Vol. 106 Issue 1
@thepittnews
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
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New Kurt Cobain documentary opens up about his past. PAGE 9
Pitt women’s Ultimate team makes Finals PAGE 12
Running Hard Pitt students, city, particpate in pgh Marathon
see page 2 Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor
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May 6 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
SEIU signs new contract with Pitt Dale Shoemaker News Editor After more than five months without a contract, service workers reached an agreement Tuesday with the University and their workers’ union. The new contract includes wage increases and improved training. The previous contract expired in December and lacked both of these amenities, a release from Local 32BJ, a branch of the Service Employees International Union, said. Contract negotiations went up until Tuesday afternoon. The contract takes effect as of January, meaning workers will receive back pay, and is active for the next three years, the release said. About 400 Pitt workers will use this contract. Service workers will receive wage increases of $1.20 per hour over the course of the contract and a $200 bonus at the end of the first two years, Traci Benjamin, a spokesperson for 32BJ said. Pitt also granted workers two additional paid sick days and agreed to freeze healthcare co-premiums for the first year, she said. Co-premiums could go up in years two and three, Benjamin said, but if they go up more than five percent, the union will renegotiate that part of the contract with Pitt. Pitt will also provide additional job training for service workers who come in contact with chemicals or potentially hazardous materials, Benjamin said. Pitt spokesman John Fedele was not immediately available for comment by the time of publication. Students, community leaders and Pitt’s service workers have been rallying for higher wages, cheaper healthcare and a new contract since February. These rallies, Benjamin said, helped the workers gather the support they needed. “We need allies to make a stand,” Benjamin said. “It’s service workers today, it’s food workers tomorrow.” Overall, she said, workers are pleased with the contract. “We want to help raise up this community,” Benjamin said. “This agreement will help. This will help them.”
The toll of twenty-six point two Dale Shoemaker News Editor
— and even harder with lingering injuries. But back in January, Goehring and McMurtry weren’t thinking about injury. To prepare for the marathon, Goehring, a sophomore in Pitt’s pharmacy school and McMurtry, a junior exercise science major, both started training by running about five or six days per week, covering three to
At the starting line Sunday morning, Pitt students Kimberly Goehring and Shea McMurtry were worried their feet and ankles might not hold up. Goehring and McMurtry lined up in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh with nearly 30,000 other registered runners for the Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday. The two were both coming off of nagging stress fractures from when they were in high school and recent sprained ankles they sustained during training. While neither injured herself further during the race, both still understand the physical toll 26.2 miles can take on the human body. To even run a marathon, the human body needs at least 2,600 calories for energy, according to Matthew Darnell, a certified nutritionist and assistant professor within the department of sports medicine and nutrition at Pitt. While health research on marathons doesn’t designate a specific mile-marker, several studies have found that intense and prolonged exercise, like running a six miles per run, and saving the long run marathon, can damage some individuals’ for the weekends. By the time the weather hearts. In 1987, Tim Noakes, a South African broke in the spring, McMurtry would run professor of exercise and sports science, up to 18 miles. found that 19 out of 36 people in a study of This pattern — short runs nearly every individuals who died with coronary artery day and a long run on the weekend — is disease suddenly died during, immediately standard for most marathon runners and after or 24 hours after running a marathon. few get injured following it. According to Mortality aside, running a marathon is hard Nick Farina, who ran the Pittsburgh Mara-
thon last year and the Boston Marathon this year, building up the long runs is important because runners start to really hurt their bodies after 20 miles. Farina, a 2015 Pitt pharmacy grad, preferred this method. Farina finished Boston in two hours and 40 minutes. In his training, he started his short runs at six miles five or six days per week and his long runs at 10 miles on the weekends. “Twenty miles is when your body starts getting in trouble,” Farina said. “That last six to seven miles is tough. Humans are not meant to run 26 miles.” Despite the training pattern, Goehring sprained her ankle a few weeks before the marathon. She had finished her run for the day, she said, and was turning around to head home when her ankle buckled underneath her. When she made it home, she iced her ankle and kept it elevated for a few days. She was worried about injuring it again, she said, but would still run in the marathon on Sunday. “I didn’t want all that to go to waste,” she said. “I put too much time into it. I don’t want my training to go to waste.” She went to a doctor for treatment for her ankle, but didn’t mention she was planning on running the marathon. The doctor gave her “general advice” and a brace to
Marathon
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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Family, fraternity honor late Pitt student Greg Walters Lauren Rosenblatt Assistant News Editor On the first day of fraternity rush, Gregory Walters wore a dressy L.L. Bean vest over his button-down shirt. It was also one of Greg’s first days at Pitt, and the other fraternity brothers thought he had overdressed for the event. “After seeing him in what is now known as his common attire, I instantly coined the [nickname] Vest,” said Scott Elias, one of Walters’ Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers. “Soon after, it caught on with the fraternity … but Greg realized he only owned one vest, so he went out to buy more and embraced the reputation he had acquired.” Known for always wearing a vest, always asking questions and always being up for a challenge, Walters touched the lives of everyone who knew him. Police found Walters dead in his Ophelia Street apartment on April 18. Walters, who was born in Columbus, Ohio
and attended Pine-Richland High School outside of Pittsburgh, spent his freshman year at the University of South Carolina before transferring to the Community College of Allegheny County in the fall. Greg came to Pitt in January and joined Pi Kappa Phi soon after. Both his fraternity brothers and his older brother, Ian Walters, said knowing Greg made their lives better. Greg was 18 months younger than Ian, but Ian said Greg was one of his closest friends. “We were obviously brothers, but we were also close friends,” Ian Walters said. The thing about Greg, Ian said, was that he enjoyed the small things in life. He and Greg would spend time hanging out, sending each other goofy text messages or driving around in Greg’s car listening to music through his subwoofers. “That’s the thing, we didn’t have to be doing anything. It made every moment, even insignificant ones. Greg made them memorable,” Ian said. The brothers of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity,
