SCHENLEY QUAD’S PARKING LYKE IS WHAT PITT ATHLETICS LOT SHOULD HAVE STAYED NEEDS FOR STEADY SUCCESS column Joshua Jordan
For The Pitt News Not many students actually relied on the parking lot in Schenley Quadrangle for parking — but it served other purposes for carless Quad residents. It was instrumental as a pick-up and drop-off point for Ubers and allowed families to park right by dorms on moving days. But this useful transportation hub will be totally gone by the start of the fall term. Pitt has decided to rip up the lot to make room for some green space. Panther Central first notified students in an early March email that the University planned to remove the parking lot and install a green space with benches and grass “for studying, relaxing and enjoying the outdoors.” While another space on campus to chill out and catch some rays sounds good, it now comes at the price of an integral part of life on Pitt’s campus — and it is doubtful that the end product will even be worth the change. The lot was important for student life on campus mainly because it served as a place of exchange. Delivery drivers could come right up by students’ dorms instead of waiting out on Forbes or Fifth. Grandparents stopping by to take students out for birthday dinners didn’t have to pay to wait half an hour in the Soldiers and Sailors parking garage. And it was crucial for ridesharing, a popular student transportation method. Ubers could pick up people heading to interviews Downtown or to shop at the Waterfront. Lyfts could drop tipsy residents right outside Bruce or Brackenridge.
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column Annalise Shaffer, a rising junior majoring in Supply Chain Management, said she feels the Quad is a safer option as a pick-up and drop-off point for Ubers. She talked about an incident where a friend of hers was nearly grabbed by a stranger while on campus and how she feels safer in the Quad due to the security guards in each of the dorms. “The Quad is a much safer place to call an Uber than a busy street corner,” she said. Getting rid of the parking lot is not only making students’ lives harder, but the lives of their families as well. The relatives of the Quad’s 1,200 residents will have lost a crucial parking place come September, hindering their ability to help students move into their residence halls. Pitt communications manager Deborah Todd said Pitt plans to restrict parking on streets running perpendicular to Fifth Avenue for families moving students into the Quad dorms in the fall. But this would only aggravate traffic congestion and force families to walk farther with housing carts full to the brim. Removing an extremely valuable parking lot is not the only issue with these renovations. Pitt is spending $5 million on this project, and that money is going to the wrong place. The University said in April that the main focus of this project is to provide Pitt students with more space to sprawl out on some grass, hang out and get some studying done — basically turning the Quad into a mini-Schenley Plaza or Soldiers Lawn. But what makes Schenley and Soldiers such popular hang out spots is that they get a lot of sun — and sunlight in the Quad’s See Jordan on page 34
Colin Martin Staff Writer
The best way to build a strong athletic program involves consistency and a direction. It’s very difficult for schools to form their own identity with constantly changing leadership as Pitt has experienced over the past decade with seven different head football coaches. But Pitt now officially has plans for its future — in her first year on the job, athletic director Heather Lyke received a contract extension to remain at Pitt through 2024. This decision will lead Pitt to the athletic stability and vision it needs to revitalize its athletic department, hopefully achieving the same level of success Pitt was once known for. This may come as a surprise to many fans since Lyke has only had the job for a little over a year — but she’s made that year count, proving her dedication to the school. “Heather is leading an ambitious charge to transform Pitt Athletics, and her success here is just beginning,” Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said in a statement. “I am thrilled that she will continue to push our athletics programs to new heights — and spur positive change for our student-athletes and our University community — for years to come.” Lyke hired six new head coaches in her first 13 months and secured futures for the school’s top athletic programs. After confusion and uncertainty regarding the fu-
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ture of the men’s basketball program, Lyke secured a big-time hire. Lyke sold Jeff Capel on the opportunities at Pitt and hired him as the men’s basketball head coach, contrary to the assumption that he would remain associate head coach at Duke. A few weeks later, Lyke made a similar move for the women’s basketball program with Florida State’s associate head coach Lance White. Having two nationally recognized coaches heading up the school’s basketball program will give Pitt basketball the direction and confidence it needs to win. Lyke’s commitment extends past Pitt basketball to growing the athletic program as a whole, including the school’s non-revenue-generating Olympic sports. She hired Keith Gavin to coach wrestling, Randy Waldrum to coach women’s soccer, Samantha Snider to coach gymnastics and Katie Hazelton to coach diving. Waldrum will be new for this upcoming season, but the three others had great success in their first seasons as head coaches at Pitt. In December, Lyke took another step toward stability in Pitt Athletics by offering an extension to head football coach Pat Narduzzi. The extension, which lasts until 2024, allows Narduzzi to build a football program where current and prospective players can rely and trust the coaching staff. The positive changes don’t end there. Lyke publicly disclosed new plans to build See Martin on page 34
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PANTHER PRIDE: O’NEILL, WHITEHEAD AND MADDOX’S JOURNEYS TO THE NFL
Trent Leonard Staff Writer
