The Pitt News 9-4-14 by The Pitt News

Vol. 105 Issue 22

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Thursday, September 4, 2014

SCIENCE

Learning has a limit, study says

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FOR THE WIN/BID

Cristina Holtzer News Editor Those who have suffered from a stroke or other brain injury could recover more efficiently because of data from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Pitt. The Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, the name given to the project joining both universities, published its study “Neural constraints on learning,” in last month’s issue of Nature magazine. According to the results, learning new skills, such as a different verb tense in a foreign language, becomes easier when the desired skills build upon already acquired ones. The study also found that “cognitive flexibility has a limit,” Aaron P. Batista, assistant professor of bioengineering at Pitt and co-

Learning

2 Kevin Burns (left), junior economics and finance major and Joe Fleming, junior biology major, play corn hole on the William

EDUCATION

Pitt Union Lawn during rush week. Heather Tennant| Staff Photographer

Colleges find teachers need teaching, too — on how to teach Timothy Pratt MCT Campus

KENNESAW, Ga. — Michele DiPietro had his listeners in stitches with his impressions of dumb things college students say in class. Then he sobered them up with advice

about how they could do their own jobs better — how to handle such recurring classroom challenges as apathy and short attention spans. DiPietro’s disciples were junior members of the faculty at Kennesaw State University, near Atlanta, where he directs a center to

improve the quality of teaching at the school. It’s one of a growing number of efforts to address the reality that most college professors never expressly learn how to teach. “It’s no longer enough to get your Ph.D., stand in front of a class and let the chips fall where they may,” Hoag Holmgren said.

Holmgren is the executive director for the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education, a national group focusing on teacher training. The trend is being fueled by demands from

Teachers

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Corrections In an article published Wednesday, The Pitt News reported that the bar Howlers Coyote Cafe is located in Downtown. It is located in Bloomfield. The Pitt News regrets this error. In an article published Wednesday, The Pitt News reported that the Student Government Board approved the Student Dietetic Association’s request of $2,402.80 in full. This is incorrect. The Board approved $1,928.80 and denied $474. The Pitt News regrets this error. FROM PAGE 1

LEARNING researcher on the study, said in a release. Data shows that, sometimes, certain skills cannot be learned and that there are “constraints” on how flexible the brain can be during the learning process. Byron M. Yu, assistant professor of electrical, computer and biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon and researcher on the study, said the techniques used in this study could be utilized “to coach patients to generate proper FROM PAGE 1

TEACHERS parents and policymakers to get more for the money they’re investing in higher education and by the growth of faculty-rating websites and a new body of research about effective teaching. DiPietro co-authored a book on the topic called “How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching.” Faculty seems to be craving training, too. Only 18 people came to DiPietro’s voluntary workshop the first time it was offered at Kennesaw last year. This summer, 75 did. He taught them techniques concerning teaching style variations, telling them not to just stand in front of a classroom or auditorium and lecture. DiPietro also stressed showing interest in students and encouraging them to discuss course material as much as possible. Teaching centers, like the one at Kennesaw State, generally provide services aimed at helping professors improve their classroom performance, such as implementing oneon-one consultations. Workshops on how to handle course loads, lessons from the latest research on learning and online guides to using technology in the classroom are also available for teachers. At Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation, the number of faculty signing up for confidential consultations to improve their teaching has gone from 100 to 180 in less than three years, director Marsha Lovett said.

neural activity.” “These findings could be the basis for novel rehabilitation procedures for the many neural disorders that are characterized by improper neural activity,” Yu said. The study included training rhesus macaque monkeys to use brain-computer interface (BCI) technology that is often used by the disabled to communicate. The researchers hooked the animals’ brains up to screens displaying a cursor. The animals’ brain activity would then move the cursor in a specific direction, depending on what types of activities they were supposed to do.

The researchers directed the monkeys to repeat a series of neural activity patterns. When the patterns repeated often, they were able to move the cursor with ease. But when the monkeys tried to learn new patterns that they had not experienced before, it was much more difficult for them to move the cursors. Patrick T. Sadtler, a Ph.D. candidate in Pitt’s Department of Bioengineering, compared learning to cooking with the wrong ingredients. Trying to learn something new with virtually no base knowledge, Sadtler said, is like trying to make hamburgers with sugar, baking soda and eggs.

“The brain works in a similar way during learning,” he said. “We found that subjects were able to more readily recombine familiar activity patterns in new ways relative to creating entirely novel patterns.” The National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund funded the project. “We wanted to study how the brain changes its activity when you learn and also how its activity cannot change,” Batista said. “We wanted to find out what [the] limit [of cognitive flexibility] looks like in terms of neurons.”

