People and pronouns Laverne Cox speaks at Pitt
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averne Cox’s identity — and her pronoun — are feminine, and she’s proud of both. Cox, an activist and actress on the hit Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” spoke to about 500 attendees at Alumni Hall about her experiences as a transgender black woman Monday. Pitt’s Rainbow Alliance hosted the event that drew crowds of students outside the building more than two hours before its 7:30 p.m. start. Cox spoke about her experiences from childhood to adulthood, including her time in school and church. She also discussed her spirituality, her gender transition and dealing with her mother’s acceptance of her gender. “My femininity could not be contained,” Cox said, referring to her time in school. One of Cox’s idols is abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who declared in her historic speech at the 1851 Women’s Convention, “Ain’t I a woman?” Cox repeated those words Monday as her own rally for her femininity. Allie McCarthy, president of the Rainbow Alliance at Pitt, said they booked Cox to speak because of her role as an LGBTQ activist. “We chose Laverne Cox because she has done a tremendous amount of activism for the trans community,” McCarthy said. “Although our mission is primarily to serve the queer community at Pitt, it is extremely important to us that all people hear about struggles that queer people have so that we can make an inclusive environment for all.” Sounds Like Treble, a female a capella group on campus, Sarita Brady, a Pitt student reciting her own poems, and performers Cox 3 from the Vagina Mono-
Nerine Sivagnanam Staff Writer
Alyson Derrick | Staff Photographer
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March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
Uber Pittsburgh to help hire 1 million women Lauren Wilson Staff Writer
On the road ahead, a popular rideshare company may drive straight through the glass ceiling. Uber said this month that it plans to hire 1 million women by 2020 in hopes of “accelerating economic opportunity for women.” Uber, a San Francisco-based company that connects car drivers to passengers with an app, posted on its blog that it partnered with U.N. Women for this initiative on the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, an event held in 1995 to promote gender equality. Jennifer Krusius, general manager of Uber’s Pittsburgh office, said Uber has not yet given the Pittsburgh branch specific instructions on how to implement the new plan in Pittsburgh. According to “The Driver Roadmap,” a report released earlier this year by Benenson Strategy Group and published on Uber’s website, 14 percent of Uber drivers
are female. “I know that [the number of women hired with Uber] is a lot higher than the [U.S. ride sharing] industry,” Krusius said. “We do have a lot of growth [in Pittsburgh].” Krusius said Uber’s flexible work hours appeal to women applying to Uber. “I think women like it because they can log in whenever they want. They’ll pick it up as a second job, or moms can log in while their kids are at school,” Krusius said. According to Uber’s “Driver Roadmap,” 42 percent of female Uber partners said part-time hours and flexible scheduling are major reasons they choose to work for Uber. Rose Turley, a nurse who works at UPMC, started working part-time about a month
Katelyn Binetti | Staff Illustrator
ago for Uber because, according to Turley, the company offers good service. She added that it’s “good to have the extra cash.” “I do like driving on Thursday nights,
when a bunch of people are trying to go to Hofbrauhaus in South Side, that I can work these extra hours on my time and make pretty good money,” Turley said. During the month she has worked for Uber, Turley’s gender has led to some bumpy rides. A young man once tried to pick her up, to which she politely said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Another passenger once joked, “Female drivers!” when the GPS tried to take her through a construction site. Turley said she brushed off the incidents. As for her safety, Turley said others worry for her safety more than she does. “My parents, my friends and my boyfriend don’t really like that I’m [driving for Uber]. I sometimes worry about my safety,” Turley said. “As a woman, you are always vulnerable to any type of abuse.” While the United Nations’s goals are “laudable,” true gender equality comes when women are behind the wheel and in
