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Per amore di caffe Matt Gebis (right) started Espresso a Mano (above) in Lawrenceville in 2009 Stephen Caruso SENIOR STAFF WRITER As a jangly folk melody played — one that would sound more at home in a bright Tuscan piazzale than a former electrician’s shop — Matt Gebis sipped his third espresso of the day. He looked up, incredulous, at Braden Walter, one of the baristas behind the long L-shaped bar. “Is this the same one?” Gebis asked. “No, it’s different,” Walter answered from behind the tall spouts of dark beans. Surprised, Gebis shrugged and finished the free shot. This little Lawrenceville shop — more an extension of the street than holein-the-wall — is Espresso a Mano, and it has been Gebis’ labor of love since 2009. “A mano means by hand [in Italian],” Gebis said, referring to the shop’s name “It could also mean ‘expressed by hands,’ taken literally.” Inside Espresso a Mano, faded exposed bricks accent a wide open garage door, and the lingering scent of steamed milk and bitter brews wafts through the air. Gebis can be found behind the counter. The 2005 Pitt grad studied Italian and history as an undergraduate and meant the shop’s title to reflect the care he puts into each latte or mocha served
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Pitt alum Matt Gebis find happiness in the perfect pour Stephen Caruso | Senior Staff Writer
to caffeine-starved customers. But as he describes the shop, its origins and his goals, you realize the literal translation may be best. Gebis can’t help but gesticulate as he talks, rolling his hands or spreading them wide for emphasis. Combined with his ubiquitous staccato laugh, it’s easy to see why the shop — and Gebis — have attracted such a loyal following. Gebis said he and his employees know “90 percent of customers … by name” — whether that’s the result of a regular crowd or the staff ’s friendly attitude is hard to tell. While he’s spent a lot of time in the service industry before and during college — first in fast food, then as a waiter and a cook — Gebis didn’t see himself serving people food for the rest of his life. “When I was in college I thought I wanted to be a teacher,” Gebis said — first high school history, then an Italian professor. “I never said ‘I want to own a business.’” Lorraine Denman, Pitt’s Italian language program coordinator, met Gebis sometime in 2001 and when he graduated in 2005 and started grad school at Pitt in Italian, Denman, as
an adjunct professor, became his supervisor. She remembers all of Gebis’ students loving him. “He was an awesome teacher,” she said. “He’s really laid back, but he’s serious about his work.” Despite his success, Gebis didn’t feel any reason to stay within the confines of an academic life. “I’m not much of a guy who’s good at sitting down and grading papers, or sitting down and writing research papers,” Gebis said of his time as a graduate student. “I’d [just] rather be on my feet and talking to people, and having my hands on things.” If formal education wasn’t what he was looking for, Gebis found one respite. In four trips to Italy — one before school, one during his time at Pitt and two since — Gebis fell in love with the country and its coffee. “I was like ‘Oh, this is espresso,’” Gebis said. Gebis had gotten a job at La Prima, another Pittsburgh coffee shop in the Strip District while still an undergraduate. His natural friendliness behind the bar earned him plenty of friends, including a Pittsburgh-
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based graphic artist who goes by the name Wayno and Walter, who would later become his right-hand man and espresso taster. Walter and Gebis worked at separate spots — Gebis at La Prima, Walter at Tazza D’Oro in Highland Park. After Gebis guest judged a barista competition Walter participated in, Walter was so impressed, he called Gebis a caffeine “ninja” — a “Mr. Miyagi, but for coffee.” After one year, in 2006, 23-year-old Gebis left Pitt for good and started working at La Prima full time. His time spent at the shop gave Gebis the confidence to quit grad school and pursue something new: his own coffee shop. “He was into the coffee culture, making a quality product,” Denman said. “I thought that [his own shop] would be an amazing idea, and I thought right away he could pull that off.” Gebis’ job was no longer just a part-time gig, he was an apprentice, learning all the steps from backroom to countertop to make a great espresso. By 2008, he felt ready to finally “make the leap.” See Espresso on page 12
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Coco (left) says hi to the camera. Iman (center) leads a horse back to the barn. Langmann (right) hauls animal excrement from the farm. Brady Langmann CULTURE EDITOR
