The Pitt News
The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | September 13,2016 | Volume 107 | Issue 24
Pitt, Sodexo plan food truck
Make This: Students bridge art and tech PAGE 7
Tristan Dietrick For The Pitt News
With a roving eatery, Pitt plans to liven students’ taste buds and enrich their resumés this fall. Sodexo, an international dining services company that operates at Pitt, partnered with Pitt’s business school to launch a new food truck after students expressed interest in the idea at Student Government Board Food Committee meetings. The unnamed truck, which is set to debut by the end of September, will employ about 10 Pitt students — its location, hours and prices are still being finalized. The truck will offer grilled panini sandwiches, salads and freshly cut potato chips with a variety of house-made seasonings, as well as Pepsi products. There will also be vegetarian and gluten-free options. The signature item, the H2P sandwich, is top secret, according to Abdou Cole, resident district manager of the University’s dining services. “We want it to be a surprise, but it’ll be a great sandwich,” Cole said. “The students will love it.” The truck is going to be contractually operated by Sodexo, but according to Cole, “the goal is to make the food truck [mostly] student-run,” except for the driver and cook, who will be Sodexo employees. Sodexo will also supply the food for the truck. In addition to the core menu, several items See Food Truck on page 4
Students such as Mackenzie Meyers get their hands dirty at Pitt’s Center for Creativity, which opened in the basement of the University bookstore last spring. John Hamilton STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Students waiting on SkyVue apartments Lauren Rosenblatt News Editor
When Varun Kumar gets home from class, he fishes his keycard out of his wallet or pocket and slides it through a digital slot in the door to his home. But Kumar isn’t letting himself into a residence hall dorm or a house in South Oakland — he’s at the Wyndham Pittsburgh University
Center. The hotel has been his home for about 30 days and will continue to be well into September. Kumar, a senior finance major, did not plan to spend his final year at Pitt dining on hotel breakfasts and living from a few suitcases. Up until July, he was planning on moving into SkyVue Apartments, a new apartment complex between Halket Street and Craft Av enue on Forbes Avenue, at the beginning of
August — then the company said there had been delays in construction. “Overall, they are compensating us, but the inconvenience is still pretty frustrating. It’s very nebulous [as to] when it’s going to actually be completed,” Kumar said. Kumar, who is now set to move in Sept. 22, will be living on floor eight of the 14-story See SkyVue on page 2
News
Officers indicate ‘no confidence’ in Police Chief McLay Alexa Bakalarski and Lauren Rosenblatt The Pitt News Staff
The Pittsburgh police union released results from a survey it conducted on Monday, showing that the majority of officers in the union would make a vote of “no confidence” in Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay. Shortly after the survey results came out, McLay responded in a Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety press release Monday night. He brushed off the union’s survey as “normal and inevitable.” The Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police’s — the union’s formal name — poll, which has been up online for three weeks and ended Monday at 6 p.m., allowed members — all of whom are Pittsburgh police officers — to indicate whether they had confidence in McLay. Overall, 40 percent of FOP members
voted, and the majority of respondents said they did not have confidence in the police chief, according to FOP president Robert Swartzwelder. The Pittsburgh branch of the FOP represents all of the approximately 850 officers in Pittsburgh’s police force — less than half voted. Swartzwelder said 277 members voted for no confidence while 14 participants voted for confidence. The survey came after a request for a vote of no confidence at a meeting from several members, but the FOP chose to do a survey first so more officers could participate. McLay, who has received pushback from the Pittsburgh FOP for the majority of his tenure, said this kind of reaction is typical when “a police chief attempts significant changes to an organization’s approach to policing.” McLay has made it his platform to address police brutality publicly and within his station. Since he became Pittsburgh’s See Chief on page 3
McLay has faced criticism for speaking out against police brutality. TNS
