The Pitt News
Live blog: Fossil Free Pitt Coalition’s sit-in in the Cathedral of Learning pittnews.com
T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s tudent newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | february 26, 2020 | Volume 110 | Issue 229
PITT DAY OF GIVING RAISES $1.6 MILLION, DOWN 61% Ashton Crawley Staff Writer
The fourth annual Pitt Day of Giving — a 24hour fundraising initiative — took place on Tuesday. This year’s PDoG raised $1,651,212 — which is down about 61% from last year’s event. But the total number of donors this year was 7,630 — a 20% increase from last year’s 6,345. Donors came from all 50 states and six continents. “The @PittTweet community was out in full force and we couldn’t be more happy,” Pitt’s Alumni Association tweeted at midnight on Wednesday. “Thank you to everyone who participated, it was an amazing day!” Groups and individuals in the Pitt community spent the day encouraging alumni and other supporters to donate to their initiatives via social media. Anyone could donate to organizations and funds in six main competition categories — Schools and Colleges, Regional Campuses, Places, Experiences & More, Athletics, Student Organizations and Areas of Greatest Priority — throughout the day of the event. Schools and Colleges consists of schools within the University such as Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and Pitt Law. Pitt Bradford, Johnstown and Greensburg make up the Regional Campus category, whereas last year they participated in the Schools and Colleges category. Places, Experiences & More includes various organizations affiliated with the University, such as Student Affairs and the Falk Laboratory School. The Athletics category included funds such as the University Band Fund and the Pitt Cheer, Dance & Mascot Championship Fund. Areas of Greatest Priority category includes the General Scholarship Fund, the Pitt Fund and Panthers Forward. Student Organizations consists of various student groups across campus, including Club Cross Country and Best Buddies.
Eric Macadangdang celebrates with his slate and supporters after winning the SGB presidential election on Tuesday night. Thomas Yang | assistant visual editor
ERIC MACADANGDANG WINS SGB PRESIDENCY Anushay Chaudhry and Benjamin Nigrosh The Pitt News Staff
Eric Macadangdang will serve as president of Pitt’s Student Government Board during the 2020-21 school year, after narrowly winning Tuesday’s elections against Ravi Gandhi with 50.2% of the vote — a margin of 22 votes. “This election campaign allowed me to meet a lot of great people,” Macadangdang said. “I can’t wait to spend the next year advocating for them.” In total, 4,604 students, or about 24% of the undergraduate student population, voted in Tuesday’s election, compared to last year’s turnout of 3,394 See PDOG on page 3 student voters, or about 18% of the un-
dergraduate student population. Macadangdang, a current SGB member who ran on the Voices slate, focused his platform on opening communication between students and SGB through a campus-wide survey that would provide the board with student opinions from across campus. [Read: Your guide to the 2020 SGB elections] He also said he hopes to expand debt-relief programs for students like Panthers Forward. He will be joined on the board by fellow slate members Kathryn Fleisher, Annalise Abraham and Ben King. Gandhi said running for president was “really fun and an awesome learn-
ing experience,” and feels thankful for all of the work his running mates put into the campaign. “The fact that we got so much turnout is incredible,” Gandhi said. “Even before running, I knew Eric would have done a great job as president, regardless.” Victor So, Katie Richmond and Victoria Chuah from Your slate will join the board, even though Gandhi, their presidential candidate, did not win the presidency. Tyler Viljaste of the Launch slate will also join the board. Cedric Humphrey, the other half of the Launch slate, will serve as executive vice president next academic year, after See SGB on page 2
News
Cyber Law director talks democracy in the digital age pittnews.com
EDCUATION DEAN DISCUSSES HER NEW BOOK ON RACIALLY CHARGED HISTORY OF LITERACY
Valerie Kinloch, dean of Pitt’s School of Education, discusses the release of her book, “Race, Justice, and Activism in Literacy Instruction,” on Tuesday afternoon. Kaycee Orwig | senior staff photographer
Natalie Frank Staff Writer
More than 50 voices filled a room on the fifth floor of Posvar Hall, reciting the missionvision statement for Pitt’s School of Education. “We teach. We commit to student, family and community success,” they said. “We commit to education equity. We advocate. We work for justice.” But Valerie Kinloch, the School’s dean, noted at the Tuesday afternoon gathering that education systems throughout history have not always lived up to these values. Kinloch discussed the release of her December 2019 book, “Race, Justice, and Activism in Literacy Instruction” with about 50 students, faculty and visitors in attendance. Kinloch co-edited the book with Tanja Burkhard, a postdoctoral fellow of Kinloch’s, and Carlotta Penn, a former colleague of Kinloch’s at Ohio State University. Each of its 11 chapters are written by different authors, activists and