Uber
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March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 1
COX
logues, a production the Campus Women’s Organization hosts annually, opened with performances before Cox greeted her audience. As a child, Cox hadn’t discovered her true self, she said, and was bullied in school regularly. “From preschool up until high school, I was bullied every day,” Cox said. “It was terrifying. I was scared out of my mind.” Cox had a tremendous amount of shame about who she was. Her teachers exacerbated the problem, she said. One teacher told Cox’s mother that “her son [was] going to end up in New Orleans in a dress if we [didn’t] get him in therapy right away.” Her teacher was partially right — Cox sported a vibrant blue dress while addressing the audience. “I didn’t feel safe at school, I didn’t feel safe at home, but where I did feel safe was my imagination,” Cox said. In her imagination is where she began to discover her love of dancing, she said, which, starting when she was young, helped her discover her femininity even more. Once she felt comfortable enough, Cox’s talent for dancing led her to dance studio, where she studied hip-hop and tap dance, rather than ballet, which her mother said was “too gay.” “I believe that if we can find something we are truly passionate about, it can save lives,” Cox said. FROM PAGE 2
UBER
leadership positions in the corporate office, Frayda Cohen, a women’s studies professor at Pitt, said. Uber should protect women passengers at all times, Cohen said, including when they have a male driver. Uber also needs to have women in key leadership positions, according to Cohen. “Diversity and equality at all levels are essential components for real, tangible, meaningful change,” Cohen said. Natalia Wilk, a sophomore architecture major at Pitt, has “never had a female driver,” she said, during the few times she used Uber. “I think that it is a great opportunity for
Cox then spent time at the Alabama School of Fine Arts before eventually moving to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, a place where she grew into herself. “For me, New York City represented a place of ultimate possibility, not only for my professional aspirations, but in pursuit of becoming more myself,” Cox said. As Cox talked about her experiences from childhood to adulthood, applause shook the auditorium. Cox balanced her discussion of serious issues by also making light of her negative experiences, evoking smiles and laughter from the crowd. “I bought my clothes from Salvation Army or Goodwill because it was all I could afford,” Cox said. “I called it my Salvation Army Couture, or Salvation Armani.” Jokes aside, Cox also spoke about a need for transgender equality. Freshman Caroline Krueger said this is why she went to see Cox. “I’m a huge fan of Laverne and ‘Orange Is The New Black,’ and since I’m also taking a Sociology of Gender class this semester, I really wanted to hear Laverne’s opinions,” Krueger said. Cox educated the crowd about the distinctions and differences about gender identity and sexuality, as well as advocated for justice for all oppressed social groups, not only transgender people. Despite her oppressors and those who have insulted her in the past, Cox said she has finally realized that if someone can look at her and tell that she is transgender, it is not only a good thing, it is beautiful. “Success really is the best revenge,” Cox said. women who may have felt intimidated by the high male ratio in this business,” Wilk said in an email. “It is smart to set a number so that there is a goal to be met and women feel valued as Uber drivers.” Wilk said she has no preference for whether her Uber driver is male or female, but she might be more likely to take an Uber ride from a woman if she were traveling alone. Curran Dougherty, a senior majoring in politics and philosophy, said he rides with Uber once or twice per week. Like Wilk, he doesn’t have much of a preference for male or female drivers, but he added that more female drivers will benefit Uber. “In my experience, women are better drivers than men,” Dougherty said. “I know that goes against the stereotype.”
