3-15-23

Pamela Smith and Ethan Shulman,

WBB

South Carolina repeats, knocks off Virginia Tech 73-60 // Richie Smiechowski, Sports Editor

Is there a more dominant team in college sports right now than South Carolina women’s basketball?

Since the beginning of last season, the Gamecocks are 68-2 and won the 2022 National Championship with virtually no resistance. This season, South Carolina is arguably even better than they were last year — a scary proposition for any team that stumbles into their March Madness warpath.

South Carolina defeats UConn in 2022 rematch 78-64 // Mason Carter, Staff Writer

South Carolina will cap off their perfect season, knocking off UConn in a championship rematch from last season. Head coach Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks have dominated the country all season.

After narrowly defeating the Huskies earlier this year, South Carolina has only improved their play. The Gamecocks are looking to extend their dynasty with another championship against legendary UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

Indiana stuns South Carolina 83-80 // Jack Markowski, Staff Writer

Betting against Staley’s South Carolina team probably isn’t smart, but I’m going for it anyway.

Indiana fell short in the Big Ten tournament against Ohio State, but it earned a No. 1 seed and the No. 2 spot in the AP poll for a reason. Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes is one of the best players in the nation, and the Hoosiers’ offense as a whole is lethal. Stepping up to the Gamecocks on both sides of the ball will prove tough, but Indiana is one of the few teams in the country that can do it.

Clark, Iowa best Indiana in Big Ten grudge match 81-77 // Anthony Speciale, Staff Writer

While choosing to have the powerhouse of the sport in South Carolina NOT advance to the National Championship may be a decision I soon regret, the red-hot Hawkeyes are fully capable of handing the Gamecocks their first loss of the 202223 campaign.

Iowa is arguably playing their best basketball this season following a Big Ten title. Led by player of the year candidate Caitlin Clark, the Hawkeyes will bring their explosive offensive ways to the National stage. Also providing elite offensive production is their Big Ten counterpart, the Indiana Hoosiers, led by seniors Mackenzie Holmes and

Grace Berger. The two teams split their regular season matchups this season, with Iowa winning the latter match in a thrilling 86-85 victory. Both of these Big Ten powerhouses should make an exciting, deep run into March.

Notre Dame defeats Indiana 78-73 // Will Christie, Sports Writer

The “Lady Irish” of Notre Dame fought hard their entire season to stay in the running. With Notre Dame matching up against Indiana in the final game, these two schools will play for Indiana women’s basketball supremacy.

Although Indiana dominated the Big Ten conference for the 2022-23 season, Notre Dame has a long tradition of boasting a successful women’s basketball program. With Notre Dame’s star player Olivia Miles possibly returning from injury, Indiana will have to play their best basketball of the year to knock off the Irish.

South Carolina achieves perfection, beating UConn 66-52 // Alex Porter, Staff Writer

While everyone loves the Cinderella stories that capture the nation’s attention every March, it’s still important to appreciate greatness.

No word better encapsulates South Carolina women’s basketball than greatness.

No matter how hard America may pull for an upset, the Gamecocks will not care. They steamrolled through the regular season, going 32-0 with an average point differential of +30.3. They will continue to dominate in the postseason, laser focused on achieving their season-long goal of becoming back-to-back champions.

So instead of rooting for an underdog or praying for a favorite team, simply sit back and witness the beginning of this Gamecocks dynasty.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

on Houston to watch two historic rivals duke for the title.

West Virginia dominated Pitt earlier this season, downing the Panthers 81-56 back in November. But that was before Pitt emerged as one of the nation’s top teams. In a national title rematch, expect no couch burnings in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Gonzaga defeats Alabama 81-76 // Jack Markowski, Staff Writer

Gonzaga has built somewhat of a dynasty in recent years under head coach Mark Few — yet the Bulldogs still haven’t won their first National Championship. Despite the tournament letdowns, this is their year, exorcizing their March Madness demons once and for all.

The Bulldogs own the best offense in the nation along with a deep roster led by senior forward Drew Timme and junior guard Julian Strawther that oozes experience and upside. The road through the tournament isn’t without its difficulties, but this Gonzaga team has what it takes.

Alabama dominates Kansas 83-67 // Mason Carter, Staff Writer

Alabama brings its football success to the hardwood. After blowing out Texas A&M in the SEC championship, Alabama is in full stride earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Despite all the offcourt controversy surrounding first-year forward Brandon Miller, the Crimson Tide still played excellent basketball down the stretch. Alabama will carry its momentum from the SEC Championship into the NCAA tournament, capturing its first title in school history.

Texas defeats Alabama 78-74 // Matthew Scabilloni, Staff Writer.

Guards win in March, and Texas features one of the country’s best backcourts.

After watching Duke demolish Pitt and the rest of the ACC in Greensboro last week, it’s become clear the Blue Devils are the most talented team in the conference and are red hot at the perfect time.

First-year center Kyle Filipowski is a monster, and the team’s combination of youthful talent and experienced leadership in junior guard Jeremy Roach is eerily similar to championship Duke teams of old. Head coach Jon Scheyer deserves a lot of credit — filling Coach K’s shoes isn’t an easy task.

Pitt trounces West Virginia 130-90 in Backyard Brawl rematch // Brian Sherry, Assistant Sports Editor

This is a wild “pick,” but crazier things have happened. Imagine all of northern Appalachia descending

Texas’ three talented guards Marcus Carr, Sir’Jabari Rice and Tyrese Hunter all average over 10 points per game. These three Longhorn scoring threats will help Texas repeat what Kansas did last season by winning the Big 12 Tournament before becoming the National Champions.