from PITT To the pasture Digging for part-time Craigslist jobs Brady Langmann | Culture Editor My mom gave her last warning somewhere between Big Knob Road and Brews Tavern, at about eight in the morning, with the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack twanging in the background. “No gagging,” she said, driving up a tall hill flanked by cornfields. “Cowboys don’t gag.” I was on my way to a racehorse training facility in North Brighton, Pennsylvania — about 45 minutes northwest of Oakland — to work a morning shift cleaning horse stables for the farm’s owner, Bob Inman, who posted the job on Craigslist a few days before. I’d never touched a horse in my life, I already had a part-time gig and I had no intentions of breaking in at the ground level of horse training. With student loans mounting and no time to commit to another job, I wanted to see how easy it was for a college kid to make a quick, safe buck on the internet. Craigslist: that classified advertisements website where you can purchase a used car, look for a summer sublet, scalp concert tickets or even post an ad in the “missed connections” section, where you can let a stranger know you’re his or her secret admirer in the hopes that person will stumble across your message. The site is loosely moderated, however, making it an easy target for scammers, frauds and
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criminal activity. In January, The Washington Post reported that 101 killings have been traced back to Craigslist — ranging from a Tulsa, Oklahoma-area post where the author began, “i was wanting to thank Tulsa for letting me have my first kill,” to a robbery-gone-wrong in Indiana that left a middle-aged couple dead. So before I scrolled through the “gigs” Craigslist page for quick, one-time paid jobs, I needed to find someone who had experience doing manual labor for total strangers. Jeff Neal, author of a financial blog called “Budgets are $exy” wrote a post titled earlier this year called “How I Earned Over $600 Hustling Craigslist ‘Gigs,” in which he described earning $655 for 35 hours of work — more than $18 an hour — by taking on various Craigslist gigs, like modeling “as an ‘average looking’ dude for some guy’s t-shirt company.” So I called him. Neal, who works full-time as a project manager for an industrial painting contracting firm, said all the job etiquette basics apply to Craigslist careers: steady eye contact, firm handshake, know the dress code. Figure out how much money you’ll make up front, and make sure to communicate well with your employer to avoid getting stiffed. Despite having one awkward run-in with a chain-smoking, over-caffeinated boss who asked him to memorize 100 mail-
boxes in two weeks to deliver newspapers, Neal said his experiences were mostly positive and he never felt unsafe at work. A Temple University alum, he didn’t hesitate when asked whether or not Craigslist gigs are a good financial move for students. “I wish I thought of this when I was at Temple, when I was in Philly, like living out there,” Neal said, adding that in urban environments, “it just seemed to me that there were more people moving, there’s more people that need stuff done.” So began my job hunt. After ignoring the roughly 30 percent of gigs with thinly masked sexual motives — foot models are in demand right now — I finally made contact with an employer who hired me to demolish a kitchen on Meyran Street. He fired me a few seconds later when I told him I was a reporter. “I have enough trouble from my kids,” he grunted before hanging up. After sifting through several more listings, including one for a “paranormal investigator,” I came across a post with the header, “Horse Stable Help.” $10 an hour. Horse experience preferred. After calling the number listed on the ad and explaining my story, I was hired. Walking into Bob Inman’s barn is like that scene in “Silence of the Lambs” when Jodie Fos-
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ter’s character visits the prison for the first time, only to be greeted with psychotic criminals leaning out of their cells and taunting her. Only in my case it was 15 or so 1,000-pound horses snorting and nodding their heads at me. “You a city boy?” Inman joked when he saw me flinching. Inman, a rotund, neighborly man with a headset always clipped to his ear, explained that he ran a racehorse training facility at the farm, and a state-of-the-art one at that. Think of him like the trainer of a professional sports team — Inman medicates the horses when they get sick, feeds them the animal equivalent of protein powder when they’re malnourished, puts healing cream on sore muscles and even takes them for swims in his on-site pool to take pressure off their joints. Before I started working, we took two horses to his Eurociser — basically a treadmill for horses, which uses rotating panels to bump them into jogging in circles around a carousel — and talked about my competition for the Craigslist job. There were three callers, including me. When Inman asked the first why he no longer worked at his last job, the man answered, “I didn’t show up for work.” Answers like that still See Craigslist on page7
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Extra, extra: Finding work on the fringes of film Amanda Reed
