for improving police/community relations.”

Some of these community relations initiatives, she said, include building upon the Police Athletic League to have officers coach-

Ferguson

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February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 2

FERGUSON ing youth sports. Each police zone has also increased their community resource officers to two per zone. These officers attend community events and maintain contact with residents, according to Toler.

To illustrate Ferguson’s violence, Harris described the reactions to Ferguson he heard from local veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The veterans, he said, expressed shock to the media regarding the militarization at the police and said that, even in Iraq, the military does not point weapons at civilians with their hands up.

Tweets collected on Storify, a social media collaborative tool, called “Veterans on Ferguson” echoed Harris’s story.

“I led foot patrols in downtown Baquba, #Iraq in 2005-06 w/less firepower than #Ferguson PD,” one of the tweets in the Storify read.

To decrease police brutality, Harris is in support of police wearing cameras, but said they will not “cure all that ails us.”

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

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The Pitt News wins Student Keystone Awards Harrison Kaminsky News Editor The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association awarded The Pitt News for four pieces in separate categories from 2014 on Wednesday.

The Association’s 2015 Student Keystone Awards contest recognized “high school and college journalism that provides relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers,” according to its website.

The Pitt News competed in the Division 1 bracket of the contest, which included four-year colleges and universities with enrollment of 10,000 or more. In addition to Pitt, judges awarded pieces from Penn State, Temple University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Entries had to have been published between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2014 to be eligible for competition. The Pitt News won second place and three honorable mentions, each in separate categories.

The Association will honor winners at the Student Keystone Press Awards Luncheon on April 1 at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pa., according to its website.

In the General News category, Abbey Reighard, Danielle Fox, Mahita Gajanan, Natalie Daher and Megan Trimble won an honorable mention for their collaborative piece “3 months, 3 Student Government Board members down.” The story was published in The Pitt News on March 26, 2014. Daher currently serves as editorin-chief, Fox serves as managing editor and Reighard serves as assistant news editor. Gajanan currently works as an intern at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Trimble, managing editor at the time of

the piece’s publication, graduated from Pitt last spring.

In the Sports Story category, Jasper Wilson, a senior staff writer, won second place for his piece titled “Pitt student continues quest at 2014 Paralympics.” The piece was published in The Pitt News on March 5, 2014.

In the Editorial category, The Pitt News’ editorial staff won honorable mention for an editorial titled “Bill Cosby’s allegations reflect reality of rape culture.” The piece was published in The Pitt News on Nov. 24, 2014.

In the Layout and Design category, Bobby Mizia, Cynthia Cheng and Danielle Hu won honorable mention for The Pitt News Sex Edition 2014.

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February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

THE PITT NEWS Natalie Daher Editor-in-Chief editor@pittnews.com

Harrison Kaminsky, News Editor news@pittnews.com

Matt Barnes, Opinions Editor letters@pittnews.com

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E S T A B L I S HE D 1 9 1 0

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Abbey Reighard, Assistant News Editor Dale Shoemaker, Assistant News Editor Courtney Linder, Assistant Opinions Editor Dan Sostek, Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Ahearn, Assistant Visual Editor Mason Lazarcheff, Multimedia Editor David Gardner, Social Media Editor Sam McGinley, Assistant Copy Chief Emily Hower, Assistant Layout Editor

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FROM PAGE 2

CLUB SPORTS annual budget requests for funds from the Athletic Department. Otterbine said the department typically has a fund of about $200,000 that it allocates to the 77 club sports teams at Penn State.

At Penn State, club sports teams submit their requests to the club sports program and the Athletic Department funds about 10 percent, which can be increased for every team if there are

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funds left over, of each club’s overall budgets. For example, if a club sports team has an overall projected budget of $10,000, the department can fund about $1,000 of the group’s budget.

Otterbine also said that the process is undergoing some changes and Penn State’s Office of Student Affairs will distribute funding instead of the Athletic Department, but he added that he does not think club sports will go before a student group, like Student Government, to request funds, as some club sports travel to competitions every

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“To ask [club sports teams] to present in front of a committee every two weeks to go on a trip is kind of crazy,” Otterbine said.

Pitt has a similar budget system, but most club sports receive funding via allocations. Meyer said that, while he and other SGB members prefer budgets, he doesn’t want to limit student groups to one means of funding.

“The [budget] process is much more streamlined,” Meyer said. “But there are situations where you don’t know what

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the whole semester will look like. We don’t want to hinder student groups.”

