10-31-14 by The Pitt News

Vol. 105 Issue 61

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Friday, October 31, 2014

Pittsburgh named top spot for trick-ortreating

SPOOK-TACULAR

Emma Solak Staff Writer

Students come in costume to the Quad for Haunted Holland. Christine Lim | Staff Photographer

Ghosts of Pittsburgh Jess Muslin Staff Writer Halloween means ghosts, spirits and things that go bump in the night — or things that go bump in broad daylight while Pitt students are sitting in class. All Hallow’s Eve is a night when the spirits of the dead are said to walk among the living. Thousands of Pitt students study in or walk past haunted places on campus every day without even knowing it. Two years ago, on her annual Halloween evening ghost watch in the Early American Room on the third floor of the Cathedral, Maxine Bruhns was telling a story

about being a young girl on her grandparents’ farm. “When I mentioned “Grandma,” the cradle rocked three times, no more. You cannot make it do that when you rock it,” Bruhns, director of the Nationality Rooms, said. “I can make the cradle rock, and it goes about 14 times.” According to Bruhns, her grandmother haunts the Early American Room, one of the most well-known haunted rooms on Pitt’s campus. Her grandmother was Martha Jane Poe, a second cousin of Edgar Allen Poe, and is the resident ghost of the room’s secret bedroom. To get to the secret haunted

bedroom, you have to enter a closet, push a hidden knob in the wall, climb through a hidden door and climb a staircase to the top. The bedroom is furnished with donations from Bruhns herself, including her grandmother’s wedding quilt that was made in 1850. Bruhns said that once, a custodian was cleaning the room and fixed the quilt on the bed, only to turn and see it folded back with an indentation on the pillow. Another time, a carpenter who carefully wrapped and put away a picture of Martha Jane Poe found it broken later that day.

Ghosts

Don’t keep your light on during Halloween? Shame on you. Pittsburgh is now one of America’s most “trickor-treatable” cities. Zillow, a home and real estate marketplace that gathers and shares data on homes, real estates and mortgages, ranked Pittsburgh as the 12th best city for trick-or-treating this month. Pittsburgh lost out in the rankings to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, ranked one through four respectively. According to Alexa Fiander, a representative for Zillow, the marketplace considered four equally weighted variables of the top 75 most populated cities in the United States to determine the best city for trick-or-treating: the median estimated value for homes in a given area, population density, the walkability of the area and local crime data. Given the challenge of conquering an entire city for candy, Zillow also ranked the top five neighborhoods within each city. “Using this index, trick-or-treaters can select a neighborhood with the most candy, with the least walking distance and safety risks,” Fiander said in an email. Fiander said Zillow chose the four factors to suit the needs of parents and kids. Parents want their kids to be safe, so

Zillow analyzed the crime indexes of cities, and kids want candy, so Zillow looked at home incomes, assuming homes with higher incomes would be more generous in their candy supplying. “Lastly, for parents and kids alike, the walkability and density of a neighborhood is key,” Fiander said. “You want to cover the most ground, in the fastest time, to collect the most Halloween loot.” The top five neighborhoods in Pittsburgh are Shadyside, Regent Square, Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze and Greenfield for trick-or-treating in Pittsburgh. Not many trick-or-treaters come to Oakland, though. Kyle Kaufman, a junior studying psychology at Pitt, said he only got one trick-or-treater last year who stopped by because Kaufman’s porch light was on at his house on McKee Place. “It was around 7:30 or 8:00 [p.m.], and we had to rush around the house to try to find something to

Trick

Hard Ball Duke makes for a tough matchup after Pitt’s Homecoming blowout loss

page 5

2 FROM PAGE 1

GHOSTS She believes her grandmother’s ghost does not mean any harm. “She’s playful and shows up when you least expect her,” Bruhns said. Bella Gnakou, a junior pre-med and natural sciences major, said she didn’t know the stories about the ghost in the Cathedral, and wasn’t sure if she believed them. “There’s not enough to convince me,” she said. Tim Murray, however, said he has seen his fair share of Pitt ghouls. A Pitt Law school alum who graduated in 1980, Murray is the founder and co-owner of Haunted Pittsburgh, a group that hosts walking ghost tours through Pittsburgh neighborhoods. While the Downtown tour is the most popular, Murray said, the tour guides’ favorite is the Oakland tour because “the Pitt campus is teeming with ghosts and tales of the unexplained.” “If you want to find ghosts — and ghost stories — you need to go where there’s vital-

