3-1-2016

Page 1

The Pitt News T h e in de p e n d e n t st ude nt ne w spap e r of t he University of Pittsburgh

SGB POLLS OPEN TODAY

See Online: Photo gallery of Milo Yiannopoulos’ lecture

Presidential candidate snapshots Page 2

March 1, 2016 | Issue 116 | Volume 106

Dale Shoemaker Staff Writer

The polls are officially open for the 2016 Student Government Board election. It’s the first SGB election since the fall of 2014, when the Board passed a referendum to align its terms with the academic year rather than the calendar year. Students elected today will serve from the end of this school year until the end of April 2017. Students can vote for three Board candidates and one presidential candidate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at My Pitt. The elections committee chair will announce the votes in Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union once the polls close. Here are three things to keep in mind as you vote in this year’s election: The candidates This election, there are eight candidates running for eight board seats and two candidates running for the presidency. The 10 candidates are split up among three slates, or groups of candidates running on the same platform: The Incline Slate, the Keystone Slate and the Health, Awareness, Transportation and Safety (H.A.T.S.) Slate. Presidential candidate Matthew Sykes and Board candidates Samantha Jankowitz, Max Kneis and Joseph Kannarkat are running on the Incline Slate, which will work to improve mental health services on campus, release the results of the OMETs and increase SGB transparency. Sykes currently serves as a Board member and chief of finance and Kneis currently serves on SGB’s Allocations Committee. Presidential candidate Natalie Dall and Board candidates Justin Horowitz,

Students both cheered and protested Milo Yiannopoulos’ lecture Monday night. Yiannopoulos is a controversial, conservative writer and speaker. Andrew Shin | Staff Photographer

CONSERVATISM AND CONTROVERSY Albert Giovanazzi and Zoe Hannah The Pitt News Staff

With shouts of support for Donald Trump intermixing with middle fingers raised in silent protest, Pitt students both applauded and decried Milo Yiannopoulos’ meditation on free speech Monday night in the William Pitt Union. College Republicans brought the gay, British sociopolitical activist to the Assembly Room at 9 p.m. Yiannopoulos’ speeches at other universities around the country have garnered protests, fights and rallies because of their highly controversial content: Yiannopoulos argues free speech should have zero limits. “I’ve taken it upon myself to go through See SGB on page 9 life as offensively as possible,” Yiannopou-

los said. As an example, Yiannopoulos asked the crowd of more than 350 people if any of them believed “that women are paid less to do the same work” as a man. When several audience members shouted, “Yes,” in return, Yiannopoulos had only one word for them: “Idiots.” In response, about 10 people got up and stood at the front of the stage, shouting, “Two, four, six, eight — stop the violence, stop the rape.” As they did so, several men in the crowd began chanting, “Trump, Trump, Trump.” Yet just as Yiannopoulos’ talk irritated many of the protesters, political science major Richard Phillips said the protesters’ disruptions affected his ability to enjoy the

speech fully. “I think they have the right to speak,” Phillips, a senior, said. “I don’t necessarily think the way they went about protesting this event was conducive to a lecture atmosphere.” Sophomore accounting major Rachel Mueller said she was grateful for a chance to voice conservative opinions unapologetically. “Free speech, particularly views that don’t align with the progressive left, are shut down and silent,” Mueller said. “I think it’s great that a conservative speaker can come out and talk to students and get discussion going.” Throughout the lecture, Yiannopoulos condemned social activist movements, See Lecture on page 3


News

SGB Elec!on: Presiden!al Snapshots MATT SYKES NATALIE DALL

Will Miller |Staff Photographer

Saskia Berrios-Thomas Staff Writer

Natalie Dall has never been idle on campus — and she doesn’t want to be. A month and a half after she joined the Resident Student Association in her first year of college, Dall ran for the group’s presidency — and won. But Dall’s leadership didn’t stop there. She went on to become a Student Government Board member, where she still serves, and helped orchestrate the opening of the first gender-neutral housing at Pitt while also assisting with published molecular biology research and serving in several Greek organizations. Now, the junior molecular biology major is running for a presidency again, but this time she has the advantage of a large network of friends and mentors, as well as a full year on the Board behind her. Tom McIntyre, a junior majoring in linguistics, said he’s become acclimated to her ambitious attitude on campus life. McIntyre and Dall are close friends, but according to Dall, her Google Calander is her best friend. “Natalie’s someone who’s never satisfied,” McIntyre said. “She’s never okay with things exactly how they are. She’s always trying to work

pittnews.com

on things and make them better.” If elected, Dall wants to improve sexual assault education and interventions on campus and strengthen the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences advising for first-year and undeclared students. After one of her friends was assaulted last year, Dall said, she watched her struggle to get the help she needed from Pitt and get closure for her attack. So in addition to comforting her friend, Dall also used her friend’s experience to launch an SGB initiative to raise awareness of sexual violence on campus and make it easier for survivors of violence to find the resources they need. Central to her passion for the project is creating a single document that details every resource available to students who experience sexual violence. The document, a sort of onestop guide, may take the form of a tab on the My Pitt homepage that students can navigate quickly and easily. “Hearing her side of that showed me, ‘OK, we have a problem that we need to fix on our campus,’” Dall said. “If one student is having so much difficulty with reporting ... then a lot of students are probably having similar struggles.”

