Oct. 24, 2014

The Pitt News

Homecoming Edition

Vol. 105 Issue 56

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Cover Design by Theo Schwarz

History and Tradition Sweet Caroline...3 Paul Zeise...4 Rivalries...4 Marching Band...5 Homecoming Court...7 Nationality Rooms...8 Party Times...10 Superstitions...13

Table of Contents Football

Game Preview...15 Cheerleaders...17 Fandom Map...18 Sports and Power...20 Tailgating Fashion...22 Just Another Number...22 Game Attendance...23

Alumni

Chancellor update...28 Yogi Roth...29 Good Morning Vietnam...31 Light Show App...34 Home?...37 Brutal Youth...38

Letter from the Editor Whether you’re an avid season ticket holder, a casual tailgate goer or a staunch opponent to sports, college football has played some role in your experience at Pitt.

Maybe you’ve stuck around until the third quarter at a home game to sway to “Sweet Caroline,” snapped a photo of the Cathedral of Learning illuminated by victory lights or worked out at Trees Hall, the namesake of former athletic director Joseph Trees, who significantly advanced the program.

As the Panthers celebrate 125 years, they can look back on an illustrious past as a prominent part of University life.

Since the team’s inception in 1889, it’s paved the way from a relatively regional presence to prominence in the national football landscape. In 1909, the Panthers first moved to Oakland, where they remained — sharing Forbes Field with the Pirates until getting their own Pitt Stadium in 1925 — until only 15 years ago.

Milestones and accolades have studded the Panthers’ more than century-old past. They first faced off in a Backyard Brawl in 1895 against West Virginia, propelling a rivalry that remains today. In 1956, they dressed their first black player, Bobby Grier, breaking the color barrier in the Sugar Bowl against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who are this weekend’s competition. Around that time, the team transitioned into its golden age fueled by notable athletes like Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett, culminating in its 1976 national

championship — the last the team has seen.

Over the last two decades, the program has undergone changes, entering national play by joining the Big East in 1991, facing highprofile teams like Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and University of Cincinnati and, most recently, moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference last year.

As the annual Homecoming weekend draws thousands of grads, they’re coming for an occasion we felt was encapsulated by three categories: history and tradition, alumni and, of course, football.

Each college football game is a hallmark of talent, pride and heritage that we’ve tried to capture in this 40-page edition. You can find stories about family bonds strengthened by football and rituals like Homecoming court and “Sweet Caroline.” Besides the football team, you can learn about other key players — cheerleaders, dancers and the band — that incite the roars from the Panther Pitt at Heinz Field.

Don’t forget to check out our bucket list brought to you by current and former students. Whether you’re painting the town blue and gold or just revisiting Hem’s for the night, isn’t it great to be home?

Hail to Pitt!

Natalie Daher Editor-in-chief

Go onLine to Pittnews. com/multimedia to check out videos on Homecoming and the articles in this copy of the paper

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

History and Tradition

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SWEET CAROLINE! A history of Pitt’s sing-along tradition Abby Hoffman For The Pitt News As a University with nearly 30,000 students, some may argue that there is no way for the entire Pitt population to rally together and generate enough school spirit to rattle an entire stadium, but one popular ‘60s song makes it a possibility.

At home football games every fall, Panther fans anticipate the end of the third quarter, when Pitt students, families and Pittsburgh natives alike throw their arms around each other and belt out the lyrics to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Pitt’s rendition adds on a few words to better suit our Panther pride: “Let’s go Pitt!” and “Go Pitt!” replace the instrumental walkdown during the chorus.

Though students now follow this tradition at every football game, “Sweet Caroline” has not always been a part of Pitt culture.

Justin Acierno, a former Pitt football player and current director of marketing and ticket operations at the University, was responsible for improving the fan experience in 2008 by engaging students during sporting events and maintaining a level of interest throughout the game.

In an effort to increase involvement, Acierno enlisted the help of various student organizations, such as Greek life, the Oakland Zoo and the marketing academy.

Together, this group of students and staff

concocted the idea to play “Sweet Caro- Zoo printed out the lyrics to distribute Even though “Sweet Caroline” might line” at the end of the third quarter at during the third quarter of the football not be able to salvage a blowout game, it home football games. games. The lyrics also rolled on the big still introduces a lot of pride to members of Acierno thought “Sweet Caroline” was screen at Heinz field, helping the rest of the Panther Pitt, Oakland Zoo and so forth. an appropriate option because the song the Panther fans become acclimated with “To know that I had a part in something lent itself to incorporating “Pitt-centric” the new tradition. like this, that will continue to go for many terms.

Almost everyone in the Pitt community years, is something that I am very proud “Everything fit in, and everyone agreed knows “Sweet Caroline,” but not everyone of. I hope that it continues to get Pitt fans that it was fitting to play at student func- thinks that the song brings excitement going for years to come,” Acierno said. tions,” he said. to football To Annika Napier-Smith, a freshman g a m e s , eswho doesn’t consider herself a die-hard pecially sports fan, “Sweet Caroline” provides an if it incentive to stick around at the football isn’t games. “‘Sweet Caroline’ is something 1998 1969 I look forward to at the footThe Bos“Sweet ball games because I am not ton Red Sox Caroline” is a football super-fan,” Smith start playsaid. “But it’s a nice way to released by 2012 ing “Sweet feel connected to everyone Neil Penn State at the game and at Pitt.”

Caroline” Diamond takes a The song also creates a bridge between the ages — colbreak from 2008 lege students, parents and grandparents a close playing the Pitt starts are mostly all familiar with the upbeat g a m e . song rhythms and cheery melody of the song. A l e x s y s playing “When [“Sweet Caroline”] plays, say, Brown, a “Sweet on a jukebox, students will sing, older junior, isn’t inCaroline” demographics know the song well and clined to stick around for the Diaafter Q3 it still resonates with all generations,” mond tune.

Acierno said. “‘Sweet Caroline’ does not personOnce he altered the song to incorporate ally encourage me to stay ... The song is a Pitt theme, Acierno had to teach it to the not encouraging or original enough to stay student section. Members of the Oakland at a bad game,” Brown said.

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Father and son share longtime connection to Pitt football Ryan Bertonaschi Senior Staff Writer When Elijah Zeise was eight years old, his parents took him to see a Pitt football game at Heinz Field.

It was 2003. The Panthers upset No. 5 Virginia Tech 31-28 beneath a visible eclipse that lit up the faces of some 66,207 fans in attendance almost as much as Pitt’s last-minute, game-winning touchdown did.

Elijah watched most of the thriller from a yellow seat in the frigid November air.

He made his way to Heinz Field’s heated press box, which sits seven stories above the playing field, to watch the rest of the game with his father, Paul, who covered Pitt football for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time.

As Paul typed away at his computer, Elijah took in the view: the half-grass-halfturf gridiron illuminated by hundreds of floodlights. Pittsburgh’s skyline and rivers twinkled together in the distance.

“It’s so sweet. Just looking down. It’s crazy,” Elijah, now a freshman wide receiver at Pitt, said. He now calls that playing surface his team’s home playing field.

In addition, Pitt’s South Side practice facility was once a spot where Paul took a young Elijah to watch his favorite Panthers go head-to-head in practice drills.

Now, the building and its fields are where Elijah studies film, eats, lifts weights and runs passing routes with Pitt’s scout team offense.

Elijah is redshirting this season in an effort to master Pitt’s offensive system, and, due to the conflict of interest, Paul has permanently removed himself from the Heinz Field press box, where he covered Pitt games for 11 years.

Paul resigned from his position in 2012 when Pitt began recruiting Elijah. Paul has since covered the Pitt men’s basketball team full-time for the Post-Gazette, and he is the paper’s reserve writer for Pirates games in the summer.

In fact, during Pitt’s home opener against Delaware on Aug. 30, Paul was at nearby PNC Park covering the Pirates.

The NCAA does not put limitations on the employment of a student-athlete’s parent, but, according to Paul, the move away from Pitt’s football program was Below: Paul and Elijah (left) at a Pitt game in 2013. | Photo Courtesy of Paul Zeise

Zeise

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What rivalries? Pitt’s relationship with PSU, WVU changing Joey Niklas For The Pitt News Rivalries have helped build college football into the financial machine that it is today. The Red River Shootout between Texas and Oklahoma — played in Dallas — and the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Florida and Georgia — played in Jacksonville — come to mind as two notable rivalries in college football.

In Pitt’s 125 years of collegiate football, the University had two major rivalries — Penn State and West Virginia — it played on a yearly basis.

Then, college football realignment happened.

While both of Pitt’s major rivalries have enjoyed longevity, neither started well for the Panthers, who scored zero points in their first game against both

Penn State and West Virginia.

The Pitt and Penn State rivalry started on Nov. 6, 1893, with their first-ever matchup resulting in a 32-0 Penn State victory. The teams have since played each other 96 times, with Penn State holding a 48-42-8 lead in the series (two wins were vacated due to NCAA sanctions). The teams meet will again on the field on Sept. 10, 2016.

Pitt played West Virginia, known as the Backyard Brawl, for the first time on Oct. 26, 1895, a game the Mountaineers won 8-0. The series featured 104 games between the two schools, with Pitt holding a 61-40-3 edge. No current plans exist to renew the Backyard Brawl.

Although Pitt won’t play either Penn State or West Virginia, at least this season, the rivalries persist in other ways.

They have continued on the recruiting front, for example. Rivalries draw the

battle lines in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, among other places.

Over the past several years, local high school recruits such as Tyler Boyd (Clairton WR), Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon OL), Jordan Whitehead (Central Valley DB) and Dravon Henry (Aliquippa DB) were all heavily recruited by different combinations of Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia.

However, Chris Peak —a writer for Rivals’ Pittsburgh branch, Panther Lair — said that a recruiting battle with West Virginia was never a major factor to begin with.

“Pitt and WVU really haven’t been involved in too many recruiting battles over the years, even when the teams were facing each other on an annual basis,” Peak said via email. “WVU never really invested that heavily in western Pennsylvania. Outside of Aliquippa’s Dravon

Henry, who chose WVU over Pitt in the recruiting class of 2014, the two schools haven’t really gone head-to-head for recruits, and, when they have, Pitt generally hasn’t lost.”

