2-8-17

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | february 8,2017 | Volume 107 | Issue 118

Protesters MSA hosts candlelight vigil for Quebec victims make final plea for Hernandez MarySandra Do For The Pitt News

Pitt students gathered outside the William Pitt Union on Tuesday night to show support for those killed in the Quebec City mosque shooting. Li Yi STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER il in solidarity with the victims and their natural science major, first felt the sense of Rebecca Peters community a candlelight vigil can provide families.

Staff Writer During Sunday evening prayers held after attending one in honor of the Paris Through the wind and rain, the flames on Jan. 29 at the Canadian mosque, Alex- terrorist attacks in November 2015. After of fifty candles burned brightly outside the andre Bissonnette, a 27-year-old student learning of the Quebec shooting, Shehata William Pitt Union for six men who were at the Laval University, opened fire on wanted to provide others with the same killed because of the religion they believed worshippers, killing six men and injuring sentiment. in.

“We are still faced with the same strugeight others. Candlelight vigils were held The University of Pittsburgh’s Muslim throughout Canada in the following days. gles,” Shehata said. “We suffer just as much Student Association hosted a candlelight Tuesday night’s protest was the first vigil from this violence as the next community.” vigil on Tuesday night to honor the 14 vicShehata read the names and brief biogheld in Pittsburgh. tims of the Jan. 29 shooting at the Quebec Aya Shehata, MSA’s social chair and a raphies of the six men killed in the attack.

Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City, Pitt sophomore psychology, sociology and See Vigil on page 4 Canada. About 50 people attended the vig-

While Martín Esquivel-Hernández could not speak to his supporters directly in Pittsburgh, his words were still heard.

Esquivel-Hernández, a former Pittsburgh resident who had been in prison for nine months on charges related to undocumented immigration, was deported Tuesday.

At a protest Tuesday night in his honor, Christina Castillo, an organizer with the Thomas Merton Center, read aloud one of Esquivel-Hernández’s letters written from prison.

“Despite never having met every single one of you, please believe me when I say how grateful and in debt I am to all of you,” Esquivel-Hernández wrote. “There will never be enough magic words to thank you all for the moral support and the love you give me as human beings.”

Castillo was one of about 100 people who gathered at the corner of Hot Metal and South Water Streets Tuesday night to protest the deportation of Esquivel-Hernández.

The event, hosted by the Thomas Merton Center — an organization dedicated to social justice activism — included speeches on the lawn, followed by an attempt to march onto Hot Metal Bridge. Before they could march, Pittsburgh police guided protestSee Protest on page 3

News

Wolf presents proposed budget for 2017 SEE ONLINE

SGB pushes for Counseling Center services in Pitt syllabi

Nolan Roosa and Emily Suruda The Pitt News Staff

With a new initiative, Pitt’s Student Government Board is hoping to make information about Counseling Center services one of the first things students will see in their fall semester classes.

Board member Justin Horowitz introduced a project Tuesday night to include Counseling Center Services in every student’s syllabi. Much like the Disability Services section, which federal law requires to be included, it will feature various Counseling Center services and how to access them.

If implemented, all class syllabi will be required to have the Counseling Center’s information on how to schedule an appointment, after-hour phone numbers, emergency contact information and the Center’s website.

Horowitz said he wants the information to appear on every syllabus by the fall semester — especially for first-year students who are new to Pitt and not familiar with the counseling center.

“I was trying to think of a commonplace that students are constantly looking at, specifically first-year students, and found that class syllabi were this place,” Horowitz said.

Last week, Horowitz met with Juan J. Man-

can use the money to educate students on campus about tobacco use.

SGB President Natalie Dall said 78 percent of students responded to a survey put out on my.pitt. edu in favor of the resolution. While the organization is unsure exactly how they will use the funds, the board has been in contact with Penn State’s student government about how they applied and used the grant for educating students on the health risks associated with tobacco use.

“We need to make sure that we’re educating students fully on what it means to be tobacco-free versus smoke-free.” Dall said. “We’re hoping that this grant will help us fund these efforts and also fund different education of what it means to be a tobacco-free or smoke-free campus.”

The meeting wrapped up with an announceAlyssa Laguerta speaks at the Student Government Board meeting. Kate ment about the election for next year’s board.