Pitt’s 2018 NFL Draft selections — offensive lineman Brian O’Neill, safety Jordan Whitehead and cornerback Avonte Maddox — all share common skills that made them appealing to professional teams — positional diversity and exceptional speed. Had these athletes played for different college teams, they may not have been able to showcase the abilities that made them stand out. O’Neill might have played tight end— the position he was originally recruited for — instead of lineman, and Whitehead might have only been able to showcase his talents on one side of the ball. But at Pitt, the coaching staff didn’t shy away from thinking outside the box in order to utilize each player’s full potential. O’Neill, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of all offensive linemen at the 2018 NFL Combine, was first Panther off the draft board when the Minnesota Vikings took him in the second round with the 62nd overall pick. After a quiet third round, Pitt’s remaining players were selected close together in the fourth, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting Whitehead at 117th and the Philadelphia Eagles taking Maddox 125th overall. O’Neill didn’t have the type of career trajectory expected for offensive linemen. He played tight end — not offensive tackle — during his time at Salesianum School in Delaware, racking up 33 catches for 614 yards and eight touchdowns, while leading his team to a state championship title as a senior. While he played a large role on his high school team’s success, he was ironically mediocre at the one task which he will now perform for a living — blocking. “I didn’t think he could block,” O’Neill’s high school coach Bill DiNardo
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ties, as the team created trick plays to utilize his deceptive talent. O’Neill rushed for two touchdowns in 2016, earning him SBNation’s Piesman Trophy — an award given annually to a college lineman who does unlineman-like things. O’Neill’s fellow NFL draftee Whitehead also shined on both sides of the ball at Pitt, where he played the rare role of a two-way threat. Whitehead flashed his versatility at Central Valley high school, where he accumulated 35 touchdowns in his senior year via rushing, receiving, interception return, kickoff return and punt return. Rated the No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com, Whitehead chose to stay in his hometown and play for Pitt — following the footsteps of seven-time NFL Pro Bowl cornerback and former Panther Darrelle Revis, who happens to be Whitehead’s cousin. “Growing up I remember watching him at Aliquippa, he was a great basketball and football player,” Whitehead said. “Now I’ll hit him up, seeing where he’s at, what he’s doing and getting good advice. It’s a blessing to have him as a cousin.” As a true freshman in 2015, WhiteOffensive lineman Brian O’Neill was the first Panther picked from the draft head took no time to impress. Playing board when the Minnesota Vikings took him in the second round. safety on defense, Whitehead led the TPN FILE PHOTO Panthers with 109 tackles — the most told The News Journal, a local paper in tackle in 2015 due to injuries on the ofby a true freshman in school history — fensive line. Delaware. “He didn’t want to block.” and was named the ACC’s Rookie of the The rest, as they say, is history — O’Neill also enjoyed a prolific high Year. Whitehead also established himself school basketball career, leading the Sals O’Neill started in 37 of Pitt’s next 38 as a legitimate two-way player, tallying to their first state basketball champion- games, playing right tackle during the 12 rushes for 122 yards and two touchship in school history as a senior in 2014. 2015 and 2016 seasons before switching downs on offense. The 6-foot-6 player averaged 13.5 points to the left side in 2017. His blocking abiliDespite being undersized at 5-foot-10, and 8.2 rebounds and was named the Del- ties earned him All-ACC honors in 2016 198 pounds, Whitehead appealed to NFL aware Boys Basketball Player of the Year and 2017. teams because of his fierce athleticism “It’s the best decision I ever made to while playing alongside Donte DiVinand ability to play multiple positions. cenzo, who would go on to become this switch to offensive tackle,” O’Neill told “The Buccaneers got themselves a year’s NCAA Final Four Most Outstand- The News Journal. “I absolutely love evreally great all-around football player,” ery second of it and hopefully will coning Player at Villanova. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “JorAfter being recruited by Pitt as an ath- tinue to.” dan showed the ability to contribute in But the Panthers’ coaching staff didn’t letic tight end, O’Neill made the tough See NFL on page 27 decision to switch positions to offensive forget about O’Neill’s pass-catching abili-
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NFL, pg. 26 so many different ways at Pitt. He was a safety who could effectively defend both the run and pass, and he was also a dynamic offensive threat for us.” Just eight spots after Whitehead was taken, the Eagles selected his fellow defensive backfield teammate Maddox with the 125th overall pick. Like Whitehead, Maddox established himself as a diverse playmaker in high school. In his senior year at Martin Luther King High in Detroit, Maddox racked up 956 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, 717 rushing yards and four touchdowns and four interceptions — two of which he returned for touchdowns. Maddox’s penchant for pick-sixes continued in his time at Pitt, where he returned an interception for a touchdown in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He became the rock of the Panthers’ secondary, leading the team in both pass breakups and interceptions during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. In addition to his consistent presence on the field, Maddox also became known as a leader and high-character individual within the program. He served as a team captain during his senior year and was awarded the University’s Panther Award, presented annually to the senior student-athlete who has best promoted Pitt Athletics through outstanding athletic achievement. “The Eagles are going to love Avonte Maddox. He is as tough a competitor as I’ve been around, every single day and every single play,” Narduzzi said. “Avonte was such an important leader for our program, and I know he will bring that same toughness and leadership to Philadelphia.” Like O’Neill, Maddox further helped his draft stock at the NFL Combine by running one of the top 40-yard dash times for his position. His mark of 4.39 seconds ranked seventh-fastest among defensive backs, and flashed the sort of speed that made him a big-play threat at Pitt. It remains to be seen how much playing time these three Panthers will earn in their rookie seasons, but with each one’s high-caliber quickness and ability to play multiple positions, it should only be a matter of time before they earn the opportunity to succeed in the NFL.
