Homecoming Edition 2019 (Part 1)

The Pitt News

HOMECOMING EDITION

COVER: ELI SAVAGE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

PANTHERS TO SURVIVE THE HOMECOMING HURRICANE Nick Carlisano Senior Staff Writer

After back-to-back games on the road, it is appropriate that Pitt football returns to the friendly confines of Heinz Field on Homecoming Weekend. The Pittsburgh Panthers (5-2, 2-1 ACC) will host the Miami Hurricanes (3-4, 1-3 ACC) for a noon kickoff in Pittsburgh.

It will be Miami’s first trip to the Steel City since its infamous 24-14 loss to an unranked Pitt team in 2017. That loss derailed Miami’s playoff aspirations and the Hurricanes have fallen well short of 2017’s success in the following seasons.

Miami will try to bounce back after a stunning overtime loss to Georgia Tech last week.

Meanwhile, Pitt continued to roll last Friday, as the Panthers notched their fourth straight victory over Syracuse in a nationally televised game.

Pitt’s offense looked exceptionally well-balanced last week — a performance that must carry over to Saturday for success against Miami’s defense. With two 1,000-yard rushers and much of the offensive line having graduated, it was obvious that the run game would take a step back this season, particularly with passing guru Mark Whipple joining the team as offensive coordinator.

But against Syracuse, junior running back A.J. Davis notched 103 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries — earning him a starting spot in the backfield against the Hurricanes come Saturday.

Although no other Panther had as much success as Davis on the ground, there was a clear and concerted effort to run the ball. Junior quarterback Kenny Pickett threw the ball 33 times, while all Panthers not named Pickett totaled 34 carries.

Typically, Miami is prolific at stopping the rushing attack. The ’Canes rank 14th in the nation, allowing only 102.3 yards per game on the ground. That wasn’t the case last week, when Miami gave up over 200 to Georgia Tech, including 142 yards and a score to tailback Jordan Mason.

Whipple will undoubtedly assure his skill players enough attempts to replicate the Yellow Jackets’ success with wet weather looming.

The Panthers sit three spots above Miami in rushing defense in what has been a surprising defensive season thus far. While Pitt’s defense has allowed eight touchdowns on the ground, they are holding opponents to under 100 yards a contest, one year removed from giving up 178 per game.

Miami’s starting running back DeeJay Dallas will sit with an injury this week, which would typically bode well for the Panthers. However, backup Cam’Ron Harris showed he’s no slouch when he

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Kenny Pickett has topped the 200-yard mark in every game but one this season. Sarah Cutshall visual editor stepped in for Dallas and rushed for more than 100 yards against Georgia Tech.

But for all of the impressive individual performances this Miami roster boasts, consistency has been lacking. The Hurricanes have been nothing short of a roller coaster ride over the first half of the season. They started off strong with a close loss to a top-10 Florida Gators team and then fell to resurgent North Carolina in consecutive weeks.

They suffered another loss to Virginia Tech, which has battled massive player attrition to a 5-2 start, then turned around to hand Coastal Division front-runner Virginia its first loss of the season.

Just when it looked like Miami was going to right the ship, last week’s stunner against the Yellow Jackets happened, leaving the Hurricanes with no choice but to leave Heinz Field with a win or face the prospects of a lost season.

“Which team will show up?” is a question often reserved for Pitt, but the Panthers have been uncharacteristically consistent. The defense has been stout all season, particularly the secondary. Sophomore safety Paris Ford has come into his own and is leading the team in tackles, while

Damar Hamlin and Dane Jackson have provided veteran leadership and experience as seniors at safety and corner, respectively. Pitt’s front seven should thrive against Miami’s struggling offensive line, which has given up 11 sacks in the last three games and 31 total on the season.

Pickett and the air attack have also proved reliable throughout the season. The days of struggling to reach 200 yards are over — he’s topped the mark in every game but one and has gone for over 300 twice. Sure, he’s throwing the ball much more than he did last year, but he’s also doing more with his attempts. Pickett boasts a 2-1 TD-Int ratio and a 119.4 passer rating — hardly numbers to scoff at. He isn’t going to win a Heisman with his play, but as a game manager he’s certainly gotten the job done.

