TPN 10-9-14

Vol. 105 Issue 47

@thepittnews

Thursday,October 9, 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

Pittnews.com

Feminism’s reach extends on campus Kat Prosachik Staff Writer

What do Beyoncé, Jennifer Lawrence and growing groups of Pitt students have in common?

Hint: It’s not fame, celebrity or money.

It’s their fight for women’s rights.

Merriam-Webster defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” Yet, feminist — a follower of feminism — is a title that many are afraid to don, but is a comfortable fit for more and more Pitt students.

As activists, actresses, academics and

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Early Wednesday morning the “Blood Moon” appeared over the Oakland skyline. Bobby Mizia | Senior Staff Photographer

DINING

Conflict Kitchen takes heat for discussion panel Lauren Rosenblatt Staff Writer

Oakland turns 175 Local musicians celebrate the milestone at Oakland Forever festival

Already one for consuming large portions of controversy, Schenley Plaza takeout restaurant Conflict Kitchen heard a mouthful of concerns from the Pittsburgh Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh and suffered the loss of a University Honors College sponsorship following its Palestinian discussion event.

Since opening two years ago, Conflict Kitchen’s menu has reflected the culture of

countries with which the U.S. government is in conflict. The restaurant has hosted special event discussions on the region whose cuisine is its current menu theme.

By traveling to the to-be-showcased country beforehand, the restaurant’s owners and employees are able to learn more about the food and strife within the area. Upon returning from the conflicted area, the restaurant provides information and interviews, in addition to a meal. Conflict Kitchen has previously served cuisine from Afghanistan, North Korea,

Cuba, Iran and Venezuela — new this month are the Palestinian Territories.

Preceding the Oct. 6 launch of its Palestinian menu, which includes falafel, musakhan and baqlawa, the restaurant’s panel discussion on Sept. 30 in Schenley Park was laden with controversy.

The University Honors College co-sponosored this month’s panel, which was an informal discussion about Palestine. The event drew

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CONFLICT 35 attendees, including speakers Dr. Nael Althweib, a Palestinian from the West Bank, and Professor Ken Boas, chair of the board of the Israeli Committee Against House DemolitionsUSA, as well as Dean Edward Stricker of the University’s Honor College.

“We’ve been getting pushback from members of the local Jewish community that aren’t in support of us presenting those types of viewpoints,” said Jon Rubin, co-director of Conflict Kitchen.

According to Rubin, the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh requested that an Israeli perspective be represented at Conflict Kitchen’s events discussing the Palestinian Territories.

Rubin made it clear that Conflict Kitchen wouldn’t meet these demands.

“The goal of our project is to represent the voices of the people that we are working with, [the Palestinians], so it does not make sense to have someone from Israel on every one of the panels,” Rubin said. “We may have an Israeli perspective at some point, and I understand their desire to have their narrative told, but

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com they have plenty of other formats to do that.”

Gregg Roman, community relations council director of JFP, said the organization disagrees with the lack of Israeli representation in Conflict Kitchen’s latest event.

“The reason why I think it’s important that we have a place at the table is that [Conflict Kitchen is] saying that this is about the U.S. being in conflict with Palestine, but their justification for that is that the U.S. supports Israel and, therefore, supports Palestine,” Roman said. “So, you would think there would be an Israeli perspective.”

Roman said the focus on Palestine’s perspective created an unjust, unacademic “breakdown between two different camps.”

“The Jewish community as a whole has certain expectations of institutions that receive public funding, like Conflict Kitchen, to not carry out programs that may delve into the area of discrimination on national origin,” Roman said.

Rubin said the restaurant was just trying to create a spot that didn’t exist in Pittsburgh — a spot where the public could engage in culture they might be unfamiliar with.

“We all know that Palestine and Israel is a very sensitive subject, but we’re in America.

Schenley Plaza restaurant Conflict Kitchen hosted a controversial panel last week. Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor

And if we can’t have an open, humane, civil conversation about culture here, then how do we ever expect it to happen over there?” Rubin said during the discussion, by way of introduction. “We have to be a model.”

In light of the controversy, Stricker made the decision on Oct. 7 to no longer co-sponsor Conflict Kitchen’s lunch hour discussions.

“We never should have been allowed to call [our involvement with Conflict Kitchen] a spon-

sorship,” Stricker said. “[Sponsorship] means being involved in everything in the planning, you endorse the events, you select the speakers.

We never wanted to do any of that.”

The Honors College began providing funds for students to attend the Conflict Kitchen lunch hours in January and has had funded

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October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 2

CONFLICT up to 15 Pitt undergraduates to attend each event since.

Stricker said the University will continue to be a part of the discussions and pay for lunches, despite the dropped sponsorship.

“We will continue the same role we have always had. We’ve misled the public in thinking that we have more of a role than we do,” Stricker said. “No one is going to criticize the free lunches.”

Zach Grewe, a sophomore psychology major, attended last week’s lunch hour hoping to learn more about the conflict.

“Everyone’s heard about it. Everyone’s seen it in the news, but I feel like I’ve never had an educated view of it,” Grewe said. “I wanted to be able to participate in the conversations about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have some frame of reference for what’s going on.”

Danielle Shuster, a freshman computer science major, said it may be a good idea to include an Israeli perspective at similar events.

“I do think it’s fair to be representing both sides of the conflict because there are always

two sides, and it is very easy to become onesided and forget about what the other person is doing,” Shuster said.

Stricker said he was concerned before the event that the speakers would take up most of the time, and audience members wouldn’t get a chance to share their opinions or ask their questions.

He was pleasantly surprised to find the opposite to be true.

“Each speaker talked for about five minutes, and then there was 80 minutes for discussion.