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scholars. Kinloch outlined each chapter during the discussion, along with the poetic interludes placed in between chapters as well as at the end, to allow readers to reflect on the work. Kinloch said a major focus of her book is to start a conversation about racism and injustice and the issues they present in the classroom and higher educational environments. “We need to figure out ways to talk about racism and injustices and inequities in educational spaces,” Kinloch said, “but also throughout the entire society and world in which we live.” Kinloch said she was inspired to write a book during her tenure at the Ohio State University’s College of Education. She and her colleagues, some of whose writing is incorporated in the book, would discuss issues of race and injustice in the education system. Examples of these issues affecting people of See Kinloch on page 3
SGB, pg. 1 receiving the most votes of all board candidates in the race. “I feel amazing,” Humphrey said. “Campaigning is hard, the last three weeks have been hard, but I’m very excited to be back on Student Government Board, being VP, being able to handle the assembly next year and really make this campus a better place. And I’m even more excited for Eric, because he deserves to lead this campus.” In last year’s elections, Anaïs Peterson and Caroline Unger tied for the highest number of votes for a board seat at 1,154 each. The executive vice president position remained unfilled until a runoff election held early the next month, when students voted Peterson into the position. Of the nine candidates running for eight board seats, independent board candidate Aman Reddy did not win enough votes to secure a spot on the board. Students also voted 3,646 to 566, or 87%, in favor of a Tuesday referendum — proposed by Peterson — on whether Pitt should raise the minimum wage for student workers to $15 per hour. Chuah, along with her future fellow board members Richmond and So, had no prior experience with SGB. She said despite not being able to serve on the board with fellow slate mate Gandhi, she is excited for the board’s future. “I am really sad that we all couldn’t stay together, but I’m really proud of what we accomplished,” Chuah said. All members of the current board are students in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, with the exception of board member Lynn Dang, who is a student in the business school. This ratio of inter-school representation will change next year, with future board members Richmond and Chuah, who are both students in the Swanson School of Engineering.
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Jami Stuckey, a sophomore bioengineering major, said she was excited to have more representation for engineering students on the board, but school loyalty did not completely influence her vote. “I didn’t vote only for engineering students,” Stuckey said. “I think it’s kind of counterintuitive to say that engineers don’t have any representation and then vote for all engineers so that Dietrich doesn’t get any representation. So I tried to get a mix.” Despite broader student representation, Manal Sayyed, a sophomore economics and psychology major, said she didn’t feel like this year’s slates engaged with the student body as much as others had in past elections. “I feel like I saw more last year before the election that it was going to happen, and what the initiatives were last year more than this year,” Sayyed said. After the votes came in, current SGB President Zechariah Brown said he felt just as overwhelmed as the candidates themselves. According to Brown, the future of SGB is “in great hands,” especially since current board members Macadangdang and Humphrey will be key members in next year’s board. “I think that having people who are currently on the board who will be on next year’s board is really going to help us in ensuring that not only does SGB progress, but we don’t lose track of a lot of the amazing work we started this year,” Brown said. Abraham, joined by her fellow slate member Fleisher, said she is very hopeful that their campaign’s missions will come to fruition in the next academic year, as their slate secured the presidential spot with Macadangdang’s win. “We really believe in the ideas that we ran on and we’re excited to put them into action,” Fleisher said. According to Abraham, now that all of the campaigning is over, she is just happy to celebrate. “It’s been a day,” Abraham said.
