11-20-14 by The Pitt News

Vol. 105 Issue 74

@thepittnews

Pittnews.com

Thursday,November 20, 2014

#RapeCultureIs

Board Zerlina Maxwell appoints visits Pitt Allocations Chair Emily Ahlin Staff Writer

Zerlina Maxwell spoke to roughly 200 students in the Union last night about rape culture. Meghan Sunners | Staff Photographer

Nerine Sivagnanam Staff Writer Go with a buddy. Don’t drink too much, and you’ll be fine. You totally raped that test. To some, phrases like these may seem casual and normal, possibly even humorous at times, but, according to Zerlina Maxwell, a political analyst, commentator and writer, these phrases are part of what condones rape culture. On Nov. 19, Maxwell spoke at an event hosted by Slutciety and sponsored by the Political Science Department. In her presentation, titled “From Catcalling to Sexual Assault: How We Can All Work to End Gender-Based Violence,”

Maxwell discussed rape culture and what college students can do to combat it. More than 200 students attended the event in the William Pitt Union Ballroom. Maddie O’Connell, the vice president of Pitt’s first intersectional feminist publication, Slutciety, said Maxwell was the perfect speaker to represent the organization’s feminist goals. “Our goal is to create a space for students who are marginalized on the basis of their gender, religion, race, class or sexuality, among many other factors, to speak their voice in a scholarly feminist setting,” O’Connell said. One of Maxwell’s goals is to get people to teach men not to rape, rather than teaching

women ways not to be raped. Throughout her presentation, Maxwell, who is a rape survivor herself, continued to come back to the basis that women should not have to be guided to act in a certain way to prevent being raped. “Change the behavior of the person who is committing the crime, not the person who is victimized,” Maxwell said. Maxwell also discussed the prevalence of rape culture in the media and how it is overlooked, whether it be in music, advertisements or current events. Maxwell showed the audi-

Maxwell

Nick Reslink will serve Pitt’s student body as the SGB Allocations Committee Chair for 2015. A nominating task force consisting of Board President Mike Nites, Board member Abby Zurschmit, Nasreen Harun, current allocations chair and executive vice president-elect, Board member and President-elect Graeme Meyer, as well as Allocations Vice Chair Robyn Weiner conducted the interview last night, according to a release. Reslink was the only applicant for the position. Reslink, a junior economics and business double major, will serve a year-and-a-half-long term beginning in January. Reslink will oversee the SGB Allocations Committee, whose 12 members he will help select. The Committee is responsible for aiding the Board in distributing the more than $2 million Student Activities Fund to roughly 400 University-recognized student groups around campus. Reslink and the members will be responsible for deliberating on weekly funding requests, holding office hours with students and assisting students with the allocations process and any funding questions. Nites, Zurschmit, Harun and Meyer will select the rest of the members of the Allocations

Allocations

2 FROM PAGE 1

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 1

ALLOCATIONS MAXWELL Committee, along with Reslink, after Thanksgiving. A date has not yet been arranged, according to Harun. Reslink said he has served on the committee since January, and, in the spring, he was involved in revising the allocations manual. Additionally, Reslink said he has worked with Nites on policy changes, such as Bill 025, which seeks to change how SGB allocates money to club sports. According to Harun, Reslink completed an application and a 30-minute interview with the nominating task force. Harun said the number of applicants for Allocations Committee chair fluctuates from year to year, and she was also the only applicant for the position last year. Harun said a lot of factors go into what causes people to apply for the position of Allocations Committee chair, including having upperclassmen on the committee as well as people who study abroad, which would affect their ability to serve a full term on the committee. Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

ence news clips, ad campaigns and song lyrics that emphasized rape culture. While the audience gasped, Maxwell asked: Why did the people involved in producing these forms of media find the content acceptable before their release? Maxwell focused on the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case in which two male high school football players raped a 16-year-old girl in August 2012 at a party. A news clip of CNN’s coverage of the trial, Maxwell said, showed more sympathy for the rapists than the actual rape victim. Poppy Harlow, a CNN correspondent, portrayed the rapists as “two young men that had such promising futures.” This coverage, Maxwell said, is problematic, because it overlooked the offenders’ crime, which violated a young girl, whose life is forever altered. “Yeah, it pisses me off every time,” Maxwell said after showing the clip. One ad campaign Maxwell referenced came from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and featured a partially exposed female’s lower