Peak also said, because of Pitt moving to the ACC and West Virginia moving to the Big 12, the two schools have targeted the same recruits on fewer and fewer occasions.

When it comes to Penn State, however, Peak said both schools go after the same players in recruiting more often.

“Pitt will continue to run into the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail regardless of whether they’re playing on the field, simply because PSU and Pitt tend to target a lot of the same geographic areas (Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, primarily),” Peak said.

Rivalries

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

BEND, BUT NO SNAP Shawn Cooke A&E Editor Right before every Pitt football game, a famous scene from “The Matrix” is duplicated — without any flying bullets or slow motion.

Stephen Ruzzini, the Pitt band’s drum major, slowly lowers his back until it’s nearly parallel to the ground, and the feathers of his plumed hat touch the 50-yard-line. The move looks like it might take years to perfect, but, for Ruzzini, it came naturally.

“You’ve got to build up some core strength. It’s a big trust issue,” Ruzzini said. “Once you kind of break that barrier of like, ‘I can trust myself to get myself back up’ — I would say it only took me a couple of weeks.”

The back bend tradition didn’t become a pregame fixture until 2002, when the drum major, Jason Donovan, started to perform the move before every game. Now, it’s one of the many components for a successful band show.

The Pitt Varsity Marching Band, which celebrated its 103rd birthday last week, practices four nights a week, two hours a night, to make sure everything goes smoothly for its pregame and halftime shows. Ruzzini, a senior computer engineering major, is the band’s chief student leader, along with assistant drum major Brian Urbaniak, a junior chemical engineering major. The band consists of brass, woodwinds, drumline, color guard and the Pitt Golden Girls —

a group of eight twirlers that has been part of the marching band for 38 years.

Urbaniak characterizes their practices as grueling, since every week brings a new routine to learn.

“I’d say our practices are pretty strictly run, just f o r the sake that w e have a lot to do i n

just a two-hour time span, so we try to be as efficient as possible,” Urbaniak said.

Ruzzini and Urbaniak relay director Dr. Brad Townsend’s instructions on the ground to individual sections, as he looks over the 260-member group from an elevated platform much like the one he stands on during the halftime performance at Heinz Field.

Townsend writes all of the marching drill — or choreography — for performances, and associate band director Dr. Mel Orange arranges most all of the

If you have been to a Pitt game this year, maybe you have become familiar with some of the Pitt Band’s tunes...

• • • • •

Game of Thrones Theme Defying Gravity The Rocky Theme Rawhide Living in America

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The logistics behind a successful Pitt Band show music that the band performs. Orange has been the associate band director for 29 years, but Townsend took over last season for long-time Director of Bands Jack Anderson, who had held the position since 1995.

Although it’s only his second season, the transition wasn’t overwhelming for Townsend, who previously directed a large band at Oregon State.

“One of the reasons my transition was easy was all those people were here before me,” Tow n s e n d

said. “They kind of knew what to do, what the most important traditions were, but they were also open to any new ideas that I had.”

He compares his role as Director of Bands to the CEO of a company — by delegating specified choreography to

certain people for color guard, drumline and the Golden Girls, while he covers the big-picture drill.

“My philosophy has always been ‘hire good people and let them do their job and stay out of their way,’” Townsend said.

Ruzzini, who Townsend describes as “very detail-oriented” and a strong leader, takes charge of several game day responsibilities, including conducting both on the field with Townsend and in the stands. But Ruzzini can’t see everything going on in the game or the band while he’s up in the stands, so Urbaniak has to keep a lookout and notify him when first downs and scoring plays occur, along with when the band should stop playing.

“Overall, I’m his eyes and ears, making sure he knows what’s going on with the rest of the band and seeing to do all the things that he can’t do,” Urbaniak said.

Combining the practice schedule with an average game day, Pitt Band can consume up to 18 hours per week — and that doesn’t include individual practice time. Ruzzini stresses that with firm time management skills, members don’t have to give up their entire lives to band.

“As a freshman, it was pretty easy.

Now that I’m a drum major and I’m a senior and applying for jobs, this semester — my last semester — has been absolutely chaos,” Ruzzini said. “But, as an average bandsman, you really can do it.”

Zach Schaffer | Senior Staff Photographer

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ZEISE

completely necessary.

“You can’t cover a team you’ve got a kid on. You just can’t,” Paul said. “There’s nothing that I can write or say that wouldn’t be perceived to be biased at least by some people. For instance, say [Pitt’s] receivers in the next two weeks were to drop 15 passes. So it’s clear to everyone watching that their receivers weren’t getting it done.

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com If I wrote, ‘The receivers are not getting it done,’ then what does that look like? It looks like, ‘Give my son a chance!’”

Anyone who has heard Paul when he appears on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan or KDKA’s Nightly Sports Call can probably imagine how his deep, rumbling voice sounded throughout the explanation.

“Plus, [Elijah] needs his room to breathe,” Paul continued. “I don’t want to be on top of him. This is his life, this is his time to be there. It was even worse during the recruiting process, because, to

me, he had offers from other schools ...

If you’re an opposing coach, how would you view it if at one of the schools you’re recruiting against, the dad is down at their office every day?”

When Paul resigned from the beat during Elijah’s junior year of high school, he left behind a miniature legacy.

Paul had been covering the team for longer than any other primary reporter, and — aside from E.J. Borghetti, executive associate athletic director, and Chris LaSala, director of football operations —

Paul was around Pitt’s football program more than just about anybody.

“He is a tough, but fair, reporter, and has always been respected in Pitt circles for those two qualities,” Borghetti said.

“On a personal level, I always appreciated my collaborations with Paul. We worked countless hours together, chronicling some truly remarkable moments and players.”

Elijah said it’s hard for people within the Pitt program to see him in any other way than “‘Paul’s son,’” because of Paul’s familiarity with the program.

Paul has been around the program longer than all seven of Pitt’s head coaches and all of the assistant coaches during his span covering Pitt. Paul said he wouldn’t have a problem sending Elijah to play for any of them.

“Believe it or not, that includes [Todd] Graham,” Paul said. “Very few bad apples came through, even as assistants.”

During his tenure covering Pitt football, Paul had the opportunity as a father to three children and three stepchildren to see how wild, spoiled or just plain naive that young people — and the occasional coach — can be while in the spotlight.

“He actually gives me a lot of good advice,” Elijah said in a reserved tone, quite different from his father’s. “Especially since he covered Pitt football for all those years, he’s been around a lot of the good kids and a lot of the knuckleheads as well.”

Right now, Elijah has no ambition to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a journalist. In high school, Elijah maintained a 4.0 GPA, and his strength was math. Elijah is currently undecided with his major, but is looking for a field that might combine subjects such as accounting, mass transportation and Pittsburgh history. His fifth year of eligibility should help him receive an MBA. During Elijah’s early high school years, Paul, his wife LeAnn and his ex-wife DeNita (Elijah’s mother) began to see that Elijah might play football for a scholarship after he graduated from North Allegheny High School.

Paul’s time around the program may have jump-started Elijah’s recruitment.

Graham was coaching Pitt when Elijah was a freshman in 2011, and Elijah’s high

Zeise

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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Are homecoming candidates the faces of our University?

Courtney Linder & Nick Voutsinos The Pitt News Staff Homecoming court traditionally selected students who represent a wide assortment of their university’s student body — or, at least, they did a few decades ago.

Originally, homecoming candidates were meant to portray to the alumni what the university and its students were up to.

Today though, the original tradition of using the King and Queen as figureheads for a university is dead.

While a court may have noteworthy members who do good deeds, they are typically involved in the same types of activities year after year.

Students who make up a homecoming court almost inevitably fit the prototype of a very involved student — Greek life and Student Government members, Pathfinders or members of some other popular campus organization often make up the ballot. But where are the students from Habitat for Humanity?

Or the ones who have aided in fruitful scien-

Homecoming candidates’ activities follow a trend. Cristina Holtzer | News Editor

tific research? Why not select a student who represents a smaller demographic?

In researching past Kings and Queens at Pitt, the answer became clear: large organizations dominate the running — financially and socially.

First and foremost, there is no effort to ensure that candidates fully represent what Pitt has to offer.

Mary Jean Lovett, adviser to the Blue and Gold Society, said determining what organizations past candidates were involved in was

“asking the near impossible!!!”

The Blue and Gold Society does not ask candidates to list the activities they are involved in, Lovett said, and could only provide the names of the Kings and Queens from the past three years.

The University does not keep clear records of past courts. Could it be because they don’t need to? Candidates typically come from large, highly funded organizations, so why should the University care to keep track?

The supposed expectation that the Homecoming court is supposed to reflect of the student body — especially the King and Queen — is, therefore, non-existent. In the last three homecoming courts at Pitt, the large organization stereotype has repeated itself. In 2011, Andrew Kaylor, a brother of Delta Tau Delta, was voted King. Jules Bursic, 2012’s Homecoming Queen, was a member of the dance team.

Last year, a member of Student Government Board and the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Amelia Brause, was voted Queen.

Court

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Nationality Rooms: What does politics have to do with culture? ebrate the traditions that make their school unique. However, as Nationality Rooms are traditionally thought to reflect the cultures of the people which they are supposed to represent, many flaws with the intended portrayal remain.

Originally, the University established the Nationality Rooms to represent the ethnicities that reflected Pittsburgh’s diverse heritage, according to their website. Their construction was meant to incorporate the community within the Cathedral’s design — the University invited community members to provide a room representing their heritage with the requirement of forming a Room Committee to oversee the construction of the room and, later, its functions altogether.

Over the years, the Nationality Rooms have become symbols of cultural awareness. Devoted to the ideal

Bethel Habte Columnist Several weeks ago, Oakland celebrated its 175th Anniversary with a free community event called “Oakland Forever.”

The schedule, meant to highlight Oakland’s vibrant legacy, included tours of the Cathedral and its Nationality Rooms.

