8-30-17

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | August 30, 2017 | Volume 108 | Issue 15

SGB welcomes new students Nolan Roosa Staff Writer

After filing into Nordy’s Place in matching navy t-shirts Tuesday night, Student Government Board President Max Kneis and his fellow board members had to quiet down the room, packed to the brim with students.

At SGB’s first meeting of the academic year, board members and committee chairs introduced themselves and gave a brief overview of the organization, including its purpose — to promote the concerns, interests, needs and welfare of the student body of the University of Pittsburgh. After the presentation and meeting, board members spread throughout the room to field questions during an informal meet-and-greet.

Alex Spenceley, one of the eight board members, said he plans to focus his efforts this year on engaging first-year students and promoting mental health awareness on campus.

“First-year students come in with a particular energy that most students don’t have,” Spenceley said. “Tapping into that is something [students] may not know how to do.”

Spenceley, along with board member Ami Fall, will work on the Mental Health Task Force, formed in 2015. The task force — made up of student representatives and counseling center staff — meets weekly to address mental health issues on campus.

Fall is focusing her efforts on lobbying the University to recognize anxiety

A look at Co-ED Holland Hall page 2 Sejla Jukic (left) and John Talley (right), both RAs at Holland, stand at the door that separates the North and South of Holland. Wenhao Wu ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR

STUDENT ORGANIZERS REACT TO ADMIN’S UNION OPPOSITION

Kirsten Wong and John Hamilton cal sciences, read Beeson’s letter outlining the The Pitt News Staff

Rachel Coombs was conducting research in a biology lab in late July when she found herself enraged by an email from Pitt Provost Patricia Beeson.

Coombs, a Ph.D. student studying biologiSee SGB on page 4

Pitt administration’s opposition to the grad student union efforts. Beeson said the union wouldn’t be in the best interests of students and that “education, not the financial support, is the goal of graduate study.”

“I felt like they were trying to segregate us while trying to unite us under the big umbrella

of academia,” Coombs said. “It was very offensive to have someone tell us that money shouldn’t be important when a lot of us are drowning in debt and there are grad students that can’t make ends meet.”

See Graduate Students on page 3

News

men Move in: Holland goes co-ed Janine Faust

Assistant News Editor Rosina Roccamo has only lived in Holland Hall for about a week and has yet to exchange words with a guy on her floor.

“I know it’s gone co-ed, but it’s not, like, super co-ed,” Roccamo said, looking around at her fellow Holland Hall residents scurrying past her curbside perch in the quad. “So far, at least, there hasn’t been a lot of mingling.”

Holland Hall — like the rest of Schenley Quad — was built in 1924 and originally served as a living space for affluent Pittsburghers. The University bought the buildings — then called the Schenley Apartments — in 1956 and repurposed them to house up to 600 students.

Holland was one of Pitt’s two all-female dorms — along with Amos Hall, home to 10 of Pitt’s sororities — and the only one open to incoming students. This was the case for about three decades, beginning in the 1980s, when Pitt converted it from co-ed housing to an all-female residence hall.

Roccamo, a first-year molecular biology major, said she learned Holland Hall had recently gone co-ed in the housing pamphlet the University sent out in early spring, but the information wasn’t really a big deal to her.

“Whether it was co-ed or not didn’t matter to me,” she said. “The rooms looked nice, and I just didn’t want to live in Towers.”

Sejla Jukic, a grad student in Pitt’s school of pharmacy, has been at Holland since her first year at Pitt. Although Holland wasn’t her first choice for a dorm, she ended up loving it.

“I barely knew anything about the building when I got there, but I was sold on how friendly people were and how much female empowerment and safety was stressed,” Jukic said.

Jukic is now entering her fourth year as a Holland resident and her third year serving as a resident assistant there. When she heard the building was going co-ed last year, she was very eager to get involved in the process and help make the building more inclusive.

“I originally loved the idea of Holland being single-gender because it meant we could focus

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on stuff like loving your body and creating an encouraging environment,” Jukic said. “But with the guys coming, I realized we could spread these ideas to a whole new group of people.”

Jukic said the transition of the building to co-ed has been a peaceful one.

“I wasn’t really expecting there to be any incidents in the first place, and so far there has been none,” Jukic said. “Everybody’s been checking out clubs and hanging out in the lounge like usual.”

First-year Sam Levi said Holland Hall was one of his alternate choices for housing, his first choice being Sam Levi, a first-year student, lives in a double dorm room at Holland Hall.

