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June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
A FRESH FACE
ICYMI(In case you missed it) Going up
The University announced Monday that the first phase of the elevator renovation project in the Cathedral of Learning has inched a step closer toward completion. Mascaro Construction, LLC and Otis Elevator, the two contractors handling the renovations, have told Pitt that the first set of elevators, cars F and J, will be modernized and fully operational later this month, according to Pitt spokesperson John Fedele. Pitt expects the entire project to be complete next spring. During the renovation period, both new and old cars will be used. The new cars, Fedele said, are “destination-based.” Rather than pressing an up or down button, riders will enter the floor they need to go to at a kiosk, which Pitt will install on each floor. The kiosk will direct users to the appropriate elevator, eliminating the need for floor selection buttons in the cars.
Azalea out at pride fest Pittsburgh PrideFest organizers announced the cancellation of pop artist Iggy Azalea’s performance at the LGBT event on Monday night. The Delta Foundation organized PrideFest, which runs Downtown from June 6 to June 14, and faced previous criticism for picking Azalea to headline the festival. Controversy stemmed from statements Azalea made on social media that members of the LGBT community saw as racist and homophobic. Amidst the widespread criticism, several LGBTQ groups chose to boycott the event, including Pittsburgh’s chapter of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Azalea was originally penciled in to perform on June 13.
Read the full stories at
pittnews.com
Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor
Harun transitions into new role as SGB President, begins planning for upcoming year with ongoing, new projects Alexis Mazzeo Staff Writer In the wake of former Student Government Board President Graeme Meyer’s resignation, Nasreen Harun has had a bittersweet rise to power. Despite the sad ending to Meyer’s presidency, Harun says she’s prepared to fill her new position. As SGB’s new president, Harun will work to continue efforts she has previously worked on as executive vice president, including improving student organizations, restructuring SGB and promoting awareness and prevention of sexual assault on campus. “Since I’ve joined SGB, I have been able to see a lot of ideas come to fruition and I’m excited to help spearhead those efforts,” Harun said in an email. One of Harun’s first projects while in
office will focus on minimizing issues and roadblocks that student organizations often run into, such as hosting events. While she was running for a seat on the Board, Harun pushed for more reservable spaces
NASREEN HARUN,
Student Government Board President
organizations on campus. Harun said she wants to work with the administration to meet student groups’ demands for space. Harun also plans to develop an Executive Board Transition program, which will be in the form of an online course on everything students need to know to launch and manage a student organization. Information in the program will advise students on how to navigate the Student Organization Resource Center (SORC), how to get the most out of the Allocations process and incorporate sustainable aspects into planned events. The structure of this program is still being planned, Harun said. To further help students, Harun plans to continue efforts to restructure SGB to ensure that the Board
Since I’ve joined SGB, I have been able to see a lot of ideas come to fruition and I’m excited to help spearhead those efforts. for students on EMS, Pitt’s online reservations system. This initiative stemmed from the constantly growing amount of
SGB
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June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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Uber paves the way to success for Pitt engineers Elizabeth Lepro Assistant News Editor Uber is growing far beyond an app, and it’s riding on Pittsburgh engineers to expand. Uber, the international rideshare company, opened its Advanced Technologies Center (ATC) in Pittsburgh in February after developing a strategic partnership with Carnegie Mellon University. Now, Uber is expanding that partnership to include Pitt. Uber’s ATC has accepted its first Pitt student, Beiye Liu, for a cooperative learning experience, according to Maureen Barcic, director of the co-op program at the Swanson School of Engineering. Liu is a Ph.D student in electrical engineering at Swanson and the only Pitt student currently filling a co-op position with the Uber ATC. Despite being the only one, Liu said the opportunities are abundant for Pitt grads. “They’re hiring all kinds of different
T P N S U D O K U
engineers,” Liu said, “[Pitt] has a really that works with government and industry good location, [interested applicants] can clientele to create robotics technologies. come in anytime [they] want.” Uber will provide funding for faculty The online list of positions Uber is chairs and graduate students, according looking to the reto fill is lease on BRANDON CONTINO, l e n g t h y, its blog, Robotics and Automation Society President including in order mechanito a tcal and civil tract the engineers, “best and software debrightest velopers and graduate manufacturstudents.” ing. Uber In a respokeslease, Carnperson egie Mellon Molly said the University’s partnership with the Spaeth said that Uber is not currently reridesharing company would allow for Uber leasing information about the ATC beyond technology leaders to “work closely with what the company has posted on its blog. CMU faculty, staff and students — both Liu signed a nondisclosure agreement on campus and at its National Robotics with the ATC and couldn’t discuss specifics Engineering Center (NREC),” an institute of his research, but said he works five days
Uber is taking off. It’s really redefining the whole industry.