According to men’s club volleyball president Tim Cummings , the Board allocated $6,934 to the volleyball team this year. Because the volleyball team raises between $15,000 and $25,000 over the course of each school year, the ratio system will work in its favor, Cummings said, and the new system will help the team budget with more certainty.

Cummings, a senior majoring in political science and economics, said that, although the team raised a large amount of money to go to its national tournament last spring, it felt its allocations request from SGB was not unreasonable. But, when it received less than its required amount, the team needed to quickly find a way to raise the difference. With the new system, the team has a clearer idea of how much money SGB will give them based off their fundraising.

“We’re thankful,” Cummings said in an email. “It’s just nice knowing there’s a system in place that SGB will follow, as opposed to in the past where we kind of walked blindly into the allocations meeting having no idea what they would give us.

February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

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OPINIONS

Stay in school: Disciplinary suspensions fail students

What do you do with a violent or tumultuous student who is clearly disrupting his or her peers’ learning environment? All too many schools have the wrong solution — out-of-school suspension.

A report released this week by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA redflags Pittsburgh’s suspension rates in elementary schools. The findings hit close to home — Woodland Hills School District ranked in the top ten school districts nationwide for high rates of out-ofschool suspension.

The report reveals that in the 20112012 school year, 23.8 percent of elementary students were suspended from school once or more in Woodland Hills.

This trend is alarming on a national level, too, even though the national elementary school suspension average is only 2.6 percent. When tallying all of the out-of-school suspensions for all grade levels, nationwide, UCLA researchers found that U.S. students had lost about 18 million days of school instruction in one year.

Proper supervision and guidance can benefit a student more than being sent home to fool around on a mini-vacation, perpetuating the “bad kid” pipeline.

Punishing students by allowing them to sit at home and watch “The Price is Right” while depriving them of their education is not an appropriate solution.

Some students from low-income school districts, like Woodland Hills, might not have parents at home to supervise their time out of school. If parents do take the time to supervise their children, they may have to miss work, further accruing financial costs that perpetuate a low-income school district. These suspensions open the door for more troublemaking.

To end the vicious cycle of stigmatizing “bad kids” and creating a loop wherein troubled children don’t feel cared for,

we need to hone in on more beneficial systems of reprimanding students than out-of-school suspension.

In the short term, in-school suspension and detentions are plausible solutions already in place at schools. However, these disciplinary actions need reform if they are to help students to their fullest extent.

If a panel of three or four teachers, along with a guidance counselor, supervised these in-school suspensions and detentions, there is a greater chance that a student could talk to an adult with whom they feel safe. Rather than instituting one in-school supervisor, then, a group of teachers should take turns running shifts, which would prevent the need to hire another employee to fill the position.

This proper supervision and guidance can positively shape a student more than granting the child a mini-vacation to do homework at a leisurely pace and watch daytime television.

While in these suspensions and detentions, faculty members need to open a dialogue with the student rather than have them sit in silence, dwelling on their anger and negativity. Integrating a system of aggression training in health class or disciplinary programs could better prepare instructors to deal with unruly students and teach students what is inappropriate conduct within the classroom.

Student discipline needs to be a continuation of the learning that goes on in the classroom. By depriving students of days in school, we are contributing to the problem. By taking an interest in the student, rather than booting them out for a few days, educators would show that they care. If students are senselessly removed from the learning environment, the self-fulfilling prophecy of a “bad kid” will only continue.

TNS

COLUMN

Don’t turn to Facebook for your dream roommate

Cecile Truong For The Pitt News Just 15 years ago, it was a normal part of your college experience to head off to school with zero idea of who would share your miniscule college dorm, unsure whether you would get stuck with a total psycho roommate or meet your new BFF. Today, teens are bypassing what once was a tradition by going past university housing services and preselecting their roommates on social media.

Everything starts out on a given college’s “Class of 2018” page — for current freshmen — which is a Facebook group dedicated to the new class of

incoming freshmen. Pitt isn’t the only school to have such a group, most universities now have either official or studentcreated Facebook pages for incoming freshmen to meet each other or find roommates. So, how does the process work?

You compose a post describing yourself and what you like to do for fun, then finish with a sentence about how much you enjoy Chipotle and/or Netflix to make yourself seem down-toearth and relatable.

College officials from American University in Washington, D.C., say that giving incoming freshman the ability to choose their roommate will result in fewer conflicts and overall

make the transition into college easier, according to a recent Washington Post article.