Nordenberg. An older female friend Wenhao Wu ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR of his — a first-year living in Holland at the time — encouraged him to major in biology and psychology, said the door be whatever experience you want to have. There put Holland as an alternate after Pitt in each hall that separates the North Hall and is plenty of opportunity to get connected to announced it was going co-ed.

South Hall generally remains closed, with the people of the other gender.”

“I figured I wasn’t going to get into Norinhabitants of each side usually encountering Levi said that given time, the two sides of denberg considering how popular it is, and each other mostly in the 11th floor lounge and Holland may come to interact more with each Holland’s rooms were nice-looking and bigger laundry rooms. other as they settle into college life. than Towers anyway, so I decided to take her “We do tend to stick to ourselves, and even “I think after everybody gets acclimated to advice,” Levi said. when you’re not considering gender, the place is their living space and the people they live with But while Levi may have known some female Holland residents before he himself moved pretty private,” Steffes said. “I mean, for a dorm.” and just, you, know, being out here, then everyTara Kim, a first-year looking to major in body will get acclimated to each other,” Levi said. in, he doesn’t know any now. biology, said Holland is still a good place to live For now, though, South Holland Hall has “Honestly, there’s been really little mingling for people who feel most comfortable living with been converted into male territory. between girls and guys so far, probably because people of their gender.

“It’s definitely guy’s space now,” Levi said. of how we’re split down the middle,” Levi said.

“Considering I haven’t even seen any of the “The masculinity isn’t diminished or whatever.”

“I have the last guy’s room on my floor before guys on our fl oor yet, I’ d say it’ s still a good place Jukic said the Holland RAs are currently the door that separates the north side from the for people who want to live in an all-male or working on creating a series of events focussouth side, and I literally just talked for the first all-female space,” Kim said. ing on both female empowerment and healthy time to some of the girls on my floor today.”

Unlike Kim, Jukic said she’s seen plenty of masculinity.

Instead of the gender alternating by floor, intermingling between male and female stu“One of the first things we did at our first such as in Towers, or designated by suite like dents in the lounge and among the halls.

But she fl oor meetings was introduce ourselves with our Sutherland Hall, Holland’s male and female agrees Holland would still suit students looking pronouns and invite people to do that too,” Jukic residencies are split down the middle of the to stay in a mostly male or female area. said. “Holland’s mission is to be an inclusive and building. Men make their homes in Holland “Th e way the dorm is split down the middle, respectful place, and we’re working to maintain South, while women retain the North Hall. it’ s doable, ” Jukic said.

“But I think it really can that.”

Kristin Steffes, a first-year planning to

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Graduate Students, pg. 1 After her initial anger, the administration’s response drove her to seek out the Graduate Student Unionizing Committee — a group of Pitt students pushing for a union — and become a volunteer.

Since grad student organizers announced the plan to push for unionization in January 2016, the committee has worked to gather support for a vote through authorization cards — working in partnership with the United Steelworkers. The University was quiet on the issue, expressing neither support or opposition, until Beeson’s July 27 letter and Pitt’s webpage detailing the administration’s position.

Pitt spokesperson Anthony Moore further explained Pitt’s opposition in an Aug. 10 email to The Pitt News. Moore said the current “shared governance model currently in place at Pitt — which allows for both the individual and collective voice of graduate students to be heard — would be adversely impacted by a union.”

Moore outlined the financial value of a typical Ph.D. package, which includes tuition, health insurance and a stipend for teaching or research.

Pitt values this package at $44,600 per year for an in-state student working as a teaching assistant in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and $58,700 for an out-of-state student. Of this total, teaching assistant stipends total $18,450 per year for an Arts and Sciences grad student.

Moore did not respond to questions asking how Pitt specifically determined the union would be harmful to students, instead repeating the administration’s claim that a union would limit student voices.

Another criticism Pitt outlined on the webpage states that an outside organization — in this case the United Steelworkers — would interfere with the relationship between faculties and students. Beth Shaaban, a student organizer and Ph.D. student studying epidemiology, said that’s a common sentiment, but she disagrees.

“It’s going to free up the mentor and

mentee relationship. The real relationship that is changing is the boss and the worker — the administration and the students,” she said.

Julie Van Gyzen, a music history Ph.D. student, joined the committee last September after meeting with students involved in the organizing efforts. Upon reading Beeson’s letter, she said she was uncertain why Pitt came out against the union instead of remaining impartial.