And anyone in the audience could say anything that they wanted,” Stricker said. “Comments were pro-Israel, and pro-Palestine, or neither.

It was a very good meeting in the sense that a lot of views got aired.”

Grewe said the conflicts chosen can go deeper than food.

“I think the conflict is one of identity. Jewish identities and Palestinian identities are not such an ideological position because for most people it’s a position that you are born into, and it strikes at the core of what people feel,” Grewe said.

Conflict

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FEMINISM

humans of all genders, races and sexual orientations take their stance on feminism, the subject loses its taboo. Across Pitt, students are joining women’s rights clubs, producing feminism articles and accepting that gender equality is not just a women’s issue.

According to Kerrie Kauer, a visiting scholar in the gender, sexuality and women’s studies program at Pitt, social media’s speed helps the millennial generation promote activism and embrace feminism.

“They have access to different voices describing what feminism actually is, instead of only getting information from mainstream media, which has historically trivialized and demonized the feminist movement,” Kauer said.

Additionally, there is a “growing collective identity with people fighting for social justice on college campuses,” according to Kauer. “[It] isn’t just about normalizing cer4 tain groups, but really working to dis-

3 mantle dominance,” she said.

On Sept. 29, Pitt’s Campus Women’s Organization discussed men’s role in accepting the title and gaining gender equality for women. The meeting drew 23 men and 40 women — more than a third of the group were men, who were also the most outspoken during the discussion.

Eleanora Kaloyeropoulou, CWO president and a junior Africana studies and history major, said men frequently attend meetings.

“Every week, we have a group of equity-driven men who attend our meetings.

The number of people who identify as male is growing [within] our membership,” Kaloyeropoulou said.

CWO doesn’t identify as a feminist group, Kaloyeropoulou said, because its members don’t want to be exclusive. The organization is open to everyone, even if they don’t identify as feminist.

“Historically, mainstream feminism has left many people out of the conversation about equality, so it is important to

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FEMINISM recognize feminism’s roots even if today it is more inclusive,” Kaloyeropoulou said.

“At CWO, we try to make our actions as inclusive as possible.”

At the CWO meeting, Graeme Meyer spoke about men’s role in gender equality and why he personally became involved in the cause.

Meyer, a junior and a member of Student Government Board, said he supported Emma Watson’s recent U.N. speech on feminist issues and “He For She,” an equality movement inviting men to join gender discussion.

But Meyer said men shouldn’t need to be invited.

“That should already be happening,” Meyer said. “And while I think she made a good start with ‘He For She,’ I think we should work toward something more like ‘he for us’ or ‘he with us.’ We should be fighting for equal human rights and equality across all gender identities.”

Meyer said the language in “He For

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com She” put him off.

“I think this reinforces the stereotype that women are less competent than men and, therefore, need their help to accomplish certain tasks,” Meyer said. “Rather, I think this campaign should be focused on reaching out to men to ask them to work with women (and all gender identities), not do it for them.”

Men need to understand how gender equality socially and economically benefits society.

Men becoming part of the feminist campaign isn’t the only issue being discussed on campus. Slutciety, a new feminist publication at Pitt, brings more issues to light with its articles.

According to Slutciety’s mission statement on its Facebook page, the group is a monthly feminist publication striving to break gender stereotypes through writing.

“We reclaim derogatory terms such as ‘slut’ and use them in our favor, hence our name. We are answering to a need for a premiere feminist publication on college campuses,” the statement says.

Amanda Chan, a sophomore sociology

major, established Slutciety in March.

Chan said she wanted to create something that would bring to light intersectional feminist issues, the idea that feminism prioritizes sexism related to white women and needs to recognize sexism gay women, black women, Asians and men face.

Maddie O’Connell, a sophomore sociology major and co-vice president of Slutciety, said the publication’s members are trying to be more inclusive and want to increase intersectionality feminism.

“We want to represent Pitt’s population more in their intelligence and their diversity in culture,” O’Connell said.

As the only feminist publication on campus, Slutciety is working to open the minds of Pitt’s students and provide an open forum in which students can discuss these issues.

“We are trying to establish a community where you can be completely feminist and speak your mind about feminism,” Chan said. “We want our members to make smart, educated, thought-provoking points in an environment where they can feel safe to speak freely.”

FROM PAGE 3

CONFLICT Shuster prefers to keep the relationship at a digestible level.

“These conflicts are going to happen regardless of what Conflict Kitchen is doing or not,” Shuster said.

According to Rubin, this type of situation has never occurred before. The only other scuffle in the history of the restaurant came on the day it opened.

“Someone posted a sign saying we were ‘cultural tourists.’ I’m not sure exactly what that meant, but they were probably accusing us of shallowly representing someone’s culture but ... we are quite serious about what we do,” Rubin said.

Despite the looming controversy, Rubin stands by his decision of representing Palestine and thinks these small disagreements are the opposite of Conflict Kitchen’s mission.

“We try to present the larger context of what we do, which is about representing the viewpoints of people that live in these countries,” Rubin said. “We’re not presenting a specific ideology. We’re just presenting food.”

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

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OPINIONS CRAIG

Conflict Kitchen faces Banned books: Our best writing? unnecessary backlash Jess Craig Columnist

Conflict Kitchen, a restaurant that exclusively serves the food of countries with which the United States is in conflict, is experiencing some turmoil of its own.

On Monday, the popular Schenley Plaza restaurant changed its menu from Venezuelan to Palestinian cuisine. Regardless of taste for Middle Eastern food, the cuisine isn’t the problem.