It was during one of these tours that a woman approached me — where I sat huddled over a book on the first floor of the Cathedral — and asked me a simple question: “Do they actually use these rooms?”

In the moment, I had simply smiled and nodded. After all, I’d had several classes in the Nationality Rooms myself.

Yet her question lingered in my mind.

What purpose were these rooms actually serving?

It’s an essential question to ask, especially during Homecoming — when students and alumni look back and cel-

The Romanian Nationality Room in the Cathedral of Learning. Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor

Habte

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

What time should you show up to a party?

Dale Shoemaker Staff Writer Jackie Braithwaite had a set Friday night routine during her freshman year.

After her classes ended around 4 p.m., she’d go back to her dorm room in Holland Hall and study for an hour or two. Then, around 6 or 7 p.m., she would go to Market Central and eat dinner. After that, around 8 p.m., she would start to get ready to attend a party.

This is normal, especially among freshmen. It does not answer the question, however, of when one should show up to a party.

Over the summer, FiveThirtyEight, a polling and statistical analysis website, published an article analyzing when precisely people

show up to parties. The writer, Walt Hickey, threw a joint birthday party at a bar in Manhattan and told people to show up at 7 p.m.

Using the stopwatch on his phone, he tracked when each guest arrived. The median time of

and member of Greek life, usually attended mixers — parties in which only her sorority was invited to a fraternity house — on Friday nights. This made it easy for her. She had to show up on time.

arrival, he wrote, was 7:37.

In the context of Pitt parties, Hickey’s data makes sense — most people who will attend a given party will be there 30 to 40 minutes after it starts.

Braithwaite, a sophomore nursing student

On time was usually 10 p.m., she said, and late was considered anytime after 10:30.

Braithewaite said she and her friends usually left to walk to the party a little before 10 p.m.

Being on time, she said, is important.

“If [the sisters] say it starts at 10 and no

one gets there until 10:30 [or] 10:45, that’s so annoying,” she said.

It’s not good to make the older brothers and sisters wait around when they’re hosting the mixer, she said.

“They’re gonna be pissed — they’re all there, ready [to start],” she said. “ Lizzie Goldner, also a sophomore nursing student and member of Greek life, said she had a similar experience last year.

Even though she is not a freshman anymore, she still shows up to parties on time, she said, because it gives her a chance to mingle before the party gets too crowded and loud.

Braithwaite agreed.

Arrival

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 7

COURT Longstanding trends solidify this more recent pattern. Between 2004 and 2006, all Homecoming Kings and Queens at Pitt were involved in Greek life. Mia Dragoslovich, Queen in 2007, was the first to break this cycle. She was a Pitt Pathfinder and a resident assistant in the Litchfield Towers. But the court has diverted back into the Greek life trend in recent years.

FROM PAGE 6

ZEISE

school team attended Graham’s summer football camp that year.

Paul had several talks with Graham, who liked Elijah on defense, but Elijah wanted to play on offense, and that’s as far as the two sides ever got.

The prolonged discussions that Paul had with many of Pitt’s coaches led Elijah to say the day he first received a scholarship offer to play for Pitt was one of the best moments of his life.

“In some ways, it didn’t seem real to me,” Elijah said.

Elijah and his family are now in a great position. He’s conveniently able to visit Paul, LeAnn and his siblings at their McCandless home, and he often walks to DeNita’s home in Shadyside.

On home game days, eight of Elijah’s family members go to the North Shore.

The family tailgates with other freshman parents outside Heinz Field. LeAnn and Paul’s daughter Hailey proudly sport Elijah’s jersey into each game.

But you’ll never catch Paul wearing one.

“It’s not because I don’t like Pitt,” he said. “There are some parents that live vicariously through their kids, and I’m not one of them. I root for three teams: I root for Temple, Florida State and PennTrafford.” Paul graduated from PennTrafford High School in 1988, Point Park University in 1993 and Temple University in 1996, and he’s rooted for Florida State since childhood.

“Then I root for good stories,” Paul said.

The story of Paul and Elijah could certainly become an awfully good one to tell someday, and it’s only just begun.

Even if students are not from Greek life, they are often involved in huge organizations, like band, club sports or Pathfinders. This unwritten qualification inhibits independent students or those from smaller clubs to succeed in becoming King or Queen.

What do these student groups have in common? Funding. Fraternities and sororities, specifically, bring in money for the University.

In 2011, Kaylor’s fraternity donated $1,000 to the Pitt Dance Marathon — and this is just

Court

FROM PAGE 4

RIVALRIES

Rivalries have also continued between fans from each school who interact with each other. Those heated debates between fans can happen at family reunions, the local pub, the backyard barbecue or on social media and sports message boards.

As anticipation over the 2016 match14 up between Pitt and Penn State builds up,

11 fans from both schools are measuring up the potential matchups.

“Certainly, there will be some heightened enthusiasm when Pitt and Penn State meet again in 2016, but the hatred of PSU and WVU has never left Pitt fans.

Almost every day there is a thread about one or both of those schools,” Peak said.

“Pitt fans deeply dislike PSU and WVU, and that hasn’t gone anywhere, despite the lack of games. And while they may not admit it, fans of PSU and WVU have a pretty deep dislike of Pitt, too.”

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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Very superstitious: Pitt athletes share individual rituals Two hours before the rest of her team came, Samantha Winkelmann entered the doors to Trees Pool. Surrounded by empty bleachers that would fill later that day, she began her day in solitude, careful not to stray from the extensive detail of her routine.

After she finished her final practice dive, she pulled herself out of the water and systematically worked her way through a mental checklist.

“Pepperidge Farm Goldfish pretzels — check. Raisinets — check. Frost Glacier Freeze Gatorade — check,” she thought to herself.

With everything accounted for, Winkelmann relaxed.

“I don’t remember how [the daily routine] started,” Winkelmann, a junior diver, said. “Diving is all about habits and consistency. Whoever is the most consistent wins.”

For many athletes — professional, collegiate or otherwise — routines and superstitions matter more than anywhere else.

“My mom forgot to get me Goldfish pretzels once. She got graham cracker, and I ended up hitting the board,” Winkelmann said. “It was the worst meet of my life.”

Athletes and fans alike embrace and adopt meticulous, exhaustive practices they believe to be necessary rituals for peak performance. They habitually complete these rituals to create good luck and bring a desired outcome.

“I think of superstitions as something that you do to make you feel mentally prepared for the task at hand, something that puts in you in the mindset to say, ‘I’m ready to go,’” Hobie Harris, a senior pitcher on the baseball team, said.

Music is key to Harris’ pregame rituals.

“I have one pregame playlist that I use.

Regardless of game time, if we are home

or on the road, I always use that playlist and start with the same song,” he said.

Skillet’s “Whispers in the Dark” always begins Harris’ playlist, but the most particular point of his ritual doesn’t come until he actually takes the mound.

“I sprint to the mound and never step on the mound until I have the ball. I pick up the ball with my throwing hand, put it between my legs into my glove, and then finally step on the mound,” he said.

Nick Zanetta, a redshirt sophomore wrestler, is less particular than Winkelmann and Harris, but said he still relies on a familiar meal and music to prepare him for an upcoming match.

“I eat the same thing every time. Turkey on wheat with lettuce and tomato, and I have to have a chocolate chip Cliff Bar,” Zanetta said.

Zanetta does not stop there. It takes a pregame pep talk with his older brothers and a heavy dosage of rock music, specifically AC/DC, to prepare him for the upcoming meet.

The Pitt News Crossword, 10/24/2014

Logan Hitchcock For The Pitt News

ACROSS 1 Digital periodical, briefly 5 Part of CBS: Abbr.

9 Comics title character who married Irving 14 Kitchen floor covering, in Kent 15 __ Ness monster 16 Earth pigment 17 Sooner State city 18 Architectural Scurve 19 Rays of light 20 Taking the top spot 23 Roman fountain 24 Volcano in Sicily 25 “What’s happenin’?”

28 In the least favorable case 31 Brit’s “Bye-bye” 32 Cleopatra’s undoing 35 Slim and muscular 36 Annie with a gun 38 With 40-Across, remaining focused 40 See 38-Across 41 Gold purity measures 42 Brother of Cain 43 Item in a P.O. box 44 This, in Seville 45 Fed up with 48 For what reason 49 Capricorn’s animal 50 Creates 54 Betting it all 58 “Hot corner” base 60 Cowboys quarterback Tony 61 R&B singer India.__ 62 Exposed 63 Explorer __ the Red 64 Reject as false 65 Brass or bronze 66 CPR pros 67 It’s a long story DOWN 1 Put into office 2 Insignificant 3 Japanese cartoon style

While the athletes and fans often use “routine” and “superstition” interchangeably, there is a slight difference.

“Superstitions are normally attached with a negative connotation,” Aimee Kimball, former director of mental health training at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine, said. “A superstition is usually indicated by an individual fear that if an athlete or fan doesn’t do something, it will result in a negative outcome.”

On the other hand, it is necessary for athletes to have a routine.

“I have athletes come to me who do not have a routine, and are experiencing inconsistent performances,” Kimball said.

“In this instance, I help them build a routine and try to make sure that the routine is something they can always control.”

Controlling their routines and superstitions is a tedious act, but a necessary one.

“I think superstitions are definitely essential to doing what you’re good at,” Zanetta said.

11/10/14

By Teresa Colby

4 Premium chocolate brand 5 Walk laboriously, as through mud 6 Quotable Berra 7 The stuff of many postcard photos 8 Burglaries 9 Hooded snake 10 King beaters 11 “It’s not true!”

12 Pants bottom 13 Decade tenths: Abbr.

21 Knucklehead 22 Chanted 26 Sch. with a Chattanooga campus 27 Subscriptionbased home entertainment 29 Churchill of the United Kingdom 30 Charity’s URL ending 31 Fight stopper, for short 32 Cockeyed 33 Hidden supply 34 Free-spirited socializer 37 Poise 39 Former NBA center __ Ming

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

40 U.K. award 42 Painting or sculpture 46 “No argument from me” 47 Electrical capacitance units 49 Dizzy with delight 51 Divided country 52 Barely managing, with “out”

11/10/14

53 Parting words, perhaps after the visit suggested by the starts of 20-, 38-/40- and 54Across 55 Twistable cookie 56 Fail to mention 57 Mythical birds 58 TV schedule abbr.

