9-24-15 by The Pitt News

The Pitt News T h e in de p e n d e n t st ude nt ne w spap e r of t he University of Pittsburgh

Go online for an interactive timeline on the Finkelstein coverage.

A farewell to Yogi Berra, a ballplayer and wordsmith

September 24, 2015 | Issue 29 | Volume 106

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN: FINKELSTEIN’S FURY Controversial speaker on Israeli policy accuses Pitt administration of canceling his talk without full explanation by Mark Pesto | Senior Staff Writer What Pitt says was a miscommunication with a middleman has shrouded the University’s first-ever National Security Symposium in controversy. Norman Finkelstein, a popular but contentious expert on the Israel-Palestine conflict, was scheduled to speak today at the symposium, an event sponsored by the Graduate School of Public and International Studies. But last Wednesday, Sept. 16, Pitt told him he couldn’t attend. In the wake of his rescinded invitation, Finkelstein publicly accused Pitt’s administration of cowardice and academic dishonesty on his website, saying he had been told that administrators nixed his appearance because they disliked his scholarship. But Brian Sisco, a GSPIA graduate student in charge of the event, and Kenyon Bonner, interim vice provost and dean of students, both said the symposium’s graduate student organizers — not the administration — made the call to withdraw Finkelstein’s invitation, and Sisco said insufficient funding forced the cancellation. Yesterday, after declining to comment for almost a week, Luke Peterson, the symposium’s liaison between organizers and panelists — and the person who told Finkelstein the administration canceled his appearance — said he had been mistaken and supported Sisco’s and Bonner’s statements.

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Peterson, a visiting professor at Pitt and the event’s moderator, told Finkelstein in a phone message on Sept. 16, that University administration had “raised a number of issues regarding [his] appearance.” However, on Wednesday evening, Sept. 23, Peterson wrote in an email that his previous statement had been incorrect, saying instead that he had misunderstood the situation in his haste to relay the information to Finkelstein. Although numerous phone calls, emails and Facebook messages failed to reach Finkelstein on Wednesday evening for his response to Peterson’s statement, he previously speculated on his blog that Pitt would prevent Peterson from speaking about the cancellation unless he agreed to support Pitt’s story. Bonner, on the other hand, said Pitt did not ask Peterson to make any sort of statement. “It was my sincere attempt to do Professor Finkelstein a courtesy by informing him of a change to the program sooner rather than later,” Peterson wrote in his statement

Wednesday. “Un f or tu nately in rushing to speak with him I gave him a version of events that was rife with error.” What followed Peterson’s first call

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to Finkelstein was a “he said, he said” volley of dizzying proportions. Before Peterson’s statement In April, the symposium’s planning committee, which is made up of GSPIA students, asked Peterson to relay their invitation to Finkelstein. Finkelstein, a harsh critic of Israeli policy, planned to speak about how the media covers the conflict as a part of an expert panel at the symposium. See Finkelstein on page 2

Courtesy of Wikipedia

News Finkelstein, pg. 1

On Aug. 26, Finkelstein received and signed a contract to appear at the event, but according to both Sisco, the event’s lead organizer, and Bonner, no one at Pitt signed or approved the contract after Finkelstein sent it back. On Sept. 16, Peterson called Finkelstein to inform him his invitation had been withdrawn. In a phone interview on Sept. 17, Finkelstein said phone and email conversations he’d had with Peterson about the cancellation on Sept. 16 and 17, made him believe the administration cancelled his talk because the content was too controversial. “The [inaudible] office refused to sign off on your contract for the event next week,” a person who identified himself as Luke Peterson from Pitt told Finkelstein in a voice mail on Sept. 16, which Finkelstein provided to The Pitt News, “and raised a number of issues regarding your presence — all of which I’m sure you’re familiar with, many of which or all of which are either bogus or trumped.” This is the explanation that Peterson now says was incorrect. A glitch in the recording obscured Peterson’s words as he explained exactly who refused to sign the contract, but Finkelstein said Peterson later told him that the vice provost’s office nixed the event. According to Finkelstein, he later learned that the vice provost in question was Bonner. Peterson declined to comment on this phone message several times, referring all questions to Sisco, before he finally said in his Sept. 23 email that he had been mistaken. “The claim that the University was respon-

sible for Professor Finkelstein’s removal from the program of events was and is simply not true,” Peterson wrote in that email. Finkelstein could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening despite multiple attempts after Peterson said he had been mistaken in his phone message about the cancellation. Sisco, the GSPIA student cabinet president and the lead organizer of the symposium, reiterated that the event’s cancellation was entirely his and the planning committee’s decision because they didn’.t have the money to pay him. “The decision was entirely student-led,” Sisco said. “The University was fully in support of facilitating Norman Finkelstein — or anyone I had proposed — to come visit the University ... My background is in human rights, my previous work was in human rights, freedom of press and expression, my career path is in that, I’m studying it. So, I’d be the first one to say if the University was in some conspiracy to suppress that.” In an emailed statement on Sept. 23, Bonner also said the cancellation of Finkelstein’s appearance was Sisco’s and his fellow planners’ decision. “The decision to revoke Norman Finkelstein’s invitation was made independently by the student organizing committee that had invited him to speak at their event,” Bonner said in that statement. Money troubles According to Sisco, financial trouble caused the committee to rescind Finkelstein’s invitation. Sisco said on Tuesday, Sept. 15 — the day before Peterson called Finkelstein — he emailed Bonner and John Keeler, dean of GSPIA, to inform them that because the student planning committee could not afford to

February

7/28/15

Planning begins for the Symposium

Feb.