October 31, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com ity,” Murray said. “There’s no neighborhood in our region, and perhaps in any region, with more vitality than Oakland.” Murray said many Oakland buildings “have some connection with the supernatural.” In the Croghan-Schenley ballroom on the first floor of the Cathedral, Murray said “the spirit does the ghostly equivalent of waving to guests by swinging the massive chandelier.” Murray also said there are tales of paranormal activity in the Union, Bruce Hall and even Holland Hall, where a group of girls decided to play with a Ouija Board in the late ‘80s. Around Halloween, others might be tempted to break out a Ouija board and try to connect with those who have passed, or might want to do some ghost hunting of their own on campus. Murray warned against ghost hunting. If you want to have a paranormal experience, stick with the nationality room tour, as Murray said Haunted Pittsburgh also strongly opposes the use of Ouija boards. “If you dare to open the door to the dark side, you don’t know what you’re letting in,” Murray said.

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TRICK

give him,” Kaufman said. “We found a couple pieces of candy to give him.” Quinn Thomas, who has lived in various neighborhoods of Pittsburgh and currently lives on the North Side, said she has observed most people driving to the best trick-ortreating locations. “Shadyside is definitely the nicest neighborhood,” said Thomas. “The candy bars are bigger and better.” Thomas also said Pittsburgh is a rejuvenating city with safe areas and safe neighborhoods, which makes for a good trick-or-treating atmosphere. Amy Strongosky, who lives in North Versailles outside the city, takes her 2-year-old and 7-year-old to Ross Park Mall on Halloween.

“It’s indoors and controlled,” said Strongosky. “They [her kids] just care about getting a lot of candy.” For $5, Strongosky can take her children to the mall and go store to store, instead of door to door, an option she prefers over taking a 2-year-old through the streets on a chilly night. Sergei Matveiev, an architect and father, said he doesn’t get many trick-ortreaters at his home in Squirrel Hill. “We have a pumpkin on the front porch,” Matveiev said. “And there has been an increase in kids in the area. We don’t give out any particular candy, just an assortment.” Matveiev’s kids, however, prefer to walk to the business district in Downtown for all their candy needs. “It’s a good neighborhood,” Matveiev said. “They [his kids] get a lot of candy, and it doesn’t take long.”

“Shadyside is definitely the nicest neighborhood.” Quinn Thomas

October 31, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

Casual Fridays

General Po’s Chicken

olice in Bethlehem, Pa., arrested a home invader this past weekend, but this wasn’t your average home invader. Instead of donning a ski-mask to hide his identity, this burglar was in a yellow Teletubby costume — aka Laa-Laa — and he wasn’t looking for jewelry. In fact, the police report stated that he broke into the home to steal Chinese food. According to the report, the man went through the fridge, “dumped [the food] in his man purse” and fled the scene. His accomplice, Tinky Winky, was later found in alleyway covered in sweet and sour sauce.

Night of the living Redd’s Apple Ale

fter attending a bar’s “zombie prom” party in upstate New York, a woman left completely zombified, not because she was dressed to theme, but because she was intoxicated. Unfortunately for her, she decided to get behind the wheel — not just once, but twice. The zombie woman was arrested for DWI at 2 a.m. on Saturday, taken to the police station, and then arrested again for DWI at 5 a.m. after she left the station that same night. When asked why she got behind the wheel again, she said she had a serious craving for “Beeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr...”

The panty raiders

he Rutherford Raiders, the soccer team of Kent University in the U.K., got into some serious trouble recently because of their sponsor. As most of us know, soccer teams tend to put their sponsors’ logos on their jerseys — the Rutherford Raiders were no different. Their sponsor just happened to be the X-rated website Pornhub. Unfortunately for them, the university banned the team for placing the Pornhub logo onto the front of their jerseys. Plus, people weren’t coming to the games, because apparently they all ended the same way.