59 Actor Holbrook

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 11

COURT one small example of the capability of Greek spending. Other large organizations, such as popular club sports teams, help contribute to the branding of the Panthers athletics — not exactly a fiscally simplistic effort.

Nick Bunner, a 2011 Pitt Homecoming King candidate, said running for the crown was expensive.

“I spent close to $1,000 campaigning for homecoming. T-shirts were $400 to $500, $200 on banners ... probably like another $100 to $200 on candy and food,” he said.

He said in his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, “it was expected to have a senior run.” So they heavily supported his campaign, both fiscally and organizationally.

Valerie Gatto, a 2011 Homecoming Queen candidate from Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, said she spent roughly $3,000 on sponsorship.

She used T-shirts, towels donning her slogan, “Gotta go Gatto!” that mimicked the Terrible Towel, and went to every business she could for support, which came in funding and food.

“Quaker Steak & Lube gave me unlimited

T P N S U D O K U

wings — handed them out to everybody,” she said.

Of course, Gatto’s sorority sisters helped alleviate her financial burden as much as they could as well.

“They were really supportive ... There’s two whole weeks of campaigning … everybody was excited to help me,” Gatto said of her sorority sisters.

Without the help of a large organization, it’s difficult to fund a campaign for Homecoming.

But does the money go to anything other than a candidate’s campaign?

While the Alumni Association requires all candidates to support a charity, “there’s no accountability for ever giving anything,” according to Bunner. He recalled three Homecoming Queen candidates who “supported” Make-A-Wish during the year he ran. According to Bunner, they tried to make the case that someone involved in the foundation might “wish to meet a homecoming Queen.”

The lack of diversity in clubs and activities comes down to nickels and dimes. Merit doesn’t seem to matter, and obscure clubs don’t stand a chance.

Because candidates and voters alike feel that they cannot break the cycle of Homecom-

Today’s difficulty level: Hard Puzzles by Dailysodoku.com

ing trends, Pitt has traditionally experienced apathy among voters. In The Pitt News’ 2002 Homecoming Edition, Homecoming King candidate Bob Chatlak said, “Honestly, the majority of people here don’t vote.”

Those running for court show the same disillusionment. In The Pitt News’ 2003 Homecoming Edition, Brian Palmer, who was voted King that year said, “It’s a popularity contest ... That’s the way it has always been done.” A 2002 candidate for Queen, Cherise Curdie, told The Pitt News that her sorority house voted for her to run. “So I just did,” she said.

Perhaps if the Blue and Gold Society filtered Homecoming applicants more effectively, we could break the cycle of superficiality.

Future applications could feature a section in which students must describe their extracurricular activities. They should include what they have accomplished for their charity of choice and shift the focus from popularity to philanthropy.

If Pitt and the Blue and Gold had more stringent requirements — more than a 2.5 GPA, good judicial standing and at least one “primary” sponsor — the University can become more selective and promote meritocracy and diversity in terms of what organizations

candidates come from. To further level the playing field, Blue and Gold could also place a cap on the amount of money candidates are allowed to spend on their campaigns.

If Homecoming court is diversified in these ways, it could give more meaning to what has become a trivial, superficial practice. Students who care about bringing positive attention to their University through their influence could rise above those who do it for popularity. In this way, they could help illuminate smaller organizations and the great work that they do.

“Honestly, one of my big things is recognition for some of the more smaller groups on campus...,” said 2014 candidate Sara Gdowik, who is sponsored by the honors frat Pi Sigma Pi, the service sorority Gamma Sigma Sigma and club soccer.

Blue and Gold must put more of an emphasis on the smaller clubs themselves. After all, it’s not the past candidates’ fault — they had the means to run, why shouldn’t they have?

But students from other organizations simply do not have the means.

To those who oppose these reforms because Homecoming practices are “tradition,” we say: not all traditions should be kept.

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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Football

Bugging Out

Panthers, Yellow Jackets clash with ACC Coastal Division lead on the mind Ryan Bertonaschi Senior Staff Writer On Pitt’s scout team, many underclassmen and walk-ons simulate the opponents’ offenses to give the defense a better understanding of what to prepare for in the weekend’s matchup.

This week, Pitt’s scout team might have more impact on the team’s game day execution than it did during any other week

this season.

The scout team’s offense replicated Georgia Tech’s triple option, a style of play Panthers defenders will face when Pitt (4-3, 2-1 ACC) hosts Georgia Tech (5-2, 2-2 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field.

According to sophomore linebacker Matt Galambos, freshman athlete Jaquan Davidson played quarterback for the scout team and took snaps from redshirt sophomore Anthony Rippole.

Davidson played the role of Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas, who leads the Yellow Jackets in passing (137 yards per game) and rushing (89.3 yards per game).

Pitt senior defensive end David Durham, who is tied TATS for the team lead in sacks (3), said it will Pitt take a special effort to not become vic- 14th in the timized by the triple Country in option. points al“I think discilowed per pline is a little bit game heightened here,” Durham said.

18.6 “There’s no secret to beating an option team. It’s just discipline and accountability.”

Nicholas Grigsby said he’ll move from defensive end, where he’s received the bulk of recent reps, to middle linebacker against Georgia Tech.

“Because I have speed,” the redshirt junior linebacker said.

He’ll share defensive possessions at middle linebacker with Galambos and redshirt sophomore Bam Bradley.

Galambos said that whoever is playing the middle linebacker position is responsible for communicating with teammates before snaps to be sure they meet assign-

S

TYLER BOYD Pittsburgh wide receiver Bobby Mizia | Senior Staff Photographer

ments.

It took a masterful performance from Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald to even semi-contain the Yellow Jackets in their 21-10 win over the Panthers in Atlanta last season. Donald had 11 tackles, including a career-high six tackles for loss, one sack and two forced fumbles, but Georgia Tech still amassed 276 rushing yards.

This season, Georgia Tech is just one of four Division I teams to average more than 300 yards per game on the ground.

Todd Thomas starts as outside linebacker for the Panthers Saturday. His performance in last year’s loss went under the radar, as Thomas collected a game-high 12 combined tackles.

Thomas will play outside the trio of O NOW middle linebackers on Saturday.

Ga. Tech On the other 5th in the side of the ball, Georgia Tech is Country in Rushing renowned for a technique among Yards per its offensive lineGame men known as “cut blocking,” and Pitt 306.3 defensive linemen have been working to combat the move since Monday’s practice.

A cut block occurs when an offensive lineman who generally lacks size thrusts his shoulder towards a defender’s opposite hip.

The plays can either trip up a pass rusher or simply impede the defender’s progress to the ball carrier.

Junior defensive tackle Darryl Render said Pitt’s defensive linemen have to “stay low, use [their] hands, get ready and move fast.”

“You’ve got to move quickly and bounce up off the ground, even if they get you,

you’ve got to be able to bounce up and get moving,” he said.

The Panthers enter the game in a firstplace tie with Duke and Virginia in the ACC Coastal Division.

The last two Homecoming games have had mixed results for the Panthers. The team beat Virginia 14-3 in last year’s game, and lost 45-35 to Louisville the year before.

This year’s edition kicks off at 3:30 p.m on Saturday.

T K

KESHUN FREEMAN Georgia Tech defensive end | Photo Courtesy of Technique

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Cheer and dance teams not considered a sport by Pitt Hunter Bergman Staff Writer Like many University athletes, members of Pitt’s cheer and dance teams often struggle to find the perfect balance between practice and classwork. There’s just one major difference: the University does not recognize either group as official sports.

“We cheer home football and basketball games, which can be difficult due to basketball overlapping football season,” Sarah Quinn, a sophomore Pitt cheerleader, said. “We also support volleyball, soccer, wrestling and gymnastics.”

The cheer and dance teams practice three to five times per week from September to April, but, because their role is to support other athletes, they often don’t receive the same treatment as students on other athletic teams, despite similar time commitments.

Theresa Nuzzo, the coach of the cheer and dance teams, said in a statement through the Athletic Department that while the team is “not recognized as a sport at the University,” the students are “exceptional ambassadors”

for Pitt, which is their official role.

Though the cheerleaders and dancers each receive one academic credit per year for participation on the teams, they do not receive any scholarship funds until their senior year, which pays for books only, Nuzzo said.

Cassidy Davis, a Pitt dancer and junior double majoring in communications and digital media, said time management can be hard because of the length of the dance team’s practices.

“We practice most nights, and we practice for as short as two hours and sometimes as long as six hours,” Davis said.

Janae Butler, a sophomore industrial engineering major and cheerleader, said the cheerleading practices typically don’t begin until around 7 or 8 p.m., but the times can vary to accommodate the class schedules of some of the cheerleaders.

Pitt’s cheerleaders and dance team make up Pitt’s Spirit Group, and, because they serve as ambassadors of the University, the University may ask them to support local groups within the community on nights that they aren’t supporting Pitt athletes.

“We participate in many kick-offs, charity events, walks, fundraisers and other University-related events,” Lizzy Yerecic, a sophomore dual business and Spanish major and cheerleader, said.

Pitt Athletics funds the Spirit Group partially, Nuzzo said, but team members are left to make up some expenses.

“Our uniforms, poms, shoes and warm ups are paid for by the University. However, we’re required to pay for the personal items

17

necessary for the activity,” Kristen Tunno, a junior applied developmental psychology major and dancer, said.

Personal items may include hair styling tools or makeup.

The teams also have the opportunity to travel and support men’s and women’s basketball games at tournaments, along with football bowl games. The University pays for meals and lodging on away trips, tournaments and bowl games.

Cheer and dance team must cover some of their own expenses. Heather Tennant

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Penn State football dominates state, according to map Alex Fischbein For The Pitt News Excitement, scoring, wins, championships and fan devotion comprise some of the “ingredients” of a sports fan.

Students and alumni typically make up college football fan bases, but there are still schools that gain a following from regions that might not have a Division I school around them.