Today’s difficulty level: Very Hard Puzzles by Dailysudoku.com
a week for Uber ATC as a software engineer where he’s helping to develop software for the ATC’s three core initiatives: driving safety, mapping and autonomous driving, or self-driven cars. “[I work with] 99 percent technology people, so I really like the people and the environment,” Liu said. Liu is not alone at Pitt in his interest in these types of projects — the University’s Robotics and Automation Society is currently working with technology similar to what Liu might be doing for the ATC. According to club president Brandon Contino, the Society is working with GPS mapping and self-driven vehicles, including an autonomous rover. Contino, a junior electrical engineering major, said the Society is made up of mostly engineering and computer science majors, most of whom are looking for real world experience in their fields, poten-
Uber
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June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
Pittsburgh’s
Pride
TOP, LEFT PAGE — Jesse Dubin, a rising Pitt senior Spanish major, carries the pride flag through the street.
BOTTOM, LEFT PAGE — Dancers filled the 5800 block of Ellsworth Ave. for Ready Set Pride.
TOP, RIGHT PAGE — Drag queen VyVyan Vyxn accepts tips from fans.
BOTTOM, RIGHT PAGE — Drag queen Annasteezia tells the audience what PRIDE means to her.
June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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Shadyside hosts start of PRIDE-ful week
M
ore than a hundred people gathered on Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside on Sunday to partake in the kickoff of Pittsburgh Pride, the eight-day-long celebration of the city’s LGBT culture. The Delta Foundation, a local non-profit organization dedicated to increasing opportunities and quality of life for the LGBT community in Western Pennsylvania, has been hosting Pittsburgh Pride since 2006. Pittsburgh Pride is currently the largest LGBT event in Pennsylvania, outnumbering Philadelphia’s pride festivities, as Pittsburgh Pride boasted more than 95,000 attendees last year. The celebration will culmi-
nate with other featured events next weekend: Pride in the Street will be on Saturday, and a Pride March and Pride Fest will be on Sunday. With a stage blocking off the street from vehicle traffic, attendees were free to dance and socialize in a safe space. At 8 p.m. on Sunday, drag performers strutted their stuff, transcendentally sassy in platform heels, elaborate wigs and fierce make-up. With all the quirky characters in attendance, the celebration was a rainbow of entertainment.