The University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching — the nation’s oldest such initiative — conducts 2,800 consultations a year, more than double the number of a decade ago, interim director Matthew Kaplan said. The university also runs “teaching academies” that all new hires in most of its schools are required to take. Some departments hold monthly “How Learning Works” sessions, too, Kaplan said. “Teaching is a much more important part of the package now,” he said. “It’s more than just knowing the content.” Doctoral programs, in which most faculty prepare for their careers in academia, focus almost exclusively on knowledge of the subject they intend to teach, research and writing about it, according to advocates for better university teaching. But now, Holmgren said, “There’s an increase in accountability, in the measurability of student learning and the effectiveness of teaching.” His association is made up mostly of people, like DiPietro, whose jobs are to help faculty improve their classroom skills. There are 1,750 members, and that number has been growing at about 5 percent per year for five years, Holmgren said. Some wonder why it took so long for higher education to teach its faculty to teach. According to polling agency Gallup, surveys show that nearly four in 10 college graduates say they never had a professor who made them excited about learning. “It shows a lack of selecting for the right talent, a lack of training,” Busteed, executive director for Gallup, said. “And it shows

what we value and espouse. Institutions of higher education have not valued high-quality teaching.” DiPietro said this may be changing. But he points out that the same economic pressures pushing higher education to improve teaching and learning have caused some universities to move in the opposite direction. Western Kentucky University, for example, shut down its Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching last year. But DiPietro also said increased consumer awareness — “Families are saying, ‘I’m paying this tuition and this graduate student is teaching my child?’“ — will drive up demand for the services at centers like his.

Universities are also finding that graduate students who want to go into academia face a tougher job market. Training in teaching can give them an edge. Jae Turner is one of those. Two years after getting her doctorate in women’s, gender and sex studies at Emory University and after a year of teaching part time at Kennesaw, she has been interviewing for full-time faculty positions. DiPietro’s teacher-training seminar, which Turner attended, wasn’t her first. She also took a six-week course on using digital educational technology. “I’ve certainly taken advantage of everything I can to improve my teaching,” she said.

Professors nationwide often sign up for private consultations to improve their teaching. MCT Campus

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

OPINIONS

EDITORIAL

City should work to save August Wilson Center

Few local artists have achieved as much acclaim and significance in their field as playwright August Wilson. The Hill District native, who died in 2005, has had his plays performed in numerous communities across the country, Broadway and around the globe. But, currently, his hometown is struggling to preserve his legacy. This year, Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center for African-American Culture was forced to default on its $7.9 million Dollar Bank mortgage, failing to make its payments since February 2013. In response, New York developer 980 Liberty Partners is offering $9.8 million to construct a hotel atop the center, while still providing free space for

SIMON SAYS

the August Wilson organization to operate. Local citizens and organizations are not satisfied. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the AWC Recovery Advisory Committee, a group of volunteers aiming to save the debt-ridden center, seeks more than the New York developer’s offer. And they are not alone. By working with the Pittsburgh Foundation, the Heinz Endowments and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the group has raised $7.2 million to preserve the center. This is a great achievement, but more must be done to ensure the sustainment of Wilson’s legacy. Promoting the arts in the community, especially the contributions

of a local legend, must remain a top priority for citizens. But to prevent another failed effort to do so, the center must take a proactive approach to fulfill its goal as a place not only for African-American culture, but also for culture in general. The center has directly addressed this. It plans to be more integrated into the city’s theatrical and cultural community, rather than operating in an isolated manner. According to the Post-Gazette, if the foundations were to gain control of the building, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust would operate it. Another change would be a greater focus on contemporary art and culture in the city. AfricanAmerican history and culture would

remain a primary role, but current Pittsburgh art and culture would be heavily showcased as well. With this, the center would provide a key outlet for local artists to showcase their work. Pittsburgh has grown tremendously as a center of culture, and providing more opportunities for aspiring artists and entertainers only adds to its artistic appeal. For all of this to happen, however, citizens must play an active role. More is required to preserve this artistic outlet than mere hashtag activism or reading this editorial. Please, share this and spread the word but know that even more must be done. The public should turn to crowdfunding to add to the more than $7.2

million already collected. Those who support the arts should call on local officials, businesses and organizations to contribute and play a role in keeping the center alive. Additionally, if the sufficient funds were to be raised, support cannot stop. The theater and center must be consistently supported once it relaunches, as to pay tribute to one of Pittsburgh’s most successful sons. We as Pittsburghers should take pride in the contributions that come from our city, but we cannot let those contributions escape us. Ensuring the survival of the August Wilson Center is a testament to a great man from a great city. We must work to make this testament a reality.

