The Pitt News
Honors College dean to leave for position at University of Arkansas pittnews.com
T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | april 18, 2019 | Volume 109 | Issue 145
DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR PRIMARY VOTER REGISTRATION
A CAPELLA AND ACADEMIA
Jon Moss
Contributing Editor Pittsburghers will have an opportunity to go to the polls for City and county elections in the coming weeks, but the voter registration deadline is closing soon. Pennsylvania residents who wish to vote in the May 21 primary election must register to vote by next Monday. Voters must be registered as a member of a party in order to vote in its primary. Residents can register to vote and update their name, party affiliation or address on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website. Any forms submitted by mail must be postmarked before the Monday deadline. Several City and county elected officials will be up for re-election in the 2019 cycle, and several first-time candidates are challenging long-time incumbents as well. Below are the candidates whose districts include Oakland. Allegheny County Council at-large seat John DeFazio (D) DeFazio, the octogenarian president of the County Council, has served in the body since its creation in 1999. A longtime organizer with the United Steelworkers union, he is seeking a sixth term. The Allegheny County Democratic Committee endorsed DeFazio by a vote of 836-642. Bethany Hallam (D) Hallam, a 29-year-old, joins the short list of those who have challenged DeFazio since his first election. She was prescribed opioids during high See Registration on page 2
John Starr, a junior studying linguistics, English and Persian, was selected as one of 18 recipients across the United States of the Beinecke Scholarship. Anna Bongardino | contributing editor
A STARR IS BORN: JOHN STARR, BEATBOXER AND BEINECKE WINNER
Erica Guthrie
Senior Staff Writer While preparing backstage for a high-level a cappella competition March 30, John Starr got an email that changed his life — out of 90 candidates from across the United States, he was one of 18 students who received the prestigious Beinecke scholarship. “Halfway through the afternoon, about 3 or 4 p.m., after all of our mic checks and stuff were done,
I found out I got the scholarship, so then I was crying,” Starr, the vocal percussionist for one of Pitt’s a cappella groups, The Songburghs, said. “Then, the night of the competition, we became the secondever group from Pitt to place at that level and I won best vocal percussion, which was amazing because the guy who inspired me to be a really good beatboxer was there and I beat him.” Starr, a junior studying linguistics, English and
Persian, was selected as a recipient of the Beinecke Scholarship. The scholarship, endowed by the Sperry Fund, provides $34,000 of graduate funding to dedicated students who are looking to do research in the humanities or social sciences. Starr, the third Pitt student in the past three years to be a recipient of the Beinecke, arrived at the award through past involvement in the Honors College. See Starr on page 2
News
Starr, pg. 1
Pennsylvania residents who wish to vote in the May 21 primary election must register to vote by next Monday and be registered as a member of a party. Carolina Hidalgo, Tampa Bay Times | tns
Registration, pg. 1 school to help with an injury, which led to an addiction she later overcame. Hallam said she could lend a new perspective to the County Council and utilize her personal experience as an ex-addict in crafting solutions to the opioid crisis. State Rep. Sara Innamorato (D-21) and the Pennsylvania Young Democrats are among those who have endorsed Hallam. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala (D) Zappala has served as district attorney since he was first elected in 1999 and has faced few challengers since. He recently came under fire from activists due to the acquittal of Michael Rosfeld, a police officer who shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Antwon Rose II last June. Zappala’s office was responsible for prosecuting Rosfeld in the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas. In a letter to City Councilmember Corey O’Connor (D-5), Zapalla said the Council did not have the proper authority to regulate gun usage within City limits. Turahn Jenkins (D) Jenkins is a private criminal defense attorney seeking to unseat Zappala. He launched his campaign on July 2, 2018, the day after the Rose shooting. But days after launching his campaign, Jenkins faced criticism from the Pittsburgh LGTBQ+ community after he referred to homosexuality as a “sin.” According to his campaign website, Jenkins is seeking more engagement between law enforcement and citizens, increased policy accountability and additional training for prosecutors. Pittsburgh City Council, District 3
pittnews.com
Bruce Kraus (D) Kraus, president of the City Council and the City’s first openly gay elected official, has served on the Council since 2008. He led a successful effort in 2016 to ban conversion therapy for minors, has worked on improvements to the Carson Street corridor in South Side and voted in favor of the recent City Council gun control legislation. Kraus is seeking a fourth term. Kenneth Wolfe (D) Wolfe, former chief of staff to Councilmember Kraus, is challenging his former boss. His platform largely focuses on improving government services, such as ending third-party tax collection. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Wolfe owed several thousand dollars in delinquent taxes as of August 2018. In an undated statement on his campaign website, Wolfe said his financial troubles shine a light on the types of problems faced by everyday Pittsburghers. Chris Kumanchik (D) Kumanchik, an undergraduate Pitt student and pro-gun rights Democrat, is seeking to unseat Kraus. He told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he believed the City Council’s gun control legislation, which was signed into law last Wednesday, to be in violation of state law. County Controller Chelsa Wagner (D), County Treasurer John Weinstein (D), County Councilmember-at-large Samuel DeMarco III (R) and City Controller Michael Lamb (D) are running unopposed. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald (D) and his general election challenger, Matt Drozd (R), are not facing primary opponents.