Photos by Theo Schwarz Story by Chris Estes
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SGB
is fairly representing the diverse student body and not overlooking student needs. Board members are still determining planning and final decisions on the restructuring of SGB. Harun will also address some of the initiatives that Meyer began to implement under his presidency, specifically racks for student publications at Pitt, such as The
June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com Pitiful News and The Original Magazine. According to Harun, there were issues with the original supplier of the racks, but the Board is working to have the project completed as soon as possible. Also under Meyer’s presidency, members of the Board pledged last October to work to prevent sexual violence on campus. According to Harun, the SGB Wellness Committee has been planning awareness events to continue the fight against sexual assault on campus. Harun serves as a member on the Sexual Assault Task Force on
campus and works with students and the administration to combat sexual assault on campus. Both Harun and Meyer are in Pittsburgh this summer and have been working together on the transition of power since SGB announced Meyer’s resignation on May 29. Board member Jack Heidecker said the transition between the two presidents has been a smooth process thus far. “Since SGB has such effective and productive relationships between all
members, we’re really well-positioned to continue our successes next semester,” Heidecker, a junior majoring in German and political science, said in email. Current Board members are expressing confidence in the newly appointed President’s capability, including Jacky Chen. “Although everybody on the Board was surprised and saddened by the loss of Meyer as president, the Board and I have the utmost confidence in Nasreen’s ability and preparedness to lead in her new role,” Chen, a senior neuroscience major, said in an email. Harun said Meyer had been a great leader this past semester and the Board will miss him, but she is excited to take on the presidential role, helping other Board members with their projects while also working on her own initiatives. Heidecker is not unsettled in SGB’s future. “SGB is more than President Meyer or President Harun,” Heidecker said. “I don’t believe that our goals and initiatives will change significantly because, except for President Meyer, we’re still the same [Board] that was elected by the student body last November.” FROM PAGE 3
UBER
tially with Uber. Contino is currently interning with the Eaton Corporation, a power management company, and said while he hasn’t heard about any specific opportunities with Uber, he’s aware of the company’s growing prowess. “Uber is taking off,” Contino said. “It’s really redefining the whole industry.”
June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
EDITORIAL
Apple Music will wipe out free streaming
Remember MP3 players and music libraries? Neither do we — words like Spotify and Pandora are now practically ingrained into our everyday vernacular, replacing the language of the past. And after Monday’s Apple Music launch, we might not remember what free music streaming is, either. Apple Music, Apple’s new streaming platform, will hit the market on June 30. While there is a free three-month trial, the service costs $9.99 a month for continued service. However, the costs are much greater than just a recurring fee of ten dollars. With its sizable influence in the music industry, Apple is trying to keep music labels from renewing Spotify’s license to stream music through its free tier. Essentially, Apple is trying to kill off free streaming services in favor of platforms with a base level cost (like its own) — and while it might seem the opposite at first, that’s dangerous to musicians. According to NPD Group’s “Annual Music Study 2012,” music pirating decreased by 26 percent between 2011 and 2012 — largely due to the ease and availability of streaming services like Spotify. If we eliminate free music streaming tiers, there is an increased likelihood that illegal file-sharing will rise again. And that means less money for the artists — exactly what Apple says it’s trying to prevent by introducing required tiered plans. Of course, some users will fork over $9.99 rather than resort to Pirate Bay for illegal downloading. But given Spotify’s current situation, it doesn’t seem likely that Apple will get its desired results. While Spotify offers an ad-supported, free-to-play model, as well as a $9.99 premium plan, only 15 percent of its 60 million-strong user base are actually paying for the service, according to a New York Times article from May. So how does Apple plan to pay artists for their songs’ plays on Apple Music? Hopefully, Apple will compensate artists fairly. Otherwise, Apple is just creating a new conundrum for the already murky music industry. Until Apple officially releases data on how it intends to compensate musicians for their work, stay away from Apple Music. There’s no doubt that we’re dealing with dangerous fruit.
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OPINIONS
CARTOON
Fatima Kizilkaya | Staff Cartoonist
COLUMN
Takeout 101
The ins and outs of dining app, Tapingo Adrianne Glenn Columnist When you were a prospective freshman, you might have tried the grilled cheese and stir fry at Market Central and thought it was edible enough to spend the vast majority of your meals there. Market is all right, but you’re going to crave some variety. You’ll find yourself eating out more than you expected. For students dining out in an attempt to avoid Market, Pitt recommends the use of the app Tapingo, a service which offers pre-ordering for quick, reliable pick-up meals on campus. Instead of just running with that recommendation, though, recognize that each participating restaurant that uses Tapingo responds to orders differently. At some restaurants, the service is so supreme that you’ll never want to order in person again — but other restaurants just aren’t up to par when they receive Tapingo orders. Here are some secrets that will help you best utilize the app. Pick-up: When ordering food for pick-up, it’s sometimes easier to just wait in line and avoid ordering ahead
altogether. Cathedral Café: When eating at the Cathedral Café on the ground floor of the Cathedral, ordering ahead is imperative because it’s always crowded. Tapingo is helpful for ordering pick-up, but unless you order at least a half an hour in advance, you still will not be receiving the food you already ordered as soon as you get there. SubConnection: The line for SubConnection on the bottom floor of the William Pitt Union is rarely long and it will usually take longer to get your food if you order ahead than if you just wait in line. Strutters: There is not often a long line for Strutters, which is also located on the ground floor of the Union, but if you are ordering a specific sandwich instead of something simple like chicken tenders, it is best to order a few minutes in advance. Taco Bell: The Taco Bell on the bottom floor of the William Pitt Union is not often crowded. However, there is often a bit of a wait for food because they have to prepare it after you order, so it is best to order on Tapingo about five minutes in advance.