In many defensive-minded games, the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game, and that could certainly be the case on Saturday. Pickett’s four interceptions have come in only two games this season — the loss against Virginia and the nail biter versus Duke. Miami quarterback N’Kosi Perry has taken care of the ball since stepping into the starting role, and although this isn’t the Turnover Chain Miami de-

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fense of two years ago, it’s still a team capable of making offenses miserable the way it did against Virginia.

This matchup will ultimately come down to which team wants it more. The Panthers have a lot on the line — a four-game win streak, an expectant homecoming crowd and, of course, a potential second consecutive Coastal title. The Hurricanes need this one just as much after last week’s blunder against Georgia Tech dropped them to four losses. This Week 9 matchup will be an ACC dogfight if there ever was one.

Prediction There’s just something about this Panther team that seems different — well-rounded, finding ways to win games and exciting to watch.

With Miami surely down after last week, Pitt has a chance to make a statement at home and keep rolling. Neither offense will light up the scoreboard, but Pickett, with the help of an emerging run game, controls the tempo in this one as the Panther defense prevents Miami from ever getting going. Pitt repeats last year’s homecoming magic against Syracuse and picks up its fifth straight win heading into the home stretch.

Pitt 24 Miami 20

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BLACK ALUMNI CELEBRATE 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC SIT-IN

Ashton Crawley Staff Writer

Pitt alumna Linda Wharton is celebrating a special anniversary this year — 50 years since the Black Action Society sit-in that helped expand the black student body and found her a place at Pitt.

She was one of the many African American students recruited by the University after the sit-in, fulfilling one of the protesting students’ four demands — that they make an effort to bring more black students to the University.

This weekend, Wharton and about 2,500 other black Pitt alumni will return as part of Pitt’s African American Alumni Council celebration of Homecoming and the 1969 sit-in.

Wharton, the chair of the 50th anniversary commemoration committee and a former AAAC president, played a large part in planning this weekend. The celebration, known as “Blue, Gold and Black; Say It Loud From Uprising to Still Rising” Sankofa Homecoming 2019 will feature everything from a tailgate before the football game at Heinz Field, to a banquet and even a step show. Homecoming weekend is packed with AAAC events in honor of the anniversary. A new book, “Say It Loud,” will launch this weekend with a collection of oral histories from people directly involved in the sit-in.

The anniversary weekend kicks off with the 14-year-old Apple Seed Project, where alumni will visit elementary, middle and high schools in Pittsburgh and talk with kids about their futures and possible career paths. Wharton said this visit is very helpful to these students, some of whom still stay in touch with alumni now as adults and let them know about their current careers.

“It’s our service back to the community,” Wharton said. “We share what we learned at the University with them.”

AAAC is also collecting items for a time capsule, to be buried for the next 60 years.

Items will be brought in for review this weekend.

“It’s important that people understand

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Nicole Walker Parks, African American Alumni Council president, welcomes guests at “Say It Loud” in January.

Knox Coulter assistant visual editor all that went into making the University as diverse as it is,” Wharton said. “The actions that were taken back in 1969 are responsible for a lot of us today.”

The Jan. 15, 1969, protest started when students asked for classes to be canceled in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, who had been assassinated one year earlier.

The students also had four demands for the University — employ a recruiting team to attract more black students, correct the portrayal of Africans in history courses, increase the number and stature of black faculty and create a Black Studies program.

After visiting then Chancellor Wesley Posvar’s office, students decided further action was required and moved to the University computer center on the Cathedral of Learning’s eighth floor. They locked themselves for several hours in the center, which held important University information, until Posvar gave them a signed agreement stating that their demands would be completed. This protest created immediate change at the University, with the creation of the African Studies Program and more black students like Wharton being recruited.

“These students felt that they needed to be more represented in the educational experience at the University,” Wharton said.

“It really was a well-planned movement.”

Nicole Walker Parks, the current president of the AAAC, said the computer center takeover helped propel African American life at the University.