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Lyke’s Plan, pg. 21
Gavin acted as assistant coach with Virginia for three years — winning the 2015 ACC Championship title — before later holding the same position with Oklahoma. At both schools, Gavin led a total of 15 wrestlers to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Gavin added Jordan Leen to his staff as assistant coach to join Drew Headlee — who was the assistant coach under previous head coach Jason Peters. Under Gavin, Pitt wrestlers not only qualified for the ACC Wrestling Championship and the NCAA Championships, but a
program-high four wrestlers were named to the All-ACC Academic Team. The team finished the season 4-10 and 2-3 in the ACC. Diving Katie Hazelton filled the position as diving head coach after 38-year head coach Julian Krug retired. Originally from Harpenden, England, Hazelton came to the program with experience working for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games as diving technical operations manager. She later spent over four years at Duke’s amateur diving
club — which was named the country’s most improved club by USA Diving in 2014. Hazelton joins swimming head coach John Hargis and assistant coaches, Marc Christian, Jos Smith, Rebecca Westfall and new addition Justin Andrade. Hazelton saw success at the USA Diving Winter Nationals in the 2017-18 season with Meme Sharp — who received a gold medal with a score of 476.75 — and Dominic Giordano. Later that season, Hazelton helped two divers reach the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
From the top: Lance White - Women’s Basketball Katie Hazelton - Diving Samantha Snider - Gymnastics Randy Waldrum - Women’s Soccer PHOTOS COURTESY OF PITT ATHLETICS
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PITT SERVICE WORKERS TO BE AFFECTED BY SCOTUS DECISION Christian Snyder Editor-in-Chief
Aliyya Lee had just worked from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. before stopping to meet her coworker Pam Johnston at Panera on Forbes Avenue. After passionately describing to me what’s at stake over 200 miles away as nine Supreme Court justices debate a labor union case, the pair left to defend unionized employees in the morning’s grievance hearings — all part of a union steward’s job. The case in question, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31, could overturn public sector unions’ 40-year-old right to charge nonmembers fees for benefits they receive as a result of collective bargaining agreements. Over the course of the last few months, Janus has become a political proxy war, pitting conservatives who tout it as a free speech case against liberals who say it threatens workers’ right to organize. But to Johnson and Lee, free speech and the right to organize are indistinguishable — and both are on the line in Janus. “Free speech to me, being a union member, is having a voice and a job,” Johnston said in a thick Lawrenceville accent. Johnston works in Pitt’s facilities management department as a general maintenance employee. She’s been a member of Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ for 25 years, and recently passed her longtime position of union steward to Lee so she could have more time to organize with 32BJ in other capacities. 32BJ represents more than 400 service employees on campus, from groundskeepers to Sodexo employees. The union is responsible for negotiating wage contracts, overtime benefits and health care, among other things. It’s a place of community, a family, a source of education — to Lee and Johnston, the union means everything. “If anything were to change, who knows what our benefits would look like,” Lee said. “Who knows what our wages would look like.” Janus is an inherently uncertain case, challenging a decades-old Supreme Court precedent. The plaintiff, Mark Janus, is a child support specialist for the Illinois De-
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partment of Healthcare and Family Services. He is not a member of the local public sector union, and thus doesn’t have to pay union fees. But in Illinois and 21 other states, public sector employees are required to pay “agency” fees for benefits obtained through the union’s bargaining. A 1977 case in Michigan, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, set the constitutional precedent for agency fees, but required that agency fees not be spent on a public sector union’s political activity, which can include lobbying and public demonstration costs. The Supreme Court heard an agency fees case in January 2016 — Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association — that questioned the very constitutionality of Abood. But little insight could be gained from the court’s nine-word opinion issued after Justice Antonin Scalia’s unexpected death in March 2016. “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court,” the per curiam, or “by the court,” decision read. Janus is an opportunity for the court — and largely its newest appointee Neil Gorsuch, the only justice who didn’t vote in
Friedrichs — to either solidify Abood and re-declare that agency fees are constitutional or overturn the precedent. Johnston thinks the latter would be disastrous. “To me it’s taking your voice away from the job,” she said. “With a union we have the right to walk up and negotiate our own terms, and have protection and not be afraid of losing our jobs.” Johnston thinks it’s a combination of unions’ negative connotation and “uneducated people” that make Janus even a question. “The agency fees right now are only like a $3 difference from regular union fees,” she said. She said if non-union members want to avoid paying agency fees but still benefit from the union’s achievements, like a $15-per-hour minimum wage of a 40-hour work week, they’re missing the bigger picture. “The union does a lot that people don’t understand, politically. We’re working class. If we don’t stick together or whatever, then we’ll never get it,” she said. Johnston said without the union, she never would have been able to afford the house she lives in or the car she drives. Lee said
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DREAMSTIME/TNS without the union her daughter would have never been able to attend Pitt, a benefit for University service employees and their families. They’ve dedicated their lives to the union because they understand all employees might not have the ability to do so for themselves. “Without the union, all [the University] is doing is listening to another janitor complain about something,” Johnston said. Another legal term used to describe states in which workers cannot be forced to join unions before working is “right-to-work,” a term dating back to the early 1900s anti-union movement. Not including Pennsylvania, 28 states are currently “right-to-work” states. Janus would effectively make right-to-work the federal standard for public-sector employees. “It’s funny because they call it ‘right-towork.’ To me it’s right-to-struggle,” Johnston said. “That is very deceiving. People think, ‘I have a right to work.’ You have a right to work for pennies? You have a right to work with no voice on the job? Yeah you have that right, but why would you want that?” The Supreme Court will likely issue its decision in Janus this summer.