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EDITORIAL
March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
OPINIONS
Sex ed revamp: Transgender inclusion is vital for progress
It’s unsettling that the United States still doesn’t require sex education nationwide. In 2010, Pennsylvania passed the Healthy Youth Act, which requires sex ed in public schools. However, schools aren’t performing up to par — there is a demand for more inclusive, in-depth sex education. Last year, Great Conversations, a sex course for parents and preteens, pulled in 14,000 attendees, according to an article in The New York Times last week. The government allotted Pennsylvania more than $1.6 million that year to fund abstinence-only sex education programs, according to Sexetc. org. It would be more productive to spend this budget on progressive sex education like Julie Metzger’s Great Conversations program. Metzger first began teaching a puberty-based sex ed curriculum, of which Great Conversations is an offshoot, at Allegheny General Hospital in 1988. Great Conversations now features two distinct tracks — one for boys and one for girls. The boys’ course features “The Penis Opera,” through which boys get the seemingly hilarious phallic word out of their system before asking Metzger questions. Metzger features comic relief in girls’ presentations, too — she sticks a sanitary pad to herself to prove it stays in place. However, Great Conversations costs about $70 for pubescents and parents to attend. Public schools could help offset this cost by implementing some version of the course in their sex ed itinerary. The lack of transgender inclusivity in the program is the main dilemma, though. If schools implement elements of Great Conversations into their cur-
riculum, they should group all students together, rather than separate them. Knowing about other genders should no longer be taboo. One of the greatest misunderstandings in sex education centers around gender and sexuality itself — and many adults still don’t comprehend what it means to be transgender. It’s time to begin educating the youth on transgender sexuality — a startling 41 percent of transgender or gender-nonconforming people have attempted suicide at some point in their lives. That’s 41 percent too many. We need understanding and acceptance for these lives and the dangers they face each day. This transgender sex ed can be as simple as teaching preteens proper pronoun etiquette or as in-depth as discussing gender reassignment surgery. It’s better to talk about masculinity, femininity and everything in between at a young age so people can practice understanding and tolerance for their trans peers throughout their lives. Teaching about sex helps to normalize it. While preteens may blush at the mention of “condoms,” they realize how important protection is. If we teach our youth about transgender people at a young age, they’ll stop using words like “hermaphrodite” or “transvestite” and understand what it really means to be genderqueer. Abstinence-only programs catered to the heterosexual population are a yawn. With the Internet, kids can learn about all walks of sexuality, regardless. It’s a school’s job to provide preteens with the right information and filter through the fodder. It’s time to reimagine sex education.
COLUMN
How media accusations perpetuate rape culture Adrianne Glenn Columnist It isn’t easy for victims of sexual assault to tell their story. It isn’t any easier for victims who witness the media call other victims liars. Such is the case with Jackie, the woman who came forth as the University of Virginia gang rape victim and became the primary source for a controversial Rolling Stone piece published last November. While the story aimed to highlight the prevalence of college rape culture, its blatant reporting errors have since prompted an extensive police investigation of the alleged UVA gang rape case. The investigation found there was not substantial evidence that any rape took place, further complicating Jackie’s story. Between Rolling Stone’s faulty reporting methods and the police investigation at UVA, publications like MRC News Busters are calling Jackie a liar, suggesting that she made up her rape accusation. Instead of tackling a major magazine for slacking on its job, the media criticized the testimony of a traumatized victim who is trying to live with the effects of her trauma. An absence of evidence and journalistic integrity does not discredit Jackie’s experience, though. Shortly after Rolling Stone posted the article, Slate became a prominent critic and published a column questioning Rolling Stone for not pushing sensitive issues or interviewing sources that Jackie had reservations about. In the column, Allison Benedikt and Hanna Rosin argue that Rolling Stone should have reached out to the alleged perpetrators for comment on their side of the story. Although sources often decline to comment, “it’s absolutely necessary, because it tells readers you tried your best to get the other side of the story,” according to Benedikt and Rosin.