“It was a very racially charged time, a lot of things were preventing African Americans from being successful,” Parks said. “It allowed us to move forward and be more of a presence on campus and allowed people to see that we are as capable of success as any other person.”

Parks, a 1991 graduate of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, said this weekend will be full of fun events for alumni. There will be awards presented to five distinguished Pitt alumni, as well as 13 young alumni who will be receiving the Rising Alumni Leadership Award.

“I feel that being in the alumni council helps me to give back to other students,” Parks said.

Nana Gyabaah-Kessie, a junior majoring in molecular biology and BAS member, is excited to meet with Pitt alumni this

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weekend.

“Seeing their excited faces and the way they interact with us as students is really refreshing.

You realize they were once students too,” Gyabaah-Kessie said. “They’re so open and welcoming.”

Along with the AAAC events this weekend, BAS is holding events of its own, largely focusing on black identity on campus. Its Monday general body meeting centered on defining blackness, and the annual Black University of Pittsburgh Pageant is Thursday.

“Throughout the whole week, it’s just a great time to be around people who look like me,” Gyabaah-Kessie said. “I’m reminded that this is where I belong.”

She added that being part of the BAS is very humbling.

“50 years ago, students just like me just wanted a place to belong. And they took action to make themselves belong and to make others see their struggles,” GyabaahKessie said. “They did what they had to do to make a change on this campus. We’re continuing their legacy and trying to make it bigger than just being at Pitt.”

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Alumna profile:

Julie Shepard is always leading Rachel Romac

For The Pitt News Nearly every student on campus knew the name Julie Shepard in November 1989.

Shepard was a senior when she became the first female president of Pitt’s Student Government Board. But by the time of her election, she had already achieved a considerable amount during her Pitt career, working on the news desk at The Pitt News and as a resident assistant in Holland Hall.

“There’s so many things I’ve been hoping to be able to plan for so long and now, Godwilling and Board-willing, they’ll work out,” Shepard said at the time.

And many of her plans did work out — not only in her time at Pitt, but also in her career today. After getting her B.A. in communications and rhetoric in 1990 and her master’s degree in public policy and management in 2003, she became the keystone for many Pittsburgh universities’ alumni associations. Now, she’s a senior manager for the Pittsburgh non-profit, the Pittsburgh Promise.

Shepard grew up in Beaver Falls, a town about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh, where she attended Riverside High School. When it was time to apply to college, there was only one name on the list. And initially, she didn’t want to work in education.

“I really thought I wanted to go into physical therapy … and because a friend of ours who was a physical therapist had gone to Pitt, I decided I wanted to go to Pitt, too,” she said, “and it was the only school I applied to.”

In the spring of her first year at Pitt, however, Shepard switched to a major in communications and rhetoric, which she said suited her better. The same semester, Shepard’s love for writing and leadership led her to become a writer for The Pitt News and a member of the Student Government Board. Later she would take on leadership positions with both organizations, though at different times.

Shepard’s time in the newsroom was a part of her best times at Pitt, she said. She said she had a great time with her fellow writers, describing one time she and her coworkers at the paper took turns going to a

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Julie Shepard was a senior when she became the first female president of Pitt’s Student Government Board. Photo courtesy of Julie Shepard less enjoyable class and taking notes. They would study together in the newsroom after “putting the paper to bed,” Shepard said.

“I don’t know if I would’ve made it through that class without everyone who was on The Pitt News at the time taking the class, as well,” she said.

Terry Lucas, the general manager of The Pitt News, worked closely with Shepard in her days working at the news desk, but expressed the significance of her winning SGB president. The legacy of that win still endures, Lucas said.

“Prior to her being SGB president, it was always a guy. I think that she led the way for women here at Pitt to see that the opportunity to be a leader of student government was certainly attainable,” Lucas said.

Joyce Giangarlo, SGB’s adviser in Shepard’s time, recalled Shepard as a very hardworking, focused and fair person — and said

she still is to this day. Shepard’s dedication to serving students and her community has been an ever-present quality.