Many reasons why listicles are nonsense

Simon Brown Columnist There is a reason why the most profound writing in the English language cannot be sensibly expressed in BuzzFeed headlines. The list article — or “listicle” — as a genre cannot capture the irony and self-doubt that challenges readers’ sensibilities. Serious online news outlets and magazines ought not to be tempted by its promises of easy “clicks.” The listicle has risen to prominence within the last few years, along with BuzzFeed, the self-styled “news” site that popularized the form. It was not born on the site, however. The humor site Cracked made comparatively creative use of the form before it became associated primarily with Miley Cyrus GIFs and cat photos. Now, however, the listicle pervades blogs and other

“news” sites. to comprehensiveness, which it More recently, the genre has cannot deliver. In this particularly seemed to garner sufficient gravitas egregious instance, the title purto address issues of considerable ports to summarize the entirety importance. Consider BuzzFeed’s of ISIS in 22 photos and captions. “Everything You Need To Know But, even when not made explicit, About The Deadly Extremist Group the numbered list implies finality. Ravaging Iraq And Syria,” a listicle The arbitrary number of list items providing several paragraphs, for any article gives the reader the interspersed with photographs, impression that either the author detailing the history of the Islamic decided on “16 Profound Margaret State in Iraq and Syria. It addresses Atwood Quotes That Will Enlighten an urgent topic bereft of sarcasm and humor — with no recourse to GIFs whatsoever. One might point to such an example of measured, mature reporting as proof that the listicle can convey serious information and deserves serious attention. The problems of credibility, however, lie not in the subject matter but in the form itself. Whether in news reporting such as this or in opinions writing, the listicle makes claims Comic By Fatima Kizilkaya

You About The World” because he got tired after 16 and stopped typing or because there are exactly 16 quotes in Atwood’s corpus capable of profound insight. Either the author’s choice is inexplicable or it is total, and readers rarely want to accept the inexplicable. We know that no reader can learn everything important about one of the most dynamic military

forces in the Middle East in 22 captions, just as we know that Atwood wrote far more than 16 enlightening passages. Anyone who actually needs to know about ISIS — that is, any informed American voter — would benefit from reading a continuous supply of news coverage and historical analysis, rather than ending on one listicle with

Simon Says

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 4

SIMON SAYS the satisfaction that he or she now knows everything. Anyone who seeks insight from Atwood should read “The Handmaid’s Tale” and make his or her own list of quotations. This fault inhabits the list format more so than any other. The conceit of totality dissipates along with the numbered items. An article on “Some Profound Margaret Atwood Quotes” with an unnumbered sampling of

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quotes would convey a significantly different message than the listicle. But the listicle’s appeal rests in the simple, cognitively satisfying structure, in which readers receive exactly what they expect from the article. The listicle confirms precisely how long the reader will have to exercise their attention on a piece — and since the disjoint list lacks any fluidity or unity, he or she can leave at any time without missing anything important. None of that poses a problem for news reporting but it does for the listicle editorial.

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

Mahita Gajanan, Managing Editor manager@pittnews.com

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Essay and opinions writing ought to challenge readers’ expectations and beliefs. It provides new perspectives on common issues, capable of stopping any conventional wisdom in its tracks. At its best, it can lead the reader through the author’s own self-doubt and conclude on a more profound and considered note. The listicle, like the five-paragraph essay, cannot challenge a reader’s expectations because its appeal is its expectation. If a reader expects something like the Huffington Post’s “21 Numbers That Will Help You Understand

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.

T P N S U D O K U

Why Ferguson Is About More Than Michael Brown,” they will get those 21 — and they certainly won’t challenge a prior-held belief about Ferguson’s national and social significance. If they happen to disagree with any of the points made, they can just skip that list item. One need not worry about discomfort or self-criticism. Beyond these, several other problems pervade the listicle genre. I would include more here but I would not know where to start. Even a list couldn’t possibly convey them. Write to Simon at spb40@pitt.edu. advertising@pittnews.com

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September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The 36th Ulster Division face physical and emotional strains in ‘Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme.’ Photo courtesy of PICT

‘Observe the Sons’ explores disillusion with war, brotherhood Richard Koppenaal Staff Writer For soldiers at war, the destructive forces that cause them to take arms often prove to be the glue that forms the strongest bonds. “Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme,” written by Frank

McGuinness and the latest production of the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, tells the story of eight sons of Northern Ireland and their experiences leading up to the battle. The play, which runs from Sept. 4 to 20 at the Charity Randall Theatre, trails eight members of the 36th Ulster Division, a force that was all but annihi-

lated at the Battle of the Somme during World War I. “When they published all of the casualty lists in Belfast, the Shankill Road ... had black flags in every second house,” director Matt Torney said. “It was like an entire generation of young men wiped out.” The 36th Ulster Division was com-

prised of Northern Protestant Irish, who formed it specifically to defend their land against Catholics. But rather than highlight Ireland’s well-known sectarian disputes, the play sheds light on the gratuitous nature of war and the men who fight in it.