Contributing Editor When Lena Gallagher walks on set, she can’t just go where she pleases. She has to walk at a specific pace in a specific path multiple times in a row until the director says “cut.” But when David Fincher’s new series, “Mindhunter,” premieres on Netflix in 2017, you won’t see Gallagher’s name in the credits. In fact, you won’t see her walking through a scene unless you’re looking for her. Gallagher, a senior marketing major and film studies minor, is one about 2,000 to 3,000 extras, or people who consider themselves to be extras, in the Pittsburgh area. Although the Pittsburgh-area movie and TV extra business is small compared to other regions like Los Angeles and New York, the background actor scene is growing thanks to a 25 percent tax cut to productions who shoot in the area, expanding opportunities for those who want to get involved in the film industry. “We wouldn’t have an [film] industry if
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we didn’t have the tax credit,” said Katie Shenot, a casting director at local talent agency, Nancy Mosser Casting. “I remember before the tax credit existed we’d get the occasional production, but it wasn’t like how it is now where it’s a steady stream. We are fully dependent on it.” Many people devote hours of their time — usually all in one day — walking around, sitting at bars or serving coffee to people who only exist in our computer or TV screens. Most people, including Gallagher, don’t see extra work as a job or a money opportunity — it’s an experience. “When I was an extra on set, I had a really great time. It’s definitely a long process, but it’s very cool to see a television scene being filmed right in front of you,” she said. “You get to really appreciate all of the work, all of the little details that go into creating even a small scene. They really strive for perfection, and it’s very cool to watch.” Gallagher, who’s also a former intern at Nancy Mosser Casting in Lawrenceville, See Extras on page 7
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Terry Tan SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR
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Q&A: ex-field general tyler palko enters business field Steve Rotstein Sports Editor
You may know Tyler Palko as the local star who forever etched his name into western Pennsylvania football lore during his time as a fiery southpaw quarterback. Palko — a three-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review WPIAL Class AAA Player of the Year — led West Allegheny High School to the PIAA Class AAA championship game three years in a row, finally winning the title in his senior year and ending Strath Haven High School’s 44-game winning streak. At Pitt, Palko played in 41 games as quarterback and completed 60 percent of his passes for 8,343 yards, 66 touchdowns and just 25 interceptions. He guided the Panthers to the 2004 Big East Championship, resulting in the team’s first and only BCS bowl berth before going on to play two seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, at age 33, Palko is the director of Leadership Development at Solutions 21, a company that trains businesses in sales and employee management. He also helped build 2nd Skull, a protective headgear company for athletes.
Craigslist, pg. 4 surprise the farmer, who also uses Craigslist’s gigs page to find workers for his other business, Inman Enterprises, which cuts grass for vacant lots owned by banks. “It doesn’t even click in their mind that ain’t gonna be good,” Inman said. Later on, Inman lets me lead the friendliest horse, Rosie, to and from the Eurociser. As we walk, he tells me he was a calf roping champion at my age, and that he met his wife Betty — who still works with the horses and could “kick my ass” — at age 14. He used to ride his bike a mile down the road to see her, having lived on the farm since he was little. After watching a horse swim and meeting Inman’s pygmy goat, Coco, it was time for me to work. Inman’s part-time farmhand, Ashley, led Victory in Motion — who was fresh off a big win
The Pitt News caught up with the former quarterback turned startup developer to discuss the Pitt-Penn State rivalry, how the football field prepared him for the field of business and how he knew the time was right to switch careers. TPN: Were you at the Penn State game on Saturday? Did watching make you wish you could have played against Penn State, or was playing West Virginia and Notre Dame good enough for you? Palko: I was at the game, on the field before the game, then got a chance to stay and watch it, so it was awesome. Man, [not playing those teams has] always been a regret. I guess it can’t be a regret, since I didn’t have any control over it … the reason I went to Pitt, I wanted to help bring them back to national prominence, and you do that by beating West Virginia and Penn State — and getting good players. So that was something I was upset I never got a chance to do. I was happy to be a part of it as an alumni, but I wish I had a chance to suit up for that game. TPN: You accomplished a lot during your time at West Allegheny, you accomplished a lot at Pitt.