Koenig SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Student Government Elections will hold a defredi, vice provost of undergraduate studies, who bus would be extremely beneficial in promoting bate next Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. agreed that the information was vital for students Pitt’s counseling service. at Nordy’s Place in the Union. The debate will In addition to new initiatives, SGB passed a allow slates — groups of students who are camand directed him to Provost Patricia E. Beeson.

Horowitz said he plans to schedule a meeting resolution to apply for the American Cancer So- paigning together — to explain why they are the with Beeson soon to discuss the initiative in de- ciety Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative grant. The best choice and what they plan to do next year. resolution was introduced two weeks ago but had According to Julia Lee, elections committee chair, tail.

After discussions with both the administra- to be tabled because of last week’s town-hall style SGB writes questions for the candidates, and nontion and Counseling Center, Horowitz said both meeting setup.

See SGB on page 3 If the board receives the $20,000 grant, SGB agree that having this information in every sylla-

Peduto takes on water, housing issues in PGH Ashwini Sivagnesh News Editor

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is tackling two life necessities in the city: water and housing.

The mayor released two statements on Wednesday afternoon saying he plans to look into the water crisis and create more affordable housing opportunities for Pittsburgh natives.

After an unexpected flush and boil advisory due to low levels of chlorine in the water from one treatment plant, Peduto said the Office of Municipal Investigations is inspecting the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority’s water system. They are currently

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testing methods to determine what led to the advisory last week and how to avoid similar incidents in the future.

“This is not a fishing expedition. We simply want to discover what went wrong and how to keep these events from happening again,” Peduto said in a press release on Tuesday.

The mayor’s administration also requested Auditor General Eugene DePasquale conduct an investigation on the PWSA because he is an outsider to the situation. Both DePasquale and the OMI are currently investigating and conducting interviews with PWSA employees. According to Timothy McNulty, a spokesperson for the mayor,

there is not a set end date for the investigation at this time.

Although Robert Weimar, interim director of engineering at PWSA, said the flush and boil advisory was not related to lead, the mayor is also requesting an audit of leadtesting kits and results sent back to users.

According to the mayor’s press release, from January to December 2016, 6,625 residents ordered testing kits from the PWSA, but only 3,100 were returned back to PWSA for review. This could either mean kits are not getting to residents in the first place, or residents are not sending in their water samples for testing.

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In addition to the PWSA investigation, the mayor’s administration is addressing the pressing issue of affordable housing in Pittsburgh and how to financially support it.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh board will vote Thursday on which monetary plans they support to increase affordable housing opportunities in the city. The discussion and vote will affect five regions in the area: Morningside, Downtown, Larimer, East Liberty and North Side.

“The need for affordable housing is one of the biggest issues facing not only Pittsburgh but cities across the world. I’m happy to be working with the URA and stakeholders See Peduto on page 3

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SGB, pg. 2

Protest, pg. 1

SGB members moderate the debate. “[In] putting together some questions, we’re looking at the questions that we used from last years debate and whether or not it’s worth modifying them or introducing our own,” Lee said.

ers back to the lawn so that they would not block the intersection and halt traffic flow.

“No more deportation,” rang through the streets as a few cars passed the crowd, honking to show their support.

Esquivel-Hernández had spent the past nine months at the Seneca County Jail in Ohio after failing to present a valid U.S. driver’s license and was caught attempting to cross the Mexican border into the U.S. on four separate occasions between November 2011 and May 2012. Ultimately, he was detected in summer of 2016.

The angry protesters shouted, “Shame!” during mentions of the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency that chose to deport EsquivelHernández.

Some protesters held up signs including phrases such as “No borders, No nations, Stop the Deportation,” “Dignity, Not Deportation” and “You would do the same for your family.”

Faith, community and labor leaders also showed their support throughout the last few months in an effort to keep him in the country, including Mayor Bill Peduto, Congressman Mike Doyle and Roman Catholic Bishop David Zubik.

The protest was peaceful yet emotional as the participants gathered in a large circle holding signs, flowers and candles.

Esquivel-Hernández’s family was also present, specifically his wife, Alma Brigido, and their two daughters, Shayla, 11, and Luz, 9.