Einstein Bros Bagels: Einstein Bros is often crowded because it is located in Posvar Hall and picks up the traffic of those heading to and from class. You’ll be thankful you ordered about five to ten minutes in advance. Daytime Delivery: Be wary of establishments on Forbes that are built around a more direct transaction with customers, allowing patrons to pick specific toppings or build their own meal. Don’t use Tapingo for these restaurants, because not only are you ordering at one of the busiest times of the day, but your order has the potential to be very personalized. In these scenarios, it’s better to visit the restaurant in person due to the nature of your order. You should make a point to actually walk into places like Qdoba, Five Guys and Sushi Fuku because you can make sure you get exactly what you want — whether it’s some guacamole on the side of your burrito, onions on your cheeseburger or Yum Yum sauce on your sushi rolls. When an order is customizable, it’s more difficult for businesses to communicate with customers through an app.
Glenn
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June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
FROM PAGE 7
GLENN It’s through no fault of the restaurant — it’s just difficult to create a personalized meal without some personalized contact. Late Night Delivery: When ordering food late at night, there are not many options. It essentially boils down to just pizzerias. Domino’s: Domino’s is a classic — you can count on fresh, hot pizza that looks just like the ad. You always know what
THE PITT NEWS
to expect and they are pretty consistent with getting food to you within an hour. However, Tapingo adds a $3 delivery charge, not including the tip, and delivery people often get lost around the dorms and you have to wander around searching for them. In this case, it’s better just to make a traditional call than to use Tapingo because it’s simpler to communicate with the drivers. Pizza Pronto is, on paper, the best choice for late night delivery. They have an extremely reliable mere 45-minute wait time, a delivery fee of only $1, and E S T A B L I S HE D 1 9 1 0
Harrison Kaminsky Editor-in-Chief
editor@pittnews.com Dale Shoemaker, News Editor Theo Schwarz, Visual Editor newsdesk.tpn@gmail.com
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the food is consistent. While their pasta leaves a lot to be desired, their sandwiches are always up to par and their cheesy fries never disappoint. Whether you get a late-night craving for pizza or an insatiable thirst for some lemonade from Einstein’s, Tapingo can be useful. Just be wary of restaurants that can screw up your order — Tapingo isn’t a foolproof middleman. Vivek Wagle, head of marketing at Tapingo, said that while errors do occur, the Tapingo team makes smooth operations a priority. 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.