including Elias, said they missed their newest brother, who rushed three months before his death. After the first day of rushing, Elias took Walters under his wing and was delighted to hear the fraternity had offered him a bid to join. Elias quickly became a mentor for Walters. “I had sent him a text congratulating him on the honor. I told him I had high expectations for him, and I was excited to see him excel in the associate member process [similar to the pledging process],” Elias said. “Rather than accept the text and move on, he challenged me to guide him to those new heights.” Over the course of the next three months, Elias said Walters shaped who he would become. “He tested me to be the best man I could be in order to help him succeed, and I am proud to say that because of Greg, I am a better man,” Elias said. Through the outpouring of support after Greg’s passing, his mother, Lisa Wal-
ters, said the thing that struck her most was how many lives Greg had touched. “What has struck me by the whole experience was the impact Greg made,” she said. “He was only at Pitt since January but seeing the devotion [of his fraternity brothers and friends] was amazing.” Outside of Pitt, his mother said, former middle and high school teachers, old neighbors, friends from South Carolina and elsewhere around the country all came to Greg’s funeral. “His life mattered, I don’t know if he knew that. In certain ways, this has been an uplifting experience,” she said. Isaac Minkoff, Walters’ pledge class president, found a similar role in Walter’s life. “The last thing I remember Greg saying to me was, ‘Hey, dude, it’s my man, Isaac. He’s the man! My inspiration!’” Minkoff said. “I’ve never been anyone’s inspiration before.” Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.
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May 6 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
From print, to online, to Flickr: The state of Pittʼs yearbook Nerine Sivagnanam Staff Writer When it comes to memories at Pitt, a webbased photo platform has beaten out the hard copy of the yearbook. Last November, Student Affairs and Student Government Board made the decision to reallocate approximately $40,000 needed to print Pitt’s yearbook, Panther Prints, and eliminate publication of the hard copy. Last spring was the first time Pitt didn’t print the yearbook, which it had published annually since 1907. Student Affairs has also discontinued an online version of the yearbook, which was meant to replace the print version. Instead, Student Affairs has created a Flickr account to host photos that it might otherwise have printed in the yearbook. Students are unfazed. “Not a single student has expressed any concern,” Shawn Ahearn, spokesperson for Student Affairs, said. After the elimination of the print format, Student Affairs briefly established an online yearbook through the yearbook vendor TreeRing. Through this platform, students could upload their personal photos, but Student Affairs has discontinued that project as well, Ahearn said. “We simply could no longer justify investing so much time, energy and expenses into something that so few students care about,” Ahearn said, referring to both the print and online versions of the yearbook. In 2013, only 40 of the 3,500 seniors on Pitt’s campus purchased a print yearbook, The Pitt News reported then, and only 114 signed up for free access to the online yearbook in 2014. Despite students’ lack of interest, Student Affairs hopes the Flickr account will serve as a viable replacement for the yearbook. The account, which Student Affairs created in March 2014, has 71 albums and more than 1,400 photos. Student Affairs also now occupies Panther Prints’ former William Pitt
Union office. This Flickr account wasn’t the original plan for a yearbook re-
is to post to the Flickr account, which chronicles events throughout the year. Ahearn said he would not discuss how much Student Affairs pays
panther prints 1907-2013 IN 2013, Panther Prints cost $40,000 to produce. 40 seniors a year book bought for $50
its interns or how 114 seniors signed up for the free much it costs to online yearbook run the Flickr account. placement. Jordan Vogt, a After Student senior environmental Affairs and SGB took notice during the 2012- studies major, is one of these interns and is 2013 school year of the fact that students were responsible for photographing Pitt events losing interest in the print yearbook, they and posting them to the Student Affairs Flickr proposed several possible replacements, in- account. cluding a “traditions book” for first-year stuHaving a Flickr account for Pitt students dents. According to Ahearn, this project never to access is “convenient for those behind the materialized, again due to a lack of interest. scenes as well as for those who attended the The $40,000 previously used to publish event,” Vogt said. Panther Prints came from Pitt’s Student AcIn 2013, The Pitt News reported that a mativities Fee. jority of the 716 students who responded to At $50 per yearbook, Ahearn said, Student an SGB survey said they favored discontinuing Life couldn’t justify continuing its production. the yearbook’s production. Unlike the yearbook, the Flickr account is Graeme Meyer, current SGB president, not funded through the Student Activities Fee said the 2013 Board used these statistics to but has been integrated into Student Affairs. reach its final decision to eliminate production “Two or three” Student Affairs marketing of the hard copy of the yearbook. interns are responsible for shooting photos for Sophomore, applied developmental psya variety of reasons, Ahearn said, one of which chology major, Ellie Robison said she was not
aware of the previous yearbook’s existence. “The yearbook would be a huge waste of paper,” Robison said. At present, Student Affairs has not yet marketed the Flickr account, but it plans to do so this summer and over the course of the school year. Ahearn said he did not have any statistics on how many students have viewed the Flickr so far. Pitt’s elimination of its yearbook may also be representative of a larger, national trend. Other universities — such as fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Duke, which published its 103rd yearbook this year — are also repurposing student fees away from yearbooks. Before this year, student fees paid for Duke’s yearbook, according to Brian Crews, a spokesman in Duke’s student affairs office. “This year is the first year students must pay for the yearbook,” Crews said. Crews said that Duke may launch an official Flickr page like Pitt’s in the upcoming year, but for now, there is a stronger focus on the hard copy because students will have to purchase it. Yearbook companies aren’t losing business, according to Tyler Allen, a spokesperson and industry researcher for IBISWorld Inc., a company that specializes in economic research. While the money spent per student on yearbooks has indeed declined, he said, more students are buying them because enrollment in schools has increased in recent years. For Entourage Yearbooks, a company that publishes yearbooks, sales are actually on the rise, according to Anthony Hunter, associate account manager at Entourage. “A lot of schools still have them, and seniors still buy them. They’re a way to capture memories,” Hunter said. Back at Pitt, though, some students, like India Gray, a sophomore applied developmental psychology major, say the Flickr page is a better financial option. “The Flickr is better because it’s free. Not many people would want to spend the money on a yearbook,” Gray said.