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PDOG, pg. 1 Pitt hosted an event in the WPU from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday where students, faculty and alumni checked in under their group, college or area to eat food and socialize, as well as win additional attendance challenges, in which the area that got the most individual attendees could earn extra money. Prominent Pitt officials such as Chancellor Patrick Gallagher attended the event as well. “Thank you to the Pitt community for showing up on this #PittDayofGiving!” Gallagher tweeted early Tuesday evening. Liz Hassett, the student director of the Blue and Gold Society, checked people in at the event and said everyone there seemed really excited. This is the second time Pitt has held an in-person event for PDoG. ”We’re heavily promoting the event. We’re trying to make a bigger deal out of it this year. We have almost 1,200 people checked in right now [at 2:10 p.m.],” Hassett said. In addition to donations, organizations had the opportunity to earn extra funds through various challenges. Some challenges were related to Pitt and its history — like the 1787 Founders’ Day Challenge, in which the 1787th virtual donor receives $500 to donate to the area of their choice — while others rewarded the most gift conversions via social media. The Schools and Colleges category and Regional Campuses category participants had two opportunities to earn bonuses — one from the Participation challenge and one from the Raise the Bar challenge. In the Participation challenge, the top three organizations with the most unique donors receive extra funds. In the Raise the Bar challenge, organizations are rewarded for surpassing their total number of PDoG 2019 unique donors with the greatest percent improvement. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences came in first place in the Schools and Colleges Participation challenge with 564 unique donors, receiving a $25,000 bonus. DSAS also won the Raise the Bar bracket with a 266.04% improvement from last year and received a $25,000 bonus. Pitt Johnstown came in first place in the Regional Campuses Participation challenge with 677 unique donors, receiving a $7,500 bonus. Pitt Bradford won the Raise the Bar bracket with 170 unique donors, a 274.19% increase from last year, and re-
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ceived a $7,500 bonus. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute took the top spot in Places, Experiences & More with 349 unique donors, receiving a $15,000 bonus. The organization also won the top spot last year. Cheer, Dance and Mascot Championship Fund came in first place in Athletics with 451 donors, receiving a $5,000 bonus. The General Scholarship Fund had the most donors in the Areas of Greatest Priority with 131 donors. Pittsburgh Attacking Cancer Together took first place with 416 gifts, winning a $5,000 bonus. Shannon Madden, a junior neuroscience major and director of PACT, elaborated on the strategy the club used in order to gain donations. “We tried to use as many alumni connections as possible, because they’ve been through this, so I feel as though they’re able to understand how the competition goes. We also have a lot of family connections that actively support the group because of the nature of our cause,” Madden said in an email. Despite this being PACT’s first PDoG, they said they had a lot of participation. “I’m very happy with how it has gone! This is our first PDoG so it’s exciting to see the members get involved,” Madden said. Noah Puleo, a senior biology major, is a member of PACT and came to support them at the PDoG event in the WPU Tuesday. “I like how it’s kind of like a friendly competition,” Puleo said. “I like that everyone’s coming in and trying to support their group.” University of Pittsburgh Club Rowing took second place in the Student Organizations with 355 gifts, winning a $2,500 bonus. The team also won the student organization power hour, receiving an additional $1,000 bonus. Pitt Men’s Rugby came in third place with 234 donations, winning a $1,000 bonus. Dylan Direnna, a senior accounting and economics major and one of the team’s captains, said in an email that the team will use their funding for the typical expenses like travel, tournament fees and uniforms that fit with the University’s new color scheme. “We didn’t have a specific strategy, mainly just spread as much awareness as possible to our family, friends and network through social media and other forms of communication,” Direnna said. Editor’s note: The Pitt News participated in Pitt Day of Giving this year in the Student Organizations category.
Kinloch, pg. 2 color, according to Kinloch, include invalidation of their academic abilities and discrimination preventing them from reaching their full reading and writing potential, along with a general lack of faith and encouragement that prevents them from seeking higher education. “Every day we would get together and we would talk about programming for the entire college,” Kinloch said. “We would ask ourselves questions about equity and justice and diversity and we grappled with fundamental questions that impact all of our lives.” These discussions led to Kinloch and her colleagues creating an edited collection of ideas regarding these issues of equity, race and injustice with help from scholarly authors around the United States. Leigh Patel, a literacy teachereducator and the School of Education’s associate dean of equity and justice, wrote the book’s first chapter, titled “Generations of Fugitive Literacy: Teacher Education and Activism.” Patel, who spoke at the Tuesday book talk, said she was very excited to get to contribute to Kinloch’s book and discuss the difficulties that people of color face in trying to further their education. “We are all literate people,” Patel said. “But we may not have been told that we have the ability not only to read, but to write ourselves into the world.” Patel also read excerpts from her chapter, in which she discusses how the history of literacy, beginning in colonial times, excluded certain groups of people, for fear of the “catalytic effects” it could bring about in these oppressed groups of people. “Literacy must be taught along with the histories of how literacy has been withheld from populations under the heel of settler colonialism,” Patel said. Several audience members said they began
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to think about how the book could connect with their own lives after attending the event. Holly Plank, a doctoral student and graduate student researcher in the Learning Sciences and Policy Program within the School of Education, said she wanted to apply the book’s lessons to her future teaching career. “I wanted to think about, as a white woman, ‘What does it look like for me to really live out the vision and mission of the school?” Plank said. “And I saw a lot of alignment of that with what I’ve heard about her book so far.” Plank added that she enjoyed the format of the book as much as the content itself. “I really appreciated the way she was lifting up other voices,” Plank said. “I had never seen a book like that where they use the arts and poetry to highlight their own reflections of what the authors are saying throughout a volume like this.” Kinloch also discussed other chapters in the book, which touch on topics such as developing critical literacy languages, creating modern curricula that adapts to different types of students and what the education system is doing to enact change. The book also includes a foreword which includes quotes and passages from notable black women including Toni Morrison, Mary Jane McLeod Bethun and Bettina Love, an alum of Pitt’s School of Education. As part of the poetic reflections Kinloch added to the middle and end of the book, the book’s final poem reflects on injustices and violence acted on people of color in today’s world. “It’s in the book,” Kinloch said. “But it’s also in our face everyday.” Kinloch added that the book’s conclusion, titled “Not a Conclusion,” is meant to convey to readers that there isn’t a definitive end to discussing the topics outlines in the text. “There is never an end to this conversation,” Kinloch said, “especially when there are still injustices, oppressions and sanctioned occasions of violence that define our everyday existences.”