“Since our product employs machinelearning technology...anticipated wait times improve significantly with increased app usage,” Wagle said. “The more often people use Tapingo, for pickup or delivery, the more accurate the estimates become.” So don’t quit using Tapingo. Just double-check your bag when you pick up your order. Keep calm and Tapingo on. Adrianne Glenn primarily writes about social and cultural issues for The Pitt News. Write to Adrianne at adg79@pitt.edu. advertising@pittnews.com
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June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT CULTURE
Fun in the Sun
Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off with worry-free whirlwind Brady Langmann Staff Writer With a chaotic weekend that included a Taylor Swift concert at Heinz Field, PrideFest and the Three Rivers Arts Festival, there’s plenty that could’ve gone wrong. Thankfully, the Arts Festival’s featured public installation — New York City artist Rudy Shepherd’s “Black Rock Negative Energy Absorber” — was designed to keep it all together. On display in the center of Point State Park, the 10-foot-tall rock aims to rid festival patrons and the city as a whole of bad vibes. For Emily Balawejder, a lifelong Pittsburgher who’s attended the Arts Festival for as long as she can remember, the piece fits right in. “I think that this rock is exactly what
Pittsburgh, and maybe the entire world needs right now,” Balawejder said. “I think it’s great that a piece of artwork can bring this many people around to lean into it, or meditate around it and give us all a positive experience because we are all in it together.” Along with a worry-free confluence of locals and visitors, the Three Rivers Arts Festival successfully kicked off its 54th celebration last Friday. Sponsored by Dollar Bank and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the event featured local and national artists, bands and food vendors. The festival’s grounds covered Point State Park, Gateway Center and the Cultural District, and the free festivities will continue through June 14. Sporting an all-white pantsuit and oversized sunglasses, seasoned poprocker Jenny Lewis kicked off the cel-
Attendees soaked up the sun and enjoyed displays and demonstrations by local artists. Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor
ebration with her headlining set on Friday at the Dollar Bank Main Stage. In front of a packed crowd at the Point, Lewis played fan-favorites like “She’s Not Me” and “Just One of the Guys,” leaving the audience screaming for an encore at the end of her set. Aside from Lewis, bluegrass collective Railroad Earth performed Saturday night and indie pop group Alvvays closed out Sunday with their lo-fi tunes. According to Elizabeth Baisley, the marketing director for 91.3 WYEP and 90.5 WESA, the Arts Festival’s music offerings provide an opportunity for Pitts-
Festival
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June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
CULTURE
City of Asylum offers ad-lib insight into lives of the disabled Bright, fluorescent lights poured down on a cast of characters. They joined hands and bowed, their bodies casting shadows on the white stage where they stood. Some were standing, some accompanied by their caregivers and some in wheelchairs. At the New Hazlett Theater in the North Side, “A (micro) history of world economics, danced,” showed last Friday and Saturday evening. Pascal Rambert, a French director, created and choreographed the show, and the local nonprofit City of Asylum helped to produce it. “A (micro) history” is part of an ongoing celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a piece of legislation which enforced anti-discrimination regulations to benefit disabled individuals. Some performers were wheelchair users who could not walk, and some were partially deaf. The work, inspired by the 2008 global financial crisis, aims to show the effects of the
economy on people’s lives. It has showcased in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Cairo, among other cities. Each performance differs because the actors, who are not professional performers, customize the script and choreography during a week of workshops before rehearsals begin. The unconventional cast emphasizes inclusiveness and diversity by featuring performers with a range of disabilities, their caregivers and advocates for the disabled. Henry Reese, one of the co-founders of City of Asylum, which provides sanctuary for writers exiled from their native countries for political reasons, said that the organization wanted to bring “A (micro) history” to Pittsburgh because the values and ideals of sharing art and diversity and giving a voice to people who are underrepresented aligned with those of City of Asylum. “[The production] spoke to the core of what we are trying to do in giving voice to people who often go unheard and demonstrating the value of activities often deemed
