9-09-20

The Pitt News

T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | September 9, 2020 ­| Volume 111 | Issue 21

Thomas Yang | Senior Staff Photographer

News ‘WE KNOW BETTER’: GREEK LIFE LEADERS ADDRESS FALL RECRUITMENT, PARTYING CRACKDOWN

Thea Barrett and Maura Scrabis The Pitt News Staff

Amid a crackdown on Oakland parties and the student organizations hosting them, some groups are holding themselves to a higher standard. John Altvater, the vice president of recruitment for the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, said his chapter has closely followed COVID-19 health rules and encourages all Greek life chapters and other organizations to follow them.

“We know what’s at stake here, and it’s really irresponsible for people to be getting together and [breaking the rules] right now.

We haven’t had any parties, no brotherhood events,” Altvater, a senior political science major, said. “We know better. As a community, we have to do better.”

Pitt originally temporarily suspended nine Greek life organizations — a quarter of all chapters active before the pandemic — for alleged conduct violations. Two sororities — Chi Omega and Sigma Sigma Sigma — are no longer suspended. The seven suspended chapters are prevented from recruiting new members and “ceased” all organizational operations. Pitt has also placed eight students on temporary persona non grata status, which means they are barred from University property.

After the first round of suspensions, the presidents of the three main Greek life councils — the Collegiate Panhellenic Association, the Interfraternity Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council — released a joint statement criticizing members of Greek life who break health guidelines.

“Upon returning to Oakland, we have noticed that there has been an alarming amount of partying and people not following those guidelines. To those who have ignored or disregarded these guidelines, we are incredibly disappointed and this behav-

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ior is unacceptable,” the statement said.

“We ask you to be mindful of this simple truth: this is about more than just you.”

The presidents said in the statement that they were barring in-person events with alcohol for the foreseeable future. They also required any in-person events without alcohol to follow social distancing guidelines and mandated that all participants wear masks. The in-person events without alcohol must be approved by Pitt’s Office of

Due to the lack of in-person events, Student Affairs spokesperson Janine Fisher said the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life recommended that all chapters decrease their dues for the fall. She added that some will offer payment plans.

“OFSL provided guidance to chapters to lower their chapter dues, since chapters would be doing less in-person programming and would not have the same expenses as they would in a typical year,” Fisher said.

Active fraternities and sororities have been conducting virtual recruitment this year. Sarah Cutshall visual editor Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Active fraternities and sororities are conducting recruitment normally, or as normal as possible virtually. Fall recruitment is a semester-long activity, with specific dates varying depending on the chapter. Because students have to complete 12 credits before joining a Greek organization, fall recruitment only includes sophomores, juniors, seniors and transfer students. FSL 101 classes, which are mandatory for all students who wish to participate in recruitment, will be held online this year.

Many chapters are trying to make the recruitment process fun and creative, even over Zoom. Altvater said he is coming up with new activities such as a Jackbox game night.

“You can buy a pack of like five games and play on the computer, and people can play on their phone,” Altvater said. “I figured if I can find a way to display the game, I can have the new guys playing it and have the old guys playing it, it might be a good chance for us to laugh a little bit.”

Josh Wiener, president of the Interfrater-

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nity Council, said the council has taken all precautions to make events as fun as possible while following health guidelines.

“While it has been difficult, we’ve taken every measure to make sure that we keep activities as fun and valuable as they were before the pandemic while following social distancing guidelines and public health policy,” Wiener said.

Abbie Krefta, a sophomore ecology and evolutionary biology major who transferred to Pitt this fall, is one of the dozens of students who decided to join a social sorority this fall. She said she is disappointed that the recent suspensions have limited the number of sororities she can pursue, but she believes safety is the top priority.

“It definitely is unfortunate, because in a way it limits what sororities I am able to pursue,” Krefta said. “But at the end of the day safety and social responsibility are integral to our moral obligations.”

Krefta added that due to the pandemic and being a transfer student, she thinks joining Greek life is a great opportunity for her to meet people on campus, even if it’s virtually.

“I am really excited about recruitment,” Krefta said. “I just transferred to Pitt this semester, so I am looking to get involved on our campus past the academic level, plus recruitment is a great way to push myself out of my comfort zone and make new friends."

Greek life chapters outside of the three councils are adjusting to virtual recruitment, as well. Lena Constable, the vice president of recruitment for pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta, said she has also had to come up with new recruitment events.

“COVID-19 has prevented all [the normal] events,” Constable, a senior environ-

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Natalie Frank

LONGTIME TPN GENERAL MANAGER TO RETIRE AFTER 35 YEARS

Staff Writer

When Terry Lucas started working at The Pitt News at 27 years old, he had no idea that two years on the job would turn into more than three decades. Lucas, the general manager of The Pitt News, is set to retire at the end of September after 35 years at the paper.

“That’s the one thing about working at a newspaper — time flies,” Lucas said.

A Pittsburgh native, Lucas received his undergraduate degree in journalism and communication from Point Park University in 1981. He began writing at his college newspaper and eventually became the business manager, deeming himself a “product of a college newspaper.”

After working for the Virginia-based publishing company Gannett for five years, Lucas was hired in the ’80s as the business advertising adviser for The Pitt News. After about 10 years, Lucas was hired as the general manager, the position he still holds.

Lucas said his time at The Pitt News was filled with many accomplishments, from seeing the 110-year-old paper’s first online edition come to life to the beginning of publishing a print paper five days a week for the first time.

One of his greatest memories, Lucas said, was when he was part of an extensive legal battle beginning in 1998, where Act 199 — which stated that college newspapers could not publish advertisements relating to alcohol — was overturned. After being part of the legal process that sued the state of Pennsylvania, Lucas said it took several years to finally change the “misguided” law.

“It was cool to work with six generations of editors and business managers to overturn a law that was significant when it comes to student media law and student media press rights,” Lucas said.

Kenyon Bonner, the vice provost and dean of students, said he recognized Lucas’ passion for The Pitt News after he met Lucas while touring different student activities when he first came to Pitt in 2005.

“From the moment that I met Terry and we talked about The Pitt News, it was clear

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how passionate he was about an independent student newspaper,” Bonner said.

Bonner said Lucas has always been one to stand up for the First Amendment rights of students and contributed to the experiential learning aspect of the student paper.

He added that he found Lucas to be “a really good partner, really helpful colleague and a great advocate for The Pitt News and our students.”

“I thank him for making Pitt, student life and The Pitt News better for those who follow,” Bonner said. “I congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement. I will miss

recommending her for her current position, but always bringing a positive attitude to the workplace and frequently offering affirmations to staff members.

Lucas facilitated many changes during his time at The Pitt News, including the creation of an advisory board for the newspaper and scholarships for the editor-in-chief and business manager.

Lucas also talked highly of the professional staff at The Pitt News, some of which he has worked with for decades.

“It’s been a pleasure and enjoyment to work with people who are so dedicated and

Terry Lucas, the general manager of The Pitt News, is set to retire at the end of September after 35 years at the paper. Sarah Cutshall visual editor him.”

Alex Rea, the business manager of The Pitt News, recalled one of her favorite memories from working with Lucas, when they attended a journalism conference in San Francisco together.

“I’ve never really interacted with people beyond our offices in that field, and he made me feel really comfortable meeting everybody and instilling in me that I know what I’m doing,” Rea said.

Rea, a junior political science and public and professional writing double major, said Lucas was especially helpful in not only

committed to providing this experience for students called The Pitt News,” Lucas said.

