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@PPUGlobe November 6, 2019
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Junior multimedia major Devon Colebank hosts photography gallery The Globe’s Point takes a look at the potential legacy left by the Sinkhole Bus Men’s soccer finishes historic season with 15 wins, seven in conference ppuglobe.com
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Issue 11
STUDENTS VOLUNTEER IN CAPITAL Pa. Secretary of Education speaks with organization student leaders Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect
On Friday, Nov. 1, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Pedro Rivera, visited campus. Secretary Rivera was the keynote speaker Friday evening at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Gala Dinner at the Edgewood Country Club, but he made time to stop by the university Friday afternoon. Part of his visit consisted of a two-hour question and answer session with some of the university’s student leaders. Those present included representatives from the United Student Government (USG), the Black Student Union (BSU) and the School of Education. “I am honored to be your Dean of Students because
of the thoughtfulness that you have in your questions,” Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs Keith Paylo said. “They were very pointed questions. They were very appropriate questions to the topic. I was told by the Secretary himself how impressed he was with the students.” The Secretary of Education spoke with students regarding the topic of ‘Underrepresented Students.’ Paylo saw Secretary Rivera’s visit as a great opportunity. “There was an opportunity since he was coming to town for him to kind of have a discussion with leaders from the NAACP and other colleges and universities... because of various initiatives that we are all carrying out
EDUCATION page 3
Jordyn Hronec | The Globe
Professor of Public Relations, Jenna Lo Castro, boxes up food at the Capital Area Food Bank during a community service project conducted by students on the annual Washington D.C. trip.
USG hosts Director of IT Department Tim Wilson Five new resolutions presented and passed unanimously USG By Sarah Gibson USG Beat Writer
The United Student Government (USG) heard from Tim Wilson, the director of the IT department, in their meeting on Nov. 4. The meeting was chaired by the President Pro-Tempore Grace Tyler Frank-Rempel, as Vice President Alexa Lake was absent. Wilson discussed changes to come to IT, changes to Point Park’s cyber security and he offered answers to questions that different senators had. Wilson explained that IT would be utilizing “$1.5 million plus” to carry out a three-year plan to improve the performance of IT resources. Wilson first addressed a future revamp to IT’s “core infrastructure.” He stated that the ordering process for new equipment to replace old infrastructure equipment was currently underway. He stated that much of the infrastructure was nearly a decade old. “Things have changed in the last 10 years. We need to change with it,” Wilson said. Wilson stated that another part of the three year
plan, which Wilson stated would most likely take place during year two, would be changes to the university’s Wi-Fi system. He stated that the university would be moving towards a “hospitality” model for Wi-Fi, with a Wi-Fi access port located in every student dorm, with the hopes that students would “protect it with their lives.” Wilson also discussed upgrades that would be made towards cyber security, as well as the university’s desire to move away from paying Comcast for cable service, as a quick survey of the room revealed that most students stream content rather than watch cable. He added that these changes would be made not only for students, but to stay within government regulations for campus security. Senators did have some questions and problems for Wilson to address. The first of which was in regards to the computer labs in Thayer Hall. While they are supposed to be available to students 24/7, President Berlin and several other members present assured Wilson that the computers in the open area go into a “Deep Freeze” until 6 a.m. the next morning. Berlin also brought up the fact that IT has been re-
setting students’ passwords without asking for their Point Park identification first, making it possible for students to change the passwords of other students. Senator Dennis McDermott expressed concern over the fact that some students were being rerouted to MSN once they logged in, which was causing computers to say that the Point Park login page was unsafe. Wilson encouraged students that were facing IT problems to report it to the Help Desk so they could become aware of the issue. “I was overjoyed that we were able to talk to Tim about the filthiness of the computers and the fact that students are being locked out of their own accounts,” Berlin said after the meeting. After Wilson’s visit, Recording Secretary Jordyn Hronec said that all 87 of the complaints received at the Come Complain! event were available in the USG office for senators interested in reading and trying to solve them. Art 4 Impact, a club focused on using art to help the community, was also recognized by USG. The Rules Committee presented several new ByLaws at the meeting, all of which passed. Resolution
B11042019 requires that all senators’ office hours be specific and posted publicly by the President Pro-Tempore. This passed unanimously. Resolution B11042019.1 resolved to increase the office hours of the President from four to ten, and the office hours of the Vice President from four to nine. Parliamentarian Jess Wrzosek explained that this resolution was drafted in response to an audit of compensated USG positions that occurred the previous year. This resolution passed unanimously. Resolution B11042019.2 resolved to change the wording in the constitution from “office hours” to “work hours.” This was done in order to allow senators to conduct USG-related work outside of the office, such as attending various club meetings. This resolution passed unanimously. Resolution B11042019.3 required the President Pro-Tempore to inform senators of their attendance records for legislative body meetings and committee meetings, in addition to their progress in completing their required work time. This resolution passed unanimously. Resolution B11042019.4 resolved that it would be
the responsibility of the Rules Committee Vice Chair to keep track of the Club Engagement spreadsheet, started by Parliamentarian Wrzosek this year. This resolution passed unanimously. Resolution C11042019 stated that the “Members” section of the constitution shall be revised to state that the legislative body shall be composed of six elected members from each school as well as a delegate section of representatives from the Graduate Students Association of Point Park. This section would be composed of an additional six seats, and that the delegates will retain voting privileges but must abstain from votes having to do with allocation of the Student Activities fee, as graduate students do not pay this fee. This resolution passed unanimously. With the resolutions passed and effectively in place, the meeting was dismissed and it was announced that the next meeting would be held on Monday in the JVH. DISCLOSURE: Jordyn Hronec is the Editor-Elect of The Globe Sarah Gibson