valueless, like art,” Reese said. Reese added that City of Asylum and Rambert shared the goal of creating art that engaged communities that had little access to art, or art-making. “In choosing to feature people with disabilities in the production, we also hoped to learn to be exceptionally hospitable to performers and audiences with disabilities,” Reese said. As an interpretive dance piece with commentary on historical and modern economics, the production featured dancing, with narration by some actors. During one scene, an actor explained that the setting was early in human history. As the actors arranged themselves into two tribes, he explained how gift-giving evolved to form the basis of a trading economy. The featured actors added more historical background information and explained the settings and characters of each scene. During another scene, all the actors came on stage with a personally significant item, such as photographs of deceased family mem-
The Pitt News Crossword, 6/10/2015
Nick Mullen Staff Writer
ACROSS 1 Org. whose website has a Track & Manage option 5 Ending sound 9 Checked out 14 Copper mine? 16 Floral perfume 17 Predictable patterns 18 Imprecise 19 Map lines: Abbr. 20 Clinches 21 Some Buffalo wings 22 Subway device 23 Like bodegas, to Span. speakers 24 Pitches 25 Assigning responsibility by committee, in modern lingo 30 Facial cosmetics 31 Like the Southeast, vis-àvis other U.S. regions 34 Assume the role of 35 Put down 36 Camp sight 37 Thing handed down 39 Moby-Dick, e.g. 40 Where Langley is 42 Jug part 44 Critter in a clowder 45 Small songbirds 46 Title heroine in a Humperdinck opera 48 Start to cure? 49 Marker, e.g. 52 Inexperienced 53 Two-time winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar 55 Runs slowly 56 Allied 57 Angström, e.g. 58 Aptly named Civil War general Henry 59 Fake
bers, doctoral dissertations, artist portfolios, baby blankets, toys and items representing hobbies and interests. After the actors held up their items and explained them, they left the items in front of the stage for the actors in the next scene to use as props. In this scene, banks evicted three performers from their homes, and the banks threw their sentimental possessions into the street. Throughout the production, performers had small ad-lib asides, vocalizing their thoughts and sharing stories, which they prepared shortly before taking the microphone. Many performers spoke about times where their disabilities affected them and caused people to give them attention, whether it was a time when someone made an offensive comment, or a time when a stranger assisted them. One performer came to the microphone and signed, while a translator spoke, thanking the audience for coming, and reminded them to remember the struggles of the disabled. Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.
5/30/15
By Barry C. Silk
DOWN 1 BOAC flier’s destination in a 1968 song 2 Carpeting unit: Abbr. 3 “Alice in Wonderland” features 4 Blue 5 Work through 6 Incite 7 They aren’t behind you 8 Corp. symbols 9 Zinc compound 10 Narrow range 11 Flier’s convenience 12 Let up 13 Adorn 15 Many wallets contain one 21 Rig 22 1998 Masters champion 23 Wear 25 Lackluster 26 Tiny parasites 27 Engine protector 28 Slangy event suffix
Friday’s Puzzle Solved
©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
29 Halo 32 On the way 33 Home to Paris 35 Tall story? 38 Like some history 39 Bite 41 Nissan whose last model year is 2015 42 “Some things are too delicious to share” food
5/30/15
43 Hood defense 47 Started a hole 48 Allen’s successor 49 Sheer 50 O.T. book 51 Networking connection point 53 Odometer stat. 54 Crossing party, briefly
June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 9
FESTIVAL burghers to come together and appreciate a free event that they can’t find anywhere else. “I think forging a sense of community and connection around music is a great thing to do,” Baisley said. She added that she was impressed by the Cultural Trust’s efforts this year. She’s lived in Houston, Arizona and New York City, but she “can’t think of many where there’s anything of this scale available. It’s tremendous.” Aside from the performing art, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s green efforts impressed festivalgoers as well. Free water stations were scattered throughout the area — which cut down on the need for plastic bottles — and kids and their families enjoyed environmentallyfriendly activities, like the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse’s Reuse-a-Palooza. Reuse-a-Palooza, which has been a staple of the Arts Festival for the last five years, encourages kids to make their own crafts and inventions out of reclaimed materials. At this year’s event, children made robots out of cassette tapes, wind chimes with discarded metals