Finkelstein receives tentative details of contract

Mar.

Apr. 4/20/15

Norman Finkelstein is invited to speak

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May

June

July

of last week at about 50 percent of our goal.” Finkelstein’s doubts Before Peterson’s statement Wednesday, Finkelstein said he doubted Sisco’s explanation. Finkelstein said all the details in Peterson’s original account of the cancellation prove he wasn’t out of the loop. Originally, in an email sent to Finkelstein Thursday morning, Sept. 17, which Finkelstein forwarded to The Pitt News, Peterson said, “Regrettably it seems that the department’s / University’s decision in this matter is final. Furthermore it is one over which I — as an adjunct professor — have absolutely no influence.” But in his statement on Wednesday, Peterson said he had been mistaken about those details. Peterson declined to comment on how he reached his previous, incorrect understanding of the situation. Sisco said Peterson’s comments were misinformed — a fact Peterson agreed with on Wednesday evening— because of haphazard communication. According to Sisco, the organizers’ meeting with Peterson in which they relayed their decision was short and rushed. “We spoke with Dr. Peterson very briefly, after I already sent the email to Deans Keeler and Bonner,” Sisco said. “In the morning [on Sept. 16] right before class, we were able to meet up with Dr. Peterson really quickly. Now, after all the misinformation that’s been spread, that could have been a breakdown in communication in relaying that information.” Because Peterson hadn’t been involved in planning the event other than as moderator and liaison with professional panelists, Sisco said Peterson had sometimes been left out of the chain of communication.

pay Finkelstein’s $4,000 speaking fee, as well as other associated costs, they had decided to cancel his appearance. Although Finkelstein said he sent the contract back to Pitt on Aug. 26, Sisco said Finkelstein’s signed contract did not arrive until around two weeks before the event. Sisco could not remember the exact day. Bonner said on Monday, Sept. 21, that he didn’t sign Finkelstein’s contract at the student organizers’ request. When called for comment last week, Keeler’s office said Sisco was handling all media inquiries regarding the symposium. “Ultimately, we, the students planning the event, were not prepared to host him in time for the event,” Sisco wrote in an email on Sept. 22. Sisco said although the event’s planning committee had negotiated Finkelstein’s participation since April, which included drawing up a contract for his appearance, fundraising failures and time constraints forced them to withdraw the invitation. “We were still waiting [on the date of Finkelstein’s cancellation] to secure pledged funds as well as for our crowdfunding campaign to garner more support,” Sisco wrote in his Sept. 22 email. “We had yet to pay for our venue, catering, audio and visual costs, marketing and promotional materials and security.” The student planning committee had to use grassroots efforts to raise money, Sisco said. “Our goal was to start with zero dollars and see what, as students, how we could approach organizing a symposium like this for the first time ... That’s involved fundraising among departments, crowdfunding, individual outreach,” Sisco said. “Our crowdfunding campaign ended, I believe, at midnight at the end

9/15/2015

Sisco & planners nix Finkelstein’s speech

Aug. 8/26/15

Finkelstein signs the contract

September 24, 2015

See Finkelstein on page 3

9/16/15

Peterson leaves voice message for Finkelstein

Sept. 9/23/15

Peterson tells Pitt News he was misinformed

9/16/2015

Finkelstein begins looking for answers

9/17/15

Finkelstein’s last contact with Pitt

9/18/15

Finkelstein begins posting on internet

Finkelstein, pg. 2 “It sounds like a misunderstanding,” Sisco said. “[Peterson’s] been kind of acting on behalf of the students planning this ... He hasn’t been involved in the planning, the decision making, nor has he been fully informed throughout the organizing process.” “[Peterson is] not an organizer at all,” Sisco said. “It’s entirely student-organized. Technically, [he is the] faculty adviser. We approached him ... to moderate the event, and we also asked him to be the direct communicator with invitations and such for the professional panel. We just thought that there would be a little bit more, I guess, legitimacy when you have a professor asking another professional.” Peterson confirmed that he wasn’t involved in organizing the symposium outside of communicating with panelists. Otherwise, he declined to comment before his statement Wednesday in which he agreed he had been mistaken. “It was the first time we were hosting this event entirely driven by full-time students, and we learned a lot throughout this process,” Sisco wrote in an email. Demanding an explanation

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When Finkelstein called the vice provost’s office Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 16, to demand an explanation, Bonner told him the student planning committee, not the Pitt administration, had decided to withdraw his appearance. Finkelstein, however, remained skeptical. “I would say that explanation is not credible,” Finkelstein said on Sept. 17. According to Bonner, who must approve all guest speakers, the administration played no role in canceling Finkelstein’s participation. He said it was at the student organizers’ request that he didn’t sign Finkelstein’s contract, adding that Pitt would have supported Finkelstein’s appearance had the organizers not canceled his invitation. “Students have the right to bring in speakers, and it’s our job to support that,” Bonner said. After talking to Bonner, Finkelstein said he called the GSPIA office and asked for Keeler but failed to reach him. He said he then talked to GSPIA Associate Dean Paul Nelson, who said the University would stand by Bonner’s statement. A staffer in the GSPIA office referred all inquiries involving the National Security Symposium to Sisco. An airing of grievances