SkyVue, pg. 1 building at 3333 Forbes Ave. that offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and boasts a number of amenities, including a gym, outdoor deck, upper-level lounges and grilling stations. The University has leased the first few floors of the building as University housing, which were ready for move-in when students arrived, but the other floors are available to students or other community members to lease independently. SkyVue Apartments has other complexes near college campuses around the country, including Michigan State University. Denissa Visconti, community manager for SkyVue Apartments who was authorized to speak for the company, said only three floors are available because the construction of the other floors took longer than expected. The 14 stories of SkyVue Apartments are under construction but will be open She said there is no set date for when the ento students by the end of September. Madison Holden Staff Photographer. tire building will be done, but they plan to
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September 13, 2016
open a new floor each week for the next three weeks. “It’s construction — you can never predict what’s going to happen in construction,” she said. “We are prepared. You always have to be prepared.” The company offered residents a “contingency plan,” but Visconti would not disclose the details of that plan because of confidentiality concerns. She said residents “are not asked to pay for anything” at the hotels or for moving and storage services. The company offered students three options for living arrangements while they waited for their rooms, according to Kumar: finding their own accommodations and receiving a discounted rent price for their SkyVue room, staying in a free hotel room while receiving a lower rate for their SkyVue room or getting out of their lease. The hotel options included the Wyndham, the Hilton Garden Inn and the SpringHill See SkyVue on page 3
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SkyVue, pg. 2 Suites in the South Side. The company also offered meal vouchers and breakfast coupons for students temporarily living in hotels. Monaco and her roommates normally pay $690 each per month, splitting the rent three ways for a two bedroom apartment. In September, because of the delay, they are paying only $619.50 all together. “We made sure our No. 1 focus is our residents, and as far as that, we haven’t really had any issues or complaints since we’re taking care of everyone,” Visconti said. “I asked them flat out, ‘How’s your apartment, do you love it here, are you excited to be here’ ... and I cannot tell you the number of students and parents that said this was worth the wait.” Pitt students Sonam Govani and Amanda Monaco moved into their SkyVue apartment on Saturday, Aug. 27, two days before the first day of classes. Even though they were able to move in, the roommates said continued construction made setting up a hassle. Govani, a senior economics major, moved in on the first day of classes because of her travel schedule. While moving her belongings from her South Side storage unit to the apartment between her 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. classes, the elevators broke. “The movers were carrying my stuff up the stairs. Meanwhile, [Monaco’s] straightening her hair in the kitchen because the outlet
Chief, pg. 2 Chief of Police in Sept. 2014, McLay and officers have had repeated scuffles, sometimes relating to his mission. At the tail end of 2014, McLay posed with a sign that read “I resolve to challenge racism at work #EndWhiteSilence,” which disgruntled many union members. In April, police officers said the department forced them to work secondary employment shifts for the Pittsburgh Marathon, which they said was illegal. McLay apologized to the officers, saying “far too many [police officers] were required to work this event with inadequate notice.” A similar situation occurred at a Beyonce concert in May when several officers said they wouldn’t work the event because events such as concerts are contractually voluntary for officers. McLay was in the national spotlight
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doesn’t work in the bathroom,” Govani said. Monaco, a senior studying communication science and disorders, said the room came with a few faults, such as broken outlets, misplaced floorboards and dings in the wall. Although it looked as if the apartment had been “thrown together,” she said it still beats South Oakland housing. “I think by the end of September, it’ll be fine,” she said. “We have a safe, secure place to put our heads at night. It’s got a little construction dust, but other than that, it’s clean.” While living at the Wyndham, Kumar said the company has sent out weekly emails describing updates on the construction, which he said are nice, but he would prefer to hear that his room is ready. “They’ve been apologetic. On one hand I feel a little bit bad for the staff there — undoubtedly, they are getting screamed at by parents,” Kumar said. “But at the same time, they have not been completely transparent about this.” Originally, Kumar planned to live with two friends, but one backed out of signing the lease for fear the apartment would not be done in time. Although Kumar chose to stay in the lease, the