and superhero capes using recycled fabric. Katy DeMent, Reuse-a-Palooza’s lead teaching artist, was thrilled to see the creativity from the kids, made even better by the activity’s message of environmental responsibility. “We try to keep it open-ended. We give them the materials and they go wild with it,” DeMent said. “It’s encouraging kids to do creative things with unusual materials — hopefully they will look at these materials as an alternative to throwing things away, and maybe continue making quality arts and crafts out of stuff like this.” The children weren’t the only attendees with impressive art. Painters, sculptors and designers lined the maze-like Artist Market, which weaved through the entire festival. Each artist had a tent where they sold their work, exhibiting a wide range of products that included fine jewelry, purses crafted from recycled materials and photographs of abandoned Pittsburgh areas. The vendors included Pittsburgh Pottery, which sold yinzer-inspired ceramics and clothing, like a shirt with “Jagoff ” written on it, while local artist Chaz Letzkus displayed his “Look Closer” pen and ink drawings, which show
hidden images drawn inside larger pictures. “Shark Absorber” highlighted the collection, featuring a sketch of a shark with Justin Bieber in its mouth, filled in with countless tiny sharks. Some artists, such as Lex Covato of Lex Art Studios, have even developed relationships with their customers. Covato, a Pittsburgh-born illustrator who has featured her art in the festival for the past five years, depicts historical, fictional and popculture figures tattooed with their respective iconographies, has patrons who return every year to see her latest creations. In “Abraham Lincoln’s Tattooed Proclamation,” the president is pictured shirtless (save for suspenders), marked with stars and stripes, a portrait of his wife and the year of his assassination. Covato said that the event makes art more accessible, slowly bringing Pittsburgh’s arts scene closer to that of the nation’s top metro areas. “I think for us to really come around and be like a New York, or a Chicago, a Philly, we have the potential, we have so much here, we just need more going on in the city,” Covato said. “Pittsburgh’s cool, it’s where it’s happenin’, you know.”
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BTW
(by the way)
Wednesday Carnegie Museum of Art challenges Western preconceptions of Arab women with “She Who Tells a Story.”
Thursday Review: A$AP Rocky caters to niche fans with new album At.Long.Last
Friday
TPN reviews Steven Spielberg’s new summer blockbuster Jurassic World
Read the exclusive online content at
pittnews.com
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June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
SPORTS
GoFundMe page aims to better connect fans to Pitt athletics Dan Sostek Sports Editor You’d be hard-pressed to find someone with a better perspective on the modern age of Pitt athletics than Dave Jedlicka. A Western Pennsylvanian since birth, Jedlicka began rooting for Pitt 16 years ago, following a campus tour that solidified the University as his college of choice. He would end up spending 2001-2010 in Oakland, completing bachelor’s degrees in communication science and history and a masters degree in audiology. He served as the president of Pitt’s basketball cheering section, the Oakland Zoo, from 2006-2009. Now, as an alum, Jedlicka is attempting to maintain his bond with the University and help others do so as well. With the help of GoFundMe.com, a crowdfunding website, Jedlicka is hoping to help alumni of any income level contribute to a new era of Pitt athletics. The GoFundMe page, entitled “Pitt Football - Locker Fundraiser,” which Jedlicka created on May 22, set the goal to raise $11,500 to help build a new locker in the program’s currently under-renovation locker room in South Side. The donation would be made under the name “Proud Pitt Alumni.” The donation Pitt requires to dedicate a locker is $10,000, but according to Jedlicka, the goal was set higher due to GoFundMe’s site fees. As of June 9, the campaign had raised $4,645, nearly half its goal, with donations coming from 108 people over 17 days. Donations range from $5 to $450. “I just wanted to try to find a way to get younger alumni to better connect to the University,” Jedlicka said. “When I heard about the Pitt football renovation project, I thought, [the GoFundMe] would be a great little campaign to start. I was sure I could find 1000 Pitt fans willing to give $10 to this.” The decision for Jedlicka, who had never tried any sort of crowdfunding before, to fundraise at this juncture was not
Courtney Linder | Contributing Editor
arbitrary. After being displeased with the previous athletic administration, Jedlicka saw the hirings of Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, athletic director Scott Barnes and head football coach Pat Narduzzi as an opportunity to corral support. “I’m a big believer in that, for something to be a success, you have to have the right timing,” Jedlicka said. “With a new chancellor, a new athletic director and a new football coach, I thought, ‘Hey, this is a great way to get people back and involved,’ because it’s a fresh start.” Among the 108 GoFundMe contributors is Chris Bruno, a 1999 Clarion University graduate. While not a Pitt alum, Bruno has been a Pitt supporter his entire life and is a staff writer at SB Nation’s Pitt affiliate blog, Cardiac Hill.
