Vol. 105 Issue 36
@thepittnews SAFETY
Tuesday,September 30 , 2014
Pittnews.com PITTSBURGH LINGO
Yinz get what I’m sayin’? Emma Solak Staff Writer
Your friends ask if yinz want to head dahn Sah-Syde to watch dem Stillers at da bah. Or maybe your mom asks you to red up your room and warsh your clothes, cause comp’ny is comin’. If you know what these people want, you’re probably from Pittsburgh. Pittsburghers have their own style of speaking. Don Wadsworth, professor of voice and speech in the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, said it’s difficult to explain the Pittsburgh accent to someone who knows nothing about it. “It comes from a mixture of Irish, Scottish, Polish and German influence,” Wadsworth said. “It’s very unique and hard to explain in just one sentence.”
Yinz
Graphic by Alex Ryan
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Street safety concerns shake campus Cristina Holtzer News Editor Fear and concern flared up around campus and on social media after a message warning of criminal activity circulated among students. On Sept. 28, the president, secretary and other board members of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity emailed the following message out to members warning students about recent criminal activity around campus. “Please be aware and walk with others tonight in both North & South Oakland.
There have been multiple muggings and beatings occurring lately. Tonight is another night for gang initiation. Girls do not wear your hair in a braid or pony tail. Do not pretend to be on your phone, be alert. Please be safe! SafeRider: 412-648-CALL (2255) http:// www.pc.pitt.edu/transportation/saferider. php” The message has no affiliation with the University or SafeRider. Hannah Robinson, APO president, said the group did not intend to imply that the message was from the University or SafeRider. “It was late at night, and we have a lot
of brothers who study late and live further away from campus,” Robinson, a senior communications and history and philosophy of science major, said in an email Monday. “We included SafeRider’s number because we wanted it to be easily accessible — our priority was the safety of our brothers.” Robinson said she and the other APO members had heard “general rumblings” about crime happening around campus. Pitt police’s crime alert website confirmed
Campus Safety 3
Football notebook
Chryst explains player’s postgame comments after weekend loss
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September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
FROM PAGE 1
YINZER According to Wadsworth, Pittsburghers speak with the musicality of the Irish. At the end of their sentences, their voices rise as if they were asking a question, even though they’re not. Other phrases like “red up your room” for clean up your room, come from Scottish slang for “readying up,” meaning to tidy up. Most Pittsburghers don’t even realize this phrase is uncommon in other regions. Pittsburghese comes from convenience, according to Wadsworth. It’s easier to blend words together than saying each individually. As for diphthong vowels like in the word “town” — which has two vowel sounds in it, ah and oh — Pittsburghers skip out on the second sound and just use the first, making town sound like “tahn.” Kyle Ortmeier grew up in South Dakota. Upon his arrival to Pittsburgh, Orthmeier noticed a difference in the way people in the city spoke. “They used a lot of off-the-wall words,” said Ortmeier, a sophomo re. “Like gum band and red up. It was like they had a southern twang that wasn’t quite there.” Pittsburghese confused Ortmeier at first. He
found asking people to clarify what they said to be the easiest solution. He’s since noticed his own accent phasing out since living in Pittsburgh. “I’ve stopped saying things like ‘jeepers!’” Ortmeier said. Meg Taraban , a native Texan, experienced the same thing when she came to Pitt. “I thought everyone talked so fast, and I couldn’t keep up,” Taraban said. “Every time I would say y’all, people would repeat it back to me, and I would be like, ‘no, this is normal.’” Taraban, a junior studying nursing, said it took her a while to get used to the way people spoke, but she has remained loyal to her Texan accent. Junior Anna Valliant grew up in Pittsburgh. “[My accent] is slight Pittsburghese, but not full on yinzer,” said Valliant, a speech language pathology major. She said she doesn’t use words like “yinzer” or “gum band” but owns up to blending her words together. “When I say South Side, I say it like ‘sow-
Yinzer
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Pittsburgh is famous for its oftentimes nonsensical phrases. Graphic by Aby Briner