experience has made him question his decision. “I’d say I was new to this, and maybe I wouldn’t choose SkyVue if I knew this was going to happen eight months ago,” Kumar said. when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention, something that the FOP said was against municipal code because an officer is not supposed to endorse or campaign for a political candidate or party. When the FOP began discussing the possibility of a no-confidence vote at the end of August, McLay said the efforts were “background noise” that he expected to occur, according to the Associated Press. According to a “Predicting and Surviving a No-Confidence Vote” best practices guide from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a noconfidence vote in relation to law enforcement means the police union or department is dissatisfied with the police chief ’s performance. A no-confidence vote can potentially lead to a chief ’s removal from office or influence employment contracts, wages and See Chief on page 4
The Pitt News
Editor-in-Chief ELIZABETH LEPRO
Managing Editor DALE SHOEMAKER
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News Editor LAUREN ROSENBLATT
Opinions Editor KIRSTEN WONG
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Emily Brindley | Assistant News Editor Alexandria Stryker | Assistant Copy Danni Zhou | Assistant News Editor Copy Staff Matt Moret | Assistant Opinions Editor Amanda Sobczak Matthew Maelli Ashwini Sivaganesh | Assistant Sports Editor Bridget Montgomery Michelle Reagle Jordan Mondell | Assistant Visual Editor Corey Foreman Sarah Choflet Emily Hower | Assistant Layout Editor Katie Krater Sydney Mengel Amanda Reed | Online Engagement Editor Kelsey Hunter
Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left. The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and
September 13, 2016
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Food Truck, pg. 1 will rotate each semester, including student creations. “We plan to have a design-your-ownsandwich contest,” Cole said. “The [studentvoted] winner will earn a place on the menu for the semester.” The truck will accept Dining Dollars and Panther Funds, as well as cash, credit and debit cards. Students enrolled in the business school’s Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics
(CPLE) are driving the project. According to Audrey Murrell, associate dean to the business school, the program involves applying “ethical leadership and social responsibility” to its projects. Officials said the food truck is meant to be more than just food on wheels — it will be a hands-on learning experience and “part of the educational process,” according to Cole. Those who get involved will be responsible for purchasing products from Sodexo as well as handling the accounting, finance and marketing of the truck. “It’s a living laboratory for business stu-
dents to look at analytics,” Murrell said. “There are very interesting markets available on campus. I’m very optimistic about the demand the truck will have.” John Keenan, a junior supply chain management and business information systems major, worked on the project this summer, along with another intern, to develop and implement the idea. “There’s a lot more to starting a food truck than we thought, especially at a big university,” Keenan said. “It’s a lot to get all the rules and regulations [in place]. There’s a big community watching us run a small business.”
While the truck is currently set to operate exclusively on campus, it may expand to the North Shore for tailgating or other special events depending on student demand. “There’s a great deal of opportunity for the truck to do not only as-needed things, but ... [also] special events,” Murrell said. “We already asked if we can have the truck to be a part of [the business school’s annual] block party.” Dylan Harr, an undecided first-year student, said the truck could be a chance for Pitt to offer a “fresher” menu, something he’s been looking for since he came to campus. “I think if [the truck] gives students more options than just going to the dining hall, [being able to] go outside to eat, that’ll bring more satisfaction,” Harr said.
Chief, pg. 3 policy-making. The unofficial survey was meant to “inform the membership” and open the possibility of taking official action at an FOP meeting Thursday with a vote, according to Swartzwelder. If a vote were to occur, the members would still be able to decide what type of action they would want to take from there, Swartzwelder said. “[A member who makes the motion] may say, ‘hey, thank you, we understand,’ or they may say, ‘hey, we would like to put this out publicly,” Swartzwelder said. McLay said in the statement that he was expecting hurdles like this from the union. “Facing confidence votes is simply one of the realities faced by major city police chiefs today,” McLay said in the release. “I am focusing on keeping the Police Bureau moving in the same positive direction we have been heading.”