“It was disappointing that the administration decided to not remain neutral. It should be up to the grad students to decide whether they want a union or not,” she said.

Van Gyzen sees a number of widespread issues — such as low pay and a lack of transparency in decision-making — that she would like the administration to be held accountable for.

“The will of the grad students voice should be the loudest voice,” she said. “If it happens to be no, then fine. If it happens to be yes, then the administration should really respect that decision.”

And though Beeson said she had “not learned of any single, widespread concern driving students to favor unionization,” the organizers seem united in their concerns. Like Van Gyzen, Shaaban cited pay and benefits as an issue, along with a lack of transparency from the administration.

Though the letter led to some negative reactions from grad organizers, Shabaan said the biggest outcome was facilitating more conversation about the union and its potential effects.

“It’s generated some good conversation, it’s caused people to come and ask us good questions — if anything, we’ve been talking to more people about it since everyone’s received the email,” she said.

Shabaan wants the goal of the union to be the recognition of grad students as employees, not just students.

“We love the University of Pittsburgh,” she said, adding that Pitt relies heavily on grad student work. “Without us, the University wouldn’t get this work done.”

It was disappointing that the administration decided to not remain neutral.

-Julie Van Gyzen

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Kim Rooney | Assistant Copy Chief Janine Foust | Assistant News Editor Caroline Bourque | Assistant News Editor Copy Staff Christian Snyder | Assistant Opinions Editor Alexa Marzina Kelsey Hunter Mackenzie Rodrigues | Assistant Sports Editor Amanda Sobczak Mia DiFelice Anna Bongardino | Assistant Visual Editor Rachael Crabb Wenhao Wu | Assistant Visual Editor Danah Bialoruski | Assistant Layout Editor Jaime Viens | Online Engagement Editor

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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.

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SGB, pg. 1 and depression as disabilities. She is also working to expand mental health outreach to a greater number of students.

“I want to better reach international students,” Fall said.

“Their [mental health] needs are pertinent, and they often face cultural barriers.”

SGB has been working over the last several weeks to engage new students through the activity fair as well as social media engagement, gaining the attention of students like first-year Matt Reslink.

“They are trying to get first-year students involved,” Reslink said. “They

have fresh minds and are able to better ask questions.”

SGB created a First-Year Council last year to improve its engagement with new students. The council, run by the chief of staff, selects about 10 students for the committee to aid board members with projects and prioritize first-year student issues.

Reslink is vying for a spot on the allocations committee reserved for firstyear students. SGB referred students to its website for applications — due Sept. 8 online by 5 p.m.

Until then, SGB will continue to hold public meetings every Tuesday at Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union starting at 8:45 p.m.

First-year students come in with a particular energy that most students don’t have.

-Alex Spenceley

SGB Vice President and Chief of Cabinet, Krish Patel (left), speaks at the first SGB meeting of the semester. Thomas Yang STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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SPONSORED CONTENT

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY: Homesickness: Even when you least expect it Bobbi Jo Witham The moment is finally here: You get to live on your own, make your own rules and have some independence. It’s the start of your college experience after months of dreaming about it and planning for it. There are plenty of things to do: meet new friends, find an organization to become a part of, build your resume, learn a plethora of new things in classes and possibly deal with homesickness.

Homesickness usually is not part of many students’ preparation lists as they are getting ready to leave home, although homesickness can be a very natural part of being away at college for some students. Homesickness can occur in students who were excited to go away to college and experience their newly found independence or in students who were much more hesitant about being away from family and friends. Nearly 70 percent of incoming first-year students may experience homesickness.

Homesickness can look different for each person. It can include constantly thinking about being home, anxiety/nervousness, decreased motivation, trouble sleeping, appetite changes, feeling different from others, an increase in irritability, loneliness, missing people or pets from home, an increase in negative outlook, sadness, social withdrawal and wishing for a connection with someone. All of these symptoms of homesickness can make the transition to college more challenging.

The good news is that with some strategies, homesickness can quickly pass and you can be on your way to a great year. Remember that these feelings are often more intense at the beginning, and as you get comfortable in new routines, the feelings get less intense. Try some of these strategies if you are dealing with homesickness.

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1. Take some deep breaths; remember why you wanted to come to Pitt and how this fits into the goals you have set for yourself.

2. Talk to people in your Residence Hall: new friends, your RA, or your roommate. Realize that this is a natural and normal part of transitioning to college.