On Oct. 3, in an attempt to document this fandom, The New York Times published an interactive map detailing which parts of the country rooted for which college football teams. With information taken from the number of “likes” each team received on Facebook, sorted by ZIP code, the map detailed regional borders of team fandoms.

In addition to the Facebook data, The Times also “applied an algorithm to deal with statistical noise and fill in gaps where data was missing ... Facebook likes show broadly similar patterns to

polls,” according to the article.

According to the map, many states support just one school, typically the major state school in the region. Not only does it show which schools dominate in their home states, but it shows the kind of influence and reach each school has across the country. For the states that don’t have a major school, like Montana, it’s surprising to see that Oregon reaches all the way out there and possesses a strong following. Also, in a state with multiple strong football programs like Texas, the Longhorns overwhelmingly dominate state schools like Texas A&M, Baylor or Texas Tech.

The states that support multiple schools all have one school that is the primary team, and then a smaller region that supports the other schools. Penn State dominates Pennsylvania almost statewide, while the Panther faithful represents just the smaller Pittsburgh region. Pennsylvania has always been loyal to Penn State, and it’s due to more

reasons than the school’s football tradition.

“Penn State has more of a following because their fans just mindlessly cheer for them,” A.J. Corry, a junior biology major, said. “They haven’t even been that successful throughout their history, but the fans don’t even realize it.”

Penn State has about 7,000 more undergraduates than Pitt and has many branch campuses all over the state that feed into the main campus. There are many students who develop an obsession with Penn State football. After they graduate, they pass it down to younger generations and spread their influence across the region. The Penn State fandom also extends into Delaware and parts of New Jersey.

Based on past successes, Pennsylvania should have a stronger love for the Panthers. Pitt has nine national titles compared to Penn State’s two, and it has 50 consensus All-Americans compared to Penn State’s 39. There are also eight

NFL players in the Hall of Fame from Pitt and only six from Penn State.

Pitt has the better history when it comes to players and championships, but, recently, Penn State has had more success. When a team has a string of below-average to average seasons, then fans shift their attention elsewhere. Pitt has had some star players come through Heinz Field recently, but the team hasn’t found much success at national championships or top-25 votes.

“The stadium being off campus when we have a lot of games at noon makes it hard to get to games,” said junior Stephan Patterson. “And then we’re not competing with the better teams in the nation anyway.”

Exciting young offensive players like Tyler Boyd, James Conner and Chad Voytik are a nice core and could signal the beginning of a fan revitalization. Even with the drought in championship teams, Pitt students continue to take the trip to Heinz Field and cheer on their school.

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

How college sports disadvantage athletes and students Andrew Boschert For The Pitt News I’ve been a lifelong football fan and, if you ask me, football — not baseball — is America’s pastime.

Undeniably though, football has had a tough year.

The NFL, for instance, has mishandled countless issues. They continue to dodge the emerging evidence of long-term brain damage. NFL cheerleading is horrifically underpaid and over-demanding — cheerleaders often make less than minimum wage.

Felons — such as Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress — regularly grace the field with a disturbing nonchalance.

Oh, and all the while the government defines the NFL as nonprofit.

Despite all this, football remains extremely profitable — professional football is worth roughly $10 billion. This holds immense consequence for collegiate sports, particularly football.

The NFL’s college counterpart, the NCAA,

doesn’t exactly have a clean record either.

The association doesn’t have to treat student athletes as employees, despite them generating millions of dollars.

Like the NFL, the NCAA is also defined as a “nonprofit.”

Yet, in 2013, it kicked back $509 million to Division I schools. Again, despite the controversy, college football remains more popular than the NBA and MLB in terms of ratings. With companies throwing publicity and money at schools, schools have little reason to complain.

But one thing gnaws at me: Is it all ethical?

Take the case of former Northwestern University quarterback Kain Colter. Commitments to the football team forced him to change his major from pre-med to psychology. Obligations to football discouraged him from even taking a chemistry course — coaches don’t want their quarterbacks to take time out of studying plays to study organic structures.

At a university, is it right for academics to take a back seat to athletics?

Feeling restricted academically seems to be a common thread among athletes. For instance, 64.7 percent of Pitt’s own football players are either administration of justice or communications majors, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Are these the fields of study players are really most passionate about?

It seems doubtful, more likely, that the cultural importance of football wins over a student’s freedom to choose a field of study.

Football players also have to deal with the looming threat of injury. A torn ACL can spell disaster and leave a player without a scholarship. Schools that profit from athletics are unlikely to pay for long-term problems — including brain damage.

What’s more, schools actually end up losing money with collegiate sports. Universities end up subsidizing our sports teams with non-athlete tuition and — you guessed it — taxpayer money.

The NFL’s minor league system is basically a public trust.

One imagines some of those $10 billion

could fund education for athletes and their medical bills alike.

There are those who would argue that collegiate sports programs help athletes pay for school, as well as help fund education, but, in reality, taxpayers end up footing the bill by way of our public schools, students are drastically underfunded and athletes are, by and large, exploited for profitability.

Where does the money go? Am I meant to believe that college sports aren’t actually profitable?

College certainly isn’t getting any less expensive. Tuition is skyrocketing and showing no signs of slowing down. Student debt has spilled into the trillions of dollars and continues to grow.

If college sports do make money, they should benefit more than just a small fraction of students.

This all poses the question: Is playing college football worth it? It’s either not as profitable as we think, or the money has

Boschert

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Tips for a comfortable, cheap tailgate before the game clothing items — jeans, sweaters or leggings — that don’t skimp on style. Luckily for this year’s tailgaters, sneakers are a staple of 2014 street style.

Support your team and school

Megan Wholey For The Pitt News Tailgates are a quintessential part of the college experience, and with Homecoming weekend upon us, many students are planning for the biggest tailgate event of the fall.

So how can tailgaters tackle the best of casual fall fashion?

Follow these three steps, and you’ll make blue and gold fashion both comfortable and cost-effective.

Keep comfort in mind

2

Remember to bring warm Pitt attire. Meghan Sunners | Staff Photographer

Even if you’re not necessarily an avid football fan, tailgates present the perfect opportunity to show off school spirit, so plan accordingly.

If you don’t own spirit wear, don’t rush out and buy a $100 Pitt jersey. A more cost-effective way of supporting your team is to experiment with the clothing and accessories you already have.

Check your closet for your team’s colors.

Perhaps even consider festive nail art to match the outfit.

Be aware of weather conditions

room for movement. After all, cheering on your team is of the utmost importance.

With that said, don’t get too comfort-

Fortunately, you can expect good fall weather this weekend, but it’s always smart to bring a warm, waterproof jacket.

Sopping wet hair and attire is never a good look — or very comfortable.

1

Tailgate attire is meant to be casual, and for good reason. While it may be tempting to break out those cute new shoes you’ve been dying to wear, leave them at home. Remember that you will be standing outside for hours on end, and there is nothing more likely to send your day south than physical discomfort.

Instead, opt for comfortable shoes and loose-fitting clothes that allow ample

able. Avoid sweatpants and clothing you could possibly wear to bed. You don’t have to sacrifice style on behalf of comfort. There are plenty of comfortable

3

The significance of 125: Multiples of five matter Eli Talbert Columnist If you are reading this, you probably know that it’s the 125th year of Pitt football. The fact that we’ve dedicated an entire edition to the anniversary should showcase its importance.

However, it’s all too easy to take this glorious accomplishment for granted. We should all take the time to reflect on why 125 years of Pitt football is so noteworthy.

To start, let’s look at the number 125.

There are few numbers as beautiful, graceful or important as 125. Just think, 125 can be divided into 25 five times, which can be divided into five sets of five.

Not to mention, the longest-living person, according to Guinness World Records, lived 122 years, which is three years away from 125, and three, as we all know, is a magic number. That Pitt football — or, indeed, anything — has progressed from being 124 years old to 125 is worthy of celebration.

Football is not merely significant because it has crossed into the 125 year range — it is also the 125th year for the Pitt Men’s Glee club, after all. Rather, we should applaud the particular honor of having a football program a whole 125 years. This is true for a number of reasons.

For one, not every major university has achieved this honor. Sure, schools like The University of Virginia, Rutgers, Princeton, Penn State, Notre Dame and University of Delaware, among others, have possessed football programs for longer — but there is something satisfying about having a program that is older than the last BCS champion, Auburn.

There might be many teams better than us, but at least we can feel good that we reached 125 first.

Second, the football program makes money. Pitt football’s program brought in $22 million in revenue, according to an analysis by the Memphis Business Journal. Once we subtract the estimated

expenses of $19.8 million, Pitt football makes a cool profit of $2.2 million. Money might not be the most important thing in the world, but we don’t go around honoring bums. We can all certainly appreciate 125 years of cash money, especially since Pitt is not one of the 23 self-sufficient athletic programs that pay for themselves in the NCAA. To top it off, Pitt’s football program doesn’t just make money. The University itself does that with a self-reported nearly $105 million increase in net assets from operating activities in 2013. Pitt football makes money in a way that we can be proud of. After all, while sadly the days of uninhibited brawls and epic westernstyle showdowns are over, football allows us to vicariously destroy our enemies. If Pitt football didn’t exist, alumni would be forced to rely on their favorite NFL team to give them that sweet, transferred feeling of victory. Although, with Pitt cruising towards another mediocre season, this still might be the case. Even still, having

a major football program leaves open the possibility.

Sure, basketball might have some of the same draw, but what is more exciting: a sport involving passing a ball around, or a sport involving passing around a ball with full contact violence? Football, with the optimal mix of violence and competition, is practically the most American sport out there.

The point is that it doesn’t matter if our football team is consistently mediocre or even bad at times. The mere act of managing to keep a football program alive is one of the main things that makes our University great — besides the boring stuff like academics and research. One hundred twenty-five years of football means 125 years of awesomeness, and, no matter what happens, the NCAA will probably not take that away from us.

So celebrate like there is no tomorrow because 125, similar to 124 and 123, only comes once.

Write to Eli at ejt26@pitt.edu.