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Opinions
column
from the editorial board
Officer’s de-escalation tactics worthy NCAA made right call of praise, not firing While no shooting is worthy of praise, some are unfortunately understandable given the circumstances. Even in such cases, there are often victims of injustice. On May 6 in Weirton, W. Va. police officer Stephen Mader — a former Marine — confronted a 23-year-old Pittsburgher named Ronald D. “R.J.” Williams Jr. When Mader arrived at the scene, responding to a domestic violence call, Williams was standing with his gun pointed at the ground and asking Mader to shoot him. Mader refused, recognizing the an attempted suicide-by-cop — a situation in which individuals attempt to die by provoking fatal reactions from law enforcement officers — and began calmly urging Williams to drop his weapon. Maders said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his training as a Marine taught him to assess someone acting belligerently by “see[ing] the whole person,” or determining what might be the root cause of a person’s violent behavior. In this case, Mader immediately recognized that Williams could most likely have been talked down. But as he was trying to do just this — “speaking calmly” to Williams from behind a car — two more officers arrived on the scene. Williams began waving his gun as he walked toward the officers, prompting them to fire their weapons. A bullet struck Williams in the back of the head and killed him. Officers later discovered Williams’ weapon was not loaded, but an investigation declared the shooting justifiable. After several strange moves by the Weirton Police Department — including an announcement that all three officers had returned to duty as usual when
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that was not the case — Police Chief Rob Alexander ultimately fired Mader. Alexander accused the former Marine of endangering his fellow officers by not immediately shooting an armed man who provoked him. But Mader’s behavior wasn’t reckless. It was a measured, careful response based on the circumstances he observed that he wasn’t able to communicate to his backup detail in time. In other words, it was an example of the direction police training should go in order to eliminate — or at least limit — fatal shootings. In this case, there isn’t really anyone on whom to place the blame, despite what the Weirton Police Department decided. Mader readily said he thinks the officers who shot Williams acted appropriately because they had no way of knowing the full circumstances, and he’s probably right. The officers showed up to find a man waving a gun and threatening them. Their previous training taught them to act swiftly to “eliminate the threat” — a phrase used in the termination letter Mader received after the incident. But the scenario points to something much larger: the need for better mental health and threat assessment training for police officers. Mader faces punishment for doing exactly what critics of law enforcement have been asking of officers for years — to see, in Mader’s words, “the whole person.” Williams was a black man, and the shooting is currently under investigation by the West Virginia Civil Liberties Union. Clearly, Weirton Police clearly did not want this to sully their image, which is why the Chief chose to fire
Mader rather than admitting that his de-escalation tactics were probably commendable. Years of police shooting black men show a recurring theme of a lack of effective crisis management and communication techniques. Although this incident occurred in West Virginia, other cities, including Pittsburgh, could benefit from the difficult lesson learned. According to an article in March from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that analyzed data from the Department of Human Services, over the last five years, dispatch operators in 18 municipalities in Pittsburgh have received more than 50 psych calls per 1,000 residents. The majority of the neighborhoods in question did not send officers for Crisis Intervention Training. Throughout the country, in cities including Seattle, San Antonio and Buffalo, N.Y., police departments have implemented crisis intervention training. The Post-Gazette found that Pittsburgh’s CIT training is currently subpar at best. In general, officers are poorly trained in de-escalating situations before things become violent, leading to panicked responses from both police and the people with whom they are interacting. There’s no way to say if Williams would still be alive if the additional officers had not appeared. We will never know whether Mader would have been able to calm him enough to get the unloaded gun on the ground. What we can say for sure is that the entire horrific incident is a signal of inadequate police training, and Mader is someone we should learn from rather than fire and forget.
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in North Carolina Elizabeth Lepro
Editor In Chief As expected, North Carolina’s ludicrous anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has brought more negative consequences to the Republicancontrolled state. The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced Monday night that it is relocating all seven championship games — some of which are the first few basketball games of March Madness — scheduled in North Carolina during the 2016-17 academic year to protest the state’s House Bill 2. The legislation, passed in March, barred transgender people from using bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity and allowed public officials to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. “We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. It’s about time. In June, the National Basketball Association announced it would be moving the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, relocating an event that supposedly produced $195 million in local economic activity last year. These are rare moments for American athletics, a conglomerate of organizations largely uninterested in responding to social issues. In fact, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s most recent display of social justice See Lepro on page 6
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Lepro, pg. 5
May about his plans to file a federal If the North Carolina GOP actually cared about protecting anyone, it wouldn’t have pushed for HB2 in the first place. The NCAA upheld its responsibility to make sure participants and fans can attend its events safely and comfortably — something North Carolina has certainly not done for its citizens.