Unsatisfied, Finkelstein took his complaints to the Internet. On Sept. 18, he linked on Facebook to an entry on his blog titled “Who’s Afraid of Academic Freedom?” in which he stated that Pitt had “shredd[ed] a signed contract in order to shield Israel from informed criticism.” He exhorted his followers to contact Bonner, Keeler and Nelson. Between Sept. 19 and 23, Finkelstein posted five total blog entries, as well as several tweets and Facebook posts, referring to his cancellation at Pitt, including copies of his email correspondence with Peterson. “You are right to pursue the matter with University administration as you have done,” Peterson wrote in his last email to Finkelstein, according to a Sept. 19, blog entry by Finkelstein. “I am afraid I cannot comment any further on this issue. You have my sincere apologies.” Before Wednesday, Peterson had declined to comment on this correspondence. Another side of the story After Finkelstein posted on Facebook that Pitt had attributed his cancellation to budget woes, he heard from Zachary Finder, a Pitt student and member of Students for Justice in Palestine. Finkelstein said his exchange with

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Finder led him to further doubt Sisco’s explanation. Finder, who follows Finkelstein’s Facebook page, told Finkelstein he’d heard that his invitation had been canceled because paperwork had been returned late — an explanation that differed from Sisco’s budget-shortfall statement. According to Finder, he and SJP President Raghav Sharma had sought an explanation for Finkelstein’s cancellation from Bonner, Keeler and Nelson, all of whom they failed to reach. Finder and Sharma both said that on Friday, Sept. 18, they met with Sisco and another graduate student organizer, Maggie Gabos, who told them Finkelstein’s appearance had been canceled because his contract had been returned late. “They said to me, ‘Look, this is all just a big misunderstanding,’” Finder, who later told Finkelstein about his conversation with the organizers, said. “For the record, Zachary Finder ... was told by the student organizers of the symposium that my talk was canceled because the paperwork was submitted too late,” Finkelstein wrote in an email on Sept. 21. “It seems now they’re saying that the crowd-funding fell short. SomeSee Finkelstein on page 4

Finkelstein, pg. 3 one should tell them to get their story straight.” In response, Sisco suggested that Finder and Sharma might have misunderstood his explanation. He reiterated that the student organizers’ decision was logistical, based on budget and time constraints. “Before any contract is approved,” Sisco wrote in an email on Sept. 22, “the necessary funds have to exist to pay the individual, and it is prudent that funds should be secured to pay the other necessary logistical costs of hosting

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the event as well.” Sisco said he couldn’t remember exactly when Finkelstein’s contract arrived back at Pitt, on Peterson’s desk, but he said they hadn’t gotten it until about two weeks before the event. “By that point, we’re trying to decide in that short time frame, ‘Is there any chance we’ll raise the necessary funds in that time frame?’” Sisco said, adding that he and the other planners didn’t want to take the chance of having Finkelstein appear without the funds to pay him. Finkelstein said he signed and sent back his contract to Pitt on Aug. 26, the same day he received it.

More questions for Pitt According to Finkelstein, no one from Pitt ever asked him to consider reducing his honorarium. “All he had to say was, ‘The crowdfunding campaign fell short, we’re going to have to reduce your honorarium,’’’ Finkelstein said. “Is that so complicated?” Finkelstein said he didn’t want to speculate whether he would have reduced his fee if the event organizers had asked. According to Sisco, the GSPIA graduate students on the planning committee simply never brought up the topic of asking Finkel-

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stein to lower his honorarium. He said he wasn’t sure whether it would have been polite to do so. Because the symposium is an inaugural event, he added, the planning committee has no precedent to guide their actions. If that was the case, Finkelstein asked, why didn’t the University ask Peterson to confirm it was budget issues that forced his cancellation? He speculated that Pitt had placed a “gag order” on Peterson to prevent him from commenting further on the issue. Bonner denied that Pitt had taken any action to keep Peterson from speaking about the situation. Peterson’s statement At 5:25 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 23, Peterson emailed The Pitt News with a statement in which he said that, in his rush to make sure Finkelstein was informed of the change as soon as possible, he provided him with an incorrect version of events. “I am sorry to say that the information that I gave to Professor Finkelstein blaming University administration for the decision not to include him in the Symposium event was given very hastily,” Peterson wrote in that email. “I very much regret that this mistake maligned University faculty or officials or otherwise inflamed the situation in any way, shape or form.” Finkelstein could not be reached by numerous phone calls, emails and other attempts to contact him Wednesday evening for his response to Peterson’s statement. However, in a blog entry he wrote Wednesday morning, before Peterson issued his statement, Finkelstein implied that he believed Pitt would prevent Peterson from commenting further on the situation unless he agreed to go along with Pitt’s version of events. Bonner said that was not true. “This Honorable Scholar [i.e., Peterson] was then placed under a gag order by the University, presumably until he regains his sanity and realizes that my cancellation was just the result of a bureaucratic error,” Finkelstein wrote in this blog entry, which he called “The Freest University in the World.” Bonner said at around 6 p.m., Wednesday, that the University had not asked Peterson to make a statement. In fact, he said, between Wednesday morning, when Peterson again declined to comment for this story, and Wednesday evening, when Peterson issued his statement, no one from Pitt’s administration so much as contacted Peterson. Peterson said later Wednesday that he had no comment on Finkelstein’s remarks. He said he preferred to let his statement stand for itself and that he considered the matter closed.