September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 1
CAMPUS
The Pitt News Crossword, 9/30/2014
the crime rumors. The website shows that robberies occurred on Sept. 22 and 27 on the 3800 block of Forbes Avenue and on Dawson Street near Semple Street. Pitt police also responded to assaults on Sept. 15 and 24 on Niagara and Atwood streets. More crime alerts are available on the Pitt police website. Pitt police posted on its Facebook and Twitter on Monday regarding the rumors of gang activity. “There are rumors circulating regarding robberies occurring as a result of a gang initiation. So far, these are unsubstantiated,” the post says. Several students forwarded the APO message around to various mailing lists, including Pitt’s Musical Theatre Club, and many students posted on social media with concerns about gang-related crime. Pitt spokesman John Fedele referred students to this year’s Pitt police campus safety video posted on Sept. 25. Sarah Gahr, Pitt’s Musical Theatre Club ACROSS 1 Westminster landmark 6 Literary captain who says “I’d strike the sun if it insulted me” 10 Natural bandage 14 Witch 15 Decide, as a judge 16 Freight train hopper 17 Stolen pastries in “Alice in Wonderland” 18 Access using force 20 Say with certainty 21 “Get off the stage!” 22 Without any slack 23 Old-time fountain employee 25 Right-angle bend 26 Amigo 27 They’re earned by completing college courses 31 Shade 34 __ bear 37 Buffalo’s lake 38 1954 Oscarwinning Brando film, or where either half of 18-, 23-, 51- and 61Across can literally be found 42 Gyro bread 43 Staircase pillar 44 Ultimate degree 45 Many a rushhour rider 48 Drink often iced 50 Justice Dept. division 51 Like unabridged print dictionaries 56 Less biased 59 Wall-climbing plant 60 Bump off 61 Being attacked 63 Sudden power increase 64 Observes 65 Tablet operator 66 In base eight 67 Police crisis unit acronym
president, said she’d heard about crimes from friends and felt compelled to forward the message from APO when she received it. “We have a very young club membership and just passed along the info,” Gahr, a senior history of arts and architecture major, said. “This message was forwarded to us all and asked to send to our mailing lists.” Students can call Pitt police at (412) 6242121 in an emergency, (412) 624-4040 in a non-emergency situation or email police@ pitt.edu. Bekah Jean @Bekah_Jean7, a freshman psychology major, tweeted: “Was the gang initiation just last night or all week ...? I’m not trying to die tonight ...” Hayley Cybator @hayybabyyyy, a junior communications science major, said: “Still confused about this whole gang initiation thing. When did pitt become so sketchy I must’ve missed it” Ryan Scandaglia @TheSilentG43, a sophomore English writing major, tweeted: “Walking out of my apartment surviving gang initiation makes me feel like The Purge just ended.”
10/14/14
By Jacob Stulberg
68 One of the deadly sins 69 Kick off DOWN 1 Attend to the duties of 2 “Well done!” 3 Yawning in class, say 4 Catch in a sting 5 “Certainly!” 6 Ann __, Michigan 7 “Impresario” memoirist Sol 8 Stein filler 9 Car that’s ready for the scrap heap 10 Side of a road 11 Egyptian Christian 12 Adam’s second son 13 More than lean 19 Leafy green 21 Later on the page 24 Joke 27 Group of workers 28 Appliance with a water reservoir 29 Shade 30 Late-night host Meyers
Monday’s Puzzle Solved
©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
31 32 33 35 36 39
Beer flavoring Curriculum part James of jazz Path to the pins Consumed Ergonomic keyboard feature 40 Second attempt 41 Hurried away 46 Bucks and does 47 Tongue-lashing 49 Kidnap
10/14/14
51 Adds to the staff 52 Stave off 53 Vital blood line 54 Groucho’s smoke 55 Prepared to be knighted 56 Make a scene 57 Once again 58 Creative spark 62 Pocatello sch. 63 Sea captain’s “Help!”
FROM PAGE 2
YINZER side,’ no ‘th’,” she said. Sara Warsing grew up in the North Hills, and people have told her she has the Pittsburgh accent. “People say I say my o’s weird and other things I say,” said Warsing, a sophomore neuroscience major. For example, Warsing says things like “I’m going down South Side” instead of “I’m going to South Side” or “Can you ride me?” instead of “Can you give me a ride?”. “If I’m trying to say that lately it seems like everyone’s a Steelers fan, I’ll say ‘Anymore everyone is jumping on the Steelers bandwagon,’” said Warsing. “And we push words together, I’ll say ‘didjagetit’ for ‘did you get it.’” Taraban also noticed the way Pittsburghers push their words together. “People don’t enunciate, everything blends together,” said Taraban. “It’s probably because they talk so fast.”