The Pitt news crossword 9/13/16
activism has been met with widespread condemnation on social media. Athletes are typically figureheads for more conservative values and not expected to take political or controversial stances. Hopefully, this momentous statement by the NCAA will set a different precedent for collegiate and pro athletics going forward. Entertainers including Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr have also pulled their shows from North Carolina in reaction to HB2. But, unlike the entertainment industry, visible representation from the gay and transgender community is almost nonexistent in college athletics — there is only one openly transgender athlete in the NCAA — and the same is true at the professional level. A few athletes, including 49ers running back David Kopay, have come out as gay after retirement but haven’t inspired many followers. NBA athlete Jason Collins made history when he publicly came out in 2014. Michael Sam, the St. Louis Rams’ seventhround draft pick in 2014, was going to be the first openly gay man to play in the NFL — until he wasn’t. He was cut at the end of the
preseason despite a solid performance. I don’t often find myself defending the ethics of college athletics. But the fact that the largest college sports association in the country chose to show support for an underrepresented community is commendable. The North Carolina GOP disagreed. The state’s conservative branch was quick to respond to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory speaks to the media in the NCAA’s decision. lawsuit regarding HB2. TNS In a statement from She again invoked the nonsensical idea Kami Mueller, a spokesperson from the parthat allowing transgender people to use the ty, Mueller said the the announcement was bathrooms that correspond with their gen“so absurd it’s almost comical.” der identity would open the door for sexual She went on to say, sarcastically, that the assault by referencing the Baylor University next logical step for the NCAA would be to sexual assault scandal last year. merge all of the teams into “singular, uniIn other words, she missed the point enfied, unisex teams” that allow cheerleaders tirely. and football players to share locker rooms.
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Culture
See Online Comedian Kathleen Madigan to come to Pittsburgh
Students craft, converse at Creativity Center
Students paint pictures, build with Legos and experiment with 3D printers in Pitt’s brand new Center for Creativity Wenhao Wu SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Noah Coco Staff Writer
As Zi Xie looked at a pile of multi-colored Legos in Pitt’s new Center for Creativity, she couldn’t help but think beyond the assortment of miniature bricks and blocks. “Is there a major where you can design bridges? Because that is what I would like to do,” said Xie, a first-year engineering student. In the basement of the University Bookstore on Fifth Avenue — a space formerly used solely for selling textbooks — Pitt’s new Center for Creativity allows students to take free art classes, use equipment including pottery wheels, typewriters and word walls and jam out on pianos, guitars and a range of other instruments, all for free with the swipe of a Pitt ID. The Center spans three interconnected rooms throughout the basement and shares the same hours of operation as the University Bookstore. Everything the facility has to offer is available to beginners so they can develop their skills without the fear of failure, according to Jeanne Marie Laskas, the Center for Creativity’s director and author of the book “Concussion.” “This is the place you can go and not have that barrier of being afraid to try something new because everyone there is trying new things,” said
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Laskas, who is also the director of Pitt’s Writing Program. “Our motto is ‘amateurs welcome.’” The Center for Creativity debuted last spring but will inaugurate its first full academic year this semester. Laskas, Kit Ayers, an administrator for the Computing Services and Systems Development and English Department Chair Don Bialostosky, came up with the idea originally in 2011. Following last year’s Year of the Humanities, the three received the support necessary from Pitt Provost Patricia E. Beeson to launch the Center for Creativity. The Center is open to all students, faculty and staff and welcomes the amateur, master and observer alike with a focus on collaboration. Yu Peihuang, a first-year engineering student, said she’s grateful for the opportunity to hone new skills. “I never really passed my art classes since maybe second grade, but I can come here and do my crafts and not be graded, and it is much more enjoyable,” Peihuang said as she manipulated copper wire into a bracelet of interwoven threads complemented with green jewels. The Center for Creativity has opened amidst a broader cultural movement often referred to as the “maker movement,” which promotes a DIY culture of independently engineered works. The maker movement often focuses on engineering