See Article on page 3
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Opinions
Editorial: Board needs to be more transparent about divestment process pittnews.com
LEGALIZED SPORTS BETTING IS A HORRIBLE IDEA
Ethan Tessler Staff Columnist
We all love a game of risk. The lack of control and uncertainty of the outcome seduces many of us into playing its game. For some, all it takes is one wager and they can’t seem to stop. Unfortunately, this experience is far too common today, especially with the booming sports-betting industry. An anonymous account on gamblingtherapy.org details an account of someone affected by sports betting. “Stopped going to local casino 15+ years ago. I self-[banned] myself without anyone pushing me. I go to Vegas once a year and gamble like a madman while there, but get on a plane and it’s done and out of my system … Now someone introduces me to sports gambling 4 years ago, and I am addicted and can’t stop … Can’t stop betting and what ever bet I do, I lose 60% of the time.” Despite horror stories such as this one, sports betting is heading into a period of normalization since the Supreme Court lifted the federal ban — it has been legalized in 20 states plus Washington, D.C., and is pending legalization in many others. Though mobile sports betting only launched in May of 2019, Pennsylvania alone has raked in $1.5 billion in wagers — the third-largest amount in the country. While there are some positives to full legalization in all 50 states, including job creation and billions of dollars in state revenue, it would be immoral and dangerous to do so. The full legalization of sports betting will prey on individuals susceptible to the adrenaline rush and fast money associated with the act. The reality is that oddsmakers in Vegas use several kinds of algorithms, forecasting and seemingly mystical powers that ensure bettors will not gain an advantage over the oddsmakers. Sure, you’ll win here and there, but it’s not sustainable over long periods of time. Decisions — good or bad — become habits when repeated enough and, in certain cases, addictions arise from these habits. A plethora of reasons can cause addiction to sports gambling such as easy access, personal stress, financial
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Promiti Debi | staff illustrator reasons and many more. One reason that often goes under the radar is that some individuals are prone to addictive behaviors. A 2013 Neuroscience Journal from the National Institute of Health found that certain individuals are born with less norepinephrine, meaning that they don’t get the same enjoyment out of natural pleasures that others do. As a result, many individuals with this chemical imbalance are drawn to gambling as a way to achieve that balance. “These results suggest that pathological gamblers may have a functional disturbance of the noradrenergic system. This system has been postulated to underlie sensation-seeking behaviors, aspects of which are thought to be abnormal among pathological gamblers,” say Laurie Roehrich and doctors Alec Roy and Bryon Adinoff. Even if studies like this did not come up when the Supreme Court justices were contemplating whether or not to lift the federal ban on sports betting — which I highly doubt given the nature of their profession — the consequences
of their decision will truly be catastrophic. Not just for gambling addicts, but for individuals who will become addicted because of their chemical imbalance — let alone the people who will get addicted for countless other reasons. I have personally witnessed many individuals struggle with sports betting — most of them male college students, some of them friends. Most of these accounts consist of the bettors’ futile attempts at trying to win back money they lost. Oftentimes losing any sum of money will cause these bettors to spiral out of control. I vividly recall a friend wagering a significant amount of money on a Russian basketball team. He knew nothing about the league or the team itself. When I asked him why he made such a thoughtless decision, his answer was simple — “I need to beat the bookie.” These individuals were betting illegally — I can only imagine the gambling horror stories that could emerge if sports betting is legalized around the United States. Arnie Wexler, a former executive director of the Council for Com-
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pulsive Gambling, predicts a stark rise in gambling addiction because of the Supreme Court decision to lift the federal ban on sports betting. Wexler is a former gambler himself and is deeply saddened by the Supreme Court ruling. He recalls a Gallup survey in 1986 surrounding the new legalization of the state lottery. Prior to its legalization, just 31% of people played illegal numbers. Once it was legalized, the poll found that a monstrous 81% of people played the state-run lottery. The same scenario is happening today. The Supreme Court has essentially removed the stigma surrounding sports betting. And now, with countless apps and websites made easily accessible, individuals will not even have to leave their couch to make bets. People can simply be watching a sporting event, think to themselves that a certain team will win, grab their computer and bet on said team to win. “What the Supreme Court has done is to facilitate expanding gambling basically to everybody’s desktop,” said Richard Daynard, a Northeastern University law professor who runs the Public Health Advocacy Institute. Ease of access and the removed stigma will surely lead to a sports-betting epidemic — let alone the fact that these sports betting websites are marketing their product during sports games. Marlene Warner, the president of the National Council on Problem Gambling’s board of directors, agrees with this and is calling for regulators and sports leagues to use their newly increased profits to help fight the problem. “The expansion of legalized sports gambling in the United States will likely increase gambling participation and gambling problems unless steps are taken to minimize harm,” Warner said. If the federal ban remained in place, things would likely be different. However, the damage has already been done. While it is highly unlikely that legislators will come to their senses and reverse the full legalization of sports betting, it is imperative that they do so because of the addiction epidemic that it will cause.