Preview

8 FROM PAGE 7

PREVIEW “The show deals more with inward struggles about reasons why men go to war, and, after they’ve gone to war, how they become disillusioned — how the realities of war affect them and how it stacks up to their expectations,” said Justin Holcomb, who plays the role of Christopher Roulston, an uptight preacher. “I wouldn’t say that it’s a play about Catholics or Protestants in any way,” said Ciaran Byrne, who plays John Millen, a member of the 36th Ulster. “For me, it’s essentially a love story. It’s that love of land and love of fellow man for who you will, in the end, lay down your life.” While it is later suspected that one of the eight is Catholic, the 36th Ulster Division was thought to be comprised of entirely Protestant Irishmen. This congruity among the characters enables the play to explore other themes, including the bonds between men at war and homophobia. But the play does more than just ig-

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com nore conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. According to Torney, McGuinness, a Catholic, attempts to bridge the cultural gap between Protestants and those of his own faith. “The writer of this was Catholic, and he wanted to understand the Protestant psyche,” Torney said. “He wanted to understand the history and wanted to understand the pride we have in Ulster.” Fundamental Protestant values, hard work and unrelenting faith, Torney said, don’t always lend themselves to the arts — creating an opportunity for other playwrights to recount this harrowing tale. “The Protestant ethic in Northern Ireland is much more oriented around work and politics. Instead of being actors, they become politicians. They use their skills in language and writing to serve their political goals,” Torney said. Despite some seemingly complex historical anecdotes, including references to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the show is not intended for an audience full of historians. “You don’t need a degree in history

to understand the play, because it’s a play about young men who could, just as easily, be going off to Iraq,” said Torney. Additionally, McGuinness is heralded for his use of black humor in the play — something Torney insists is a calling card of Northern Irishmen. Somehow, despite the morbidity of their situation, the eight young men of the 36th Ulster Division find time to crack some jokes. “It’s very funny, because it’s a play about people in war, not a play about war,” said Torney. Unfortunately for the characters and audience alike, the laughs don’t last forever. From the onset of the play, the audience learns that only one of the seven young men featured, Kenneth Pyper, actually survives the Battle. Told through a flashback, he recounts their experiences leading up to the battle, all while aware of their fate. “The central conflict, I feel, would be between what’s coming and how they feel about it,” Byrne said. “Them wanting to live, juxtaposed to their circumstances, which is going to do everything to take that want of life away from them.”

GAMING

Nintendo celebrates 125 years Stephanie Roman Staff Writer

Ask a parent, or anyone over the age of 50, to name one character from a video game. Was the answer “Mario?” Whether you saved the princess as Jumpman in “Donkey Kong” at the arcade in 1981, picked up the Master Sword in “The Legend of Zelda” on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, began a journey into the wonderful world of “Pokémon” on a Game Boy in 1996 or just dived into “Nintendo Land” on the Wii U in 2012, chances are, you’ve had some encounters with Nintendo products. Counterintuitively, Nintendo — arguably the most successful game and gaming hardware company — turns 125 years old

Nintendo

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 9

NINTENDO this month. Of course, video games were a bit scarcer in 1889, but Nintendo initially offered one of video gaming’s important predecessors: card games. Similar to U.S. playing cards, Nintendo Koppai, as it was called at the time, marketed handmade cards for the game Hanafuda, which it continues to support. Now, Nintendo is best known by its major brands — “Mario,” “Donkey Kong” and “Zelda” — whose characters and worlds owe everything to artist and developer Shigeru Miyamoto. In recent history, Nintendo’s focus seems to be on belittling Miyamoto’s characters into baby versions of themselves and, additionally, into tennis stars, Olympic athletes and baseball sluggers. Nintendo produces en masse, slapping its recognizable names on mediocre games, while expecting to profit by selling to ignorant families — a business model that serves them well. “Mario Kart,” the gem of my youth and my favorite racing game, is now on its eighth installment on the Wii U. “Mario Party 10”

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com is currently in development. “Super Mario Bros.” has 18 individual titles in its line. “Super Smash Bros.,” an immensely popular fighting game among college students, will drop its fourth iteration on the Wii U and 3DS handheld this year. It sounds absolutely senseless and ridiculous that there are so many Nintendo games swirling around on the shelves, but it’s a numbers game and part of why the company’s characters are so recognizable. They’re nonthreatening, nonviolent and kid-friendly in a medium of entertainment constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s appropriate. Nintendo has had 125 years to get its planning in line, whereas comparable tycoons Sony and Microsoft — founded in 1946 and 1975, respectively — clearly had different goals in mind. Longevity becomes a big concern in games. Like in the movies, there are only so many times the audience is willing to tolerate the same thing. This summer, my friends and I sat and argued about which “Mario Party” title we wanted to play. Some opted for “2,” but the outspoken consensus was “3.” Confused, I considered this debate and said, “Does it even matter?” The only