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September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
OPINIONS
EDITORIAL
Itʼs time to ban smoking on campus On Wednesday, Oct. 1, the University of Georgia will start enforcing a campus-wide tobacco ban, joining a growing trend in higher education. In 2010, fewer than 450 colleges prohibited cigarettes, a number that has since grown to nearly 1,500. While questions remain about the use of smokeless tobacco and simulated tobacco smoking, such as e-cigarettes, universities are justified in banning cigarette smoking on campus grounds. Pitt should, too. Students should have the right to smoke and use tobacco as they wish, so long as such use occurs on their own property.
However, because of Pitt’s urban environment, many non-students pass through University property on a daily basis, which can complicate the matter. Even so, the University has the right to establish policy for its own property, especially when such policy concerns public health. Numerous studies have shown that even secondhand smoke is a detriment to one’s health. It is hard to imagine an individual living in 2014 who isn’t aware of this. According to the American Cancer Society, “tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemical compounds. More than 250 of these chemicals are known to
be harmful, and at least 69 are known to cause cancer.” Tobacco smoke, no matter how much or little someone inhales, is harmful to one’s health. Students should not be involuntarily exposed to such a well-known health hazard. If the University fails to act on the dangers of smoking tobacco, that’s a failure in taking the health of its students seriously. Regardless of one’s stance on cigarettes, the matter of banning smoking is still justified through property rights. If the University does not own a piece of property, then it does not have the right to control tobacco use on that land. To appease both smokers
and nonsmokers, the University could compromise with a ban that allows a few specific exceptions. For instance, it could designate smoking areas away from popular walking paths, such as alcoves outside the Cathedral of Learning by the Stephen Foster Memorial Theatre or the Litchfield Towers Patio behind Tower A. Those who wish to smoke could have a contained and confined area to do so, while those wishing to avoid the smoke could do so as well. Finally, the University would have to consistently enforce the ban. If campus authorities caught someone smoking, he
or she would need to receive a monetary fine set by University administration. The University could pump revenue generated from these fines into healthoriented programs. Administration should set an exact date for the ban to go into effect. This way, individuals could prepare for the changes and understand the restriction. Aug. 31, 2015, the first day of the upcoming fall semester, would be an appropriate date to set. Upon this date, full enforcement should begin, without exception. Student and faculty health must be protected, and banning smoking on campus is necessary to do so.
BOSCHERT
Exposing exploitation: The case against unpaid internships Andrew Boschert For The Pitt News
College students are aware that between all their classes and exams, they will be expected to work somewhere for free. Not volunteering, I might add, but the bottom of the barrel: unpaid intern. Gone are the days of making copies and coffee runs. Interns often have practical skills and technological know-how sought by employers. Somehow, under the guise of “hands-on education” and “establishing contacts,” a huge unregulated labor market has taken hold. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers have said their No. 1 resume requirement is internships, so it’s likely that paid and unpaid internships are here to stay. But what has become unfor-
tunately commonplace may have unintended consequences. Evidence suggests that unpaid internships are largely unregulated and often don’t lead to paid work. NACE released a study in 2013 that examined the employment prospects of college seniors who completed internship work. The report indicated that only 63 percent of paid interns were afforded at least one job offer. Although this is more than a majority, it is still not an optimal rate for job opportunities. Unpaid interns fared far worse. Only 37 percent of unpaid senior interns were offered at least one position, compared to 35 percent who had no internship experience at all. And the huge gap in employment from internships is the least of unpaid interns’ worries. An appalling feature of unpaid internships is that, since they are not considered employees, they