In the summer between his sophomore and junior years, he completed a Brackenridge Summer Fellowship through the Honors College. His project focused on the history of Chinese immigration to the United States and different philosophical interpretations of the concept of identity. Now, at the end of his academic career, he’s not completely sure what he wants to do, but he aims to have a Ph.D. in linguistics with a focus in Persian, also commonly known as Farsi. “I’m really interested in a lot of the computational aspects of language. If you look at the Google Translate for Persian, or even lesser-studied ones like Kazakh or Tajik, it’s just garbage,” Starr said. “I just want to work on a team to make those better for people, because I think the whole point of language is to be able to bring people together.” Starr’s academic drive was instilled in him from a young age. Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Starr said his parents always encouraged him and his younger sister, Sarah, to pursue their academic passions. His mom, an immigrant from Hong Kong, works as a professor of psychology and education at Bucks County Community College and his dad works as the associate director of exam services and technical operations at Temple University. “I really like trying new things and learning, it’s pretty inspired by my family, just always learning more,” Starr said. “If there was something I liked, they would always support me. They’d encourage me to pursue things as far as I could go.” After dabbling with the idea of a career in science in high school, Starr decided to return to his childhood passion of writing and declared an English major when he got to Pitt. His forays into linguistics and Persian were accidental. “In the spring semester, I was like, ‘Well, I should probably know more about the language I’m working with,’ so I took Intro to Linguistics, and I loved it. I still love it, I’m TA-ing it right now,” Starr said. “[Persian] was kind of random, I had no idea what it was. And then, in the fall, I just ended up loving it.” Now in Persian 4 and with one more academic year left before graduation, Starr is still weighing his options for graduate school. He is looking at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London as a potential place to get his master’s degree. He’s also looking into applying for the Marshall Scholarship and the Fulbright Scholars program to teach English in Tajikistan.
April 18, 2019
In addition to linguistics, Starr, a self-described “musical person,” connected with another childhood passion — singing — when he got to Pitt and decided to join The Songburghs. “I knew I wanted to do something with music, but I didn’t want to join a choir, because I’d been doing it since pretty much the fourth grade,” Starr said. “I could sort of beatbox … but that was kind of the role I was thrown in, because the circumstances from the previous year, the group didn’t really have a beatboxer, so I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll guess I’ll do it.’” At the end of his first year beatboxing in The Songburghs, Starr decided to run for music director alongside his friend Charlotte Fallick, now a senior studying psychology and English writing. The pair won the election and became the group’s first ever co-directors. “He and I had hit it off from the moment we met. I don’t even remember us becoming friends, I just remember us being friends,” Fallick said. “He is a great collaborator, he’s really open to suggestions and also really hardworking.” Jason Sepac, the director of research and creative programs, passed Starr’s name to Lesha Greene, Pitt’s national scholarship mentor. “The scholar mentors asked if I knew anyone who would be a good fit for the Beinecke and John was the first person to come to mind,” Sepac wrote in an email. “He’s an amazing student — humble, thoughtful, friendly, and a genuinely good person. I’m so proud of him and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.” Greene, who also coordinates such awards as the Fullbright, Schwarzman and the Knight Hennessy, said Starr’s Beinecke application stood out because he had put a lot of thought into the applicability of his research. “John has a verve for linguistics and Persian that is invigorating. From his application, you could tell that his passions were genuine and he had put a lot of thought into what comes next and where he could go with his research,” Greene wrote in an email. “Those factors along with his stellar academic record and demonstrated history of doing research both guided and independently made him an excellent candidate for the award.” Starr said he was immensely grateful to those who helped him achieve all he has. “The first thing I did when I won the award was I called my mom and emailed my scholarship adviser and said ‘Thank you so much,’” Starr said. “It wasn’t me basking in the glory. It’s me, but it’s not necessarily for me.”
2
pittnews.com
April 18, 2019
3
Opinions
column
IT'S OK TO MOVE BACK Russian start-up should leave HOME AFTER COLLEGE advertisements out of space from the editorial board
A Russian startup company announced in January it wants to take advertising to a new terrain — the sky. The company, StartRocket, said the ads would be created by tiny satellites and reflective sails, reflecting sunlight in order to form glowing advertisements. The advertisements would be visible on land, from just about anywhere on Earth. The beverage company PepsiCo announced its partnership with StartRocket on April 13. But the company has since decided to scrap plans following aggressive pushback. That means we’re safe — for now. In a day and age where it’s nearly impossible to go anywhere without seeing some sort of advertisement, putting them in the sky seems not only irritating, but unnecessary and harmful. Marketing experts estimate people see anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 ads a day. From social media and billboards to hit songs and bathroom stall doors, advertisements are everywhere. Pittsburgh’s highest point, Mount Washington, even displays a giant, controversial Sprint Wireless Advertisement. The banner is visible from almost any spot downtown. Along with an extreme and unnecessary addition of advertisements, space experts have voiced concern that ads in space could contribute to light pollution. As the brightness of the night sky increases from artificial light sources, it becomes harder to see stars and detect objects. This would affect almost every observatory in the world, according to the American Astronomical Society. Light pollution also has negative effects on health — it can damage the body’s
pittnews.com
circadian rhythm, slowing the production of melatonin and resulting in inadequate sleep and a weakened immune system, according to the International Dark-Sky Association. Experts also agree that projects like StartRocket’s would significantly increase debris pollution in space. According to the American Astronomical Society, there are more than 20,000 foreign objects currently circulating in space. The debris increases the risk of collision, which could disable an active astronomy mission. Despite the pushback and looming consequences, there are no laws against what StartRocket is trying to do, according to Astronomy. Since the technology already exists, if not Pepsi, another company with a large marketing budget may want to partner with StartRocket in the future. But many people, including John Barentine, an astronomer and director of conservation for the International Dark-Sky Association, will continue to insist that the sky should be kept ad free. “Who wants to look at this?” Barentine told Astronomy in January, regarding StartRocket’s proposal. “I can’t imagine anybody in a kind of a manon-the-street situation if you ask them if they want to be confronted with advertising messages in the night sky would say, ‘Yeah, I think that’s a great idea.’” Just as nobody wants to take a photo of the sky with a KFC ad in the background, nobody wants to stargaze and see an advertisement for Pepsi. There are plenty of other places to creatively and effectively advertise, but the sky should be kept ad free.