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PITTSBURGH CULTURE PRESENTS MANY OPTIONS Sarah Connor
Contributing Editor I grew up in a small town about 25 miles outside of the City — near the Pittsburgh International Airport — called Moon Township. It was common for people from my town to attend schools in and around the City, and I come from a long line of Pitt alumni. But I was independent as a kid and wanted to have new experiences, so my family ties to Pitt made me ignore it as an option rather than gravitate toward it. Pittsburgh itself didn’t excite me much either. With many successful athletic teams, I always felt like it was a city for sports fans instead of music and art buffs. I didn’t care for Steelers games — and that still rings true today — but I was eventually introduced to the other intriguing parts of Pittsburgh that appealed to students with artistic and literary bents. The summer before my senior year, I toured universities all around Ohio and New York. From Ohio University to Ithaca College, I was sure I could spread my wings and move far from Pittsburgh. But after pressure from my family, I sent in an application to Pitt. They wanted me to have the option to stay close to home in case I changed my mind about going far away, but at the time, I rolled my eyes and considered it a waste. But during those summer months leading up to my final year of high school, something interrupted my determination to get out of Pittsburgh. An old friend of mine invited me out to one of downtown Pittsburgh’s Rooftop Shindigs — a live music and film event held on the roof of the Theater Square Garage multiple times every summer. This gave me the chance to experience a side of Pittsburgh I had never seen before. That evening I saw the Pittsburgh-based, indie rock band Nevada Color play, a group that is now one of my favorite bands. The band members tossed beach balls around into the audience while rock music blared and people danced. That show led me to delve deep into Pittsburgh’s music scene. Soon enough, I was tak-
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Sarah Connor (right) and her friends enjoy lying in the grass at Point State Park while listening to live music at the 2016 Three Rivers Arts Festival. PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CONNOR
ing the 28X bus from the airport to the City to go to shows in Pittsburgh as often as I could, jamming to other local and national bands I had only just discovered. Pittsburgh’s music culture had me traveling around the city more than before, taking me to places like Wigle Whiskey and the now-closed Altar Bar to see metal groups, emo bands and synth-pop duos perform. My brother was a sophomore at Pitt at the time, which also got me into the City more often. Getting the chance to visit him at his South Oakland apartment was how I toured Pitt’s campus. He introduced me to Market Central, the now-closed Qdoba on Forbes and his classrooms in Benedum Hall. Sushi Fuku, Fuel & Fuddle and Dave & Andy’s Homemade Ice Cream were other places I experienced for the first time during those visits. But the best part of visiting him was realizing how close he was to cultural landmarks like Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and the Carnegie Museums — which he could
get into for free with his student ID. Culture was never this close to home in suburbia, but Pitt was surrounded by it. I ultimately decided to give Pitt a chance. At first, my main drive behind considering Pitt was that I didn’t want to leave the music scenes and cultural perks I had discovered in the City. But I’ve also found plenty of academic opportunities to take advantage of since then — when I’m not spending time at at concerts, visiting museums or hanging out at Schenley Park. I never would have decided to stay close to home and go to Pitt if I hadn’t taken the chance to explore its thriving cultural scene. Pittsburgh culture gives students an opportunity to appreciate the arts and has options for free or cheap entertainment beyond the party culture of most U.S. universities. This is a quirk of Pitt that sits close to my heart. Pitt students have the great opportunity to get a taste of the City’s flourishing music scene, courtesy of the student musicians and bands that play at house shows and at small venues
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weekly. Museums like The Andy Warhol Museum or The Mattress Factory are a part of the Pitt Arts program that allows Pitt students for free with their student IDs. With the dozens of restaurants to explore in Oakland and outside of it, plays, concerts, dance recitals and other artistic performances, culture is abundant. For those who weren’t as lucky as me to live close by before coming to Pittsburgh or who haven’t been able to get off campus much before, take the time to explore the City. You’ll be surprised by how much it has to offer and how much it’ll improve your college experience. I can happily say after two years that my love affair with the music scene is still going strong — I’ve gotten to see Nevada Color play quite a few more times since that first concert. I also discovered that I wanted to write about the music and culture Pittsburgh has to offer, leading me to flourish as a writer and decide to pursue a career in journalism. Sometimes, staying close to home isn’t so bad.
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Jordan, pg. 24 center is blocked by dorm rooms surrounding it for most of the day. Samantha Walter, a rising junior majoring in psychology and a former Amos Hall resident,
But excess noise could prove to be distracting to student living in the Quad if they are trying to pg. 24 study. While people can leave Schenley Plaza or a 3,000-seat arena for wrestling, volleySoldiers and Sailors if they become bothered by ball, gymnastics and indoor track. She supactivity, students shouldn’t be expected to leave ports the introduction and expansion of the their dorms to search out a quieter place if a club upcoming ACC Network. She plans to “flip is blasting “Party in the USA” under their win-
Martin,
Construction work in the Schenley Quadrangle has torn apart one of the few parking areas on Pitt’s campus. Anne Amundson|STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER said the renovations are “a waste of time and money,” and expects the renovations to go largely unused because of the buildings surrounding the Quad. There are some who are in favor of the changes — Claire Hickey, a rising junior majoring in mathematics and former resident of both Holland and Brackenridge, said she is tired of careless drivers ripping through the Quad. Also, the green space would offer student groups an additional place to hold events. “It may make the Quad a safer place to reach Towers and a more convenient area for the frats and sororities to hold their social [and] fundraising events,” she said.
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dow every week. If Pitt really wanted to create an additional green space for students, it could have done it in a more creative, convenient location that would not have robbed people of a valuable parking space. Hillman Library is already undergoing renovations of its own, so it would have been easy for Pitt to create another grassy hangout spot there. One of the sprawling concrete areas around Posvar could also have easily been replaced with grass and benches instead. These renovations are only going to add more complications to moving into a new dorm and traveling around the City — all for a parklet that could have easily been put somewhere else.
port at the top and the leadership there, it doesn’t go a lot of places,” Lyke said of Gallagher. “I’m really grateful for our board and our leadership there. They believe in what we’re doing and what we can accomplish here.” Pitt Athletics needs steady, motivated lead-
Heather Lyke received a contract extension to remain as the Athletic Director at Pitt through 2024 with Pitt’s hope of securing more athletic stability and success. TPN FILE PHOTO
the Pete” to highlight the Oakland Zoo supporters section for TV viewers and will replace the outdated Fitzgerald Field House. None of this would be feasible without the support of the University. Gallagher and the University are committed to her vision of what Pitt Athletics can — and will — become. Lyke’s close relationship with Gallagher will ensure she has the resources and support necessary to help usher Pitt back into an era of success. “We can have all the great ideas and the vision we want, but if you don’t have the sup-
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ership. Look at Mark Hollis — since starting at Michigan State in 2008, the school’s athletic program has become a model of stability and success. Or Jim Phillips from Northwestern — when he started in 2008, he inherited a mediocre athletic program with second-rate facilities to match. But since his hiring, he’s built major athletic complexes and secured notable hires, like former Duke basketball assistant Chris Collins — sound familiar? Lyke has already proven herself as a driven and committed athletic director. Giving her the opportunity to build stability and growth is what Pitt athletics needs to get back on top.