“Mario Party” I truly liked and remembered was the first. Apparently, there are enough small improvements in each new version to inspire repeat customers. Mario’s mission will always be to reclaim Princess Peach from Bowser, and Star Fox is always going to save the Lylat System, but each of these slight alterations bring with them the same cast of lovable, cartoony and memorable characters. When it comes time to play “Mario Party” or “Mario Kart 64” a little older and in a different state of mind than I used to be, I adamantly refuse to play as any character but Yoshi. That silly green dinosaur is my avatar, the extension of myself in the Nintendo universe, and, regardless of the game played, I have to be him. (The only exception to this rule is “Super Smash Bros.”) Yoshi resulted from a strong attachment built up over time. I’m faithful to Yoshi, despite the introduction of Birdo — his pink, female counterpart — and the horrendously uncool baby versions of Mario, Luigi, Toad, Bowser, et al. I don’t want to be Yoshi so much because I identify as a green, anthropomorphic dinosaur. Instead, Yoshi

The Pitt News Crossword, 9/4/14

ACROSS 1 Scavenging seabird 4 “You gotta be kidding me!” 9 “Cast Away” star 14 With 12-Down, Rodin sculpture 15 “__ the big deal?” 16 Bustling 17 Sound that may be averted by holding one’s breath 18 “Take your time” 20 Machu Picchu dweller 22 Mashed taro, mostly 23 Promising words 24 1993 film loosely based on the Jamaican bobsled team 27 Cry 28 Graphic beginning? 29 Sass 32 Watch carefully 34 Equipped 36 __ wave 37 Beginning auspiciously ... like 18-, 24-, 46and 55-Across? 40 Works on, as homework 41 Vocalist Vannelli 42 Heavy reading? 43 Ukr., once 44 Disney World visitor’s airport, on bag tags 45 Bluish hue 46 NCAA regional semifinals, familiarly 51 Acadia National Park locale 53 Word with game or room 54 Like lingerie models 55 Green-skinned movie villain 58 __City: computer game 59 Bull on a glue container 60 Beaufort __ 61 World Cup cheer 62 Anoint 63 Celebrated 2014 sports retiree

resonates with me because he’s a loyal and trustworthy sidekick to the heroic Italian plumber. That’s something to aspire to. Without doling out too much time on redefining its brand (re: 18 “Super Mario Bros.” games), Nintendo’s capable of expanding on what it knows and redoing the best parts. In the next few months, they’ll be releasing “Hyrule Warriors,” a “Zelda” spinoff that combines the beloved characters of that franchise with Koei Tecmo’s “Dynasty Warriors” series (a beat-’em-up, hack-and-slash action brawl) and “Pokémon Omega Ruby” and “Alpha Sapphire,” remakes of the 2003 originals, “Ruby” and “Sapphire.” Finally, there’s the new “Super Smash Bros.” game, which will undoubtedly ignite many latenight, heated battle royales in the dorms. Inevitably, Nintendo’s made some lessthan-stellar games, but, as its audience ages, it can bring families, spouses and children into the open world of Super Mario or to wield sword and shield to protect Hyrule from the Ganondorf. Better yet, the number of college-aged students who still play “Pokémon” would cause many parents to faint. As if anyone could actually grow out of it.

9/18/14

By Julian Lim

64 Site site DOWN 1 Moral code 2 Safari sight 3 Colorful candy since 1847 4 Grass bristle 5 Throw together 6 Georgia’s __Bibb County 7 Enjoyed some home cooking 8 Codebreaker’s org. 9 Tried one’s hand 10 Provides inside information for, say 11 2014 Russell Crowe title role 12 See 14-Across 13 Foxy 19 “You don’t have to” 21 They may be red 25 More than modify 26 Dome-shaped abode 29 “Love Actually” co-star 30 Memo words 31 Chinchillas, at times

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

32 “American __”: Neil Gaiman novel 33 Sci-fi staples 34 Like acrobats 35 “__ appétit!” 36 Weasel kin 38 “It’s a deal!” 39 Charon’s river 44 Title holders 45 Group with a common bond 46 “Oliver Twist” bad guy

9/18/14

47 Double 48 Grabbed a stool next to 49 Banishment 50 Queens athlete, for short 51 Flour producer 52 Peak 55 Site site 56 Paper with NYSE news 57 Part of HRH

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

T h is Wee k en d... Thursday, Sept. 4

A Day To Remember Stage AE (Outdoors) 400 North Shore Drive, North Shore Doors: 5:30 p.m. Admission: $39.50 advance / $45 day of show Tonight’s show at Stage AE will mark the third time Florida’s poppunk darlings A Day To Remember have stopped in Pittsburgh to support their fifth LP, Common Courtesy. This many trips might seem excessive, but the demand’s certainly there — their last stop was a sellout at Mr. Smalls Theatre this April.