Pac-12 rivals rematch in championship game — Arizona defeats UCLA 65-63 //

Will Christie, Staff Writer

After a very successful regular season for Arizona and UCLA, both teams have the potential to play for an NCAA Championship.

With Arizona’s 61-59 win over UCLA in the Pac12 Tournament, the Wildcats proved they can make a run in the tournament. Although UCLA led the Pac-12 during the 2022-23 season, Arizona was not far behind and brought more fight to the Pac-12 Tournament than the Bruins. With Arizona’s fierce play style and passion, UCLA may be in over its heads and suffer its second championship game loss to the Wildcats this season.

BREAKING DOWN KEY MATCHUPS IN EVERY MARCH MADNESS REGION

Will Christie Staff Writer

With opening weekend of March Madness beginning this weekend, college basketball's top teams are actively assessing their bracket placement, diligently preparing for their first round matchups starting March 16 to 17. Here’s a preview of what to expect as the madness kicks off.

South Region

As predicted, Alabama earned the No. 1 overall seed after an impressive regular season and SEC tournament showing. They’re widely regarded as the tournament favorite, but will face early tests in the region.

One notable matchup to look out for early is No. 9 West Virginia versus No. 8 Maryland. West Virginia struggled against No. 1 Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament, but has otherwise looked strong against tough conference competition. Both teams have similar resumés, creating an enticing first round matchup.

No. 2 seed Arizona will take on the Ivy League champions, No. 15 Princeton. The Wildcats are riding high off of their Pac-12 tournament championship win against No. 2 UCLA and are poised for a long tournament run.

No. 5 San Diego State versus No. 12 College of Charleston should make for an interesting upsetwatch game, as College of Charleston recently secured the CAA tournament championship after a strong

31-3 regular season showing.

Two other possible upsets to look out for are No. 6 Creighton against No. 11 NC State and No. 7 Missouri against No. 10 Utah State.

Midwest Region

The Midwest Region is headlined by No. 1 Houston facing off against No. 16 Northern Kentucky. Houston looked incredibly strong during the regular season but is coming off of a shocking loss to No. 8 seed Memphis in the AAC championship.

Great middle-seed matchups to look forward to are No. 7 Texas A&M against No. 10 Penn State, and the winner of Pitt versus Mississippi State’s play-in game against No. 6 seed Iowa State. The Aggies and Nittany Lions are both coming off of incredible conference championship performances and are both hitting their strides at the right time.

A potential upset to pay attention to is No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 Kent State. Kent State previously secured the MAC tournament in an upset against No. 1 Toledo 93-78. The Hoosiers looked strong this year, but are coming off an upset loss to Penn State in the Big Ten tournament.

West Region

No. 1 Kansas will face off against No. 16 Howard in the first round. The reigning NCAA Champions look as strong as ever this season, and may have some extra motivation with head coach Bill Self returning to the

court after health complications kept him off the floor in the Big 12 tournament.

Gonzaga is another heavy hitter in the region, earning the No. 3 seed and facing off against No. 14 Grand Canyon in the first round. The Bulldogs looked spectacular in the WCC tournament — they might have all the momentum to finally secure their first championship this season.

No. 5 St. Mary’s on the other hand, looked outmatched against Gonzaga in the WCC tournament final, losing 77-51. Atlantic 10 champion No. 12 VCU might have the upper hand in terms of confidence going into their first round matchup.

No. 4 UConn against No. 13 Iona is another wildly

intriguing matchup. Led by head coach Rick Pitino in potentially his last season with the Gaels, Iona is a popular upset pick, despite the Huskies’ strength and strong showing against Big East champion No. 2 Marquette.

East Region

Finishing with the East Region, Purdue secured the No. 1 seed. Led by junior center Zach Edey, the Boilermakers won the Big Ten title and are certainly a title contender heading into the tournament.

Meanwhile, No. 2 Marquette has momentum going into the first round after easily beating No. 3 Xavier in the Big East final. They face off against No. 15 Vermont, who won the American East conference four out of the last five years.

Fan favorite No. 5 Duke will play No. 12 Oral Roberts. Oral Roberts might be one of the tournament’s most popular upset picks after easily winning the Summit League tournament. Duke on the other hand looks unstoppable after winning the ACC tournament as a No. 4 seed.

No. 4 Tennessee versus No. 13 Louisiana is also another compelling matchup. Tennessee disappointingly lost in their conference tournament to No. 7 Missouri. The Volunteers were strong early in the season, but injuries put them on the back foot in the tournament, possibly leaving them susceptible to an early exit.

A referee holds a basketball in the Petersen Events Center. Pamela Smith | Visual Editor

PITT FANS OWE JEFF CAPEL AN APOLOGY

Coming off his fourth season, which was his worst at Pitt so far, Panthers head coach Jeff Capel was in a prove-it year.

After a disappointing 2021-22 season, many Panther fans hoped for athletic director Heather Lyke and the University to write the $15 million buyout check and send Capel on his way. However, Lyke held faith in Capel and announced his return for the 2022-23 season, despite the outside noise.

The athletic department hired Capel in 2018 to replace Kevin Stallings, who failed to win a conference game in his final season as head coach. At the time, he was the top assistant on coach Mike Krzyzewski's staff at Duke. Capel was their top recruiter, playing a significant role in securing multiple No. 1 recruiting classes while at Duke.