Slate is right — it’s valid to suggest that a publication should contact all parties involved in a case. It is important to acknowledge that Rolling Stone’s primary focus was not to be sensitive to the victim, but rather to approach campus assault in an objective, informative manner. The Washington Post also questioned Jackie’s accusation. In the article, the Post introduced student claims that contradicted Jackie’s story. The Post reported that the fraternity in question denied even hosting an event on the night Jackie claimed. After facing criticism from major media outlets like Slate and WAPO, Rolling Stone retracted the story on December 5. Instead of standing with Jackie to defend her voice, Rolling Stone reacted to this criticism by shifting the blame off itself. The retraction stated that Rolling Stone realized their error in not contacting Jackie’s alleged perpetrators. Rolling Stone is avoiding taking personal responsibility for its journalistic mistakes by blaming Jackie’s wishes. Unfortunately, most criticism from other publications focused on Jackie’s personal story and integrity — an obvious example of victim-blaming — rather than the problems with Rolling Stone’s journalism or the possibility that there’s more to the story. The results from the formal UVA gang rape investigation, released Monday, brought victim-blaming discourse back into the conversation. The police department in Charlottesville reported that it found no substantive basis that the rape occurred. Legally, a rape case doesn’t require physical evidence, just a witness testimony that rings true. What do you do when no one believes you, though? There is serious potential for this
Glenn
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March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 4
GLENN to turn into just another article people point to when they want to discredit rape allegations. Society can now use Rolling Stone’s sloppy work to silence victims everywhere. This is problematic, though, given that campus assault is disgustingly common and false rape allegations are rare. Just under 6 percent of rape allegations are actually false, according to a 2010
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ACROSS 1 Staples Center team 9 Not flat 15 Minor issue? 16 Brazilian ballroom dance 17 Tiny cylindrical structure 18 Without a key 19 B’s 5 and C’s 6 20 Home entertainment option 22 Label for the Poison album “Poison’d!” 23 Links acronym 24 Crawford of the NBA’s Clippers 25 40% of DX 26 Common doowop soloist 27 Radar screen blip 28 It has a ring to it 29 Shoe attachment? 30 Clubby type 31 Works up 34 Places to see arrows 35 Sat for a bit 36 Semblance 37 Kitchen additions? 38 Prepare for winter flight, in a way 39 Energy Reorg. Act of 1974 creation 42 Pounds 43 Elegant 44 Krombacher output 45 Keats’ “Sylvan historian” 46 Farm deliveries 47 “Taxi” actor 48 “Soon” 50 “You’ve got to be kidding me!” 52 Debussy’s “__ Suite” 53 Title I of the Agricultural Act of 1956 54 Dug 55 Betrays DOWN 1 Outdoor sitting areas
study by clinical psychologist David Lisak. Police can deem a rape case unfounded simply through retraction of a witness statement or questioning the rape’s validity. Since legalese lumps false rape accusations with unfounded rape claims, the actual number of false rape allegations is prob-
ably less than the 6 percent that Lisak reported. Rape culture is a fundamental part of this investigation. Just because the police report could not find evidence does not discredit Jackie’s experience, and we need to use this case to spark discourse rather than use it as an example of a false rape claim.
The media criticized the testimony of a traumatized victim who is trying to live with the effects of her trauma.
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32 Made a comeback? 33 Repeated musical pattern 34 1994 film about a scandal 36 Demand to split 38 Calendario entry 39 Time to flip the sign, perhaps 40 Change in boundaries
Jackie did not want to share her story at all. But now there’s a risk that society will use her story to silence any victims who want to speak out. If we are blinded by Rolling Stone’s error and a fruitless police investigation, we are victim-blaming. It’s essential to realize that an absence of rape evidence is not the same thing as the absence of rape. Adrianne Glenn primarily writes about social and cultural issues for The Pitt News. Write to Adrianne at adg79@pitt.