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Courses cut costs as OERs come to Pitt Madeline Gavatorta Staff Writer
Thousands of students flock to Oakland every August to attend one of the most costly public schools in the United States. These students will either go The University Store on Fifth to buy their textbooks at full price or go to sites like Amazon, praying for a better deal and two-day free shipping. Either way, it will be expensive — but it doesn’t have to be. The 2017-18 SGB passed a resolution Jan. 16 calling on professors and the University to use and encourage Open Educational Resources, or OERs — free online academic textbooks that professors can use in the classroom instead of requiring a textbook. Pitt estimates that textbooks cost each student an average of $772 per semester for the 2017-18 school year — an increase from the $680 average per student during the 2015-16 school year. Those
costs add up on top of the $18,130 base in-state tuition and $11,582 in average housing costs. When the resolution passed, the provost office formed an Open Educational Resource Committee, chaired by Assistant Provost Nancy Tannery to address the issue and make recommendations, which Krish Patel, vice president and chief of finances, was a member of. She noted how the cost of textbooks affects students back in January. “That cost, that’s someone’s rent. That’s someone’s grocery money for the entire semester,” Patel said. “That impacts the students way more than people really see.” Max Kneis, last year’s SGB president, authored the bill and was a strong advocate of OERs at Pitt. “It makes me really excited to see everyone in the university is caring about this issue, and it makes me really confi-
dent that something will happen for the better,” Kneis said. Kneis said SGB first had the idea as a way to help students save money considering Pitt’s high tuition. “We go to the highest in-state tuition university in the country, and the cost of higher education continues to go up and up, and more and more students keep taking on more and more loans,” Kneis said. “Anything we can do to help offset the rising cost of higher education I think is very important.” The board was also contacted by the Open Textbook Alliance, an organization that talks with student governments around the nation and encourages professors to use OERs, before it presented the bill. Kneis signed the Open Textbook Alliance’s statement of support for OERs on its website. The Pitt University Library System has a librarian dedicated to OERs — Lau-
ren Collister. She presented a PowerPoint about OERs at the University Senate’s annual plenary session March 27, which referenced a study done by Oregon State on its campus that stated 65 percent of students do not buy textbooks at some point because of cost, and 35 percent take fewer classes due to textbook cost. “While textbooks do not necessarily approach the full cost of tuition, they are a significant expense,” Collister said during the presentation. “Students have to take out extra funding or find extra sources to afford their textbooks for the class we require for them.” Frank Wilson, University Senate Council president and a professor of sociology at Pitt Greensburg, was also a member of the committee. He said a report was sent to Provost Patricia Beeson’s office May 1 that recommended adopting, encouraging and incentivizing OER See OERS on page 54
The Pitt News SuDoku 5/31/18 courtesy of dailysudoku.com
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LAWRENCEVILLE ART CRAWL LEAVES VISITORS IN AWE
Jonathan Kunitsky For The Pitt News
Betsy Lewis, Emmy Brown and Emily Richards walked down Butler Street amid sun-showers and humidity Saturday afternoon. As rising juniors at Pitt majoring in microbiology, neuroscience and physics, respectively, they ventured out of Oakland to admire local art displayed along the sidewalks of Lawrenceville during the neighborhood’s first art crawl. “We’ve come to see some art, some music, get some good food,” Lewis said while sharing a cup of rolled ice cream from NatuRoll Creamery with her friends. “We’re definitely in the right place.” The Lawrenceville Art Crawl looks to celebrate the neighborhood’s energy and vibrant community with an event spanning from the 40th to 52nd blocks of Butler Street, the business district’s main drag. Presented by local art collective Redfishbowl, this year’s event featured more than 150 artists, 15 bands and 25 venues offering free or low-priced entertainment, art and food to visitors to the hipster-chic business strip. Lawrenceville stretches from the eastern edge of the Strip District along the Allegheny River, and sits next to the Allegheny County Cemetery — one of the largest and oldest cemetery sites in the nation. The town began as a small trading post for English and French settlers in the 1700s, and in 1814 William Foster, father to the now-controversial composer Stephen Foster, laid out the city. Lawrenceville became an official borough of Pittsburgh in 1834. Nicknamed the “cradle of American industry,” Lawrenceville soon became the home to German and Irish immigrants who worked in the neighborhood’s many mills, breweries, glass factories and steel manufacturing plants. In the early 20th century, Poles, Italians, Swedes, Croatians, Russians, Lithuanians, Slovenes and African Americans all settled in Lawrenceville, forming a diverse community of laborers See Art Crawl on page 39
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Dance instructors from Level Up Studios hit the streets to perform at the 2018 Lawrenceville Art Crawl. The studio’s main goal is to be a creative playground for underserved community members. Jon Kunitsky|for the pitt news
Christan Miller, owner of Eclipse Tattoo in Springdale, sits outside the Ravenwood Collective on Butler Street with her artwork on display at the 2018 Lawrenceville Art Crawl. Jon Kunitsky|for the pitt news
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Art Crawl, pg. 38 and artisans. Today, it is a growing village of small business owners and Pittsburgh-based artists, a community that prides itself on its rich history and unique mix of old architecture and new construction. “The goal [of the art crawl] is to invite the community to come out and appreciate the vibrant culture and innate talent that Pittsburgh has to offer,” the art crawl’s Facebook event read. More than 5,000 people marked themselves “interested” on Facebook, including Richards, a Pitt student who first learned about the event on social media. “Local artists don’t always get much of a platform, so it’s nice to see them doing their thing,” she said. For local tattoo artist Christan Miller, owner of Eclipse Tattoo in Springdale, events like the art crawl are not only fun, but necessary for her business. By sitting outside the Ravenwood Collective with a display table full of her work, she could educate passersby about her craft and talk to members of the Pittsburgh community. “I love doing these things,” she said. “It really helps us get clients and helps us connect with other artists.” Miller specializes in watercolor tattoos, and she said the art crawl is important for artists like her because it helps them grow their network and meet potential customers who may not know about their craft. Artist Gwen Schmidt specializes in acrylic paint and design, and echoed a similar sentiment while stationed under a canopy in the WWI Memorial Park next to the Boys & Girls Club. “It helps us continue to grow our own business, promote our art and make connections with cool people,” she said. “It’s on Butler Street, so there’s heavy foot traffic. It’s easy to get to meet people.” Butler Street is one of Lawrenceville’s busiest streets, where music, food and drink regularly light up the night for visitors. Live music drifted through the air as guests ventured further along, passing pop-up tents and live art demonstrations. Crowds gathered at Beer on Butler to eat at the My Dogz “On the Run” food truck and celebrate Pop Thief ’s album release. Spirit, a two-floor music venue and cocktail lounge just off of 51st Street, was