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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Your iPhone might be causing low football attendance

to football games this year. For instance, Georgia Tech — our homecoming opponent — has seen attendance drop 27.9 percent from 2009. Virginia’s attendance is down 13.9 percent, and Virginia Tech’s is down 5.7 percent. Declining college football game attendance is not limited to the Pitt Panthers, or even the ACC — it seems to be a nationwide problem, hitting other schools such as the University of Georgia, Arizona and even the football-obsessed University of Alabama.

Pitt, on the other hand, has experienced a 3.93 percent increase in attendance since 2012, but don’t let that number fool you — last year, we had a record-setting season for attendance, averaging about 49,000 people a game. Granted, last season welcomed our debut in the ACC paired with an exciting schedule — more than 80,000 attended the Notre Dame game in November, ac-

Jessica Craig Columnist Heinz Field, Aug. 30, 2014. A sea of navy blue and gold sloshes through the stadium’s gates — the smell of cheap alcohol and too much cologne colliding with the smell of greasy food.

On the field, the marching band is already playing, but their music doesn’t reach the upper half of the student section where I sit watching students file in below. My attention is finally diverted to the field where the football is kicked through the air. The 2014-2015 football season has begun.

Somewhere on the sidelines, athletic directors, scouts and assistant coaches record every statistic from passing yards, to fumbles, to the stat that has plagued Pitt football — and the ACC — as of late: attendance.

According to The Wall Street Journal, all Atlantic Coastal Conference teams have seen a lower average of student attendance

As it turns out, students would rather be on twitter than at the game. Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor

Craig

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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FROM PAGE 23

CRAIG

cording to Pitt’s athletic department. Our average stadium attendance is down 1 9 percent since 2009.

So, what caused such a dramatic change?

Was it because we didn’t play Notre Dame this year? Maybe it’s the stadium’s distance from Pitt’s campus or our slim winning streak. You could maybe even blame it on the Panthers’ lack of school spirit or even on the city’s notoriously grim weather. You can even blame it on your own lazy self for not wanting to get up before noon to make the kickoff on Saturday.

College football games seem like they have everything going for them — tailgating, socializing, drinking, school spirit and cheap (sometimes free) tickets for great seats. Pitt students don’t have the luxury of simply walking to the stadium, but buses to and from the stadium are free and frequent.

As far as a winning streak, how many students are actually focused enough by the end of the game to even notice who won?

Besides, whatever happened to win some, lose some?

ESPN columnist, Darren Rovell, said students commonly complain about “restrictions on tailgating at the stadium or the quality of presentation of the games on television compared to the sight lines and breaks in the action at the stadium.”

Perhaps more students hold part-time weekend jobs to cope with rising tuition costs. Or maybe students prefer parties and bar hopping to standing for hours at a stadium.

More likely, the blame should focus on an entity that has overtaken modern society, as well as college sports as of late: technology.

Craig

Cartoon by Fauzia Kizilkaya

“You can actually talk to people [if you show up earlier],” she said. “You get to know more people.”

For other parties, an appropriate arrival time is unclear. House parties do not have the definitive rules that Greek life parties do.

Ryan Toth throws parties at his apartment some weekends.

When people show up, he said, depends on who was invited. When he decides to throw a party, he tells a small group of his close friends and then tells them to invite whoever they’d like to. He gives his address and tells everyone that the party will start around 9:30 or 10 p.m.

27 “We just throw it out there and see what

happens,” Toth, a senior economics and political science major, said.

From there, he said, when people show up depends on how well they know him and his brother, with whom he shares an apartment.

His close friends will show up early, around 8 or 8:30 p.m. to help clean and prepare, he said, while friends, acquaintances and others will show up between 10 and 11, usually. By 11 p.m., the bulk of the party has arrived, but stragglers may show up even later.

People already at the party will have other friends text them, he said, and ask what’s going on that night. “[They’ll reply] ‘Oh we’re at a party at Toth’s, you should come,’” he said.

These stragglers will arrive between 11:30 and midnight, he said.

“The very last people to come are the

people just ... trolling the streets looking for open parties,” he said.

This happened a few weekends ago. Two guys walked up to his front porch while he was out smoking a cigarette and asked if “the rager” was still happening. He didn’t know them, he said, but he told them that it was.

“I charged them $5 and let them in,” he said.

It was after midnight when he let them in.

When to show up to a party is subjective. If one knows the host of the party, or most of the people who will be there—as in Braithwaite’s and Golder’s case—being early or on time is welcome. Otherwise, showing up 30 minutes or more late is acceptable.

“You want a good, nice relationship with anyone you party with,” Braithwaite said.

It’s too bad classes aren’t the same way.

in-state students, into expanding its stadium.

It’s depressing that the highest paid public employee is a college football coach in most states, including Pennsylvania.

To alleviate the financial emphasis that schools place on athletics, academics need to become a priority for student athletes, not an after thought. The NCAA and schools need to work together to make college more affordable for everyone.

Is it idealistic to think we can have our cake and eat it too? I love college football and

I never want to see it go away, but the NCAA needs to shift the framework.

It won’t be easy. Football and capitalism are American institutions, but the power and influence of collegiate sports should drive education and scholarship.

Schools need to be aware that collegiate sports aren’t always the smart investment, either. In fact, 72 percent of students don’t consider sports when choosing a school. An increase of spending per student might sway the voters, however.

It’ll be hard to step away from the yearly lottery of prestige and free advertising, but it’s in our generation’s interest to take sports less seriously. The time commitments necessary to compete are far too demanding.

Fancy facilities and high paid coaches are unnecessary frills for part time (and ultimately amateur) athletes.

Maybe college sports can become the revered institution we keep insisting it is.

Write to Andrew at amb306@pitt.edu.

FROM PAGE 20

BOSCHERT been squirreled away somewhere. There have to be reasonable reforms that can have the system benefit all.

One possible solution: Perhaps all the gigantic, multimillion-dollar stadiums are a bit much. The University of Cincinnati poured a whopping $80 million, or enough for about 1,800 full rides to the school for

FROM PAGE 10

ARRIVAL

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HABTE of educating through cultural integration, the Nationality Rooms Committee sponsors scholarship and grant programs that have afforded students the opportunity to study abroad since 1926.

Additionally, the rooms and the cultures they represent serve as platforms for hosting various lectures, seminars, concerts and other social events that can build onto their foundation of cultural education.

Yet the cultural education that the Nationality Rooms attempt to represent is severely limited in a key regard.

Prior to creation, each Nationality Room was subject to several principles meant to maintain a “commonality of purpose, authenticity and non-political cultural emphasis.” They include requirements such as illustrating architectural design traditions as recognized by the United States’ Department of State, a non-political design depicting a period prior to 1787, lack of political symbols or

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com depictions of any living person and lack of donor recognition.

Pitt should aim to use the Nationality Rooms to educate students, not only in terms of “the good things immigrants brought to America,” but also in terms of their journey, however filled with political turmoil it may have been.

Of course, there’s no harm in celebrating a nation’s architectural designs, unless you should happen to be the eyes of a modernist architect. Yet, an issue presents itself when that same architectural glorification becomes rooted in “cultural education” endeavors — which has come to be the case with Pitt’s Nationality Rooms.

Clearly, Pitt has long held a tradition of remaining distant from matters of politics when it came to the use of the Nationality Rooms — aiming to focus, instead, on the purely cultural merits of the nations represented.

But how do you examine a nation’s culture without addressing political influences?

Habte

27 Pitt Panthers prepare to face off against the USC Trojans in 1936 Pitt won 12-7. | Photo courtsey of Library Archives

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 26

HABTE

For example, how can we celebrate early Americanism without acknowledging the very political conflicts that founded our nation? Or explore African heritage without recognizing the cultural significance of influences like imperialism or apartheid?

Additionally, to claim to maintain an ongoing sense of cultural education without addressing current political conflicts is an ironic feat. After all, much of today’s cultures are rife with political conflicts.

There’s Russia under Putin and its conflict with Ukraine, communism in China, Scotland and its recent endeavors for independence — political phenomena are constantly shaping and forming the cultures of these nations. After all, the Ukranian culture might look very different today if it was still a part of Russia.

Simply put, a nation’s culture is a product of its history and its politics.

Today, the Nationality Rooms stand as testaments to several profound ideals:

community integration, cultural awareness and ethnic identity. What’s more, they’ve managed to do so by completely ignoring the very factors that go into a nation’s culture.

To represent a culture is to pay homage to the full extent of its history, of which politics is certain to have played a key role.

A focus on current cultural elements develops a student’s awareness and maintains a sense of community integration.

To continue our tradition of distance from political elements when it comes to our Nationality Rooms conflicts with what we have traditionally strived to achieve in terms of cultural education.

So, let’s make this Homecoming a celebration of Pitt’s more culturally integrated future by separating from our politically distant past. Let’s emphasize the importance that political turmoil and strife had in molding the various ethnicities of our forefathers by including these elements into the nationality rooms.

After all, any school can have pretty rooms, but only Pitt has Nationality Rooms.

Write to Bethel at beh56@pitt.edu.

FROM PAGE 25

CRAIG

To all the athletic staff at universities and colleges across the country trying to raise football game attendance, perhaps the answer to this problem is sitting in your front pocket or mounted above your fireplace right now.

Modern technology has taken over everything else on today’s college campuses — classrooms, dorm rooms and education itself. Football is not an exception.

“Hardcore” football fans like the flexibility of watching games from home where they can switch between games with the click of a remote. A Georgia Tech student told ESPN, “I want to be able to flip over to other football games while watching my team. I don’t want to miss the entire LSU-Alabama game because my team is playing at the same time.”

Alarmingly, one of the most frequently reported problems that hinder game-day attendance is access to Wi-Fi before and during the game. Often times, Wi-Fi is either non-existent or painstakingly slow at large stadiums.

27 Moreover, the Internet can be a more reliable source of information.

One student told ESPN, “There was a questionable fumble play, and, while it was being reviewed on the field, I read on Twitter on my phone that people who were watching on TV said it was a fumble. I then realized that being at home and watching on TV gives you such better insight into what is happening.”

Technology and social media provide constant social connection and the all-important ability to multi-task.

So how can college football compete?