Jordan Mondell | Staff Photographer

Leo Dornan Staff Writer

With five semesters of Student Government Board under his belt, Matthew Sykes has his eyes on the President’s gavel. Starting in his first year of college, the senior industrial engineering major first helped his Resident Assistant run for a Board seat and later ran for a seat on the Allocations Committee. He served on Allocations Committee for a year, then successfully ran for a Board seat in fall 2014. Now, in the middle of his sixth semester on Board, Sykes is doubling down on mental health awareness, an issue he’s focused on heavily in SGB. And as he’s campaigned, Sykes has said he’ll continue to advocate for mental health awareness and the mental health needs of students if elected to the presidency. “Right now at Pitt, a student could spend up two weeks waiting for their appointment with the counseling center here,” Sykes said. For him, that fact alone is unacceptable, though a statistic he frequently cites — that one in four Pitt students will experience some type of mental health issue during their time on camSee Dall on page 7 pus — has motivated him to push for a seat on

March 1, 2016

Pitt’s Mental Health Task Force, a coalition of students and administrators who address the mental health needs of students. Pitt’s Counseling Services offer free counseling to students, but Sykes said that isn’t enough — he wants to change the culture surrounding mental illness. As part of his work with the Task Force, Sykes said Pitt is now planning to hire an additional six counselors by the summer to work in the health center. To do it, he said, he met with vice provost and dean of students Kenyon Bonner, who works with the members of SGB and who serves on the Task Force, who drafted the proposal to fund for the additional counsellors. Sykes cites that success as an example of his ability to follow through with his projects. Aside from the closed-door Task Force meetings, Sykes also helped organize Stories Untold, an art exhibit open now through March 4 at Frick Fine Arts, and promoted a mental health awareness campaign called Talk About It. With Talk About It, Sykes said he helped the group change their slogan from “Give depression a voice,” to “Give mental health a voice,” making the group more inclusive to students who may suffer from anxiety, bipolar disorder See Sykes on page 7

2


Lecture, pg. 1

Milo Yiannopoulos, the technology editor at Breitbart, spoke to a crowd of about 350 students Monday night. Donny Falk | Staff Photographer

such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the call for trigger warnings on college campuses from students around the country and the entire discourse on rape culture and feminism. “I don’t want women to get drawn into lesbianism,” Yiannopoulos said, speaking of feminism. “Women have a much more malleable sexuality than men do.” He said the Black Lives Matter movement is an act of “black supremacy” and called feminists “man-haters.” For student activist Joseph Zubrow, the speech wasn’t worth sitting through. They stood up halfway through the event and screamed that the speaker is a Nazi, which they based on videos Yiannopoulos posted to his Twitter account. Zubrow’s outburst garnered a response from the side of the room supporting Yiannopoulos — a lively chant in support of presidential candidate Trump. “He believes that oppressed peoples deserve their oppression,” Zubrow said. “I’m more upset with the students for filling that f***ing room.” Pitt police officer Scott DuBrosky said he

and the other officers working at the event escorted about 17 people — most of them students — from the event for protesting, but that no protesters gave the Pitt police any problems. He said Pitt police anticipated the highly tense atmosphere at the event and agreed with Pitt administrators before the event to remove those who disrupted Yiannopoulos’ speech. Pitt police did not remove about 15 students who silently held signs saying, “My friend who was raped needs a safe space,” and, “My friend who is depressed needs a safe space,” throughout the entire event. Some students left on their own accord — a few of them sobbing. This type of reaction is precisely what Yiannopoulos supports. If people feel uncomfortable, he said they have the right to leave, just as he has the right to say what he wants. “If you are a student in almost any university in this country, you will have the mass ranks of professors up against you who really aren’t interested in other points of view,” Yiannopoulos said. “They really aren’t interested in conservatism.” A gender-nonconforming first-year See Lecture on page 9

The Pitt News SuDoku 3/1/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

pittnews.com

March 1, 2016

3


Opinions from the editorial board

The Pitt News endorses Natalie Dall for Student Government Board president For the first time in too long, endorsing a candidate for Student Government Board president presented a true debate. Every year, The Pitt News editors sit down with the presidential candidates before the SGB election and take a group vote to recommend a candidate. Last year, we chose Wasi Mohamed without question — and ultimately, without success. In 2013, when only one candidate sought the top spot, we decried the complete lack of competition. This year, there was room — and candidates — for debate. Ultimately, though, Natalie Dall is the strongest choice for SGB President. Matt Sykes, Dall’s only competition in this year’s election, should be proud of everything that he has achieved as a member of the Board. Largely because of his extensive work with the Board’s mental health task force, Sykes said the Student Health Center will hire six new counselors this summer. Sykes’ role in creating Mental Health Awareness Week in October demonstrated his passion and commitment to helping Pitt students in need. But two of an SGB President’s most valuable assets are vision and breadth. While Sykes places a great deal of emphasis on his mental health platform, his campaign has lacked specific plans for tackling other issues facing Pitt students. It is simply unclear what he would provide as president that he can’t already do with his position on the task force. Sykes argues well for the importance

pittnews.com

of his ideas, but the value of Dall’s proposals are clear enough to stand on their own. She presents a platform that confronts issues affecting students at all levels of the Pitt community, and through her involvement in Residence Life, she also knows how to survey and connect with everyday students — not just campus leaders. Dall wants to reform first-year advising systems to more appropriately match students with their first guides to college and create an OMET equivalent that would allow students to review the quality of advising they receive. Dall’s plan to make sexual assault assistance available through a cohesive, step-by-step guide of how to report and what to expect — which she would host on the My Pitt Portal — is informed by personal experience and responds to one of campus’s largest, murkiest issues. Her engagement with sexual assault issues arose from watching a close friend give up on filing a claim after six months, and as a Board member, Dall has been working with SHARE and SECCS to address sexual assault. Although Sykes has served on SGB longer, Dall’s diverse background sets her apart. As a three-semester president of the Resident Student Association, Dall has demonstrated an ability to focus on the most relevant information in front of her and cultivated a knack for forming relationships. Dall has attended University Senate and Board of Trustees meetings, giving her an even deeper awareness of how our school functions. Dall describes herself as “an ana-

lytical thinker,” a trait learned from spending the past two summers at Pitt, conducting published research. Her demonstrated mental skills make her an excellent candidate for reviewing tricky board proposals, noticing possible problems and eliminating bias. “It helps me think things through before making decisions and consider all the consequences of my actions,” Dall said. As SGB President, both of these attributes would serve her well. Dall’s insight from working to improve the living conditions of Pitt students would be an invaluable asset on the Board, and she shows an unmatched commitment to the student voices she would represent. “When I look at Pitt, I am really proud of how we are progressive, and we are talking about things that a lot of other schools don’t,” Dall said. “One of the things that I love about this University is that we have a very passionate student body that is engaged about a lot of different things.” Unfortunately, the campus passion Dall cherishes has not translated into student participation in SGB. Whichever candidate wins the election must address the apathy that resulted in only two candidates running to be the only representative students choose. While Dall’s plan to reach out to RAs with potentially interested students is more promising than Sykes’, it must be a priority for all of the new Board members. Hopefully next year’s endorsement will be an harder decision.