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another popular destination for the art crawl. Local jewelry makers and ceramic artists sat in the venue’s outside lawn area to sell their handcrafted goods. Inside Spirit, graphic designer and illustrator Trenita Finney handed out free prints of her work, as well as coupons for 20 percent off art commissions. Intricate pendants, hand-blown water pipes and small glass turtles sat on the table of Saxonburg-based glass artist Sean McDonald, owner of the Jefferson Glass Company. Pitt’s very own Jack Stauber played a short set at Spirit after performing his first show of the art crawl at Roundabout
Brewery, performing a mix of album tracks and improvisational, live-only fan favorites. And for when the crowds got hungry, food trucks parked along the Art Crawl route and sold hot dogs, pierogies, pickles on a stick and ice cream to hungry guests. Lawrenceville is also home to a broad range of restaurants, with the Mediterranean-American fusion allvegan B52 Cafe, The Vandal, a cheery, modern take on Eastern European cuisine and New Amsterdam, which features microbrews, bar bites and a rooftop patio.
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For tourists and Pittsburghers alike who have never explored Lawrenceville, the art crawl was a perfect sampling of all the town has to offer. Finishing up their rolled ice cream, Lewis, Brown and Richards spotted a small crowd gathered around the Level Up Studios dance crew beside the Boys & Girls Club on Butler Street. They stopped to watch the group dance to hip-hop beats blasting from a wireless speaker. After their routine finished, Brown looked to her friends. “This is amazing,” she said. “I could stay here all day.”
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SUMMER CLASSES SERVE SEVERAL PURPOSES Justin Fekete
For The Pitt News After final exams week for the spring term ends, most students feel they will get along fine without looking at a syllabus or opening another textbook until August. Many start preparing for internships, jobs or, for the lucky ones, endless hours of sleep. Taking more classes isn’t always the first option for people deciding what to do with their summer. But while it’s understandable that some students would want take some time off from the academic routine for a few months, continuing your education during break can actually pay off in surprising ways. For some students, summer classes can be a saving grace if they didn’t do as well as they hoped in previous semesters. Those
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courses also cater to people looking to progress faster in their majors — plus, they offer more individualized, varied learning experiences. Summertime studies offer people the ability to enroll in different writing-intensive courses to finally fulfill a gen ed or retake one of the requirements for their major so that they’re back on the same level as their peers in the fall. Enrolling in summer sessions can also help if you took a while deciding your major, or figured out later in your college career that your major really wasn’t for you and you needed to switch. Taking classes in the summer allows you to get introductory courses and prerequisites out of the way. It can help you catch up to your peers who’ve studied nursing or See Fekete on page 41
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Fekete, pg. 40 Spanish since their first year of college. Even if you’ve managed to avoid suffering grades or are already firmly on the path to a degree, summer classes are still a good opportunity if you’re looking to have more room in your schedule for other goals. Taking summer classes can allow you to fit in another minor or certificate, or indulge in more advanced courses. Or, if you’re not interested in tacking on extra work during the academic year, summer courses can also help you get ahead of your peers and graduate a semester or two early. Summer courses also tend to be more individualized because professors are only dealing with a third or a fourth of the typical amount of students they teach. Since fewer students opt to enroll during summer sessions, class sizes are massively reduced and you’re more likely to get extra help if you need it. This can be especially beneficial for students who still need to fulfill gen eds or take introductory level classes, which often accommodate upward of 300 students during the fall and spring. And anyone retaking courses will be familiar with the
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content in a more intimate class setting, increasing their odds of success. While it’s true that the time frame for summer classes may be daunting — with four-, six- and 12-week sessions in classes offered in addition to the fullterm option, which lasts all 14 weeks of summer — this variety comes with perks. Students don’t necessarily have to take juggle classes at once with all these offerings. They can take two or three courses at different times in different increments. Taking a couple classes in a few weeks can be painless compared to juggling five different topics in one
term. Students can also find more room with this setup to complete an internship, make money or just relax. And for students who strive under routines and consistency, summer classes allow them start the fall term still used to taking notes, writing essays and sitting through lectures. While relaxation and self-care are necessary, spending a few hours in a classroom setting ultimately keeps students engaged and reinforces study habits that need to be kept up in the following year. Enrolling in summer sessions easily fulfills students’ needs in a variety
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of ways. They are crucial to helping students achieve scholastic success and work toward new goals, and provide a great learning experience for students who thrive in more focused, individualized environments. Unfortunately, it’s too late to enroll in the first summer sessions Pitt offers, but several are still open, including some four- and six-week sessions beginning in June and July. Consider it an option if you have a good amount of free time this summer — and by the way, no one will judge if you don’t end up taking any 8 a.m. lectures in the first place.