at Mountaineer Racetrack — out of his stall so I could clean it. Ashley scanned the floor, her eyes widened and she said, “They literally gave you the worst stall.” Lucky me. Pretending it was dirt, I raked Victory’s poop into a wheelbarrow, which I would later dump outside, then pour sawdust for the horse to roll around on when he came back. The work wasn’t difficult or hard to find — I could see how Neal pulled off 10 of these kinds of gigs in a month, especially after hearing what Inman said about the average Craigslist applicant. But would I make a second job picking up one-offs on Craigslist? Inman knew the answer as soon as he saw my face emerge from the stall. “One thing we can all agree on?” Inman said, masking a grin as I heaved the poo-filled wheelbarrow out of the stable. “It is a sh*tty job.”
‘You a city boy?’ Inman joked when he saw me flinching
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See Q&A on page 14
See online for a look at pitt life skills
Tyler Palko has ventured into a career in business after his time as one of Pitt’s most successful quarterbacks. Courtesy of Pitt Athletics
Extras, pg. 5 filmed “Mindhunter” this summer. The show is based on John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s 1995 true crime novel “Mind Hunter: Inside FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit.” The series, set in 1979, will revolve around two FBI agents who interview imprisoned serial killers to try and solve ongoing cases. Other notable productions that have come to Pittsburgh include “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “Fathers and Daughters,” a film that brought celebrities Aaron Paul, Amanda Seyfried and Russell Crowe to the area in 2015. Every time a production comes to the Steel City, open casting calls proliferate. But you can search the web for an opportunity at any given time. Current listings include wide open calls including one for “hip and trendy” background extras, ages 21 to 45 years for a upscale party scene and more specific roles: a Caucasian brunet male with a beard in his late twenties and thirties or an African-American female child, 12 to 14
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years old for two half-day shoots. “Every production is so different. There’s no quintessential thing that we’re looking for,” Shenot said. “It’s all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, backgrounds — it’s completely all inclusive and that’s what I love about it. It’s never boring.” And it’s not hard, according to Gallagher, as long as you can take direction. The production team was very strict about the “no cell phones on set” rule specifically, she said. “You definitely want to respect rules like this and listen when people on set tell you what you can and can’t do,” she said. “After all, being an extra and being on set is a pretty cool opportunity, and you don’t want to be disrespectful by blatantly disregarding the production rules.” According to Shenot and Jennifer Nash, a casting director at Marinella Hume Casting — the casting company currently working on “Mindhunter” — a typical production day lasts between eight to 14 hours. Although it’s a large time commitment, there’s often lots of downtime, plenty of food and sometimes even Wi-Fi. See Extras on page 14
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The Pitt News SuDoku 9/16/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com
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column
More to happiness than a career
Matt Moret
Assistant Opinions Editor In high school, I spent four years working at a gas station and auto repair shop. I had to sell gas, wipe windshields and clean motor oil off of the floor. There was nothing glamorous about it. Most of the people I worked alongside were older than me — three of them were grown men with families, and as far as the rest of the world’s concerned, they’d never really done anything more significant than sell gas, wipe windshields and clean motor oil. But they were also some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. One had another job driving forklifts through a noxious perfume factory that closed multiple times for work safety violations. Another delivered car parts all over Pennsylvania for a local distributor, doing small repairs and odd jobs on the side so he could afford his one-bedroom apartment. If given a choice, I’d wager they would choose to live in better circumstances. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t accurately describe them as unfulfilled. They went fishing and camping on the weekends, spent time with their families or simply got drunk and watched football, perfectly happy doing so. If that’s not the true face of America, I don’t know what is. Working part-time shifts meant my coworkers could keep doing what made them happy when they got the chance to leave the garage.