half with the words, “She didn’t want to do it, but she couldn’t say no.” Maxwell said the ad insinuates women shouldn’t drink because they will be sexually assaulted, which perpetuates victim blaming. “One of the side effects of drinking is a hangover — not rape,” Maxwell said. “If you are giving someone drinks to loosen them up so that they will have sex with you, you are doing it wrong.” In light of the recent allegations toward Bill Cosby, Maxwell brought up the topic of the false rape allegations myth. Maxwell dismissed the myth, declining the idea that “women are waking up one morning,” and deciding to falsely accuse others of sexual assault. “The narrative we hear all the time is that women make things up,” Maxwell said. She referenced a FBI statistic, showing only 2 percent of sexual assault claims turn out to be false allegations. Though many may believe that Maxwell’s appearance was an event catered only toward women, Maxwell said she was pleased with the number of male students in the crowd as well. Included in Maxwell’s presentation was a list of ways to teach men not to rape. These five

guidelines included teaching men about legal consent and bystander intervention, as well as how to express healthy masculinity. Gabriel Naccarato, a sophomore studying administration of justice and English writing, said he attended last night because “stopping sexual assault is a very important issue no matter who you are, no matter what [gender] you identify as.” He left, Naccarato said, knowing more about bystander intervention: how to stop sexual assault and support victims. Sarita Brady, a senior studying communications, attended the event as a sexual assault survivor and said she left feeling “more empowered.” “I want to follow in the footsteps of Zerlina and have a voice in the public about being a survivor and victim blaming,” Brady said. “I just got this fire recently in me.” Brady said she appreciated Maxwell’s focus on “inclusion” for people who are not survivors, particularly men. “As a survivor, it feels very much about me, and I forget that it’s not just about me, and I need to take my voice back to educate people,” Brady said. “If others aren’t listening, what’s the point?”

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS

Letʼs talk about current events, kids

Today, our world faces a paradoxical reality. While information is abundant and communication is instant, people actually know less about their world. A 2007 study showed that, generally, people know less about their leaders and current events than they did in the late 1980s. For instance, in 1989, 74 percent of people could name the vice president of the United States, compared to 69 percent in 2007. Additionally, 11 percent more people could name the president of Russia in 1989 than in 2007. In more recent years, comedians like Jimmy Kimmel have poked fun at historical and current-event illiteracy, and this is a problem schools should address. A New York-based debate league is a shining example of effectively educating students on the value of current events. According to a Nov. 17 New York Times article, the New York Debate League, which includes elite private institutions and charter schools like the Success Academy Charter Schools, is fostering current-events interest in students as young as 9 years old. The article states, “amid debates over National Security Agency surveillance and universal pre-kindergarten, they put

away their iPods and mix during the breaks, seeming almost oblivious to their differences.” Too often, there is talk in our society about the importance of history and current events. Schools providing this opportunity to students is an invaluable aspect of becoming an educated citizen. In the New York Debate League and other similar associations, students must research all sides of an issue before a competition, as they are not aware of which side they will be assigned to until right before the debate. Students must then learn to research and interpret information beyond standard partisan talking points. Learning high-level research skills and acquiring information without bias is crucial to students’ development and understanding of the world in which they live. Thus, schools across the country should continue to invest in and adopt such programs. If students can learn the importance and complexities of current events at a young age, perhaps we can diminish civic apathy and increase interest in what’s happening in the news and how it diversely affects people. Or, maybe you think that is not the case. After all, there is more than one side to every story. Feel free to debate about it.

HABTE

Be thankful for those who serve, even when they don’t have to

Members of Pitt’s ROTC up early for PT Theo Schwarz | Visual Editor

Bethel Habte Columnist Military service has, in a sense, been the bane of my existence. In Eritrea, where I was born, national service is mandatory for able-bodied men and women my age. Ultimately, if I wasn’t in the United States, I would most likely be in Sawa, a military training camp. My mother had been in Sawa, the Defence Training Center, while pregnant with me. She often describes her time there as akin to wandering a desert while being subjected to intensive torture. While many reasons drove her to leave Eritrea, making sure that her children would avoid involuntary service was indeed one of them. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the serious tone in her voice after I joked about joining the military. “You can do whatever you want,” she implored, “but please don’t join the military.” I’ve long been skeptical of military service. The manner in which so