Before offering its new menu, the restaurant hosted a discussion in Schenley Park last week regarding Palestine. These talks aren’t new — the Conflict Kitchen often brings in speakers to talk about relevant topics. At this particular talk, Pitt’s Honors College sent 15 students and paid for their meals.

Last week, The Jewish Chronicle published an article titled “University Honors College co-sponsors one-sided talk on Middle East.” Dr. Nael Aldweib, a Palestinian-born Pittsburgh internist, and Dr. Ken Boas, a Pitt professor and chair of the board of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions-USA, spoke at the event.

Based on speakers, the talk wasn’t representative of both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but is this really worth complaining about? Conflict Kitchen is a private business. It has the right to serve any food and welcome any speaker to discuss ideas in a safe and civil manner.

There is no question that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complex.

But fair political discourse should exist around the Pittsburgh

community and world. Our society allows us to select the food we eat and the speakers to whom we listen. If people don’t like certain ideas or beliefs, they neither have to listen to nor agree with them.

Moreover, people can meet with speakers whom they wish to hear.

Regardless of political stance, people should respect the peaceful political stances of other individuals and businesses. The public, including students and administrators, should seek more tolerance and less hypersensitivity when discussing cultural and political topics.

The reality, however, is that those who speak out carry a lot of weight. In response to negative coverage, Pitt’s Honors College has decided to no longer sponsor these events.

But despite the animosity that ensued, there’s value in students’ exposure to ideas — no matter how controversial they might seem.

It would have been refreshing for the Honors College to resist and defend its right to send students to intellectually stimulating discussions, no matter which side they might represent.

If, last week, the students heard pro-Palestine views, then the University could sponsor student attendance of pro-Israel events, too.

If a University’s responsibility is to educate its students, then it should not placate critics but rather hold firm in defending its educational choices. If another conflict arises, hopefully the University will defend its students’ civic rights and its own.

The recent coming and passing of Banned Books Week left an ongoing debate in its wake.

Nationwide, conflict continues between librarians, academics, book-lovers, writers and school administrators. And don’t forget oversensitive parents: adults who prefer to have their children believing in talking, bow tie-wearing cats causing Dr. Suess-created havoc rather than be exposed to the real world of slavery, poverty and derogatory words.

Through the years, school districts have banned certain books they feel are inappropriate for students.

But some believe banning books is a violation of constitutional rights, while others, such as Kearney Hub writer Rick Brown, say books are “one of the most harmless objects in the universe. A bunch of paper wrapped up in a marketing package.” Some argue that children need to be protected from the perils of the world. Some coun-

Cartoon by Fatima Kizilkaya

ter-argue and say the world is filled with sex, violence, drugs, discrimination and hatred. Isn’t it best to learn all that now rather than be shocked later?

As an avid reader, writer and book collector, I understand how words and ideas printed on 4x6 paper and unified by glue and plastic can inflict thought, provoke emotion and bring about change, whether it be in one person or millions of people. And, perhaps, a 10-yearold is not ready to think about the BDSM and sexual practices that fill the recently challenged — and recent bestseller, might I add — “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

But challenging the book one week only to have it acclaimed by celebrities the next not only entirely defeats the purpose of banning a book, but makes banned books more accessible.

For many writers, dating from Mark Twain to the modern day, it has become a goal to have a book banned. Because, as displayed by the banned children’s book “And Tango Makes Three,” having a book banned not only boosts sales — the whole “want-

ing what you can’t have” deal — but it may be the only indicator we have left of good writing.

Evoking any response other than the one-second-long “oh, that was interesting,” means the writer did something commendable. He or she got somebody’s attention, challenged some archaic notion of a contemporary social norm and, most importantly, made readers think in a way that they never thought before.

For a moment, rather than considering entire books, think about columnists who write on political or social issues. Scroll through TIME Magazine’s website, The New York Times, Slate. com or The Washington Post.

Each outlet has published articles and columns about the same exact thing — how the film adaptation of “Gone Girl” differed from the book. This is OK because they all cover recent events in the nation and in the world.

But if you even just read the first paragraph of the articles,

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October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 5

CRAIG they all say the same thing.

They lack original thought, an interesting angle or controversial and thoughtprovoking claims. They’re pieces by journalistic robots, clinging to what the rest of society says, typing into their laptops, sending articles to editors and collecting their paychecks without inventing. Yes, they avoid the angry email from a reader

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

Cristina Holtzer, News Editor news@pittnews.com

Nick Voutsinos, Opinions Editor letters@pittnews.com

Shawn Cooke, A&E Editor

aande@pittnews.com Chris Puzia, Sports Editor sports@pittnews.com

Theo Schwarz, Visual Editor photos@pittnews.com

Ellie Petrosky, Copy Chief tpncopydesk@gmail.com

Stephen Caruso, Layout Editor tpnlayout@gmail.com

who so strongly disagrees with them that they took the time to write and, yes, they can muddle through a writing career like that.

Perhaps this is why the United States has seen a decline in newspaper, magazine and book sales. Perhaps it is why writers are taught by teachers to shove important information into the first paragraph of their pieces — because most people won’t read beyond that. Because writers are all saying the same thing, Internet and social media — where there is complete and

E S T A B L I S HE D 1 9 1 0

Mahita Gajanan, Managing Editor manager@pittnews.com

Danielle Fox, Assistant News Editor Harrison Kaminsky, Assistant News Editor Matt Barnes, Assistant Opinions Editor Dan Sostek, Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Ahearn, Assistant Visual Editor Zheru Liu, Multimedia Editor Joelle Smith, Social Media Editor Becca Nagy, Assistant Copy Chief Emily Hower, Assistant Layout Editor

Copy Staff

Sarah Choflet Anjuli Das Kinley Gillette Johanna Helba Emily Maccia Sam McGinley

Bridget Montgomery Sarah Mejia Shivani Pandit Michelle Reagle Michael Wilson Megan Zagorski

often anonymous freedom to say whatever you want — wins the competition for attention.