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2 Dame of mystery 3 Former heavyweight champ __ Lewis 4 Knock for __ 5 Little beavers 6 Cassowary cousin 7 Trunk structures 8 __ trunk 9 Insignificant 10 How some busy people run 11 Maker of SteeL kitchen products 12 Scaly reproductive organ 13 Free West Coast daily 14 Gets the job done 21 Pound sound 24 Wasn’t serious 25 Leek relative 27 Sacks of diamonds? 28 Presence 29 Soft 30 Risqué 31 Seat of Peru’s Constitutional Court
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March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT
LIVE MUSIC
Lupe Fiasco preached, brought the hits to Pitt Evan Malachosky Staff Writer
On Saturday night, Lupe Fiasco advised audience members at the Fitzgerald Field House to be more skeptical of the genre that made him famous. Fiasco asked a female concertgoer in the front row about one of his songs, “Did you like that beat? Did you like the chorus? Did you like my lyrics?” Pitt Program Council booked Fiasco, fresh off the release of his fifth studio album, Tetsuo & Youth, as the headliner for the Spring Indoor Show. An annual event on campus, the show brings in a top hiphop performer as well as the winner of PPC’s student hip-hop battle, and it has featured Wale, Ty Dolla Sign and Big Sean in recent years. Fiasco, who has been very outspoken on issues of race, rap and his fading relevancy during the past few months, didn’t keep his opinions off the stage. When the attendee responded, “Yes, yes and I couldn’t hear you,” Fiasco seemed to take offense. “Then how the f*ck could you like that song?” he asked. He then took a moment to address the crowd with a statement on the current monetization of violence, drug dealing and degradation of women. “It might not be tonight — matter of fact, it won’t be tonight — but one day, hopefully one day, you’ll all realize what’s right and what isn’t right to party and dance to,” Fiasco said. The socially conscious rapper began his set on a somber note, dedicating the performance to a young Chicago resident, Antoine, who was murdered two weeks ago. “Sometimes kids from the hood, they see guys like me, and it’s like they ask me for help — to do things for them,” Fiasco
said, before recalling an instance in which he regrets not doing more to help. “Two weeks ago, my nephew’s best friend was shot in his head in front of his mother’s house. This show is dedicated to him,” Fiasco said. Fiasco started the show with veteran bravado and consciousness. He began the evening with the jazzy and powerful “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free),” a song that he dedicated to the injustices of the world. Lines like, “it’s parts of Manila like the video for ‘Thriller’/ But the U.S. Embassy is reminiscent of a villa/ If poverty is chocolate and privilege vanilla,” address some of the same problems Fiasco tackles on his most recent project. Keeping his promise to students in the front rows, who had requested to hear songs off Tetsuo & Youth, Fiasco transitioned into “Deliver,” a single detailing the violent and problematic state of Chicago’s inner city. Despite his preaching, the crowd sang along to classics like “Kick Push,” “Superstar” and “The Show Goes On.” Before Fiasco’s set, the night was a lot less weighty, with performances by Pitt student group Tory Hains and comedyrapper Lil Dicky. Dicky, a viral comedy rapper, performed a collection of mundane, absurd and vulgar songs that will appear on his debut album Professional Rapper. The crowd laughed and groaned as Dicky stripped down to his boxer-briefs for a risqué performance of his hit single “Lemme Freak.” Few knew the words, and some begged for Fiasco’s arrival, but Dicky brought immaturity, charisma and all-around chaos — which was a sharp contrast to Fiasco’s purposeful rhymes. Although Fiasco wasn’t afraid to give some lessons, his performance — much like his studio albums — was a powerful blend of thoughtful and entertaining rap.