OPINIONS

COLUMN

Behind the veil

Misconceptions and stereotypes that Muslim women face Courtney Linder Columnist The United States is a nation built upon ideals of religious freedom. But our notion of religious “freedom” is entirely westerncentric, which leads to misunderstanding and, sometimes, hatred of religious practices we are not used to. Take the practices of Islam, for instance. Under-informed individuals and educated feminists alike constantly patronize Muslim women who choose to wear a headscarf. In 2006, the ACLU reported that there were 154 cases of discrimation against Muslim women — headscarfs were considered the main factor that triggered in all of these incidents. Contributing to this is the common misconception is that all women who follow the Islamic faith are forced into Muslim garb. This assumption is incorrect. While some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, implement oppressive forms of government that force women into veiling, most Muslims outside of such countries make the choice to cover. The practice of veiling comes from the Quran. In an English translation of Chapter 24, Allah tells the prophet Mohammed to tell women “not [to] display their beauty, except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur over their bosoms.” “Khumur” is the plural form for a veil covering the head. Considering Chapter 24, westerners tend to deduce that veiling is not a choice, but the Quran refutes this thought process. Islam is a non-compulsory religion. The religion doesn’t force anything onto someone who is not willing. Muslims believe that Allah, or God, is forgiving and loving. The Quran only calls for women specifically to wear the hijab — a piece of cloth that covers the hair and cascades under the chin to cover the bosom. But there are other forms of garb that women may choose instead of the hijab. For example, a niqab is similar to a hijab,

but it covers the entire face except for the eyes. Perhaps the most controversial option is the burqa, which covers everything, leaving only a one-way piece of mesh to see through. These options are more modest than the hijab. Throughout high school, Kelcey Garner, a senior at Point Park University, was an atheist. She discovered Islam in college and converted, making the choice to cover her face and dress modestly. Garner wears a niqab, which leaves only her eyes exposed. She said ever since she started wearing the niqab, people make eyecontact with her. “I know its kind of cliché, but the eyes are the window to the soul ... since I started covering, it forces people to see me for my mind, not my body,” Garner said. Garner, like many other Muslim women, sees veiling as a form of liberation. “This is my body. It’s my choice to show you or not show you,” she said. Feminist movements have made it more and more appropriate for women to dress how they want — it’s your choice. But many feminists overlook the idea that judging modesty happens on a scale. Women who dress scantily to liberate themselves are no better or worse than women who choose to wear the veil and dress conservatively. The choice is a part of a spectrum, and both ends are liberating. Garner opted to wear a niqab, a more conservative headscarf, because she wanted to break down the negative stigma that surrounds Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab, niqab or burqa. A law in France embodies a horrible offshoot of this concept. On Sept. 14, 2010, the French government placed a ban on covering the face in public, outlawing burqas and niqabs. The government maintained that the law was in place for identification purposes and to prevent women from being forced into oppressive practices. According to the law, if authorities saw a woman wearing a religious facial covering, she could be fined

up to 150 Euros — about $205. Understandably, the ban outraged many Muslim women. Although the French Government meant to liberate “oppressed” Muslim women, the ban created a class of oppressed Muslim women who could not wear the clothing they felt was right. For Garner, wearing a niqab is an opportunity to address the stereotype of weak, dominated Muslim women and simultaneously deconstruct it. “Since I know people are going to feel semi-uncomfortable with me at first, I went above and beyond to be friendly ... to be kind ... to be opening ... to show them who I am,” Garner said. Although many women veil for personal liberation, others do so for political demonstrations. During the 1979 revolution in Iran, middle-class Iranian women veiled themselves to show solidarity with their veiled working-class sisters — thus, the veil served as a symbol of cultural identity, as well as freedom. Now, Iran mandates that women wear the veil. It’s no coincidence that governments are trying to make the hijab seem oppressive. Sophomore Fareedah Haroun said forcing a woman to wear the hijab corrupts its real meaning. “It’s meant to represent your journey through Islam and your relationship with Allah, and, when you force someone to put it on, it takes away from its main purpose,” she said. When people outside Islam project their own misunderstandings onto Muslims and misconstrue their cultural practices as oppressive, they take their liberty away. “It doesn’t feel like it’s a command or anything of that sort. It feels like a freeing choice,” Haroun said. It is all about choice. Wearing a headscarf can be just as liberating as wearing a short skirt. Instead of trying to “save” Muslim women from oppression, we should save our breath and respect their decision to veil. Email Courtney at CNL13@pitt.edu.