However, other housing officials, such as Robert Castellucci, the CEO of RoomSync — a company empowering greater roommate choices — disagree.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Castellucci said Facebook-chosen roommate relationships fail, as students focus on the wrong qualities in these searches — music bands instead of cleaning habits, funny prom stories instead of sleep schedules.

Castellucci, who works for a housing complex at the Uni-

Truong

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February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Letter to the Editor February 24, 2015 An Open Letter to the University of Pittsburgh: Upon reading the beginning of the Office of Human Resources’ Feb. 19 staff announcement, I was hopeful for an account of a revamped, comprehensive sexual violence education curriculum.

Despite the ambitious plans for an education that will prevent sexual assault, Chancellor Gallagher and his colleagues are forgetting something pertinent and impossible to ignore: sexual violence can only be eliminated by those who are committing such acts.

In November, The Fourth Wave (formerly Slutciety), a feminist club on campus, hosted Zerlina Maxwell, a political analyst, freelance writer and feminist speaker. Maxwell shared her video-taped experience as a guest on Hannity [on Fox News Channel], during which opposing debaters were shocked by her notion that we must teach people

not to rape. Chancellor Gallagher and colleagues: we must teach students not to rape. Regardless of how well-educated the Pitt student body is on how to prevent their encounters with sexual violence, students are still being sexually assaulted by other students, and this will continue to happen until the conversation shifts. There is no way to stop this other than to start a discourse that is central to why this is still happening and what we can do to prevent it — not what we can do to prepare students for encounters with sexual violence. This is not a plea or a callto-action, but rather a reminder that if you do not change this curriculum, Pitt students will continue to be victims and perpetrators of sexual violence.

Sincerely, Zoe Hannah Vice President The Fourth Wave

FROM PAGE 5

TRUONG versity of Florida, used to have a simple job, which consisted of mostly pairing smokers with smokers and nonsmokers with nonsmokers and night owls with other night owls. However, since the implementation of social media, his job became much more difficult. People weren’t getting the roommates they wanted from Facebook, and turned to Castellucci.

“We’d get 30-50 calls a day asking for a new roommate,” Castellucci said.

I personally gave in and made a clichéd post on the Facebook group asking for a roommate. A couple of people messaged me, and I talked to one girl about the TV shows and music we liked, the sports we played and where we liked to shop. We seemed to get along perfectly and decided that was good enough to choose each other as roommates.

Now that we actually live together, I’m realizing we have polar opposite sleep schedules, as well as completely different friend circles and interests. Basically, we didn’t have as much in common as I thought we did. I do wish I did random because at least if you’re living with a stranger, it’s much easier to confront him or her about any problems you’re having than someone who you hand-picked.

In order to get a more comprehensive opinion, I asked two of my friends about their roommate experiences. One of them went random and the other one found her roommate on Facebook, much the same way as I did.

The friend who went random — Kristen— ended up having a great experience. She started out wanting to do random before she went to college because she thought it would help her branch out and make new friends.

“You come into college not knowing anyone, including your roommate, so you’re forced to hang out with strangers,” she said.

“I mean, I never really wanted to find a roommate on Facebook anyways because it takes too much effort to write a description, and I don’t think you can really meet people you’re compatible with through Facebook.”

Her expectation for her random roommate was that they would act cordial but mostly stay out of each other’s way. However, she now gets along really well with her roommate and finds that they have a lot in common. They have the same friends and sense of humor, and they hang out all the time. She recommends for incoming freshmen to go random.

“If you have a bad experience it builds your character, and at least you can blame it on the system. You have to learn to live with circumstances that you don’t like sometimes,” she said.

Kristen is clearly having a great roommate experience. However, a second friend — Sarah — found her roommate on Facebook and her situation didn’t go as well as she thought it would.

‘Sarah knew she wanted to find her roommate online before heading off to college.

“I thought you would be able to ensure you were compatible and have similar interests through chatting on social media,” she explained. She looked through tons of people’s profiles and chatted up multiple people until she thought she found her perfect roommate.

They talked for hours about favorite clothing stores, potential majors, shared classes and their favorite bands. When it came time to move in though, their differences became clear.

“We have completely different friend groups and do different things for fun and because of that we don’t have much to talk about. We actually have contrasting personalities, which I didn’t expect after talking to her on Facebook,” she said. “I expected that we were going to be super close — sharing clothes, staying up late and having deep talks.