So despite the somewhat confusing banning of, and consequent celebration of, banned books, I applaud the very few writers who make it on the list. I can only hope that, as a society, we start banning other forms of literature: controversial opinion columns, racy listicles and sexually overt news articles.

Write to Jess at jnc34@pitt.edu.

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October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT

Pittsburgh musicians set to celebrate Oakland’s 175th birthday at oakland forever festival

Clockwise from top left: Nameless In August, The Swag Monkeys, Formula412 and Bastard Bearded Irishmen. Top left courtesy of Nameless in August, bottom right courtesy of 3 Sides Photography

Sam Bojarski Staff Writer A local paper, called the Harris’ Intelligencer, dubbed a neighborhood just outside of Pittsburgh “Oakland” for the numerous oak trees that lined its hills — 175 years ago.

Now, that once-rural space is nearly unrecognizable.

Much Oakland history has been written since then, and the neighborhood has changed in ways that couldn’t have been predicted in 1839. From the Salk vaccine, to the multiple organ transplant, to the

first large-scale public library system, Oakland has been a community of firsts — but it has always lacked a major event to bring the community together. Oakland Forever hopes to give the community something around which to rally.

On Oct. 10-11, Oakland will host the festival to mark the neighborhood’s 175th anniversary. The event will include live music, art exhibits, historical retrospectives and lectures, along with food and fashion trucks. Budding regional music acts will headline the festival, providing a full lineup of entertainment from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening.

Joe Grushecky, who jammed with Bruce Springsteen at Soldiers and Sailors this summer, will perform on the main stage Saturday at 4:30 p.m., as the last act on the main stage in Schenley Plaza. The Swag Monkeys, Nameless in August, famed jazz guitarist Joe Negri and blues singer Jessica Lee will set the stage for Gruscheky’s finale performance.

On Friday, Beauty Slap, Bastard Bearded Irishmen, Lovebettie and Formula412 will take the stage. Oakland Forever will kick off with an opening ceremony at 3 p.m. in Schenley Plaza, before Beauty Slap plays at 5 p.m.

Zach Rock and his band, Nameless in August, will have a tough task playing after the Swag Monkeys, but he isn’t too worried about playing after the talented group of 13-year-olds.

“They’re an extraordinarily talented group of kids,” Rock said. “They really look like they’re having fun up there and have drawn crowds everywhere they’ve played.”

The group of youngsters, who fuse funk and rock music, will be the first group to perform on Saturday morning.

Oakland

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October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 7

OAKLAND Coming off of great shows this summer in Moraine State Park and Johnstown, Nameless in August is becoming more popular in the region. This weekend, they will be exposed to a large audience in the neighborhood just down the road from where they first began as a group.

“Me and Jason [Buzon], our banjo player, used to host an open mic at a bar in the South Side. Patrick [McGinley], our bass player, used to live above the bar and started playing with us one night. Jeremy [Colbert] and Michael [Brunk], our drummer, joined later,” Rock said.

While Rock grew up listening to country music, McGinley provides a backdrop for the group’s melodies with his funk influences.

“I really feel free when I’m up there playing music. It’s a sense of freedom

that I hope the audience latches onto,” Rock said.

When the group started, Rock handled most of the songwriting — when he first picked up a guitar at age 18, he was composing mini ballads from the start.

However, as the group has grown more dynamic, the other four members have taken a larger share of the songwriting duties.

“There’s some songs where, in certain parts, I don’t even know the lyrics,” McGinley said with a smile. “But my funk background has made me look at the music, and thus my bass-playing, in a different way.”

Colbert, the group’s second guitarist, is heavily rooted in the Pittsburgh music scene — he also hosts an open mic at Hambone’s in Lawrenceville each month.

“The biggest thing I have been able to give this group is harmonies. We do twopart, three-part, sometimes even four-

part harmonies,” Colbert said.

Though they all have their separate influences, the band’s live performances come together as a steady, upbeat blend of bluegrass, folk and rock music, similar to Mumford & Sons. The group focuses heavily on the lyrical content of their music but still draws on the sharp twang of the banjo, backed by the steady rhythm of an acoustic guitar to get the audience up off its feet.

As a drinking city with a heavy Irish population, Pittsburgh was bound to be a logical market for Bastard Bearded Irishmen from the beginning. Though Dan Stocker, the band’s drummer, is hesitant to place labels on the band, he concedes his group’s role as an Irish rock band with stark similarities to Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys.

“We have more of a punk sound though, a bit more hard-edge,” Stocker said.

The band is also famous throughout

the local bar and festival scene for their outrageous stage banter and general merrymaking.

“When we’re onstage, we’re having a great time. Our shows have grown more unrefined, in terms of stage banter, as time has gone by,” Stocker said.

Although the group got started playing gigs of all traditional and cover songs, they have since produced an album containing original music. However, the group’s setlist is still typically centered around their own idiosyncratic cover versions. Don’t be fooled by the mandolin, the banjo or the acoustic guitar — while these instruments may give their songs more of a melody than most punk rock, the group provides an alternative rock twist on most of their songs.

“There’s a lot of great groups playing at the festival,” Rock said. “We can’t be more thrilled to honor Pittsburgh and this neighborhood.”