Opinions from the editorial board

TNS

Martin Shkreli personifies health care issues There’s a reason why the United States spends more per capita on health care than any other developed nation in the world — and that reason is people like Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli. Shkreli is involved in quite the controversy. His company recently acquired the drug Daraprim, the standard drug used for combatting toxoplasmosis — a life threatening infection to which AIDS patients and pregnant women are especially prone. Before Shkreli’s company purchased Daraprim, it cost $13.50 a pill. Now, the drug costs $750 a pill, marking a 5,000 percent increase. What followed was Shkreli’s quick promotion from CEO to most hated man in America. Nearly every news outlet, from Slate to The Washington Post, called him out for his “greed.” Eventually, the public pressure forced Shkreli to lower the price, as he announced he would do yesterday — although he did not specify how much, exactly, he would lower the price. Nonetheless, the issue goes well beyond Shkreli and Daraprim. The price of all modern pharmaceuticals and treatments is rising at an unprecedented rate, forcing many Americans to forgo the treatments they need. As Shkreli himself pointed out in an interview with Bloomberg TV, “These days modern pharmaceuticals, cancer drugs can cost $100,000 or more” per year. Of course this doesn’t justify Shkreli’s actions, but he’s right that his price raising is part of a trend. According to a report by Elsevier, a drug product and pricing information provider, “out of a research sample of 4,421 drug groups, 222 drug groups increased in price by 100 percent or more” since 2004. The surge in drug prices is one of the main reasons why we spend $8,745 per person on

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health care in the United States, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Compare that with Turkey’s expenditure of $984 per person on health care, which is the lowest among developed countries. High costs equate to people being unable to receive the adequate care they need — according to PBS, that’s about 38 million Americans. Uncoincidentally, out of the 34 countries in the OECD, the United States has the eighth lowest average life expectancy at 78.7 years. We cannot continue to allow pharmaceutical companies to exacerbate this trend. As a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation illustrates, more than 70 percent of Americans feel that drug costs are unreasonable and that drug companies put profits before people. In order to protect the public good, our democracy needs to work to rein in prices set by big pharma. Some of our representatives are already responding. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, for example, said of the Shkreli situation, “That is not the way the market is supposed to work. That is bad actors making a fortune off of people’s misfortune.” In fact, Clinton has already laid out a plan to do so. According to USA Today, her plan will “allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug costs and cap out-of-pocket expenses for individuals with chronic health problems.” Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders, Vermont senator and fellow Democratic presidential candidate, is currently sponsoring legislation that will do something similar, while also allowing consumers to import prescription drugs from Canada, which offers lower-cost drugs. Either way, if we want to see tangible action and policy curbing the costs of pharmaceuticals, this will require continued pressure on the industry as a whole — and not only on Martin Shkreli.

column

HIGHER EDUCATION

The drug and alcohol problem in college requires treatment, not punishment. | by Kirsten Wong | Columnist According to popular media, college life includes over-the-top parties, unlimited freedom, acceptance of drugs and alcohol and, occasionally, a class or two. This is best portrayed in movies like “22 Jump Street,” “Pitch Perfect” and “Accepted.” Such films tend to portray drugs and alcohol use among college students as inevitable, or even natural. However, the abuse of such substances is an alarming public health issue — an issue that we cannot afford to perceive as normal. We need to examine the effects drugs and alcohol have on students’ academic and social lives. Once we understand just how prevalent abuse is, we can see why schools need to focus on education and

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treatment of the issue, rather than punishment. Many students cannot escape the pervasive drinking culture that already exists among college students. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, almost 60 percent of college students aged 18 to 22 reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Of those who drank, almost 40 percent of them reported binge drinking in the past 30 days. Activities other than drinking are available to college students, but it’s clear that the majority drink instead. So, even if some students don’t want to participate, they may feel like they have to drink to fit in. See Wong on page 6