Perhaps by integrating technology into new, more interactive football traditions. Take a video of you and your friends singing “Sweet Caroline,” and your video could air during the game. Submit a picture from the tailgate for a chance to win a prize.

Technology invades every aspect of our lives. It’s clear that not even the American pastime of college football is safe. As Pitt and colleges across the country continue to struggle to fill football stadium’s student sections, perhaps they should ditch the free T-shirts and target the technological revolution.

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Alumni

A talk with the top: Gallagherʼs first three months

Chancellor Gallagher sits down with Pitt News reporter Dale Shoemaker to discuss his first three months on the job. Christine Lim | Staff Photographer

Dale Shoemaker Staff Writer When Patrick Gallagher received the offer to become Pitt’s new Chancellor, he almost said no.

“My knee-jerk reaction was ‘No, thank you,’” he said. “But I remember hanging up the phone thinking ‘This is one of those calls I can’t say ‘no’ to right away.’”

Gallagher left his role as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a government agency that oversees the Census Bureau, the National Weather Service and the Patent and Trademark Office, to come back to Pitt. Gallagher earned his Ph.D. in physics from Pitt in 1991 and was eager to return, he said.

Almost three months into his chancellorship, he is easing himself into his new role. So far, he said, he has spent most of his time listening to the students, faculty

and leaders on campus.

“I felt I had to find out what was happening, what were the exciting ideas, what were people concerned about, so I’ve spent almost all of my time in that listening mode,” he said.

Gallagher said he sees Pitt doing big things in the near future, but wanted Pitt to show him where it wanted to go.

“I really didn’t want to come with some secret plan in my hip pocket ... that’s not fair. I’ve got a lot to learn,” he said.

One of his goals as chancellor, Gallagher said, is increasing student value.

He wants to ease the financial burden on students and families, he said.

“My feeling is, rather than ducking it and hoping it goes away, we should go all in,” Gallagher said. “I’m prepared to step in with my counterparts and other university presidents around the country to make sure our voices are heard. I think we can make some progress on this in the

next five years.”

Over the last three years, Pitt has suffered severe cuts in state funding.

This year, however, Pitt has requested a 15 percent increase in funding, Gallagher said. He has also started to look at how Pitt can better manage its finances.

“We’ve already started to look at cost,” he said. “Does the University manage cost well?”

Gallagher said he wants to see Pitt schools, including the medical and engineering schools, able to solve “some of the biggest problems for society.” An increase in funding is one way to achieve this, he said. Collaborating with other institutions will also help Pitt succeed.

“We can work with the city, the county, we can collaborate with CMU that all have that common north star that we’re focused on,” he said.

Gallagher said he plans to apply this same style of leadership to his new role

at Pitt. Coming back to Pitt, he said, was important to him and seemed like a natural ending to his time at the NIST. “What’s more important than supporting ... the future of our country by providing a great education to students and disseminating our research to the world?” he asked.

As he started the process of transferring from the NIST, which donated a $15 million grant to Pitt in 2010 under Gallagher’s leadership, he grew more comfortable.

“I ended up with the feeling that the University was a good fit for me. That was a great feeling. This feels right. I feel like I can contribute and play a role,” he said.

Gallagher’s surrounding faculty and administration have received him warmly so far, he said.

Gallagher

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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‘Life in a Walk’: Alum directs personal documentary Chris Puzia Sports Editor Have you ever wondered whether you are spending enough time with loved ones?

Yogi Roth did, and after a seemingly simple walk through Europe with his father, he feels more satisfied with his answer to that question.

“We had a great relationship, but I still didn’t know 95 percent of the things I found out [about my father],” said Roth, who graduated from Pitt in 2004 after playing four years as wide receiver on the football team. “To have that setting on a purposeful trip, I still haven’t had a better two weeks in my life.”

The walk culminated in a documentary that Roth directed, called “Life in a Walk.”

When Roth’s father, Will, found that his prostate cancer that had been diagnosed years before was not all gone, Roth became determined to spend more time with his father. The documentary details conversations the two had while walking along the

Camino de Santiago in Spain in June 2013.

The urgency brought by the diagnosis compelled him to turn his enthusiasm for performance, both on the football field and in broadcast, into film. But Roth was quick to point out that while there was no longer a threat to his father, that was not his motivation for making the film.

Roth walked on to Pitt’s football team as a freshman and earned a scholarship a year later. After graduating with a degree in communication rhetoric, Roth traveled west to become a graduate assistant coach with head coach Pete Carroll at the University of Southern California. While working in various media outlets like ESPN, Fox and Pac-12 Networks, he co-authored Carroll’s book “Win Forever.”

“Playing football in front of thousands of fans, I just fell in love with the art of performance,” Roth said. “When I got to USC, I saw the other side — of people conducting the performance.”

The documentary has raised more than $29,000 on Indiegogo as of Thursday for

post-production costs. The film is Roth’s first directing experience, which he said was more exciting than intimidating.

“I get to be Paul Chryst on the film, and that’s something that I’m really proud of,” he said.

The Pitt News talked with Roth about his experience making the film and his motivations behind it.

The Pitt News: You walked onto the football team and earned a scholarship your sophomore year. Was that why you came to Pitt — to pursue football?

Yogi Roth: It’s probably a pathetic story. My whole life, I grew up a Notre Dame fan, and I always wanted to play there. I went there over the summer with another kid, and they ended up choosing him over me, and I literally said, “OK, who plays Notre Dame?” I came to Pitt on my visit when we beat ND in the final year of Pitt Stadium, and I knew that moment that I was coming. For me, I wanted to prove I could play at the highest of levels, and I knew this place would give me the

opportunity to do it.

TPN: You didn’t have a film background at Pitt, yet you still got into documentaries.

How did that happen?

YR: I grew up as an actor. I went down the road of athletics, and that was kind of my performance ... When I was broadcasting college football games, I realized that my job for three and a half hours was to celebrate the game and coach the viewer, but do it while telling the story.

TPN: So that’s kind of how sports ties into making a documentary, in the storytelling?

YR: Sports, still to this day, tell the best stories. As a broadcaster, I know I have three and a half hours to tell a bunch of stories, but they all have to have the same theme ... For the last six years I’ve produced documentaries. This is the first one I’ve directed.

TPN: In the film, you walked in Portugal and Spain. Why did you choose those

Yogi

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30 FROM PAGE 28

GALLAGHER Michael Spring, president of the University Senate and associate professor of information science and telecommunications, said Gallagher is a good man and will make a good leader.

“I have every reason to believe that, 15 years from now, we will be saying that Pitt [had] had three extraordinary chancellors [in a row] — something very fortunate for our institution,” he said.

Spring also said he sees Gallagher as a worthy successor to Mark Nordenberg, who served as Chancellor for 17 years and officially stepped down in August.

“Chancellor Gallagher has made [it] clear that he believes we can be yet greater, more global in scope, better in education, an increasingly important partner in the region,” Spring said.

Richard Colwell, president of the Staff Association Council, said he sees Chancellor Gallagher taking the University far.

“Every interaction with Chancellor Gallagher, to date, only strengthens my

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com belief that ... the University of Pittsburgh [will] grow way beyond our expectations in the near future,” he said.

He also likes how accessible the new chancellor seems to be.

“When meeting with Gallagher, he talks openly and honestly,” he said. “It is not unusual to run into him on campus and strike up a conversation.”

Other staff, including University spokesman Ken Service, are encouraged.

“In the short time that I have been working with Chancellor Gallagher, I find him to be committed to continuing the positive momentum of the University,” Service said. “He also clearly views giving the students the best possible learning opportunities to be one of his highest priorities.”

Pitt’s future is bright, according to Gallagher.

“I share this very strongly: Our best days are still ahead of us,” he said. “The real measure of success is in the success of our graduates. What I will be most proud of is the students who came through the University while I was here.”

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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Good Morning, Pitt: Williamsʼ character brought radio to Pitt station office symbolizes the prevalent censorship of the conflict, the press and finally of Cronauer. He’s fired from his job numerous times in the film, and, while the real-life figure served a tour as a DJ between 1965-66, he did so with less irreverence.

Williams’ character is loosely based on the experiences of Pittsburgher Adrian Cronauer, who studied at Pitt before transferring to American University as a broadcasting major. Williams and Cronauer didn’t meet until after the movie was complete, because director Barry Levinson didn’t want Williams to conjure an imitation of Cronauer but, instead, to make the character his own.

While at Pitt in 1957, Cronauer was one of 12 students who formed the Student Broadcasting Association, which would become WPTS, the University’s studentrun radio station. It was called WPGH at the time and didn’t make it on the air until

Stephanie Roman Staff Writer Saigon, 1965. A conflict brews, President Johnson increases the number of stationed men from 75,000 to 125,000 and Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) just landed a new job with the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS).

“Good Morning, Vietnam” combines dark comedy, war drama, love story, travel film and period piece with a characteristic Williams performance — impressions and ad-libbing. He loads about as many pop culture references — including “Mr. Ed,” “Puff the Magic Dragon,” Elvis, Bob Dylan, “The Lone Ranger,” Elizabeth Taylor, Pat Boone, the Marx Brothers and “The Wizard of Oz” — one can fit into a two-hour window.

Rigid Sgt. Maj. Phillip Dickerson ( J.T. Walsh) and comically inept Lt. Steven Hauk (Bruno Kirby) capture the tension of the Vietnam War era in their disdain for Cronauer’s antics. The cramped radio

Cronauer (right) on one of WPGH’s first days. | TPN File Photo

Vietnam

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Pitt Bucket List “Have a class in every Pitt building.” — Umeka Ganjoo, sophomore psychology and pre-med major.

“See a show or a concert at Consol or Stage AE.” — Veronica Parkinson, sophomore math major.

“Take the Nationality Rooms Tour at Christmas.” — Mary Ellen Callahan, 1990 graduate, attorney.

“Get a tattoo that somehow summarizes my entire life growing up and going to college in Pittsburgh.” — Claire Juozitis, junior marketing/international business major.

“Finish the OCC.” — Alice Snook, sophomore political science and Italian.