REVIEW

‘Love Is Strange’ an honest, graceful modern romance Ian Flanagan Staff Writer

“Love Is Strange” Directed by Ira Sachs Starring Alfred Molina, John Lithgow, Marisa Tomei Grade: B+ Movies that grapple with the subject of love often struggle to depict it honestly, and “Love Is Strange” knows it. Instead of unnecessary flourishes and hackneyed drama, the film is unapologetic in its approach.

Ira Sachs’ latest examination of samesex relationships is maturely rendered by the sincerity of its script, in addition to the fearless and graceful performances

by Alfred Molina and John Lithgow as a couple of 39 years.

Ben and George (Lithgow and Molina, respectively) face slightly turbulent times nearly four decades into their ever-enduring relationship. Most jubilantly, the two finally wed. Less so, George is fired from his position as a music instructor at his church for the very same marriage.

With these unexpected money troubles, they must sell their Manhattan apartment and temporarily live separately as George

seeks new work, until the couple eventually finds new, affordable living. Of course, this transition takes some time and is the ultimate focus of the film’s plot, which is not, as one might expect, about how two people in a long-term relationship deal with each other. It’s just the opposite — how tragically lost people can become when separated from their life partner because of uncontrollable circumstances.

So Ben stays with his patient daughter, Kate (Marisa Tomei), her serious husband, Elliot (Darren Burrows), and her angsty tween son, Joey (Charlie Tahan). Crowded family living situations can be silently uncomfortable and riddled with petty drama, and “Love Is Strange” portrays them in their entire unspoken, seat-squirming madness.

Meanwhile, George stays with friends in the same apartment building — another gay couple, two oft-partying policemen Ted and Roberto (Cheyenne Jackson and Manny Perez, respectively). This situation, which is given substantially less screen time than that of Lithgow’s character, shows George’s loneliness as he is isolated in a household full of exuberant 30-somethings.

In a heartbreaking scene, George comes to Ben on a rainy night just to hug him tightly in the doorway, as he confesses

Molina and Lithgow’s subtle chemistry isn’t so “Strange.” Photo via the movie’s Facebook page

how much he’s missed him. In a film with little narrative direction, these small and sparse moments hold an unnatural weight and must be cherished.

The film’s elegantly simple score — consisting of only classical piano — extracts tender emotion like any good movie soundtrack should. While George narrates a letter to his students concerning his departure, a young girl plays Chopin during one of George’s private lessons — the sequence is breathtakingly edited.

But “Love Is Strange” can sometimes be as cloying as its lazy title, such as the film’s closing moments, which work a little too

hard to get you choked up. And though the film is unrestricted by realism and free to breathe because of its lifelike script and relaxed pacing, certain subplots unravel into triviality and the most unessential elements slip from memory.

It’s all really on Lithgow and Molina’s shoulders, and though the two are onscreen together for maybe all of 20 minutes, they make the most of it. The film’s best scene is simply them joking around in a bar, enjoying each other’s company even after a lifetime together. Their magnificently subtle chemistry is something to savor.

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

9

TIME CAPSULE

‘Friday Night Lights’ just as relevant in current football climate Richard Koppenaal Staff Writer

In 1988, H.G. Bissinger moved to Odessa, Texas, to study and report on the town’s people and politics. But his coverage of the local high school football team, the Permian Panthers, overshadowed the other aspects of the town.

His book, “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream,” profiled the team’s run to the state title game that year. The book follows coach Gary Gaines and several of the team’s higher profile players, while also painting a portrait of Odessa — where Panther football is life and the players are treated like celebrities.

“Friday Night Lights” debuted on the big screen 16 years later, starring Billy Bob Thornton as Gaines — two years before director Peter Berg brought it to the small screen on NBC. In the football-crazed town of Odessa, fans and parents scrutinize his every deci-

sion. Following an early-season loss, Gaines comes back to find “for sale” signs on his front lawn, sending a clear and threatening message.

Including Gaines, the film follows a few players on the team. There’s Boobie Miles, the heavily sought-after halfback recruit, who gets injured early, after being overplayed. The quarterback, Mike Winchell, deals with his own shortcomings on the field, often succumbing to the immense pressure. The other central player is the fullback Don Billingsley.

Throughout the movie, Billingsley endures his abusive father and fails to find refuge on the football field.

The movie has more than its fair Director Peter Berg (left) with Bissinger. MCT Campus share of clichés and caricatures, but that doesn’t mean it’s without meaning. about football and desegregation in Lights” deals with issues such as domesIt’s always in the conversation of “the 1971 Virginia, where racial barriers were tic abuse, adolescence and general disilgreatest sports movies,” among the likes knocked down on the gridiron. It serves lusionment that transcend any setting. of “Remember the Titans.” as a period piece, painting a picture of That’s not to say that racism isn’t exisBut this is an unfair and facile com- a Southern state in the 1970s.

LIGHTS 10 parison. “Remember the Titans” is On the other hand, “Friday Night

10

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 9

LIGHTS tent in the film. In fact, “Friday Night Lights” explores issues of race, but it’s not a film solely about race.

In light of recent news, “Friday Night Lights” becomes more meaningful. The film’s depiction of high school football culture raises questions about the effect it has on these young men. Furthermore, it presents these values as a catalyst of the NFL’s many shortcomings.

Some may say that it’s a big leap from high school ball to the pros, but the jump is becoming less radical. College football has become more like the professional game, where the term “student-athlete” might as well just be replaced with “athlete.” For top prospects, such as Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, it’s merely a place to hone skills before the NFL — akin to minor league baseball.

What resonates with viewers, at least in this fiction, is that football is the most important thing. It’s shocking and en-

Jameis Winston has also struggled with a celebrity complex. MCT Campus

tertaining to see teenagers thrust in the spotlight and in front of microphones.