“For her, it’s always been about service.

That’s been a driving thing and the essence of her,” Giangarlo said.

Giangarlo said she and Shepard still keep in touch, like Shepard does with many of her former classmates and colleagues.

“When I see her and all of those ones that were a part of [SGB], for me there’s this whole sense of pride,” Giangarlo said. “Not that I had anything to do with it, but man, they turned out okay.”

Since her graduation from Pitt’s public policy and management master’s program in 2003, Shepard has worked for many Pittsburgh universities — including Pitt, Duquesne University, Point Park University and Chatham University. At Pitt, she worked with the Alumni Association and assisted

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with a number of projects, including the creation of The Pitt News Alumni Council.

Tom Misuraca, Pitt’s assistant director of student life, knew Shepard first as a student and, later, a coworker.

“She was a very formidable young woman. When it came to the things that students wanted and, more importantly, needed, [she was] a definite voice and a very powerful voice for her undergraduate constituents,” Misuraca said.

Now, after 20 years of working in higher education, Shepard said she has found happiness in working for the Pittsburgh Promise, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for Pittsburgh public school students seeking a post-secondary education.

Shepard’s position as senior manager of annual giving puts her work mostly in community outreach, where she does planning and fundraising to raise money for the organization. Shepard loves feeling like she’s on the front lines of educational efforts in Pittsburgh, she said.

In addition to her work at Pittsburgh promise, she tutors adults through Literacy Pittsburgh, an organization dedicated to the advancement of education and literacy with local adults and families. But she also enjoys ballroom and swing dancing, reading and taking walks around the City, especially near her home in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood.

Her walks around the City tend to put her work in perspective, Shepard said, because it makes her remember her work plays a part in educating the future workers that will carry out their jobs in the buildings before her. As a former student and a current resident of the City of Pittsburgh, Shepard said she wants her work to strengthen the foundations of the City’s workforce and general livelihood.

“I wholeheartedly believe in the City of Pittsburgh. I lived in the suburbs for a number of years, and decided very deliberately to move into the City, but my passion really is education,” she said. “Anything that I can do to strengthen the educational foundation that both our young people and our adults have, to me, is passion in motion.”

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See video of protests online at pittnews.com or youtube.com/thepittnews

Trump’s Pittsburgh speech draws protesters Benjamin Nigrosh Staff Writer

President Donald Trump’s speech at the Shale Insight Conference on Wednesday turned the intersection of Penn Avenue and 10th Street into the marching ground for a few hundred protesting Pittsburghers.

Just a few hundred yards away from Trump’s speech, a crowd at the intersection of Penn Avenue and 10th Street was singing “This Land Is Your Land” — trying to make their voices loud enough to be heard inside the convention, organizer Tracy Baton said.

“I assure everyone that you can hear us inside the convention center,” Baton said.

“So as long as we are outside cheering and drumming, we will be doing what we need to do.”

Baton is a Pitt alumna, the director of Women’s March Pittsburgh and the co-di-

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Demonstrators gathered outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to protest President Donald Trump, who visited Pittsburgh to speak at the annual Shale Insight Conference. Caela Go staff photographer

October 24, 2019

rector of Indivisible Pittsburgh. Although the event was advertised on Facebook with the hashtag #ImpeachAndRemove, Baton said Wednesday’s event had a larger mission.

“This particular action is to stand with American democracy,” Baton said. “To say that our values matter, to say that if there was ever a reason that the emoluments clause mattered, then this is it.”

Trump addressed the convention with attendees from across the energy industry, from oil and gas workers to the CEOs of large energy corporations, who had gathered to talk about public policy in the environmental and energy sectors. During his speech, the president congratulated himself on succeeding in his promises to roll back environmental regulations and to build more pipelines. He also praised See Protests on page 10

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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH INNOVATION INSTITUTE Michael Yeomans

It’s not too late to register for the second annual Bluehack, the student idea generation hackathon being held this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26 and 27, at the Information Sciences Building, 135 N. Bellefield Ave., third floor.