Daniel Walsh | senior staff illiustrator
Ana Altchek
Staff Columnist As graduation approaches, a plethora of mixed emotions floods the minds of second-semester seniors. College graduation is bittersweet, and whether students are more nervous or excited often depends on their post-graduation plans. While having to search for a job after graduation is stressful on its own, there’s also the looming fear of having to move back home. More graduates are choosing to move back home than ever. A record 36% of college seniors were expected to move back home for at least a year upon college graduation in 2016. Despite their good reason to do so, there is a lingering stigma of laziness and failure that surrounds those who do. Moving back home after college does not equate to failure, and it shouldn’t be perceived this way. On the contrary, it is often the most realistic choice for a student who is trying to save money and work to pay off loans. The most recent studies project that 70% of college students graduate with debt, at an average amount of $37,000. From 2004 to 2017, U.S. student debt accumulation soared from $345 bil-
April 18, 2019
lion to more than $1.38 trillion. For the majority of graduates who do have loans to pay off, moving back home to save money is often a realistic and responsible choice. Along with the rising student debt, housing costs have simultaneously rose. Mortgage rates and housing prices are higher than they’ve been in seven years, according to a Bloomberg report released in September 2018. Mortgage rates have hit a rate of 4.72%, and Federal Reserve policy makers project that this rate will continue rising. As a result, the cities that are the biggest job hubs — like New York or San Francisco— are even less affordable. In a city like San Jose, Bloomberg reports that even the highest earning graduates are about $100,000 short of being able to afford housing. Perhaps even worse are the detrimental effects that scrambling to pay off rent and loans can have on work life. According to a 2016 published survey from the nternational Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, he organization, Financial Education for Today’s Workplace, 60% of workers struggling financially have difficulty focusing in their jobs, and 34% showed issues See Altchek on page 5
4
Altchek, pg. 4 with attendance. Clearly, living independently upon graduation can result in serious economic strain, which can consequently negatively impact work life. But despite the economic climate and evidence pointing towards the benefits of moving back home, students are still reluctant to do so. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering how stigmatized moving back home is in America. In a USA Today interview, a series of young graduates were interviewed about their experiences of moving back home. Although their individual experiences were different, the collective feeling of shame was often present in their responses. “I am also kind of a ashamed to be living at home, and was slightly embarrassed to be asked to be interviewed for this.” Robin Harvey, a Washington University graduate said. Even though moving back home with parents is common and acceptable in many other countries around the world, Americans seem to associate it with poor drive and work ethic — for instance, people lost their minds when they found out highly successful actor Michael B. Jordan still lives with his parents. This is a cultural issue that is continuously reinforced through
pittnews.com
our competitive capitalistic environment that associates hard work with monetary value, and perceives everything short as insufficient. Millennials are constantly stereotyped as lazy and entitled, and the financial climate that’s leading them to move back home is used as additional evidence of this. In fact, this generation has even acquired the nickname “Boomerang Kids” to refer to the generation that always comes running back to their parents — like a boomerang. Despite this, there is a multiplicity of successful people who did not conform to the traditional American expectation to graduate college and immediately live independently. Dani Pascarella, an investment banker and current CEO of Invibed, a tech startup, published an article in Forbes last April about her experience moving back home and her refusal to let the stigma influence her decision. “Many parents and the media view having a degree, a job, and living on your own as ‘being successful,’” Pascarella wrote in her article. “So when millennials opt to live at home, they often get bashed for being lazy and for freeloading off of their helicopter parents.” But she credits her success to her decision to move back home after college, which allowed her to prioritize paying off debt. She was
able to move back out before the age of 30. “To many, being a debt-free homeowner by 28 is well worth a few extra years at home with mom and dad,” she wrote. Pascarella is just one example of many people who have found success after living at home. At the end of the day, students who are driven and have goals in mind will not be hindered by where they live. Columbia University professor Steven Mintz had a similar take on the issue. In fact, he believes the decision to move back home is actually a strategic career move. He raises the point that moving back home can work as a base camp that allows graduates to pursue the learning experiences they need before fully entering adult life in the workforce. “This type of path is the best preparation for success in an economy that rewards ambition, risk-taking, entrepreneurship and adaptability,” Mintz said. He shared one particularly notable example of a student who, upon graduation, volunteered at the Arab American Family Support Center in New York City and interned at Freedom House and Seeds of Peace. She was also able to curate a museum exhibit before pursuing Arabic studies in Qatar. While not everyone has access to the same opportunities
April 18, 2019
depending on where they live, Mintz notes that opportunities like this would never have been possible with additional stress of housing costs. Although there are valid concerns about moving back home, these potential negative consequences are not inevitable and should not dictate anyone’s decision to live independently. While some may struggle to reach the next step or find direction, there are ways to avoid this kind of outcome. In terms of adjusting oneself to life back home, it’s crucial to keep open communication with parents about the situation. By having conversations about grocery shopping, guests, an exit strategy and basic guidelines of respect, the transition process will be much smoother and effective as a short-term solution. While it may be difficult to change the cultural perspective on moving back home, it’s very possible for students to write their own narratives and set their own goals. The stigma may perpetuate, but students’ futures are in their own hands. Moving back home has its benefits and setbacks, but so does every major transition. Young graduates should make the decision that’s best for them, even if that decision happens to be turning back to where they began.