It’s a little awkward because we chose each other and thought we would be good friends but since we’re not, it’s just a weird situation. I guess you really can’t tell what someone’s like unless you meet them in person.”

It may seem less risky to room with someone you think you know from social media, but once you figure out you’re not as similar to them as you thought, it gets awkward. If you end up with a random roommate you’re not friends with, it’s fine — it’s only freshman year, and you have the next three years to live with your friends.

There are definitely people who have picked their roommates over Facebook and ended up loving them. If you’re looking for your new best friend solely through judging their Facebook pictures and online personality, best of luck to you. However, if you’re just looking for someone who you won’t have sleep or cleanliness conflicts with, let the university handle your roommate selection.

Write to Cecile at @cet41@pitt.edu.

Editor’s Note: Some of the subjects of this article have omitted some personal information because of the personal nature of their stories.

February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT

REVIEW

‘Saul’ captures winning feel of ‘Bad,’ but carves own path

Jack Trainor Staff Writer As the final season of AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” wound down in 2013, creator Vince Gilligan announced that a spin-off would follow the beloved series, putting fears and uncertainty of a post-“Bad” world to rest — for now.

“Better Call Saul” is very aware of its massive expectations, which its predecessor inevitably — and perhaps unfairly — set into place. But Gilligan and company have managed to give “Saul” the same careful attention to detail and plot that made “Breaking Bad’s” tale of a meth-brewing chemistry teacher wildly addictive, creating an autonomous narrative within the “Breaking Bad” universe without Walter White.

Cue national exhale.

The show begins post-“Bad” with a visually shaken Jimmy (or Saul?) working at a cinnamon roll shop in a mall food court before returning home to watch an old recorded commercial for Saul Goodman, a now former attorney at law.

“Saul” treats its viewers as if they’re unfamiliar with the events in “Breaking Bad” while also rewarding those who aren’t. It

tells the story of smalltime New Mexican public defender Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) leading up to, and after, his criminal adventures as a conman Above: Odenkirk with co-creators Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan. TNS and lawyer under the guise of Saul Goodman, as he’s known in his distance from clients who put him in It’s this ability to deny an antsy audi“Breaking Bad.” life-threatening situations. ence immediate answers that makes “Saul” Gilligan recycles many of the same And of course, there are the cliffhang- autonomous from “Breaking Bad” and an iconic tricks he used in “Breaking Bad,” ers. Each episode ends with Jimmy wading early success. Gilligan and his writers but he uses just the right amount before through a deeper and graver mess than seamlessly weave familiar characters in it becomes repetitive. For instance, as he when it began, often with much of the same and out of the story and save them for anmasterfully teased audiences with glimpses frightened, what-have-I-done facial ex- other time, rather than dropping them in of the future and past of Walter White in pressions that Bryan Cranston employed simply because viewers will get a dopamine “Breaking Bad,” he offers similar insights in as Walter White early on. rush when they recognize them. The flow “Saul.” It serves as both a way to rebuild Saul Although Cranston and sidekick Aaron is organic, revealing pieces of the puzzle Goodman, a character who previously ex- Paul won’t appear in the first season, other patiently and effectively. For instance, the isted mainly as comic relief, into a dynamic “Breaking Bad” characters already signed show doesn’t reveal until the third episode personality, as well as to introduce his past on to play a role in its offshoot. Mike Eh- that a man who shares Jimmy’s last name, life as McGill — the well-intentioned but rmantraut (Jonathan Banks) pops up as a and is perhaps old enough to be his father, hard-on-his-luck man that leads to the parking garage guard, along with a sur- is in fact his brother. crooked Goodman. prise cameo from another “Bad” alumnus “Better Call Saul” is satisfying because The show also jumps back in time, re- in the first episode. Smartly, neither one of the way it looks and feels like “Breakvealing a stint in jail before Jimmy con- becomes a major character right away. In- ing Bad,” but isn’t. Already renewed for a vinces his brother, a lawyer extraordinaire, stead, Odenkirk, a longtime writer for other 13-episode second season, it is a refreshing to bail him out. Afterward, Jimmy becomes programs like “Saturday Night Live,” “Late return to Gilligan’s quirky New Mexico, a public defender. In addition to navigat- Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Mr. Show,” which fans of “Breaking Bad” will gladly ing courtrooms, Jimmy also has to keep shine as the sole anchor of the show. find hasn’t gone stale, despite its hiatus.