Wong, pg. 5 While the college experience can glamorize large amounts of alcohol as part of the college party scene, this comes at a serious cost to students’ health and wellbeing. It can lead to drunk driving, assault, sexual abuse, academic problems, alcohol use disorder, arrest and even death. In fact, according to the NIAAA, an estimated 4.86 million students between the ages of 18 and 24 drive under the influence of alcohol each year. Another estimated 696,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking, while 97,000 others are estimated to have been victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. Furthermore, about one quarter of students report having academic consequences as a result of their drinking. Overall, about 19 percent of college students meet the requirements for alcohol use disorder, and an estimated 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries. Along with alcohol, college students make up one of the largest groups of drug abusers nationwide, according to a 2015

report from Addiction Center. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that in 2013, the rate of current illicit drug use was 22.3 percent among full-time college students aged 18 to 22. The use of marijuana and prescription drugs such as Adderall is also on the rise — Addiction Center reports factors such as stress, course load and peer pressure have facilitated this increase. In view of all the health risks that come with drug and alcohol abuse, it is startling to think that it is considered integral to the college experience. The normalcy of drinking and drug use in college may lead students to view it as a nonissue. The NIAAA also reported that 19 percent of college students between the ages of 18 and 24 meet the criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence, but only 5 percent of them seek treatment assistance. This significant treatment gap exemplifies the need for treatment and rehabilitation for those who are abusing drugs and alcohol. However, these students need to be educated on substance dependence. Thankfully, Pitt requires all students to complete an online alcohol education course upon entering their first year — as

well as attend a mandatory program featuring an alcohol education speaker who discusses issues about harm reduction, sexual assault, alcohol related emergencies and the effects of alcohol misuse while in college. However, this education stops after freshman year. In order to keep all students in the know of the signs of dependence, Pitt can develop an awareness campaign similar to It’s On Us for sexual assault — perhaps then they will better know when it is appropriate to seek help. Fear of punishment and violations may also make students stray from getting the help they need. In fact, there is strong disciplinary action among students who are caught using drugs and alcohol on campus that may deter them from getting treatment. According to the Student Code of Conduct, The University of Pittsburgh DrugFree Schools Policy states that the University prohibits the “unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession or use of a controlled substance” on campus grounds. Violations of this policy include consequences such as suspension, dis-

T P N S U D O K U

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missal, expulsion or fines up to $250. These consequences can be costly to college students, especially ones with financial problems. And if they can’t afford the fines, suspension or expulsion for decisions made at such a relatively young age can affect a student’s long-term future. Therefore, reducing the scale of punishments will also shepherd more students into going to seek actual treatment. If we shift the focus from punishing drug and alcohol violations to emphasizing treatment services — such as those in the Counseling Center — the treatment gap in college culture just might shrink. Socially acceptable patterns of drug and alcohol abuse only hinder the value college has to offer — opportunities, resources, connections and high-quality education. It would be detrimental for students to lose these things to drug and alcohol problems. In order for students to realize this, however, they need to learn what dependence is and that it is a health problem, not a problem of conduct. Write to Kirsten Wong at kew101@pitt.edu.

Today's difficulty level: Hard Puzzles by Dailysudoku.com

Culture

A MELODIC RESTORATION

Before

Brady Langmann Staff Writer

After

Courtesy of Thrill Mill

Of the three producers behind this weekend’s Thrival Innovation and Music Festival, not one has a background in the music industry. Executive producer Dan Law once focused in foreign policy with a master’s degree in public and international affairs. He’s backed by Danielle Belko, formerly a producer for local video game developer Schell Games, and Jordan Robarge, a systems engineer one year removed from undergrad at the University of Virginia. The self-described “mob squad of festival promoters” works for Thrill Mill, an East Libertybased startup accelerator and organizers of Thrival Festival. “We’re not a big media conglomerate, we’re a nonprofit,” Law said. “I think that’s valuable because if you come up through the music industry, you may only know the music industry.” An initiative of Thrill Mill, Thrival will bring 25

acts to Hazelwood’s Almono site Sept. 25 to 26. The weeklong event’s goal is to combine diverse musical offerings with innovative programs in technology and community issues, with the revenue helping local entrepreneurs build their startups. So far, the organizers’ unorthodox backgrounds have paid off. Based off current ticket sales, Thrival expects anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 attendees — far from the 2,000 that attended the festival’s first year in 2013. For Law and his team, making room for Pittsburgh’s music lovers is one of numerous challenges in a business they’re still figuring out as they go. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, members of legendary hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, top Thrival’s music offerings along with LIGHTS, a Canadian synthpop star. Pop-punk band Panic! at the Disco, rapper Wale and indie rockers Manchester Orchestra also highlight the lineup, with several local bands filling the undercard. The artists complement the “innovation See Thrival on page 8

UNION INK Nick Mullen Staff Writer

George Washington never told a lie, but did he ever tell anyone about his sweet ink? The Pitt Program Council-sponsored art exhibit “History and Pop Culture in Tattoos” by Pittsburgh artist Lex Covato runs in the Conney M. Kimbo Art Gallery in the Union until Friday, Sept. 25. The exhibit’s striking paintings feature reimaginings of various historical figures, including presidents, scientists and pop culture icons, with tattoos covering their bodies that demonstrate their social or historical legacies. The gallery features inked-up versions of real-life icons like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Pittsburgh icon Fred Rogers, as well as fictional ones like Count von Count from “Sesame Street” and the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz.” Covato said she started some of the work on the display six years ago while