The event, which will feature the opportunity to pitch for cash prizes in a Shark Tank-style format on Sunday afternoon, is open to all students of any level from across the University, as well as other universities. The best part: No coding skill is required.

IBM, AmerisourceBergen’s Lash Group and the University of Pittsburgh will bring student innovators together to tackle the world’s most pressing problems. Food is provided throughout both days.

The event begins Saturday morning. Check in is at 8 a.m. with the program kicking off at 9:15.

Student groups brainstorm and form teams, then work with mentors and entrepreneurs in residence to move their ideas forward and potentially win cash prizes.

Again, no prior coding or computer science skills are required. This year’s theme is “Transforming Healthcare,” where teams will work on and present their ideas on advancing solutions for the healthcare system.

“These students’ ideas may very well be used in work settings in the near future, and it’s important to help nurture the students’ interests in these fields,” said Babs Carryer, director of the Big Idea Center in Pitt’s Innovation Institute.

“Competitions like Bluehack not only provide incentives for students and their ideas, but also give students the opportunity to receive guidance from working professionals.”

“IBM is excited to partner with University of Pittsburgh and Lash Group for the second time, this year to co-create the future of healthcare,” said Ed Fung, IBM general manager & CTO/ client pursuits, North A m e r i c a . “ We a r e h o n -

ored to participate and looking forward to seeing the innovative solutions that come out of the event.”

Students may register on-site Saturday morning, Oct. 26th.

• Friday: Student Shadows w/ Pgh Startups • Monday: Steel City Startups Pitt x CMU • Tuesday: Pitt x CMU PDMA Pitch Competition • Wednesday: Everyone Wins• Thursday: Startup Job Fair pittnews.com

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PHI KAPPA THETA TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED

Jon Moss

Assistant News Editor The University suspended Pitt’s chapter of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity on an interim basis Wednesday, ceasing all organizational operations.

New member education was suspended last Friday after an anonymous report was submitted to the University describing possible involvement in hazing new members. An investigation is pending.

Pitt spokesperson Kevin Zwick said Phi Kappa Theta was fully suspended on a temporary basis after “information was

presented.” He declined to provide more detail on what was presented.

Phi Kappa Theta President Ryan Cenderelli did not respond to a request for comment.

Two additional Greek life organizations, the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and Chi Omega sorority, are also currently facing hazing probes. New member education was suspended Wednesday for both organizations.

Pitt community members can report hazing and other crimes via the Pitt police anonymous tip form.

Pitt’s chapter of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity was suspended on an interim basis Wednesday due to possible involvement in hazing.

Caela Go staff photographer

2 additional Greek life orgs face hazing probes Jon Moss

Assistant News Editor Two additional Greek life organizations at Pitt face hazing probes as of Wednesday evening.

The University placed Pitt’s chapters of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and Chi Omega sorority on “Interim Loss of Privileges — New Member Education” Wednesday, following anonymous reports to the University for possible involvement in new member hazing.

Pitt suspended a third Greek life organization, the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, on an interim basis Wednesday, ceasing all organizational operations. This move follows a partial suspension last Friday after a similar anonymous report of possible involvement in new member hazing. An investigation is pending.

Pitt spokesperson Kevin Zwick said investigations have begun into the two organizations, and they must cease all new member education activities while the investigations take place.

“We encourage all students to reflect on their in-

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volvement in our fraternity and sorority community and their organization’s commitment to a culture that values excellence and the well-being of its community members,” Zwick said. “Our policies and expectations have been made very clear to our students.”

Martin Klena, the president of Delta Sigma Phi, said the University has provided him with very little information about what the fraternity is being accused of, but is taking the hazing allegations very seriously.

“We really don’t have a ton of information of what’s going on right now. We’re really in the dark,” Klena, a senior computing engineering major, said. “We are planning to cooperate with the University as much as possible to really get to the bottom of whatever we’re being accused of.”

Klena added that DSP has a written internal process for dealing with hazing allegations and tries to maintain a culture where new members would feel willing to discuss such topics.

“I think we try and be very objective and open to lis-

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tening to people and getting their opinions,” Klena said.