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Terry Tan SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR The environment for dead-end jobs like ours’ can range from a gray office cubicle to the driver’s seat of a garbage truck, but the key commonality between the gigs is that they lead nowhere else. Part-time work commonly offers little to no upward mobility, hence, “dead end.” But maybe a dead-end job is just a means to an end. There’s nothing wrong with not turning your real passions — whether they be watching football and drinking beer or making art and writing poetry — into financial gain. In fact, people care way too much about work, and it’s making us all miserable. Our culture is one that blurs the line between “work time” and “personal time” far more than most of the world. Consistently, studies of public happiness show that Americans have some of the worst work-life balances in the world — according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States is currently ranked 29 out of 38 countries in proportion of time spent on leisure. When you consider that “leisure” here includes sleeping and eating, it becomes even clearer how myopic American lives can be. As a culture, we’re so obsessed with turning our interests into full-time occupations that if you work a dead-end job for any extended period of time, people assume you misstepped somewhere along the path to finding a real See Moret on page 12
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Moret, pg. 9 career. Career-oriented people see service workers and quietly wonder whether they finished high school or have a criminal record preventing them from greater success. Maybe they’re just not very bright. You work the graveyard shift at a warehouse? Something must have gone wrong in your life. These judgements are, at best, rude. At worst, they are straight up classist. Your life shouldn’t be defined solely by what you do to survive. My former coworkers, along with more than 20 million other Americans, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, are part-time workers for “noneconomic reasons.” Their employment status isn’t necessarily decided by lack of opportunity or a declining economy, though it may be influenced by them at various points. For most of the conditions listed by the BLS, such as familial obligations or personal interests, part-time work simply suits these individuals’ lifestyles. Take, for instance, the people who work to pay for their private passions: people who create art without hoping to live off of it or have a love for amateur athletics but don’t plan on going pro or becoming full-time personal trainers. If, say, Sarah the rock climber’s collection of shifts over the counter at 7-Eleven funds her excursions to the Andes, she deserves credit for making it
Espresso, pg. 3 Gebis found his spot — near the intersection of Butler and 37th streets — filled it out with secondhand furniture, and added the finishing touch: a brand-new silver espresso machine. Opening day was July 16, 2009. His first customer was a familiar face: Wayno, the artist. “I was waiting for him to open in fact,” he said. Wayno also contributed to his friend’s endeavour by creating Espresso a Mano’s logo: a smiling stylized man hovering over his piping hot espresso cup. “It’s how I see the people I see there on the morning, who [are] just so happy to have their espresso,” he said. Gebis sold $100 of coffee that first day. From there, the business grew and Gebis needed extra help. Walter was ready to start, and Gebis hired him in 2011. He’s worked at Espresso a Mano ever since. Even as he builds his reputation, Gebis can
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work. Instead, we question her decisions and hollowly judge her long-term stability. Until the 20th century, working was largely just something Americans did to get by. People worked in Andrew Carnegie’s steel mills to support their families, for instance, many incapable of affording the things their work helped build. There have always been individuals who find something they enjoy and are able to monetize, but the idea that one is entitled to follow their calling in life is still relatively new. People seeking money — and only money — from employment are not missing out on life. They understand that labor is purely functional: employers provide funds, which employees then have freedom to spend. This is very straightforward. Yet somehow these workers end up brushed aside as having “bad” jobs or not pushing themselves. Obviously there’s nothing wrong with being deeply invested in what you do. I still agree that the ideal would be for everyone to have the opportunity to make money doing productive things they love. But that’s a prescription people don’t necessarily need or want. If I just need some cash to buy crappy Chinese food and crappier beer, let me bus tables without asking whether it will go on my resumé. Our collective goal should be to reduce stress so that pleasures outweigh hurdles, not create a template for achievement. Don’t act like fulfillment only comes with a certain shade of collar — a name tag can work just fine. still be found behind the counter of his shop, where he takes joy from how a good cup of joe turns around someone’s day. He tries to stay away from the curmudgeonry coffee trader stereotype. “[People] think we are a bunch of grumpy hipsters who just want to play with coffee and look at you like an idiot if you don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I just want [customers] to smile.” Unfortunately for Gebis, being the owner means having to activate “manager mode” to pay the bills and place orders, a job the coffee connoisseur doesn’t like as much as watching a customer literally give a brief ovation for some well-poured foam. In fact, Gebis plans to clear grinds and slide saucers across Espresso a Mano’s counter until the day his hands are worn and wrinkled. “If it was up to me, I’d be behind that bar making coffee all day,” Gebis said. “I love the idea that someday people are going to be like, ‘Oh let’s go down to Espresso a Mano, this guy has been doing it for 50 years.”