are not protected from discriminations like sexual harassment. The government does not consider unpaid workers to be legally protected by those rights under the Department of Labor’s current standards. The lethargic response of the U.S. government to the need to protect and regulate highly vulnerable workers is embarrassing. The federal government’s role should be to protect, not exploit, its citizens and their right to work. Perhaps this can be partly attributed to the DOL’s lax attitudes toward unpaid internships. One of the six stipulations the Department sets for unpaid internships is that the intern is not required to be offered a job. While it seems to be a reasonable “quality control” measure, let’s examine some of the other laws affecting these interns. The DOL requires that employers not gain any “immediate
advantage” by the efforts of any unpaid interns because. In fact, the learning experience can even hinder business productivity. In other words, businesses are not required by U.S. standards to use unpaid interns to increase productivity, because they are simply there to learn. This rule is extremely nonspecific, and also virtually unenforceable. It should be highly suspicious that we expect businesses to take on our students for negative to no gain. The unenforceable nature of these stipulations has led to startling information about the current realities for interns. Conservative pundit John Stossel has remarked on the practice of capitalizing upon uncompensated college students. “I’ve employed interns my whole career, gotten lots of ‘immediate advantage’ out of them,”
Stossel is quoted saying in Ross Perlin’s 2011 book, “Intern Nation”. “They’ve done most of the research for my books and most of the research that won me Emmy Awards for consumer reporting.” The delicious irony of this statement is that Stossel is a man whose career is rife with objections to “handouts” and generational entitlements. Expecting free labor from the younger generation surely counts as entitled behavior. If the current trend of unpaid internships continues, younger generations are bound to feel the squeeze. Desperation for work leads to unpaid positions, and even a modest amount of “immediate advantage” lessens an employer’s desire to hire paid workers. The real immediate advantage
Boschert
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September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 4
BOSCHERT
lies within the generational gap in internships. The established baby boomers gain the advantage of additional security in an unstable job market, since they are usually the ones with the most previous experience. It seems then unfair to use unpaid interns to devalue labor even more. Last year, I attended an internship panel hosted at Pitt. While it was mostly helpful, there was something unusual said that stuck
THE PITT NEWS Natalie Daher Editor-in-Chief editor@pittnews.com
Cristina Holtzer, News Editor news@pittnews.com
Nick Voutsinos, Opinions Editor letters@pittnews.com
Shawn Cooke, A&E Editor
aande@pittnews.com Chris Puzia, Sports Editor sports@pittnews.com
Bobby Mizia, Visual Editor photos@pittnews.com
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Stephen Caruso, Layout Editor tpnlayout@gmail.com
with me. When asked what is the No. 1 thing employers look for on resumes for internships, the unanimous response was, “The best way to get an internship is to have already had an internship.” Two things struck me about this. First, it’s not uncommon for students to take multiple internships throughout their time in school to pad their resumes. Second, the true advice was, iff you haven’t had an internship, it helps to be really persistent. On a basic level, it feels wrong to have to
E S T A B L I S HE D 1 9 1 0
Mahita Gajanan, Managing Editor manager@pittnews.com
Danielle Fox, Assistant News Editor Harrison Kaminsky, Assistant News Editor Matt Barnes, Assistant Opinions Editor Dan Sostek, Assistant Sports Editor Sheldon Satenstein, Assistant Visual Editor Zheru Liu, Multimedia Editor Joelle Smith, Social Media Editor Becca Nagy, Assistant Copy Chief Emily Hower, Assistant Layout Editor
Copy Staff
Sarah Choflet Anjuli Das Kinley Gillette Johanna Helba Emily Maccia Sam McGinley
Bridget Montgomery Sarah Mejia Shivani Pandit Michelle Reagle Michael Wilson Megan Zagorski
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engage in such hoop-jumping to obtain, at best, temporary paid work. As employers have said, internships are necessary for a “real job” but this necessity is, at least in my experience, ignored in job interviews themselves. Even though internships technically provide job experience, they do not carry the weight of an actual, full-time position. Furthermore, having to cycle through a competitive hiring process multiple times while trying to obtain an education seems extreme. This exploitative nature of unpaid internships make them seem like an anachronism.
Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns,- car toons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter - in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left. The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is-pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations -Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, - fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.