From top, Lupe Fiasco, Tory Hains and Lil Dicky rocked the Fitzgerald Field House Saturday night. Nate Smith | Staff Photographer
March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
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COLUMN
Deadline’s ‘Pilots 2015: The Year of Ethnic Casting’ a tone-deaf take on TV diversity Kelechi Urama For The Pitt News
For the first time in Hollywood’s history, casting directors are turning actors away from roles because of the way they look, according to Deadline’s TV editor Nellie Andreeva. In a recent article “Pilots 2015: The Year of Ethnic Castings – About Time Or Too Much Of Good Thing,” Andreeva uses the word “ethnic” so many times it likely broke a Guinness World Record. Networks hiring more diverse actors might not be productive, she writes, since more on-screen actors of color has spurred the unthinkable: slightly fewer roles for white actors. Deadline’s editor, Mike Fleming Jr., has since apologized and amended the headline to simply read “Pilots 2015: The Year of Ethnic Castings.” The original article remains the same. Andreeva’s column didn’t just misfire in its understanding of the financial success of “ethnic” programming, but it also overlooked the social consequences of how television represents minority characters. Networks are making a concerted effort to increase the number of roles available for non-white actors. According to Andreeva, the demand for “ethnic” actors has created a situation where more roles are now closed to white actors. There are also, apparently, not enough “experienced minority performers” to satisfy this increased need. This, of course, has led to the ill-advised casting of inexperienced
actors such as Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Lucy Liu, Whoopi Goldberg, Morris Chestnut, Jada PinkettSmith and John Leguizamo. All snark aside, Andreeva has enjoyed nearly two decades of reporting as a television journalist. She has undoubtedly made numerous solid industry connections, and she’s likely seen and heard pushback to recent changes in television casting. She wouldn’t be at fault for simply reporting this insider backlash, but she should have been more critical of it. In Hollywood, we’ve been told, the only color networks see is green. The lack of diversity must mean that there’s no money in it — not that there are racial biases at play. Well now, we have seen irrefutable proof that diversity sells. Shows like “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Jane the Virgin,” “Fresh Off the Boat” (the first sitcom about an Asian-American family to air in 20 years) and “Black-ish” have been met with both critical and commercial success. “Scandal” was the first network drama to star a black woman in nearly 40 years, and it has since turned into a massive hit for ABC. In an age where most Americans
simply aren’t sitting down to watch live TV anymore, hip-hop opera “Empire”’s season finale was watched by nearly 20 million viewers, according to Nielsen. So, if Hollywood is truly just about the money — and it’s clear these types of shows are generating it — then what’s the problem? The problem, as Andreeva’s article unknowingly confirmed, is that money wasn’t the primary factor behind the previous dearth of roles for “ethnic” actors. Minorities claim only 5.1 percent of lead roles, according to UCLA’s 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report. When they are cast, it’s usually as a racially charged stereotype (basically any nonwhite character on “2 Broke Girls”), or a thankless best friend role that merely exists to support the white main character (think Wallace on “Veronica Mars”). The popularity of these tropes has less to do with money and more to do with the fact that diversity behind-the-scenes is practically nonexistent. When people of color make up less than 14 percent of the people writing, directing and producing TV, according to the 2015 WGA Staffing Brief, it’s no wonder these portrayals con-
We have seen irrefutable proof that diversity sells.
tinue to exist. Television’s representation of diversity has detrimental effects on the children who watch it. A 2011 study by the University of Indiana found television negatively impacts the self-esteem of children of color. When the heroes on TV are always white, when the only people who look like you on your TV screen are homeless, criminals or maids, it is bound to affect the way children of color view themselves and their roles in society. Television lags far behind U.S. Census figures when it comes to the racial distribution of roles. For Andreeva to suggest that “the pendulum might have swung too far in the other direction” after one pilot season is embarrassing and offensive to those who’ve weathered the past few decades of blindingly white TV content. Audiences are clinging to shows like “Sleepy Hollow,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and the other aforementioned series because they are breaking away from the tired tropes of the past and presenting us with people of color who are fleshed-out characters of their own. For the first time in a long time, our multidimensionality is being explored, and the support has been so strong that networks can no longer pretend their unwillingness to produce more diverse content is purely financial. Television is finally starting to reflect the diversity we see in our daily lives, and we, the audience, are excited by that. The same should go for the folks over at Deadline.