Before returning to his alma mater, Duke, Capel was previously head coach of Oklahoma. He reached the tournament twice during his four seasons coaching the Sooners, including the Elite Eight in 2009. Capel also coached at VCU, winning the CAA conference championship and making an NCAA tournament appearance in 2004.

With Pitt basketball at one of its lowest points in history, many hoped that Capel would bring Pitt basketball back to national prominence. In his first three seasons, he went 40-48, failing to capture one winning season.

Heading into his fifth season, Panther fans expectations were low for Capel. As Pitt’s second game of the Legends Classic finished, most fans finally gave up on the Jeff Capel experiment. After suffering an embarrassing loss to rivals West Virginia days earlier, Panther fans desperately hoped to see improvements for this upcoming season.

The Panthers left Brooklyn, New York, with back-to-back losses to Michigan and VCU. Sitting at 1-3, it was clear that head coach Jeff Capel needed to get his act together.

Looking at how the season turned out, almost all Panther fans owe Jeff Capel an apology.

Capel managed to block out the calls for his job and complete a 10-game turnaround from last season, culminating in the Panthers reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time in seven years. The Panthers finished the regular

received throughout the year. With the Panthers finding success again, fans made sure to show up at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt was one of five ACC teams with attendance numbers of more than 10,000 people for conference play. The Oakland Zoo also was overflowing this season, causing trouble for many opponents. Some even called it the No. 1 student section in the ACC this season.

While maintaining success for the Panthers on the court, Capel still was able to do damage on the recruiting trail. The Panthers currently have the No. 26 ranked class in the country for 2023, including two top 150 players, Jaland Lowe and Carlton Carrington, according to 24/7 Sports.

season with an overall record of 21-10 and a 14-6 record in the ACC. This performance by the Panthers earned Capel ACC Coach of the Year honors and Naismith Coach of the Year semifinalist.

Coming into the season, many predicted Pitt to finish second to last in the ACC. The Panthers returned only two starters, graduate guard Jamarius Burton and junior forward John Hugley, who was the Panther's leading scorer last season. Capel went out in the transfer portal and secured four players — graduate student guard Nelly Cummings, junior forward Blake Hinson, graduate student guard Greg Elliot and sophomore center Federiko Federiko. These players were from smaller schools or had limited action in Division I basketball. These little known players made a huge impact for the Panthers this season thanks to Jeff Capel's ability at finding talent.

Capel earned his right to remain the Panthers’ head coach and deserves the support he

The Panthers did end the season a little rocky, losing two of their last three regular season games. They were in the running for first place in the conference throughout most of the season, until the last day of ACC play, when the worst scenario for the Panthers occurred. Seeded No. 5 in the ACC tournament, the Panthers beat No. 13 Georgia Tech, before losing to the eventual champion No. 4 Duke in the quarterfinals.

Despite the late-season meltdown, Capel's team did enough earlier in the season to earn them a spot in the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed. The Panthers are matched up against Mississippi State in the First Four.

Panthers fans should have seen enough from this season to feel confident in leaving the program in Capel's hands. After the Dixon era, Pitt spiraled into some dark days under Stallings. With the hiring of Capel, many fans were eager to see change, but didn’t have the patience to stick it out. Changing a program from the bottom up is a process, and Capel understood this all.

Panthers fans can start believing in the future of this program, especially the way Capel has it trending right now.

Head basketball coach Jeff Capel watches from the bench as a penalty call dashes the Panthers’ hopes to upset Louisville in January 2020.

TPN File Photo

Mason Carter Staff Writer

PITT STUDENTS

UNPREDICTABILITY OF TEAM’S FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT IN SEVEN YEARS

don’t get tickets, they make the tournament.”

For current upperclassmen and students who’ve followed Pitt athletics since they arrived on campus, men’s basketball was an afterthought.

Most students come to Pittsburgh with no prior affiliation to the University, therefore garnering no vested interest in the Pitt teams of old. Teams that for most of the 2000s and early 2010s drew raucous crowds and garnered national attention for their on-court success.

Instead, this generation of students became used to Pitt basketball teams providing an inferior product on court, constantly in turmoil and always falling well short of preseason expectations.

After seven years of letdowns, mediocrity and a concerning lack of excitement from students, Pitt basketball finally returned to the NCAA tournament. According to senior finance major Kevin Keneally, this is the first time he’s experienced genuine excitement following the program in four years.

“For me, it’s just one of those really cool things to have a basketball team you can wake up excited about,” Keneally said. “It was what I thought about most — even during the middle of the week I would put on a Pitt game for once instead of like an A-10 game or a good Big-12 game, it’s crazy.”

Keneally is just one of an entire generation of Pitt students and fans who have gone their entire academic career without optimism for Pitt basketball. They’ve instead devoted their support to teams like football or volleyball, disregarding the program that once commanded Oakland’s attention.

Some older students, like senior economics major Drew Bean, actually started off their time at Pitt with high enthusiasm for the basketball team. As the years progressed, Bean’s excitement waned, and so did his interest in attending games.

“I paid attention to Pitt basketball more in my earlier years compared to now,” Bean said. “When they were just losing and tanking at the end of the season, it just made me lose hope. I was actually a season ticket holder for each of the last three years. I’m a senior now and this is the one year I decided not to get tickets … lo and behold, the one year I

As this season progressed and fans started to realize that Pitt basketball might contend in the ACC, the atmosphere at the Petersen Events Center became that much more exciting. According to Keneally, the team brought in new fans not just from their increase in wins, but because of their playstyle as well.