Friday, Sept. 5 (through Sept. Friday Sept. 5 (through 7) Sept. 21) Pittsburgh Irish Festival Riverplex Center 1000 Sandcastle Drive, West Homestead Time: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Admission: $8 students with ID, $14 adults at gate The Pittsburgh Irish Festival returns for its 24th year of live music, dance and storytelling. Irish whiskey and cider tastings are also back for this year’s fest but advanced purchase is required for all tastings.

“Of Mice and Men” Rauh Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse 222 Craft Ave., Oakland Time: matinees at 2:00 p.m., night shows at 8:00 p.m. Admission: $15-17 If you missed the opportunity to see James Franco — or take a selfie with him — as George in the Broadway production of Steinbeck’s classic heartbreaker, then fear not: The REP will be staging the adaptation to kick off their latest season of plays. But Franco won’t be anywhere near the stage. At the helm is Hollywood producer, director and screenwriter Robert A. Miller, who produced 1996’s Oscar-nominated “The Crucible.”

Sunday Sept. 7

Tiny Moving Parts, with Scene Stage The World, Strong Hand and rchrd prkr The Smiling Moose 1306 E. Carson St., South Side Doors at 6:00 p.m. / show at 6:30 p.m. Admission: $10 If there’s one thing to take away from this whole “emo revival” thing, it’s that the overlap between these bands reflects a true passion and sense of scene. When Tiny Moving Parts opened for Modern Baseball in June at the Smiling Moose, the earnest sing-alongs and stage dives were equally impassioned for each band. Expect more of that this Sunday.

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SPORTS

COLUMN

Rush to compare new and old college players irritating Alex Wise Staff Writer

A s a self-proclaimed healthcare professional, I’ve been trying to think of a clever name for the medical condition that’s crippling college football. This condition has caused frustration and rage to build inside of me. The disease is symptomized by the inability to stop comparing a new player to the one he’s replacing and the incessant need to give past players more attention than those on the field. McCarron’s Disease isn’t devastating-sounding enough, as victims still get to date supermodels, and Tebowitis doesn’t quite have a ring to it. I guess that means I’m sticking with the original term: Johnny Football Syndrome. Last Thursday, Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill started

the first game of his career as an Aggie. The sophomore completed 46 of 60 passes for 511 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on the road against a preseason top-10 team. In other words: an impressive debut. According to the popular opinion, though, Johnny Manziel’s spirit departed from Cleveland to possess the body of Hill and lead A&M to victory over South Carolina. Everything Hill did was qualified comparatively to Johnny Football. Manziel’s name has been mentioned in conjunction with Hill’s more times in the past week than pepper has been with salt. Pass or scramble, Hill “looked like Johnny.” First down or fourth down, Hill “played like Johnny.” Hill was arrested for public intoxication in the spring, so he “must love partying” the way Johnny did.

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Forgive me if I sound like a hippie , but can’t we let Hill enjoy his moment? Don’t get me wrong, Manziel was great. He’s the only person I’ve seen consistently complete Hail Mary passes after scrambling 20 yards into his own backfield. But Manziel is gone, which is why I don’t understand how he continues to grab headlines in the wake of a career performance by his successor. This phenomenon was at work for A&M’s opponent, too. I watched the entire game on Thursday, and I still don’t think I could name a single player on South Carolina’s defense. That’s because the Gamecocks were feeling the unfortunate effects of a Clowney Infection. Note: for a fun game, answer the following questions in your head at home.

Kenny Hill has been compared to his predecessor often since his breakout performance on Thursday. MCT Campus

U.S. Soccer youth movement is a relief Jasper Wilson Sports Editor

Brad Guzan (right) has become the starting goalie for the U.S. national team. MCT Campus

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A change was evident from the last time the U.S. men’s soccer team played. Only two starters, Fabian Johnson and Alejandro Bedoya, from the World Cup squad that lost to Belgium in a dramatic fashion in July, began their Wednesday night on the field of the Generali Arena in Prague to face the Czech national team in an international friendly, an exibition game between two countries. Seven of their teammates in Brazil also made the trip as part of the compiled roster, but the group was somehow more noticeable for the more unfamiliar names it included.