Alma read a passionate letter to the crowd, which was in Spanish, while a translator relayed her words of hope to everyone in attendance. ”ICE is successful in dividing us, but they can never separate our souls and our

Allocations Chabad at Pitt requested $1,853 in transportation costs for a guest speaker. The board approved the request in full.

Chabad at Pitt requested $3,148 for menorahs. The Board approved $1,574 and denied the other half.

Resident Student Association requested $3,223 in transportation and lodging costs for a performer for a mental health awareness program. The Board approved $1,473 and denied $1,750.

Strong Women Strong Girls requested $1,768.22 for travel expenses for mentors going to different elementary schools. The Board approved the request in full.

Women’s Club Ultimate requested $2,097.32 for registration and transportation for their competition in Seattle. The approved $1,975.72 and denied $121.60.

Pitt Cycling requested $2,000 for a their spring competitions. The Board approved their request in full.

Men’s Club Volleyball requested $5,780 for a national tournament. The Board approved their request in full.

Men’s Ultimate Frisbee requested $3,539.99 for a competition in Florida. The Board approved the request in full.

Pitt Triathlon requested $7,810.92 for the Belews Lake Triathlon. The Board approved $2,450 and denied $5,360.92.

UPTV requested $17,900.60 for new recording equipment. The Board approved $7,733.65 and denied $7,295.

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hearts,” Brigido said. “Even though he is in another place, we’re going to keep fighting, because they cannot separate us from accomplishing our dreams and our goals.”

The deportation case was under the jurisdiction of ICE Field Office Director Rebecca Adducci, whose office received an influx of calls and letters from 1,400 people in support of not deporting the man.

In addition to the people who sent in letters voicing opposition to the situation, other protesters joined in on the message to speak about the great injustice of deportation.

While some speakers focused on how “immigration is a natural thing,” others pointed out that America is a country made up of immigrants. One supporter sang in Spanish and played her cello, accompanied by a saxophone player.

Kai Pang, 22, of Bloomfield, and an organizer with Pittsburgh United—a coalition of community organizations who work to improve Pittsburgh communities through policy campaigns—joined this particular movement because he sees immigration issues as workers’ issues. He noted that while deportations have been ongoing, the current political climate is also a contributing factor to the growing support of deportation.

“Deportations are nothing new, and I think the rhetoric under this new administration has definitely emboldened ICE as an institution to further go about their policies without any sort of retribution,” Pang said.

Pang also said that deportation stories have “always been there,” but that now, stories such as Esquivel-Hernández’s are more often brought to light with protests and public outrage.

Part of this public outrage comes in re-

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Peduto, pg. 2 across our city to provide more such housing and adopt policies to ensure more affordable housing initiatives in the future,” Peduto said in press release Tuesday.

Affordable housing has been an ongoing issue in Pittsburgh, especially for the past few months. Several protests have broken out across the city with one most recently taking place in East Liberty on Inauguration Day as an underlying theme during the Intersectional Women’s march.

The protesters who attend these events have called for an increase in quality of affordable homes as well as more low-income homes in developments across the city.

According to the press release, these are the plans the board will vote on: Converting the former Morningside School on Jancey Street into a 46-unit apartment building with 39 affordable units specifically for seniors Financing renovations to Wood Street Commons in Downtown to create 258 single-occupancy rooms, including 32 emergency shelter units and 12 housing units for individuals who are mentally ill To demolish the former East Liberty Gardens in the Larimer and East Liberty areas to create 150 mixed-income housing units To issue a $15 million tax exemption to support 75 affordable housing units in the California Kirkbride and Central Northside neighborhoods of North Side In total, this plan would create 324 units of affordable housing for Pittsburgh residents. With the affordable housing vote on Thursday and the PWSA investigation still underway, the mayor’s office did not release any information on when actions will start taking place for either issue.

See Protest on page 4

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Vigil, pg. 1

sponse to President Donald Trump’s latest actions. On January 27, Trump signed an executive order that banned entry from seven countries that are heavily populated with Muslims: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Esquivel-Hernández’s event, then, was just the second in a pair of Pittsburgh immigration protests in the past week. Some Pittsburghers fought Trump’s order on Jan. 30 by taking to the Pittsburgh International Airport and protesting.