many Americans readily and voluntarily sacrifice their lives in the name of nationalism has always bewildered me. After all, why serve when you don’t have to? This long-held intrigue recently hit close to home. Since coming to Pitt, I have met a number of students, several of whom I consider close friends, currently involved in ROTC with the obvious intent of performing military service in the future. Despite apparent differences, they are all fiercely smart, independent and capable individuals. My question: What benefits could they possibly find in both ROTC training and military service as a whole? As it turns out, the benefits of service are numerous, and they reach far beyond that of nationalism. For one, military service is a valuable experience with many personal applications. Undoubtedly, the first benefit that comes to mind is monetary compensation. And it’s true that joining the military can be a way of derailing

from the path of a debt-clad education. Joining ROTC at Pitt opens you up to potential two-, three- and fouryear scholarships that sometimes include full tuition and fees and room and board. For books alone, $1,200 is allotted each year. Cadets are also allotted monthly living stipends that range from $300 to $500, depending on their year in ROTC. But, monetary reasons alone do not a cadet make. Christiana Bentz, a Pitt senior in her fourth year of ROTC’s Army division, originally joined the program because of a scholarship that would allow both her and her twin sister to attend college. With a family background in the military, the decision to join ROTC was, while not a preferred choice at the time, also not a foreign concept. And yet, when asked if she would have joined regardless of the scholarship, she determined that “after being in it for a year, absolutely.” What changed her mind?

Habte

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 3

HABTE Bentz lists several key reasons why she finds the ROTC program valuable. These include acquiring skills to obtain and maintain a job, leadership abilities, learning to balance civilian and military life and the challenge of rising to levels beyond one’s current physical or mental capabilities. “It’s given my life a lot of structure,” she said. Sophomore Erickson Gonzalez, a cadet in his second year of ROTC, also in the Army division, adds that “at the end of the day, you

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

have a profession, not just a job.” In terms of employment potential, “Employers know that you’re going to be an enhanced leader.” Freshman Nik Hokaj, who participates in the ROTC’s Navy division, finds that the skills acquired in ROTC training have important applications in all aspects of our personal lives. “You learn leadership skills, which you’ll need in the future, no matter what you do. Problem solving is also a skill that everyone needs. Also, physical fitness and learning to stay in shape is important for everyone to do,” Hokaj said. To prepare cadets for life in the military,

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

ROTC is set up to be a grueling ordeal, which can “take its toll physically,” according to Gonzalez. However, the rigor “teaches you how to manage your time effectively,” and it “makes you aware of what you’re putting into your body, and whether you’re getting enough rest.” And the camaraderie amongst peers serves as “a great support system.” Christopher Boissonnault, the ROTC’s scholarship and enrollment officer, has determined that the ultimate goal of the program is to build “better citizens and better leaders.” With an extremely selective recruitment approach, he focuses on three criteria: scholar-

Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns,- car toons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter - in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left. The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is-pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations -Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, - fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

ship, athleticism and leadership. “We’re looking for pretty good upstanding citizens, not just anyone who walks in off the street.” Gonzalez agrees that ROTC does make him a better person. “It keeps me out of trouble.” After all, there are “Army values to live by.” So, is ROTC right for you? That depends. Despite the many benefits of joining ROTC, all cadets ultimately join for a single overarching reason: They simply want to serve their country. It’s a choice we can be thankful to have. Write to Bethel at beh56@pitt.edu. advertising@pittnews.com

Kevin Vanover, Business Manager Advertising@pittnews.com

Kelsey McConville, Inside Sales Manager

David Barr, Sales Manager

advertising@pittnews.com

Account Executives Maxwell Hine Allison Soenksen Robert Capone Alex Kanner Antonio Blundo Joe Leone Joe Kloecker A.J. Campli Sean Leone Franny Tish Kaitlin Kramer

Matt Reilly

Inside Sales Jordan Bullock Victoria Hetrick Julia McKay

Digital Manager Stephen Ellis

Marketing Manager Kristine Aprile

Senior University Account Executive

Marketing Assistant

Ad Designer Mark Janavel

Rachael Hoge

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT

A 1939 home movie, stored in Pittsburgh’s Orgone Archive. Photo courtesy of Orgone Archive