“I would hope that somebody would feel comfortable.”

Jade Nash, the president of Chi Omega, did not respond to a request for comment.

The three investigations come two years after a string of hazing and alcohol incidents in spring 2018.

Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner placed all Greek life organizations on modified social probation in January 2018. He lifted the probation in August 2018 and released a community action plan aiming to change the culture of Greek life on campus.

At the time he released the plan, Bonner said responsibility for Greek life organizations ultimately lies with students.

“At some point, you’re all adults, you’re all leaders, you’re all responsible people — and I think reasonable people — and you have a responsibility to manage your organizations,” Bonner said.

Pitt community members can report hazing and other crimes via the Pitt police anonymous tip form.

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9

Protests, pg. 6 his controversial decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which he clashed with Mayor Bill Peduto over in 2017.

Marie Norman, an associate professor of medicine at Pitt, said she protests because she loves America.

“It’s because I love our country that I’m here,” Norman said. “I love the fact that while we do not always live up to our founding principles we recognize a duty to try to create a more perfect union.”

Norman highlighted the recent tally from the Wall Street Journal’s Fact Checker that the president has told more than 13,000 lies since coming to office.

“If we want a future defined by law and reason, facts and science, decency and compassion, if we care about the rule of law, about the checks and balances that prevent tyranny in this fragile democracy, we have no choice but to impeach in the house, convict in the senate and remove this dangerous and unstable president and office,” Norman said.

Nathaniel Yap, a Pittsburgh native and local activist, said democracy requires accountability.

“We are not going to let these attacks on democracy stand,” Yap said. “We the people will hold the president, every member of this administration, every member of Congress, that’s an important one, accountable and ensure that our democracy, our Constitution and our freedoms are protected.”

Yap, the son of parents who immigrated from the Philippines, said he learned his ideas of freedom and liberty from them.

“They were looking for freedom and opportunity for themselves, for their children and their grandchildren,” Yap said. “Because they knew what authoritarian governments could do. They clamored for democracy, they deeply valued freedom.”

According to Yap, his parents recognized the same authoritarian tendencies in Trump that they had in the leader they fled to come to America. Though previ-

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ously staunch Republicans, they voted outside of the party since becoming U.S. citizens for the first time in 2016, he said.

“Some folks contend that these times are not ones for Americans to be partisan,” Yap said. “I disagree. With a president who betrays the United States of America so repeatedly and so callously, we do need to be partisan. We need to be partisan on behalf of one thing — the democracy of the United States of America.”

Samantha Schatten, a Pitt junior political science and Spanish major, said partisan protests are important because they ensure that their voices are loud. “[Protesting] is one of the most important things you can do,” Schatten said. “It’s a bare minimum to vote, but you also have to get your voice out there and protest when you see injustice. It tells legislators that not only do we not agree with them but we’re actively going to fight for what we think is right.”

The president’s visit comes near the anniversary of the Tree of Life shooting in Squirrel Hill that killed 11 members of the synagogue’s congregation. Just after the tragedy, the president’s visit to the City inspired similar protests.

Norman, a Squirrel Hill native, said this violence comes from the president giving hatred a platform.

“Donald Trump has hijacked our democracy,” Norman said. “He sows discord, hatred and fear wherever he goes.”

Along with putting Americans in danger, Norman said the president has changed the way we look at American values.

“Instead of a leader who is willing to solve these problems we have a president so corrupt so self-serving, juvenile, petty and incapable of honesty or decency that he poses an existential threat to everything we value,” Norman said.

According to Schatten, these are not the kinds of issues that can be solved with idleness. She said that people need to come out and speak directly to their policymakers.

“This is a warning to Trump that this needs to be a one-term presidency,” Schatten said.

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How Financial Goals Can Help You Achieve the Lifestyle You Want A car? A vacation? A house? Zero credit card and student loan debt? What would you like to put your hardearned money toward? Setting financial goals can help you take control of your finances, saving for the things you want and paying down the debt you don’t want. Think about it: If you don’t have goals or a plan for how you are going to spend your money, you may be more likely to waste it on frivolous things that don’t help you get to the lifestyle you want.