3. Although you may want to go home more frequently, it is recommended to stay on campus without many transitions back home during your first semester to help with the transition.

4. Join groups and get involved. The more you feel connected to campus and a community, the more Pitt will start to feel like home.

5. Check out one of the homesickness workshops at the Counseling Center in order to learn more skills as well as connect with other students who are feeling the same way.

6. Schedule to call or video chat your friends and family rather than just calling when you are missing home. Scheduling the call will give you something to look forward to.

7. Explore the Campus and Oakland. Find a place that you can get re-centered – a favorite coffee shop, a cool hiking trail or someplace that reminds you of home. Take photos to send to friends and family about the great places you have found.

8. Make healthy lifestyle choices: working out, getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods.

Incorporating these choices into a routine will make things feel less chaotic and more stable.

August 30, 2017

PHOTO VIA PIXABAY

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Opinions from the editorial board

column

Don’t let the presidency divide the same side

POETRY NOW:

Religion often claims to be the moral compass of a society. But when religious leaders take political sides, rather than moral, the people are left with a compass that points in two different directions.

Leaders of multiple faiths convened on the 54th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. Rev. Al Sharpton organized the march which was attended by nearly 3,000 ministers from various religions. Sharpton organized the march in an effort to provide a unified moral rebuke to the Trump presidency.

While Sharpton’s march was occurring, a group of evangelical Christians convened a few blocks away at the National Press Club, The Washington Post reports. In the last election, 80 percent of evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump.

Both groups met to discuss how to confront racism and bigotry in America, and while the goals of their demonstrations were the same, their division over whether to support the president or not shows a dangerous entanglement of partisan politics with religion.

Our country is supposed to have separation between church and state, and we do — legally. But in America, the tradition of institutionalized religion affecting politics is a longstanding one. In fact, Pew Research Center found half of Americans would be less likely to vote for an atheist for president.

The entanglement of politics with religion is currently a reality, but perhaps it’s worth setting that debate aside in light of a more startling fact — many of the leaders of the group of evangelical Christians at the National Press Club serve on Trump’s informal

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evangelical advisory board. They used words like “hypocrisy” to describe their feelings toward Sharpton and his marchers, who, they believe, aren’t making enough an effort to work with Trump to improve race relations.

The decision to convene as two separate groups demonstrates that partisan politics today divide even those who believe in similar moralities. The battle to be fought on the anniversary of Dr. King’s speech should have been one of morals, the kind that are important for far more than four years. Instead, Monday in Washington, D.C., represented that loyalty to the president today can supercede religion’s potential to unite people beyond political parties.

But Monday in Pittsburgh told a different story. Religious leaders from a multitude of different faiths came together at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill to reemphasize Dr. King’s words from 54 years ago that still ring true today. More than 160 religious leaders signed a statement denouncing racism, antiSemitism, Islamophobia and white supremacy. The statement never once mentioned the divisive force that is our president.

Pittsburgh’s event shows that cooperation, despite party division, truly can happen. In Washington, D.C., two opposing coalitions — fighting for the same thing — were divided

by Trump. And for religious groups especially, party politics should be of little importance.

Religious leaders should use their positions as representatives of diverse peoples to move out of the fray of partisan politics and demonstrate that unification in the face of moral adversity is, in fact, possible.

Why today’s world makes poetics shine

Christian Snyder

Assistant Opinions Editor I remember the first time a line of poetry caught me by surprise. I was sitting in the Cathedral of Learning mouthing the words of Ross Gay’s poem “catalog of unabashed gratitude” to myself.

The poem turns when he addresses the reader, and says thank you, “for moving your lips just so as I speak.” It made me smile, and chuckle at myself for being caught doing exactly what the poet wanted.

Later I was caught again, crying as he reflected about a black friend who was murdered out of hate in whitewashed Indiana. Good poems do this — they catch you. Their lines weave into your thoughts, and you begin to find comfort in knowing that within those lines is a meaning — some kind of higher truth that will surface when the time is right.

The time is right in 2017. This year has been difficult and hate-filled, and oftentimes we have struggled to find hope. As a direct result of our increasingly distraught political and social environments, people have turned to poetics — a broad, mixedgenre term used to describe aesthetic beauty with a purpose — to find strength, community, truths and comfort. And poetics has always been this force in times of struggle.