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A NEW PATH FOR CHAMPIONS: LYKE DISCUSSES RENOVATIONS, NEW HIRES, ATHLETIC CULTURE Joanna Li
Staff Writer As Pitt’s highly anticipated McCarl Hall of Champions is under construction, Panther fans can expect the changes to continue — Pitt’s athletic innovation will extend up “cardiac hill” to all athletic facilities. In a question and answer roundtable discussion between Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke and the media April 25, Lyke presented several future plans the athletic department plans to enact as early as the 2018-19 season. The plans were presented as a collaborative, University-wide project called “Victory Heights,” which Lyke said was still in a “silent phase” of development — meaning the master plan was still on paper. This project includes improvements to on-campus facilities like the Fitzgerald Field House and new projects
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that would provide updated facilities for student athletes. “We’ve got an unbelievably strong coaching staff and they’re doing the best they can, but when you don’t really have a facility that you’re recruiting to, you have some limitations,” Lyke said. “Competitive facilities — it’s our teaching environment, it’s where our coaches teach every day, so you need technology, stateof-the-art equipment, medical care, nutrition, sports psychology and all of that — we were just behind.” As the ACC Network launches a television station in connection to ESPN in the fall of 2019 across 15 campuses in the nation, there are major infrastructure Heather Lyke discussed her ideas for the flipping of the Pete during a roundtable costs that require investments from the discussion. schools. Multiple Pitt sports events are TPN FILE PHOTO expected to broadcast at this national like this, fans will see an in-house ACC level, and in order to accommodate the See Roundtable on page 46 necessary equipment for an endeavor Network studio specialized in producing
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TACO LOVERS LOSE THEIR MINDS AT HIGHMARK STADIUM
Delilah Bourque Staff Writer
Think of your favorite food, the most versatile and delicious thing you think you could eat for every meal. Maybe for you, it’s pizza, pasta or sandwiches. For some, that food is tacos. Over the weekend of May 20, a mass of Pittsburgh’s most famous Mexican food descended upon Highmark Stadium near Station Square for the 2nd Pittsburgh Taco Festival. As guests walked past food trucks and drink stands, they took in the festive atmosphere. “I’m definitely enjoying eating the tacos,” one attendee said. “The food is really good.” Tickets for the two sessions sold out quickly — by 2 p.m. there were no more to be spoken for, as both VIP and General Admission were sold out. People were milling around as comfortably as they could in weather that shifted between sunny and rainy — the Saturday afternoon featured temperatures in the upper 80s, and guests responded to this by guzzling water and other beverages until they were sold out. General admission to the festival was $10 in advance or $15 at the door. The price of admission was non-inclusive though, with VIP tickets ringing in at $50 each, giving guests access to an indoor lounge, free parking, a taco buffet and free non-alcoholic drinks. Visitors wandered around Highmark Stadium while Latin music played over the loudspeakers, including a version of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” sung entirely in Spanish.
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Gavas Beat, a Pittsburgh-based Latin music group, took to a stage in the center of the field — usually reserved for Riverhounds soccer games — to play their set. The smell was unmistakable — not taco seasoning and ground beef simmering in a crockpot, but fresh ingredients mixed in interesting ways. The festival hosted 23 taco vendors and a few popsicle, sauces and spices vendors. Large drink tents lined the center of the soccer field — a popular spot throughout the hot night. There were plenty of food options beyond traditional tacos, including vegan and vegetarian offerings. One vendor, who goes by the name Mr. Bulgogi, served Korean beef tacos. Other hits included Mexican street corn and tacos with different types of fillings, including blackened tilapia and beef tongue. People made the best of the lines as much as they could, often teaming up to hit multiple vendors at once, loading up on sweet treats. Many attendees had young children who ran around the stadium offering big smiles to other people at the festival. Some of the patrons beat both the boredom of the lines and the heat by exploring the large array of beer and icy mixed drinks for sale. The lines for the best food were one of the most difficult parts for attendees of the festival. One of the more popular food trucks was Doce Taqueria — which offered tacos as well as Mexican street corn, or elotes, and taquitos — featured a wait time of about 30 minutes from the end of the line to the truck. Some of the other food trucks seemed to be left with shorter, quicker lines. One vendor to experience both long and
After an afternoon shower at the Highmark Stadium in Station Square, a rainbow stretches across the second annual Pittsburgh Taco Festival. DELILAH BOURQUE | STAFF WRITER short lines throughout the festival was Casa Reyna, a restaurant in the Strip District. Carol Herder, the director of operations, events and catering at Casa Reyna, spoke excitedly about the prospective new customers the festival would bring to her business, saying she was able to inform interested customers about their restaurant “A lot of people know about our grocery store, but they don’t know that we’re in the corner in the basement,” she said. Casa Reyna’s sister store is Reyna Foods, a Mexican grocery in the Strip District that offers wholesale and retail Mexican groceries and foods. Owner Nic DiCio opened Casa Reyna after Reyna Food’s successes, bringing Mexican flair to Strip District shopping. Herder cheerfully added that the event organizers were very helpful and organized when it came to making sure the vendors were well taken care of. Other businesses took advantage of the opportunity to expand their reach at taco fest including Randita’s Organic Vegan Cafe. According to owner Dale Cinski, the truck normally serves more than just tacos, but they decided to bring just their Mexican best to the festival. He also noted that his truck was the only that offered solely veganfriendly options, with several others offering vegan and vegetarian options. Cinski said that being at the festival for taco lovers is always a great opportunity to bring new customers to his business.