“I think what drew me to [donating] was just to be able to put money where my mouth is,” Bruno, who had never participated in crowdfunding before, said. “I thought it was a great idea to do this, for people who don’t make a ton of money but still want to be part of a nice gift for the University.” While the fact that the page isn’t Pittsponsored means that the University can’t promote it, the effort has still made waves throughout the department. Pat Bostick, former Pitt quarterback and the University’s current Director of Development, is thrilled with the excitement the page has garnered. “I think the enthusiasm is great,” Bostick said. “I think that what the folks are doing with the GoFundMe is just another way where you’re seeing people come to-
gether to help a program they really care about.” Bostick also noted that the administration isn’t simply resting on its laurels in regards to crowdfunding. “I think what this has caused us to do is evaluate [the Web and social media] in terms of how people can connect to Pitt athletics and various programs online,” Bostick said. “This has caused us to think about things we’re doing, and I think it serves an example of how support can be mobilized at a relatively low cost.” For Jedlicka, though, the movement is just as much ideological as it is financial. “Every little bit counts. It doesn’t matter if it’s one dollar, $5, $10 or $100,” Jedlicka said. “This is just a way for Panther fans to donate a little bit of what they can to say that they’re supporting Pitt.”
June 10, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
NCAA makes changes to basketball rules with eye for offense by Dan Sostek, Sports Editor
O
n Monday, the NCAA announced the implementation of significant rule changes in both men’s and women’s basketball. Highlighted below are some of the key developments, as well as the NCAA’s rationale for doing so:
MEN’S BASKETBALL
30
second shot clock
In a move that has been in the making for some time — the NCAA experimented with the use of a shorter shot clock in the 2015 National Invitation Tournament — the shot clock will now be reduced from 35 seconds to 30 seconds. The NCAA wants to speed up the game, particularly the offensive tempo. While still a longer shot clock than the NBA’s 24 seconds, this change was made in hope of increasing offensive possessions and, in turn, boosting scoring.
Fewer
Teams will have one less timeout to use in the second half of games. Instead of the four timeouts that previously carried over if unused after a half of play, there will only be a maximum of three timeouts that carry over. College basketball often faces the criticism that late in games, too many stoppages occur, turning what should be a riveting final minute of basketball into a choppy and commercial-filled block of gameplay. While this won’t completely alleviate that issue, it is a step in the right direction to create more fluid late-game scenarios.
Flopping
When referees go to the monitor to review a potential flagrant foul call, the officials now have the ability to penalize a player if they feel he intentionally tried to deceive the official into calling a foul. Flopping is becoming an epidemic of sorts in all levels of basketball, and this motion will hopefully discourage players from baiting referees into blowing a whistle because of theatrics.
second-half timeouts
is now reviewable
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Four
quarters
Starting next season, women’s basketball will no longer play two, 20-minute halves, but instead four 10-minute quarters. The one-and-one bonus has been eliminated in favor of a two foul shot bonus, which will be reached on the fifth foul call of each quarter. The NCAA believes that this will improve the flow of the game. The game will be more representative of the pro level, which also uses four quarters. The bonus rule change also slightly nullifies the advantage defenses get from fouling when their opponents are in the bonus.
Advancement
With under one minute left in the fourth quarter or any overtime period, a timeout called will advance the ball to the opposing frontcourt. This rule, which professional leagues already use, was implemented to increase the frequency of exciting late-game scenarios. Rather than witnessing final second half-court heaves, this rule is now in place to give teams more chances at fielding competitive plays during crunch time.
Music
Pep bands or public address system music will now be permitted to play during any dead-ball period in a game. Previously, music was only allowed during timeouts and intermission. These changes were made in order to improve the overall fan experience at games. Schools are always looking for a way to drum up attendance numbers, and this change can only improve the in-game environment.
of the ball
when the ball is dead
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