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Q&A, pg. 7
can give you is: [former Green Bay Packers head coach] Vince Lombardi, arguably the best coach out there; [former San Francisco 49ers head coach] Bill Walsh, arguably the best coach out there; they would have a hard time winning in today’s game. The game’s evolved. That’s the hardest part, having conversations with people about adapting when they were pretty successful doing it their way. That’s why you get guys like [New England Patriots head coach] Bill Belichick that have done it for such a long period of time, they’ve adapted their principles and adapted their style as they evolved. TPN: If you could go back to high school and start over, is there anything you would have done differently? Or did your career play out exactly the way you hoped? Palko: It’s hard to say. I got a chance to achieve my childhood dream, so that’s tough to say that I’d change anything. I had a dinner with my old college coach and my dad yesterday, and I think probably the reason why I chose to play quarterback was because there was a lot of people that said I could never do it. That whole trying to prove people wrong thing. I think I was a better free safety than I was a quarterback, but I guess we’ll never know. That being said, I got a chance to achieve my childhood dream and play on Sundays.
Extras, pg. 7 Call times can be early for extras, and, on top of that, they might sit around for a while until they have to go to set. Sometimes they have little-to-no time in holding and film all day. Sometimes, they’re in holding for 12 hours out of 14. “You could go to set and be done in two hours.” Nash said. “In our case, we always pay our background actors for a full eight hours, even if [they’re] only there for two.” Gallagher was paid minimum wage for her extra role on “Mindhunter,” and in general, casting companies usually pay their extras either minimum wage or $64 for eight hours. Extras are paid minimum wage in Pittsburgh due to Screen Actors Guild and Pennsylvania guidelines. Since Pennsylvania is a Right to Work state — meaning no person can be compelled to join or not to join, or pay dues to a labor union like SAG — casting companies don’t have to go through SAG in order to find background actors.
Find the full story online at
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The Pitt news crossword 9/16/16
You even won a game in the NFL. Which part of your playing career do you look back on most fondly? What game meant the most to you? Palko: I’ll always remember the games that got away, those are the most memorable to me. We lost to the Steelers on the final drive, we were going in to win. We got our tails kicked in the Fiesta Bowl, we got our head coach fired in the week before that, so that was tough. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a lot of good games [too]. TPN: Is there a specific moment, play or drive in any big game that you think helped prepare you the most for your career as a leadership consultant? Palko: They all did. I was lucky, my dad was my coach in high school, and I grew up around football and athletics, so I had an opportunity to be hyper-aware of everything that was going on during those times. So I was able to really put them in my memory bank and learn from them and still continue to use those situations in my career now. TPN: How did you know it was time to give up playing in the NFL after just two seasons and decide to go into the business world instead? Palko: Well, I don’t think … there’s a select
few people who get a chance to say I’m done. They don’t usually pick you, you pick that. I was a free agent after the year we had some bad games, but I really put some good film together and thought that I would have another opportunity to be a backup somewhere and sign a contract and continue a career, but it didn’t happen. I had to make a decision. I have a family and a wife and kids … [Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Chuck Noll had a famous line. It says, “Time to move on with your life’s work,” and that’s what I decided to do. TPN: How would you define your role and what you do at Solutions 21? Palko: I’m a succession candidate, so as long as I don’t screw it up, I’m going to be taking over in some capacity soon. That was one of the reasons I decided to go there. Our CEO [Buddy Hobart] was kind of preparing me — I guess you could say I’m the backup right now, and preparing to move into the starting role. I do a lot of speaking engagements … it’s a business development role. I do a lot of writing, a lot of speaking, trying to build this business to where we can work with organizations to build their strengths. TPN: What is the hardest part about getting clients to buy in with your company? Palko: They were [already] successful doing it their way. Again, the biggest football example I
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SPONSORED CONTENT
FINANCIAL FRIDAY:
Work-Study Awards Waiting to be Claimed Mark Mulkeen Business Writer Fall is an exciting time for all of us as we head back to campus in hopes of a great year. But for many, it’s also a time of dreading bills that range on being unaffordable. That’s why this is also the time of year to find ways to lower the cost of college, and Financial Friday is here to help. This week’s cost lowering option? Work-study. For those not familiar, federal workstudy (FWS) is one of the federal government’s many attempts to lower the cost of higher education for students. This program incentivizes schools to hire students by lowering the cost of employing them. The government grants select amounts of funding to universities each year for the purpose of hiring students for campus jobs. This academic year, Pitt students who qualify can make up to $2,000 through their FWS award. Work-study students are paid an hourly wage on a biweekly basis. The federal minimum wage is the lowest students can be paid, and the wage varies from department to department. Many departments pay above minimum, and while rare, some wages have been as high as $15 per hour. Either way, you work through the year until you hit your cap, at which point your department decides whether to pay 100 percent of your wage or to deactivate you for the remainder of the year. FWS covers a vast range of jobs across,