Exclusive Online content — pittnews.com MAIA TO PITT
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 2
MARATHON
treatment didn’t work. “I never really learned how to run,” she said. “I just stopped physical therapy.” Instead, Fullem, her podiatrist, custommade her a pair of orthopedic shoes to help her toe heal. He also suggested she cross-
wear for a few days so she didn’t injure her ankle further. On her way out the door, however, she did mention the marathon. “So I probably shouldn’t run the marathon,” she said to the doctor. Her ankle would take longer to heal, he said, but he gave her his permission. “I was confident until I got injured, but I’m trying to keep a positive attitude,” she said before the race. McMurtry, too, sprained her ankle while training, but a past injury, a stress fracture from when she was in high school, caused her more problems. Graphic by Alex Ryan While she was running for her high school’s cross country team, she suf- train and vary her workouts to include hill fered the fracture in the second metatarsal training, lifting and bike riding, especially on her left foot and got bursitis, which is a during the colder months. type of inflammation in the joint that still According to Fullem, training for a maracauses her problems. thon should be a gradual progression. One Her toe bone is too long genetically, she of the biggest risks runners take, he said, said, and because she kept running on it, she is increasing their mileage too quickly. It is developed Morton’s Neuroma, which causes important to build up the total numbers of her foot to go numb when she runs. She can miles run each week, he said, but increasing run when her foot is numb, but when it hurts mileage by more than 10 percent per week too much, she has to stop. can lead to injury. Ten percent is the magic For treatment, she went to a podiatrist, number, meaning that if a runner runs a toBrian Fullem, who suggested surgery to tal of 30 miles one week, he or she shouldn’t shorten her toe bone after the stress frac- run more than 33 miles the next week. ture, but she opted for physical therapy inBut injuries still occur, even if runners stead. There, the physical therapists tried follow the 10 percent rule to the decimal to re-teach her how to run so she wouldn’t place. The most important thing for physiinjure herself anymore, but for her, their cians, Fullem said, is to treat the cause of
injury, not just the symptoms. When they get injured, Fullem said, “people tend to just reach for the ibuprofen.” “There’s never one magic bullet for an injury,” he said. The most common injuries he sees are
strains in the achilles tendon and medial pivotal stress pain, or, more simply, shin pain. But even when he sees patients with these injuries, he rarely tells them to stop running. Fullem is a runner himself, and has been since he was nine years old. The only time he advises someone to get off of their feet is when they’re limping. “If you’re compensating [for an injury], you risk injuring something else,” Fullem said. When he was younger, he said, he tore his plantar fascia, the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot. The 18 months he couldn’t run were some of the hardest of his life, he said. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s how you identify yourself,” Fullem said.
5 Because marathons are so hard on the body, it’s important for runners to keep up their nutrition, according to Darnell. To optimize the body for running a marathon, Darnell said it’s important to train the cardiovascular system, the lungs especially, as well as bones, muscles and joints. It takes “a ton” of calories to propel a body for 26 miles, around 100 calories per mile depending on the individual, he said. A runner’s primary fuel sources, he said, are carbohydrates and fats, like those found in pasta. Ideally, he said, runners should begin “carb packing” almost a week before the marathon. The purpose of carb packing, Darnell said, is to maximize the intake of glycogen, a form of glucose that the body uses to power the muscles. How much water a runner needs is dependent on how much they sweat. At the Marathon, volunteers handed finishers over 1,000 gallons of Gatorade in small paper cups. At mile nine of the race, McMurtry said she wasn’t in any pain and was feeling like she was just going to have fun. But on the bridge from the South Side to Oakland, her foot went numb and she had to walk until she regained feeling. Once she did, she started running again. This occurred several times and slowed her down, she said. Despite her sprain, Goehring’s ankle held up for the marathon. McMurtry said she had “never hurt this bad,” but both students finished. At mile 13, Goehring said she “hit the wall,” but still finished in 4:09. McMurtry finished in about 4:50. “The wall is real, man,” Goehring said. “Believe the wall is real.”