sagibso@pointpark.edu
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GLOBE
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
CAB’s annual Halloween Dance changes venue Hayley Keys Co-News Editor
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) held its annual Halloween Dance this past weekend. Unlike past years, the dance was held in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom rather than an independent venue. The dance was originally going to be held in the Flashlight Factory on the North Side with tickets on sale for $5. It was announced through the Social Scoop on Monday Oct. 28 that the dance had moved locations and admittance was free. Nicole Lakovic, a junior SAEM major, is the Spirits and Traditions Coordinator for CAB and was in charge of the event. She said her team worked hard to put the event together, but the venue pulled out last minute. “Anytime we are working with something like the venue, we have to do a contract through the Procurement Office,” Lakovic said. “There were some issues with the venue and liability and then they said they didn’t think they were a good place, and then they pulled out.” Lakovic said she looked
Hayley Keys | The Globe
Autumn Plutt dressed at the Port Authority bus that fell into a sinkhole on Oct. 28 for Campus Activities Board’s annual Halloween Dance. The dance was held in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom. into other places, but the last-minute timing prevented her from finding another venue. “Me and the Vice President of Programming kind of ran around Pittsburgh to see what venues might be open,” Lakovic said. “Most of them either didn’t work out or they
Hayley Keys | The Globe
Aeryn Iesesne (left) and Mia Belgie (right) pose for a photo at the annual Halloween Dance on Oct. 31 held in Lawrence Hall Ballroom. Iesesne dressed as a witch and Belgie as Dora.
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Contact Editor-in-Chief Dara Collins, dmcolli2@pointpark.edu or Editor-Elect Jordyn Hronec, jthrone@pointpark.edu
already had things booked and then it was too risky to start another contract process.” Despite the setbacks, Lakovic said the turnout was good and the venue worked better than her team expected. “I feel like we almost had a better turnout with it being on campus because you have people who might just want to stop by and come for a little bit and not dedicate their whole night to being there,” Lakovic said. “Being on campus we had more people coming and stopping by and checking it out. Plus the weather helped our cause because no one probably wanted to go anywhere.” According to Lakovic, CAB made it a point to refund students who had previously purchased tickets for the dance off campus. She also said that free admittance did not prevent profit because the money went towards paying for the venue and catering. “We made sure that we put it out in the social scoop
and sent out emails and just made sure everyone who got tickets was aware of the changes,” Lakovic said. “They could come to the SAIL office, and we had the names of those who did not get refunded pulled up so if they did come to the dance, we could refund them there.” Amber Desmond, a sophomore SAEM major, bought tickets before the dance, but was unaware that she could get a refund. “I had to go to the SAIL office and ask them a million questions to figure out how I could get a refund,” Desmond said. “In the end, I got my money, I just wish it had been communicated better.” Lakovic said she was overall very proud of her team and their ability to work last minute. She even said she would suggest using the school as a venue to future CAB leaders as a way of saving money. “Initially, I heard some
people saying they weren’t sure about it being on campus, but from what I saw and heard, everyone really enjoyed themselves,” Lakovic said. “I feel like I would definitely recommend [using campus as a venue] because it is saving money, and if it could get a better turnout than off campus, why not?” Desmond said she enjoyed parts of the dance but was overall not impressed. She said she enjoyed the dance from last year better because it was off campus. “It probably would have been better at the actual venue. It seemed tacky,” Desmond said. Emari Stevens, a sophomore creative writing major, also said he felt the dance was somewhat lacking. “It wasn’t anything spectacular,” Stevens said. “I mean, of course, if it was at a better place it would probably have been better. I think it was good [that] it was free.” Stevens did mention that the dance felt somewhat last minute, but he was happy with the food. “The decorations felt last minute,” Stevens said. “I liked the snacks, but the locations and the music were not very good. I would probably come next year though.” Desmond mentioned that despite the fact that the dance did not exceed her expectations, she was pleasantly surprised. “I think they did a good job with what they had,” Desmond said. “While there are parts that could have been better, that most likely would have been the case if the dance was held off campus. Everyone looked like they were having fun, so in the end, I guess it was a success.” Hayley Keys
hekeys@pointpark.edu
Information technology team, students face frustrations after third network failure of semester Hayley Keys Co-News Editor
This fall semester there have been three separate cases of network or internet failures across campus. The university’s Information Technology (IT) team sent out mass emails detailing the issues and were able to solve all the problems within the same day. Dr. Tim Wilson, director of the IT department, said his team is working to prevent future problems. “The last outage was caused by a non-standard piece of network equipment being plugged in,” Wilson said. “This particular piece of equipment went bad and caused a flood of corrupt network traffic.” Wilson mentioned that the most recent network issue was not similar to past problems and most issues were unique. “We are currently redesigning our network to better handle situations like this,” Wilson said. However, some students expressed frustration with the amount of problems they had faced during the semester. Abby Pietrzyk, a sophomore sports, arts and entertainment management
(SAEM) major, said she uses her laptop to keep track of her classes, but the network outage forced her to finish her assignment on another day. “I wasn’t able to access any of my projects that day because the Wi-Fi was down. I couldn’t log in, and I couldn’t do anything,” Pietrzyk said. “For one of the exercises for class, I had to completely redo it.” Pietrzyk said she thought the IT department should look into the problems because she felt they had occurred too many times in one semester. “The tech team is here for a reason, and I think because this has happened a lot, it is an extensive issue that they definitely need to take into account,” Pietrzyk said. “They need to listen to students and figure something out because we all rely on the internet for projects and everything like that.” Megan Benfer, a sophomore creative writing major, has no access to internet in her room and was told by IT that there was nothing the department could do. Therefore, she relies on the school Wi-Fi to work outside of her room in order to finish her assignments on time.