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Sports
PITT TO STIFLE SYRACUSE STARS ON SENIOR NIGHT
PITT ANNOUNCES BONACCORSI, READ AS STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK Camryn Simons For The Pitt News
Sophomore guard Xavier Johnson (1) at last year’s matchup against Syracuse at the Pete. tpn file photo
Alex Lehmbeck Staff Writer
When Pitt men’s basketball lost at Syracuse in the first game of this year’s home-and-home series in January, the Panthers seemed to simply run out of time. After struggling to crack the Orange’s infamous 2-3 zone for the majority of the afternoon, Pitt finally started to find answers about midway through the second half. Down by as many as 20 points, Pitt began to penetrate the zone, getting open looks and opportunities at the rim. Despite slowly clawing back to eventually cut the deficit to three with under a minute left, the effort came too little too late. Syracuse hit its end-of-game free throws to sink the Panthers 69-61. For Pitt to break its losing streak on Wednesday’s senior night rematch with the Orange, the Panthers must hope the team who led that late-game comeback shows up for the entire 40 minutes. Although the result was disappointing, Pitt and head coach Jeff Capel found their silver lining in the team’s improvement. Pitt, fresh off winning back-toback conference games for the first time since February 2017, showed resilience on the road against one of the ACC’s hottest teams.
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“I thought we had a better rhythm of how to attack the zone in the second half,” Capel said after the loss. “We weren’t on our heels. I thought we did a better job, but we dug ourselves a little too deep of a hole to get out of.” Ahead of the two teams meeting again Wednesday, the stakes have changed drastically. Both teams have completely dropped out of the NCAA tournament discussion, and Pitt (15-13, 6-11 ACC) currently sits on its worst losing streak of the season. Syracuse (15-12, 8-8 ACC), which improved to 6-3 in the conference after the Pitt win, has lost five of its last seven games since then. What caused the Orange’s slump? Defense. While their 2-3 zone may have gained notoriety for the fear it stoked in opponents during head coach Jim Boeheim’s rise in the program, it certainly doesn’t scare anybody now. Syracuse’s defense has been picked apart night after night. Since the Pitt game, they have given up an average of 80.3 points per game, including blowout losses to Duke and Louisville where they allowed 90+ points. This season, the Orange have an adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 98.7, 114th in See Syracuse on page 7
Pitt athletics named redshirt sophomore wrestler Nino Bonaccorsi and sophomore diver Amy Read as the Office Depot Student-Athletes of the Week as announced Tuesday morning. In addition to being recognized as one of the Student-Athletes of the Week, Bonaccorsi also received the title of ACC Wrestler of the Week. This is the second Wrestler of the Week honor Bonaccorsi has earned in his career. He is the first Panther to achieve this recognition this season. Bonaccorsi recorded the most notable win of his career on Saturday, upsetting No. 2 redshirt sophomore Hunter Bolen from Virginia Tech. After scoring first in the opening period, Bonaccorsi fell behind 3-2 at the end of the first and eventually 6-2 at the end of the second. In a comeback effort, he managed to score an escape and two takedowns to force the match into overtime. In overtime, Bonaccorsi emerged victorious after Bolen escaped and Bonaccorsi took him down. “He made an in-match adjustment, which is something that we’ve been stressing to him for a while now,” head coach Keith Gavin said. “That’s a breakthrough right there and it comes at a great time.” This impressive result gave Bonaccorsi his 20th win of the season, 41st of his career and his first win over a ranked
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opponent. Bonaccorsi’s win contributed to Pitt’s 18-13 win against No. 7 Virginia Tech, the team’s second win against a seventhranked opponent this season. Pitt finishes the regular season 10-4 and 3-2 in conference play. Pitt wrestling will host the 2020 ACC Wrestling Championship on Sunday, March 8, at the Petersen Events Center. At the 2020 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships on Saturday, Read made Pitt history at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. She was the first Pitt women’s diver to reach the ACC platform championship finals, finishing in sixth place. In addition to this impressive title, Read was one of the three Pitt women’s divers to score team points on the platform. Read scored in both the ACC’s 1-meter and 3-meter springboard competitions, adding an outstanding 46 team points to the Panthers’ total tally at the conference meet. “We showed the depth that we’re building, with several divers contending for finals. And to watch Amy compete in the final and contend for a medal was such an amazing moment,” diving coach Katie Hazelton said. “I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to be with the Pitt swimming and diving program.” Pitt women’s diving will next compete in the NCAA Zone A Diving Meet from March 9 to 11 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