“You can get these fans who wouldn’t generally come to a game to come because we’re an exciting team,” Keneally said. “We are fast paced, we push the ball, we shoot deep threes, Hinson takes awful shots and it’s beautiful. All of those things are awesome.”

For many students, Pitt’s success this season sparked a personal interest in basketball that never previously existed. Junior anthropology major Emily Brown is an athlete on the track and field team who generally pays close attention to Pitt’s teams — but prior to this season basketball wasn’t on her radar.

“I've never been like a huge basketball person,” Brown said. “I’ve gone to a game here and there, but this year it’s been really exciting because they really have been playing so well … the atmosphere has just been so much more exciting than in years past.”

While older students on campus who’ve followed Pitt for several years are finally experiencing their first successful basketball team, current first years are spoiled by immediately experiencing a winning atmosphere.

According to first year finance major Theo Oreste, his first few experiences as part of the Oakland Zoo this season were unforgettable.

“During the Miami game, when they made that comeback, the Zoo was absolutely insane,” Oreste said. “It was a great experience for me, it was loud, it was fun, and that’s what I’m here for.”

Oreste also mentioned that going into gamedays, students plan days in advance how they’re planning on watching, regardless of if the game is home or away.

“You don’t even have to look up when the games are, that’s how popular Pitt basketball is around

See Fan Reacts on page 9

A basketball at the Petersen Events Center. Pamela Smith | Visual Editor

Richie Smiechowski Sports Editor

STUDENTS SEEK ADVENTURE, RELAXATION FOR SPRING BREAK

After enduring endless midterms and Pittsburgh’s strange, irregular weather, students traveled all around the world for spring break this year.

Kit Vogel, a sophomore environmental science major, traveled to Switzerland with his mom. Vogel traveled all around the country, visiting Zurich, Zermatt, Lucerne and more to see Switzerland’s incredible mountains.

“We went to the mountains, which I think was the highlight of it,” Vogel said. “You take this really pretty train up, and there’s a lot of skiing there. When you get to the top, it’s super high up, and you can see this crazy view.”

For Vogel, his trip to Switzerland was not only an opportunity to see incredible nature but to also connect with his roots.

“My parents were acquaintances back in the day, and my mom was going on a one-month trip to Europe. Then my dad, who was just friends with her, was just like, ‘Okay, I’ll come with you,’ so that was kinda their origin story, when they went to Switzerland together,” Vogel said. “We actually saw the same hotel that they stayed at, so it was a little surreal to see all that.”

One way that Vogel relaxed and enjoyed the views during his trip was, surprisingly, on Switzerland's trains.

“The trains are honestly half the experience because they are very pretty, and you can see a lot of cool views,” Vogel said. “The public transportation with the trains was very punctual and easy to use, even though we didn’t speak the language, and they were very clean. It’s a little bit easier than the Port Authority.”

Vogel also tried some new foods in Switzerland. Although he said he didn’t try anything extremely adventurous, he enjoyed Switzerland’s iconic dairy products.

“I tried cheese fondue, which was pretty good. It was a bubbling pot of cheese, and you dip vegetables and potatoes in it, and it was good,” Vogel said. “I feel like it’s not too out there in terms of new stuff, but it was good. And we tried the swiss cheese and the swiss chocolate because they have a lot of dairy cows.”

Although spring break was only a week, it was still

a great chance for students to recharge and experience new things. For Vogel, the short break didn’t stop him from having life-changing experiences.

“Seeing those mountains was honestly life changing. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I’ve traveled to quite a few places, but these were honestly just life changing to see. The whole trip was amazing,” Vogel said.

Some students took spring break as an opportunity to visit friends and explore nearby cities. Lilyann Bailey, a junior biological science major, went to Chicago to visit a friend. She was only there for a few days, but she still explored a lot of what the city has to offer.

“We did a lot,” Bailey said. “We were only there for four days, but we visited an art institute, we tried a lot of food, we visited a 360 Observation Deck, so we were able to see all the city.”

Bailey, who has lived on the east coast her entire life, said she was excited to see what the Midwest has to offer. Although Chicago is less than 500 miles from Pittsburgh, according to Bailey, the city was very different from anywhere she visited before.

“It gives a small town feeling, depending on what neighborhood you’re in,” Bailey said. “There’s a lot of cute shops that make it feel a lot more authentic in a way, and there’s a lot of food that is native to the area, like the Chicago dog, or a deep dish pizza, which is something you wouldn’t find anywhere else.”

Bailey also noted the differences in Chicago’s transportation system. Although Chicago’s metro system is very different from Pittsburgh’s, Bailey navigated the city well by the end of her trip.

“One challenging thing was navigating. It was a lot of taking the metro and the blue line train, and there’s a lot of trains that run throughout the city,” Bailey said. “I’m not familiar with all the neighborhoods, but I feel like the more time I was there, the easier it was to navigate.”

Trying new things was a common theme for many students this spring break. For Bailey, her trip to Chicago taught her more about Chicago’s geography and culture.

“One thing I didn’t know is that Chicago is right on the border of Lake Michigan, so it was kind of a surprise to me to see the water so close to the downtown

See Spring Break Trips on page 9

Sarah Pine Staff Writer

A United States passport in front of a world map. Image via Spc. Michael Camacho, Wikimedia Commons

‘PUTTING STUDENTS IN DANGER’:

TRANSGENDER STUDENTS AT PITT SHARE THOUGHTS ON UPCOMING ‘ANTI-TRANS’ EVENTS

Punya Bhasin News Editor

Laura Mcneil, a transgender student and first-year digital narrative and interactive design major, said she initially applied to Pitt because she believed it was welcoming to queer students. Now she’s reconsidering that assumption.