T P N S U D O K U

February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Today’s difficulty level: Medium Puzzles by Dailysudoku.com

This weekend...

Thurs., Feb. 26 (through Mar. 6) “Urinetown” Studio Theatre Cathedral of Learning basement 8 p.m. (2 p.m. on Sunday) Tickets available at box office Pitt’s Theatre Arts program will perform Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann’s biting satirical musical “Urinetown” this week. The student-directed Student Labs production tackles everything from capitalism to bureaucracy, imagining a society in which a massive water drought forces everyone to pay to use public bathrooms. In the pay-to-pee monopoly, the justice system sends offenders who don’t pay to a penal colony called “Urinetown.”

The Pitt News Crossword, 2/26/2015

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ACROSS 1 Works with yarn 6 Anheuser-__ Brewery 11 Solomon, for one 14 Valium drug company 15 Snow-block home 16 Logger’s tool 17 Past one’s prime 19 Doc for a kitty 20 Thicknessmeasuring instrument 21 Hiker’s tool 23 Mauna __ 24 Actress Zellweger 25 Perilous course to go down 30 Margarita condiment, in Mazatlán 32 Tiny amt. of time 33 Ballet skirt 34 Vote in 36 Tom Collins liquor 38 Red giant with a carbon-rich atmosphere 39 Say with assurance 40 Red-shirted bear 42 Prefix with bar 43 Achieves one’s goal 48 Skin openings 49 “Saw __”: second “Saw” sequel 50 Popeye’s adoptee 53 Lacking a handle?

57 Bother a lot 58 Interest-paying institution 60 Alphabet finale 61 Where embryos develop 62 Do-or-die poker bet 63 Finale 64 Heat-resistant glassware 65 Writer/director Allen with four Oscars DOWN 1 McDonald’s founder Ray

Sun., March 1 Sleater-Kinney (with Lizzo) Stage AE 400 North Shore Drive, North Shore 7 p.m. $25

Sleater-Kinney’s No Cities to Love was an impassioned, triumphant return after ten years off from music. Although the record isn’t as politically razor-sharp as the band’s earlier work, it’s the kind of comeback that suggests the live shows will rock like they did in 2004.

3/9/15

By Carol Hacker

2 __ Scotia 3 Atlantic republic at the edge of the Arctic Cir. 4 Roller-coaster ride feeling 5 Climactic tennis match situation 6 Oktoberfest quaff 7 “That turns my stomach” 8 Deli machine 9 Ant complex 10 Watson’s associate 11 Perked pot contents 12 Couple that’s split 13 Dampens 18 Piles 22 Furrier’s hides 24 Cookbook contents 25 Streamlined 26 Take down a __: humble 27 Navel variety 28 School support gps.

29 Peseta replacement 30 Tailor’s line

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

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31 Thomas __ Edison 35 __ suzette: dessert pancake 37 Christmas quaff 38 Logger’s tool 41 Round gasket 44 Cleans with a paper towel, as a spill 45 War-ending pact 46 Shot put competitor, e.g.

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47 Devil, in Durango 50 Small or medium 51 Small songbird 52 __ out a living: barely got by 53 Windows alternative 54 Bueno’s opposite 55 City near Tulsa 56 Big Apple fashion initials 59 Anger

February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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REVIEW

Stay out of the ‘Hot Tub’: Sequel overflowing with stale ideas Matt Maielli For The Pitt News

“Hot Tub Time Machine 2” Directed by: Steve Pink Starring: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Adam Scott Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, graphic nudity, drug use and some violence Grade: CThe gang is back for another dip in spacetime. But this time, they’re out of the ’80s and hopping from the hot tub to the future.

“Don’t mess with a winning formula,” Jacob remarks before they dive back into the hot tub. Director Steve Pink should have taken this advice. The structure resembles the first — life and death crisis, dip in the hot tub, recount current events, drop initial plan, party, character has a breakdown and threatens suicide, go back to the plan then end with conflicts answered and resolved.

Aside from the structure, everything else is overdone and over the top, similar to the recent “Anchorman” sequel.

Almost titled “Hot Tub Time Machine 3” as a great joke, but later changed to “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” for marketing reasons, this time-hopping bro-fest of a sequel fails to hold up to its cult predecessor. If you were looking for a sequel up to the caliber of “22 Jump Street,” you’ve come to the wrong place.