Harry Kloman, the news adviser for The Pitt News, has worked with Lucas for 22 years. He said Lucas has always been devoted to bettering the newspaper, something that will surely be missed after his departure.

“We have this common goal of wanting to help the students at The Pitt News learn and produce a good newspaper and he is deeply committed to that, always has been,” Kloman said. “He’s lost sleep over it.”

Kloman said he thinks one of the most notable achievements of Lucas’ career at

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TPN has been his ability to continue the newspaper’s financial independence from the University to the greatest degree possible.

“In the last 10 years, as revenues continue to decline, more and more schools have had to cut back and ask for more money,” Kloman said. “But not The Pitt News, and that’s because of Terry’s financial leadership.”

Kloman said while some other collegiate newspapers get nearly half a million dollars in funds to produce their papers, The Pitt News has been able to sustain its mostly financially independent status for much longer thanks to Lucas’ work as the general manager.

“He kept this paper from having to ask for money, being truly independent for almost a decade longer than some other student newspapers and that is a phenomenal achievement,” Kloman said.

Lucas said one aspect of the newspaper that he is particularly proud of is the large number of alumni who go on to write for big-name magazines and newspapers. He said he often finds himself seeing students he worked with in the past in the staff lists of publications such as Esquire Magazine.

“I can open up the staff box and see there’s editors that I’ve worked with at The Pitt News that are editors at those magazines,” Lucas said. “The same holds true for picking up The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.”

Lucas said he plans on taking some time to relax after his retirement at the end of month, but sees himself continuing to work in the future, possibly for a local nonprofit related to the arts.

“It’s just a matter of time to find and establish a new purpose in my life,” Lucas said.

While he is proud of his achievements, Lucas said the students he has worked with are most important and are who he is going to miss the most.

“I’ve been really blessed with getting, what I believe, are the best and brightest that Pitt has to offer,” Lucas said. “That, to me, is what I will miss the most.”

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Jon Moss

Editor-in-Chief The Pitt News has decided to retract the story published on Wednesday, Sept.

2, titled “‘Chronic stress’: Counseling Center, students adjust to virtual mental health care” due to certain errors in the story. The views of several sources were misstated in the story and some quotes were inaccurately presented. We will report a more thorough and representative story about the critical issue of mental health on campus in the near future.

As readers and members of the Pitt community, we want to hear from you. Feel free to reach out with story ideas, things you think we should cover, Op-Eds, responses to articles or any questions about our 110-year-old newspaper. Nothing is too big or too small. We hope you continue to turn to The Pitt News as your reliable sources of news about Pitt and the Oakland community during this challenging time.

All my best, Jon Jon Moss Editor-in-Chief, The Pitt News editor@pittnews.com D: 412-648-7985

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4

‘ALONE, TOGETHER’: FIRST YEARS BUILD COMMUNITY IN FACE OF PHYSICALLY DISTANCED FALL India Krug and Priya Ray The Pitt News Staff

Many first-year students on campus this semester struggled with the decision of whether to take classes online from home, transfer to a different school or even take a gap year. Will Wojton, a first-year engineering major, said he almost didn’t make it to Pitt’s campus this semester.

“I actually considered going to community college because I didn’t know what the experience would be like here,” Wojton said. “I figured I could save a couple thousand dollars and take some basic classes to get them out of the way.”

Pitt’s class of 2024 participated in an unprecedented Welcome Week from Aug. 16-18 to kick off an unconventional semester in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. The usual festivities, such as a large, in-person convocation at the Petersen Events Center, were not feasible this year. Instead, many first years attended online activities hosted by the University in order to connect before even stepping foot on campus.

First-year neuroscience major Kayla Bago said Drag Bingo night, hosted

by Pittsburgh-based drag queen Alora Chateaux, was a fun bonding experience for her and her roommate.

“Alora Chateaux was the best host and made sure we were having fun despite it being virtual,” Bago said. “It was my favorite Welcome Week event because of the laughs I had with my roommate during it.”

The University tried to make student engagement as easy as possible with a fully virtual Welcome Week so first-year students could connect with one another, even if they weren’t on campus. Faith Kehinde, the student director for the First Year Mentors, said the FYM team worked hard to

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host themed Zoom calls, such as Speed Friending and a Virtual Dance Party, for first-year students who were able to socialize and make new friends.

“While everyone can recognize that jumping into a Zoom call with a group of people that you don't know can be disconcerting, we as FYMs did our best to facilitate socialization, and the making of connections,” Kehinde, a junior neuroscience major, said.

Liz Iwasyk, a first-year pre-pharmacy student, wishes the University could

first year away from home.

“Orientation taught us about Pitt, but there weren’t many opportunities to meet other students,” Iwasyk said.

“It would’ve been nice to have something to go on here, even if it was virtual. [Orientation] just felt like it was something separate.”

First years used social media, such as the official Pitt class of 2024 Facebook group, to make friends with shared interests. First-year computational biology major Eesha Mukherjee

Pitt’s class of 2024 participated in a virtual Welcome Week from Aug. 16-18 to kick off an unconventional semester. screenshot via online.orientation.pitt.edu

have had all first-year students move in at the same time prior to classes starting, making it easier to connect with other classmates and become more familiar with the Pitt community.

“My brothers who attend a different university were able to attend in-person orientation events and meet other students, which I feel like we definitely missed out on,” Iwasyk said.

Iwasyk added that the virtual events certainly helped students get to know the University, but perhaps not each other. She said she felt disconnected while attempting to transition into her

said social media was a great tool to connect with her peers.

“Social media has been really nice in helping me meet people from Pitt,” Mukherjee said. “The Facebook group also helped, that’s how I met my nowroommate.”

The sentiment of being alone together continued into the start of the semester on Aug. 19. The waves of students moving in over a period of weeks meant some first years were faced with Zoom lectures and Canvas assignments before they even got to their dorms.

Mukherjee said she missed the lack

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of rapport with professors and classmates.

“My least favorite aspect is that there’s little to no student interaction,” Mukherjee said. “A lot of my learning comes from my friends because we’ll exchange questions or someone else will ask a question I have. That just isn’t as common online.”

According to University spokesperson Pat McMahon, about 4,000 first-year students — roughly the same as Pitt’s first-year enrollment in 2019 — are living on campus but remain isolated in their dorms. Iwasyk said she and her friends are getting creative with meeting new people.

“We like to walk down near Cathy and sit out on the lawn,” Iwasyk said. “When we see a group of people sitting, we will go by and introduce ourselves.”

Making new friends at Pitt is also now dependent on geography — dorm room layout. Pitt created Pod Week so that first years could quarantine with students living in their room or suite.

This plan helped create automatic communities for students as soon as they arrived on campus.

But everyone at Pitt, like Mukherjee, had their own personal reasons that made choosing this adjusted way of college life worthwhile to them.

“I chose to come to Pitt for internship opportunities and the major they offered. I love the community and the vibe here,” Mukherjee said. “I wasn’t expecting to make a bunch of friends so soon because of coronavirus, but everyone has been really friendly.”