Joining them were two 18-year-olds, a college sophomore and a couple of 23-yearolds who made their first senior appearances: Greg Garza, who came on as a sub, and Joe Gyau, who started. With so many young faces, some familiar, some not, it was clear that a new era, if not just a new World Cup cycle — now looking ahead to Russia 2018 — had begun. Gone for the moment was longtime goalkeeper Tim Howard, who is taking a year-long break from his national team duties, and so many other mainstays from at least the past four years: Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and DaMarcus Beasley. The oldest player on this version of the national team is 35-year-old goalie Nick Rimando, and that doesn’t mean much of

an exception, since players at his position often play late into their 30s, anyway. Brad Guzan, the future starter in goal for the United States, turns 30 on Tuesday. America defeated the hosts 1-0 on a first half goal by Bedoya, 27, but the final scoreline didn’t matter so much. What did matter: many of the best young(er) adult soccer players in the United States featured prominently in the game — German-American World Cup heroes John Brooks, 21, and Julian Green, 19, started and Jozy Altidore, who is somehow only 24 despite seeming to have been around forever, captained the side. Chances are, many of these national

Soccer

September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 12

COLUMN “How will this defense be different without Jadeveon Clowney?” Well, he’s not here, so ... “What will South Carolina have to do to replace Clowney?” Find the place on the field that Clowney used to play and put somebody else there. “How do you think Clowney will fare in the NFL?” Aren’t we watching college football? Without proper antibiotics in the form of big third-down stops and sacks, the Clowney Infection will spread. And, as Hill picked apart the Gamecock defense to the tune of 52 points, the “Boy,

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SOCCER team newbies, like Garza, Gyau and Hyndman, will continue to gain experience at this level in the next few months with the United States competing in three more friendlies before the end of the year. Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann recognizes that this window is important for the future of the national team. “It’s an especially good opportunity for us to look at the younger players based in Europe, which we don’t get to do very often because of their schedules,” Klinsmann said in a U.S. Soccer press release. “We can’t bring them into the January camp, where we get to work with a lot of the up-and-coming talent, so for players like Joe Gyau, Emerson Hyndman, Rubio Rubin and Bobby Wood, it’s a great chance for them to experience our environment.”

they could really use Clowney’s help right now!” comments increased. On that note, I feel terrible for whoever starts at running back for Georgia after Todd Gurley’s inevitable ascent to the NFL. Perhaps we don’t understand that college football isn’t like our favorite sitcom. When Lily called off her wedding to Marshall and left for San Francisco in “How I Met Your Mother,” there was nothing preventing her return. Unfortunately, NCAA eligibility rules don’t have a Lily Aldrin Addendum that allows unconditional returns. These guys are gone. The sooner we realize that – spoiler alert – there are other good players in the world, the less annoyed we’ll all be.

Think back to last year. As Pitt students, we remember Labor Day 2013 distinctly (well, I guess that depends on your state of mind ): a primetime, nationally televised, old-fashioned whooping at the hands of Florida State and their redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston. I vividly recall a game-day discussion on whether or not this freshman quarterback would be able to fill the hole left open by E.J. Manuel’s departure for the NFL. Winston threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns in that Labor Day game. Then he tore up the entire ACC. Then he won the Heisman Trophy. Then he led the Seminoles to a national title. Then he stole some crab legs.

OK, so the last part is irrelevant. My point is that the departure of great players doesn’t leave a gaping hole that’s impossible to fill. Rather, it leaves an opportunity for somebody else to step up and make a name for himself. Hill made a name for himself. Literally. The heir to Manziel’s throne had to create his own nickname to prevent “Kenny Football” from catching on. Once again, what does Kenny Hill – sorry, Kenny Trill – have to do to step out of Johnny’s shadow? Maybe he, like Winston, will replicate his Week 1 performance a few times and make the A&M fans fall in love with him. But, if he doesn’t, it’ll be a long college football season for all of us.

Hyndman and Rubin are the two 18-yearolds, while Wood is 21. All are professionals in England, Holland and Germany, respectively. Hyndman was the only one of the three to play any minutes, coming off the bench midway through the second half. Klinsmann’s approach with young players is reassuring. Rather than prolong the inevitable by calling in established older players for these games that don’t matter, he’s thinking ahead in the hopes of developing a team that will go beyond what was accomplished this summer. “Once you get out of the most difficult group in the World Cup, you should go further than just [the] round of 16,” he said to NBC Sports’ broadcast team before kickoff. “This is our goal going towards Russia — not to stop at the round of 16, maybe not to stop at the quarterfinal. To say clearly, listen, we have four years to prepare this cycle. Our goal is going into a semifinal in a World Cup. And

that means a lot of work, a lot of competition, a lot of grind.” While the German’s aspirations about where his team will finish is a tad unrealistic, his optimism and open-mindedness about moving on is refreshing. He said that this point in the international soccer calendar is meant for introducing as many players who haven’t been a part of the national team setup before as possible, while still appreciating the established members. His instructions for the newcomers who do get a shot are simple. “Show us what you have. Show us your talent and be confident and go for your next level. This is what comes up now in the next couple of games. It’s about young players coming in and hopefully doing well,” Klinsmann said. The way he explains it, this big shift isn’t something that just happened once the World Cup concluded in mid-July. It started soon after he began his time as national team coach