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I recently read June Jordan’s essay “The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America.” Jordan was an African-American writer who, until her death in 2002, was a prolific poet, essayist and activist. In the essay, Jordan repeatedly asks the question, “Was it a nice day?” when 7-year-old Phillis was sold as a slave to the wealthy Wheatley family in Boston, 1761.

And twelve years later, Phillis Wheatley became the first African-American poet to ever be published. In a poem that concludes the essay, Jordan writes to Phillis and says, “From Africa singing of justice and grace, / Your early verse sweetens the fame of our Race.”

How was it that Phillis, captured from her home at 7 years old and then shipped and sold across the Atlantic Ocean, was able to write verses singing of justice and grace?

One answer to this question lies in the seemingly unrelated analogy of the history of the steelpan — or as we call it now, the steel drum.

When French planters and their slaves arrived in Trinidad and Tobago, they brought with them the tradition of celebrating Carnival — a Catholic celebration period before Lent when people throw huge parties, wear masks and costumes and consume in excess what’s prohibited during

From the loci of conflict, struggle and hate, poetics manifests.

See Snyder on page 7

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Snyder, pg. 6 Lent, like alcohol and meat. Slaves at the time were prohibited from celebrating the Catholic holiday, however, so they developed their own harvest celebration, and called it canboulay.

In 1880, canboulay turned violent. And as a result, the French colonial government banned drumming and canboulay music, fearing that they posed a serious threat to the public order. But the ban of African drums could not stop the oppressed in Trinidad and Tobago from expressing their cultural emotion through music — slaves began creating instruments from whatever they could find.

First, they used bamboo sticks. When the bamboo sticks were outlawed, they used tin trash cans. When the trash cans were banned, they used the bottoms of oil barrels. Soon, the musicians discovered something.

By beating on the same piece of metal long enough — by playing the music of their homeland on the same instrument for long enough — the tone of the steel would change. And throughout the 1940s and ‘50s, innovators experimented with intentional tonal changes and pitch layouts. Gradually, the steel drum was born.

But the steel drum would not have manifested as part of the sonic and poetic makeup of traditional culture in Trinidad and Tobago if not for the French oppressive elite continually outlawing their slaves’ instruments. And it would not be so beautiful if it were not the result of continual subversion against problematic forces.

From the loci of conflict, struggle and hate, poetics manifests.

Which is why today, American poetics are resurging into the public eye. Major publications like The New York Times and The Guardian offer suggestions of poets and poems to read, and a separate article in The Times reports that poets’ response across the country to last year’s increasing turmoil is unprecedented in terms of its quantity, intensity and stylistic and thematic diversity.

The world seems embroiled in violence, sadness and hate — that much I needn’t prove. But this means today, yesterday and tomorrow are the perfect days to read poems.

Particularly, to read poems by authors of color, by female authors, by female authors of color, by repressed authors, by jailed writers, by gender-nonconforming authors, by white authors — everyone will respond to everything differently. We can find poetics in music — be it rock or hip-hop, jazz or blues. Poetics comes from graffiti, cinema, literature or anything imaginable — which is why it is one of few tools able to respond to hatred with peaceful anger, or with unforgiving grace.

And should you feel inspired to create some kind of poetics in whatever medium you find comfortable, you might just be surprised at how calming the force of every poet — not just those who work in words — working together can be.

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Photo via Wikimedia Creative Commons

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Sports

Perez on the pitch: Adjusting to studies, soccer After growing up in Spain, Javi Perez moved to America this year in favor of playing soccer while also pursuing his education at Pitt. | by Jordan Mondell | Senior Staff Writer

F

or Pitt midfielder Javi Perez, the atmosphere at the Petersen Sports Complex is a lot different than what he is used to.

The green of the turf beneath his feet is the same, as are the meshy nets of the goals, but in Spain, soccer — correction, futbol — is a bit different. At a top collegiate level, everything is bigger, from the stadiums to the fan bases, reflecting the rich culture of the sport.

“Everyone plays [soccer] in Spain,” Perez said. “It’s just a thing.”

Perez, a junior transfer, is kicking off his first season on the men’s soccer team after a near lifelong run with Valencia Club de Futbol, a top-tier youth team in Spain’s third largest city. He began playing for the elite academy when he was only 4 years old.

“My cousin and I were playing in my house, and one day my dad told us, ‘you’re going to play for this club,’ and so we did,” Perez said.