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NOSE GOES: A GLIMPSE INSIDE PITT’S SURVEILLANCE TESTING PROGRAM

FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 “The Grapes of Wrath” family name 5 Pay attention to 9 Havana houses 14 Court legend Arthur 15 On the ocean 16 Pixel pattern 17 *Feature of Santa Claus’ beard 19 Kind of wave 20 Colorful birds 22 Woodworking tool 23 Arouse 26 Enjoys now and then, with “in” 28 __ hand 29 Skater’s surface 32 Auditioner’s aim 33 Santa __: dry winds 34 Chess pieces 35 Peaks 38 Polite address 39 *Out-of-control guy 41 Primitive dwelling 42 Bothers quite a bit 44 Tiny ammo 45 Rocky Road holder 46 Italian peak 47 Holiday veggie 48 Bridle strap 49 Many map lines 52 Genre for the Village People 53 Lipstick container 54 Custard-filled pastries 58 Challenging tests 60 Roughhousing, or a hint to both parts of the answers to starred clues 64 Permissible 65 Roused 66 Roof overhang 67 Signed 68 Church recess 69 Sometimes seedy loaves

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Elise Roessner Staff Writer

9/9/20

By Susan Gelfand

DOWN 1 Word with bone or breaker 2 __Kosh B’gosh 3 Tuna type 4 Routes that contain the letters in “routes” 5 Half a food fish 6 Golfer Aoki 7 Actor __ Patrick Harris 8 Took a risk 9 Op. __: footnote abbr.

10 Friendly 11 *Bobbysoxer’s footwear 12 Staring intently 13 Monica of tennis 18 Bard’s “before” 21 Cutting talk 23 Temporary stage 24 Ancient Greek region 25 *Football field director 27 Partner of raised, in bios 29 Copy 30 Cartoon frame

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

31 Finish no later than 36 Long, loose top 37 Courtroom staple, for short 39 Ebb 40 Corp. VP’s degree 43 Metal marble 45 Lettuce keeper 49 Grey Goose rival 50 Shroud city

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51 The “u” sound in “census” 52 “__ Day”: 1993 rap hit 55 Circuit 56 Slow-moving boats 57 “Now it’s clear” 59 Normal: Abbr.

61 Put down 62 Hail, to Hadrian 63 Cry of success

For Hannah Vorndran, a sophomore molecular biology major, taking a COVID-19 test as part of Pitt’s surveillance testing program was quick and painless.

“The entire process for taking the test only took between five to 10 minutes” Vordran said. “It was really easy.”

Vorndran is one of the roughly 2,200 students Pitt has tested thus far as part of its surveillance testing program. This program includes randomly selecting students living on and off campus for self-conducted COVID-19 testing. According to Pitt spokesperson Pat McMahon, Pitt expects to continue to test about 400 to 500 students per week as the University moves into phase two of its surveillance testing program. Pitt officials said they are testing about 10% of incoming students who are not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

Pitt moved to the second phase of surveillance testing starting on Sept. 2, where tests are administered to students without symptoms on Mondays and Wednesdays. In the first phase of the testing strategy, tests were administered for two consecutive days every two days as students moved back to Oakland.

Since the start of the testing strategy, the University has tested 2,210 students without symptoms and identified eight positive cases. Pitt’s total prevalence rate rose to 0.36% last Friday, a slight increase from the 0.31% prevalence rate reported Aug. 31. Pitt added 37 new COVID-19 cases between last Friday and Monday, composed of 36 students and one employee, with a total of 164 students and 29 employees testing positive since June 26.

McMahon said Pitt will not increase the number of students chosen for testing now that the phased arrival period of students to the University has ended. He said the program remains “statistically adequate” in identifying the number of asymptomatic cases among the student population, and that students who have been tested once are not added back into the selection pool.

The University notifies students who have

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been selected by email and provides an online calendar where students can choose a date and time to be tested. McMahon said participation in the surveillance testing program is voluntary but the University has attempted to make the process as “easy and convenient as possible.”

“It is one way students can help to protect themselves and those on campus, including and especially those who may be more vulnerable to COVID-19,” McMahon said.

“Members of the communities that surround our campuses also depend on students for their health.”

McMahon said 90% of students who signed up for testing on the University’s website showed up to their scheduled appointment on Aug. 29 and Sept. 2, but that those who do not show up for their scheduled testing time face no consequences.

“Participation in surveillance testing — while voluntary — is extremely important,” McMahon said. “It is one way students can help to protect themselves and those on campus, including and especially those who may be more vulnerable to COVID-19.”

In addition to randomized testing, students living on campus had to use Pitt’s daily COVID-19 health check website to log their symptoms for 14 days — seven days before they moved into housing, and seven days after. Students living off campus were also required to use the app every day during their 14-day shelter in place. All students were asked to shelter in place for seven days before and after arriving in Oakland, but the University did not track the requirement, and students were required to watch a COVID-19 health and safety training video.

Some students had difficulties arranging a time to get a test, though. Vorndran said she was initially not going to go to get tested after being selected because all of the open test dates were before she moved in. But she said she received another email from the University a few weeks later with more options.

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Opinions

THE PANDEMIC IS STEALING OUR TIME, LET’S GET IT BACK

Julia Kreutzer

Senior Staff Columnist March was arguably the longest month of my life — midterms, spring break, a global pandemic. You know, the works. While many can agree that March was seemingly never-ending, what the hell happened to the rest of our year?

A study by Ruth Ogden, a psychologist at Liverpool John Moores University in England, found that I’m not the only one who felt this way. In fact, a whopping 80% of respondents felt disoriented in their perception of time during lockdown as opposed to their normal routines. Time seemed to pass faster to younger individuals who were more socially fulfilled, explaining how collegeaged individuals, like myself, who were able to maintain social interactions via social media or FaceTime are now shocked by fall’s seemingly sudden arrival.

The pandemic has dramatically altered our lives — the way we interact with each other, where we spend our days, how we allocate our resources and now, how we perceive time. Particularly in a college setting, holding on to “the best four years of our lives” is more challenging than ever. In order to take back our months, weeks, days and hours, we can commit to making simple, yet impactful changes that make our time cherishable.

This bizarre trainwreck of a year has been defined by two opposing conditions — chaos and monotony. These two radically different states of being have had equally unique impacts on our perception of time. The immense stress of March impacted our prospective experience of time, meaning the present day or hour feels longer and longer.

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The dullness and banality of the ensuing lockdown changed the way we perceive time retrospectively, referring to how fast or slow a past period of time went by. Claudia Hammond, author and radio presenter for the BBC, explained this plainly.

“During lockdown, those isolated from friends, family and work have had long days to fill,” Hammond wrote.

on TikTok trying to fill our unbearably empty days.

This pandemic will be present for an indefinite amount of time, yet it has already managed to radically shift the things we considered permanent fixtures in our world — interpersonal connection, empathetic norms and, yes, time. In order to preserve these facets of our world that we hold dear, we can

Shruti Talekar senior staff illustrator “People have found all sorts of inventive ways to pass the time — baking bread, planting seeds, creating video call quizzes — but inevitably when you spend every day and every evening at home, the days begin to feel a little similar.”

It’s a frustrating concept — days drag and Zoom classes feel endless, but by Friday night, the week feels like it has gotten away from you with nothing to show for it. Now we arrive at September, summer’s conclusion, having spent much of our time binging Netflix or

adopt similar practices to make our moments count.

The term flashbulb memory refers to our perception of an incredibly impactful event — consider how many people vividly remember the events of 9/11 but not Sept. 10, 2001. This is the reason that we will likely never forget where we were when we opened the email that our spring 2020 semester would move to a virtual learning medium.