in the summer of 2011. “What we did really over the last two or three years, we tried really to connect the youth national teams — the different age groups — to the senior team,” Klinsmann said to media in the days before this most recent contest, describing the construction of USMNT scouting network in Europe. Such a scouting network is a resource that’s always gaining importance as more and more of our young talent eschews domestic opportunities in favor of those abroad, and Klinsmann makes it possible for dual-nationals to represent the U.S. “So this has kind of gotten more and more connected, and the way we follow the kids at whatever age they are was a lot more intensified. So when we feel that there’s a young player who is ready to experience the next higher level, then we bring the kid in,” he said, according to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle. It seems to work.

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September 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

First week of college football full of surprises Chris Dufresne MCT Campus

Getting a line on opening weekend was not easy. Selection committee members, as you read this, are rearranging all the postseason Post-it notes on their refrigerators. Texas A&M moved up toward the freezer, replacing South Carolina, which is now down by the crisper. Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, who moonlights as a committee member, was practicing recusing himself from his team’s playoff discussions after the Badgers jumped ahead, 24-7, on Louisiana State. He may not have that problem now. Nobody had a worse time with getting a line, though, than the people who set the betting odds in Las Vegas. Most weeks you say, “How do they get it right so often?” This week you said, “Better hold off on that casino expansion.”

The bookmakers seemed as discombobulated as Austin Peay looked against Memphis (63-0). The bookies had Colorado by three over Colorado State, Houston by 11 over Texas – San Antonio and Northwestern by 11 at home against California. All three favorites whiffed in defeat. Northwestern players, who voted this summer on whether or not to unionize, didn’t look very together. Las Vegas may have read the story about Hawaii possibly dropping football, before it installed Washington as a 17-point favorite on the islands. Washington actually sweated out a 17-16 win in what could have been Chris Petersen’s first and last game as Huskies coach. UCLA was a 21-point favorite over Virginia, and 21 points turned out to be the contribution of UCLA’s defense alone. The Bruins offense tacked on seven more, but UCLA only won by eight. Alabama was supposed to roll West Vir-

ginia by 26 or so points but won by just 10. It had to be considered a moral victory for the Mountaineers, coming off of a 4-8 season. “We’re not interested in moral victories,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. West Virginia at least deserved a pat on the back for hanging tough against a top-five team. “We don’t want pats on the back,” Holgorsen said. Well, anyway, best of luck against Towson this weekend. Oklahoma State, the oddsmakers determined, stood little chance against Florida State in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys were 19-point underdogs against the defending national champions. Florida State won by six. Oklahoma State stood a chance, until Florida State’s P.J. Williams’ jarring tackle coaxed a fumble from quarterback J.W. Walsh. It was a nearly calamitous weekend — more about reassessment than any fundamental overturning. The biggest stunner was Texas A&M’s total dissection of former top-10 team South Carolina in Columbia. Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill wilted under the burden of replacing Johnny Manziel, passing for a mere school-record 511 yards in a 52-28 blowout. Manziel, for what it’s worth, lost his college debut against Florida. What a staggering jolt it was to see South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, the man who revolutionized the Southeastern Conference with his passing game, while at Florida, have it all thrown back in his face. The weekend raised more eyebrows than

legitimate concerns, though. Top-ranked Florida State showed it might not be invincible in its struggle to hold off the pop-gun Cowboys of Stillwater. “I do think they felt the pressure of being No. 1, I do,” Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said after the game. “Now I think we can relax and go play football.” There was still plenty of evidence to suggest Florida State might make a return trip to Texas for the Jan. 12 championship game at AT&T Stadium. When Georgia trailed Clemson, 21-14, it appeared a termite tent might have to be thrown over the SEC East. Vanderbilt had already fallen to Temple, South Carolina looked opening-game awful and Florida couldn’t even handle Idaho in Gainesville. (OK, technically, the game was suspended by lightning.) Georgia saved division honor by rallying to beat Clemson, with tailback Todd Gurley setting a school record 293 total yards. The comeback of the weekend belonged to LSU, which trailed by 17 in the third quarter, before rallying to a 28-24 win. When Les Miles said last month, “I like us. I like us in every game,” he must have known something we didn’t at halftime. The coach known as “The Hat” pulled another trick out of it. Miles’ fake-punt call sparked a comeback that crushed what could have been a signature win for the Big Ten. Had Wisconsin won, the Badgers might have coasted unscathed to the conference title game (schedule check: Wisconsin misses Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State this year). Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.