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studying religious iconography at Chatham. She became inspired by how symbolic religious icons are — down to recognizable props, hand gestures and robes. “I love this hidden layer of information, which at first can be overlooked,” Covato said. “The tattoos are more than eye candy. They are there to teach and invite audiences to learn about the figures through visual CliffNotes.” Every inch of Covato’s subjects’ exposed skin is inked with a story. George Washington bears a heart — for his beloved Martha — an axe and cherry tree. Nikola Tesla features a lightning bolt, representing his innovations in electricity. Covato said she chose characters that stood for something larger than themselves, and ones people revere and love — like Pittsburgh’s own Fred Rogers. Covato’s Rogers has tattoos of his characters from the “Mister Rogers’ NeighborSee Tattoos on page 8

Lex Covato’s “History and Pop Culture in Tattoos.” Courtesy of Lex Covato

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Thrival, pg. 7 events” held in various Pittsburgh locales this week, which included talks on gentrification in East Liberty and a presentation on experiential education in the Hill District. At $35 for a weekend pass, nabbing several national touring acts is unusual for Pittsburgh, whose festival scene is mostly limited to smaller, niche-specific events like McKees Rocks’ FEASTival or Northside’s Deutschtown Music Festival. Even Three Rivers Arts Festival typically brings in one upper-tier headliner a year, such as Jenny Lewis this past summer. According to Law, some bands “don’t see Pittsburgh as a viable market,” with high-profile acts like Foster the People often struggling to sell tickets at Stage AE and sometimes resorting to offering discounted seats on Groupon. That makes curating a music festival in Pittsburgh difficult. For each of the headliners, Law combed through at least three years of data, including everything from bands’ gross revenue during past trips to Pittsburgh to their number of plays on Spotify. With negotiations lasting several months, the music lineup wasn’t finalized until 24 hours before it was announced to the public in July.

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“When you’re looking at booking bands, it’s not as much of an art form as you think,” Law said. A lot of people think, ‘Oh, this is good music, so therefore we should book it.’ That’s not really how it goes. It’s a science.” While Law haggled with music agencies, he searched for a bigger venue than Bakery Square, the home of 2013 and 2014’s iterations of the festival. In August, he found the 178-acre Almono spot — formerly the home of LTV coke works site, a steel mill that closed in 1999 — which has undergone an extensive rehabilitation process in the past 20 years. At one point, the brown field was so polluted that trees were planted to soak up toxins from the ground. Now the restoration is complete. And with the capacity to hold 10,000 people and an opportunity to bring positive attention to Hazelwood, Thrival reserved 12 acres — the size of about nine football fields. But with reports of several shootings over the summer and an economic downturn following the closing of LTV coke works, Robarge admits making the trip to Hazelwood has been a concern to potential festivalgoers.

Find the full story online at

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Tattoos, pg. 7 hood” children’s show, as well as a Pittsburgh logo. There is even a popular myth that Fred Rogers wore his signature longsleeved sweaters to cover up sleeves of tattoos in real life, adding an extra layer of irony to his portrait. “These characters may be presidents, authors or even fictional figures,” Covato said. “These figures may not be special to everyone, but to those who are into them, [the figures] are almost saintly because of the great reverence [people] have for them.” In step with the exhibit, tattoos get more popular every year. In 2012, according to a study by Harris Polls, 21 percent of adults in the United States have at least one tattoo, up from 16 percent in 2003. With more and more people getting inked, the likelihood of voting in a real tattooed president is becoming a real possibility. While many candidates can choose to conceal tattoos with a suit or other clothing, Michael MacKenzie, assistant professor of political science at Pitt, said open tattoos will be less stigmatized in the future.

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“I haven’t seen any politicians with visible tattoos, so clearly it hasn’t been something thought to be accepted in the political arena,” MacKenzie said. “But, I’d hypothesize that it would be more common and acceptable 30 years into the future.” One example of a tattooed politician is John Fetterman, the Braddock mayor who recently announced his bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate. The 6-foot-8 Fetterman is notoriously open about his tattoos, including one on his forearm that reads “15104,” Braddock’s zip code, and a separate tattoo for each Braddock murder victim while he’s been mayor. Despite the rising popularity and mainstream attention to tattoos, Covato cautions college students considering getting inked. “Do it because it speaks to you, because it’s meaningful and you’ve thought it out,” Covato said. “Don’t do it because your friends are getting sleeves or because you’ve been out all night partying. My tattoos aren’t all perfect, but they tell important lessons I don’t want to forget.”

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Sports

BERRA LEAVES OFF-FIELD LEGACY OF WORDS Stephen Caruso

Assistant Sports Editor As a Yankees fan, I’m not going to miss the departed Lawrence “Yogi” Berra most for his baseball career. His No. 8 will hang forever in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park — no player will wear it again. But as much as I love shutting down other baseball fans with “27 rings,” I was alive for precisely zero of the 10 Berra contributed. He is a great name, one to revere, but to me, he is just that — a name. Berra — the baseball Hall of Famer who passed away Tuesday, at 90 years of age — served in the U.S. Navy during World War

Yogi Berra died early Wednesday morning at the age of 90. | TNS

II, piloting a landing craft onto the beaches of Normandy. In a later landing, a German bullet injured him, and he was awarded a Purple Heart. At a time when many athletes make bigger and bigger salaries and give less and less back, it’s refreshing to hear his story — leaving the minor league and putting his career on hold to serve his country. But I’m not going to miss him most for his service to the country, either. I’m going to miss Berra most as a writer, for his wonderful ability to turn a phrase — his “Yogi-isms.” Imagine you are a sports writer sitting at your computer. It’s a half hour before See Yogi Berra on page 10