March 1, 2016

column

A PANTHER’S STATE PATTY’S DAY Matt Moret

Opinions Editor Penn State University greeted me last Saturday with a woman vomiting at my bus stop. It was around noon. I was visiting State College, Pennsylvania, for the first time to see a concert and to celebrate a friend’s birthday. It wasn’t long before I realized everyone else was busy celebrating something else entirely: State Patty’s Day. State Patty’s Day is a 10-year-old Penn State tradition that started as a way for Penn Staters to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day when the popular drinking holiday fell during spring break. Essentially, it is an excuse to binge drink while wearing green. I didn’t think mobs of students actually walked around that campus yelling, “We are Penn State.” I was wrong. To many college students, that type of booze-fueled energy sounds like a dream, but Pitt doesn’t really have an equivalent. As drinking is such a staple of college culture, it’s surprising that a school with more than 18 thousand people has few campuswide celebrations focused solely on getting as hammered as physically possible. There used to be an annual street party after finals week, known as Semple Fest, but Pitt police cracked down on it in 2008 — and it stayed down. The lack of drinking festivities makes more sense, though, once you consider our differing environments and how they affect our lifestyles. Pitt students live in a city — Penn State students own a town. Those community reSee Moret on page 5

4


Moret, pg. 4 lationships are extremely different. The interactions between students and the areas around their campuses are almost always tense. Non-student residents of Happy Valley hate State Patty’s Day so much that they pressured Penn State into offering alcohol-serving establishments up to $7,500 to stay dry all weekend. Our own students have earned the disdain of South Oakland residents for taking over the neighborhood and covering it in trash and drunken urine. Our problems aren’t completely unrelated. But the culture surrounding those messes, and drunkenness in general, is very clearly different depending on the location and what it provides. On any given weekend, Oakland is full of house parties and drunk people wandering the streets, but the zone of debauchery is somewhat contained. People looking for a party can easily get a pretty good idea of where to find one, but those looking for a night in can be completely removed from the drinking scene. At Penn State, it was a different story. There was no part of campus that didn’t feature numerous people looking as green or alcohol-drenched as their shirts. State Patty’s Day is a special event, so the version of State College I experienced is obviously not the norm. Still, the eagerness of people to intentionally blackout left me more confused than anything for much of my time there. When I saw Lil Wayne Saturday night, I had an easier time connecting with his mindset than many of the students around me. I like drinking, but I do it casually. I grab drinks on the weekend with friends, and I have my fair share of weird liquors

pittnews.com

that I’ll never finish just floating around my apartment. So it was a bit jarring to see people actively pushing themselves, and friends, past clear limits. I watched a guy shotgun a beer and then fall flat on his face as people cheered. According to Penn State University Police, 507 complaint calls came in, and there was a 56 percent increase in arrests compared to last year. There was a compulsion to drink because not doing so was seemingly a betrayal of tradition, despite the clear consequences of going overboard. When I mentioned my surprise to the friends I was visiting, I got the same explanation that anyone who ever considered a rural school has heard: When you live in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing really to do but drink. State College is an actual town, complete with places to eat and shop, but drinking is by far the easiest, most popular social activity around. In Pittsburgh, we have museums and professional sports games to attend, and there are events scattered around the city throughout the week. We obviously still drink, and going to those things does not really supplant the draw of doing so, but the ability to do something with friends other than get plastered is surely part of why drinking is a lesser part of Pitt’s culture than elsewhere. College culture varies so widely across the country that widely generalizing about student life based on location doesn’t accomplish much. There are plenty of “dry” schools that count stalks of corn as community leaders, just like some urban schools have huge alcohol problems. But the environments in which schools exist impact how we remember our college experiences. I like living at Pitt, so personally, I’d just be satisfied to remember it.

The Pitt News Editor-in-Chief DANIELLE FOX

Managing Editor HARRISON KAMINSKY

editor@pittnews.com

manager@pittnews.com

News Editor DALE SHOEMAKER

Opinions Editor MATT MORET

newsdesk.tpn@gmail.com

tpnopinions@pittnews.com

Sports Editor DAN SOSTEK

Culture Editor JACK TRAINOR

tpnsports@gmail.com

aeeditors@gmail.com

Visual Editor KATE KOENIG

Layout Editor EMILY HOWER

pittnewsphoto@gmail.com

tpnlayout@gmail.com

Online Editor STEVEN ROOMBERG

Copy Chief MICHELLE REAGLE

tpnonline@gmail.com

tpncopydesk@gmail.com

Zoë Hannah | Assistant News Editor Lauren Rosenblatt | Assistant News Editor Marlo Safi | Assistant Opinions Editor Elizabeth Lepro | Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor Danah Bialoruski | Assistant Layout Editor Sydney Harper | Multimedia Editor Amy Beaudine | Social Media Editor

Chris Puzia | Assistant Copy Chief Copy Staff Bridget Montgomery Anjuli Das Sierra Smith Sydney Mengel Sarah Choflet Kelsey Hunter

Matthew Maelli Kyleen Pickaring Casey Talay Corey Forman Alex Stryker Maria Castello

Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left. The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and

student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

Business Manager MATT REILLY

advertising@pittnews.com

Sales Manager DAVE BARR

Inside Sales Manager KELSEY MCCONVILLE

Marketing Manager KRISTINE APRILE

University Account Executive ALEX KANNER

Marketing Assistant LARA PETORAK Graphic Designers Jillian Miller Maya Puskaric

March 1, 2016

Digital Manager STEPHEN ELLIS Account Executives

Dave Barrone Steve Bretz Rob Capone Sean Hennessy

Mathew Houck Calvin Reif Allison Soenksen

Inside Sales Executive Marissa Altemus Victoria Hetrick Arianna Taddei

5


Culture

ROCK SOLID

Host’s comments on diversity outshined awards at Oscar ceremony | by Britnee Meiser | Staff Writer Sunday night’s 88th annual Academy Awards ceremony was a night of firsts. Industry professionals started the ceremony’s first boycott over the #OscarsSoWhite controversy — which host Chris Rock returned to again and again throughout the night. The academy also nominated a woman for adapting her own screenplay for the first time — Emma Donoghue, for “Room” — and introduced a “thank-you scroll” at the bottom of the screen to wrangle speeches to under 45 seconds. Leonardo DiCaprio even won his first Oscar, beating out heavyweights Michael Fassbender and Eddie Redmayne to finally capture the prize that has eluded the fourtime nominee. Hardly a surprise, Leo’s Oscar was only a matter of time. What was even less surprising was host Chris Rock’s barrage of jokes about Holly-

wood’s “sorority” brand of racism. Rock took the Oscars stage for the second time — the first was in 2005, when he became the first black man to host solo — and immediately addressed the #OscarsSoWhite elephant in the room. Dubbing it the “White People’s Choice Awards” in his opening monologue, Rock said he thought about boycotting, but knew the show would go on regardless — and he didn’t want to lose the job to Kevin Hart. Tonally, this was a brilliant move on the academy’s part. We all expected Rock to discuss the lack of diversity among this year’s nominees — dropping one-liners like “and we’re black” after commercial breaks — but his response addressed a wider issue of hardships for African Americans in history. “This whole no black nominees thing See Oscars on page 7

TNS

‘FULLER HOUSE’ OVERCROWDED Sarah Schneider for The Pitt News

Returning to the Tanner’s is like going to grandma’s house — not much has changed, and everyone’s a little older. With “Full House’s” 1995 conclusion, watching the family-friendly show’s reruns became a beloved pastime across America. But Netflix’s “Fuller House” quickly proves the show should have been left as exactly that — a past time. Even though it’s been 21 years since the last episode of America’s favorite TGIF sitcom, “Full House,” went off the air, the nostalgia abruptly ended Feb. 26, with Netflix’s latest original series “Fuller House,” a reboot of the ABC original show. With the season’s first 13 episodes, “Fuller House” is back with the same sappy life lessons and corny jokes but with a modern twist. With more crude humor and frequent

pittnews.com

pop culture references, the show is straining to appeal to a younger audience with both hands still death-gripping the nostalgia hook. The reboot’s premi s e resembles the origin a l ’s , w it h the familiar S a n Francisco house, abrasive laugh track and memorable catchphrases, such as Stephanie’s, “How rude!” and

Jesse’s, “Have mercy!” As with many film spin-offs and sequels, repeating a successful formula doesn’t translate well for “Fuller House.” T h e oldest daughter, DJ Tan n e rFuller (Candace Cameron Bure) is a recently single m o m with three boys after her firefighter husband died on duty. Twenty-nine years after “Full

“Fuller House”... is a bit uncanny for old fans and does nothing to draw in a new audience. March 1, 2016

House” began, DJ has taken over her father’s role, Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), who similarly raised a family after his wife’s death. The show makes sure you won’t miss that obvious connection, as DJ states in a later episode that she is “turning into Dad.” The parallels don’t stop there. In order to help DJ cope with her husband’s death and raise her three kids, middle sister Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and lifelong best friend Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) move into the Tanner’s original San Francisco house, just as Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) did to assist Danny. DJ is the mature, responsible one, just like her father, while Kimmy takes over Uncle Joey’s role as the goofball of the family. And Stephanie replaces Hot Uncle Jesse (who is still Hot Uncle Jesse) as the show’s main See ’Fuller House’ on page 7

6


Oscars, pg. 6 has happened at least 71 other times,” he said. “I’m sure there were no black nominees in ... ’62 or ’63, and black people did not protest. Why? Because we had real things to protest at the time, you know? We’re too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer.” He went on to call out those boycotting, including Jada Pinkett-Smith. “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited,” he said. Racism in Hollywood — not “burningcross” racism, more like “You’re not a Kappa” racism, in Rock’s words — gave the night its theme and politically charged comedic relief. Not all of Rock’s jokes landed though. One bizarre instance was Rock’s introduction of black actress Stacey Dash as head of the new “Minority Outreach Program.” Dash recently spoke out against Black History Month and said the BET channel should be abolished. When she walked out on stage, perky and slightly self-deprecating, wishing viewers a “Happy Black History Month,” it was awkward. No one clapped. Another, in which Rock introduced three Asian children onstage as bankers from PricewaterhouseCoopers — the professional services firm that supplies the official briefcases that carry the Academy Award