We catch up with our characters some time after the end of the first film — long enough that they’ve grown accustomed to their time-travel-assisted fame. The story gets rolling when somebody shoots Lou (Rob Corddry) in his pleasure center/plot device and is close to death. Jacob (Clark Duke) suggests to Nick (Craig Robinson) that they hop back in the hot tub and go back in time to stop Lou’s would-be murderer.

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But despite their intention to head back to the past, they actually end up in the year 2025. After an out-of-nowhere scientific crash course from the repairman (Chevy Chase), the gang realizes that Lou’s killer must be from the future. This conflict propels the film (like “The Terminator”), while smaller conflicts give the gang more problems in the future. For example, Nick, a songwriter who rips off hit songs from future artists before they have a chance to record their hits, sees his sin materialized when he meets Lisa Loeb (as herself) the cat-sitter, who never made it big with “Stay (I Missed You)” in the movie’s alternate universe.

The cast itself is something of a comedy B-team. Corddry walks another tightrope as a hardly relatable jerk who you’re supposed to care about. Robinson gives a familiar performance from the first film as the guiltridden time-traveler. Duke returns as the nerd who has to explain the film’s alternate timeline plot (like “Fringe”). The notable performance, or should have been anyway, is the replacement of John Cusack with Adam Scott from “Parks and Recreation.” It’s an addition that should have brought the cast to at least a B+ team, but the gang bullies Scott’s character for the bulk of the film in-

stead of letting him fill in Cusack’s leadership role from the first movie. Cusack’s wistful, centering moral presence is sorely missed.

Some of the movie had hints of self-aware obligation, like one particular “Hot Tub Time Machine Too” pun, after which they turn to the camera with a look of “Yeah, we had to do that.”

Mysteries from the first film, mainly the infamous “Cincinnati box,” remain unresolved. The plot leaves questions asked in the film, such as “Where is John Cusack?” unanswered, and instead the film is full of references to other time-travel movies.

These pokes start off as playful but quickly turn into a fine beating over the head. The film acknowledges how ridiculous it is with a bit of fourth wall breaking here and a bit of cranking it up to 11 there, but it doesn’t translate to comedy gold. At best, comedy bronze. Most of the future predictions the gang makes are comically spot on, though they don’t make enough of them. The future, according to the film, is filled murderous smart-cars, hover-boarding dogs, a President Neil Patrick Harris and iPads you can have sex with.

While the film borrows from other classic time-travel movies (“Terminator,” “Back to the Future,” “Looper”), it also establishes

its own set of rules. Rules that they explore and expand upon from the first film. They also break, bend and ignore these rules, which wouldn’t really matter if the jokes were funnier.

The crew’s regular “You look like” sessions are easily the highlight of the film. It’s simple observational comedy and improvisation at its best. “You look like I wanna hit you into the corner pocket,” says Nick of a futuristic bald Jacob. If this is the high, then the low is certainly the lengthy national TV game show virtual reality rape scene. No typos there — that’s what happens. This isn’t even interpretation. The characters fully recognize that it was rape directly after the scene.

Another pinnacle is the end credits — seriously. The gang takes this time to exploit the alternate timelines to hang out with historical figures, like saving Abraham Lincoln and become other historical figures, such as the Beatles. Why didn’t they just do this for the whole film, like a kind of R-rated “Bill and Ted?” “Hot Tub” may cause casual viewers to want to go back in time, instead of to the future, to stop themselves from seeing it, and cult-fans might want to at least help them make it better.

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February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

SPORTS

Acting athletic director talks replacement, future plans Chris Puzia Sports Editor

By the time Pitt students take their final exams this semester, they may have a new athletic director.

Dr. Randy Juhl, Pitt’s vice chancellor for research conduct and compliance, has served as acting athletic director since former athletic director Steve Pederson and Pitt mutually agreed to part ways on Dec. 17 after his second stint with the school.

Pitt recently announced a search committee composed of various student-athletes, coaches and administrators, yet Juhl said it might be a little while before the committee selects a final candidate.

“I’d like to have it done before summer,” he said.

With the help of Chicago-based search firm DHS International, the committee will first find a pool of 15-25 candidates. After vetting each candidate, the committee will

whittle that number down to 10-12 for interviews. From there, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher will select the next athletic director from the 3-4 finalists. Juhl said the process will remain private, including names of specific candidates.

The Pitt News spoke to Juhl about the selection process and his tenure as acting athletic director.