T P N S U D O K U
It would be best for the DOL to abolish them altogether, or, at the very least, regulate them.. If possible, the most effective way for students to combat unpaid internships is to avoid them. Holding out for that paid position sends a message that your skills are valuable and that unpaid work doesn’t interest you. This can only happen if it is a collective effort. Otherwise, with college admissions soaring every year, unpaid internships will not be going anywhere any time soon. Write to Andrew at amb306@pitt.edu advertising@pittnews.com
Kevin Vanover, Business Manager Advertising@pittnews.com
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David Barr, Sales Manager
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Senior Universal Account Executive
Marketing Assistant
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Today’s difficulty level: Hard Puzzles by Dailysodoku.com
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September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
WHY? varied its formula at Altar Bar to mixed results Jack Trainor Staff Writer
Cincinnati indie-rock band Why? is difficult to categorize. “Indie-rock” might not even be an adequate label, given how vague the term has become. Sometimes jangly rock and other times rap, Why? has always seemed to elude the confines of a single sound. Why? performed in Pittsburgh on Thursday at the Altar Bar for the third time in three years, armed with much of the same setlist as the previous two visits. But the band brought a decidedly different approach to its own songs — which weren’t always satisfying. In what felt like a speedy show, lasting about an hour, the threesometurned-six-piece belted out its songs led by frontman Yoni Wolf ’s hilariously bizarre dance moves. These included
MUSIC
marching in a tight circle and pumping his fist skyward during “The Vowels, Pt. 2,” the standout from 2008’s Alopecia, and standing hunched over and flopping his body like a fish, even after the music had stopped. But the energy Wolf exuded contrasted the stripped and slowed pace of even its most upbeat songs. “Good Friday,” another highlight from Alopecia, is usually a darkly confessional rap song with a swift and steady drumbeat and looped guitar picking, which complements the grimly obscure lyrics. But the song came after Wolf opted to skip the one before it, for reasons he didn’t say, and then he proceeded to introduce “Good Friday” alone, seemingly before his band could catch up. Whether the initial rapping alone was
Why? Review
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WHY? plans to take a break to record their new album. Photo via WHY?’s Facebook page
Time Capsule: ‘American Idiot’ captured the zeitgeist like no other, catapulted Green Day to arena status Stephanie Roman Staff Writer
“I don’t want to be an American idiot.” This phrase is probably still uttered 10 years later under disenchanted breaths when citizens discover that the government spies on them and that the United States launched airstrikes at ISIS. Green Day’s anthemic 2004 album American Idiot channeled bleeding-heart anarchy, capitalist oppression and Iraq War dissatisfaction into a record that metamorphosed the band from basementdwelling Oakland, Calif. punks into a global rock band phenomenon. Vulgar, brash, secular, heavy Green Day have yet to match American Idiot’s glory and hard-rocking, American Idiot days. Photo via Green Day’s Facebook page
made a strong political statement in rock opera form. In the vein of The Who’s Tommy, American Idiot took Green Day’s previously grungy and later poppy punk and solidified it into a massively crescendoing record detailing the story of “Jesus of Suburbia.” Even though it was its first-time foray into concept album writing, Green Day dropped an atomic bomb on the American public. I consciously remember longtime Green Day fans’ reactions. They hated it. They denounced it. They said Green Day sold out because “American Idiot” charted at No. 1 in more than 10 countries. Moms who never knew or cared about the pot-smoking misfits before “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”
belted the words to “Wake Me Up When September Ends” on the pop radio stations. It was seminal. It was radioactive. It was utterly inescapable in that year. It begins with a punch in the face on the track “American Idiot.” Billie Joe Armstrong patronizes, “Don’t wanna be an American idiot/ Don’t want a nation under the new media/ And can you hear the sound of hysteria?” setting the tone for what follows is not typical Green Day schmoozing — it’s a calculated, organized and belligerent assault on the state of affairs both lyrically and instrumentally. What follows from this initial outburst is the nine-minute long,
Green Day
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September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 8
GREEN DAY five-movement anthem “Jesus of Suburbia,” which rewrites the band’s entire musical repertoire. It could easily be culled from The Who, the Rolling Stones and “West Side Story” as a highly experimental mix, establishing it as one of the most compelling songs on the album because of its unexpected novelty. Sonically, its meridian movements “City of the Damned,” “I Don’t Care” and “Dearly Beloved” depart so far from Green Day canon that the teenaged suburban angst turned off the band’s early followers and inspired a brand new breed instead. A similar deluge, “Homecoming,” serves as the climax of the album with another five-piece momentous structure. It emphasizes the phrase, “We’re coming home again,” amidst booming timpani and military-precision snare drums — a chilling proclamation, especially when compared to the actual homecoming of soldiers, as the last FROM PAGE 8
WHY? REVIEW intentional or not, most of the grungy guitar was replaced by the lighthearted sound of bells and piano, creating a weird juxtaposition between the calm of the music and intensity of the rapping. This was followed with the equally dark yet dulled “The Vowels, Pt. 2,” which has slightly less rapping, but it was nonetheless spoiled by bubblegum chimes of bells and a slower, softer tempo. Both of these songs come from Alopecia, which is Why?’s most acclaimed and genre-scrambled record, but it felt like the band was turning these songs inside-out of their already enjoyably quirky selves, either out of boredom or genuine experimentation. Meanwhile, a catastrophic explosion appropriately danced on a screen behind them. In other instances, the band’s strategy paid off, building up songs to a peak before tearing them down into a booming climax. “January Twenty Something” and “Strawberries” were
ones in Iraq did not return until 2011. The denouement — the anticlimactic but resolute “Whatsername” — maps out the wonder of lost connections, in a perfectly somber and sincere tone contrary to the riotous intro. American Idiot stands not only as a hugely influential rock album but also as a cultural artifact. The response was nationwide: Depressed youths clung to the figure of Jesus of Suburbia, musicians started copying Green Day’s sound and look and people realized it was okay to criticize the Bush administration, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and propagandist media. The explosion resonated in the societal sphere. For months, it was the only CD in the Discman. American Idiot toured the world extensively, leading to a live album called Bullet in a Bible. The tour played straight through the first half of American Idiot before branching out to some older hits from Dookie (1994), Insomniac (1995) and Nimrod (1997), signaling the band’s dependence on some of the best examples, with playful opening bells giving way to bouncy melodies, which were led by drummer Josiah Wolf. Similarly, sing-along-friendly songs “The Hollows” and “Yo Yo Bye Bye” also benefited from tantalizingly slow rhythms, encouraging many in attendance to raise their hands above their heads and wave with the beat as they sang. According to its Facebook page, this is Why?’s last tour for at least a year, presumably to begin recording a new record. Hopefully with the new material, the band will resort back to playing its older songs with the same original intent that made them fascinatingly unique and enjoyable to begin with.