“Part of why I applied to Pitt is because it seemed like a diverse and welcoming kind of school, and the fact that they would host these sorts of events is just very disappointing to me,” Mcneil said.

In the wake of the upcoming “anti-trans” events scheduled to take place on Pitt’s campus, some transgender students are raising concerns over safety and say they are disappointed by a lack of support from the University. On Monday, Rainbow Alliance released a statement saying that if the University were truly committed to supporting trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming community members, they wouldn’t “allow these individuals to propagate their harmful ideas.”

“As an educational institution that hosts such a wide variety of marginalized people, it is truly heartbreaking, as students, to see your administration continue to fail us again and again,” the statement said.

Pitt’s chapter of Turning Point USA will host Riley Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and vehement critic of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, on March 27 at 5:45 p.m. in the O’Hara Ballroom.

Turning Point USA will also host Cabot Phillips, an editor at the right-wing website The Daily Wire, on March 24 at 7 p.m. in the Cathedral of Learning. Later, on April 18, Pitt’s College Republicans and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute invited Michael Knowles to debate “transgenderism and womanhood” in the O’Hara Ballroom. Knowles recently called for an eradication of “transgenderism.”

Mcneil said she plans to avoid these events out of fear of what the people attending might think or say.

“I really am not comfortable being near events where people are demonizing and criminalizing my own existence and my own happiness,” Mcneil said. “And it’s not just even about my safety, but these events are trying to take away from other people's happiness. Hosting these kinds of events and allowing this sort of discussion to be propped up on a podium here on campus is just upsetting.”

Nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition created on March 7 urging the University to cancel these events. In a media statement released Friday, Pitt said it understands the events are “toxic and harmful” for people in the Pitt community, and is committed to “support” people who might be “negatively affected” by the upcoming events.

University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said registered student organizations have the right to invite “highly provocative” speakers on campus “without University administration deciding what is acceptable and what is not.”

While Mcneil said she’s glad a lot of people signed the petition, she’s still “disappointed” that the University is allowing the events to occur on campus.

“I feel like they're inherently supporting it by allowing these events to occur, and also when students are asking the university to cancel these events and they say no, that's inherently a sign of support,” Mcneil said.

Dylan Mitchell, the president of College Republicans, said those that are “shocked” by the topics of the events should “get used to conservative voices.”

“There is no plan to cancel the event whatsoever,” Mitchell, a sophomore law, criminal justice and society and politics and philosophy double major, said. “In fact, those who are shocked by the idea of their beliefs being challenged should get used to conservative voices. We are only beginning to assert the right to speak our beliefs and stand up for truth, and we have no plans to slow down any time soon.”

Liliana Orozco, president of Pitt’s Turning Point USA chapter and a junior law, criminal justice and society major, also said “our voices will not be silenced just because some students might not agree with us” and that the events will be conducted in a “civil manner.”

M., a transgender fifth-year student, said the statement will only further make queer students feel “unwelcome” on campus. The student asked to remain anonymous due to privacy and safety concerns. M. is her first initial.

“I feel like this statement is honestly even worse than saying nothing at all, as they have effectively doubled down on saying that they're okay with spreading hate speech, making students feel unwelcome on campus and potentially putting students in danger,” M. said.

M. referenced the University’s nondiscrimination policy, which states, “The University does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on these bases and takes steps to ensure that students, employees, and third parties are not subject to a hostile environment in University programs or activities.”

“But even outside of written rules, I feel that a precedent has been set across the country within the past few years, with universities rescinding admissions decisions to students who engaged in racism on social media, that Universities ought to combat hate and margin-

alization within its student body,” M. said. “So, I think at a bare minimum, Pitt should bar these events from being held within University buildings.”

Cat, another transgender student at Pitt, said the upcoming events will “disrupt education.” Cat asked that her last name be omitted due to privacy and safety concerns.

“They are events which are designed to intimidate and encourage violence against transgender people and transgender students on campus,” Cat, a junior computer science major said. “It's designed to disrupt the education. It's just going to bring hateful people to campus which risks the safety of transgender students on campus.”

Cat said canceling the event is the “simplest” way to resolve the issue.

“I mean, the simplest solution would be to just cancel the events, but if they want to provide safety I mean, other than just giving each trans person their own personal bodyguard, which would be absurd, otherwise I don’t know what they could do to improve the safety of trans people on campus” Cat said.

Cat said the University’s actions show that they “are not an ally to queer people” and that if “they were committed to diversity, they would cancel the events.”

M. also said she plans to “stay away” from campus and “skip classes” during the days of the events, to feel safer and avoid running into “transphobic people” on campus.

“My experiences at Pitt as a trans person have never been super positive, but I believed that to a limited degree that there was like a baseline standard of protection against hate speech and discrimination on campus that would prevent things like these events from happening,” M. said. “It's really disappointing to see that Pitt would protect hate speech like this, but I'm not entirely surprised.”

The Transgender Pride Flag flies on the Foreign Office building in London on Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov. 20, 2017. Image via Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Wikimedia Commons

PITT’S CHANCELLOR SEARCH REMAINS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Elizabeth Primrose Senior Staff Writer

The committee searching for Pitt’s next chancellor gathered feedback through a survey and open forums from the University community in the fall — but the Pitt community has not received any updates since then.