‘Fuller House,’ pg. 6 source of sex appeal. Despite the reversed plot, the first episode of “Fuller House” is a complete nostalgia trip, which is a bit uncanny for old fans and does nothing to draw in a new audience. The credits include images of the cast back in the day, and there is also a side-by-side shot of Joey singing the same “Flintstones” theme song to DJ’s son and to baby Michelle in an old episode. There are also multiple shot recreations, including a scene where Jesse plays the guitar with his old band, The Rippers. Many of the main characters reappear, such as Danny, who has put on a few pounds in the last two decades, Joey, who still plays with Mr. Woodchuck — a stuffed puppet he narrates to make the kids laugh —and Jesse and Becky Katsopolis (Lori Loughlin), who are now married. These characters mainly appear in the first episode, but make random guest appearances throughout the rest of the season. One very important character who doesn’t appear on the show is Michelle, the youngest

pittnews.com

ballots — threatened to undermine Rock’s entire diversity shtick. In a night decidedly made to talk openly about white and black actor equality in Hollywood, the joke came at a separate race’s expense, sparking outcry on Twitter that African Americans aren’t the only ones that face discrimination in Hollywood. While the joke took a shot at Asians, a recent Washington Post article shows that Hispanics are twice as underrepresented in the Oscars as black actors. Those two moments aside, Rock’s performance was overall powerful, with one notably sweet stunt that brought Girl Scouts into the audience to sell cookies. Although she wasn’t nominated this year, Google searching Charlize Theron’s reaction returns a look of blissful happiness. A while later, Rock revealed the audience raised a whopping $65,243. The host effectively overshadowed the awards themselves, stealing the show from the night’s biggest winners, Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight” and Alejandro G. Inarritu’s “The Revenant,” from the minute he walked on stage. “Spotlight,” a film that was overlooked at the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards, took home the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. “The Revenant” scored three wins for Best Director

— Inarritu’s second in a row following last year’s “Birdman” — Best Actor (DiCaprio) and Achievement in Cinematography. While everyone is happy for DiCaprio, the many newcomers’ sweep in the actress categories is just as praiseworthy. Brie Larson won Best Actress for her phenomenal performance in “Room,” while Alicia Vikander took home the little gold man for her Supporting Actress work in “The Danish Girl.” Veteran actor and first-time nominee Mark Rylance also won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a Russian spy in Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies” over the favored Sylvester Stalone in “Creed.” Meanwhile, George Miller’s dystopian reboot “Mad Max: Fury Road” dominated the technical awards, to some surprise. The film won six awards — the most of the night — including Best Costume Design, Production Design and Hair and Makeup. “Mad Max: Fury Road” was the best critically reviewed film of 2016, scoring a 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But Rock made the night less about celebration than about teaching a lesson — over and over again. As midnight rolled around, the ceremony’s end credits scrolled to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” concluding the racially charged ceremony, but kicking off a hopeful new beginning for a more diverse Hollywood.

Dall, pg. 2

daughter played by both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The Olsen twins declined the show’s offer to star in “Fuller House,” as they both spend most of their time in New York running their many clothing lines, such as Elizabeth and James and The Row. The show pokes fun of Michelle’s absence with Danny explaining Michelle is too busy “running her fashion empire in New York.” The cast then pauses and turns to look directly at the camera for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Amid the nostalgia, there are too many forced new additions in “Fuller House” that make its efforts to stay relevant cringeworthy at times. Canadian pop-star Carly Rae Jepsen now sings the “Everywhere You Look” theme song, almost causing one’s ears to bleed. The show also frequently tries to reference pop culture by having the characters use phrases such as “on fleek,” take constant selfies, use Uber and latch onto their cellphones. The show even goes as far as referring to Donald Trump as a “bad word.”

Following its characters, “Fuller House’s” intended target audience has grown up as well. Within the first few episodes, Stephanie dethrones Uncle Jesse’s lead sex appeal by wearing a revealing low-cut dress, Kimmy references acid and the three main characters — Kimmy, Stephanie and DJ — pound back tequila shots and dance with shirtless guest stars from “Dancing With the Stars” all while R&B artist Macy Gray performs on stage. But at the same time, the show is trying its best to quench the audience’s thirst for the show’s golden days. Kimmy seems to be “stuck in the ’90s,” still wearing her usual bright tacky clothing. A few characters even perform a dance routine to a New Kids on the Block song in order to “take it back to the late ’80s when the party got started.” Even though “Fuller House” tries its best to be a modern spin-off of the old show, it’s so kitschy that only die-hard fans or millennials seeking nostalgic closure will find it satisfying. And, like Michelle Tanner, these characters’ lives probably would have been best left to the imagination.

or schiophrenia. Sykes’s commitment to addressing concerns about mental health at Pitt is considered by his peers and colleagues to be one of his greatest strengths. Board member Meghan Murphy, who also serves on the Task Force with Sykes, said she’s seen his commitment to educating students about mental health during their concurrent terms. “He likes to find the easiest way to bring established frameworks and programs to better address mental health concerns at Pitt,” Murphy, a junior neuroscience and political science major, said in an email. According to Sykes, the most important part of being a good leader is being selfless, committed and connected with the student body. “Right now I feel like there’s a disconnect between the students and their representatives on the SGB, they don’t feel like they’re being represented,” Sykes said. Sykes also wants to encourage students to be active themselves in SGB. Recent elections have included a minimal number of candidates, something Sykes wants to change.

March 1, 2016

She said her background in science, and her calculating mind, makes taking on these kinds of initiatives easier. “I think it’s nice because I do have a very analytical brain,” Dall said. “So it’s a lot of Plan B thinking and thinking things through before I act on them.” In high school, Dall was the type of student who took every Advanced Placement science class offered, including higher-level physics, biology and chemistry classes. Now, she works in a lab, studying fruit fly genitalia to better understand evolution and development. But she doesn’t want a career as a resident director, a politician or a researcher — she wants to teach. “I realized I’ve been lying to myself about it for a long time,” Dall said. “I’ve always been super passionate about education. I love to teach, I love to tutor. I’ve finally accepted I would be so much happier doing education and communications because that’s what fulfills me the most.” Dall began at Pitt on the pre-medicine track but increasingly became more interested in education and communications, and she decided her sophomore year that she’d be happier conducting research and becoming a professor.