The way in which the teenagers are treated like celebrities is what makes the story worth telling. The message this sends is lucid: winning is the most important thing. Who’s to say this isn’t the case all over the country in 2014?

If the NFL has communicated anything in the last few months, it’s that

teams are expected to win at all costs.

The NFL’s failure to appropriately and diligently deal with the recent uproar concerning Ray Rice is evidence of this.

On Sept. 27, University of Michigan quarterback Shane Morris was thrown back into the game after stumbling off the field with a concussion. According to USA Today, Michigan head coach Brady Hoke made a statement

the following Monday, explaining that “We would never, ever put a guy on the field when there’s a possibility of head trauma.” The University’s athletic director, Dave Brandon, has since issued an apology for the lack of communication.

Honest mistake or not, it raises questions that may not have been posed previously. It wasn’t long ago that concussions were reduced to “getting your bell rung,” with players immediately returning to play. Now, the public is beginning to question not only the game’s safety, but whether or not it’s moral to be a fan. Some might find it hard to justify watching their favorite team on Sunday, knowing that Player X abuses his children or that Player Y has been allowed to sustain numerous concussions.

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.

But, even at its most basic level, “Friday Night Lights” elucidates the absurdly high esteem in which we hold football.

While it may seem like another high school movie, 10 years later, “Friday Night Lights” still shows us that football isn’t the most important thing in life.

Well, at least it shouldn’t be.

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

11

SPORTS

SOCCER

Panthers prepare for challenge of rival Notre Dame Kevin Wheeler Staff Writer

Jackie Poucel boxes out an opponent Meghan Sunners | Staff Photographer

After a three-game road stint that resulted in a 2-1 record with wins over Syracuse and NC State, the Pitt women’s soccer team returns home on Thursday playing its best soccer of the season.

The Panthers will face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-4-1, 2-2-0) at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Ambrose Urbanic Field inside the Petersen Sports Complex.

It will be Pitt’s first home game since Sept. 19, when the Panthers fell to a strong Duke Blue Devils team in a 3-0 beatdown.

But the 20 days since the Duke game have seen a change in the Panthers’ performance. This team is not the same one that appeared disorganized and slow against Duke. The Panthers (6-6-0, 2-2-0) have more confidence than ever after earning two straight conference wins for the first time since 2012. They have also

climbed the ladder in the ACC standings and are now ranked seventh in the conference.

Head coach Greg Miller has been gauging his team’s focus throughout the last three weeks, and they have done a lot to prove themselves to him as of late.

“We can put together an entire game, we can create very good scoring chances, we can score goals, we can be physical with teams and we can go after them in a variety of ways that we haven’t been able to do in the past,” Miller said. “I think that’s a wonderful thing for a young team. To be able to play with some confidence at this point in the year, in this conference, just shows that we can go toe-to-toe with anybody on any given day.”

The Panthers’ morale is high right now, perhaps the highest it has been in a few years, and it has instilled a positive attitude among the players.

“I think [the players’] mindset going into Notre Dame is, ‘Hey, why not us on this particular day?’” Miller said.

“For a coaching staff to have a team that feels that way is wonderful, because it allows us to sit back and let them focus together on one another and what the game plan is, and just see how they do.”

The Fighting Irish bring a dynamic team to Pittsburgh, which could put the Panthers’ confidence to the test.

Sophomore co-captain Siobhan McDonough believes that her team’s morale is better than it has ever been.

Still, she is weary of wandering off the path that her team has been on lately.

“Our confidence is still new,” McDonough said. “Notre Dame is a very good team, and I don’t want us to lose our confidence and style of play against this type of opponent. The only thing that could drag us down is the fear or nerves some people might face with playing such a talented team.”

Notre Dame is coming off of a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday, after giving up a goal

Soccer

TPN Panthers of the week

Lindsey Zitzke

2 service aces 25 assists, 6 digs

Lindsey Zitzke — Volleyball The senior setter from Dublin, Ohio, made history last Friday during the Pitt volleyball team’s nail-biting 3-2 loss to No. 12 North Carolina. With her two service aces on the evening, Zitzke became the Panthers’ program leader in career aces with 154. She filled up other areas of the box score as well, totaling 25 assists and six digs.

Pat Amara — Football The freshman from Philadelphia saw the most playing time of any game in his collegiate career and made the most of it. The 6-foot-2-inch defensive back recorded his first career interception that sparked an eventually unsuccessful Panther comeback in the third quarter of Pitt’s 24-19 loss to Virginia on Saturday night. Amara also tallied two assisted tackles in the game.

Pat Amara

Interception, 2 assisted tackles

13

12

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

COLUMN

Price of tickets an obstacle in enjoying sporting events Alex Wise Staff Writer

It’s been said time and again that the best things in life are free. By that logic, being a sports fan is far from one of the best things in life.

The time and emotional energy that many of us invest in our favorite teams is significant. I can’t count the number of times that Penn State football or Orioles baseball have been placed higher on my priority list than things like school or sleep – you know, stuff that matters.

But, as I get older and slowly begin to understand the importance of making money, it’s becoming harder and harder for me to tangibly prove to myself that I really care about sports.

Over the past three days, I’ve had multiple opportunities to test my faltering allegiance to sports. I know that I’ll regret not taking advantage of said opportunities, but I also know that, to some extent, I’ll regret spending the

money to attend.

By the grace of God, my Baltimore Orioles defied expectations, the media and any semblance of rational thinking to not only win the American League East, but sweep the Tigers in an ALDS series. After the clinching game, a friend informed me that his seasonticket-holding brother was looking to sell a few of his World Series tickets for their face value of $150 each, should the Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals in a best-of-seven, nobody-thoughtwe’d-be-here matchup. Potential World Series seats for $150. That’s unheard of when you consider that StubHub is currently selling standing-room-only Costs of tickets are becoming a burden for fans. Photo courtesy of MCT Campus tickets for the ALCS for upwards of $200. and playoff games. Last year, I spent but they’re not the only cost involved.