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SWIMMING, TRACK PREPARE FOR ACC TOURNAMENTS
Dominic Campbell Senior Staff Writer
This weekend holds high stakes for Pitt athletics, with the ACC Indoor Track Championships taking place Feb. 27 to 29 at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and the ACC Men’s Swimming Championships taking place Feb. 26 to 29 in Greensboro, North Carolina. For Pitt track and field, the ACC finals will give certain athletes the opportunity to make a final push at the national championships that take place in two weeks in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And for men’s swimming, this meet is the last chance for swimmers to make their mark before moving onto their March 8 meet in Columbus to decide who makes the regionals and nationals. For the men’s side of the track and field, standout senior long-distance runner Nick Wolk’s times this season qualify him for all long distance events, which include the mile, 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter. While his mile and 3,000-meter times were strong, his best event comes in the 5,000-meter, in which he already placed 10th this season in the ACC. Wolk’s classmate Shyheim Wright has improved each of his three years at Pitt and is at his best in his senior season. He has medaled three times in meets this season and his time of 7.67 in the 60-meter hurdles is second best in school history and third in the ACC. Now, entering the weekend he has a serious chance of medalling in the event. Junior Greg Lauray has continued to show why he’s the best high jumper in school history, breaking his own school record with a 2.23-meter jump at the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 7, where the ACC championships will be taking place this weekend. Lauray’s jump is second best this season in the ACC and he will be looking to defend his ACC Championship from last season. One thrower on the men’s side that could surprise is junior Noah Walker, who ranks third in the ACC in the weight throw at 19.84-meter and is also poised to push for a medal this weekend. Two more men that could take home hardware are senior Drew Glick and junior Lonzell Feagin. Glick is seventh in the ACC in the mile. Feagin is sixth best in the ACC in the 400-meter and just missed out on the 200-meter by .07 seconds. The women’s side will be anchored by sophomore Eddita Pessima, whose time of 8.23 in the 60-meter hurdles is the best in school history and
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also the second in the ACC. Joining her in the 60-meter hurdles will be junior Jaylyn Aminu, who will compete in the 60-meter hurdles after narrowly making the cutoff with a time of 7.46. Junior Nikki Scherer, like Feagin, is similarly ill-favored. She was able to qualify for the 400-meter with the eighth-best time in the ACC, but just missed out on the 200-meter by .01. Two women’s jumpers — senior Taylor Middleton and first-year Lydia Bottelier — will also be at the ACC Championships. Middleton placed fifth in the ACC in the long jump and is the stronger competitor for a medal, but Bottelier has impressed as a first-year, with her 1.69-meter in the high jump placing 12th best in the conference. Finally for the women’s side, junior Abena Atuobi will be in for the shot put as her throw of 14.84-meter is the 12th best in the ACC. The ACC allows a pair of wild card athletes for each school, so more Pitt athletes will participate in the meet, but the specific competitors will not be known until the competition starts. In the pool, Pitt men’s swimming will return to a meet where they set several school records a season ago. They are led by one of the greatest swimmers in school history in junior Blaise Vera. Vera holds three school records in the 50-meter free, 100-meter free and 100-meter fly, setting the latter two at the ACC Championships last year. Joining Vera as a top medal candidate will be senior Samy Helmbacher. Helmbacher also has three school records himself, in the 200-meter breast, 200-meter individual medley and 400-meter individual medley, achieving all at the ACC Championships a year ago. Other possible medal candidates at these weekends championships are junior Armin Remenyi and senior Eben Vorster. Remenyi was an Olympian for Hungary in 2016 and is a stalwart swimmer in the 100-meter and 200-meter, winning in both events this year, while Vorster, a native of South Africa, holds the school record in the 200-meter fly, which he also set at the ACC Championships last year. Men’s swimming will begin on Wednesday with the 200-meter relay and 800-meter freestyle relay, while track and field will begin Thursday, starting with pentathlon, heptathlon, weight throw and the distance medley relay.