Find the full story online at

pittnews.com

Sykes, pg. 2

Find the full story online at

pittnews.com

7


Sports

PITT STAYS PROUD

Te’Shan Campbell faces down an opponent. Theo Schwarz | Staff Photographer

Dan Sostek Sports Editor

Pitt junior forward Jamel Artis rarely lacks confidence, on or off the court. His pride was glaringly apparent following the Panthers’ beatdown of No. 15 Duke University Sunday, in his postgame press conference. “Duke is a good team, but we’re a better team,” Artis said. “We showed it tonight.” Despite a disappointing loss to University of Louisville Wednesday, the entire Panther squad appears to share Artis’ mindset. As the season draws to a close, Pitt is revelling in its success — casting only brief glances at some unfortunate moments in its recent history. In a PittLiveWire video, Panther head coach Jamie Dixon said his team is playing the best basketball of the year. “I don’t know if anyone is playing better than us right now,” Dixon told his team. “We let one get away, but we’re on the run, people.” While that might be a bit hyperbolic, the Panthers appear to have, for the time being, a firm slot in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with two regular season games left to play. Thanks to an surge in energy, they’ve won three out of the past four games. In Pitt’s past three wins over Wake Forest University, Syracuse University and Duke, the Panthers outrebounded opponents by a whopping margin of 140 to 78, and even beat Louisville on the boards 34-28. Against Syracuse and the Blue Devils, the Panthers also held their opponents to under 40 percent from the field.

Find the full story online at

pittnews.com

pittnews.com

GROWING UP GRAPPLING David Leftwich Staff Writer

Maybe it’s something in the water. Pitt wrestling sits in one of the nation’s most fertile recruiting areas, in the heart of the high school Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League — a 100-year-old program now part of a statewide interscholastic wrestling league. The WPIAL’s ample recruiting base has provided Pitt with 12 of the 28 wrestlers on its current roster. Athletes said that growing up with their teammates and competitors has fostered a healthy sense of sportsmanship, where friendships on the mat carry on for years after the athletes have outgrown the league. Most of the Panther wrestlers, such as freshman standout Te’Shan Campbell, have competed against one another at the highest level since childhood. “I grew up with Cam [Jacobson] when we were youths, and me and Nate Hall wrestled when we were younger,” Campbell said. “They’re all familiar faces.” Sophomore Dom Forys said that even as childhood friendships morph into high school competitions, wrestlers don’t take

one-on-one rivalries out of the circle. “It’s always cool that it’s all one big community still even though you’re enemies on the mat,” Forys said. He was in his high school Pittsburgh Wrestling Club with some of the same people he now faces collegiately, such as Drexel wrestler Alex DeCiantis. Frank Vulcano, chairman of the WPIAL wrestling committee, said wrestling has always been a close-knit sport. He wrestled at Pitt in 1981 and still keeps in touch with teammates from his collegiate wrestling years, even after more than 30 years off the mat. “[There’s] a lot of camaraderie in wrestling,” Vulcano said, particularly in a league as long-standing as the WPIAL. “They start out in the club programs, [then] in the Pittsburgh programs they get to wrestle with each other and they still get to work out with each other ... before you know it they move on to the collegiate level and they’re friends and they compete against each other.” Vulcano said college coaches recruit early, scouring teams for talented athletes as young as eighth- or ninth-graders. “The college coaches reach out, they’re around all the tournaments,” Vulcano said.“We’re a hotbed of wrestling. It’s a place

March 1, 2016

where a lot of coaches across the country come to recruit.” Pitt head coach Jason Peters said all of the talent in the WPIAL doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to decide which wrestlers will be stand-out stars in college. Many wrestlers without impressive resumés, according to Peters, have the natural talent to perform at the college level. “We’re guessing a lot of the time,” Peters said. Forys, for example, won 17-straight matches and has already qualified for the NCAA tournament this season. But he didn’t even place in the state competition during his senior year of high school. He said stiff competition once he got to Pitt was “a huge contribution” to his late success, pushing him to rise above others in his bracket. This season, the Panthers have faced some inconsistency on the mat, largely because of a young roster. Only five of the 28 wrestlers on Pitt’s team are juniors or seniors. Pitt finished the regular season with a 10-7 record, recording strong wins against ranked opponents No. 15 University of Wisconsin and No. 20 University of Virginia, while also See Wrestling on page 9

8


Wrestling, pg. 8 suffering tough defeats against unranked West Virginia University and Clarion University. The ACC tournament on March 6, in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the Panthers will likely meet up with former WPIAL teammates, will offer Pitt a shot at redemption. . Individuals who win this weekend secure a spot at the NCAA Tournament the following weekend. “I expect us to go out there and get a few

SGB, pg. 1 Arlind Karpuzi and Sydney Harper are running on the Keystone Slate. The Keystone Slate seeks to improve services for victims of sexual assault, encourage professors to offer free PDF versions of textbooks to students and create a database of Pitt alumni so current students can network. Dall currently serves as a Board member and Karpuzi serves as SGB’s chief of staff. Board candidates Rohit Anand and Alyssa Laguerta are running on the H.A.T.S. Slate, which is not affiliated with a presidential candidate. Anand and Laguerta seek to make SGB more accessible to students and to create more study spaces on campus. Anand currently serves as the chair of SGB’s transportation committee. Slim competition Keeping with the trend of the past two

Lecture, pg. 3 student, Zubrow said Yiannopoulos’ speech was personal because it invalidated their very existence. “This man does not believe my identity is authentic,” Zubrow said. For Rosemary Geraghty, the business manager of the College Republicans, Yiannopoulos’ speech was problematic — but it shouldn’t be stopped. “As a member of the LGBT community, I find a lot of what he says offensive,” Geraghty said. “But I support his right to say it.” Geraghty, a sophomore political science and communications major, said she disagrees with Yiannopoulos’ sentiment that safe spaces never belong on college campuses. “Safe spaces should exist, but I don’t think the way they’re being used on college campuses is appropriate,” Geraghty said, referring to the mandatory nature of safe spaces on some campuses.