5
Culture
‘BURDEN OF GENIUS’ SHOWCASES TRANSPLANTATION REVOLUTIONARY DR. THOMAS STARZL
Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot Senior Staff Writer
Students at the University of Pittsburgh have likely heard the name Dr. Thomas Starzl at least once in passing or happened across the statue of him relaxing on a bench behind the Cathedral. But unless you are a pre-med student or really steeped in Pittsburgh-related trivia, that name is probably just another whisper of some famous person who stepped foot in the vicinity of Cathy’s towering visage long ago. The documentary film “Burden of Genius” — directed by Tjardus Greidanus and co-produced by his wife Laura Davis and Pitt film professor Carl Kurlander — premiered almost exactly a year after Starzl passed away in March 2017, at the 2018 Cinequest Film Festival. The movie provides an excellent means to better get to know Starzl’s significance to the University. The film held its
first public screenings in Pittsburgh from April 12-18 at the Carnegie Science Center, with showings at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. “Burden of Genius” chronicles the incredible story of the late medical pioneer and his journey into the controversial field of organ transplantation, where he would change the face of surgery and immunotherapy. His innovations would help transform Pittsburgh from a steel city to a capital of medical innovation. Often called “the father of transplantation,” Starzl performed the world’s first successful liver transplant in 1967. But it wasn’t until he came to the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 that he was able to perfect what was still considered an experimental procedure. Before Starzl, organ transplants were the stuff of science fiction. Starzl’s career in organ See Starzl on page 7
review
‘AFTER’ PROVOKES UNINTENDED LAUGHTER Elizabeth Donnelly Senior Staff Writer
Movies based on books based on fanfiction have been gaining ground in Hollywood in recent years. The phenomena first emerged with the erotic drama “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which was originally based on a “Twilight” fanfiction written by E.L. James, whose work was picked up by a publisher after the names were changed. Last week, another fanfictionturned-novel- turned-movie by the name “After” was released, and was as underwhelming and convoluted as the original work. “After” was originally written on the popular fanfiction website Wattpad under the same title and featured the members of former boy band One Direction. Similarly to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the author, Anna Todd, changed the character names of the fanfiction when she sold the rights to the story in order to avoid legal issues. “After” was originally published as a novel in October 2014, and many people were surprised it got that far. The movie adaptation is framed as an enthralling romance story where the virginal good girl, Tessa Young (Josephine Langford), falls for the bad boy with daddy issues, Hardin Scott (Hero Finnes-Tiffin) — but realistically, this movie demonstrates an unhealthy relationship. This is such a common archetypal trope in young adult fiction that it was almost easy to predict what would occur throughout the film. Scott’s character was originally written with Harry Styles, a former One Direction member and current solo artist, in mind. In the original fanfiction, the The documentary “Burden of Genius” tells the story of Dr. Thomas Starzl, who character had all of Styles’ traits, and is known as “the father of transplantation.” Image via calendar.pitt.edu many of them carried over to the movie,
pittnews.com
April 18, 2019
from his English accent to the signature tattoos spread all over his body. However, Scott’s persona could not be further from Styles’ real-life personality — the fictional bad boy has a bad attitude and is downright manipulative toward Young. This is a concerning disparity seeing as his character is supposedly based off of Styles, making it seem as though Styles himself is a manipulative and abusive bad guy. “After” should never have been made into a book, much less made it to the big screen. None of the characters in the movie were dynamic, and they all fell pretty deeply into stereotypical roles — the innocent goody two-shoes and the punk friend who’s a bad influence, to name a few. None of these characters really change over the course of the movie and their presence is very static. Their roles are very basic and do not change or add much significance to the film itself. Young is the stereotypical studious rule-follower who has been dating her high school boyfriend, Noah (Dylan Arnold), for years. Young’s mother (Selma Blair) is a helicopter mom who has Young’s whole life planned out for her. When she drops Young off at college and meets Steph (Khadijha Red Thunder), an alternative-punk girl and Young’s roommate, she demands Young go to the office to get a new room, seeing as Steph clearly is not good enough for her daughter because she looks like she listens to Nirvana. Soon after moving in, Young is greeted by Scott, a broody bad boy sitting on her roommate’s bed. His attitude toward her could be called coarse at best, and this is the first time the audience sees the two interact. Scott uses his deep-rooted See ‘After’ on page 8
6
Starzl, pg. 6 transplants was mired in controversy, as critics accused him of blindly seeking ambition and playing God. “When Dr. Starzl first came to Pittsburgh,” Kurlander said, “there was a petition of 50 people, faculty and medical students, saying we don’t want you here, you’re a ghoul, you’re stealing organs.” Despite these setbacks and more, Starzl pushed himself and his team of surgeons to their limits to develop the transplantation procedure and in the process saved thousands of lives and helped elevate the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to the fame it holds today. “So I think it’s very important that the public at large sees this so it’s not just the people in the community,” Kurlander said. “Burden of Genius” is the third film created by the collaborative team of Kurlander, Greidanus and Davis, and unlike the other two was also backed by the University of Pittsburgh. “Pitt was the one who ultimately supported the movie and it’s a University of Pittsburgh production, so it’s really a breakthrough for Pitt to do this,” Kurlander said. Greidanus explained that the driving force behind the film began when he and Kurlander
pittnews.com
interviewed Starzl briefly for a 2008 film about Pittsburgh, “My Tale of Two Cities,” which focuses on the City’s quest to reinvent itself. After the team made “The Shot Felt ’Round the World,” a 2010 documentary about Dr. Jonas Salk, a Pitt professor who invented the polio vaccine, Greidanus was looking for another Pittsburgh hero. “We were thinking ‘Who else is somebody who is really changing landscapes?’” Greidanus said. “And of course Dr. Starzl is not as well known by laypeople, but in the medical community, he’s like Steve Jobs, you know?” According to Kurlander, it took five years for them to get Starzl to even agree to the documentary. “The truth is, I went to Dr. Starzl and asked him if we could do a documentary, and he looked at me and said no,” Kurlander said. “And I kept bugging him.” After Kurlander and Greidanus’s Salk movie “The Shot Felt ’Round the World” earned some popularity and ended up playing on the Smithsonian channel in 2013, Starzl agreed to a meeting and then the documentary. This started a three-year process of getting interviews, acquiring archival footage and editing to make “Burden of Genius.” Greidanus and Davis interviewed Starzl for 15 hours across the span of a week in 2014. They
also interviewed some of Starzl’s colleagues and Starzl’s wife Joy and put together a sizzle reel — a short promotional video — in order to raise the rest of the funding for the film. On Starzl’s 90th birthday in March of 2016, people Starzl had worked with and trained came to Pittsburgh from all over the world to celebrate his birthday, so they managed to get interviews they never could have otherwise. Some of the guests were surgeons from other countries who Starzl had trained, and who then returned home to open up transplant centers of their own. “We did a marathon of interviews that weekend, around his birthday, and we ended up with about 70 hours worth,” Greidanus said. “Probably 30 hours of archival footage. And then I just started going through every interview. I allowed myself to watch everything once, and every time that I was watching it, I would pull things I thought I could use. And I would just throw that into a big long timeline, you know, and put it in a certain kind of order.” The power of “Burden of Genius” was one that not even colleagues of Starzl could have anticipated. “When they saw the movie they weren’t even prepared for the power of how incredibly hard and persistent it was to get this done and keep going,” Kurlander said.