Perez played for the club for 15 years — serving as team captain for 12 of them. He is a natural leader, according to Pitt soccer head coach Jay Vidovich, both on and off the field.

“He is a mature, ambitious, goal-oriented young man,” Vidovich said of his new recruit.

While playing for Valencia, he was on track join a professional league before he sustained a traumatic knee injury at age 19. As a result, the youth team dropped him, and he decided to join a lower-level, second-division club as he

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healed and re-conditioned.

Then, he had a choice: stay in a club that would not serve his goals, or turn to other avenues outside of his home country.

“It’s a tough spot because it’s lower-level pay, and it’s not the glamorous sport we all watch on TV,” Vidovich said. “It’s a grind.”

While on a visit to America to watch the Columbus Crew — a Major League Soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio — Perez made a stop in Pittsburgh to practice with the United Soccer League’s Riverhounds and explore the city. From there, he got in touch with Vidovich, who was starting to rebuild Pitt’s struggling program.

Vidovich eventually traveled to Spain to visit Perez, taking the time to meet his family

under former coach Joe Luxbacher.

This is all new territory for Perez, whose entire career — outside of the injury — was filled with success.

“He said he was ‘game on’ for the challenge of trying to build a program,” Vidovich said. “That’s the kind of guy he his, he didn’t want to go to a place that was an established winner, he wanted to help us with our project.”

And he’s already making an impact.

After arriving, Perez quickly became one of the leaders on the team, earning him the honor of being one of two team captains, Javi Perez is one of two captains along with senior on the 2017 Pitt men’s soccer team defenseman Bryce and played all 90 minutes in each of Cregan. Through his the team’s first two contests. Jordan passion for the game, Mondell SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER he has brought a different type of energy to the group. and friends, as well. They decided that him “Whether it’s the passion for soccer in his pursuing an education in America, at Pitt, was blood, or that he’s very ambitious, or that he’s a what Perez needed to get back into the game really good person and leader, he’s been a major and prepare him for the future. factor in turning our culture around,” Vidovich “In Spain, it is very difficult to combine studies and the sport,” Perez said. “But here you said.

In his free time, Perez hasn’t been doing have a lot of opportunities to handle both very much aside from soccer. He admits he misses easily.” his family in Europe — especially his older Perez is still working on adjusting to being sister, Ana, whom he is particularly close with. a student-athlete in the United States. He now But to him, the opportunity of getting a degree handles a full-course load on top of training while playing soccer is worth the time away. with a new team — one which doesn’t have the “They are very proud of me. Not everyone storied history of Valencia.

Since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2013, has the opportunity to go to the United States, go to a school like Pitt, and play futbol, too,” the team has never won a conference match.

Perez said. “They are very happy because I am They also haven’t had a winning season in over 10 years — with the last one coming in 2000 See Perez on page 10

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column

NARDUZZI PROVES LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

Ryan Zimba Sports Editor

Pat Narduzzi is looking to lead the team to the ACC Championship Game in his third season with the Panthers. Theo Schwarz SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

With his disciplinary actions against four players at the start of training camp, Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi proved something the past three head coaches weren’t able to.

He’s committed to the program — for the long run.

The Panthers have had four head coaches since 2010 who left the position — some forced out, some voluntarily moving on to more established programs.

After a relatively disappointing 7-5 season in 2010, the program fired coach Dave Wannstedt, the last leader truly dedicated to the Panthers, replacing him with Michael Haywood of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Haywood never got the chance to show his coaching ability — Pitt fired him just 17 days into his tenure after he was charged with domestic battery. The turnover continued with

Todd Graham, who came in a few weeks later looking to turn the Panthers into a high-tempo offensive machine. Not even a year later, though, he bolted for Arizona State, announcing his departure via a forwarded text message to the players.

Paul Chryst — the best of the three coaches, by default — arrived in 2012. And although he stayed for three seasons, he too left, going back to Wisconsin and giving the Panthers the stigma of being a stepping-stone job for coaches.

When Narduzzi arrived for the 2015 season, fans wondered whether he would just be the latest in the cycle. After more than two years, though, he’s proven he won’t be, and that was strengthened July 28 when he dismissed senior defensive end Rori Blair and suspended three others.

The suspensions of junior safety Jordan Whitehead and senior linebacker Quintin See Narduzzi on page 10

The Pitt News SuDoku 8/30/17 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

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Narduzzi, pg. 9

happy.”

His sister said he has been playing soccer for as long as she can remember, and that it became an intrinsic part of their family as they grew up together.