While most research into flashbulb memories surrounds traumatic events,

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psychologists Amanda Kraha and Adriel Boals of Indiana University East and the University of North Texas, respectively, found this same phenomenon can occur with positive events.

Our ability to track these flashbulb moments — both the positive and negative — will allow us to remember this uncertain moment in our lives accurately. Engaging with work to create more flashbulb moments is imperative.

I’ll always remember March 13, but I will also be able to cherish the first play in which I was virtually involved and moving into my first off-campus apartment. I’ll remember my 20th birthday.

I’ll remember completing my first independent research project. I’ll remember the milestones — so we must commit to make more of them.

Achieving a life-altering or noteworthy event every day is near impossible — and certainly even more challenging to accomplish from our homes. But working toward these moments by auditioning, applying, studying and engaging with other opportunities is the way to start.

The key to maintaining our perception of retrospective time is to radically interrupt the uniformity of our days.

This doesn’t mean making every day a flashbulb memory, but aiming to do one stand-out thing a day. Watch a new movie, FaceTime a friend, cook an extravagant dinner, get outside, go for a drive or try takeout from that new restaurant you’ve been eyeing. Aim for one new memory each and every day.

Time is moving faster than ever — let’s get on the train with it.

Julia writes primarily about politics and social issues. Write to Julia at JRK142@pitt.edu.

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COVID-19 PROVIDES A MUCH-NEEDED PUSH OUTDOORS FOR AMERICANS

Dalia Maeroff Staff Columnist

College students are returning to campus after a socially starved summer, having not seen many of their friends since March. A simple walk around campus on a sunny day at any point during the last month or so and one activity dominates the landscape — people are picnicking.

Around the rest of Pittsburgh’s residential family neighborhoods, kids on bikes seem to be everywhere you look. Frick and Schenley parks are crowded with people spending time outside.

Coronavirus spreads easiest through the three C's — closed spaces, crowded spaces and close contact. Unfortunately, these directly impact what college students love to do most — go to concerts, clubs and parties in damp and cramped South O basements — all indoor activities, and all off-limits in times of COVID-19.

So, students are pushed outside. Students are sitting in Pittsburgh’s variety of green spaces, both on campus and off, studying together, eating together and catching up on their day-to-day lives on picnic blankets. The coffee break in Redhawk or Starbucks with friends between classes no longer exists. The “Hey, I haven’t seen you in forever! Let’s get coffee sometime this week and catch up!” is a thing of the past. Now, it’s weekly picnics and picnic study sessions to catch up with your friends. Socially distant hikes, walks, bike rides and picnics are now dominating the social landscape of Gen Z — a generation that was previously criticized by older generations for lack of time spent outdoors.

That criticism isn’t necessarily untrue.

Gen Z has been dubbed the “indoor generation.” Gen Z kids only spend about four to seven minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors, and over seven hours a day in front of some sort of screen. Time spent with friends is easily done indoors, even without seeing those friends in-person, through multiplayer video games, FaceTime, Discord servers and the like.

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The beginnings of the pandemic only reinforced this, with the youth seemingly trapped inside. But as restrictions have loosened and students are headed back to school and college campuses, it seems that cabin fever has gotten to them, and they’re spending much more time socializing outside. COVID-19 is the impetus for a cultural shift that has been longawaited in American society — a shift to an outdoor culture. By getting outside, the younger generation is contributing to what soon will be a healthier and happier

our interest in outdoor recreation peaked in the 1980s. Italians and Czechs spend the least amount of time indoors among the countries studied for Velux concerning indoor air quality, with just about 5% of people saying that they spend 21 to 24 hours indoors every day.

People in America now are pushing for outdoor spaces and outdoor recreational replacements to what they would normally spend their time doing indoors.

Social lives, yoga classes, even classrooms have all been moved outdoors. But that is

Students gather on the lawn outside of the Frick Fine Arts building.

Dalia Maeroff staff photographer society.

The problem of indoor living isn’t limited to just Gen Z. Americans just about lead the world in time spent indoors, in general, spend a whopping 90% of their life indoors. Older generations may have not become so involved in multiplayer video games, but they certainly are involved with their televisions. Americans on average spend about three hours a day in front of their TVs. About a quarter of Americans spend 21 to 24 hours indoors every day. This has been a downward trend for decades, as

not enough. We need to collectively push for and make our own spaces outdoors in which we can safely spend time with other people, socially distanced in an outdoor setting. These changes shouldn’t only last for the duration of the pandemic — they should last from now on.

The pandemic is the push that America needs to bring that 25% of people spending the majority of their lives indoors down. 43% of Americans ages 13 and up said that they were planning on spending more time on outdoor activities such as hiking, visiting parks and

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camping because of COVID-19 restrictions. The younger the person, the more likely they were to say that they would be spending more time outside, with nearly half of Gen Z and millennials saying that they would be venturing outdoors more often due to COVID-19.

The draw of spending time in nature is not surprising from a cognitive standpoint, especially considering the amount of stress put onto people right now. Time spent in nature has long been studied, and research has shown that it restores cognitive ability, calms stress and anxiety and can even help with mild depression. Access to sunlight also has its necessary physiological benefits, like a healthier sleep schedule, lower blood pressure and a surplus of vitamin D, of which insufficient levels are associated with COVID-19 cases. During these stressful and lonely times, more and more people are looking to relax in nature, in what could be a mass cultural shift in younger generations especially, to get outside more often and for longer periods of time.

During this difficult time, COVID-19 is the push that America needs to get off our couches and to get outside. Coronavirus is going to be a defining force for the culture of this generation and hence future generations. They will remember a time in which they couldn’t leave their houses and dorms to go to parties or out clubbing, but they could go on a socially distanced picnic and spend time in nature. This pandemic has taken a physiological and emotional toll on everyone, no matter who they are, but it has become the inevitable catalyst that Americans needed to finally center their lives outdoors again.

Dalia Maeroff writes primarily about issues of psychology, education, culture and environmentalism. Write to her at DAM291@pitt.edu.

8

THE 2020 ELECTION IS A TEST THAT SWING VOTERS CAN’T AFFORD TO FAIL Alison Sivitz Staff Columnist

It was a rainy September morning. After lying awake all night pondering the rapid decline of American democracy, I rolled over, unlocked my phone and began reading bleak tweets and Instagram infographics about everything else going wrong in the world.

Then, after completing my morning ritual — compartmentalizing feelings of doom, rubbing my eyes and chanting “Bernie Sanders� three times in the mirror — I promptly dialed into the wrong conference call and spent two minutes listening to saxophone-heavy hold music before realizing my mistake. Doom returning, I frantically redialed, wondering how I would realistically be able to help salvage American democracy when I couldn’t even join a conference call correctly on the first try.

Luckily, Ilana Glazer — a comedy heavyweight and progressive activist — was on the other end, so I decided to ask her.

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Glazer has teamed up with nonprofit Generator Collective and liberal super PAC PACRONYM to create “Cheat Sheet for the Voting Booth,� a new web series aimed at educating swing-state voters about down-ballot races while building enthusiasm for Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

The series consists of shareable infographics about progressive candidates, as well as videos in which Glazer interviews friends and celebrities from crucial states about what’s at stake in key 2020 matchups up and down the ballot.

The videos are funny, digestible and the exact sort of social media content that voters need to watch and share in the lead up to November.