the American Idiot brand and the fans’ willingness to consume it. The record turned them from a moderately successful club band into arena superstars. In 2009, Green Day wrote the followup to American Idiot titled 21st Century Breakdown. It tried, very hard, to be American Idiot Pt. II, but it lacked the anti-political, anti-war, post-industrial fervor that rocked the U.S. in 2004, and coupled with mediocre songwriting, the album disappointed thematically and aurally, despite profound sales figures. Most importantly, 21st Century Breakdown’s epic grandiosity lent itself to the kind of songwriting Armstrong wanted in the musical adaptation of American Idiot. Numerous tracks, including “21 Guns” and “Know Your Enemy,” amended the soundtrack for the Tony-winning Broadway version that staged five years after the album’s initial release. Absolutely brilliant onstage, the “American Idiot” musical added the bodies necessary to facilitate a kinetic and anarchic punk-rock opera. Just like
9 the hazy acid trips in “Tommy,” “American Idiot” offers whirlwind sights, gags and color under the guise of narcotics. After the success of American Idiot, Green Day’s trajectory changed forever and not in a promising way. In its feverish denouncement of capitalism, the members of Green Day have arguably become some of the best-selling artists in the country, fettering their integrity for the sake of politicizing. It might be a “phase,” but the music matures along with its writers — a little less “Walking Contradiction,” a little more “Good Riddance.” There aren’t too many future “classic rock” bands I can foresee, but Green Day tops that list. Green Day will probably never recreate American Idiot’s successes without the same historical context. The album marked a decisive change for the band, so it’s only a matter of time to see what comes next for Green Day, the government, the economy and the world. Sometimes, everything isn’t meant to be OK.
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September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
FOOTBALL
SPORTS
Notebook: Chryst talks Akron loss, addresses Garnerʼs comment Ryan Bertonaschi Senior Staff Writer
After Pitt’s all-around dismal performance in a 21-10 loss to Akron Saturday, wide receiver Manasseh Garner confidently told reporters something that turned heads and enraged many members of Pitt’s fanbase. “We don’t play for the fans,” Garner said. “We play for each other and for our families. That’s one of the big things the coaches say, and I firmly believe that. The fans are with us when we win, and sometimes they’re against us when we lose, so we’re definitely not playing for the fans.” Head coach Paul Chryst said Monday that he was aware that Garner, one of his unanimous senior leaders, dissed the Pitt faithful. Chryst said Garner “didn’t like coming off that way” in his comments. Garner graduated from Brashear High
School in Pittsburgh, and he played under Chryst while Chryst was offensive coordinator at Wisconsin. When Chryst left Wisconsin after the 2011 season, he brought Garner with him to Pitt. “One of the reasons why Manasseh came back is he loves this city, and he loves being a part of this program, and the main thing we talk about all the time with our players is that family is important,” Chryst said. Chryst said his players should represent a hierarchy of onlookers when they take the field each Saturday. “Every guy’s got their immediate family, and that’s most important, no matter what you do,” he said. “And we’ve got the Pitt football family and the University family. Our guys, they love and appreciate the fans, and there’s no question about that.” After each team practice at Pitt’s South Side facility, a senior leader typically huddles
the majority of his 104 teammates up. The senior will tell his teammates to throw an arm up towards the middle of the ring, and he says, “Family on three! One, two, three!” Everyone simultaneously yells, “Family!” But, Chryst added, “these programs don’t just happen without the help of a lot of people, and they all mean a ton to us.” Pitt to move on Just a couple weeks ago, Pitt was 3-0 for the first time since 2009 and was eyeing its first 4-0 start since a decade prior. Now, the Panthers are 3-2 and will travel to face a much-improved Virginia team on Saturday that boasts a Division I-leading 18 forced turnovers through five games. After the Akron loss, a lot of Pitt players looked ahead rather than sulk in the misery of a home loss to a mid-major opponent.