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
EDITORIAL
OPINIONS
Content creators must embrace live video streaming apps Millions tuned in to watch the muchanticipated Mayweather v. Pacquiao fight on Saturday night. It turns out that Mayweather wasn’t the real winner, though — Periscope, a live video streaming app, took the medal. While Periscope, an app which Twitter owns, debuted in March 2015, the Mayweather v. Pacquiao fight gave the app mainstream publicity. Viewers who paid nearly $100 for the pay-per-view fight angled their smartphone cameras toward their televisions and publicly streamed the fight through the app. Effectively, they shared the program with tens of thousands of other users who did not pay for the boxing match. All the while, users commented on the feeds, creating a social dialogue that transcends loafing on the couch. In one night, Periscope — and its rival, Meerkat — skyrocketed in popularity, proving the power and acces-
sibility of this new form of live video streaming. While there is great debate about the misappropriation of the app for pirating, as was the case during the boxing match, it’s clear that there’s still great potential here. Technology is an inevitable force, and there is no sense in attempting to work against something as viral as social networking and live coverage, combined. Something else will simply take the place of Periscope or Meerkat if companies try to work against the platforms through government regulation. Content creators need to embrace the technology in the same way consumers are — there’s no alternative if they hope to advance with the times. Some content creators and entertainers are already taking advantage of the leaps and bounds live video streaming has made. Companies should use Periscope to their advantage to pub-
licize their brand and events — it’s as simple as posting a link on Twitter. Due to the connection Periscope has with its social media parent, Twitter, live-streaming has finally become mainstream. Jimmy Fallon was one of the first notable celebrities to incorporate livestreaming in his act. Fallon used Periscope to live-stream his monologue rehearsal before his show, warming up the crowd and allowing them to comment back and forth, hyping them up for the moment Fallon would step on stage. Similarly, pop star Katy Perry encourages Periscope and Meerkat at her concerts. “You’ve got to embrace the future or you’re left behind,” Perry told Mashable.com in March. Perry is right in recognizing the value and reach these platforms have in expanding her fan base.
There’s also a benefit to live video streaming that holds more weight. With the accessibility of simply picking up a phone, political and social travesties like the recent Baltimore riots can be recorded and commented on in real time. This opens up the possibility for revolutionizing news coverage — the advancement of citizen journalism could effectively supplement typical coverage by introducing a range of angles from different users. But by no means is live-streaming a substitute for the real event — whether it’s a boxing match or a pop concert — nor is it a replacement for traditional news outlets. However, apps like Periscope prove fruitful in the realm of social networking and expanding our range of dialogue. The technology is already available, so it’s up to content creators and news agencies to embrace them, rather than work against them.
COLUMN
King v. Burwell: Constitutionality and the will of the people Marlo Safi Columnist
Before you’re 26, you’re going to need to consider your own health care plan — without your parents. In two months, when the U.S. Supreme Court decides King v. Burwell, we’ll know just how costly your care could be. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, recommends states should set up their own marketplaces, or “exchanges,” where their residents can purchase health care. When consumers purchase health insurance in these state exchanges, the federal government provides subsidies, or “tax credits,” to those who would not otherwise be able to afford health care.
Thirty-seven states declined to establish their own exchange, though, which means their residents have to purchase health care from the federal exchange. David King, the plaintiff, argues that the federal government should not grant subsidies to citizens in these states because of the six words this cases hinges on — “an exchange established by the State.” If the verdict is in favor of King, subsidies purchased on the federal exchange will be annulled. This means an estimated 8 million people would lose their health care. Offering subsidies to millions of people is hurting the American taxpayer and small businesses, though. The Supreme Court, however, should focus on upholding the Constitution and the wording of this legislation — although the decision may be
unpopular among those at risk of losing their health care. Robert Rodrigues, a history professor at Duquesne University, said there is a constitutional issue at stake when the federal government provides subsidies to citizens on its exchange. “In the end, the Justices have to uphold absolute constitutionality despite the 8 million hanging in the balance,” Rodrigues said. This entire case is a matter of the ACA’s language and Congress’s interpretation of that language’s intent. Rodrigues said “when there’s messy writing and the wordsmiths don’t get the intent right, you can have a constitutional issue.” Opponents of the ACA, like King, have interpreted the phrase “established by the
State” to mean that only those purchasing health care on their state’s exchange are entitled to subsidies. However, the federal government has been distributing subsidies regardless of which exchange is being used to purchase health care, which is a breach of the ACA. Congress, though, argues that the phrase refers to an exchange either established by the state or federal government, and that the purpose of Obamacare was to provide insurance to low-income citizens regardless of where the insurance was purchased. When about 8 million Americans are dependent on these subsidies, many may wonder what heartless cretin would put Americans who couldn’t otherwise afford
Safi
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 6
SAFI
healthcare at risk. “Will deciding this case go against the will of the people? This is the dilemma,” Rodrigues said. Offering subsidies on a state exchange level is itself incredibly expensive, and offering subsidies on both federal and state levels costs an astounding amount of taxpayer money. In a 2015 Congressional Budget Office report, it is estimated to cost taxpayers $50,000 per enrollee in Obam-
THE PITT NEWS
acare over the next 10 years. The ACA also complicates financial issues for small businesses and general employees. When small business owners are faced with stringent regulations and must provide their employees coverage or pay a fine, employers must offset the costs by laying people off and cutting wages. According to the American Action Forum — a center-right policy institute that provides research for solving policy challenges — the ACA has reduced pay for employees at small businesses by at least $22.6 billion every year and has also put more than 350,000 E S T A B L I S HE D 1 9 1 0
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Americans out of work. Liberals often accuse conservatives of not having a plan after King v. Burwell is resolved — but they do. The National Center for Public Policy Research has released a spreadsheet that explains a conservative/ libertarian health care approach that would follow the verdict. Through refundable tax credit, standard deduction, Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and employer-based tax exclusion, conservatives would replace Obamacare with a more free-market alternative. King v. Burwell is a monumental case 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,- car toons 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.