pittnews.com

champs and a couple runners-up and be able move on to the next round,” NCAA hopeful Campbell said. No matter what happens this weekend, Campbell said playing with talented wrestlers from the WPIAL has affected his career from the very beginning. “I’ve been able to touch some of the best wrestlers in the country just from this area alone,” Campbell said. “I feel like that played a role in me being able to transfer over in college.” elections, there are very few candidates running for Board seats and the presidency. Because all eight Board candidates are guaranteed their seats, the votes will determine who serves as executive vice president, a title that falls to the candidate with the highest number of votes. Constitutional referendum In addition to voting for Board and presidential candidates, students can also vote on a referendum, which would allow the Board to amend SGB’s constitution to include gender neutral language. In order to pass the referendum, at least 3 percent of the student body must vote, and a simple majority must vote in favor of it. The referendum will amend instances of gendered language, such as “he/she” and “his/her,” to gender neutral language using a singular “they” pronoun. Associate Dean and Director of Residence Life Steve Anderson, who attended the event, said Pitt administrators are “viewpoint neutral” when it comes to politicized speeches like Yiannopoulos’. “We just wanted to make sure we are supporting our students,” Anderson said at the event. Anderson also urged students who were upset that Yiannopoulos was allowed at Pitt to approach Student Government Board with their concerns, as part of the funding for the speech came from the Allocations Committee. Yiannopoulos thanked College Republicans for orchestrating peaceful escorts off the stage and defended the protesters’ rights to free speech. “Free speech matters because you are at an institution of learning,” Yiannopoulos said. “Free speech matters because you are routinely being denied the opportunity to hear other arguments.”

March 1, 2016

9


I Rentals & Sublet N D E X -NORTH OAKLAND -SOUTH OAKLAND -SHADYSIDE -SQUIRREL HILL -SOUTHSIDE -NORTHSIDE -BLOOMFIELD -ROOMMATES -OTHER

** 5 Bedroom/2 full bath; HUGE HOMEduplex style, three stories. 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens, 2 dining rooms, LAUNDRY and a huge yard to enjoy! Huge Bedrooms! Located on Dawson Street. PITT Shuttle stops directly in front of house, only 15 minute level walk to PITT/CMU. $2,795+. Available 8/1/2016. NO PETS. Call Jason at 412-9222141. Pictures- Info: tinyurl.com/pitthome **AUGUST 2016: Furnished Studio, 1-2-3-4 Bedroom Apts. No pets. Non-smokers preferred. 412-621-0457 M.J. Kelly Realty Studio, 1, 2, 3, & 4 Bedroom Apartments, Duplexes, Houses. $750-$2400. mjkellyrealty@gmail.com. 412-271-5550, mjkellyrealty.com

pittnews.com

Employment

-CHILDCARE -FOOD SERVICES -UNIVERSITY -INTERNSHIPS -RESEARCH STUDIES -VOLUNTEERING -OTHER

-AUTO -BIKES -BOOKS -MERCHANDISE -FURNITURE -REAL ESTATE -TICKETS

*3 BEDROOM, REMODELED HOUSE -FURNISHED* Beautiful, large, clean and spacious. New fully equipped kitchen. Wall-towall carpeting. Washer/Dryer included. Whole house air-conditioning. Garage Available. $1600+utilities. Aug. 1. Call 412-247-1900, 412-731-4313. +++5 bedroom, 2 full baths, huge house, nicely updated, shuttle across street, washer/dryer, $2795+, August 1, photos www.tinyurl.com/pittnewsad1 coolapartments@gmail.com 724-935-2663 1,2,3,5,6, & 8 bedroom houses. August & May 2016. Bouquet, Atwood, Meyran. Please call 412-287-5712. 4 BR house for rent. $1800/month. Available August 1. 412-337-9916.

Classifieds

For Sale

Services

-EDUCATIONAL -TRAVEL -HEALTH -PARKING -INSURANCE

2529 Allequippa Street Apartment Available For Rent By Trees Hall beginning August 1st--$1200 2 Bedrooms w/ Central air + BHK--Please call 412-721-8888 if interested. 3303 Niagara Street 3 Bedroom House Available for Rent for $1400--BHK--no utilities included-Please call 412-721-8888 if interested.

**Large efficiences, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments available for August 2016. Clean, walking distance to campus. Great location. $575-$630$900-$1100. Utilities included. No pets/ smoking or parties. 412-882-7568.

3104 Niagara Street 6 Bedroom House Available for Rent for $2500--BHK--no utilities but includes central air--Please call 412-721-8888 if interested.

Announcements -ADOPTION -EVENTS -LOST AND FOUND -STUDENT GROUPS -WANTED -OTHER

4BR Fraiser St. 2 full bathrooms, and driveway. $1550+. Newly renovated, with hardwood floors, free washer/dryer provided, equipped kitchen, and central air. Available August 1, 2016. Call 412-600-6933. 7 BR house AVAILABLE AUG. 1, 2016. NO PETS. One year lease. Meyran Ave. 5 minute walk to University of Pittsburgh. 412-983-5222. ADDITIONAL PARKING SPACE AVAILABLE FOR RENT. Available 8/1, 1 BR/1 Bath, 5 min. walk to Cathedral, A/C, hardwood floors, newly renovated, starting at $995+, 412.441.1211 Available 8/1, 3 BR/1 Bath, less than 1 mile to campus, updated, Dishwasher and AC, starting at $1330+, 412.441.1211

R INSERTIONS 1X 2X 3X 4X 5X 6X ADDITIONAL A 1-15 WORDS $6.30 $11.90 $17.30 $22.00 $27.00 $30.20 $5.00 T 16-30 WORDS $7.50 $14.20 $20.00 $25.00 $29.10 $32.30 $5.40 E S DEADLINE: TWO BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR BY 3 PM | EMAIL: ADVERTISING@PITTNEWS.COM | PHONE: 412.648.7978 (EACH ADDITIONAL WORD: $0.10)

Completely updated 2BR apartment within walking distance to Pitt for $1850 per month. Apartment has A/C, stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in unit, spacious living room & bedrooms, heated bathroom floor, hardwood floors and more! Call 412.682.7622 or email sarah@robbrealestate.com for more info on this amazing apartment for FALL 2016.