April 18, 2019
Greidanus and Kurlander hope that audiences will be inspired by Starzl’s story, regardless of if they are part of the medical community or not. “[Organ transplantation] really had a kind of stigma to it, so I think it’s an incredibly inspiring story as far as just seeing the drive of this guy,” Greidanus said. “He just had a titanic intellect and an incredible drive. What can be accomplished with that kind of persistence! He just never, never quit.” Carly Motz, a nurse at Allegheny General Hospital, went with her mother to see “Burden of Genius” at the Carnegie Science Center on Tuesday afternoon, not really knowing what to expect. “I actually really enjoyed it,” Motz said. “Because it showed the pure dedication he had to the transplants, finding that it’s something there’s not that much research on it and dedicating his entire life to it. That’s pretty awesome, to see how they went in-depth about it.” Motz admired that the documentary went into every detail of Starzl’s life and his personal sacrifices to save so many people. “[It shows] the true impact on his family life and the impact it shows on just the U.S. in general, how many people he and his team have helped,” Motz said. “And they pretty much just sacrificed their lives for millions of others.”
7
‘After’, pg. 6 daddy issues as an excuse to be horrible to others, which is never really brought up or called out in the film as it should be. While the characterizations are simplistic, the plot was far too confusing and just as unrealistic. The creator of this fanfiction was clearly out of touch with what college life is like, and this is shown throughout the plot — the characters are shown playing truth and dare at a party in one of the first scenes, which is barely in fashion in high school, let alone at a college party. Viewers also see a large emphasis put on the fact that Young is a virgin, something which these days usually doesn’t, and shouldn’t, matter socially. Another irritating aspect of this film is the way in which it portrays relationships. Young has a boyfriend back home who she is supposedly in love with, yet after approximately three days of knowing Scott, she’s already falling for him — even though he’s only been rude to her thus far. The relationship between Young
pittnews.com
“After” was originally written as a fanfiction on popular website Wattpad and featured the members of former boy band One Direction. Image via After Movie | facebook and Scott eventually grows to the point where she breaks up with her boyfriend, which drives her mother — who we’ve already seen throw a fit over a roommate after one meeting — to cut her daughter off. This plot point made no sense realistically, as Young and her mother’s bond was supposedly unbreakable, and seems as if it was thrown into the film just to advance the relationship between Scott and Young. The movie ventures
further into the absurd when Scott and Young move into an apartment with each other, even though it seems they’ve only known each other for a few weeks. Honestly, the best part of the movie was the camerawork, which was decent at best, save a few disasters. In fact, the most climactic scene in the movie is marked by Langford’s character breaking into tears. The cinematography led to giggles spreading throughout the the-
April 18, 2019
ater as the camera slowly panned at a glacial pace to her sobbing. Overall, the movie was fake and cliche and not in a good way like “Twilight.” Between the manipulative relationship being portrayed as romantic and the flat, sometimes discriminatory characterization, “After” would have been better if left on paper, or better yet, stored in the depths of the mind of its creator.
8
Sports
column
WNBA PLAYERS DESERVE A BETTER DEAL Dominic Campbell Staff Writer
Months before it begins in earnest, the WNBA season was dealt a crushing blow. And while the incident was devastating, it is hopefully one that will drive long-lasting change for women’s basketball. Forward Breanna Stewart, the league’s reigning regular season and Finals MVP, tore her achilles while playing overseas for Dynamo Kursk in Russia in the Euroleague Final Four Championship game. Stewart was playing against fellow WNBA star center Brittney Griner, who also found a temporary overseas home with UMMC Ekaterinburg. What happened to Stewart drew sympathy from all around the basketball world, but it raises an important question: Why are two WNBA stars playing overseas during their offseason, when the WNBA is the best women’s league in the world?
The answer is simple: money. The WNBA pays crumbs compared to not only their male counterparts in the NBA, but other women’s leagues across the world. The minimum salary for a WNBA player is $41,202 and the maximum is $115,500, while the NBA minimum is $838,464, with the average player making about $7.4 million. WNBA players who choose to go overseas can make up to three to 15 times their WNBA salary, depending on their talent and star power. Even the NBA’s development league, the G League, has started awarding “select contracts” for elite prospects valuing up to $125,000. That’s $10,000 more than the WNBA’s maximum yearly salary. The WNBA is a subsidiary of the NBA, but these “elite prospects” are clearly valued more than the women’s game. While it is true that NBA revenue dwarfs that
of the WNBA, there is a radically different pay scale for players in either league. For instance, the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement allocates players 50% of the league revenue, compared to only 20% for the WNBA’s players. Obviously NBA players are going to make more money, but the majority of WNBA players have to spend their offseason traveling abroad just to make a living — not necessarily live in luxury — and therein lies the issue. Ever since the league’s conception in 1997, the WNBA has been unable to provide sufficient pay for its players to live at home, which is unacceptable and detrimental to the league. Because these players are abroad during the offseason, there isn’t much time for rest. Stewart, a former No. 1 overall pick out of the University of Connecticut, hardly has any time to properly rest See WNBA on page 10
The Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart smiles as she dribbles down the court after blocking a Dallas Wings shot on Aug. 19, 2018, at Key Arena in Seattle. Rebekah Welsh, Seattle Times | tns
TAKE 5: ON THE PROWL The Pitt News Staff
Tiger Woods is back in the game On Sunday, Eldrick “Tiger” Woods completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports by winning the annual Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. It had been 11 years since Woods had won a major and 14 since he had won at Augusta. For the past ten years, he’s battled back problems and surgeries, drug use and an ugly public divorce, but Sunday’s win once again placed him on top of the world, if only for a brief moment. It’s actually highly unlikely, in fact improbable, that Woods’ incredible win is just a brief blip in his historic career before he sinks back down. Before his decade’s worth of drama, he had been chasing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major tournament wins. After Sunday, he again has a shot at the record and appears to be more than equal to the task.