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher announced in April 2022 that he will leave his position this summer. Board of Trustees Chair Doug Browning appointed a search committee in September 2022 and selected executive search firm Storbeck Search to assist in the process. This firm also assisted in Pitt’s last search for a new chancellor in 2013.

The search committee and Board of Trustees have not provided any public updates on the progress of the search. The “timeline” section of the chancellor search web page lists two items for spring 2023 — “applicants interviewed confidentially” and “nineteenth Pitt chancellor announced” — but does not elaborate on exact dates for these items.

The office of the secretary of the Board of Trustees and the communications staff in the Office of the Chancellor did not respond to email requests

for comment about the search process.  University spokesperson Nick France did not have any information to share when asked about the process the selection committee is using, if there currently is a narrowed down list of appli-

cants or if the committee has a timeline on when the new chancellor will be announced.

“I asked those at hand about these questions and they say there’s nothing to share at this time,” France said.

The 26-person search committee, chaired by Eva Tansky Blum, former chair of the Board of Trustees, includes trustees, faculty and administration. Blum also led the search to replace Mark Nordenberg in 2013.

The committee also has one undergraduate student in Danielle Floyd, president of the Student Government Board, and one graduate student in Varbi Mridha, vice president of finance for the Graduate and Professional Student Government.

When asked for an update on the search process, Floyd directed questions to Geovette Washington, senior vice chancellor and chief legal officer at Pitt, who assists the search committee.

“The Committee is not in a position to share anything about the search at this time,” Washington said. “When that changes, we will reach out.”

When asked why the committee will not share any information, University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer did not provide any explanation, and said the search committee will not share any further information prior to naming a finalist.

“As previously noted, there will be no comment on the search until the finalist is named,” Stonesifer said.

Not all searches to fill positions in University administration have been so secretive. According to an email message from Joe McCarthy, vice provost of undergraduate studies, the search committee for the new dean of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and College of General Studies will bring four finalists for the position to campus to interact with the University community.

In the announcement, McCarthy, chair of the search committee, said the DSAS/CGS Dean Search SharePoint will share candidate information, locations of the meetings and links to provide feedback. McCarthy said the SharePoint will share information on the candidates 48 hours prior to each candidate’s visit to ensure confidentiality.

Ryan Young, vice president for governance of SGB, said he understands why the selection process for the new chancellor may be opaque in the beginning since candidates may not want to interview for the position if they know their name will be public. However, Young, who is a candidate for SGB president, said he hopes the Board of Trustees will release a list of finalists before making a final decision.

“They’re so private that they won't even tell you what they are thinking about in terms of procedures or timeline, which I think is also a little disappointing,” Young said. “I really hope to see them open up the process at the very end. I don't think that's out of the question.”

Corbin Makar, another board member who is also running for SGB president, said during a presidential debate last month he can understand the lack of transparency in the initial stages of the chancellor selection process. But he said the final candidacy stages should be open to the Pitt community.

“I would obviously prefer more information released to the public,” Makar, a junior communication rhetoric major, said. “There’s no reason as to why this process should be so secretive when we have other administrative officials noticeably involved with other candidate processes at other universities that are entirely public.”

Young, a junior physics & astronomy and math double major, said he appreciates the process Portland State University used in the selection of their new president, which included three publicly announced finalists. Portland State’s Board of Trustees voted to appoint Ann Cudd, provost and senior vice chancellor of Pitt, as the university's next president.

“You have a private process up until the last three finalists, then those finalists come to campus and they interact with students,” Young said. “I think that is the model we should use.”

Young said he thinks it is “weird” that the selection committee has not provided much information this semester, given that Gallagher is set to step down in only a few months.

“I will say, I will be extremely disappointed if the next chancellor is chosen without the finalists ever being published,” Young said. “If that doesn’t happen, that will be a complete failure [of] the selection process.”

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. TPN File Photo.

Fan Reacts, pg.

here,” Oreste said. “Everybody wants to follow them. Even if we’re not going to the game, there’s watch parties.”

Oreste’s friend, first-year marketing major Cale Stover, said even away from gamedays, the student body is constantly following the basketball team, especially around March Madness.

“There were tons of people talking about if we were going to get into March Madness,” Stover. “It was up in the air, but especially the freshmen because they’re coming in and didn’t know what to expect … Everybody’s talking about them, even my family.”

Spring Break Trips

For Pitt’s First Four contest against Mississippi State, even students like Bean who became frustrated by the team’s lack of success over the past few years will have their eyes glued to the TV, hoping that the Panthers can make a run.

“Oh yeah, I’ll be watching the First Four game,” Bean said. “If they do make a run, I’ll follow them a lot more than I did throughout prior seasons, that’s for sure.”

For Keneally and other Pitt students who’ve remained diligent in their support of Pitt basketball, even through the tough years, making the trip to Dayton and potentially to Greensboro was a nobrainer.

“This year, I’ve got a bunch of my friends tex-

pg.

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area,” Bailey said. “And a new thing I tried would be food, like the Chicago dog, which I recommend — it has a lot of different toppings on it.”

For seniors, this was their last chance to enjoy spring break as an undergrad. Sammie Rao, a senior studying neuroscience and communication and rhetoric, used her last spring break during undergrad to spend time with friends in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

“All of my friends wanted to have our senior spring break trip, and just be together for spring break,” Rao said. “So we decided to go to Punta Cana because we knew that other senior spring break groups were going there, and we just thought that it would be a good time.”