“Get a tattoo that somehow summarizes my entire life growing up and going to college in Pittsburgh.” — Claire Juozitis, junior marketing/international business major.

“Run through Schenley Park. Get swiped into Market by a freshmn. Go to museums. Take the 3 liter challenge at Hofbrauhaus.” —Michael Watson, 2013 graduate, currently at University of Virginia for medical school.

“Win the ACC championship for discus.”

— Jim Toth, freshman business major.

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Graduate student designs app to enhance laser light show doctorate in Pitt’s theatre arts program and developed the app because he said he wanted to take audience participation to a new level.

“I was thinking strictly of a social app that allowed theater-goers to engage socially during a show,” Wright said in an email. “The idea of sitting quietly during a performance is only about 150-200 years old.”

The Nymbus team of developers, business staff and Nick Amoscato, a spring 2014 computer science and music graduate, worked with Lightwave International — the designers of the laser show — to create effects with the app that would enhance the show for four songs.

Kat Prosachik Staff Writer At this year’s homecoming fireworks and laser show, spectators can do more than watch the fireworks in the sky above them — they can experience it from their palms.

Nymbus, an app developed by Pitt graduate student David Wright, turns smartphones into glow sticks by displaying different colors, effects and text. The audience can use the app at tonight’s homecoming laser and fireworks show, which begins at 9 p.m. on Bigelow Boulevard. The Pitt Program Council will sponsor the event and will not be paying Wright to do the show.

Wright is currently working on his

THE PITT NEWS Natalie Daher Editor-in-Chief editor@pittnews.com

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App

Pitt’s Homecoming laser show will use Nymbus. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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36 FROM PAGE 29

YOGI

spots for the film?

YR: My father, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer years earlier, found that [the cancer] wasn’t all gone. So I sat there, and I thought that I never want to say the sentence, “I wish I’d spent more time with my dad.” I walked up to him and said, “Let’s go for a walk.” He said, “Sure, where do you want to go?” Probably thinking we’re going to go around the corner or something. Instead I said, “Why don’t you meet me in Portugal?” He was blown away, and away we went.

TPN: You must have been keeping in mind that on this personal walk, there would be cameras following you. Were there any challenges keeping the dialogue authentic, knowing that it would all be put into a documentary?

YR: Not at all. When we partnered with this crew, the one thing I said was that I’m not going to change. Capture whatever you want, but nothing’s going to alter. I’ve been around the camera enough now where it

October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com doesn’t bother me ... nobody hammed it up, it was as honest as you could get, and we had a small crew, only a 10-person production crew.

TPN: Your father must have been a major motivation behind the film.

YR: There were only two motivations for the film when I started, and now there’s three. The first was to make sure my kids, and their kids, have something really cool to remember this guy by. The second element of the film was I wanted the viewer to be as uncomfortable as possible when watching it. I hope when you watch the trailer, you think to yourself, “Oh man.

Am I spending time with the people I care about?” Now that we’ve launched into crowdfunding, another goal is also to spread it.

TPN: Anything you would say to someone watching the film who wanted to take their own “walk,” whether it’s literal or metaphorical?

YR: I’d say just ask. As we get older and more mature, the depth of our conversations lessens ... If we don’t ask the questions, or ask them to go for a simple walk, we’re never going to learn it.

FROM PAGE 31

VIETNAM 1959. Cronauer was an Air Force sergeant who ran a popular program with the troops called “Dawn Buster” in Saigon from 1965 to ‘66.

The film version of Cronauer laces Williams’ politicking, meandering, manic improv with a veritable mass of diegetic rock and roll, like the Beach Boys’ “I Get Around” (played over a montage of shirtless U.S. Army soldiers sunning on ships, jeeps, helicopters and planes), The Searchers’ “Sugar and Spice” and James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good).”

Yet a movie about Vietnam can’t forgo a degree of grisliness. “Good Morning, Vietnam” avoids this for a while — until about three-quarters of the way in. In the most visceral scene, Cronauer and his pal Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker) arrive at a convoy preparing to embark on a firefight. Cronauer speaks with the soldiers there for an inordinate amount of time, rebuffing their hometowns, names and personalities with warm vivaciousness.

The dialogue is memorable, not for its Williams-dominated tactile humor, but for its subtle implications. The prolonged scene’s meaning is evident: these young men in the trucks are leaving. Many of them permanently. Cronauer’s shtick might be their last source of entertainment.

After, there’s another montage — this one set to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” — coupled with images of napalm flares, V-C soldiers, firing squads and men on stretchers. It could be the film’s sole satirical moment, but it’s too poignant to forget. A lot of the action occurs within the comfortable confines of the radio station, but the outside conflict exists and escalates. It can’t be repressed.

The dark material reveals an R-rated Robin Williams, who demonstrates his capabilities without holding back and censoring his routine. Though clearly a different concept than Williams’ character in 1993’s family-friendly “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Cronauer possesses many of the same qualities of Mrs.

Vietnam

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Whe do Pire stude tt call h nts ome?

FROM PAGE 36

VIETNAM Doubtfire, such as love and determination. Williams has a persona so difficult to categorize that he’s made one of his own. He is the unpinnable, allad-libbing, singing and laughing figure whose incomprehensibly rapid, fluid soliloquies melt through his tongue to entice our hearts.

“Goodbye, Vietnam,” he says as the film fades out. “That’s right, I’m history. I’m outta here. I got the lucky ticket home, baby.”

You’re right, Mr. Williams. You are history — and we miss you dearly.

FROM PAGE 34

APP

come increasingly popular in recent years.

Last year, three New York plays, encouraged audience members to get up and start walking and dancing around during the show to feel as though they were a part of it.

During this year’s show, when the four Nymbus-enhanced songs begin, a laser projection will appear to cue audience members to open the app. At that point, a light show will begin on the app users’

Graphic by Cristina Holtzer | News Editor

phones to complement the show occurring around them.

Thomas Misuraca, assistant director of student life, said this year’s show will combine lasers, fireworks and other pyrotechnics, all synchronized to a soundtrack.

“The app will basically turn your phone into a glow stick, changing colors and patterns to go with the music,” Misuraca said.

The Nymbus app is free and available for iOS and Android devices. Audience members can download Nymbus for free, but Wright has implemented a business model to monetize the app.

Wright got his start with Pitt’s Inno-

vation Institute when he participated in the Randall Family Big Idea Competition , according to the institute’s director of education and outreach Babys Carryer. At this time, Wright had already developed Nymbus but needed guidance and mentoring. She said Wright wasn’t ready to work on research or find another job, and he wanted to pursue a startup with Nymbus.

“We helped to unleash the entrepreneur, to give him the confidence and courage to move forward – into the unknown that is the world of entrepreneurship,” Carryer said.

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October 24, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Former Pitt News EIC gets ‘Brutal’ in strong debut novel Shawn Cooke A&E Editor

“Brutal Youth”

By Anthony Breznican Grade: B+ There’s a scene near the end of Richard Linklater’s recent opus, “Boyhood,” in which a teacher tells Mason (Ellar Coltrane) that you find your “people” in college. Anthony Breznican’s “Brutal Youth” would beg to differ.

In his debut novel, the former Pitt News editor-in-chief makes a convincing case for finding your “people” in high school — or simply whenever someone has your back at the lowest of times.

“Brutal Youth” follows a trio of freshman rejects: Peter Davidek, a bullying target, who sports a tacky clip-on tie and is largely ignored at home, Noah Stein, his big-hearted

friend with a haunting backstory and Lorelei Pascal, a beautiful girl who’s largely resented by the student body for her good looks.

Their school — and battleground — is St. Michael’s, a highly corrupt fictional high school located just north of Pittsburgh. Although Breznican grew up there and even sets the story during his time in high school (1991), he maintains that, aside from an embezzlement scandal involving the parish priest, “Brutal Youth” is all fiction. Considering how accurately life at St. Mike’s captures the book’s title, it’s a relief that this stuff didn’t happen to Breznican.

Right from the prologue, the sense of chaos bursting beyond the school’s control is established when Colin Vickler, dubbed “The Boy on the Roof,” sneaks his way atop St. Michael’s and violently hurls glass jars at the students and faculty below. It’s a PR nightmare, but the school conveniently covers it all up, and Colin mysteriously disappears without an explanation from faculty.

“Brutal Youth” carries on like this for most of its duration. Spurts of unrest are brushed

under the rug by St. Michael’s — especially if they have a hand in perpetrating them.

The narrative centerpiece of “Brutal Youth” is the mounting tension for St. Mike’s annual “Hazing Picnic,” which follows an entire school year of merciless upperclassmento-freshmen bullying. From their first days at school, the bullies and teachers are out to get Peter, Noah and Lorelei in full measure.

Cruel and unjust detentions get slapped on our heroes as frequently as physical blows from the bullies.

Among the novel’s best characters are its grown-up antagonists — Ms. Bromine, a bitter and callous guidance counselor, who doles out more punishment than guidance, and Father Mercedes, the unscrupulous parish priest who wants to see St. Mike’s close its doors more than anything.

But none are realized as successfully as Hannah Kraut, the mysterious specter hanging over St. Michael’s — whose keen ear for reputation-shattering secrets even scares the bullies. Hannah’s a deeply nuanced character, and she promises to make a big splash at the

Hazing Picnic — it just takes Breznican a little too long to get there.

Breznican had been throwing around ideas for “Brutal Youth” since the late ‘90s, and, at a robust 416 pages, it shows. Every scene of bullying, infighting and high school crushing is amusing to read, but some scenes grow redundant and stall the narrative. From early on in the story, it’s established that St. Mike’s administration isn’t the most effective at enforcing its rules, so some of the later scenes in which Peter and Noah become unjust scapegoats aren’t as essential.

But the padding comes with the best of intentions — “Brutal Youth” has its heart in the right place. The three central freshmen lead fairly damaged lives, but the poignancy never turns into exhausting melancholy. At first glance, Breznican’s novel might be perceived as an anti-bullying parable, but that would completely overlook the more important themes of fighting back with honor, not internalizing every crisis and taking a bullet for your best friend — or, at least, wearing a clip-on-tie for him.