In this situation, I’m very fortunate. $250 on a ticket from StubHub to see Baltimore is almost a full tank of gas I could end up going to a World Series Notre Dame play Michigan in Ann Ar- away for me in my gas-guzzling 2001 game for a fraction of what the guy in bor, Mich. The experience was worth it, Mercury Sable, and stadium parking the seat next to me might be paying. but I no doubt paid 500 percent higher isn’t cheap. Then there are souvenirs, Game tickets get marked up beyond than the actual price of the ticket.

Column 13 belief online, especially for rivalries Ticket prices are sky high, sure,

T P N S U D O K U

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

FROM PAGE 11

SOCCER with 20 seconds remaining in the game.

Surely, they will be coming into Ambrose Urbanic Field looking to bounce back, but what is it that makes the Fighting Irish appear so tough?

“They can come at you in a variety of different ways,” Miller said. “They can score goals from distance, they can score goals on set pieces and they have a number of very strong attacking players, so they can really break you down individually. They’re going to come at you in waves. If you shut down one or two players, then others step up, so you have to make sure you’re prepared for all situations.”

Miller singled out sophomore midfielder Morgan Andrews, junior midfielder and defenseman Cari Roccaro and senior forward Lauren Bohaboy as three key members of Notre Dame’s dangerous offensive attack.

The Achilles’ heel for the Irish, however — at least in coach Miller’s eyes — is that they may be a little weaker defensively in the midfield than most would expect,

October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com but that was the only weakness that Miller could cite when speaking of Notre Dame.

It may help Pitt to have a bit of a personal edge about them for this contest.

Senior co-captain Jackie Poucel arguably brings that competitive flare to the field every game, but she holds a big stake in this game in particular.

“I’m really looking forward to [Notre Dame], especially because last year, when we met at Notre Dame, I played only one half before being taken to the hospital,” Poucel said, referencing a sprained elbow she suffered in the 2013 match between the two squads.

One of Pitt’s biggest issues this season has been its inability to keep opposing teams off the scoreboard early on in games.

They have been able to accomplish that as of late, but the threat of that happening again looms with Notre Dame. So, naturally, Miller wants to make sure the Panthers don’t give up a goal early, causing them to lose their confidence at the same time.

“We need to be able to possess the ball on them and create scoring chances. That

Soccer

FROM PAGE 12

COLUMN

food and beer — because I’m 21 and can do that now — and lots of other little costs that end up being more than the price of the ticket.

The second potentially can’t-miss offer that crossed my path this week was dirt cheap tickets to see Penn State play Michigan at the Big House this weekend. A good friend goes to Michigan and invited me and some others to stay with him at his fraternity house, tailgate and go to the game. We found tickets online for a reasonable price – especially compared to what I paid last year – but the other cost concerns remain: travel, food, beer, souvenirs and more.

Fortunately, being broke college kids enables us to be happy about sleeping anywhere, so hotels aren’t an issue. The sticky, jungle juice-stained floor of a frat house works just as well as a king-size bed in these circumstances, if you ask me. But even with cheap tickets and free lodging, the weekend becomes a 14 multi-hundred-dollar affair.

13 And that’s what upsets me. I understand that sports are a business (and no, this won’t turn into a rant about whether or not college athletes should be paid), but it’s the fans who suffer for it. Nothing comes cheap. Tickets are marked up and hit with a “processing fee,” which makes me laugh and cry at the same time. Park your car a mile from the park for $20. Once in the stadium, prepare to max out your credit card on $12 beers, $15 nachos (cheese not included), and $30 T-shirts with a logo that, after being washed once, will fade faster than the memory of your paycheck.

All-in-all, the advantages of live sporting events are decreasing all the time. There’s nothing like being there, but games are simply too pricey for the average fan to go and still feel comfortable with the status of his or her bank account. Plus, my couch is just way too comfortable to get off of for cold metal bleachers and sharp winds, and the gigantic hi-def television in our living room is bound to be a better view than

Column

14

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October 9, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com COLUMN FROM PAGE 13

FROM PAGE 13

COLUMN

will provide some additional confidence for us,” Miller said. “We certainly feel good about what we’ve accomplished, but [the players] are hungry for more, and that’s exactly where we want them to be at this point.”

A win Thursday would be Pitt’s third consecutive ACC win, a feat that no Panther women’s soccer team has accomplished before. It would also thrust the Panthers into the top five of the ACC standings, as the two teams above them — Notre Dame and Virginia Tech — both have 2-2-0 records in conference play.

Pitt has to win five of their final six games to reach their goal of 11 wins on the year, and they will hope to inch closer to that goal on Thursday evening.

any view in any stadium. It’s flawless.

And my self-control on ticket-buying is getting better.

At least, I thought it was.

Now, my self-control is lapsing. This is Penn State-Michigan, the Big House under the lights with 110,000 fans going bonkers. It’s supposed to be cold, but I have sweatshirts. The couch would be more comfortable than the bleachers, but I’ll stand the whole time anyway. The gas will be expensive, but I’m not going alone. I’m sure the guys will chip in. I’m more and more thoroughly convincing myself that this is a good idea. More, and more, and more ...

And I just clicked “buy.”

Ann Arbor, here I come.