The races promoted by “Cheat Sheet� are winnable, too. Not only does the series stress the importance of electing Biden and Harris, but it highlights down-ballot races — state and local races that appear lower on the ballot — that are genuinely within progressives’ grasp. “We teamed up with PACRONYM, a group of experts,� Glazer said. “These experts have given us the races that are closest — most possible — to being winnable. These Democrats down ballot are absolutely winnable races, and they are who actually affect your daily life.�

Originally a supporter of Sanders’ and Elizabeth Warren’s campaign platforms, Glazer understands the degree to which progressive swing voters — like myself and countless other young people — crave exciting candidates and harbor anxiety about the impending Biden/

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Trump showdown. But despite the presidential race feeling a bit dry and unsettling, Glazer insisted that “[this election cycle] is very juicy at the local level� and added that it’s “something that young people can sink their teeth into.�

Glazer is right, which is precisely why young swing voters need to pay attention to “Cheat Sheet.� For many of us, Novemberrelated anxiety stems from the inability to elect a progressive such as Sanders or Warren at the top of the ticket. Voting for progressives downballot, though, is where we can channel some of the disappointment into substantive action.

For progressives, the entire appeal of a Sanders or Warren presidency was rooted deeply in the desire to elect someone who fights for the little guy and understands the daily struggles of everyday Americans. By working diligently to win contentious down-ballot races across the state, we gain the ability to grant the actual “little guy� with power and influence. It’ll be like electing a thousand little Bernies.

In the first “Cheat Sheet� episode, Glazer sits down with fellow comedic powerhouse and “Broad City� co-creator Abbi Jacobson to discuss a few of the Keystone State’s most exciting down-ballot candidates, including Auditor Eugene DePasquale and State House candidates Deb Ciamacca and Patty Smith.

Glazer expressed high levels of personal excitement for other Pennsylvania candidates, as well. “There’s this one woman, Janet Diaz, who’s the first Latinx representative in Lancaster County,� Glazer said. “That alone is so exciting.�

But while hopeful, the “Cheat Sheet� videos don’t ignore reality — Glazer and company frequently acknowledge the less-than-perfect conditions of 2020’s biggest race. “I would love to be able to vote for Bernie or Warren,� Jacobson said. “But we’re not there anymore. They’re still doing incredible work, but this one sheet has to be Biden. He opens his ears, he knows that so much of the country is in support of more progressive ideas.�

Episode four of “Cheat Sheet� — which is also dedicated to Pennsylvania — echoed this sentiment. The video — in which Glazer sits down with comedy legend Wanda Sykes — highlights the fact that President Donald Trump won the state by a mere 0.7% in 2016.

In turn, Glazer emphasizes a harsh reality — Biden losing Pennsylvania could easily result in Trump’s reelection. “If we don’t win Pennsylvania for Joe Biden, we don’t win. Rock-hard stop,� Glazer said.

“Pennsylvania is the one. Number one.�

This is precisely why young swing voters need to pull their weight. “I’m talking specifically to young, white 20-somethings,� Glazer said. “You do not write Bernie. You do not write Kanye.�

She’s right — young swing voters will play a vital role in determining the outcome of the presidential election, and there’s absolutely no room for apathy or third-party voting. This cycle, millennials and Generation Z will make up 37% of the electorate, and we can’t afford to selfishly fumble that responsibility. Plus, Pennsylvania voters are quite literally holding America’s future in their hands, so we need to get on board and move full steam ahead into November. There’s simply too much at stake.

Not only do these honest conversations make “Cheat Sheet� more enjoyable than aimlessly scouring Google for election information, but they meet progressive voters where they are and remind them of the bigger picture. In an election that simultaneously feels like a compromise and the most urgent event in recent

history, we have to share and engage with these types of social media campaigns to remain informed and enthusiastic. In doing so, we may get a few steps closer to what we hoped to gain from a Sanders or Warren presidency. “Truly, I beg of everyone to share the ‘Cheat Sheet’ episodes and the cheat sheets themselves,� Glazer said. “[Also] make sure you vote and your vote counts.�

And just like that, my doom spiral morphed into determination. Because myself and other young swing-state voters have the unique ability to affect change this year, we should all be working our hardest to elect Biden, win downballot races and energize fellow progressive voters. After all, one step in the right direction is far better than six steps backward, over a cliff and into the unforgiving depths of fascism — the metaphorical conference call we aren’t supposed to be on.

Alison Sivitz writes about pop culture and politics. Follow her on Twitter @ali_sivi. Write to her at aes161@pitt.edu.

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September 9, 2020

9

CultureSTAYING SPIRITUAL, SAFE:

RELIGIOUS GROUPS ADAPT TO SOCIAL DISTANCING

Charlie Taylor Cultural Editor

The Hillel Jewish Student Union used to pack hundreds of students into its Forbes Avenue building almost every Friday evening. Although students can no longer gather in crowded rooms, they’re still spending their Fridays with a few friends and a whole lot of challah.

From socially distant Shabbat to virtual Bible studies to international pen pal programs, students of various religions are solidifying their faith and their communities while following public health guidelines. Faith groups across campus have adapted their usual programming to distant and online formats, although not every event can simply occur over Zoom.

According to Kari Semel, Hillel’s Janet L. Swanson director of Jewish student life, about 130 students register for a prepackaged dinner to pick up each Friday evening. Students who wish to have a religious ceremony can also request a ritual kit, and the Shabbat2Go meals also come with fliers containing links and QR codes for Zoom gatherings.

Eli Sigman, Hillel’s student president, said the socially distant dinner functions not only as a meal but also as a way for students to connect, as many organize picnics or share meals with roommates.

“Shabbat is typically a very communal moment in Hillel,” Sigman, a senior mechanical engineering major, said. “I think it is really lovely when students can join their friends over a Shabbat meal in a safe way that still preserves some of the communal aspect.”

Sigman said the group also plans on hosting gatherings, text readings and meditations over Zoom for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, as well as a Challah braiding challenge to support Hillel’s organization Challah for Hunger.

Another religious group operating this semester is Pitt’s Muslim Student Association, which will have its first Zoom meeting Thursday.

But Musab Shaikh, the club’s president, said MSA can’t do its weekly jumah — or Friday prayer — virtually due to religious restrictions.

“Because [the William Pitt Union] is closed,

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we haven’t had our Friday religious prayer going on and we don’t know what we’re going to do going forward,” Shaikh, a senior biology major, said.

“A lot of our religious prayers and religious activities require us to be in person, but of course we’re trying our best to restrict that or not have any this semester.”

Nidhi Iyanna, the president of Hindu Students Council, said the group’s festivals, some of the largest events on campus, also don’t translate to a virtual environment. The festival of garba, for example, requires participants to dance to-

Although COVID-19 has limited the ability of faith groups to hold some of their most important religious events, going online has also given them new opportunities. Iyanna said HSC is using its virtual general body meetings to discuss current issues in Hinduism and plans to set up a pen pal program and Instagram campaign to introduce students to Hinduism around the world.

“You learn about your religion from how your home country does it, like India and here in America, but you never really talk about Hinduism in Cambodia or the U.K.,” Iyanna said.

Many Hindu Students Council festivals and events — such as the festival of garba, where participants dance together in a concentric circle — don’t translate to a virtual environment. Romita Das senior staff photographer gether in a concentric circle, while HSC’s Diwali celebration usually involves performances from campus dance teams.

“You have to participate in the holiday. You have to be the one dancing. We dance in a concentric circle and it’s hard to do that over Zoom,” Iyanna, a junior biology major, said. “We can’t have the dance teams perform either because dance teams aren’t even hosting practices anymore.”