Home Movie Day set to preserve and share private memories Guilia Schaub For The Pitt News

There’s no denying the charm and timelessness of a good old-fashioned home movie shot on Super 8 film, especially now that most of us shoot Vine and Instagram home videos every day. To honor the vintage format, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is holding the 11th annual Home Movie Day (HMD), an international event that invites the public to share its own recorded memories and view others’ amateur films, on Saturday, Nov. 22, from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the main library in Oakland, with free admission to the public. Other stateside events will be held in Georgia and North Carolina, along with some international sites in Switzerland, Japan and Poland. While some cities view VHS and Betamax videos on their Home Movie Days, Pittsburgh’s HMD is only viewing movies filmed on 8mm, Super 8mm or 16mm film this year. Filmmakers and casual observers

alike are welcome to participate if they wish, or just wander through for their viewing pleasure. All films will be handled by archivists and viewed through vintage projectors, or participants may bring their own viewing materials. They can also bring their films to be examined or repaired and may learn more about the proper maintenance they need. The purpose of HMD is to allow people to reminisce, through their own films and others’, and to witness the true, original essence of the period in which they were captured. Moviegoers can expect to see a wide variety of movies, most of which are silent, but an occasional film with sound may be shown. “The nice thing [about HMD] is that every event is different because you don’t know what to expect,” said Amy Ergler, a librarian at Carnegie Library and Pittsburgh HMD site coordinator. In 2013, the films ranged from a psychologist’s clinical observations of her study in the 1970s to feminist allegory by a former Pitt film student who hadn’t watched her own

work in over 40 years. “[HMD] provides people with the opportunity to watch home videos that they might not have [seen] in years,” said Emily Davis, senior research associate of the time-based media collection at the Carnegie Museum of Art. “The event brings new life to home and allows people to find similarities between themselves and their neighbors. They’re just fun to watch.” Many participants wish to recount their films as their stories unfold on the screen, according to Mark Lynn Anderson, an organizer of the event and associate professor of English and film studies at Pitt. “Far from screening boring, old, amateur footage, such occasions often provide us with compelling personal narratives that tell us things about previous eras that aren’t typically recorded in the public archives,” Anderson said. “And, more importantly, home movie presentations always tell us of the past differently from official history, where questions of historical memory are usually elided.”

In addition to the general public’s home movies, films from The Orgone Archive will be screened as well. A Pittsburgh-based motion picture exhibition group, The Orgone Archive and its custodian Greg Pierce salvage 16mm films dating from the 1920s to the 1990s. Thousands upon thousands of titles, consisting of local, national and international materials, make up the immense archive, which includes, but is not limited to, home movies, advertisements, medical films, pornography, fiction films, documentaries, educational and instructional shorts and television shows. Normally this massive collection is kept private, but Pierce likes to make these films available to researchers when possible. “Greg [Pierce] is our chief projectionist for Pittsburgh HMD, and he’ll be featuring a few local gems from Orgone in between our screenings of whatever small-gauge films folks bring in to be inspected, repaired, perhaps, and screened,” Anderson said.

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Taylor Swift matures, shocks with her wildly catchy ʻ1989ʼ Elizabeth Rakow For The Pitt News

Taylor Swift 1989 Grade: B+ It’s cool to hate Taylor Swift. She’s a powerhouse female performer who consistently releases hit after hit, giving new meaning to the word “catchy” and a refreshing sense of authenticity to the phrase “stuck in your head all day.” Swift recently declared herself a feminist, weighed in on the shop-over-share debate in the music industry and has even thrown private release parties for her fans. Yet she can’t seem to shed her reputation as a serial dater or overshadow her tendency to call out in her music the high-profile men who have wronged her. But, with her new album and newfound attitude, the singer is making one thing painfully obvious — she knows what you think, and she really doesn’t care. 1989 unleashed a new side of Swift,