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March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
FOOTBALL
SPORTS
Simplified defensive gameplan earning raves from Panthers Jeremy Tepper Staff Writer
With its 6-7 season last year, the Pitt football team had a parched garden of problems screaming for a sprinkling of improvement. Pitt’s defense was the tallest problem in the patch. Enter new head coach Pat Narduzzi: He is striving to make Pitt’s defense, which finished 59th in points against, resemble his previous, top-ranked Michigan State defenses. In Narduzzi’s last four years as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator, his defenses finished in the top 10 in yards allowed per game all four times. Countless factors contributed to the success of Narduzzi’s previous defenses, including utilizing strength in simplicity. Defenders seem to be relishing the opportunity to simply play without worrying about audibles or line shifts. “Definitely, I think [the defense is] 100 percent simpler,” said sophomore linebacker Matt Galambos. “We are just playing football. Obviously we have our certain schemes and everything, but at the same time, he wants us to be fast, play fast and just fill the gaps.” For the linebackers and the overall defense, the players will retain a single formation. “We’re going to play what we play 80 percent of the time. We’re going to be in the same defense,” linebackers coach Rob Harley said. “There’s going to be different things we’ll do off of it [based on] what the offense gives us, but we’re going to be in it 80 percent of the time.” The coaches assert that this specialization will plow the defensive makeover. “We’re not going to change up defenses,” Harley said. “We’re not going to say, ‘Well, it’s third down, then we’re going to run this coverage. It’s first down,’ or this, that. It’s going to be one thing, and we’re going to get really good at it.” Like the linebackers, the coaches have simple motives for the corners: Be ag-
Pat Narduzzi has not been afraid to install changes during spring practices. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor
gressive, be self-reliant with little safety help and press opposing receivers at the line. In terms of the shift to press coverage, freshman corner Avonte Maddox is bullish about the transition. “It’s easier,” he said. “Playing off [the receivers], they’ve got more routes they
can run, but when you’re pressing, you’re right in their face and they’re limited to certain routes.” Maddox isn’t the only defensive back eager to install more press coverage. Junior cornerback Lafayette Pitts looks forward to the competitive aspects of the philosophy change.
“It’s just man-on-man [and] who’s going to be the better guy at the end of the down,” Pitts said. In front of those linebackers and corners is the defensive line. The new head coach cited the importance of the defend-
Football
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March 31, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 8
FOOTBALL ers in the trenches in order for the entire defense to thrive. “We always talk about that it starts up front,” Narduzzi said. “If you can’t win up front with those guys, you have a problem. You can have the greatest secondary in the world, but if you don’t have a defensive line that can put some pressure on the quarterback, you’re going to have issues.” The players have also responded well to the energy and competition encouraged by the staff. Part of the competition stems from the staff ’s readiness to move players up and down the depth chart from day to day. “The depth is fluid, fluid, fluid. We tell them that,” Harley said. “And that’s awesome because it’s built-in competition. I always tell them, this is the Wild West; you go get what you want.” Players have noted that the new coaching staff is much more active than
the departed regime of former head coach Paul Chryst. According to Maddox, the difference between the two staffs can be seen in the energy Narduzzi and company exert on the practice field.
run to the ball and try to force turnovers. “We have a totally different mindset this year of just constantly getting after the ball every single day,” sophomore safety Reggie Mitchell said. “We didn’t have that mentality last year. It wasn’t
“I always tell them, this is the Wild West; you go get what you want.” Rob Harley “They run with us. It’s not just us running, they’re running around with us,” he said. The energy brings more attention to detail, junior Nicholas Grigsby said. Part of this energy is directed towards keeping the players’ energy up as well, with the hope that all 11 defensive players
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11 guys to the ball.” Still, much like last season, inconsistent results have plagued the defense throughout spring practices. In the first scrimmage, the defense faltered, letting the offense easily move the ball up and down the field, according to junior quarterback Chad Voytik.
9 “We got first downs and when we were in backed-up situations, we got away from our own end zone. I feel overall we did pretty well,” Voytik said. In the second scrimmage, though, the defensive unit went deep for success. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney was thoroughly impressed with the defense’s effort. “Our defense showed up and thumped us today. We had a tough go out there today,” Chaney said. Narduzzi was particularly impressed with the unit’s work against the Panthers’ formidable ground attack. “I thought the defense did a better job of stopping the run,” the head coach said. “If you can stop the run on defense, you have a chance.” As spring practices continue and the season nears, the defense still feels a need to prove itself as a group that can dominate a game. “I really feel like that unit has something to prove,” Maddox said. “Everyone talks about the offense, and the offense is great, but it’s time to make our defense great.”