7 that could have substantial ramifications. “The Supreme Court takes, on average, one out of every 200 cases brought before it. The fact that four Supreme Court Justices want to hear King v. Burwell means they really want to make a ruling,” Rodrigues said. Tune in to the ruling this June. Your home state might be one of those affected. In just a few years, we all need to have our own health care plan. We need to know just what the costs are. Marlo Safi primarily writes about politics and public policy for The Pitt News. Write to Marlo at mes260@pitt.edu. advertising@pittnews.com
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT
Photos courtesy of Elana Schlenker
Make art, not money: Artist challenges gender inequality Kelechi Urama For The Pitt News For local artist Elana Schlenker, gender discrimination was just something that she read about in books. But when a graphic design company hired her, she found that she was the only woman designer. “We did all kinds of products, but I would always get the stuff for girls. I like architecture, and all of these other things, but I would consistently get the ‘girl stuff,’” Schlenker said. As she began to learn more about wage inequality in the workplace, Schlenker channelled her creative efforts into developing a temporary storefront in Garfield. Schlenker, who graduated from Pitt in 2007 with a double major in studio arts and marketing, moved to New York after graduation to pursue a career in graphic design. She relocated back to Pitts-
burgh eight years later to start her own studio and opened the pop-up shop 76<100. The pop-up, which ran from April 1 through April 30, is part of a larger organization, which Schlenker co-created, called Less Than 100. This organization comprises of a traveling shop that creatively shines light on those who are often underrepresented by challenging the wage gap. The shop charges men and women separate prices for merchandise created by a diverse group of local women artists. The prices, displayed on green and blue stickers for men and women respectively, are determined by the shop’s respective, temporary location. In Pennsylvania’s case, women earn 76 percent of what men do, according to the Center for American Progress. Schlenker
reflected this disparity in the prices of her shop’s ceramics, textiles, publications and other products. The pop-up will reopen in New Orleans this November, under the guidance of photographer Tammy Mercure. The store offered an eclectic range of artwork, including hand-knit pizza slices, postcards with ironic sayings and Visa card-printed satin scarves. The pop-up also showcased other
textiles, art prints, photography collections, magazines, homemade body products and pottery from female artists involved in the project, like Tammy Mercure, LaKeisha Wolf and Melanie Abrantes. All sales went directly to the featured artists. Lisa Brush, a professor of sociology at Pitt,
Gender
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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The world of
‘Montage of Heck’ offers unique, personal look inside the life of late Nirvana frontman
TNS
Courtney Linder Contributing Editor Minimum wage workers line shelves at Hot Topic with $15 T-shirts in the Nirvana frontman’s likeness, while antisocial teenagers repost photos of him on Tumblr, portraying him as the spokesman of generational depression and drug use, glamorizing his deepest internal struggles. In “Montage of Heck,” director Brett Morgen seeks to dispel this enchantment with the dead rockstar. The documentary, which aired on HBO on May 4, follows Cobain’s short life through an honest collection of his music, art and journals along with Super 8 home videos and audio montages his family provided. Using these sources alongside cartoons and personal interviews, Morgen sets a dark, haunting mood that evokes, rather than sugarcoats, the man who innovated
‘90s alternative music. father in dramatic, darkly-lit rooms, Morgen The documentary opens with what seems reminds the viewer that unrequited love with like a routine interview with Cobain’s sis- just about everyone in his life were the roots ter, Kim, overlaid with scenes from his 1992 of Cobain’s flourishing creative vision. “MonReading, Pa. concert. tage of Heck” digs She discusses Cobain’s into the places that “Montage of Heck” creative brilliance still haunt Cobain’s against an off-putting Directed by: Brett Morgen parents — from the backdrop where Coguilt they still feel for Starring: Kurt Cobain, tossing the teenaged bain is rolled out onto the stage in a wheelCobain around beCourtney Love, Krist chair, feigning sicktween their homes to Novoselic ness at the beginning the regret in their eyes of his show. Meanas they reflect on the Grade: Awhile, Kim divulges times they should have how grateful she is comforted him rather not to have inherited than humiliated him the Cobain “genius brain.” for being different. This initial interview with Kim foreshad“Montage of Heck” continues to portray ows Cobain’s impending despair. Cobain’s darkness through Stefan Nadelman’s Through interviews with his mother and gloomy yet colorful graphic novel-style car-
toons. These, coupled with his own audio recordings, bring the viewer uncomfortably close to Cobain’s double-edged need and fear for love. The illustrations are reminiscent of Seattle, the place Cobain lived and died — gloomy and rainy, with an overriding veil of blues, grays and greens that echo the darkness growling within Cobain. Morgen’s narrative could throw a new light on Cobain for even his most enthusiastic fans. The juxtaposition of Cobain’s own creepy artwork — complete with fetuses, flowers and strange aliens — paired with spooky piano-heavy covers of his music hits the viewer right in the gut. Morgen shows viewers Cobain’s unique struggle in a way print biographies never could. Through a visual and audio depiction of Cobain’s chronic depression, the documentary makes us wish
Cobain
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10 CINEMA
May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
Vinterberg’s ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ presents a soirée of Victorian romance Walter Howard For The Pitt News
A treat for those with finer tastes and a tonic for those with sequel-induced headaches, Thomas Vinterberg’s “Far From the Madding Crowd” follows on the heels of classic, well known films like “Pride and Prejudice” (2005), “Anna Karenina” (2012), “Sense and Sensibility” (1995) and “The Age of Innocence” (1993). Vinterberg received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film with his previous work, “The Hunt” (2012), and with his eclectic filmography and emphasis, he lends “Far From the Madding Crowd” an intimate feeling that belies much of its epic qualities. From its well drawn characters to its lush period details, “Far From the Madding Crowd” is a perfectly executed film. Based on the Victorian era novel by Thomas Hardy, this adaptation is the