Football
Pitt has lost two straight games after a
11 3-0 start. Bobby Mizia | Visual Editor
SOCCER
Panthers return after loss to one of ACCʼs top teams Jack DeMarco Staff Writer
The men’s soccer team lost 4-1 to top-ten Louisville. Jeff Ahearn | Staff Photographer
Every time a team returns home to play, it’s happy to have home-field advantage back. But while the men’s soccer team’s next game won’t technically be at home, returning to the area after this weekend will still be especially relieving. After losing 4-1 to the ninth-ranked Louisville Cardinals over the weekend, the Pitt men’s soccer team will play Tuesday in nearby Moon Township for a road match against the Robert Morris Colonials. Unfortunately, the 2014 schedule has not been kind to the Panthers, and it doesn’t look like it will ease up by any means. The Panthers currently sit last in the ACC Coastal division with a 0-2-1 record, and they have a 2-3-3 record overall. Getting a win will be crucial for moving forward. In fact, when Pitt plays Virginia — its next game after Robert Morris — it plays its third top-25 ACC opponent in four conference games. The ACC is daunting for anyone to navigate, as the conference leads Division-I men’s soccer
in the rating percentage index, or RPI. Over the past four games, Pitt has not won, and it simply has not shown the confidence needed to change things. “We have to be mentally tough,” Pitt head coach Joe Luxbacher said. “Our players are timid when we have played big-time teams, which needs to change.” On the other hand, Robert Morris is evenkeeled on the season with four wins and four losses and has only played out-of-conference games. The Colonials’ offense revolves around perennial goal-scorer Neco Brett, a junior forward from Jamaica. Last season, Brett led the nation in regular season scoring with 36 points and 14 goals. By these standards, Brett is already off to a fast start, scoring eight goals and reaching 18 points through nine games so far. Brett’s body of work is supported by the sidekick effort of junior forward Bruce Cullen, who has five assists. On the back end, the Colonials depend on
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September 30, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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Pitt in the NFL: McCoy disappears in Eagles’ first loss Jack DeMarco Staff Writer
Many ex-Panthers in the NFL were just spectators this past Sunday. Jabaal Sheard, K’Waun Williams, Larry Fitzgerald and this year’s first round pick Aaron Donald, were on teams with assigned bye weeks and did not play Sunday. But the few Pitt players who took the field might as well have had bye weeks too, because they didn’t show up to say the least. LeSean McCoy and the Philadelphia Eagles (3-1) failed to extend their undefeated season, losing 26-21 to the San Francisco 49ers. McCoy had another quiet day, only racking up 17 rushing yards on 10 carries. With another dud performance, McCoy now has a yards-percarry average of just 1.95 during the past two games. More shockingly, Shady has not even produced a run for more than nine yards in those two games, and this season he hasn’t broken off a rush longer than 21 yards. Considering the fact that McCoy maintains a league-wide reputation for his elusiveness and big-play potential each time he touches the ball, this is undoubtedly unfamiliar territory for him. The Eagles’ offense was similarly FROM PAGE 10
SOCCER junior goalie Brenden Alfery, who has seen his fair share of shots. Opponents have fired on net 64 times and have converted on 12 occasions. Alfery denied the other 52, making his save count the third highest for all goalies nationwide. “Robert Morris is a very dangerous team,” Luxbacher said. “We have to play really well as a team to win.” Against Louisville, junior midfielder Patrick Dixon provided his first assist of the year to sophomore Kevin Murray in the team’s lone goal in the 4-1 defeat. Murray and senior Dan Prete currently lead the Panthers with two goals apiece. As a team, 11 players have recorded at least one point, as a leading offensive playmaker has not emerged. However, the mistakes and shortcomings of the Panthers are fixable. Luxbacher and his players said many of their deficits have been the result of intangible qualities like poise, effort