While the rally at the airport was to show solidarity, Tuesday night’s protest ended on a somber note. Sister Janice Vanderneck, director of Casa San Jose, works closely with Latino immigrants in Pittsburgh. She left the rally with a parting message about immigration rights not just for people in Pittsburgh but for everyone in the nation.

“We need to do all we can to keep this from happening in our nation,” she said. “I know we are together. It’s so helpful to see you all here.”

Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, and Ibrahima Barry, 39, were inseparable friends who lived in the same apartment building.

Khaled Belkacemi, 60, was a professor in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Food at Laval University, the same university the shooter attended. Boubaker Thabti, 44, was a father of two and worked in a pharmacy. Azzeddine Soufiane, 57, was the father of three, a grocer and a butcher.

Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, a father of three, worked as an analyst-programmer for the Quebec government.

According to Shehata, the frequency of terrorist attacks makes it hard to give full emotional attention to each death because frequent violence has made the nation numb.

“This event weighs heavily on my heart, but our hearts don’t ache the way they should. We have become desensitized,” she said.

MSA considers vigils, which they have hosted a few time in the past, as a promotion and encouragement of community, which is an integral part of the Muslim

faith, according to Shehata.

Alaa Mohamed, who served as MSA’s vice president from 2013 to 2014 and spoke to the crowd, remembered her first vigil. It was held in honor of three Muslim students who were killed in an apartment near the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in February 2015.

“Here I am giving another speech at another vigil for another shooting from another hate crime,” Mohamed, 22, said.

Mohamed admitted it is easy to get lost in despair and hopelessness, but the easiest emotion to get lost in is helplessness.

“The media labeled the terrorist in Quebec a “lone wolf ” but paints me in the same shade of red as terrorists who use my religion’s name in vain,” Mohamed said.

Lone wolf attackers are defined as one person committing a terroristic and politically motivated attack.

For Mohamed, hope is in the Qu’ran.

She ended her address to the crowd with a reminder and a promise found in her holy book. The reminder, verse 2:216, reads, “Perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you. Perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you.” The promise, verse 94:5, reads, “Indeed with hardship there is

ease.”

Omar Mussa, a member of the Muslim community, who attended the vigil, knows that optimism and love are not the first reaction to terrorist attacks. Yet, he encouraged the crowd to keep participating in community events, such as the vigil, as a way to foster these reactions.

“It’s easy to lose love and allow anger to misguide us. Our Creator commands us to have patience in times of anger and to turn our enemies into friends,” Mussa, 23, said.

A 2015 Temple University graduate and a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Mussa attended the vigil to extend solidarity into the community and pray for growth.

“It’s difficult to have a righteous reaction to a horrible event, but our brothers would’ve died in vain if we turned to the same anger and evil that led to their demise,” he said.

Though he has only lived in Pittsburgh for 18 months, Mussa had no trouble finding strength in the city’s Muslim community.

“Pittsburgh should be a city that’s a beacon of light for the U.S.,” he said.

The Pitt news crossword 2/8/17

Protest, pg. 3

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Opinions

column

internet provides space DeVos confirmed, but the for community dialogue fight doesn’t stop there from the editorial board

After a valiant but ineffective 24hour effort by Senate Democrats to sway one more Republican against Betsy DeVos, Vice President Mike Pence cast the tying vote on Tuesday to officially make DeVos our next secretary of education.

While there’s been much criticism of her approach to K-12 education, DeVos has yet to speak about her intentions for higher education. If her track record with lower-level education or her performance during the confirmation process is indicative of what the next four years will mean for colleges and universities, the future may be looking grim.

With her inexperience and lack of firm positions on higher education telling us nothing, it’s time she take a clear stance on the issues.

With such a blank slate ahead of her, DeVos must commit to action and an agenda that tackles the chief issues facing our universities today — matters such as sexual assault on campus, tuition costs and student loans.

In her hearings, DeVos addressed these issues briefly but not substantively, either due to her lack of knowledge, unwillingness to make a decision or as an attempt to sidestep so as not to deter senators passionate about the matters. During her confirmation hearing, DeVos claimed it was “premature” to decide if she would uphold the 2011 ruling on Title IX — an act covering sexual harassment and active prevention of sexual assault on college campuses. And she barely engaged with questions about free tuition from Sen. Bernie Sanders, vaguely stating that nothing is “truly free.”