sixth time a filmmaker has echoed the classic story of Bathsheba Everdene and Gabriel Oak. Recently, Nicholas Renton adapted the book in a 1998 film, and John Schlesinger directed an adaptation in 1967. Hardy’s film represents the best adaptation of any of his work, and ranks among the best of any adaptations of classic literature. “Far From the Madding Crowd” differs from its contemporaries. In place of dainty, innocent women and repressed gentlemen, this is a film about hot-blooded characters with singular desires. It follows the romance of Bathsheba
(Carey Mulligan), the headstrong protagonist who inherits her uncle’s farm, and Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a wealthy farmer who loses everything in a twist of fate. As Ms. Everdene attempts to run the farm herself, three suitors, including Gabriel, threaten to rob her of the independence she values so highly. Gabriel is rivaled by William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a wealthy neighbor whose love for Bathsheba becomes an obsession, and Sergeant Troy (Tom Sturridge), a brash, handsome soldier who harbors deep feelings for another woman that jilted him. While
“Far From the Madding Crowd” Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg Starring: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen Grade: A
Gabriel comes to embody loyalty in Ms. Everdene’s eyes, Mr. Boldwood is security and Sergeant Troy embodies lust. Much of the film’s underlying tension comes from Gabriel and Bathsheba’s quiet conversations in the dark, where their faces are shown in profile or where Vinterberg closes in the camera to focus on their mouths. Rather than showcase the extravagant splendor of the era, he chooses to convey a rougher aesthetic that contrasts with the romance of the story. Characters are often shown sweating profusely as they work the fields or maintain the sheep. Mulligan does the best work of her career in a perfect balance of sweetness and haughtiness, one moment singing a beautiful duet with Boldwood and the next informing him she has no need of a husband. Schoenaerts gives what is oth-
Vinterberg
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 8
GENDER said 76<100 effectively conveyed the impact of the wage gap. “Prices are not wage adjusted, so if you are a woman, buying groceries, paying rent and utilities, and making car and credit card payments, [they] all add up after a while,” Brush said. Twenty to forty people visited the pop-up daily, and Schlenker said that her patrons have been surprisingly positive. “This is something I’ve never done before,” Schlenker said of Less Than 100. “I don’t think of myself as an activist.” Schlenker, however, is no stranger to leadership roles in activism. She started The Original Magazine when she was a junior at Pitt and recruited a staff of 40 students to run the publication. She kickstarted the magazine for many of the same reasons she began Less Than 100 — she wants to represent the underrepresented. Delanie Jenkins, a former studio arts professor at Pitt who has maintained a relationship with Schlenker over the years, said The Original initially had an activist focus. “[It’s] no surprise either that things that are important are the things she’s taking on,” Jenkins said. While she describes her own experiences as FROM PAGE 9
COBAIN we stopped trying to understand him long ago. Cobain wasn’t a tragic hero to pick apart, just a man filled to the brim with insufferable pain. In contrast to the dark tone of the documentary, Morgen’s inclusion of Courtney Love’s Super 8 home videos portray Cobain as anything but brooding and antisocial. The images of Courtney and Kurt screwing around in the bathroom or creating uncomfortably strange, yet cute videos of their daughter, Frances, show us the relationship in a novel, light-hearted way. The cut-scene ending after Cobain’s MTV Unplugged set was a bold and smart move that both frustrates and fulfills us. Cobain overdosed on heroin and died from a shotgun wound to the head on April 5, 1994. Morgen’s decision to end the film abruptly in this way mimics his tragic death. There are no interviews discussing Cobain posthumously. The
fairly innocuous, other women’s stories have deeply affected Schlenker. One of her close friends, whom she declined to name, is also a graphic designer. A company employee openly told her she was rejected from a design job because of her gender. “Maybe I’m naïve, but I didn’t even think that could happen anymore,” Schlenker said. “I had the idea [for 76<100] and thought it was something worth doing.” She reached out to local organizations like the Women and Girls Foundation, an organization dedicated to achieving equality for women in Pittsburgh. The Foundation funded Less Than 100 and connected Schlenker with female artists in Pittsburgh. From there, Schlenker secured grants from the Sprout Fund, Soup N’at and Awesome Pittsburgh, which are each geared toward kickstarting community-based projects. The Pittsburgh clothing store Local 412 lent space in Garfield to Schlenker for the pop-up. Tara Simmons, vice president of the Women and Girls Foundation, fully supported 76<100. “Elana’s passion and vision for the pop-up shop have brought new and heightened awareness to the wage gap, both locally and across the globe,” Simmons said. The store also went beyond the issue of the wage gap by holding events with local nonprofits and individuals to empower women in the
Pittsburgh community. Progress, a nonprofit geared toward training women and girls in negotiation skills, hosted workshops such as a “Negotiation Strategy Brunch,” on April 18 and a bus tour on April 26 that introduced participants to Pittsburgh’s vibrant community of female artists. “We wanted to look at the wage gap issue through a lot of different ways, and incorporate different groups and organizations,” Schlenker said. She admits the Less Than 100 project is a work in progress. People have asked about the inclusion of women of color, who, on average, are paid 64 cents on the dollar, according to the Center for American Progress. She is working with intersectional women’s groups to reflect that in the shop’s framework, and runs a free newspaper called “What are Women Worth?” which is distributed in the store and gives a more detailed breakdown of the wage statistics. “I really want to foster a dialogue,” Schlenker said. “And I want it to be a place where we can both talk about the issues and celebrate what women are doing.” She also wants her success to inspire other young women to start their own projects for issues they feel strongly about. “If you care about something and want to do it, do it. You can really get quite far doing something you care about, and make a big difference,” she said.