Other groups are seeing a membership boom during COVID-19, since it’s easier to connect online. Shaikh said he’s seen an increase in the number of first years and sophomores interested in joining MSA. “Our roster is more than double what it was last year,” Shaikh said. “Coronavirus didn’t really restrict that.”

Sam Smallwood — president of Cornerstone, an interdenominational Christian group

September 9, 2020

on campus — also said he felt the organization had more success recruiting members at this year’s virtual activities fair than it did when the fair was in person. Smallwood, a senior economics and statistics major, said although less people than usual stopped by the group’s Zoom call, he felt he was able to better connect with those who did.

“We had more in-depth, detailed discussions with all of those who stopped by than we would have in the Pete, where the huge crowds and the insufficient time to talk too long make it harder to make those connections,” Smallwood said.

Operating virtually also has its drawbacks.

Cornerstone hosts large Zoom meetings Wednesday nights, with smaller, specialized group meetings throughout the week. According to Smallwood, the turnout for his Thursday night first-year Bible study has been low, but he said he thinks that will change later in the semester.

“I am hopeful,” he said, “that this [low turnout] will change as the year progresses and people grow more comfortable, are able to better manage their busy schedules and want to learn more beyond the large group.”

According to Smallwood, Cornerstone plans to ask the Student Organization Resource Center for permission to host its Wednesday events in-person again, but he said he doubts whether SORC will consider Cornerstone’s meetings necessary enough to warrant the risk.

“I am obviously not the most hopeful on our chances, although I think our large group has the best odds since we are more limited in our structure with that on Zoom and we have all the guidelines in place to keep people safe and group sizes limited,” Smallwood said.

Semel emphasized that even though Hillel wants to have in-person Shabbat dinners in the future, she wanted to perfect the socially distant Shabbat before considering other face-to-face options.

“This was the best solution for a system that would help us grow and develop,” Semel said.

“This type of Shabbat in a box is something we’ll have to provide no matter what we do. We really wanted to nail that system first.”

10

PRIDE FOR A PANTHER: PITT REMEMBERS CHADWICK BOSEMAN Diana Velasquez Senior Staff Writer

This year has taken so much from so many people that it's hard to even quantify the amount of grief everyone has experienced. And just when it couldn’t get any worse, many comic book and movie fans were slammed with the passing of a giant.

Chadwick Boseman — known for his acting credits as Black icons Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, James Brown and the Marvel comic book king T’Challa — died after a four-year battle with colon cancer on Aug. 28. Boseman was only 43 years old, and the public and his peers were mostly unaware of the severity of his disease until his official Twitter account announced his passing.

For Marvel fans, Boseman’s death is a particularly hard blow. Boseman — who portrayed King T’Challa of Wakanda, a futuristic country in Africa powered by the fictional metal vibranium — was the first Black superhero to have his own movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Yona Harvey, an associate professor of English writing who worked on the Marvel Comics series “The World of Wakanda,” said when she found out that night, she had to take a long moment to sit down, where she and her friends tried to absorb his death.

“A friend of mine told me late at night.

I was really relieved that my friend told me and I didn’t see it while I was online,” Harvey said. “I was just very shocked, it was very hard to believe, we all sat there for a minute, stunned.”

Not only did “Black Panther” feature a predominantly Black cast with awardwinning actors such as Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan and Forest Whitaker, but it also garnered multiple nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Harvey said seeing “Black Panther” in 2018 was an otherworldly experience, and she was among the large group of people who went to go see it multiple times in the theaters.

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“It was breathtaking. It was incredible,” Harvey said. “It was not only magnificent in the greatness of the film, but in the energy of the audience. To be sitting there and listening to people cheer and gasp and yelp, that made it amazing.”

Kate Schillinger, a sophomore chemistry major, emphasized just how much the film had an impact on minority sto-

And much of the movie’s magic rests on the shoulders of its star, King T’Challa. Anna Speciale, a first-year information sciences major, said she felt Boseman brought a unique kind of grace to the character that reflected his real-life personality.

“He just brought such poise [to T’Challa], and it felt like he was royalty,

Promiti Debi senior staff illustrator rytelling. She said she thought Black culture and pride flourished in “Black Panther,” unlike some of Hollywood’s other minority-dominated movies.

“His story wasn’t marginalized. A lot of times, we see movies with a predominately minority cast and the movie is marginalized,” Schillinger said. “But when you look at ‘Black Panther,’ it was a more open story that people could relate to.”

but he had a big heart and he cared a lot about his people,” Speciale said.

“Black Panther” made more than $1 billion and was the highest-grossing film of 2018 in the United States. Zachary Stata, a junior computer science major, said this was not only an amazing feat for film but for Marvel as well, considering most of its money-makers had been mashup Avengers movies.

“Avengers movies were the most

September 9, 2020

popular, and for Chadwick to carry the movie to such success with really only one iconic character just proves how well done it was,” Stata said. “I think it’s an experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that is likely to never be replicated ever again.”

But the success of “Black Panther” and Boseman meant more than just numbers.

Harvey — who, like Boseman, is a graduate of Howard University — said her grief stemmed chiefly from the reactions of Howard alumni.

“There’s a beautiful photo of Chadwick Boseman and the president of Howard when he came back in 2018 for the commencement address, it just captures that spirit so well,” Harvey said. “There’s so much love and pride in that one photo.”

Many reactions to Boseman’s death have been in this vein — great sadness, but much love for his work and his activism. Simu Liu, the star of Marvel’s upcoming film “Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings,” featuring a predominantly Asian cast, said on Twitter that his career would not have been possible without Boseman’s work.

Stata made this comparison as well.

He said because of Boseman’s work, there is a noticeable change in how superhero movies are made, with more minority actors and stories — such as “Shang-Chi” and the casting of actor Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America — at the forefront.

“Who would have known if all of that would have been possible without Chadwick Boseman and how he carried ‘Black Panther’ to what it became,” Stata said.

For now, whether or not Marvel will recast the role of T’Challa is up in the air. But Harvey said for her, no matter what happens with the movies, Boseman is her Black Panther.

“It’s hard to imagine someone else playing that role,” Harvey said. “Whenever I think of Black Panther on the screen I think of Chadwick Boseman.”

11

REDEYE THEATRE PROJECT CELEBRATES SWEET 16 WITH VIRTUAL ‘ZOOM-STIVAL’ Siddhi Shockey Senior Staff Writer

Hannah Dewhurst, Redeye Theatre Project’s casting director, called out as the video call emerged onto the TV screen.

“And I said, ‘Of course the moon is gay!’ How could it not be?” she cried.

Her exclamation was part of Redeye’s Sweet 16 last Saturday, which it celebrated with one of its signature 24-hour theater events. During these events, members write, direct, rehearse and perform a show, all in just one day. To kick off its 16th season, all of the shows had to fit the festival theme of “Lean, Mean, PostPuberty Machine.”

Each Redeye festival is a time for members to write crazy plays they otherwise wouldn’t be able to — an aspect of the festival that Rosie Schade, Redeye’s playwright in residence, said is important to her.

“It gives people a chance to try out things and write things they normally wouldn’t,” Schade, a junior psychology major, said. “It’s really nice to have zero inhibition, zero taboos and just write really crazy stuff.”

Schade said one of her favorite Redeye shows was called “Casserole Play,” which tells the story of a boy whose uptight, Christian mother has no interest in meeting his astrology-loving, emo girlfriend.