“We travelled with him every time he had to play a match, and we supported him in every way,” she said in an email. “I love watching him play, and now that I can’t, I miss it quite a lot.”

They communicate as much as possible — talking on the phone and over video every day — and try to visit each other as much as work, school and soccer schedules allow.

So far, though, his choice to move to America has been paying off. The weekend before his second semester of college classes began with a return to Columbus for two games in which he spent every single minute on the field.

But despite his admirable effort, he wasn’t able to lead the Panthers to a win in its first weekend series, losing 1-0 to both Ohio State and James Madison.

Even so, he’s thrilled to still be able to play the sport he loves. To him, no matter where he plays, or what it’s called, it’s the same game.

“Once you get on the field, futbol is the same around the world,” Perez said. “I was nervous, but I was also very excited to come here.

It’s a new opportunity, a new life.”

Wirginis are the most impactful of the three.

The two players will miss the first three games while redshirt junior offensive lineman Alex Bookser will be eligible starting week two.

These suspensions are important because the first three games of the year include perhaps the Panthers’ two biggest matchups — Penn State and Oklahoma State. ESPN ranked the Panthers’ nonconference schedule as the toughest in the country, and the team would’ve needed to play extremely well to win even if Whitehead and Wirginis were on the field.

It was a bold move for Narduzzi, especially in a culture which often lets athletes off the hook for the sake of winning games. In the past, some of the country’s high-profile athletes — including 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston — received smaller punishments for violating school or NCAA rules.

This is a refreshing reminder that some coaches still believe in discipline and making players learn from their mistakes. At the same time, it’s something which would only be done if the head coach cared about the longterm future of the program.

If Narduzzi was more focused on the short term, Whitehead and Wirginis would

Narduzzi’s tactics, saying he should have the linebackers help out in the secondary as opposed to having outmatched cornerbacks in one-on-one coverage on the outside. But he stood his ground and continued to teach his players, taking beatings in the meantime.

To be clear, he didn’t abandon them, rather he decided to do things his way and wanted to force his players to learn it. After all, there’s no use in providing help if your end goal is to take it away and implement a different system — something Narduzzi touched on at his ACC Kickoff press conference in July.

“If someone told me I had to change my defense, I can’t run any other defense,” Narduzzi said. “I [would’ve been] probably the worst coordinator in the country as opposed to one of the better ones, hopefully.”

By doing this, the secondary already knows what Narduzzi wants and has a year of experience in the system. Over time, the unit will pick it up more and more, and the performances will get better.

For now, though, the coach is willing to take the setbacks he’ll likely suffer this September. One can only wait and see if his vision for the program comes to fruition, but at least he should be here to see it through.

And for a program labeled a “steppingstone job” not so long ago, that’s worth a lot more than it might sound.

The Pitt news crossword 8/30/17

Perez, pg. 8

only be missing the Youngstown State opener, which the Panthers will likely win without them. Then, their punishments would be almost meaningless, and the season could still go smoothly with Narduzzi continuing to build his resume as a winning coach.

But, by sitting them out of the Penn State game — massively important not only for the season, but for fans and the program as a whole — he has undoubtedly hurt the team’s chances in the hopes it will set a precedent moving forward.

This isn’t to say coaches who levy light punishments don’t care about the long-term future of their programs, but rather that they put winning above accountability and their athletes’ personal lives.

So clearly, this is a big statement from Narduzzi. Even so, it isn’t the first time he’s done something with his long-term plan in mind.

This past season, the team’s beleaguered pass defense was largely a result of Narduzzi trying to implement his coverage schemes with the players.

The unit was atrocious last season, averaging the second-most passing yards allowed in all of major college football. It was arguably the main culprit in each of the Panthers’ five losses, with opposing quarterbacks able to successfully air it out all game long.

The fans and media alike questioned

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I N D E X

Rentals & Sublet • NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER

For Rent North Oakland 5BR furnished house, located on Dunseith St. $2975. No Pets.

412-537-0324.

Available NOW! Rooms available in furnished 5 bedroom house in North Oakland. Close walk to University of Pittsburgh and shuttle.

Utilities included. AC/ washer/dryer. $600/ mo. Contact: rentalschool22@gmail. com or 412-953-8820.

Offering housing in North Oakland in exchange for working 12-15 hour/week with active senior man needing personal care and assistance with therapy at home and daily pool exercise.