film ends where his life ends, proving “Montage of Heck” to be a documentary about a man, not a star. “Montage of Heck” isn’t for the weakstomached or die-hard Cobain fans that want his life memorialized and packaged neatly with a ribbon. It’s for the parents that just couldn’t comprehend Nirvana’s angry, thrashing music or cryptic lyrics. It’s for the media moguls who wouldn’t give Cobain
breathing holes. But mostly, it’s for the people who over-dramatize and fawn over Cobain as a speaker for a whole generation. The documentary’s foremost success lies in its ability to disenchant the viewer. Portraying Cobain as a man, rather than an icon, brings him down to size and reminds fans and critics alike that there is nothing comfortable or cool about internal struggle or addiction.
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VINTERBERG erwise a stolid, stoic type some color by his mere presence. His stature and exotic look ensure that Gabriel never gets lost among the more animated characters. For those who have not read the novel, the film is its most suitable proxy. “Far From the Madding Crowd” is a beautiful film from its characters to its depiction of Victorian society. It is an early candidate for best of the year. For those who have read the book and do not mind necessary alterations, you have the opportunity to fall in love again. There are those who find these films boring. They depict a time when good manners and breeding demanded that their characters reveal very little on the surface. Yet, if you could peel back the artifice — women in silk gowns, hats capped in flowers, and matching ribbons and the men sporting impressive frock coats, top hats and canes — and peek below the surface, you would find a world of emotion.
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
CLUB SPORTS
SPORTS
Womenʼs Ultimate team reaches Finals after extended drought Jasper Wilson Senior Staff Writer
Since she started at Pitt, fifth-year senior Katelyn Loughery’s seasons playing Ultimate have become somewhat repetitive. In the fall semester of each school year, Loughery and her teammates on Danger, the Pitt women’s Ultimate frisbee team, would set the goal of making Nationals. And then each year in the following spring that aspiration would be obliterated at the regional level in elimination contests, all blowout losses to Ohio State. “It was definitely frustrating,” Loughery said. But times have changed. For the first time since 2010, and just the second time in the decade-old program’s history, Danger has secured a berth at Nationals, which will take place from May 22 to May 25 in Milwaukee, Wis. After losing five players to graduation in 2014 and four more over the course of this past school year, this year’s team, which has a record of 20-7, is younger than in years past, with more than 50 percent of its roster consisting of underclassmen, such as sophomore co-captain Carolyn Normile. “Everyone was kind of growing together this year,” Normile said. For Loughery, the attitude the newer players possess is refreshing. “They brought a whole new intensity and drive that we don’t usually see from the players that young,” she said. “You can’t even tell that they’re younger players when they’re out on the field.” Kelsey Delave competed at Nationals all four years that she was an undergraduate student at the
University of Michigan. After using her fifth year of eligibility to play for Danger, Delave is now in her second year as volunteer head coach of the team. “They’ve surprised me in a good way over and over again,” Delave said. “It’s even more surprising to me that this was the team that made Nationals.” What made this year different from past campaigns — besides the roster itself — was the level of difficulty it would take to make it that far. To be one of 20 teams to qualify for Nationals, Pitt just needed to finish second at Regionals, rather than win the entire event. What dictated this significant procedural change was Danger’s top-level performance during the regular season, which lasts from January through March. All 20 bids to Nationals are automatic, with each of the 10 geographic regions receiving one bid. But how the remaining half are allocated between those same regions differs from year to year. Which teams receive the additional places, and how many, is determined at the conclusion of the regular season, using a formula that factors in victories against skilled opponents and point differentials. Schools that rank in the top 20, according to this algorithm, secure bids for their region, but not for themselves. In the bid allocation rankings released at the beginning of April by USA Ultimate, the sport’s national governing body, Pitt ranked 16th and Ohio State 15th. Thus, their region, the Ohio Valley, had two bids available from Regionals, which took place two weekends ago.