FOR RENT AUGUST 1 2016: Completely remodeled, spacious 3BR 1.5 BA home on tree-lined residential street. $1725/mo + utilities. Original woodwork, high ceilings, large bedrooms. Parking available. Panther Properties of PA, pantherproperties2@gmail.com. Photos: https://panther-life.com/properties/oakland/ Last ones remaining! 1 and 6 BR houses and apartments for rent. Right on Pitt shuttle line. $395 and $515/person. Available August 1, 2016. TMK Properties. Deal directly with the owner. Call Tim 412-491-1330.

March 1, 2016

Spacious 2BR apartments on Dawson St., single or double occupancy. Partially renovated & improved. August 25 availability. Very affordable rent. Limited parking spaces also available. Call 412-692-1770 to see apartment & parking spaces. Spacious 4BR apartment within walking distance to Pitt for $2500 per month. Apartment has central A/C, two full baths, eat-in kitchen, spacious living room & bedrooms. Call 412.682.7622 or email sarah@robbrealestate.com for more info on this amazing apartment for FALL 2016. Updated 1BR apartment within walking distance to Pitt for $775 per month. Apartment has A/C, plenty of storage, spacious living room, eat-in kitchen, lots of character and more! Call 412.682.7622 or email sarah@robbrealestate.com for more info on this amazing apartment for FALL 2016.

361 McKee Pl. 4BR + 2BA. $1650 +all utilities. Available May 1. 3828 Bates St. 3BR + 2BA house. Washer/Dryer, A/C, Dishwasher. $1500 +all utilities. Available Aug 1. 317 Meyran Ave. 6BR + 2BA. $2300 +all utilities. Available May 1. 422 Atwood St. 6BR + 2BA. Wash/Dryer. $2400 +all utilities. Available Aug 1. Call 412-721-1308. 4 BR townhouses, Semple St., available May 1st & August 1st, 2016. Equipped kitchen, full basement. 412-343-4289. Call after 5:00 pm.

*1 BEDROOM REMODELED FURNISHED APARTMENTS. Beautiful, clean, large, and spacious. Fullyequipped kitchen and bathroom. Wallto-wall carpeting. $750. Owner pays heat. Available Aug. 2016. Call 412-247-1900, 412-731-4313. Large 6 BR house, 2 full bathrooms, washer/dryer, dishwasher, and many upgrades, Juliette St. 724-825-0033.

2-3-4-5 BR units available August: most have laundry, dishwasher, carpeting; newly renovated 4BR house features hardwood and tile flooring, sunroom, deck, off-street parking. Rents start at $950+ utilities; call 412-559-3079.

Available 8/1, 4 br/2bath, Less than 1 mile to campus, Split Level, Updated, Central A/C, $2420+, 412.441.1211 3 & 5 bedroom. May 2016. Sarah St. Large bedroom, new kitchen, air conditioning, washer & dryer, dishwasher, large deck. 412-287-5712. Real estate advertising in The Pitt News is subject to the Fair Housing Act. The Pitt News will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate which violates the law. To complain of discrimination, call HUD at 1-800-6699777 or email fheo_webmanager@hud.gov. For the hearing impaired, please call TTY 1-800-927-9275.

10


Studios, 1, 2, & 3 Bedroom apartments available August 2016 & sooner. Oakland, Shadyside, Friendship, Squirrel Hill, Highland Park, Point Breeze. Photos & current availability online, check out www.forbesmanagement.net, or call 412.441.1211

SMOKERS NEEDED! Researchers at UPMC are looking to enroll healthy adult cigarette smokers ages 18-65. This research is examining the influence of brief uses of FDA-approved nicotine patch or nicotine nasal spray on mood and behavior. The study involves a brief physical exam and five sessions lasting two hours each. Eligible participants who complete all sessions will receive up to $250, or $20 per hour. This is NOT a treatment study. For more information, call 412-2465396 or visit www.SmokingStudies.pitt.edu Undergrads needed to test tutoring system: 18 or older, native English speaker, adequate academic background as determined by a brief questionnaire. 2-5 hrs; $10/hr., possible $20 bonus. Contact rimac@pitt.edu

pittnews.com

Seeking tutors for all subjects to serve as a tutor to high school students (8-12). If you are proficient in a particular subject, please call Brian (412) 650-9213. A private, prestigious country club in the East Suburbs of Pittsburgh is currently searching for candidates to fill the following positions:Ala Carte Wait Staff,Banquet Wait Staff,Bartenders. The proper candidates are energetic, trustworthy, and able to adapt in any situation. Although no prior experience is required, it is certainly a positive. You must have reliable transportation. Along with competitive wages, the club also provides scholarship opportunities, free meals, uniforms, parking and flexible scheduling to all employees. All interested persons should email their resume to nleitzel@longuevue.org.

Victim of sexual violence? Gilmary has a Christian retreat for you. Visit gilmarycenter.org for details.

The Pitt news crossword 3/1/16

Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unrelated people can share a single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Permits, Licensing & Inspections. 412-255-2175.

OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Management Company seeks person w/ min 3 yrs. college, for upcoming spring semester, to interview & process rental applications, do internet postings & help staff in action-central office. Part time or full time OK starting now; full time in summer. $12/hour. Perfect job for graduating seniors set to enter grad school, returning grad students, and first-year law students! Mozart Management 412.682.7003. thane@mozartrents.com

March 1, 2016

11


pittnews.com

March 1, 2016

12


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.