and software development to produce new technologies, whereas the Center is more interested in promoting individualized, creatively-produced expression. “We thought of this without really knowing the maker movement existed,” Laskas said. “What differentiates us is that the maker movement comes more out of engineering and tech and reaches sometimes into the arts, whereas ours is just the reverse of that. We are born of the arts, and we reach over into engineering, tech and STEM.” The Center provides students with the means to reach into engineering and technology by making 3-D pens and 3-D printers available as well as offering computers equipped with Adobe Creative Cloud software. First-years Kelsey Kayton, a psychology major, and Anna Louchmanov, a biology major, bonded over their fascination with 3-D printing as Kayton watched Louchmanov designing and printing a 3-D model of a character from a game she enjoys. Kayton and Louchmanov didn’t even know each other until crossing paths in the Center. “I saw that [Louchmanov] was making something, and I thought it looked really cool, so I decided I would stay and watch her print it,” said Kayton. The collaboration-based approach has already
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benefited Teddy Tiwari, a first-year biology major, who has visited the Center for Creativity six times to utilize its pottery wheel. Tiwari’s also collaborated with other potters she’s met to discuss new ideas for her own projects. “When you are at the University and you ever need help, you can exchange notes, which I feel is really helpful,” said Tiwari. “Now that I don’t have a teacher, it is up to my peers to offer help, and it is good to see other people’s styles and how they work.” Another common theme amongst people who come to the Center is that it represents to them an opportunity to escape from the stress of school life. “It is a big stress for us to have so many activities and homework, but I think this is a wonderful place,” said Peihuang, the bracelet creator. “Sometimes, doing these crafts helps me think about my studies in another way. You think of things in a new perspective when you are working on crafts.” The Center isn’t meant to be a study space or an additional group work space where students can’t complete class assignments, according to Laskas. It’s just a place to create. “It is the nature of what it means to be human,” reflected Laskas. “We make, we create — that is what humanity is certainly about.”
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On style
Frequent style miles: a new kind of airport runway Jordan Drischler Columnist
There’s an iconic moment during the opening of Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film “Catch Me If You Can” when Leonardo DiCaprio — flanked by Pan Am flight attendants — walks through Miami International Airport terminal as Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me” plays in the background. It’s the 1960s, and Leo looks sharp. In fact, just about everyone in the airport does. This image, juxtaposed with what we associate with air travel today — security checks, crowded cabins and seat-kicking children — forms such a stark contrast that viewers may very well forget that the movie is based on a true story and that at some point in time, air travel was a glamorous endeavor. Somehow, we’ve let the magic of flying die. Imagine what a trip it would be if we, as travelers, still made an effort to dress up and reinfuse fashion into a once-glorious industry. The 1950s through the 1970s, known as the golden age of commercial aviation, saw free three-course meals served inflight, large, luxurious cabins adorned with bright colors and dining tables and service akin to dining at a fine restaurant. But perhaps no facet of jet-setting during this golden age was as iconic as its sense of fashion. From the flight attendants to the passengers, people viewed flying as a special occasion worth dressing up for. Skirts, blouses and sleek suits were abundant, and entire fashion shows were devoted to revealing new uniforms. Today, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has an entire exhibit dedicated to airline fashion. On modern flights, crew members dress in utilitarian uniforms of grey and navy, lacking any and all stylistic creativity. Passengers sport the latest in sweatpants, hoodie and flip-flop couture. Of course, fashion in general has changed over the years. We have certainly made clothing more comfortable and
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casual than previous decades, but people still make an effort to clean up when they go out. Every day on the bus and walking down the street, we see a runway of various styles and trends. While some of us dress nicely for class, many view a plane ticket as an invitation for a sleepover in the sky. So what turned an industry once synonymous with style into a drab flying bus service?