pittnews.com
It won’t be easy. Woods faces stiff competition from young mainstays such as Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth as well as polished pros like Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. At 43 years old, time isn’t exactly on his side. Four more wins will require an incredible amount of work, patience and maybe a little luck. But Sunday proved that Tiger is capable of handling the pressure. He placed shot after shot with perfection, combining solid drives and putts for some truly spectacular golf. It seemed inevitable that Woods would take the top spot. Woods’ status as one of golf’s all-time greats will only grow further if he stays at the top of his game. And stay he will. Eldrick “Tiger” Woods is back and will break the Majors record, and golf will be more exciting because of it. -Nick Carlisano Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons Will Be Defining Factors In Race for the
Eastern Conference The Philadelphia 76ers, who entered this year’s NBA Playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, experienced mixed results through their first two playoff contests against the Brooklyn Nets. In game one, the Sixers were outplayed in almost every way, but Game two was a different story. After a slow start, Philly ripped off over 50 points in the third quarter alone and secured a 22-point victory. What was the difference? It was quite simply the performance of two of Philly’s stars, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. Simmons, in his second NBA season, was a non-factor in game one, but made his presence felt with a tripledouble on Monday night. For a young player who notably struggled in the playoffs last season, that type of performance must be refreshing for the Sixers front office, who expect a deep postseason run from this year’s team.
April 18, 2019
Harris was acquired from the Sixers via trade in the middle of this season and was immediately productive, but his shot went cold over the final weeks of the season. He broke his slump Monday night, recording 19 points and hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Simmons and Harris will be imperative to Philly’s ability not just to survive their current series against Brooklyn, but to get past more complete teams like Toronto, Milwaukee and Boston down the road. Philadelphia is Finals or bust this season, and Simmons and Harris need to produce if the Sixers hope to live up to expectations. -Andrew Kelly Lacey Evans has the “woman’s right” to back out of the title picture Lacey Evans officially debuted on the WWE main roster at January’s Royal Rumble, but didn’t See Take 5 on page 10
9
WNBA , pg. 9 her body. Since being drafted she has played in 111 WNBA games over three seasons, 18 games in Russia and 58 games in China while also finding time for 14 international games for Team USA. The WNBA season’s rigorous schedule is also a point of contention with players. The regular season is usually 34 games a year, with the regular season starting in late May and going through the beginning of September. The season is also shortened every other year by two weeks because of the Olympics or World Cup. That means teams have to fit 34 games in only a little more than 90 days — a game about every three days. This schedule leads to a lack of durability and an increased risk of injury. Last season the Atlanta Dream’s all-star forward Angel McCoughtry missed the end of the regular season and the playoffs after torn ligaments in her knee. The Dream were on a roll, 9-1 in their last ten games before the injury, but were eliminated 3-2 by the Washington Mystics in the Semifinals after McCoughtry was sidelined. The condensed schedule also highlights poor travel conditions. Unlike the NBA where players are chartered on jets, the WNBA forces their players to fly commercial. This issue made headlines last summer when the Las Vegas Aces experienced travel troubles trying to get to their game against the Washington Mystics in D.C. Delays forced the Aces to spend 24 hours traveling and ultimately had to forfeit. The Aces missed the playoffs by just one game, which could have been made up by their game in D.C.
pittnews.com
That said, the WNBA is not profitable enough. There are arguments to be made that without the support of the NBA, the WNBA may not exist at all. Half of WNBA franchises lost money in 2016. But the NBA is just as responsible for helping create revenue for the WNBA and has struggled to do so. The NBA needs to find ways that it can make the WNBA more profitable, and get the players money that can let them afford to stay in the states year round. They can do this in a number of ways. First, they need to market their stars like the NBA does. Because their best players spend so much time away from the U.S., it is hard for them to make connections with the cities and fans they play for. Skylar Diggins is one example of a player benefiting from her presence at home. Through money from her WNBA contract combined with sponsorships from Bodyarmor Sports drink and Puma, she can afford to stay home and run offseason basketball camps instead of playing overseas. The WNBA also needs to reevaluate their TV deals. WNBA League Pass is available worldwide, but they can expand internationally and domestically. Removing massive advertisements on uniforms and opting for ones that connect better to the home cities will also help establish franchises in the United States. These changes, while inflicting some short-term costs will help drive fan engagement and revenue down the road. With the WNBA Players Association opting out of their current collective bargaining agreement, the NBA and WNBA have an opportunity to work out a better deal before the 2020 season so that fans can enjoy women’s basketball and its stars at their highest level.