The Pitt News Crossword, 10/9/2014

SOCCER

ACROSS 1 Crawled, perhaps 5 Broadway show whose title woman can “coax the blues right out of the horn” 9 Renege, with “out” 12 Andalusian appetizer 13 Accord competitor 15 Hole starter 16 Postal service 18 __-pitch 19 Kanakaredes of “CSI: NY” 20 Plastered 22 Curled-lip look 23 Brigades, e.g.

25 The tar, in Spanish 27 Anonymous John 28 “The Black Cat” author 31 __ moss 32 Mountains dividing Europe and Asia 35 With 37-Across, sentence openings, and what the ends of 16-, 23-, 47-, and 57-Across can be when rearranged 37 See 35-Across 40 Hop follower 41 Modest dress 42 NASCAR __ 43 Lion or tiger 45 Exercises begun in a supine position 47 “You made your point” 50 “... if you want to __ man’s character, give him power”: Lincoln 54 Part of 56-Across 55 Eats pretzels, say 56 Google hit 57 Form small teams at school 60 What “I” may indicate 61 Common soccer score 62 Only 63 June honorees 64 Blind component 65 Breyers competitor

10/30/14

By Jerry Edelstein

DOWN 1 Restrains 2 Like Madame Tussauds figures 3 Traditional temptation 4 “Manhattan” Oscar nominee Hemingway 5 Galaxy gp.

6 Source of 20s, briefly 7 Harmful gas 8 One of the Brontës 9 Dishonorably dismissed 10 Bird that’s probably not wise and certainly not old 11 Trudges 13 Fit __ fiddle 14 One way to think 17 Mesmerized 21 Porcine sniffer 23 Kazakhstan border sea 24 Collecting Soc. Sec. 26 Arthur who won a Tony for 5-Across 28 IBM 5150s, e.g.

29 Furniture wood 30 Inner circles, in astronomy models 33 Coach Parseghian

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

34 ’60s hallucinogen 36 Old Bristol-Myers toothpaste 37 Beer choice 38 College email ending 39 Extreme summit 41 Former space station 44 “Solve __ decimal places” 45 Reddish-brown horse

10/30/14

46 Bagel choice 47 Eat loudly 48 Main artery 49 Mars pair 51 Drew back 52 NFL analyst Bradshaw 53 Beasts of burden 55 St. Louis-toChicago dir.

58 Place to see RVs 59 NFL mistake

Conference structure to blame for routs in WPIAL Joey Niklas For The Pitt News

Friday nights are supposed to be exciting and competitive during the football season.

Bands are playing their respective school’s fight song, teams are competing against their local rivals and parents are cheering on their sons — and sometimes daughters — on the field.

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL), in many ways, has been failing its players and fans.

The problem starts with WPIAL’s inflexible schedules.

Blowouts have become common over the past several years. Look at this past weekend. Every game in the Class AA Century Conference was a rout: Seton-La Salle beat East Allegheny 36-0, Keystone Oaks beat Carlynton 42-14, Quaker Valley beat Sto-Rox 41-6, South Park beat South Allegheny 41-8 and South Fayette beat Steel Valley 42-14.

In addition, there were several other conferences that saw similar results across the Pittsburgh metro area this past Friday.

This Friday features a blowout waiting to happen: Clairton at Serra Catholic. To put this mismatch in perspective, Clairton beat Jeannette 58-14, and Jeannette beat Serra Catholic 53-13. What casual fan will travel to witness mighty Clairton take on Serra Catholic?

The new spread offenses springing up across the WPIAL are one potential cause of these mismatches. The various camps that are hosted by Rivals, Scout and ESPN, which feature the best talent across the nation, could also be to blame. Those factors are developing the stars into even better players, creating a competitive gap manifested under the Friday night lights.

Where the WPIAL is going wrong is scheduling these blowouts in the first place. Most districts or conferences across Pennsylvania and the United States allow their schools to develop their own schedules. For example, the Harrisburg-area school Steelton-Highspire, a Class A team in the Mid Penn Conference, plays several AA and AAA schools.

To accomplish this, the WPIAL would have to restructure its conferences. It would have to create more conferences with fewer

teams in each.

Blowouts are still going to happen because of the nature of football itself and because there will still be conference games.

What restructuring the conferences will accomplish is the renewal of several rivalries across the WPIAL. Monessen and Charleroi have met on the football field 99 times and haven’t played each other since 2007, a 28-17 win for the Monessen Greyhounds.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) had a solution in 2009 and 2010. Its solution was to go from a four-classification setup to a six-classification setup. The classification change would’ve set the stage for more out-of-conference games, thus creating more compelling matchups.

The WPIAL refused to go to six classifications because of its agreement with Heinz Field for the four championship games.

Heinz Field was unable to hold the championships for six games over a two-day timespan because of obligations with Pitt football, which plays its home games there.

Look at the potential matchups the WPIAL is missing out on: Aliquippa vs.

Hopewell, Aliquippa vs. Clairton, Thomas Jefferson vs. Baldwin, Burgettstown vs. Fort Cherry, Washington vs. Trinity, Monessen vs.

Charleroi and so on. Most of those are local matchups between old rivals that aren’t being played anymore.

Also, teams struggling to compete could schedule games against other struggling teams and create their own class of competitive games. Those competitive games could potentially allow many struggling schools to rebuild their programs. Avella, for example, was struggling in the Blackhills Conference and was featured in The New York Times in 2012. It petitioned the WPIAL to move to the Tri-County South Conference and made the playoffs in 2013.

So why is the WPIAL so insistent on creating conferences, thus creating entire schedules for teams? Perhaps the WPIAL should reconsider the PIAA’s plan of going to six classifications and holding their championships at a different site. Regardless of what the WPIAL decides to do, the current system is not working. The talent gap between the best and worst schools is getting wider by the year.