If DeVos’s failure to commit to stanc-

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es on such issues are only due to her own ignorance, it’s now her job to figure them out. Since the secretary is a known conservative and appointee of President Trump, we can’t hope she’ll be enacting liberal policies on education over the next four years. But the people — students, teachers, advocates and protesters alike — can pressure her into more fair and bipartisan stances that focus on students first, and not politics.

One of the main powers DeVos holds over education as the head of the department is the power to advocate and speak on a national level. She can give speeches and host meetings that disseminate ideas into the mainstream. But we have just as much power as her in that realm.

We can combat her views, challenge her stances and spread our own ideas about what’s best for America’s students when DeVos fails to do so.

And although campaigns to bombard Republican senators with messages to oppose the DeVos confirmation failed, it did so only by one senator.

Congress holds the approval for any financial changes DeVos may want to — inevitably — make. So when the time comes, representatives may be more easily swayed away from her by determined constituents.

DeVos’ confirmation is nothing short of the most controversial appointment in the history of her position. She has a lot of work to do to prove her skeptics wrong and supporters right. Hopefully, after today, she has a 50-senator-heavy chip on her shoulder that she’s ready to work off. And we’ll be here to make sure she does just that.

Terry Tan SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

Julia Aldrich Columnist

Since the election, tensions online have increased and Facebook posts have become noticeably more political and way more opinionated. But if we can navigate these channels properly, maybe this isn’t a bad thing.

Yes, the upswing in politically-charged posts can be about as irksome as it gets. I couldn’t be more sick of posts on either side — from long, ranting posts by anarchists to shared Tomi Lahren videos. And I have definitely shared my fair number of — probably slightly annoying — political articles in the past few months. But despite all this, social media does something interesting that might not be achievable without sites like Facebook: It provides a community of validation and space to explore and form new ideas.

Social media sites like Facebook provide a medium that allows us to think through and then edit our points while also taking away some of the stressors of debate, like feeling nervous, anxious or inadequate.

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A 2012 psychological study, performed by University of Waterloo psychologist Joanne Wood and Pitt professor Amanda Forest, showed the benefits Facebook can have on people’s willingness to self-disclose, specifically for participants with low self-esteem. The study, which included 80 undergraduates from Waterloo, found that participants who were ranked lower in self-esteem saw Facebook as a safe and supportive space to express themselves, more so than participants who were ranked higher in self-esteem. This result implies that for those who might struggle to connect and voice opinions in daily conversation, social media allows them to join in on various discussions from politics to the news stories to the latest YouTube phenomena.

And for those with social anxiety disorders — about 18 percent of the general population over 18 years old in the United States — the need to avoid social situations and face-to-face interactions makes the internet another option See Aldrich on page 7

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Aldrich, pg. 6 for fostering community and communication.

An Indiana University of Pennsylvania study from 2010 found that interacting online helped to decrease one’s perception of social anxiety. And research published in the Personality and Individual Differences journal in 2005 found that people with social anxiety disorders felt more at ease interacting on the internet than in real-life interactions. For those who wish to engage in important political discussions, but are unable to properly in real life, social media provides a calmer medium for them to express their opinions.

And Facebook’s feature that enables us to easily “like” a post can lead to increased valida-

tion. The other day I posted a link to an article by the Odyssey Online titled “I’m a female and I’m So Over Feminists” along with a blurb on why I staunchly disagreed with the author. When almost 50 of my Facebook friends liked it, I felt something similar to righteousness — 50 or so people approved of my thoughts. Any secondguessing of myself immediately vanished as I realized other people shared my views.

According to Facebook, as of 2016, about 1.86 billion people across the globe use the social networking site, and estimates say the average Facebook user’s posts will reach about 60 percent of their friends over the course of a month.

With the ease and accessibility of Facebook and the internet comes drawbacks as well.

When we can post and share things freely on-

line, it also means we can become more easily detached from reality. While the debate on whether Facebook helps or hinders our ability to form social skills continues, it also easily allows us to become trapped in our own opinions. We subscribe to the things we like and agree with. When we only pay attention to things that reaffirm our beliefs, instead of challenge them, using the internet for engagement and discussion becomes less helpful.