October 31, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FOOTBALL

SPORTS

Panthers look to rebound against first place Blue Devils Ryan Bertonaschi Senior Staff Writer

The Pitt football team has now lost four of its last five games, and head coach Paul Chryst can’t help but address areas where his team must improve — and must improve soon. Nonetheless, third-year coach Chryst often points out a few “nice things” that he saw from his team after a bad loss. One of those “nice things” is the progression of quarterback Chad Voytik, who will have little room for error when Coastal Division leader Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) rolls into Heinz Field Saturday to take on Pitt (4-4, 2-2 ACC). The Blue Devils have won seven of their past eight road games. Led by safety Jeremy Cash, an All-American safety in 2013, Duke’s defense limits opponents to just 15 points per game. Voytik told reporters Wednesday that he thought he handed in one of his better personal performances of the season on Saturday evening, after Pitt literally and

Quarterback Chad Voytik wants to build off of his Homecoming performance this weekend against Duke. Heather Tennant | Staff Photographer

figuratively dropped its week eight game to Georgia Tech. The Panthers fumbled seven times. “Offensively, we can use a lot of the stuff

that we accomplished in that game,” Voytik said. “And I think it was a confidence booster for me because I felt good out there. I felt like I could throw the ball and put it where

I wanted to. So I enjoyed it when we were holding onto it.” Voytik completed 75 percent of his passes last week, which, on paper, is his best passing game since Pitt’s season opener. Voytik added that Duke’s defense is similar to the Panthers’. In theory, a week for Voytik and company against a scout team defense that ran its in-house schemes should provide Pitt’s offense with the recognition it needs to slow Saturday’s contest down. Defensive coordinator Matt House concurred. Still, House said, “On the flip side, they might have as explosive of skill players as we’ve seen all year.” Jamison Crowder, Duke’s two-time AllACC wide receiver and 2013 All-American return specialist, is a scary player. Crowder has caught 40 passes for 471 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season. “They do a great job finding ways to get him the ball,” House told reporters. “They’ll

Football

VOLLEYBALL

Pitt hoping to fight through pain in two weekend matches Caitlin Hinsey Staff Writer

The Panther volleyball team is off to one of its best starts in team history but is starting to feel the effects of the challenging slate of ACC conference games. Although a significant percentage of the squad is facing injuries, Pitt (18-3, 6-2 ACC) will have a split weekend facing Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Friday evening at 7 p.m. and hosting Syracuse Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. “We have a few players banged up,” head coach Dan Fisher said. “We’re trying to stay healthy and get enough reps to stay sharp.” Players Jessica Wynn and Amanda Orchard, two of Pitt’s top hitters, have battled foot and elbow injuries, respectively, for a while now, and five other players are

facing tendonitis issues in their knees or shoulders. Last weekend, the Panthers performed strong early on in two matches, but achieved mixed results. Pitt fell to then-No. 4 Florida State 3-2 and beat Louisville 3-1. The close loss and injuries still haven’t placed a damper on the team’s spirits. “The morale is still good,” Fisher said. Virginia Tech The Hokies (9-13, 2-7 ACC) have struggled as of late to string together wins, losing seven of their last nine matches. Five of those losses went to five sets. “They’re in games and playing well, but they’re not getting the results they want,” said Fisher, currently in his second year as head coach of the Panthers. Despite these struggles, Virginia Tech holds a 5-3 record when playing at Cassell

Coliseum. Outside hitter Lindsey Owens is a bright spot in the lineup for the Hokies. Owens, a sophomore, currently leads the team in hitting and averages 3.37 kills. Redshirt senior libero Megan Beckwith ranks ninth in conference standings with the digs. Beckwith digs 3.65 balls per set. “That’s a scary team for us,” Fisher said. “We have to make sure we come in there ready to put the pressure on right away.” Syracuse Only 18 days ago, the Orange played Pitt when the team travelled to Syracuse. The Orange was unable to hold off the thenstreaking Panthers in their home arena and fell 3-1. Syracuse (8-13, 1-8 ACC) has also struggled this season when facing conference opponents, with its only win coming on Oct.