Here are some steps you can take to set and begin working toward your financial goals: Think about your priorities, and identify short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals. How do you prioritize? First, think practically. Setting goals requires you to understand where your money goes and how much you have in discretionary funds. That means creating and sticking to a budget. If you don’t have a budget yet, then you may want to make this your first short-term (immediate) goal. Another smart short-term goal is to build an emergency fund large enough to cover at least three months of expenses.

Next, think about where your debt — student loan, credit card and any other debt you might be carrying — fits into your plan. Will paying it off be a short-term, intermediate or long-term goal? Keep in mind that debt can be costly, because it continues to accrue interest as long as you carry a balance.

Finally, build in the fun goals: buying a car, putting a down payment on a house, saving for your dream vacation, etc.

Remember to include retirement savings in your plan as well. The earlier you start, the easier it can be to reach that goal.

Calculate how much you’ll need each month to achieve your goals. This may take some back-and-forth calculations, depending upon how much money you have in your budget to work with. For example, if you are saving to buy a car at graduation (intermediate goal), and you determine you need to save $100 a month toward that goal but you have only $50 in your budget to spare, then you will need to either adjust your expectation on the time frame or find an additional $50 in your budget by cutting back on another area. If you’ve included other goals in the same time frame as your car, then you may have to reprioritize.

This exercise can be valuable in helping you fine-tune your goals and your plans for achieving them. Don’t be discouraged if your funds aren’t stretching as far as you’d like. As your income grows, you may be able to set more aggressive goals.

Monitor your progress. Check in with yourself at regular, designated intervals (at the beginning of each semester or once a quarter, for example) to see what progress you’ve made toward your goals and whether your priorities and goals have changed. Celebrate the progress you’ve made, and keep making those dreams come true. © 2019 The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources “How to Set and Keep Personal Financial Goals,” Money Management International, 2019 “Setting Financial Goals for Your Future,” Investopedia, June 3, 2019 “Make Your Money Work for You: The Ultimate Guide to Setting Financial Goals,” The Penny Hoarder, May 22, 2019

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GEORGE A. ROMERO COLLECTION BRINGS THE DEAD TO LIFE Sinead McDevitt For The Pitt News

The undead strolled through the dimly lit first floor of the Hillman Library Wednesday night — past the grave of Nicholas Kramer, which Barbara (Judith O’Dea) clung to in after the first zombie attack in the 1968 film “Night of the Living Dead.”

The festivities were part of the University Library System’s celebration of the new George A. Romero Archival Collection recently acquired by the University. Romero, who passed away in 2017, is known as the “Father of the Zombie Film” and created “Night of the Living Dead,” which was filmed in Pittsburgh. The archive is comprised of three separate collections belonging to Romero’s widow, Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, his daughter, Tina Romero, and his friend and former business partner, Peter Grunwald.

At the event, actors read of some of Romero’s screenplays, guests were served zombie-themed snacks and activities like face painting and a trivia challenge were set up around the first floor.

The Romero collection seeks to amass materials and facilitate the scholarly analysis of the horror genre. Ben Rubin, horror stories collection coordinator and curator for the Romero collection, said the collection consists of not only materials from the movie “Night of the Living Dead” — which arguably started the modern zombie genre — but its promotion as well.

“It has a very rich amount of material from unproduced scripts, produced scripts, production materials like cast lists, shooting schedules, location scouting reports, contracts, a lot of publicity and promotional material, sort of like what went into how to promote movies back then, but then also the type of publicity that it was receiving while they were coming out,” he said.

Some of these materials were on display at the event, including an early draft of the screenplay for “Night Of The Living Dead” with annotations, the shooting script for “The Crazies” (1973) and promotional materials for the film “The Amusement Park” (1974).

There was also material from Romero projects that never made it to film, such

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Visitors at Living with the Dead: A Party Celebrating the George A. Romero Archival receive makeup courtesy of ScareHouse. Wu Caiyi staff photographer as “Nuns From Outer Space,” and sketches and notes from 1976 about a Bigfoot film that would have starred Steelers’ running back Franco Harris, who Romero would later make a documentary about. Rubin said he felt the exhibit functions as a learning tool for Pitt students to study film.