If you’re more comfortable using social media as your means for political and social engagement, that’s fine — it’s a legitimate choice for communication. But don’t do so in a bubble.

If you have a tendency, like me, to simultaneously scoff and scroll past posts you disagree with, take a moment next time to actually read and contemplate these posts. Perhaps ask the

poster a clarification question, or challenge them on a point. This then opens up a dialogue between differently minded people instead of keeping you both encased in your own thoughts.

Make the commitment to engage more actively with opposing beliefs, and seek out spaces where you feel comfortable challenging others and yourself.

People won’t stop using the internet to post their opinions, but we can all work toward making it a more open and engaging place to do so.

Julia primarily writes about politics and social issues for The Pitt News.

Write to Julia at jla85@pitt.edu.

column

Trump vs. the media: A chilling reminder of history Nick Eustis Columnist

Like the price of coffee or the daily weather report, a free and fair press is a such a consistent part of American society that most people don’t even think about its presence. At least not until it’s threatened to be taken away.

It’s becoming very clear that our current president holds the press in dismally low regard and doesn’t enjoy its prying eyes, a view very much in line with the actions of historical authoritarians, past and present. Both journalists and readers have a duty to protect the press from this looming threat.

President Trump has stated that he has “a running war with the media” and that the media are “among the most dishonest human beings on Earth.” And he’s treated the press in accordance with these stances, ditching the White House press pool on multiple separate occasions during his transition.

The Trump administration’s treatment of the press has only worsened since he’s officially taken office. For White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s first press conference, the President sent him to lie to the media about the underwhelming size of his inaugural crowd. And afterward, senior counselor Kellyanne Conway doubled down on Spicer’s false claims, infamously dubbing them “alternative facts.” And yet, the most worrisome comments came from Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon, who called the media “the opposition party” and said they should “keep [their mouths] shut.”

Such disdain for the media is not a theme

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Similarly, while specific to American some may inappropripoliticians either. ately reference Adolf Marine Le Pen, canHitler when talking didate for the French about Trump, some of presidency and farhis actions do bear reright Front National semblance to aspects of Party leader, was 1930s Germany. One asked by a journalist term, “lügenpresse” — at a press conference or “lying press” — was last Thursday about quite popular among allegations that she Nazi supporters durused government ing the Third Reich to funds to pay party discredit those who staff members. Inopposed Hitler’s restead of getting an gime, alarmingly simianswer, the journallar to Trump’s labeling ist, Paul Larrouturou, of CNN as “fake news.” was violently ejected Liz Stahl STAFF ILLUSTRATOR Trump’s tendencies from the event by senot only model historical curity forces. Larrouturou and the Front National Party disagree about who ordered and figures of the past but seem to echo more controenforced his removal, but the fact that anyone versial leaders of the present as well. Vladimir Pucould remove a journalist from a press confer- tin also has a similar distaste for press conferences ence without consequence is a chilling enough and often, like Trump and his team, resorts to misdirection, omission of important details and sentiment.

Trump and his administration seem to be falsehoods in them. Russian journalist Alexey mimicking previous authoritarian regimes Kovalev wrote in a letter published by Medium throughout history. His continuous degradation that Putin “always comes with a bag of meanof the Washington Post and the “failing” New ingless factoids… platitudes, false moral equivaYork Times is reminiscent of Mussolini’s disdain lences and straight, undiluted bulls**t” in order for critical newspapers in the time of Fascist Italy. to sidestep questioning. This technique, when This isn’t to suggest that Trump is on track to take used by Trump or Spicer, works particularly well editorial control over American newspapers like against modern American journalists because Mussolini, but degrading the credibility of the they aren’t accustomed to the White House as an media would certainly be the first step in such a unreliable source of information.

Trump’s similarities to Putin’s treatment of the process.

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media are troubling, as the Russian president has dealt harshly with journalists critical of his regime.

Independent journalists in Omsk who published articles critical of the Putin regime found their accreditation suspended by the government. And we can consider those guys lucky when we take note of the 34 journalists who were coincidently killed during Putin’s first reign from 2000-2008.

President Trump’s aggressive campaign against the mainstream media, paired with his uncomfortable fondness for tactics of both authoritarian regimes of the past and the modernday Vladimir Putin, should leave Americans feeling more than just uneasy. And we cannot stand idly by while the Trump administration spews misinformation at us without being held accountable.