Rao and her friends stayed at an all-inclusive resort, which Rao said was something she had never done before. Because the experience was prepaid, they were able to try a lot of new experiences and relax on their trip.

“We already prepaid, so when we were there, we could just kinda get whatever we wanted, which is something we all really enjoyed,” Rao said. “At the resort, there was karaoke in a huge auditorium, so we all went and did karaoke together, which was an experience which I thought was different and new.”

For Rao, issues with transportation arose on the journey back to Pittsburgh. Although the recent wave of delayed flights has settled down, traveling internationally is still a long process.

“A big challenge for us was getting home,” Rao said. “We had multiple days, and it took all of us one to two days to get back from Punta Cana, which shouldn’t have been the case, but at the end of the day, we all had fun, so it was worth it.”

Despite the travel difficulties, Rao said the trip offered an incredible experience. As it was her final spring break in college, she used the opportunity to gain new experiences abroad with her friends.

“I think that an experience that really stood out from the trip was the boat especially because it was really fun being able to swim in the ocean, as well as spending time with all of my friends all in one area, and having an experience that not many of us have had before,” Rao said.

ting me or texting other people like ‘Are we going to Dayton?’” Keneally said. “[Last year’s First Four] were two of the best environment games I’ve ever seen to this day.”

As for predictions, most of the student body isn’t sure how far the Panthers will go. According to sophomore biology major and track and field athlete Sarah Hurst, March Madness is naturally unpredictable, especially for a bubble team like Pitt.

“I mean, it’s March Madness, anything can happen,” Hurst said. “You never know who’s going to win, any chance is a good chance.”

Some students, like first-year undeclared student Emmanuel Okoro, weren’t optimistic about Pitt’s chances and thought that the Panthers’ jour-

ney would end in Dayton.

“I know they have their first game against Mississippi State, so they might get beat by 20,” Oreste said. “Mississippi State should definitely win the game, 20 points might be a stretch, but I’ll give them at least 10 points.

But other students — the more optimistic ones who just weren’t ready for Pitt’s season to end — felt that some March magic might be in store for the Panthers.

“I’ll tell you what — underdog story,” Oreste said. “They’re winning March Madness and I’ll be right there watching. Everybody make your brackets, put your money on Pitt.”

PITT’S MUSIC PRODUCTION CLUB ALLOWS STUDENTS TO COLLABORATE AND LEARN ABOUT THE INS AND OUTS OF PRODUCING MUSIC

Serena Garcia Senior Staff Writer

For Ethan Herring, the music production club at Pitt is a place for students passionate about creating music to share, collaborate and learn techniques from one another.

Herring, a senior neuroscience major and the club’s president, joined the club his sophomore year. Herring said before joining the club, his experience with music was mainly from playing the guitar. However, once he arrived at Pitt, Herring said the club allowed him to explore the world of electronic music production.

“It’s just kind of a place for people who like music or producing music to collaborate or learn techniques together,” Herring said. “I think generally right now, it’s just kind of like a place for people to work together on songs or get ideas for new things or like instruments, things like that.”

Joining Herring on the club’s board is Brandon Rodas, the club’s vice president and a sophomore law, criminal justice and society major. Rodas said because the club has a Discord group of about 100 members, it’s difficult to discern the number of active members in the club, but Herring believes there are between 15 to 20.

Like Herring, Rodas joined the music production club to continue to pursue his passion for music produc-

tion. Before joining the club, Rodas was creating both rap and hip-hop music, but has now divulged into exploring producing a new genre — drill music.

“I started off making rap and hip-hop because I think it’s fairly easy,” Rodas said. “But now I’ve been making a lot of drill music and R&B music lately.”

Herring said the music production club has changed the way he listens and interacts with music. Before joining, Herring said music production wasn’t one of his main interests, but after taking part in and now running the club, music production is a passion in his life.

“I wasn’t really into a lot of production kind of things before I joined,” Herring said. “But afterwards, that’s kind of one of my main interests now in songs I listen to is the production of it. I’ve gotten really into drum and bass music. I feel like my music taste is much more varied now.”

Despite one of the main focuses of the club is the production of electronic music, both Herring and Rodas agreed that the club encompasses a variety of music ranging from EDM to metal to folk music.

“There’s also people in the club who don't just do electronic music,” Herring said. “Like we have guys who will sometimes send recordings of like a metal guitar riff or something and talk about the production on that. Or like folk people, I think have joined occasionally,

like folk singers. So there’s definitely a wide variety of music involved with the club.”

Alex Gosek, a senior environmental science major, joined the club during his first year at Pitt. He said the club not only allowed him to continue to pursue his passion for creating electronic music, but it also allowed him to learn more about the music scene in Pittsburgh.

“I thought it was a cool way to meet people with similar interests in Pittsburgh, especially because it was able to get me a little more familiar with the music scene in the city, especially the electronic music scene which was a little smaller,” Gosek said.

For Gosek, the club allowed him to share his music with other members and receive feedback on it. Through the club’s discord, Gosek said he could send in his projects and see if other members had any advice to give.

“It was my first time showing my projects to other people and getting feedback, and seeing other people’s recording process, how it might be different from mine and then learning from that, taking that and applying it to my own music, which is just huge,” Gosek said. “It was better than just showing all my friends who maybe weren't super interested, I’d send it in the club discord and get feedback, and like tips and tricks to make it sound better.”