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and even off, campus. Work-study jobs range from clerical duties, to assisting in research, to working with creative organizations and everything in between. There are also around 25 to 30 non-university organizations that employ students through work-study. These organizations are all nonprofits, and include various notable Pittsburgh institutions, such as Carnegie Libraries and Museums, UPMC, Hillel Foundation and even Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Listings for these jobs can be found and applied for on the Pitt Source website, at www.pittsource.com. You may qualify for work-study and not even know it. If you filled out a FASFA before the March 1 deadline last winter, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (OAFA) reviewed your level of financial need. If your need level qualified you for the program, you may have been notified that you are eligible to accept the award, but if you have since forgotten whether you were offered to accept, the award offer can be found in the student center under the financial aid overview section. Once you accept the award, you need to be hired for an on-campus job, at which point you will be paid through work-study. Work-study is an area of financial aid not fully utilized by students. This year, Pitt offered the FWS award to around 5,700 students — a number that doesn’t tend to vary greatly from year to year. While there is not full data on who has taken advantage this year, last year a lit-
FirmBee PIXABAY tle under 3,200 students accepted their FWS awards, and only about 1,100 got on-campus jobs and were able to access their award. With this data, it’s safe to say only around 20 percent or Fewer students who are eligible to receive work-study aid actually do take advantage of the funds. So if you’re eligible, give it some serious thought. We all know how expensive Pitt has become, and the hours may be more manageable than you think. If you accept work-study, you cannot work more than 20 hours in a week. There may be a few workaholics that are disappointed to hear this, but for most of us busy folks, this is welcome news. Accord-
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ing to the OAFA, The average work-study participant works 10 to 15 hours per week, however, this will vary from position to position, considering the wide range of departments hiring. The cost of higher education climbs with each passing year, so students have to become more creative in finding ways to lower costs. No one knows this better than the students who do qualify for federal work-study awards, so if you think you qualify, check it out, and give it some serious thought. The work study program is an effective way to cut down rising costs.
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I N D E X
Rentals & Sublet
Employment
• NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER
• CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER
2 BR, 2BA apartment, Bigalow Blvd. $900 + utilities. Available September. 412-287-5712. 1 BR furnished, 1 person, shared kitchen/bathroom. Oakland Ave. $610 per person, utilities included. Available immediately. Contact 412-848-9442. 1,2,3,4,5,6 bedroom houses for rent. August 2017. Bouquet St., Meyran, Atwood, Semple, Chesterfield, Neville. 412-287-5712.
2,3,5 bedroom houses. Available September 2016. Bouquet, Atwood, & Dawson. Please call 412-287-5712. 3 bedroom apartment for rent on Atwood, and Dawson Street. Call for more info 412-849-8694. Available now. 3 BR, 2 BA, Dawson Street. Newly renovated, dishwasher, washer/dryer, large backyard. Available now. $1000 + electric. Contact (412) 915-0856.
4 BR Home - Semple Street. Equipped Kitchen, Full Basement. Available immediately. Also renting for May and August 2017. (412) 343-4289.
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• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS
• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE
• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER
The University of Pittsburgh Department of Radiology is seeking men and women 18-45 years of age who currently have a problem with cocaine for brain imaging research studies. Participants must be medicationfree (birth control acceptable) and willing to not use cocaine for several weeks. The study involves questionnaires, interviews and brain scanning at UPMC Presbyterian University Hospital. The study will be conducted over a four month period. Subjects will be compensated up to $1747 upon completion. For details, call 412-586-9633 or email PMIPstudy@gmail.com Sacred Heart Elementary School, located in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, is seeking volunteer basketball coaches for the upcoming 2016-2017 basketball season. Coaches are needed at both the varsity (7th & 8th grades) and junior varsity (5th & 6th grade) levels. For more information or if interested, please contact Amy Volpe at jaisvolpe@gmail.com.