19 versus Wake Forest, placing them at the bottom of the rankings. While on the road, the Orange are unable to find ways to win, with their last road victory dating all the way back to the beginning of September. Junior Silvi Uattara continues to be a star for Syracuse. The outside hitter leads the team in kills and digs. She also ranks among the top five conference kills leaders, averaging a little less than four kills per game. “[Uattara] is a really good outside hitter that we need to stop,” setter Jenna Jacobson said. Along with Uattara, Fisher is keeping an eye on middle blocker Monika Salkute. “They have been moving [Salkute] around,” Fisher said. “She’s a very physical player that is capable of causing some

Volleyball

October 31, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 5

VOLLEYBALL problems.” The Panthers are starting to receive respect from coaches in the polls. The votes for Pitt tripled in the last week in the AVCA Coaches Poll, with the team receiving 12. Middle hitter Orchard’s stellar season remains intact. The junior is ranked fifth nationally in hitting percentage. Orchard’s teammate at the net, middle blocker Jenna Potts, is currently 17th in the nation in blocks per set with 1.41.

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Although Orchard and Potts have enjoyed their share of success, they are still trying each week to better themselves. “Amanda and I have been working on synched blocking so we can read the setter better,” Potts said about this week’s practice. Pitt currently has a 10-2 record at home with its two losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents. The home crowd has helped the Panthers hold an edge over their opponents, and Potts and the team are well aware of that. “As much as we can be home, the better,” the Potts said.

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FROM PAGE 5

FOOTBALL get him the ball on screens, they’ll throw him the ball downfield on double moves. They’ll run jets with him, they’ll put him in the backfield some and run option with him. “Mark it down now, he’s going to make somebody miss a tackle on Saturday ... You’ve got to get second and third guys running to the ball,” House said. House added that redshirt cornerback Reggie Mitchell will assume the challenge of guarding Crowder.

“You’ve just got to be patient. He’s real quick off the line,” Mitchell told reporters. “I’m looking forward to the matchup.” Duke quarterback Anthony Boone is given a lot of time to find Crowder and Duke’s other receivers downfield. This is a testament to the Blue Devils’ offensive line, which is second in the country in sacks allowed (0.57 per game). After undergoing temporary position changes in an effort to stop Georgia Tech’s triple option, Bam Bradley will return to the Sam linebacker position, and Nicholas Grigsby will return to his Freeze position. Kickoff is set for noon.

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The Pitt News Crossword, 10/31/2014

ACROSS 1 Arguing 5 Colored part of the iris 11 Fold call 14 Ho Chi __ 15 Caribbean stopover 16 Munic. official 17 Making flush 19 Army E-5, e.g. 20 You can usually see right through them 21 Country named for its location 23 Picnic contest gear 24 Pushy 26 Signs 27 Son, to Sartre 28 London gallery 29 Obit bit 30 Exiled Amin 31 Test area 32 Feature of some jellyfish 37 Things to consider 38 Golf club part 39 Thanksgiving staple 42 Instant 44 Suffix indicating absence 45 Blend 46 Administration 48 Selling points 49 Seasoned seaman 50 Willies-causing 51 Broadcast 52 This puzzle’s five longest answers are common ones 56 Island loop 57 Pre-WWII pope 58 Adopted greatnephew of Claudius 59 Initials seen at Indy 60 Drinks daintily 61 Expected 2015 MLB returnee

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11/14/14

By Steve Salmon

DOWN __ Zion Church Symphonic set Behind Response to a helper 5 Literary collections 6 Dorm minders, for short 7 Sicilian capital? 8 Willows for wickerwork 9 Camelot weapon 10 Like the works of Virgil and Horace 11 Crook 12 Nook 13 Worship 18 Attorney’s thing 22 Easy __ 23 Jacob, to Esau, for short 24 Hill helper 25 What icicles do in the sun 27 Douglas and others 31 Sediment 33 “__ Little Ironies”: Thomas Hardy collection

Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

1 2 3 4

34 35 36 40 41 42 43 44 45

Some exits Run to Goth makeup Score direction HMO group City SW of Chicago ICU hookup Eases Place with berth rights

11/14/14

46 Shootout successes 47 Mid-11th-century year 48 Harris of “thirtysomething” 50 Tiger’s ex 53 Ltr. afterthoughts 54 Outside: Pref. 55 Astrodome field’s lack