Take 5, pg. 9 do much after that. Sure, she regularly appeared on television, but only to walk down the ramp, wave to the crowd and then leave. This charade went on for far too long, as Evans only recently had her second ever main-roster match Monday — and a No. 1 contender match for Becky Lynch’s Raw Women’s Championship at that. She defeated Natalya Neidhart for a shot at Lynch’s belt, and it just feels very forced, especially given CEO Vince McMahon’s preference for tall blondes. Raw lost a lot of great female talent during this week’s Superstar Shakeup, but still has plenty of women more deserving of that opportunity than the inexperienced Evans. During her match Monday, Evans chose not to end things with her traditional “woman’s right” finisher — simply a right hand punch to the face — and instead used a moonsault off the top rope. In the video you can literally see Evans’ knees crashing down on Neidhart’s midsection and her genuine reaction of pain after the pin. If a performer can’t even execute their own finishing move correctly, there is no way they should be in the championship picture. While I’m not her biggest fan, Sasha Banks has never successfully defended the Raw Women’s Championship during any of her stints with it and deserves a lengthy heel run with the belt. Neidhart would also make a great veteran champ to give the title some credibility again after Ronda Rousey’s disrespectful run with it. -Alexa Marzina Nets in Seven The Brooklyn Nets don’t consider themselves
April 18, 2019
an underdog, and have proven it on the court. The Nets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 111-102 away from home to kick-off the 2019 NBA Playoffs, despite the Sixers being heavy favorites. Guards D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert propelled them to victory by scoring 26 and 23 points, respectively. Power forward Ed Davis grabbed 16 rebounds to cover for a lack of production from center Jarrett Allen. The Nets shot 42.3% from behind the arc while the 76ers shot an atrocious 12%. Brooklyn was also more effective at the free throw line, outshooting Philadelphia 92.3% to 69%. But that was just game one of a seven game series though. The 76ers were able to bounce back and win game two 145-123, putting game one in the rearview mirror. Guard Ben Simmons and forward Tobias Harris both avenged their awful game one performances by scoring 18 and 19 points, respectively. Guard Jimmy Butler and center Joel Embiid both have put up solid performances for Philadelphia to start the series. The 76ers front court has the star power to make it a competitive series, but 3-point shooting and free throws will win this series for the Nets. Game one was just a taste of how the rest of the series will unfold. At the end of the day, the 76ers do not have the three-point shooting and bench depth to keep up. Philadelphia will steal game three in Brooklyn, but the Nets will end up winning the series in seven games and move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Find the full story online at
pittnews.com
10
I N D E X
Rentals & Sublet • NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER
For Rent North Oakland 3 BR Apartment on 732 S. Millvale Ave. Available August 1, 2019. $1320‑$1630 +gas & electric. 412‑441‑1211. info@ forbesmanagement. net. www.forbesman agement.net Craig Street. Safe, secure build‑ ing. 1‑bedroom, furnished. Newly remodeled, no pets, and heat in cluded. Rent $850 and up. Mature or Graduate students. 412‑855‑9925 or 724‑940‑0045. Email for pictures: salonre na@gmail.com
South Oakland ****************** Large 6 bedroom house for rent. Fall occupancy. Atwood Street. Close to campus. Please call Gary at 412‑807‑8058 1‑2‑3‑4‑5 Bedroom apartments/houses. Rents starting at $650 for 1BR. May or August availability. 412‑999‑2124 1/2/3 BR, furnished, sharing for 3 people. Oakland Ave. $600 per month per person, utilities included. Available May to
pittnews.com
Employment • CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER
August. Contact 412‑848‑9442. 2 Bedroom Apart ment. Rent: $1690 + electric. Avail‑ able August 1, 2019 on Louisa St. 412‑441‑1211. info@ forbesmanagement. net. www.forbesman agement.net. 2 BR house and 3 BR house, South Oakland, very nice, good rent, close to Pitt. Avail‑ able Aug. 1, 2019. Call 412‑881‑0550 or email apetrov@ pitt.edu 2 BR house with off street parking & newly remodeled 2 BR apartment. Available in August. Unfurnished, no pets. Atwood/S. Bouquet. Call 412‑492‑8173 3326 Juliet St. Big 3 bedroom, 2‑story house 1.5 bath, fully equipped eat‑in kitchen/appliances/ new refrigerator, living, dining room, 2 porches, full base‑ ment, laundry/ storage, park‑ ing on premises, super clean ‑move‑in condition. Near universities/hospi‑ tals/bus. $1800+. 412‑337‑3151 3408 Parkview Ave. Studios, 1‑2‑3 BRS Available June &Aug. Pet Friendly & Park ing. CALL NOW! 412‑455‑5600 3436 Ward. Spacious 2‑Bedroom, 1 bath,
Classifieds
For sale
• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS
notices
services
• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE
• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER
equipped kitchen, $1,195 + electric, Heat included. 412‑271‑5550
restaurants and shops. *CALL IN FOR SPECIALS!* Contact Jerry at 412‑722‑8546
3444 Ward St. ‑ Stu dio and 1bedroom apartments. Free heating, free parking. Available May & August 2019 move‑in. Call 412‑361‑2695
M.J. Kelly Realty. Studio, 1, 2, 3 and 4 Bedroom Apartments, Duplexes and Houses. N. & S. Oakland from $750‑$2500. mjkellyrealty@gmail. com. 412‑271‑5550. www.mjkellyrealty. com
Apartments for rent. 2 and 3 bedroom apart‑ ments available. Some available on Dawson Street, Atwood Street, and Mckee Place. Newly remodeled. Some have laundry on site. Minutes from the University. For more info please call Mike at 412‑849‑8694 Atwood Street. 1/ 2BR units available now. Close to Pitt. Parking available. 412‑561‑7964. Leave message. 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. Brand new remod‑ eled spacious duplex. 5BR, 2BA, second and third floors with wooden floors. Laun dry room in apart ment. Parking avail able. $3200 +utilities. Call 412‑871‑5657 Dawson Village Apts. near CMU and Pitt. One bedroom apt. available for immediate move in. On bus line, close to
Oakland ‑ 294 Craft ‑ 1 bedroom, equipped ktichen, coin op laudry in basement of building, close to uni versities and hospitals, on busline. Rent ‑ $800.00 + Elec. / $950.00 ‑ Utilities Inc. 412‑462‑1296 madroneproperty.com
R A T E S
Insertions
1-15 Words
16-30 Words
1X
2X
3X
4X
$6.30
$11.90
$17.30
$22.00
$7.50
$14.20
$20.00
$25.00
5X $27.00 $29.10
6X $30.20 $32.30
Add. + $5.00 + $5.40
(Each Additional Word: $0.10)
Deadline:
Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978
rented furnished or unfurnished Rent ‑ $1,600.00 + G/E 412‑462‑1296 madroneproperty.com Oakland‑264 Mel wood ‑ 4 bedrooms, 2 bath, equipped kitchen, carpet, C/A, coin op laundry in basement of building, Close to Universities and Hospitals and on busline. Rent ‑ $1,850.00 + G/E 412‑462‑1296 madroneproperty.com Recently reno’ed S Oakland 3BR house, $1750/mo + utilities.