When it comes to freedom of the press, the media must become the “opposition party” Steve Bannon thinks they are and do everything in their power to protect the free press for the next four years. They must continue to call out fake news, political overreach and corruption as they see it. And we as readers also have an obligation to do the same and support legitimate news organizations and fact checkers by subscribing and contributing — or at the very least turning off AdBlock.

If Trump and his administration want to take on the media, we can’t stop them. But we can fight back. If they want war, they’ve got war.

Nick primarily writes on politics and American culture for The Pitt News.

Write to Nick at npe3@pitt.edu.

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Sports

Francis and Murray named ACC All-Academic SEE ONLINE

Basement basketball: Can Panthers outperform Eagles?

Steve Rotstein Sports Editor

The Pitt men’s basketball team has faced a grueling schedule this season, ranked eighthtoughest in the country by CBS Sports. So, after eight straight losses to quality conference opponents, Wednesday night’s game should provide a muchneeded respite.

If the last-place Panthers (12-11 overall, 1-9 ACC) are ever going to win a game without junior forward Ryan Luther, who is sidelined because of a foot injury, Wednesday might be their best shot. The team will travel to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to take on the second-to-last team in the ACC, the Boston College Eagles (9-14 overall, 2-9 ACC) at 7 p.m.

Pitt head coach Kevin Stallings said he isn’t buying that Boston College is an easy opponent for his team.

“Boston College, despite their record, it seems to me has

been playing very well,” Stallings said at a media teleconference Monday. “I know they had a tough game against Louisville [in which BC lost 90-67] over the weekend, but they look like a very good team to me. We know we’ll have our hands full again.”

BC is riding a seven-game losing streak of its own, but still has the potential to cause matchup problems for Pitt. The Eagles have a pair of talented young guards in sophomore shooting guard Jerome Robinson and true freshman point guard Ky Bowman. Bowman is averaging 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while Robinson ranks fourth in the ACC with 19.4 points per game.

Stallings knows defending Boston College’s guards will be a top priority as well as a major challenge for the Panthers, who lack a true point guard of their own.

“Their backcourt is really, really good offensively,” Stallings said Monday. “You can throw [Jordan] Chatman and [A.J.] Turner in there, too. They run a lot of really good things for those guys.”

Luther, Pitt’s sixth man and key defensive asset, is averaging 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on a team-best .563 field goal percentage. But he’s missed the Panthers’ last six games — all losses — while dealing with a right foot injury.

Stallings admitted Luther is getting closer to a return but doesn’t expect him back Wednesday night, instead predicting Luther will return to the court by the Virginia Tech game this Tuesday.

In Luther’s absence, Stallings has been forced to play his starting five for nearly the entire game. Because of this, Stallings has experimented with different lineups lately, and one See Basketball on page 9

Rozelle Nix has seen increased playing time since Ryan Luther’s injury. Jeff Ahearn SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Pitt women’s soccer scores new recruits Bayard Miller

Assistant Sports Editor In the 2016 season, the Pitt women’s soccer team did not score very often, finishing last in the ACC for offense and averaging a measly 0.44 goals per game. Nevertheless, the team netted promising prospects in their 2017 recruiting class, which head coach Greg Miller announced Monday night.

The team welcomed midfielders Alexis Bengel and Kendall Higgs, defenders Aideen O’Donoghue and Kylie Olexa and forward Jess McCoppin onto the squad.

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“The 2017 squad is a strong, talented and athletic group of young women,” Miller said in a press release. “They collectively have all of the qualities you want in an incoming group on and off the field, and we are excited to get them integrated into our squad this summer.”

The Panthers have enjoyed very little success since coming to the ACC in 2013 and the team stumbled its way into last place in the conference this past season. The program finished the season with a 2-15-1 record overall and won just a single game in conference play. The team will play without five starting seniors next season, including defenders Ari-

elle Fernandez, Siobhan McDonough, Emily Pietrangelo and Niki Hopkins as well as goalkeeper Taylor Francis.

Although the team is losing stellar goalie Francis and four veteran defenders, Miller said the recruiting class can make up for the losses.

“Graduating some defenders this past season, we had to address that line specifically in this class,” Miller said in a press release. “But, [we] were also able to add some depth to a couple of other lines, which will make us a more competitive team in 2017.”