While there is no public platform where the club publishes their collaborative music, Herring said many

members have their own personal Soundcloud pages, including Herring and Rodas. Herring said he hasn’t posted to his page in a while, and Rodas said while he has two songs, “Dose” and “KAMI KILLAS,” available on the page, typically he creates the beat for another artist to use.

“Maybe around a month ago I had someone from the server come over to rap over a drill beat, and I usually don’t get many rappers,” Rodas said. “Most of the rappers I work with are all over the world — Italy, France, California.”

Despite them each having their own experience with music production, the two said the club is there for those interested to learn. Though they are experienced, both Rodas and Herring said they are still learning new things surrounding music production through the club. Though it may sound intimidating, Rodas encourages students interested in music and music production to come to the club and try it out.

“It’s not as scary as it seems,” Rodas said. “You can just come and we’ll help you out even though you have no experience. You don’t need any prior knowledge to start working. Like I, myself, I don't know music theory, but I can still make music. A lot of people think it takes music theory, but it doesn't.”

The music production club has served as an outlet for both Rodas and Herring to explore their creativity and passion for music, something neither of them do in their studies. Along with the music production club, Herring is also the bassist for Pittsburgh-based band, Valleyview, which helps fill his passion for music.

STOP MAKING ME WATCH WOMEN GET HURT

Anna Ehlers

Contributing Editor

As a woman, I’m always carrying the deadweight fear of becoming a victim of violence. To acknowledge this danger fully is nearly impossible. Occasionally, however, I let myself think about how every man I let become a part of my life could choose to end it. I might meet my death by angering a man that I thought I could trust, or by angering one who doesn’t even know me. I don’t think it’s possible to fully come to terms with this knowledge — it’s just too heavy — but I am confronted with this threat all the time since the world just loves to see women get hurt.

Have you ever watched a movie that feels like it’s getting off on women’s pain? Sometimes it seems that every time a woman gets hurt in a film, the director shoves it in my face. Close ups of the screams, the blood, the sadistic anger on the face of the man who did it. It’s like a reminder — “Have you thought about how you could become this victim at any moment?”

Violence in movies is quite common. Since the Motion Picture Association of America lifted the Hays Code in 1968, violence has become a staple of film, leading to the modern horror genre. I don’t necessarily have gripes with violence being shown at all, but I do wonder sometimes if violence against women needs to appear often and in as much detail as it is.

I watched a film for a Shakespeare class about a year ago which still haunts me — Roman Polanski’s Macbeth. Usually I love to watch Shakespeare adaptations since I find the adaptation process a great study, but thinking about this movie feels like pushing at a loose tooth with my tongue — a pain that I just can’t stop inciting.

In Shakespeare’s plays, almost all violence takes place offstage, even in violent events like coups and battles, since violence could not realistically and safely appear onstage. Thus, many deaths are announced to the audience after the fact, making the reaction to death much more important than how it happened. Film, however, is not held to the same limits as the stage. Camera tricks and post-production special effects can make violence appear very real on a screen. In making his movie, Polanski apparently decided that, although the story of Macbeth didn’t necessitate showing violence, it was something he was going to do anyway — and he truly took it to extremes.

As a film major, I have definitely watched my fair share of violent movies. I’ve always had trouble stomaching violence — I fought back tears as a kid after a character got stabbed in Marley and Me — but I’ve definitely built up thick skin these past few years. Despite all my experience, nothing I’ve seen can hold a flame to the relentless brutality in Polanski’s Macbeth. Gore

was around every corner. Heads, arms, legs, all sorts of limbs were rolling on the ground. Blood was absolutely everywhere. Most of these terrible images I’ve managed to block out of my mind, but one moment has stuck with me, unforgettable. In the midst of a violent takeover of a castle, the offending army raped a woman.

It was in the background of a shot, like a throwaway moment, just a small detail adding to the ambiance of the scene. It felt thrown in with such a flippant, blasé attitude, as if to say “this is just how things go” — when a castle is taken over in a battle, the offending army rapes the women who happen to be inside. This is realism. And while rape has happened in battles, that is not any sort of excuse to immortalize that image on a screen. I am traumatized from seeing that. I can’t get it out of my head. I don’t think I ever will. It felt like a threat, like Polanski was reminding me that this is what happens to people like me — we get attacked when we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time just because of the bodies we have.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

DOWN

1 __-com: date movie, maybe

30 Incoming flight stat

31 Pack animal

48 Pollo __: grilled chicken dish

49 Of a forearm bone

5

2 Clean air org.

3 Cartoon shriek

4 Skin spot that may be darkened by sunlight

5 Acct. balance, e.g.

35 Gnatlike insect

36 Pedicure targets

38 Junk bond rating

39 “That hits the spot!”

43 Divides equally

45 IM pioneer

46 Bard

52 Norway’s capital

53 Milky white gem

54 Supermodel

Heidi

55 “Your Majesty”

59 Tic-__-toe

15

6 “The Incredibles” family name

7 Scottish hillside

8 Egyptian fertility goddess

9 “That’s not good!”

10 Wide smiles

11 __ Domingo: Caribbean capital

12 Hosp. stop before surgery

14 “Take me __”

18 Small landmass

22 Free (of)

23 Make late

47 Jewish festival when the Book of Esther is read

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

32

24 Bilbo Baggins’ age at the start of “The Lord of the Rings”

25 Panda’s diet

27 Domesticated

28 Jumped

29 Kidnapper’s demand

By Amie Walker ©2022

Agency, LLC

Crossword

Sudoku

Fikayomi Olagbami | Staff Illustrator