WOMEN’S SOCCER FACES CHALLENGE IN WAKE FOREST Jeff Carpenter Staff Writer

Pitt women’s soccer has veered away from most obstacles it’s faced this season. While the wins have accumulated, the obstructions on the horizon are only growing larger, as the Panthers’ schedule strength improves heading into ACC play. The next foe for the Panthers is Wake Forest, which enters Pittsburgh with a 4-3-2 record, searching for its first road victory. “I don’t think this team has come to their ceiling yet, there’s still a lot of growing to take place,” Pitt head coach Greg Miller said. “Every time we’ve raised the bar, they’ve met the challenge.” Last time out, the Panthers shut out North Carolina State 2-0 en route to their first ACC home win. Home field advantage

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has been kind to the Panthers, contributing to their 7-1-1 record. They sit 4-0-0 at home, with all those victories coming within their last five games. Thursday’s contest versus Wake Forest is another chance for Pitt to add to its unblemished home record before heading to Louisville (3-4-1) on Sunday. The win over NC State was a historic one for the program, as it saw senior forward Roosa Arvas notch an assist, earning her sole possession as the all-time program points leader. Powered by her three goals and four primary assists this season, she now has 52 career points. Arvas’ corner kick found the head of freshman defender Seyla Perez, who found the back of the net for her first goal of the See Soccer on page 10

September 24, 2015

Seyla Perez is one of the underclassmen thriving for Pitt. Jeff Ahearn Assistant Visual Editor

Yogi Berra, pg. 9 deadline, as caffeine slowly fills your veins. Your editors are angry, while you are still staring at a blank Google doc. You know what happened in the game. The team was down big and the outlook seemed bleak, but unexpectedly, they came back. It’s an easy story to write, but you just need a start. The cursor blinks. But then a quote drifts into the back of your head — “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Berra uttered this when, as manager of the New York Mets in 1973, his team was nine and a half games behind the Chicago Cubs, and reporters questioned him on his team’s playoff chances. The team roared back and won a playoff berth on the last day of the season. And just as suddenly, the story roars in your head. You have your lede — your starting point. You begin to write, “Down 21 points, the game was over. But as the old saying goes, ‘it ain’t over till it’s over.’” The rest of the story flows from your fingers. Berra’s quotes have a beautiful way of summing up — in contradictory language — things that follow common sense. He has said before, “Nobody goes there

Soccer, pg. 9 season. Perez has thrived playing time on defense for the Panthers this season. At the start of the season, Pitt’s back line was inexperienced. But nine games in, the unit has proved to be a stifling shutdown group. The Panthers have allowed just four goals this season, producing .43 goals against average and placing them second in the ACC. Shutouts by junior goalkeeper Taylor Francis have powered five of the team’s seven wins. “We really missed Seyla last year,“ Miller said. “Despite her youth and inexperience, she is just such a presence in our back line. She has the talent and the athletic tools to solve a lot of defending problems and also kick-start our attack.” Jarena Harmon also buried a goal in Sunday’s victory, pushing her total on the season to five. The freshman forward’s offense has provided a surge to the Panthers. Her five goals lead the team, as do her 11 points. “I feel like the game is coming a bit more easy. I’m more comfortable, especially with

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September 24, 2015

anymore, it’s too crowded,” “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore” and “I never said most of the things I said.” The contradictory language made it easy for sports writers of the time to paint Berra as a buffoon. Berra even said once, “In baseball, you don’t know nothing.” But that was probably a lie. You don’t become known as one of the best catchers of all time by being dim. Pitch framing is the ability of a catcher to make a borderline pitch appear as a strike to the umpire. It’s recently become a buzzword in sabermetrics — the study of baseball statistics — but to act like it is a new invention is ridiculous. The reason Berra caught 1,699 career games — 14,387 innings squatting down behind home plate — between the ages of 21 and 40 is because he knew how to call a game better than anyone. Of course, Berra would probably just say it was all because of his predecessor, Bill Dickey, from whom he “learned all of his experience.” At face value, all his quotes seem like gobbledygook. But when you apply life experience, they make perfect sense.

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my teammates and the coaching staff, and playing at a high level,” Harmon said. Harmon also reflected on the mood of the team, noting that they are more capable and comfortable than in years past. Even with the hot start, they still feel they have not accomplished enough. “I think we need to continue to prove ourselves, and we’re doing so in a great fashion,” Harmon said. ”Not only winning, but dominating on the field, both in the attack and the defense, really helps the team and its confidence. The team faces a short week in preparation of Wake Forest. “We need to make sure we’re recovered and our bodies are back to 100 percent,” Perez said. The Demon Deacons will try to grab their first road victory of the season on Ambrose Urbanic Field’s turf. It’s an adjustment for Wake Forest — compared to the Bermuda grass they operate with in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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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

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College or graduate school students needed to work with elementary school children in a fun, structured afterschool program in the South Hills. $11-$13/hr., flexible hours, and must have own trnasportation. Email resume or letter of interest to jhroberts66 @comcast.net Compass Self Storage is in search of qualified full time and part time managers for our self storage facility in the Pittsburgh area. We are looking for individuals to join our team with a background in customer service, sales, restaurant, commercial or residential property management. Previous self-storage experience is a plus. Most weekends required. Please send resume to KHagadon@compassselfstorage.com EARN CASH; JUST GO TO CLASS [StudySoup] Do you take GREAT notes? StudySoup will pay you $300500 per course to be an Elite Notetaker. We have only a few open positions left for this semester so apply soon (applications close in a week) ===> studysoup.com/apply Part-time cleaning person. Apply in person. 237 Atwood St. $10-$12 per hour.