After Pitt cruised through pool (group) play relatively unchallenged and dispatched Penn State 11-5 in the semifinals, awaiting Pitt in the champion- s h i p was OSU, the defending national champions. Yet, unlike their previous meetings, this one w a s competitive, with Pitt falling by a single point, 11-10. Despite making the final, which Pitt had earned through its performance during the season up to that point, the region’s second bid wasn’t Danger’s just yet. A rematch with PSU, almost immediately after the finals loss, would determine who secured the second bid to regionals. Penn State had finished its regular season ranked 75th in the bid allocation rankings. “I think their plan all along was to steal ours,” Normile said in reference to the available regional bid. That didn’t happen, as Danger won 10-5. While the rest of the Nationals field was finalized on Sunday, Danger didn’t know its seed or the other schools in its pool at the time of publication.
Danger
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CAROLYN NORMILE, Danger co-captain
Everyone was kind of growing together this year.
DANGEROUS TERRITORY
Carolyn Normille, left, makes a leaping grab for Danger, Pitt’s women’s ultimate frisbee club team. The team, below, beat Penn State to advance to the championships. | Photos courtesy of Danger
May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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Minnesota Vikings (4th Rd, 111th overall) 6’6”, 315 pounds
Once projected as a top 20 pick, Clemmings fell in the draft due to concerns over a stress fracture in his foot. Clemmings looked promising in 2014-2015, as both coaches and the media selected him for first team All-ACC honors. The former defensive tackle, who converted to offensive line two seasons ago, also garnered a second team All-American nod from the Football Writers Association of America. A team captain in 2014, Clemmings was the first Pitt offensive lineman drafted since the Cleveland Browns selected Jason Pinkston 150th overall in 2011.
WHILE T.J. CLEMMINGS WAS THE ONLY PITT PLAYER DRAFTED, TEAMS OFFERED FOUR OTHER PLAYERS CONTRACTS AS UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS...
TODD THOMAS JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
RAY VINOPAL DALLAS COWBOYS
MATT ROTHERAM GREEN BAY PACKERS
Photos by Heather Tennant | Staff Photograher
MANASSEH GARNER KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Graphic by Alex Ryan and Stephen Caruso
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May 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 12
Jarrett impressing coaches with improvement DANGER Jeremy Tepper Staff Writer
Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi usually refrains from heaping praise on particular players. But when it comes to junior nose tackle Tyrique Jarrett, Narduzzi doesn’t hold back the plaudits. “He can be a special player for us,” Narduzzi said. Throughout spring practice, Jarrett took most of the first team reps at nose tackle. He has clearly run with the opportunity, as Pitt’s staff presented him with the Ed Conway Award in April, which annually recognizes the most improved players on offense and defense. It’s a substantial leap for Jarrett, who played minimally in his first two years at Pitt. He totaled nine tackles over his first two years, with eight of them coming last season. Jarrett’s jump from scarcely used to highly touted has occurred because of an increased
emphasis on conditioning. Narduzzi estimates Jarrett has lost 17 to 20 pounds this offseason, bringing him to 340 pounds at 6 foot 3 inches. The weight loss has afforded Jarrett the ability to participate in more plays without getting tired. The staff, though, hopes to get Jarrett down to 330 or 335 pounds, which the staff predicts to be an optimal playing weight for the junior. “If he got down to 330 he’d be a machine,” Narduzzi said. “He could probably go five or six plays hard. Some of those nose tackles in the NFL, they play two plays and they get them off, they drag them off the field.” Defensive coordinator Josh Conklin expressed similar sentiments. “If he can go more than four or five reps on first and second down, we’ve got a chance to be really good because he’s such a force in there,” Conklin said. Jarrett said he’s been able to “find a will and something to push him,” which has helped him lose weight. The coaching staff will only
push him as much as he wants to pushed, Jarrett said. Jarrett’s girlfriend has motivated him as well. “I saw his girlfriend and she wants him to lose 10 more [pounds] or she’s breaking up with him,” Narduzzi said jokingly. In addition to weight loss, Jarrett cited his improved understanding of the playbook and football in general as reasons for his leap. “Just the knowledge of the game,” Jarrett said. “Knowing more about the game and knowing when I can do things and certain movements.” Pitt’s defensive line coach Tom Sims has been instrumental in that improvement. “He’s taught me a lot,” Jarrett said. “He’s taught me about being patient with a lot of things and basically knowing when to hit it.” Sims, Conklin and Narduzzi have continually stressed the importance of a good defensive line, which is pivotal in stopping the run. It seems Jarrett has picked up on their message. Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.
Delave expects the team to get seeded somewhere in the bottom quarter of teams and hopes they will finish higher than wherever they are seeded. Loughery and Normile also expressed a similar desire. Loughery also hopes to outdo the mark set by the 2010 squad that finished ninth in the nation. With roughly two weeks until Nationals, the majority of the team -– some have started jobs since the end of the semester -– has reassembled in Oakland to practice three times a week and do strength and conditioning workouts twice a week each in the interim. At gamepoint of the crucial consolation game against Penn State, Loughery was lined up on the goal line in her offensive half of the field when fellow fifth-year player Jessica Sheehan matched up well with her marker and cut into the end zone. “We just locked eyes and she just knew exactly where I wanted to throw it, and I put it there and she caught it,” Loughery said. The pair, who both started out together as freshmen, had made it, finally.