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“People will always ask where we’re going to be next, if we have a business card, if we do catering,” he said, saying his business had even more success at the 1st Pittsburgh Taco Festival in 2016. “It always leads to something.”
Other dishes included elotes, or roasted street corn. DELILAH BOURQUE | STAFF WRITER
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Roundtable, pg. 43 sports content as they enter the doors of the Pete. The changes for the ACC Network aren’t just for the front of the house of the Pete — they continue onto the court as well. Leading the roundtable meeting with her current and most concrete plan of the “Victory Heights” project, Lyke presented a renovation of the Pete’s court. She hopes a new layout will better include the students of the Oakland Zoo when they are broadcasted on national
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television in the future. “You build the brand of Pitt not just as an athletic department but as a university, and the exposure for all of us is going to be exceptional,” Lyke said. “We’re a little bit far behind, so it gives us a chance to catch up with some of the other conferences that have that national media opportunity.” Lyke plans to “flip the court” at the end of the upcoming season by moving the cameras to capture the students rather than the players on the benches. This would better reflect the intimidation of the Pete that other teams may
face — a feeling that new basketball program hires men’s basketball head coach Jeff Capel and women’s basketball head coach Lance White know all too well. In addition, the department will reseat the arena, add Wi-Fi to the stadium and renovate the floors of the court — but Lyke will leave the public guessing about the color scheme, hinting that it may be the vintage school colors. “[Capel and White] were very interested in Pitt because they know what an unbelievably intimidating place the Petersen Events Center is to play,” Lyke said. “But I don’t know if the media or
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the national fan knows because our camera does not showcase the Pete as well as it could.” The reach of the ACC Network at Pitt doesn’t stop at the Pete. With multiple broadcasting opportunities across the several sports venues utilized by Pitt, several miles worth of cable and wire will run through campus in order to cover all sports events from the central ACC Network studio hub at the Pete. The public can expect to hear a full overview of the project, informally called “Pitt Studios,” as early as September 2018. Another part of “Victory Heights” is the construction of a new building to act as a center for human performance. This new state-of-the-art building would be used for strength conditioning, sports medicine and possibly collaborative human performance research with the University. As far as sporting events, a new 3,000-seat arena will be implemented for volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics teams in the new building — as well as an indoor 300-meter track. All of these adjustments to Pitt’s athletic facilities circle back to Lyke’s idea of a culture of comprehensive excellence in the department, which she discussed at the beginning of the roundtable discussion. “Culture is made up of your people — the people are what define a culture,” Lyke said. “Getting the right people who believe in what we’re doing and believe that we can be absolutely competitive in the ACC — that’s what we aspire to do across our 18 teams.” With the recent additions of Capel and White, Lyke says it is critical to solidify a strong foundation of leaders across the department that understand the expectations and have the same belief system in success. But, having the right people is just one half of it — the other half is creating environments in which the coaches are able to carry out the visions of success they share. “The goals are really to transform the student athlete experience here at Pitt — to show a demonstrative commitment to comprehensive excellence from the facility standpoint,” Lyke said. “Our plans are very exciting, bold, necessary and transformative.
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INTERNSHIP PREP PROGRAM POSITIONS STUDENTS FOR SUCCES Mario Cattabani
For the Pitt News One of the great stressors for college students is the pressure to secure an internship — and with good reason. A survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers in 2012 found 60 percent of respondents in paid internships received to at least one job offer, making internships a vital part of the post-grad job search. At Pitt, the Office of Career Development and Placement Assistance offers an Internship Prep Program for students feeling that pressure to get an internship. The program includes an “internship guarantee” for students who complete the program. Alyson Kavalukas, an internship coordinator with the Office of Career Development and Placement Assistance, said she understands just how important
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it is for students to take in the real world with outside experiences from internships. “Learning by doing gives students a chance to hone their strengths and refine areas of improvement, explore their true passions and choose the right career path so they can hit the ground running after graduation,” Kavalukas said. Pitt began its guaranteed internship program in 2013, at which time University officials said it was the first of its kind. Since then, the IPP’s popularity has skyrocketed, increasing enrollment fivefold from 400 students to an estimated 2,000 this year, according to University officials. Over the past two years, Pitt graduates reporting that they completed experiential learning while at Pitt jumped from 74 to 83 percent according to Pitt officials. The IPP also hosts a variety of student
workshops including resumé reviews, mock interviews and cover letter editing services. Additionally, the Office of Career Development and Placement Assistance provides students with one-on-one internship counseling. Once students complete all of the requirements for the IPP, they are guaranteed placement in at least one internship during their undergraduate career. Pitt spokesperson Kevin Zwick said it is rare for students to complete the entire IPP before finding an internship. “Most students are able to understand their strengths and develop a strategy of next steps that leads to getting an offer before ever completing the full program,” Zwick said. Zwick said that the Career Development Office isn’t designed to simply hand students internships, but rather to help them learn through each phase of
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the internship- or job-finding process. “We are here to coach students as much as needed through each phase of the process, while they also learn the necessary components for being competitive in the job market and develop the necessary tools for building on their career in future job searches,” Zwick said. “Many students believe that the internship guarantee means that if they come to [our] office we will give them an internship. This would not be helpful in training our students how to navigate future internship and career searches.” These numbers, and the increase in overall students within the program, has earned national recognition. Pitt’s IPP program has been praised in national academic circles, and the coordinators were selected to present at the National Association of Colleges and Employers. See Internship on page 54
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