One block from Pitt, very large estate.

Great opportunity for health and rehabilitation science students. Experience not necessary. Day and evening hours, also overnight available. Contact Mike 412-901-4307 or felafelman@gmail. com.

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Employment • CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER

Classifieds

For sale

• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

South Oakland

South Oakland

1,2,3,4 BR. Apartments, prices range from $450-$750 per person. Some include utilities, some you have to pay. Call Jarrad 814-403-2798

7 bedroom house available starting September 1st 2017 for $2800/month. Five minute walk to Pitt.

No pets. 1 year lease ending July 2018. Call 412-983-5222.

2 bedroom house available starting September 1st 2017 for $800/month. Five minute walk to Pitt.

No pets. 1 year lease ending July 2018. Call 412-983-5222.

3 bedroom and 4 bedroom. Free laundry on premises, separate utilities. Available now. 412-334-8804.

3,4,6 houses Available now. Lawn St. Ward St. and Juliet. Call 412-287-5712.

4 BR. House for rent.

Ideal for 3 students.

2 car indoor garage and 2 outdoor parking spaces. Large living room and dining room. Kitchen with new countertop. Two bathrooms. Convenient location, close to law school and Cathedral of Learning.

Call 724-328-1133.

5 bedroom house available starting September 1st 2017 for $2000/month. Five minute walk to Pitt.

No pets. 1 year lease ending July 2018. Call 412-983-5222.

Squirrel Hill 3 BR. house, 1 bathroom, living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, basement, garage, and porch. All kitchen appliances, washer/dryer, and central air included. $1550 a month plus utilities. Available October 1st. Please call BEFORE 7PM anyday of the week 412-421-7548.

Professors or medical residents only please.

Rental Other 3 bedroom house 3 miles from campus. $1000. 412-225-8723.

Employment Research Studies Daily smokers needed for paid research study. Must be 18 to 45. Call 412-256-8722. asrl@ pitt.edu

notices

• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER

Employment Other

R A T E S

Insertions

1X

2X

3X

4X

5X

6X

Add.

1-15 Words

$6.30

$11.90

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$30.20

+ $5.00

16-30 Words

$7.50

$14.20

$20.00

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+ $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978

For Sale

Services Other

Furniture AAA EAST CENTRAL is looking for energetic, driven, and talented individuals to join our Emergency Road Service team at our East Liberty location, 5900 Baum Boulevard. We are looking for Full Time Phone Counselors.

Candidates must be computer proficient and available to work evenings, weekends and holidays. The salary range is $10.95 to $14.60 based on call center experience.

Link to apply: https://acecareers. taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=16304&lang=en&sns_id=mailto#.

WZ3mx0GNJXs. mailto

General labor, maintenance, and landscaping for private home in North Oakland. Call 412-901-4307.

NOW HIRING Looking for fun, part-time employment with flexible scheduling, working concerts, NFL/NCAA football and other major events in and around Pittsburgh?

Contact Landmark Event Staffing @ 412-321-2707.

Dana’s Dunkin FOR SALE: Miscellaneous household items and furniture.

Perfect for college students. Near campus. 412-760-9524

For Sale Other Instant cash paid for: baseball cards, sports cards. Game used sports items.

Bats. Gloves. Jerseys.

Goudey sports cards.

Antiques. Gold. Silver. Coins. Diamonds.

Watches. Paper money. Old toys.

Trains. Comic books.

Huge collections.

Entire estates. We will pick up and pay CASH! Call Scott at (513) 295-5634.

Duds is the cheapest, oldest laundromat in the area w/ the hottest driers!

Located on Cable and Semple.

REACH YOUR FULLEST POTENTIAL Improve strength, flexibility, coordination, mood, concentration and energy level. OOM YUNG DOE teaches 8 Martial Arts styles as one. 2014 Murray Avenue Squirrel Hill 412-421-7311. https://www. martial-arts-pitts-

Services

burgh.com. Facebook:

Educational

burgh.

Phlebotomy Training Centerwww. justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals.

Call 412-521-7334.

WOMEN – Improve

Parking Residential parking available. Dawson street. Please call 412-682-6976. Terris Parking

August 30, 2017

OomYungDoe-Pitts-

your safety, strength and confidence!

Self-Defense class October 1-22 (four Sundays) 10am – noon at Falk School. $120, financial assistance available. Registration limited. LionessMartialArts.com or 412-241-6519

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