off-script in this contest, as the team failed to score an offensive touchdown. Oddly enough, a punt block return for a touchdown by Brad Smith, a pick-six from Malcolm Jenkins, and an 82-yard punt return from the electrifying Darren Sproles accounted for the Eagles’ 21 points. For the state of the season thus far, McCoy isn’t solely guilty, as the offensive line has shared his struggles. The unit has allowed six sacks, and has heard deep criticism from head coach Chip Kelly. Also, the Eagles rank 26th in the league in rushing yards per game (87), and sixth in passing yards per game (280.5) through four games, meaning Philly’s air attack has been more of the focal point. Whatever the case may be, McCoy is in serious jeopardy of losing his consensus as a top-five running back in the NFL. On the other sideline, 49ers punter Andy Lee was an active participant in the game with a season high of five punts. Lee’s first two punts were blocked and returned for subsequent touchdowns. Evidently, the Eagles’ special teams dominated the 49ers special team’s squad, meaning much work needs to be done for Lee and his teammates. On the year, Lee ranks 30th in the NFL with a net punting and overall focus. “We have had mental lapses, and we need a sense of urgency to win our battles,” said junior defender Kevin Fielden. Robert Morris and Pitt share one common opponent, Duquesne, against whom the Panthers fared slightly better. The Panthers beat Duquesne in an exhibition match 2-0, while Robert Morris played the Dukes two games ago and lost 4-1. Nonetheless, Pitt seems to be ready to rejuvenate its season. Dixon agrees. “If we play our game, we can put together a solid performance,” he said.
LeSean McCoy struggled as many Panthers were on a bye week. MCT Campus
average of 35.4. The Dallas Cowboys shocked the New Orleans Saints in Dallas, 38-17. Former Pitt wide receiver Devin Street was absent from the party, posting no catches on Sunday Night Football. Street has been at the mercy of Cowboys’ signal caller Tony Romo, who has relied on other wideout options. So far, Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams and Jason Witten have received the bulk of targets, yards and touchdowns. It also doesn’t help Street’s cause that Dallas running back DeMarco Murray is enjoying a career year, leading the league in rushing. Unless the Cowboys follow their trend FROM PAGE 10
FOOTBALL Following Pitt’s first loss to Iowa, Pitt safety Ray Vinopal issued a postgame speech to players. He said the Panthers had experienced the hurting sensation that comes with a bad loss once, and that they didn’t want to feel it again during the rest of the season. After Pitt dropped its second non-conference game to the Akron Zips, Vinopal couldn’t muster up any words of motivation. “Afterwards, there wasn’t much to be said, and to be honest, I didn’t feel like talking much,” Vinopal said Monday. Maddox out indefinitely Freshman cornerback Avonte Maddox has seen the field more than Chryst anticipated coming into the season. Maddox hasn’t just been appearing in Pitt’s secondary — he is also a gunner on special teams and was back returning kicks for the Panthers against Akron. But Maddox sustained an unspecified shoulder injury in the first half against Akron when he was tracking down the Zips’ punt
and have a typical late-season collapse, Street won’t see much playing time. Darrelle Revis played last night against the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC showdown. Going into the game, Revis and the Patriots ranked top in the NFL for fewest passing yards allowed per game at 168.7. Also, Revis was tied for the team lead in pass deflections with three, owns one of the team’s two fumble recoveries and also has an interception on the year. Given the Patriots’ resurgence on defense since the early 2000s, and the struggles of their AFC East counterparts, Revis and Tom Brady could coast to another division crown. returner. On the play, Maddox collided with another Pitt player, tripped up Akron’s return man and tumbled awkwardly to the ground. He was credited for a half-tackle. Chryst remained hush about Maddox’s status heading into Pitt’s next game Saturday at Virginia, but Chryst said that Maddox is “good, almost better than I anticipated.” Jennings is unleashed Pitt’s prized freshman receiver Adonis Jennings appeared in his first game for the Panthers Saturday and caught a pass for 11 yards, which means Jennings is no longer eligible to redshirt for the 2014 season. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Sicklerville, N.J., product came out of high school rated as a four-star wide receiver. Jennings committed to Rutgers last June, but he decommitted in November. He chose Pitt over Iowa and Arkansas after the new year. On Monday, Jennings’ jersey number changed from two to seven. In addition, freshman running back Chris James, who previously wore three, will now wear five. “There’s room for playing [time] for him,” Chryst said on Monday.