“In the end it turns out the goth girlfriend is actually his dad disguised as his girlfriend but his mom thought she killed the dad,” Schade said.

Normally, the festival begins on a Friday afternoon and ends with a show in the Richard E. Rauh Studio Theatre in the Cathedral of Learning’s basement.

But due to COVID-19 regulations, the club decided to do all its shows this semester over Zoom and livestream them on its YouTube channel.

Dewhurst, a junior psychology major, said she thinks the new Zoom for-

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mat complements Redeye’s spontaneous, often unpredictable theatrical style.

“Zoom is a little unreliable, which adds to the fun element of Redeye, because you don’t exactly know what’s going to happen,” Dewhurst said. “You don’t know if things are going to go wrong.”

With Redeye’s fast turnaround time, Dewhurst and Schade said members are used to working with what they have.

Tripping on stage turns into a dance, and messing up a line can turn into a quirky character trait. Even when it

“The Quack Diaries” — the story of the murder of the Webkinz icon Dr. Quack — utilized Zoom backgrounds to make it seem as though the characters were on the Webkinz website. “The Other F Slur (F-boys)” also used a Zoom background of a boy’s messy room, complete with a “Saturdays are for the Boys” flag.

Saturday’s performance was the first show of this season, but Redeye’s second Zoom festival. The club still had one more performance in its last season when the University sent students home

rors and Wi-Fi connection issues — she thinks the creative and spontaneous essence of Redeye will continue to show, even on screen.

“I really enjoyed being able to be in a low-stakes artistic environment with other people who had the same artistic, collaborative mindset,” Heurich, a sophomore theater arts and anthropology major, said. “It’s the best kind of chaos, so we’re trying to maintain that same kind of spirit.”

Redeye has decided that, regardless of the University’s operating posture, it will continue holding 24-hour Zoom festivals throughout the semester. Dewhurst said she feels that, although this isn’t ideal, the group will make the most of the new normal.

“From our perspective, Zoom doesn’t compare with in-person theater,” Dewhurst said. “We’re not trying to replace it, but this is the best we can do right now. This is what the times call for, but we don’t want to give up on Redeye all together, so we just need to adapt.”

The Redeye Theatre Project kicked off its 16th season last Saturday over Zoom with one of its signature 24-hour theater events. zoom screenshot comes to props and costumes, members will use anything from their own clothes to garbage bags.

“One of our props this year is a Juul, but I don’t expect that everyone has a Juul lying around since we’re not 16 anymore,” Schade said. “So in that case a flash drive works.”

This “Juul” made its appearance in a skit titled “The Other F Slur (F-boys),” poking fun at the lip-biting f-boy stereotype. Another skit, “The Haunting of Clubhouse,” featured a cardboard cutout of a demonic Mickey Mouse that steals people’s souls.

for the rest of spring semester, so the club quickly threw together its first online festival.

The first festival’s theme was “Zoomsday” and featured a number of skits poking fun at the platform. One skit told the story of astronauts on a phone call with NASA, which complemented the format of a video call. Another show, a spoof of the British show “Love Island,” used Zoom backgrounds to set the scene.

Delaney Heurich, Redeye’s marketing director, said there were some hiccups with the first show — actors Zooming into rehearsals from work, audio er-

September 9, 2020

12

Sports

BE FIT PITT OFFERS LIVE WORKOUT CLASSES ON ZOOM

Amanda Zelnis Staff Writer

Working out and staying active has many physical, mental and emotional benefits. With free daily workouts on Zoom, Be Fit Pitt is taking the hassle out of planning the sweat session.

When Pitt students, faculty and staff were still settling into online classes and work due to the COVID-19 pandemic back in April, Be Fit Pitt began streaming three to four free workouts per day to help keep the Pitt community moving and healthy. Since then, the program has led more than 400 livestream workouts that are open to all students, staff and faculty.

Be Fit Pitt is a wellness programming group powered by the Pitt Healthy Lifestyle Institute that offers a variety of virtual workouts. Class offerings vary from yoga to pilates to full-body workouts. They range from 15 to 45 minutes in length and are offered in the morning, afternoon or evening. Pitt community members can find all of the scheduled virtual classes as well as the registration information on the Pittwire Live Calendar.

Renee Rogers, an associate professor of health and physical activity and the institute’s programming director, said the virtual workout format has allowed Be Fit Pitt to engage more members of the Pitt community. “With a virtual workout, [participants] can join within five minutes of finishing a Zoom meeting or academic class,� Rogers said. “Additionally, many have reported that our virtual offerings allow for participation in classes that they would not or have never done before because they do not feel comfortable exercising in front of other people.�

Workouts are streamed in a webinar format on Zoom where only the four instructors are visible on the screen, not participants. All instructors are either trained professionals or graduate students at the University. One of the instructors provides the verbal instructions while the other three instructors demonstrate different versions of the exercise for all different skill levels and fitness needs.

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Rogers said people often are stuck in a “no pain no gain� mindset, where they think looking perfect during a workout is the only way for their time to count. But, she said having the three instructors showing different intensity levels helps to break down this misconception. “The goal is to move more and in a way that is safe and makes you feel good, no matter who you choose to follow,� Rogers said.

Jesse Bueno, one of the yoga instructors who

community members, especially during COVID-19 times. She said regular exercise can lead to improvements in cognition, academic performance, processing speed, memory and attention, along with a number of other health benefits. “It is also well established that exercise can help maintain immune function and promote resistance to and reduce risk of infection — all very important right now,� Rogers said. “Lastly, periods of activity can have mood-enhancing

and stress-relieving effects along with promoting emotional well-being.�

Be Fit Pitt also allows participants to sign up to have their virtual workout frequency tracked.

A leaderboard is posted at the beginning and end of each week showing who is at the top of the competition. Andrea Johnson, an administrative assistant in the School of Social Work, said she is working toward becoming the top of the leaderboard.

Johnson said she has participated in approximately 148 virtual classes to date, making her a well-seasoned veteran in the Be Fit Pitt virtual workout class realm. “Dr. Rogers and her fitness crew have put together well-planned out and very engaging classes,� Johnson said. “My goal is to be No. 1 on the leaderboard, and you should try too!�

The Broken Hearts Gallery (PG-13) Fri: 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 Sat & Sun: 2:40, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 Mon & Tue: 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 Wed: 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 Thu: 5:00, 7:20, 9:40

Be Fit Pitt instructors lead an Awakening Morning Yoga class in a Zoom webinar last Friday. zoom screenshot teaches virtual classes throughout the week, said he started practicing yoga frequently in his 20s because it gave him a euphoric feeling everytime he left the class. He said yoga, along with all of the other virtual workouts, have many benefits that Pitt students, faculty and staff should take advantage of. “[The classes] make you more aware of where you are emotionally and physically. Sometimes as humans we run ourselves to the ground.