The Pitt News: The search committee seems to be an effort to incorporate different aspects of the Pitt community (studentathletes, coaches, administrators, etc.). How do you think that will affect the athletic director search?

Dr. Randy Juhl: It was done intentionally to make sure that the constituents of the University who have an operational interest in athletics are represented, from the board of trustees to the Office of the Provost, as well as student athletes and coaches. We have some review committees. That’s the thought we

MEN”S BASKETBALL

had going in.

TPN: One name not on the list was men’s basketball head coach Jamie Dixon. Was there any specific reason for that?

RJ: It was difficult to decide who to ask to be on the committee when they’re in the middle of their season. The most prominent coaches are both men’s and women’s basketball and football. We want a balance of old eyes and new eyes, men’s and women’s.

We asked [women’s head basketball coach Suzie McConnell-Serio] to take on that role.

All coaches will have an opportunity to meet with candidates when we get to that point.

The committee is the place where most of the work gets done, but we’ll have much broader participation.

TPN: How will the committee go about finding candidates?

RJ: We received, before the committee met, a couple dozen nominations or applications for the position from what I would

Young playing up to bigger competition Dan Sostek Assistant Sports Editor

At 6-foot-9, Michael Young is a large human being by most standards.

But on the basketball court, Pitt’s sophomore center seems tiny, constantly going up against behemoths one to four inches taller than him.

This was the case on Tuesday evening against Boston College, when Young faced 7-foot Dennis Clifford.

Despite occasionally struggling against taller defenders, the matchup heavily favored the Pitt center, who exploded for 22 points and nine rebounds in Pitt’s 71-65 victory over the Eagles.

“He presented a lot of issues. He’s one of my favorite post players because he works every possession,” Boston College head coach Jim Christian said of Young after the game. “He was aggressive right from the beginning. They went right to him in the first possession. He attacks from the perimeter and post very well.”

As Christian said, the Panthers looked to

Young early in the game. After missing his first shot of the game, he answered a 3-pointer by junior guard Olivier Hanlan (one of the junior’s five long-distance makes) with a powerful postup of Clifford.

Still, Young finished the first half with a modest eight points, not asserting himself the way the team would have liked.

But in the second half, a 5-0 run by the Eagles tied the game at 35. Following a Jamie Dixon timeout, Young became a force in the paint.

Young proceeded to tally 14 points in the half, going 8-11 from the free throw line and bringing in six rebounds as well.

“Coach [Jamie Dixon] is always saying to get it inside, and let’s play inside out,” Young said. “If they can get it to me and let me make a play, and then if they double down, make a read, and then if not go score. For the most part, we were trying to get it down to either me or Jamel [Artis]. It wasn’t just for me.”

The Panthers got the ball to Artis frequently, paving the way to a 24 point, eight rebound performance for the sophomore forward.

Artis knew that the Panthers needed a big

say would be qualified candidates. We hired a search firm, they have already facilitated the announcement of advertisement in national publications. They do this for a living, so they have a sense of who might be good and who is movable.

TPN: Is there any timetable for when the committee will narrow down to a decision?

RJ: I’d like to have it done before summer.

These things follow their own time course.

The next question is when can they be here.

TPN: Will the University announce any of the candidates or elimination processes?

RJ: We like to keep names out of paper as much as we can. When somebody is just making an inquiry and doesn’t know if it’s serious, they don’t want to jeopardize their current position. We likely won’t be able to talk to the best candidates unless we can offer a promise of confidentiality. It makes the

Juhl

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performance from the two sophomore post players, particularly after the team’s nail biting overtime victory against the Eagles earlier this year in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“We wanted to come out here and be more aggressive — rebound, play defense, score,” Artis said. “Our team looked for us a lot so we tried to be strong this second game.”

Not only did the Panthers receive tremendous offensive performances down low, but Young and Artis also thwarted any opportunities in the paint for the Eagles’ big men. The only point that a Boston College post player scored on Tuesday came from Clifford, and that bucket came via jump shot.

Young and Artis, Pitt’s two leading scorers, must continue their production if the team hopes to earn a berth to the NCAA tournament for the 12th time in 13 years, as the Panthers can’t afford many missteps with their 8-7 ACC record.

Their next matchup is on Sunday, as the Panthers travel to Wake Forest to take on the Demon Deacons. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 Sophomore Michael Young goes to the hoop. Heather Tennant | Staff Photographer p.m.