Bigham Tavern is now hiring! Servers, Barbacks, Hosts, Cooks Voted “Best Bar” in Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Magazine. Apply in person or send resume to info@bighamtavern.com. 321 Bigham Street, Mt. Washington Cashier, part-time/full-time. Must be professional, customer oriented and available days/and or nights and weekends. Ask for Gina 412-521-3530. Christian Home Health Care is hiring home health aids in the immediate area. Supplement your income around your busy class schedule. Nursing students are encouraged to apply. Call 412-323-0203, X 6132 or X 6141. College or graduate school students needed to work with elementary school children in a fun, structured after school program in the South Hills. $11.50-$13.50 per hour, flexible hours, must have own transportation. Email resume or letter of interest to jhroberts66@comcast.net
Direct Service Professional for Residential Program for adults with intellectual disabilities in South Hills. Flexible hours, PT, FT, benefits. No experience neededwe train. 18+ and PA driver's license needed. EOE. Email questions/resume to loril@southwindsinc.org HELP WANTED: Courthouse Clerk. Downtown law firm seeks courthouse/office clerk. Set own schedule! Good experience for underclassmen if interested in law school. Applicant needs to be organized, reponsible, detail-oriented; ablility to follow directions. 15-20 hours/wk. Fax resume to 412-281-6302, e-mail to assist@gislaw.com or send to Gismondi & Associates, Suite 700, The Grant Building, 310 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Host/hostess wanted for Church Brew Works. Must be friendly and people person. Apply in person at 3525 Liberty Ave. Looking for retail experience? Now hiring part-time salesperson.Come work at one of Pittsburgh’s premier shoe stores. Must be professional, fun, outgoing. Ask for Justin or stop in. 412-521-3530.
R A T E S
Insertions
1X
2X
3X
1-15 Words
$6.30
$11.90
$17.30
$22.00
16-30 Words
$7.50
$14.20
$20.00
$25.00
(Each Additional Word: $0.10)
Deadline: Two business days prior by 3pm
MARKETING/NETWORKING: Gaming company seeking up to 10 motivated students to sign 3,000 players up for early testing on the world's FIRST EVER INTERACTIVE SPORTS APP. Marketing materials provided. Earn up to $25/hr. plus bonus opportunities. This is a great and an easy opportunity for leaders of fraternities, groups, and teams. Email requests to rchristoff010@gmail.com. Mercurio’s in Shadyside is now hiring for full-time and parttime positions. Pizza makers, servers, gelato servers, hosts, cooks, and dishwashers. Apply online: www.mercuriosgelatopizza.com or call 412-621-6220. Now Hiring Part Time Retail Sales Associate Fun and exciting place to work Learning Express Toys BAKERY SQUARE Please email resume to: twintoys@gmail.com or stop in for an application
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Pittsburgh's Grand Hall at the Priory located on the North Shore offers a breathtaking space for weddings and corporate events. Our venue has been honored with winner of Best Banquet Facility with Pittsburgh Magazine & winner of Best Weddings with The Knot. We are currently seeking part time banquet servers to work evening and weekend events. Qualified candidates should have experience in the food and beverage industry, present a polished appearance, and have a great personality. Compensation for this position will start at $10 per hour plus gratuity based on experience. Interested candidates should submit their resumes to Courtney Burns at courtney @thepriory.com. Please no phone calls.
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6X
Additional
$27.00
$30.20
$5.00
$29.10
$32.30
$5.40
Email: advertising@pittnews.com
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Phone: 412.648.7978
Phlebotomy Training Center. www.justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals. Call 412-521-7334 alexsflowers.com in Shadyside. WELCOME STUDENTS 412-6874128/687alex Delivery. Alex’s East End Floral Shoppe for all occasions
ADOPT: Happily married well educated couple unable to have baby desires to adopt newborn. Call Marisol & Steve 800-272-0519. Expenses paid.
Undergrads needed to test tutoring system: 18 or older, native English speaker, adequate academic background as determined by a brief questionnaire. 2-5 hrs; $10/hr., possible $20 bonus. Contact rimac@pitt.edu
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