We keep going and going and going until we get sick,� Bueno said. “Yoga is an outlet where we can say to ourselves, ‘OK, I need to rest today’ — take maybe a minute and just let go of the craziness.�

Rogers echoed the sentiment that working out is very beneficial to the daily lives of Pitt

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Tenet (PG-13) No passes through 9/21/20 Fri: 4:45, 6:45, 8:00, 9:50 Sat & Sun: 1:45, 3:30, 4:45, 6:45, 8:00, 9:50 Mon & Tue: 4:45, 6:45, 8:00, 9:50 Wed: 4:45, 6:45, (8:00), (9:50) Thu: 4:45, 6:45, 8:00, 9:50 Bill & Ted Face The Music (PG-13) Fri - Tue: 4:55, 9:35 Wed: 4:55, 9:35 Thu: 4:55, 9:35 The Personal History of David Copperfield (PG) No passes through 9/13/20 Fri: 7:00 PM Sat & Sun: 2:25, 7:00 Mon & Tue: 7:00 PM Wed: 7:00 PM Thu: 7:00 PM

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September 9, 2020

13

Alex Lehmbeck

PITT PREPARES FOR NEW SLATE OF INTRAMURAL SPORTS THIS FALL

Sports Editor

As Pitt students slowly acclimate themselves to an unusual fall semester, they’ve had to adjust their routines to stay entertained in their free time. No longer can college students safely party in large numbers in South Oakland, attend concerts and sporting events or play pickup basketball at Trees Hall.

While many experts have encouraged outdoor activities that allow social distancing such as running or walking, most team sports cannot occur without significant risk of spreading COVID-19. To help students remain active and occupied, Pitt has offered a modified slate of intramural sports that will begin play in late September.

Pitt students could participate in intramural basketball, indoor soccer, touch football, volleyball and a one-day cornhole tournament last fall. While volleyball and cornhole are here to stay this time around, dodgeball, kickball and esports will replace basketball, soccer and football.

Although the ACC categorized volleyball as a high-risk sport in its recent medical advisory report, the intramural gameplay will look much different than the varsity level. Only four players from each team will play at a time, as opposed to the standard six. Bill Wallace, Pitt’s intramural sports coordinator, said the change would help players maintain distance from each other.

“We felt with specific guidelines in place, these sports would be low-risk,” Wallace said.

Wallace also said Pitt will require every player competing in all of their in-person intramural sporting events to wear a mask at all times, and shorten games to allow students time to exit before the next hour of players come in.

Balls will be wiped down after every

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game, and each cornhole participant will use their own set of bags, instead of switching with their partners.

Pitt will hold the intramural sports in the Cost Sports Center, Trees Hall and Fitzgerald Field House. The capacity at each event during game time will be 25 people.

Although most sports have suffered, video games have emerged as a safe stress-reliever during the pandemic.

Pitt experimented with their popularity this summer, offering esports as the

ed to be a part of the introduction of esports into our intramural programming.”

Over 100 participants signed up across various intramural esports leagues, which included FIFA 20, Madden NFL 20, NBA 2K20, NHL 20 and Rocket League. Participants used their own consoles for all of the matchups.

After receiving their assigned matchups on the IMLeagues website, players were expected to contact each other to set up a time to play the games.

Pitt will hold intramural sports in the Cost Sports Center, Trees Hall and Fitzgerald Field House. The capacity at each event during game time will be 25 people. Kaycee Orwig Assistant Visual Editor

only intramural activity available.

Hunter England, Pitt’s coordinator of competitive and recreational sports, said the increased popularity of video games has led the campus recreation staff to bring up the idea in the past, but it didn’t receive significant traction until the pandemic.

“The push for virtual programming due to the pandemic was definitely a contributing factor to getting it added to the intramural offerings,” England said. “As a gamer myself, I was excit-

They could set up their matchups anytime that worked for them during the week, as long as they reported the score before Sunday at midnight.

Some leagues had very active participants, while some weren’t as responsive. Dylan Baird, who signed up to play FIFA over the summer, played his first two matchups but said the season fell through quickly. He said his opponents didn’t respond when he attempted to reach out in the second week.

“After week two, I never heard any-

September 9, 2020

thing from another player,” Baird, a senior finance major, said. “I kind of gave up on it too because I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do now that we missed two weeks.’”

Despite his first season dying quickly, Baird called intramural esports a “really great idea,” and said he thinks it just hinges upon the participation of the players that sign up. He said he might play again in the fall and is expecting more players to sign up than in the summer.

“I feel like at the end of last year, not a lot of people knew about it,” Baird said. “I feel like in the fall with kids still inside and everyone still on campus we’ll probably have a better turnout.”

England confirmed that some common complaints included players having trouble contacting their opponents.

To increase participation and consistency, Pitt has decreased the amount of weekly matches from two to one, and they added a quiz to the registration process to make participants aware of the rules and responsibilities.

England said he thinks with the new changes, esports will provide a great opportunity for students to stay engaged and competitive while remaining safe.

“Gaming is becoming more and more popular, and more and more competitive, so it is a fun addition to the intramural offerings,” England said. “We are glad that participants enjoyed gaming against their fellow Pitt Panthers over the summer, and hope to see that excitement continue.”

The fall intramural season will kick off with a cornhole tournament Sept.

20, and esports and volleyball starting the next day. Dodgeball and kickball will begin Sept. 28, with all of the sports wrapping up by the first week of November.

14

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

For Rent South Oakland 1 BD, 1 BA South Oakland. Newly re­ modeled. Dish­washer.

Garage available. $795/mo.+ Call (412) 271‑5550 514 Cato St. 4 BR, 1 BA. A/C, Laun­ dry included. 3 min drive / 13 min walk to PITT. $1800/mo.

Avail­able NOW. Call 412‑807‑8779.

READY FOR IMME­DIATE MOVE

pittnews.com

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

IN! Very nice 1 & 2 BR apartments.

Conveniently lo­cated throughout South Oakland. Only a few left!! Rents starting as low as $620/ mo. John C.R. Kelly Re­alty. Call today at 412‑683‑7300. www.jcrkelly.com

Squirrel Hill 3 BR, 1 BA. All new.

Central Air. Dish­ washer. Wash­er/Dryer. $1200/mo, utilities in­ cluded. 412‑915‑0856.

Classifieds

For sale

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

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

notices

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

Rental Other

Employment

1BR/1BA first floor

Employment Other

apartment in private residence in Edge­

wood. Dishwasher,

FREE washer/dryer,

hardwood floors, fire­ place, bedroom AC.

Porch, Patio w/grill.

Parking, storage, near busline. $695+utili­ ties. WiFi avail­

able. AVAILABLE IMME­DIATELY! 412‑608‑5729.

Help Wanted Multi­ple Positions Starting At $12/hour. Hours Varies.

Craig Distributing Co. 313 N. Craig St. Pittsburgh 15213 HELP WANTED! General gallery work.

Immediate help need­ ed! Flexi­ble hours,

R A T E S

Insertions

1X

1-15 Words

$6.30

16-30 Words

$7.50

2X

$11.90

$14.20

3X

4X

5X

$17.30

$22.00

$27.00

$20.00

$25.00

$29.10

6X

Add.

$30.20 $32.30

+ $5.00 + $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

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

PT, days & weekends.

Shaher­azad Antique Rug Gallery. Contact Mo at 412‑818‑3943 or 412‑441‑8080.

Part‑Time Student Caregiver needed in home of elderly woman with moder­ate Alzheimer’s in West Mifflin near Ken­ nywood Park. No ex­ perience needed ‑ will train. Duties in­clude monitoring, compan­ ionship, and very light housekeep­ing. Day, evening, and weekend

September 9, 2020

hours available.

Transporta­tion helpful but not required. Great oppor­tunity for social work, education, nurs­ ing, or any compas­ sionate student. $11.70/hour. Contact: 412‑973‑6460 Personal, profes­sional masseuse needed.

Long term position.

Washington County location. Call 724‑223‑0939 any time.

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September 9, 2020

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