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Currently Hiring a Part Time Position for Shadyside Florist and Boutique. An interest in plants is preferred. Candidate must be self-motivated and able to work in a busy environment. Must have a valid Driver’s License. We are considering responsible applicants. No Sundays or evenings. Please contact Toadflax at 412-621-2500 for more information and complete an application at 5500 Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Little’s Shoe Store looking for Cashier, part-time/full-time. Must be professional, customer oriented and available days, nights and weekends. Ask for Gina 412-521-3530. Need extra cash? Hard working parttime handyman helper wanted for busy property management company. Some duties include light painting, cleaning, grass cutting and snow shoveling. Some related experience is helpful and car/truck is required. Call 412.682.7622 or stop by 5816 Forbes Avenue.

Announcements -ADOPTION -EVENTS -LOST AND FOUND -STUDENT GROUPS -WANTED -OTHER

Spanish speaking, non-smoking, woman without children, wanted for housekeeping/childcare in Spanish speaking home in Mt Lebanon. Responsabilities include: housekeeping for a family of 5, taking kids to and from school & activities. Hours vary on MWF but Tues & Thurs are 14 hour days each. $450 per week. ATTENTION OCCASIONAL SMOKERS! UPMC seeks healthy adults ages 18-65 who occasionally smoke cigarettes. This research is examining how smokers respond to cigarettes that are low in nicotine. There are up to seven sessions lasting about three hours each. Research participants completing the study will be compensated up to $60 per session, or $20 per hour. For more information, call 412-246-5393 or visit www.SmokingStudies.pitt.edu The University of Pittsburgh’s support resources for sexual assault and/or sexual harassment including instructions and contact information for reporting can be located at http://www.SHARE.pitt.edu and www.safety.pitt.edu<http://www.safety.pitt.edu>.

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The University of Pittsburgh Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry are seeking women from 18-25 years of age who experienced sexual violence during or after high school (that is 14 years of age) for brain imaging research studies. Participants must be medicationfree (birth control and over the counter medications acceptable). The study involves questionnaires, interviews, brain scanning. The research study will take place at UPMC Presbyterian University Hospital. The total time commitment is anticipated to be 3 days. Subjects will be compensated up to $700 upon completion. For details, call 412-586-9888 or visit http://www.addictionstudies.pitt.edu.

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I Rentals & Sublet N D E X

September 24, 2015

ACROSS 1 Night table 6 Covers a lot of ground 13 One learning the ropes 14 Stir-fried dish with rice noodles 15 Receipt datum 16 Sources of inside info? 17 Heart 18 European coal region 19 Your, to Pierre 20 Pre-splashdown stage 22 Rice source 24 Sports media consultant Fleischer 26 Hiding places 27 Moo goo __ pan 28 Good times 29 Blue Devils’ school 30 Strolled in the shallows 33 Invite as one’s date for 35 UFO crew, so it’s said 37 Willow twig 38 Cut even shorter, as a green 39 Chips source 41 R&B group __ Hill 42 Ristorante suffix 43 “Pearls Before __”: Stephan Pastis comic 44 Tuba syllable 45 Supernatural benefactors 47 Do-it-yourselfer’s website 49 Boxer Laila 50 Typically rectangular glass piece 51 Hatch in the Senate 54 Attractive 57 Numbers game 58 Produce eggs 59 Online newsgroup system 60 Pangs of conscience

10/8/15

By C.C. Burnikel

61 Largely submerged threats DOWN 1 Cargo carrier 2 Common comedy club requirement 3 Cyberbullying, e.g. 4 Xbox 360 rival 5 “NYPD Blue” rank 6 Attacks in a hose fight 7 Tango team 8 Byways: Abbr. 9 LAX tower service 10 “Where was the mistake?” 11 Like highways 12 Actress Spacek 13 ’60s hot spot 16 Wall Street phenomenon suggested by this puzzle’s circled letters 18 Stir up 21 __-turn 22 “Right Ho, Jeeves” writer

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

23 Remote batteries 24 Way out yonder 25 Trick 31 Designer Saarinen 32 One frequently hit on the head? 34 “Un-break My Heart” singer Braxton 36 Sudden increase 40 Verse starter?

10/8/15

43 Jolson classic 45 Swamp thing 46 Lycée student 48 Monastic group 50 Cherry discards 52 Turner and Clanton 53 Aficionado 55 Gaza Strip gp. 56 It covers a lot of ground 57 One coming off the bench

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September 24, 2015