“You can see and trace this process of how Romero actually made a film, from an original draft to then watching a final film,” he said. “You can see how it got there, learning from these production materials what goes into scouting, what goes into a contract. All this will really illuminate what that process looks like.”

At the event, William “Chilly Billy” Cardille was posthumously awarded the first annual George A. Romero Foundation Pioneer Award. Cardille hosted local television channel WIIC’s “Chiller Theater” during its run from 1964 to 1983, during which he raised money for Romero’s “Night of The Living Dead.” Cardille also played a field reporter in the film which, according to Romero, would not have been made without Cardille.

Throughout the evening, there were readings from the screenplays of three of

Romero’s projects, “Night of The Living Dead,” “Dracula” and “Masque of the Red Death,” the latter two of which were never completed.

“Night of the Living Dead” is widely regarded as a turning point from classic Universal Horror — which refers to the shared cinematic universe coming out of Universal Studios from the 1920’s to the 1950’s — to the more modern version of the genre. Elizabeth Kurtzman, a Ph.D. student studying horror and theater, said she was excited to learn about Romero’s influence on horror filmmaking.

“I’m interested in the performance of fear, so kind of looking at the way that, especially Americans, have a relationship with different genres of horror and why and the politics, and what different things have scared people throughout the ages,” she said.

Mayor Bill Peduto’s signed 2018 proclamation naming Oct. 1 “George Romero Day” was also on display. Pittsburgh played a large role in Romero’s films, as many of them were set here. Courtney Colligan, a Ph.D. student in theater and performing arts, was one of the actors who read from

October 24, 2019

Romero’s screenplays. She said Pittsburgh’s presence is felt throughout much of his work.

“Romero very much works Pittsburgh into his films and his work, and it very much shows,” she said. “In ‘Night of the Living Dead’ he mentions Pittsburgh directly in the opening scene.”

Sean Cook, a graduate student in the Pitt theater department and Colligan’s co-reader, also said Romero made Pittsburgh more than just a setting in his work.

“I’d think that Romero was generous in his use of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh sort of became not just a location, but almost a character in several of his pieces and audiences came to know that and expect that from his work,” he said.

The addition of the George A. Romero Archival Collection opens new opportunities to film students. Cook said that it was a useful resource for aspiring filmmakers.

“I think having this close connection to Romero, someone who was so prolific will only be a resource for the students in the film studies, and by proxy the theater art students who end up acting in their shows, acting in their movies and acting in their digital series.”

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Student Alumni Association paints the town blue and gold with new contest Diana Velasquez Staff Writer

Usually packed with a flurry of students rushing to class, the Forbes skybridge on Monday was congested with Pitt students painting the windows with brightly colored blue and gold Panther paws.

Every year at Pitt, the Student Alumni Association puts on its annual Paint the Town event the week before Homecoming. The week -ong event gathers students willing to literally paint the town in Pitt’s colors, from academic buildings to local businesses. From the skybridge, to Pamela’s Diner, to Primanti Brothers, by the end of Homecoming Week Oakland is all dressed up in blue and gold.

The Pitt community is accustomed to the yearly tradition. But this year’s co-

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chairs and Blue and Gold society members Luke Profy and Erin Casey decided to put a twist on the usual festivities — announcing a $300 prize for the winner of the event’s competition on social media.

Profy and Casey wanted to add a new incentive for Paint the Town this year to get more student groups involved.

For the first time, student organizations had the opportunity to paint a business or building of their choosing last week and post it on social media for a chance to win the cash prize funded by the Pitt Alumni Association. They posted pictures of their decorations on Instagram using the hashtag #PaintTheTown2019.

The picture with the most likes by Oct. 25 will be declared the winner.

The cash prize was certainly an incenSee Blue and Gold on page 17

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Students paint the windows at Hemingway’s Cafe.

Ally Hansen staff photographer

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