Syracuse, pg. 6 the nation. A recent in-depth look by The Athletic attributed these struggles to four main factors — inexperience, size, late-season fatigue and lackluster help defense. On the offensive end, however, Syracuse has played with better execution. The Orange have several lethal threats that can get hot quick. Junior forward Elijah Hughes leads the ACC in scoring with 18.6 points per game and sophomore Buddy Boeheim — son of the legendary Syracuse head coach — leads the ACC with 88 3-pointers made this year, 18 more than his closest competition. In order to give its seniors a win in their last game at the Petersen Events Center, Pitt will need to contain Boeheim. The volatile shooter terrorized the Panthers in an 18-point first half of the first meeting, helping the Orange build that insurmountable lead. Pitt adjusted in the second half, assigning the longer, stronger Au’Diese Toney to defend him, and they held him to only three points the rest of the way. Hughes didn’t play a large role in the teams’ first meeting, stifled by Pitt’s perimeter defenders. Primarily guarded by sophomore Trey McGowens, Hughes struggled to find scoring opportunities against the quick, aggressive Panther guard. Hughes finished with only 10 points on 4 of 13
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shooting, committing four turnovers in the process. Shutting down Hughes a second time will be no easy task. Despite Syracuse’s struggles since it played Pitt, Hughes has succeeded in carrying most of the weight of the offense. Five of his 12 20+ point performances this year have come during these last seven games. He also has been asked to do this with very little rest. In 17 of the Orange’s 27 contests this season, Hughes has played the entire game from start to finish. Prediction: Although they fell just short in their first matchup with the Orange, the Panthers will end their four-game skid with a senior night win on Wednesday. The difference is a home-court advantage. When you look at how awful the Panthers have played on the road this year, it’s a miracle they even came so close to pulling off the comeback last time. The Panthers, who sport an 11-6 record at home, are a mere 2-7 in true road games. Averaging 66.3 points per game at home, that number drops to 63.6 on the road. They’ve allowed 70.0 points per game on the road, while holding opponents to 62.1 per game at home. With the Oakland Zoo behind them and an improved performance against Syracuse’s infamous zone defense, the Panthers will upset the Orange.
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I N D E X
Rentals & Sublet • NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER
For Rent North Oakland 214 N. Craig Street. Safe, secure building. 1BR, furnished. Newly remodeled, no pets. Rent $850 and up, including heat. Mature or Graduate students. 412-855-9925 or 724-940-0045. Email for pictures: salonrena@gmail.com Apartments for rent. 2 and 3 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 August 2020! Rooms available in furnished 5 bedroom house in North Oakland. Close walk to University of Pittsburgh and shuttle. AC/washer/dryer. $600/mo. Contact: rentalschool22@ gmail.com or 412-294-6167. Newly renovated, fully furnished, 4&5 BR, 2-1/2 BA houses. Near Pitt Dental
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School, Carlow University. Laundry services available. $600/ mo per unit, includes utilities. Available now & August 1. Chris 412-656-5693.