capacity over comfort. Unfortunately, as these elements of the golden age made their exit, so, too, did air travel’s iconic fashion. What was especially lamentable about the last development was that it was far from necessary. Altering meals and seating did not necessitate new uniforms, but as this new, dull generation of aviation was born, the airlines shifted uniform style to mesh with a corporate tone. And while this is only an explana-
Terry Tan SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act into law. In short, the act handed power over the airline industry from government to the free market, allowing businesses to compete. The result was lower prices and air travel accessible to those outside the upper class. As one of the most important landmarks in the commercial aviation industry, it was not without negative side effects. In order to provide prices that the common man could afford, complimentary meals were cut from flights, and newly redesigned cabins began to maximize
tion for why we no longer see the colorful, stylish flight attendant — at that time they were mostly women — outfits of the 1960s, it is no surprise that passengers soon stopped dressing to the nines too. After all, when the airline has abandoned style, why should you feel compelled to dress in a certain manner? As an airline employee, pilot and aviation enthusiast, I long for the days when air travel was glamorous. I’m not saying dress as you would for a night at the opera — today’s security hurdles can make this cumbersome — but by ditching the sweats and dirty sneakers for collars and
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blouses, we can pay homage to an iconic American industry and inject color into the mundane. Flying is still a remarkable feat and should be viewed as an occasion, even when it seems like an average part of modern life. Perhaps a sense of style is what a terminal of businessmen with their heads in the paper, teens on their phones and parents rushing their children between gates to make connection flights need to quell the dismal attitude toward commercial flying. In fact, a study from the University of Queensland concluded that your outfit can impact your mood. Through a series of interviews and observations of interviewees’ clothing, the research team determined that, “more often than not, we dress how we’d like to feel or how we’d like others to think we’re feeling.” It’s no wonder then that an industry in which unkempt customers wear sweats and flipflops is also commonly associated with terms such as stressful, miserable and a hassle. I am under no illusion that we can revive the jet-setting age with a change of clothes, but the possibility of reinstating airlines as a special industry with a rich history and important place in the shaping of modern America is worth a bit of effort. The National Air and Space Museum is the most visited of the Smithsonian institutions, and stories of aviation pioneers populate our history books. As a nation, America has always been at least benignly fascinated with the possibility of unlimited space to roam in the sky. How could we lose sight of the magic of flying five miles above the earth with metal wings and a bit of thrust? The next time you book a flight, consider giving a nod to aviation’s past and ditch the pajamas for a jet-setting style. It may not soothe the screaming infant behind you, but at least you’ll look fly.
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Sports Narduzzi, Panthers move on from PSU to OSU
Pat Narduzzi has shifted his attention from Penn State to Oklahoma State. Jeff Ahearn SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Steve Rotstein Sports Editor
Although Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi seemed eager to move forward to this week’s game against Oklahoma State, he opened his Monday press conference by reflecting on last Saturday’s monumental 42-39 win against Penn State. “Just to close the chapter on last week’s game, obviously it was an exciting win,” Narduzzi said. “I want to thank Panther Nation for the crowd that was there Saturday. It was electric.” The atmosphere in the Panthers’ locker room after the game might have been even more energetic than the raucous crowd. The players hoisted Narduzzi into the air and carried their coach around the room with his arms extended and fists raised as
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the team yelled out Pitt’s fight song in unison. Narduzzi said the moment tops his list of postgame celebrations as a head coach. “I’ve never had that done before,” Narduzzi said. “First place, for sure.” While the Panthers racked up an impressive 341 yards rushing in the win, Narduzzi emphasized that the team could have had even more. “There are plays that we left out there,” Narduzzi said. “I think we played a really good first half. The second half was really a different ballgame ... There were a lot of plays left on the field that we could have made.” After allowing zero points on defense in week one against Villanova, Pitt let up five touchdowns to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and 39 points overall. Still, the Panthers held Barkley under 100 yards