Spacious, beautiful, well‑maintained. Dishwasher, washer/ dryer, central AC. Close to Pitt campus & shuttle. Off‑street parking available. Panther Properties, 412‑328‑6236, pan therproperties2@ gmail.com. pan‑ ther‑life.com/oakland Spacious and bright 2BR apartment on Dawson St. Second floor. Free laundry and water/sewage. Available August 2019. $1150/mo. Contact Rebecca at 412‑651‑6594. Text or call.
Shadyside 4909 Centre Ave. Great location for this spacious 1BR apartment located be tween Pitt and CMU. On buslines, near restaurants, hospital. Rent includes heat. Laundry, storage & parking available. Updated kitchens and hardwood floors. $100 Amazon gift card upon move in. Avail‑ able spring, summer and fall. Contact Sue at 412‑720‑4756. Brett/Thames Manor Apts. (Ellsworth
& S. Negley Ave.)
near CMU and Pitt.
Studio‑One‑Two bed room apts. available
for immediate move
in. On bus line, close to restaurants and
shops. *CALL IN
FOR SPECIALS!* Contact Jerry at 412‑722‑8546
Shadyside: 1 and 2BR, great location, hardwood floors. Free heat. Immedi‑ ate occupancy. Call 412‑361‑2695 Shadyside: Studio ($740) or 2 Bedroom ($1190). Quiet,
Oakland ‑ 335
N. Craig ‑ 2 & 3
bedrooms, 1 bath,
equipped kitchen, car
pet, coin op laundry in basement of building, close to Universities and Hospitals, on
buslne. Can be rented furnished or unfur nished.
Rent ‑ $1,050.00 ‑ $1,725.00 + G/E 412‑462‑1296
madroneproperty.com Oakland‑264 Mel wood ‑ 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, equipped ktichen, carpet, C/A, coin op laundry in basement of building, Close to Univeristies and Hospitals and on busline., Can be
April 18, 2019
11
Apartment for rent.
Highland Park area,
3rd floor, 1BR, living
room and kitchen, pri vate entrance. Close
to bus stop. No pets.
$750/month +electric. 412‑719‑0321.
Studios, 1, 2, & 3 Bedroom apartments available August 2019 & sooner. Oakland, Shadyside, Friend‑ ship, Squirrel Hill, Highland Park, Point Breeze. Photos & current availabil‑ ity online, check out www.forbesmanage ment.net, or call 412.441.1211
Employment Internships Concrete Casting Start‑up company searching for individ ual to engage in daily operations. $12/hr. 412‑477‑3800
Employment Other B&R Pools and
and assistant roofers
40 hours per week for
be at least 18 years
valid driver license. the entire summer, overtime possible
at time and a half.
IDEAL FOR COL
LEGE STUDENTS! Candidates should
call 412‑661‑7665 to inquire. Looking for
people to start imme diately!!!!
Medical and Heart Care, Students Welcome, 155 N. Craig Street, Dean Kross, MD, 412‑687‑7666
necessary. $11/hour
plus additional atten dance bonuses are
available, if earned.
Work involves land scaping, painting,
roofing, and general labor. Perfect sum
mer job for college students!
Mozart Management
phone:412‑682‑7003 email:thane
@mozartrents.com Team Scotti (insur
ance broker for major
Call (804)‑615‑6245 or Email Kieran.Tod d@Sodexo.com
and other duties
SUMMER WORK Landscape help, wall and patio construc tion, planting, mulch‑ ing, and concrete work. Near 279 Camp Horne Rd exit. Full time and part time. $11‑15/hour. Need transportation. Call 412‑477‑3800.
skills and a passion to
SUMMER WORK
maintain swimming
Shadyside Manage
necessary! Candidate
full‑time dependable
pools. No experience
ment Company needs
must be 18 years of
landscapers, painters,
pittnews.com
old. No experience
NOW HIRING! SET‑UP CREW NEEDED at Phipps Conservatory No Experience needed Competitive Wages Flexible Hours Full Time and Part Time Opportunities Awesome work atmo sphere and location Free Meal with every shift Paid Weekly
Swim Shop looking for general help to
for the summer. Must
league baseball) seek ing an information
technology intern to
assist in technical sup‑ port, troubleshooting issues, organization and maintaining IT
resources. Help with upgrading network
equipment, assisting IT and other depart‑ ments with reports,
tracking hardware and software inventory as assigned. Ideal
candidate would have strong computer
learn. Familiarity with Access is required.
Ability to work in a
team environment as
well as independently is necessary. Contact Dave Webster at
dwebster@team‑
scotti.com for further
4/18/19
Rental Other
age or older with
The Pitt news crossword
clean, well‑maintained apartment house. Great location ‑ in heart of Shadyside! Fully equipped kitchenette, A/C, laundry, wall‑to‑wall carpeting. Near Pitt shuttle and city busline and shopping. No pets, no smoking. Available Aug. 1st. 412‑628‑1686.
information.
April 18, 2019
12