South Oakland **August 2020, Oakland Square. We have Studios, 1, 2 & 3BR apartments available. Clean, walking distance to campus. Great location. $600-$1300 ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED! Off-street parking available. No pets, smoking or parties. Call 412-882-7568 or email tsciulli123@ gmail.com 1-2-3 bedroom apartments available for August 2020. Owner Managed. 40+ years on campus. Fully furnished or unfurnished, most units are newly remodeled Kitchens and baths , located on Atwood, Semple, Oakland Ave., Ward, Mckee Place, Juliet. Call or text Tim @ 412-491-1330 www. TMKRentals.com 264 Robinson St. 2 BR, 3 bath, $1000+utilities. Available August 1st. 412-884-8891. 2BR houses and apartments available in August. Unfurnished, no pets. Atwood/S. Bouquet. Call 412-492-8173 3,5,6 bedroom. All
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newly renovated, air-conditioning, dishwasher, washer/ dryer, and parking. Most units on busline and close to Pitt. Available Summer 2020. 412-915-0856 or email klucca@verizon.net. 322 S. Bouquet. Huge 2 BR apartments. Available May 1, 2020 or August 1, 2020. 412-361-2695 3232 Dawson St. Available August 1st. 5 BR, 2 Bath. Laundry included. $2600/mo. Tenants pay all utilities. Call 412-401-5154. 3444 Ward St. We have studios, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments. Bright and spacious. Free heating and free parking. Move May 1, 2020 or August 1, 2020. Call 412-361-2695 4909 Centre Ave. Great location for this spacious 1BR apartment located between Pitt and CMU. On buslines, near restaurants, a block from Shady Side hospital. Rent includes heat. Laundry, storage & parking available. Updated kitchens and hardwood floors. Available spring, summer and fall. Contact Sue at 412-720-4756 daily between 8:00 and 6:00
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people can share a single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Permits, Licensing & Inspections. 412-255-2175. Dawson Village Apts. near CMU and Pitt. One bedroom apts. $935 + electric. Available for immediate move in. On bus line, close to restaurants and shops. Contact Jerry at 412-722-8546 LARGE, SOLID-BUILD HOUSES FOR 2-3 PEOPLE, Spacious kitchens, living rooms. Roomy backyard, front porch, recently renovated. Available August 25 or NOW/EARLIER! $365-$450 per room. Call 412-692-1770 to see. Now renting for Fall 2020. Apartments and houses of all sizes. Conveniently located throughout South Oakland. Rents starting as low as $620. John C.R. Kelly Realty. Call today at 412-683-7300 www.jcrkelly.com Pet Friendly!! Studios - $695-$705 1Beds - $795-$815 2beds - $975-$995 3beds - $1,245 412-455-5600 or www.pghnexus.com
4BR, 2BA. 311 Oakland Avenue $1900/ mo. 412-337-9916 call for Bob
South Oakland Houses and Apartments with Laundry/ Central Air. Call or Text 412-38-Lease. AMO Management.
Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unrelated
Spacious 2-BR apartments on Dawson Street, single/double
R A T E S
Insertions
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
1-15 Words
$6.30
$11.90
$17.30
$22.00
$27.00
16-30 Words
$7.50
$14.20
$20.00
$25.00
$29.10
6X $30.20 $32.30
Add. + $5.00 + $5.40
(Each Additional Word: $0.10)
Deadline:
Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978
occupancy. Partially renovated. AUGUST 25 availability or IMMEDIATE availability. Limited parking spaces available. $460-$480/room. Call 412-692-1770 to see apartment & parking spaces. Spacious, well-maintained S Oakland 3BR house, $1875/ mo + utilities. Central AC, DW, W/D. Large kitchen, pantry, high ceilings, decorative FP, outdoor space. Close to Pitt & shuttle. Off-street parking avail. Panther Properties, 412-328-6236, pantherproperties2@ gmail.com. panther-life/oakland Studio, 1, 2, 3, and 4 BD apartments available in South Oakland from $800-$2500 M.J. Kelly Real Estate mjkellyrealty@gmail. com. 412-271-5550.
Shadyside Brett/Thames Manor Apts. (Ellsworth & S. Negley Ave.) near CMU and Pitt. Studio, One, Two bedroom apts. Thames Effecency: $790 Thames 1BD: $990 Brett 2BD: $1600 Available for immediate move in. On bus line, close to restaurants & shops. Contact Jerry at 412-722-8546
Squirrel Hill 3 BD, 1-1/2 BA townhouse on Beacon St. Updated kitchen.
February 26, 2020
Washer/dryer on premises. Nice backyard. On bus line. Perfect for Seniors and Grad students. Call 412-281-2700. Available Now!
Rental Other Studios, 1, 2, & 3 Bedroom apartments available August 2020 & sooner. Oakland, Shadyside, Friendship, Squirrel Hill, Highland Park, Point Breeze. Photos & current availability online, check out www.forbesmanagement.net, or call 412.441.1211
Employment
paint salespeople for the Pittsburgh area. Part and full-time work in spring, summer, and fall. Training provided. Pay is commission based. Reliable transportation necessary. Contact Jim at 412-680-0102
Services Educational The Phlebotomy Training Center www. justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals. Call 412-521-7334.
Employment Other OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Management Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs. college, for upcoming spring semester, to interview & process rental applicants, do internet postings & help staff our action‑central office. Part time or full time OK starting now; full time over the summer. $14/hour. Perfect job for current sophomores & juniors, graduating seniors set to enter grad school, returning grad students, and first year law students! Mozart Management 412.682.7003 thane@mozartrents. com Seeking door-to-door
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