2016 MEN’S ACC BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Dec. 31: Notre Dame, Noon/2 p.m. Jan. 4: Virginia, 9 p.m. Jan. 7: @ Syracuse, Noon Jan. 11: @ Louisville, 7 p.m. Jan. 14: Miami, Noon Jan. 17: @ NC State, 7 p.m. Jan. 24: Louisville, 7 p.m. Jan. 28: Clemson, Noon Jan. 31: @ North Carolina, 7 p.m. Feb. 4: @ Duke, 1 p.m. Feb. 8: @ Boston College, 7 p.m. Feb. 11: Syracuse, 1 p.m. Feb. 14: Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. Feb. 18: Florida State, 4 p.m. Feb. 22: @ Wake Forest, 7 p.m. Feb. 25: North Carolina, Noon Feb. 28: @ Georgia Tech, 9 p.m. March 4: @ Virginia, Noon
rushing and controlled the time of possession in the game. Moving on to the game against Oklahoma State, Narduzzi knows he will have to prepare his defense for the Cowboys’ explosive spread attack on offense. “There are a bunch of different coverage adjustments we’re going to have to make. They are fast, and their wideouts can play,” Narduzzi said. “Quarterback Mason Rudolph runs the show, and their two wideouts –– Jalen McCleskey and James Washington –– are blazers. There are some different things we need to do coveragewise to eliminate the big plays.” Still, Narduzzi won’t change the team’s main focus on defense: stopping the run. Against Penn State, the Panthers constantly allowed the Nittany Lions to complete short passes into the flat while stuffing the box
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The full schedule was released Monday: See Pittnews.com for a full breakdown
to defend against Barkley and the running game. The Cowboys should be extra motivated to knock off the Panthers after suffering a highly controversial 30-27 loss at home last week to Central Michigan. Officials mistakenly awarded the Chippewas an untimed down after the time ran out, and Central Michigan scored the game-winning touchdown on an unbelievable 51-yard Hail Mary hook-and-lateral. Narduzzi said he expects Oklahoma State’s players to be upset and angry after such a devastating defeat, but his focus is on his team. “I’m not worried about their mindset –– I only worry about our mindset,” Narduzzi said. “I would imagine we’re going to be walking into an angry stadium on Saturday.”
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Lewis, Henderson earn weekly ACC honors Steve Rotstein Sports Editor
Pitt senior cornerback Ryan Lewis and sophomore wide receiver Quadree Henderson earned accolades from the Atlantic Coast Conference for their standout performances in Pitt’s 42-39 win over Penn State on Saturday. Lewis was selected as the ACC defensive back of the week while Henderson was named ACC specialist of the week, making them Pitt’s first two players to receive weekly honors from the conference in 2016. Both contributed key plays late in the game to help preserve the Panthers’ victory. Henderson entered Saturday’s game with kickoff return touchdowns in each of Pitt’s last two games dating back to last year’s Military Bowl, and he nearly made it three in a row with a return in the fourth quarter against Penn State. He darted across the field and dashed 84 yards down the sideline before being tackled at the 10yard line, setting up running back James Conner’s game-winning touchdown. “My teammates were just excited that I could get the team into [a good] field position,” Henderson said after the game. “I was mad at myself,
though [for not scoring].” Along with 96 yards on two kick returns, Henderson also racked up 58 yards on four carries and 47 yards on three receptions to finish with 201 total yards and a receiving touchdown. The 5-foot-8, 190-pound all-purpose weapon leads the NCAA after two games with an average of 53.5 yards per kick return. While Henderson may have been Pitt’s best all-around player, Lewis made the play that saved the game for the Panthers. With Penn State trailing 42-39, facing second-and-9 from Pitt’s 31-yard line and just over a minute to play, Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley went for the win and heaved a pass toward the end zone. Lewis jumped in front of the receiver and snatched the ball out of the air for the game-clinching interception — the first pick of his college career. “I was reading the quarterback the whole time, and I just saw the ball in the air and took it,” Lewis said after the game. “I just had to go make a play.” In addition to the interception, Lewis tallied a game and career high of nine tackles, giving him 14 on the season to lead the team in his first year as a starter.
Quadree Henderson nearly had a kick return touchdown for the third straight game on Saturday. Jeff Ahearn SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Pitt News SuDoku 9/13/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com
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September 13, 2016
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