dropping the “Teardrops on My Guitar” doe-eyed, sappy teen persona and introducing fans and haters alike to a new brand. The album’s lead single, “Shake It Off,” was released in August, and Swift addressed the haters directly, essentially telling them to keep “hating” and she’ll just “keep cruising.” With this album, Swift is getting at something different. Sure, she’s still writing about men, love and heartbreak, but she’s doing it gracefully. She’s grown out of childish ranting, straying from thoughtless, whiney lyrics like those in Speak Now’s “Mean” (“All you are is mean/ and a liar and pathetic and alone in life”). She parallels this with 1989’s “Bad Blood,” which takes a much less obvious stance at addressing a tormentor — “Band-Aids don’t fix bullet holes ... If you love like that, blood runs cold.” She’s also dropping her innocent image, leaving traces of liaisons in more than one song and making it known that she’s finally figured it out: The bad has to come with the good. “Style” describes

a midnight meetup that sets itself apart from Speak Now’s “Enchanted” or Red’s “Treacherous,” with its lack of a mystified, excitable narrator — the girl in this song knows what’s going down, and she shamelessly alludes to her desires. “Out of the Woods,” “All You Had To Do Was Stay” and “I Wish You Would” recall messy relationships and have traces of classic Swift, leaving hints and dropping specific memories that can be traced back to the celebrity boyfriends the songs are about. These three tracks are some of the most fun — the lyrics tend to repeat themselves as the melody takes precedence, and the dance-pop-charged beats make it impossible to avoid a head bob. 1989 still has its lulls — “This Love” proves to be rather tedious, and “How You Get The Girl” falls flat in terms of creativity. But Swift more than redeems herself, especially in the captivating final track on the album, “Clean,” in which she collaborates with singer/songwriter Imogen Heap. “Ten months older, I won’t give in/ Now that I’m clean, I’m never gonna risk

it.” In this track, Swift tells a different story than those told in “All Too Well” or “Dear John.” She’s singing about loss, but it’s much less inquisitive. Gone are the pleas and the wondering what went wrong. Cue the acceptance, the recognition of a relationship that failed and the mature reaction to pain without blame. The attention-grabbing lyrics in what could become the most popular track on the album, “Blank Space,” demonstrate her recognition and acceptance of the reputation she’ll likely never be able to shake. “Ain’t it funny, rumors fly/ And I know you heard about me ... I can make the bad guys good for a weekend.” The razorsharp lyrics with the acid-dipped sound immediately set the song apart from the twangy chords of “You Belong With Me” or the guitar-centric melodies that accompany almost every song on 2012’s Red. Taylor Swift still gives her feelings permission to run, but, these days, she has a much firmer grasp on the leash.

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SPORTS

After sectionals win, club tennis has eyes on nationals Ashley Drwal Staff Writer For the first time in the club’s history, Pitt’s Club Tennis team qualified for the National Championship in Cary, N.C., this upcoming April. In the USTA Tennis on Campus Middle States Sectional Championships, Pitt was able to defeat the University of Pennsylvania in the quarterfinals, Penn State’s second team in the semifinals and Penn State’s first team in the finals, earning a spot at nationals. “We were able to win the big points when they mattered,” said Brian Rubin, vice president of Pitt Club Tennis. “We were down 2-4 to Penn State in the final set of the championship, and, after playing hard through vigorous points, Pitt’s club tennis team qualified for nationals for the first time after winning secwe were able to win four straight games tionals. Photo courtesy of Pitt Club Tennis in a row to win the whole tournament.” Last year, they played well in sec“We were very disappointed by those But the team had extra help this year tionals, but only made it to the quar- results,” Rubin said, “because we were with the addition of coach Craig Perry. terfinals. They succumbed to Villanova, so close to making it to nationals for the Perry began playing tennis when he was who went on to win the tournament. first time in our club’s history.” 13 and has been coaching for 30 years.

When he offered his assistance to the team, they welcomed him. “They are a great group of kids,” Perry said. “I run them hard at practice, but they know how to keep it serious and fun.” Both Rubin and Jim Donovan, the president of Pitt Club Tennis, believed that his presence was a key factor in their success. Perry was quick to dispel such notions. “Coaching is overrated,” he said. In addition to the coaching, Pitt Club Tennis increased its efforts. The team has been practicing for two hours, three nights a week, going through drills and implementing different strategies. Perry shows up for two of the three practices per week to give his input on the team’s progress and offer organization. “I think we had a few players that helped our team that were not there last year,” said team member Rithika Reddy.