Four of the incoming players will enroll

February 8, 2017

in the University in the fall, but midfielder Kendall Higgs from Loxahatchee, Florida, has enrolled early and is already participating in spring practices with the team.

“Graduating early and being here this spring allows her to get acclimated to school, the level of play and our culture, which will pay dividends for her this fall,” Miller said with regard to Higgs in a press release.

Two of the five new women are local, with defender Aideen O’Donoghue and midfielder Alexis Bengel both from Western Pennsylvania.

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Basketball, pg. 8 bench player provided a bit of a spark last week: 6-foot-11, 310-pound redshirt junior center Rozelle Nix. Nix — one of the Oakland Zoo’s most beloved players in recent memory, thanks to his atypically large frame and tenacious playing style — played a career-high 12 minutes off the bench in Pitt’s devastating 80-78 defeat Jan. 31 to No. 12 North Carolina, finishing with two points and two rebounds against the Tar Heels.

The big man then one-upped himself next time out, tallying seven points and five rebounds on 3-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes of action Saturday against No. 21 Duke.

“It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played. It’s pretty exciting,” Nix said at a press conference Monday. “But I just can’t look at that like it’s my best game — I’ve just got to look forward and keep on getting better and better as the season goes by.”

With seven minutes left in the game and the Panthers trailing 50-45, Nix

displayed a surprising moment of grace in the post. The massive center caught the ball in the paint, spun around and dropped a soft baby hook in the bucket to bring Pitt within three.

“That’s like my bread and butter right there,” Nix said. “That right-hand hook, that’s always been my favorite.”

The Panthers couldn’t escape North Carolina with a win, falling to Duke 7264. But despite losing in heartbreaking fashion yet again, Nix said the team left Carolina feeling upbeat.

“We can get them back in the ACC tournament,” Nix said. “We can go far.”

The non-stop energy Nix brings to the court might be rubbing off on the rest of the Panthers, as Stallings said he has noticed the increased level of intensity in his team during the past two games. But it remains to be seen if Pitt can keep it up against teams that don’t have the pedigree of Duke and UNC. “Certainly, when you play elite teams and elite programs, that tends to bring out the best in players,” Stallings said.

“It’s going to be our only chance for success if we continue to play really, really hard and hopefully play well.”

Soccer, pg. 8 In high school, O’Donoghue helped lead her team — Canon-McMillan High School — to a national No. 8 ranking, according to Maxpreps. She also played club for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds since she was 12 and was a starter on the 2014 US Club National Championship team. Her ability has been noticed by experts, and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) named O’Donoghue a High School AllAmerican this past season. “[O’Donoghue] possesses all the characteristics of a shutdown defender,” Miller said. “[She] will make us a more dangerous team next fall.”

Alexis Bengel, who grew up in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, was captain of Highlands High School’s team her senior year and was named to the WPIAL All-Conference team.

“She is a versatile player who displays tremendous heart, work ethic and a team-first mentality that will deepen our roster,” Miller said.

The other two incoming first-years are both from North Carolina. Forward Jess McCoppin from Cary and defender Kylie Olexa

from Raleigh will make the trip north to Pittsburgh over the summer to begin prepping for the season with the team.

McCoppin is not the only successful athlete in her family. Her mother, Allison, competed for the Canadian national team in the heptathlon, and her father, Andy, rowed varsity crew at the University of California, Berkeley, according to Pitt’s athletic department. She leaves her high school, Cary Academy, as the all-time leading scorer, with 61 goals.

“She is a forward who is capable of scoring goals and is as good as a set-up artist,” Miller said. “She plays with great perseverance, grit and is a relentless defender out of possession.

She will deepen our frontline group.”

Rounding out the class is Olexa, who attended North Raleigh Christian Academy.

She competed as a Level Nine gymnast until three years ago when she decided to focus fully on soccer. She has played in the Elite Club National League from 2014 to now.

“Kylie is a gifted athlete who plays with real bite and composure,” Miller said. “She will bring a lot of tools that our team doesn’t currently possess.”

The Panthers will begin regular season play in the fall.

The Pitt News SuDoku 2/8/17 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

pittnews.com

February 8, 2017

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