February 26, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FOOTBALL

13 FROM PAGE 12

Clemmingsʼ Combine results boosts stock JUHL

T.J. Clemmings (center) and his o-line teammates. Meghan Sunners | Staff Photographer

Chris Puzia Sports Editor Before the 2013 season, T.J. Clemmings had never played offensive tackle in his life.

He will likely be a top pick at the position come April 30 for the 2015 NFL Draft.

Clemmings, a redshirt senior at Pitt majoring in administration of justice, showcased his abilities at last week’s NFL Scouting Combine. Now, the buzz and analysis of where he will land is starting to pile on.

Clemmings recorded 20 tackles as a defensive tackle his sophomore year, then he switched to offensive tackle and started in each of Pitt’s 26 games since.

Mike Mayock, an analyst for nfl.com, rated Clemmings as the top offensive tackle prospect in the country, and four other analysts on the site projected him as a first-round pick.

His Combine results have certainly bolstered his case, as well.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.14 seconds, his short shuttle marked the best time of all offensive tackles at 4.54 seconds, and his 9-foot-3 broad jump also topped the position.

“Clemmings will continue to learn the position and improve,” Mayock said.

“He has the physical traits to become

a Pro Bowl tackle if he can handle the move to that side.”

The move may come as a bit of a surprise, as recruiting website Scout rated Clemmings as the No. 6 defensive tackle prospect and the top New Jersey recruit coming out of high school in 2010. He finished his senior season this past year on Pitt’s offensive line as a second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC. Much of where a player gets drafted comes down to pregame hype and buzz, largely coming from NFL draft analysts.

ESPN’s draft analyst Todd McShay recently said there is an outside chance Clemmings could join former Pitt teammate Aaron Donald on the St. Louis Rams. The Rams drafted Donald with the No. 13 pick last year, and they hold the No. 10 pick this year.

“The Rams at 10 is probably a little early, but they could be in the mix,” McShay said. “The Browns, Saints, Texans, Lions and Panthers also make sense in the first round.”

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Clemmings helped solidify his name as a first-round pick with his Combine results. Because offensive linemen cannot produce definitive statistics to separate themselves from other players at the position, raw size and Combine performance can impact their stock more significantly than

skill positions like running back.

The strength of the running game during the season indicates a strong offensive line. Pitt’s sophomore running back James Conner finished the 2014 season with 1,765 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. While much of that came from his individual ability and the offensive line working as a whole, Clemmings still helped enable Conner to earn ACC Player of the Year honors.

Mayock gave Clemmings a grade of 6.14, which Mayock categorizes as “should become instant starter” caliber.

He compared Clemmings to Houston Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown, who has played for the team since the Texans selected him in the first round of the 2008 draft. Brown has since made three Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2012.

Still, it is hard to predict where Clemmings will come off the board in this year’s draft. Analysts seem to agree that, while he has shown plenty of athleticism and upside, he still is new to the position. How NFL teams weigh those pros and cons will determine his draft stock.

McShay summed up that balance and said Clemmings is a “raw, inexperienced right tackle prospect whose game is built on power in the run game.”

While Pitt fans would love to watch Clemmings and Donald play both sides of the line of scrimmage for the Rams next season, nobody will know if that will be the case until the NFL Draft on April 30.

pool better for us.

We don’t plan on announcing our list of candidates, but names do find their way into the media.

TPN: You’ve been pretty active as acting athletic director, one example being the addition of black basketball uniforms. What’s the process of making these changes been like so far?

RJ: Those kind of things don’t happen overnight. They happened before I was here, so a lot of that was [former athletic director] Steve Pederson. One misconception people have is that we can just call up Nike and say, “can we change our jerseys for the basketball team?”

Those things get done a year or two ahead of time. Nothing you undertake in a day happens overnight.

I found that, although athletics has a high level of visibility, their department has to make sure the facilities are running here, like labs need to be running across the street. We have people to hire. We have University relationships to deal with, lots of events. Planning part of those events is big part of what happens here. I do limit myself in the kinds of decisions I make knowing that we’ll have somebody else here in a few months. There’s plenty to do on a day-to-day basis.

TPN: The University has recently incorporated the “Pitt script” more, as well as the new black basketball uniforms. Is this part of some effort to rebrand the University?

RJ: With “Pitt script”, it’s something that’s been around, but de-emphasized when we went to “block Pitt.” We’ll see more of that kind of branding with football come next fall, expansion of the brand to mark return to the good old days. The script will be prominent next year as well.