Tennis

Stanton contract ultimate high risk, high reward move Alex Wise Columnist What would you do if you knew you were going to make $325 million over the next 10 years? Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton signed a deal with the above parameters, ensuring a comfortable future for himself and his family. He probably has the talent, and he definitely has the power but will Stanton earn his money? That is, will he be worth the $325 million the Marlins plan shell out to him over the next decade? As a fan of the game, I hope the answer to that question is yes, but there’s a long line of big-money players that beg to differ. The first of these is Alex Rodriguez, at whom the free-spending Yankees threw $275 million in 2008. It’s a true

horror story of a contract: A-Rod was once one of the best players in the majors and has earned himself not one, but two contracts of more than $250 million in his career. But things went sour in 2011, when Rodriguez was the highest-paid player in the MLB, earning more than $30 million to play in just 99 of 162 games. In 2012, Rodriguez had one of the worst statistical seasons of his career and missed some time because of injury. The 2013 season was miserable as well; A-Rod played in just 44 games, with seven home runs and just 19 RBI. He made $28 million and $27 million in those seasons, respectively. The nightmare concluded with a full-year suspension in 2014, though Rodriguez claims he still has a few

Wise

8 Giancarlo Stanton received the largest contract in baseball history

MCT Campus

8 FROM PAGE 7

WISE

years left in his 39-year-old body, and he will attempt to return to the Yankees for spring training. The A-Rod example is relevant to Stanton because it proves that hugemoney deals can flop. Statistically, Stanton is nowhere near the player that A-Rod was in his prime. He hasn’t batted more than .300 or hit 40 home runs in a single season yet. He came close in 2014, when he hit .288 with 37 homers, and he’s only 25, so there’s time. But it comes back to the question of whether or not Stanton will be worth his price tag. Sure, 450-foot home runs are fun to watch, but $325 million is very expensive fun. On the other side of the argument, however, sits Miguel Cabrera. Arguably one of the best hitters in recent MLB history, and perhaps the best pure hitter playing the game today, Cabrera is making big money to hit the ball. The Detroit Tigers know not to expect a ton from him on defense — he’s slow, and

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com his arm is iffy at best — but he can hit. Whether it’s for power or average, if it’s inside, outside or all over the place, Cabrera can consistently hit the ball. Maybe this is the type of hitter the Marlins foresee in Stanton, and perhaps that’s their reasoning for making him the highest-paid player in the league. If Stanton can become a good enough hitter to even be compared to Cabrera, the Marlins might become moderately satisfied with their decision. The good news for the organization is that Stanton’s deal is backloaded, meaning he won’t start getting the bulk of his money for a few years. Should his production drop, he’ll likely become a trade chip, albeit a very expensive chip that will be tough to move. This is why people should follow suit with the Pirates: give your star his money, but don’t bog him down for years into the future. Andrew McCutchen’s six-year deal is already proving to be valuable, whereas there’s a slim chance Stanton’s will ever be worth it.

FROM PAGE 7

TENNIS “[They] gave us that edge. Especially for the players who were on the team last year, we definitely improved and we became stronger players. We just were not gonna accept anything other than qualifying this year, especially after getting so close last year.” Most of the team contributed to their victory this year, as the combined effort of the veterans and new talent meshed well. “This is my fourth year on the team now, and I can say there has definitely been a steady progression of success. Last year and this year, we had a lot more people — and very good players — tryout,” said Donovan. “I think our greatest strength as a team, though, would be how close we are. It helps in competitions to have a lot of support from teammates, and we certainly do that.” Perry agrees. “They are a close-knit team. They support each other so well.” Now, Pitt Club Tennis is preparing

for its long-awaited chance at nationals. The team plans to maintain the routine that’s worked so far, but it does want to improve on doubles performance. “Doubles is extremely important in our league, and with the necessary training and practicing, I believe they will be an important factor when we go to nationals in the spring,” Rubin said. Perry agrees that the routines should stay the same until a few weeks before nationals. “They will practice outside closer to April because nationals will be held outside,” the coach said. “Switching from indoor to outdoor might be hard, but I know they can do it.” But practice and good technique are not the only factors Pitt Club Tennis believe will help win nationals. “We [have] something I like to call ‘the thirst,’” Reddy said. “’The thirst’ to win is basically what fueled us to do so well at sectionals. We just wanted the win so bad we refused to accept any other result from that. If anything it just made us more determined to do it this year.”

November 20, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com