“I do most of my homework at work because that is where the Wi-Fi works best,” Benfer said. “I can’t get my work done anywhere if the network isn’t working for the entire school.” Despite her struggles, Benfer still acknowledged that the IT team worked hard to make sure everyone was taken care of. “I think most of it isn’t the team’s fault at all,” Benfer said. “Internet is finicky, and it’ll do whatever it wants.” Benfer also said that she appreciated the communication with students and said, if anything, the IT department could try to be more prompt with their announcements. “The other day they were like ‘yeah, all the printers are not going to work from like this time to this time’ and even though it was going to be really inconvenient, at least they let me know,” Benfer said. “I think they are doing the best they can.” In the future, Wilson said he had plans to sit down with The Globe and go in depth about the problems faced by IT. He encouraged students to go to the Help Desk in Thayer Hall if they were experiencing any difficulties. Hayley Keys
hekeys@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
NEWS
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
Pa. Secretary of Education pays a visit to campus from EDUCATION page 1 with the topic of underrepresented students,” Paylo said. A luncheon was held with leadership of NAACP and representatives from area colleges and universities including University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University, California University of Pennsylvania and Grove City College, according to Paylo. During the talk, USG President Jake Berlin cited the “Future Ready Index.” The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website describes the Future Ready Index as “the result of discussions with thousands of educators, parents, advocates, policymakers and business leaders across Pennsylvania about how communities should evaluate schools.” Berlin brought up how, in the Index, there is a clear discrepancy between the “proficiency goals” listed for white students versus students of color. Berlin stated that in the Index, white students were expected to make academic increases from percentiles in the 60s to percentiles in the 80s, and that students of color were expected to increase from the 40s to the 60s. “Both of those are 20 point increases, both of those are huge improvements, but there’s still that disparity between the two,” Berlin stated. “The alignment is better in college and career natures, where schools are still pumping everyone out at the same rate, but they’re not as advanced in their academic success.” Berlin then asked the Secretary if he had any ideas to close the gap and boost overall performance. Secretary Rivera ad-
dressed the disparity described by Berlin by explaining that, while it was somewhat uncomfortable of a figure to acknowledge and address, his department was trying to improve the disparity. “Where we are trying to make up for that is when you look at our growth factors,” Secretary Rivera said. “So our student groups that are starting off lower, there’s an expectation of greater growth year to year. And so when we created the metrics, it was focused on growth factors to ensure that students who are in the bottom at the lowest quartile, and not just by race and ethnicity but also by social economics, to have greater and more significant growth than students who are already at the highest...it was an uncomfortable conversation to have as well, but it’s wanting to set the standard, but there’s an expectation about pacing as we try and run with what our measurements were.” Dennis McDermott, a sophomore education major, was present at the event and brought up the issue of hunger and food insecurity in higher education. McDermott cited a study that was discussed at a previous Pittsburgh Student Government Council meeting. The study was conducted across higher education institutions in South Western Pennsylvania, and discovered that Point Park University has the highest rate of food and housing insecurities in the Pittsburgh area. The Secretary stated that the First Lady of Pennsylvania, Francis Wolf, had actually taken on food insecurity as one of her main focuses. He discussed the possibilities of changing
the requirements to qualify for SNAP benefits as well as additional efforts, such as Swipe Out Hunger, where students with meal plans can donate their unused meal swipes. He also stated that Temple University had been commissioned to conduct a similar study of institutions across the remainder of Pennsylvania. The Secretary of Education also described his Department’s effort to incentivize the creation of arts programs at public schools across the state. “We don’t have a lot of influence, but what we are able to do...is share the research around it,” Secretary Rivera said. The Secretary also discussed the state’s creation of the “Equity and Inclusion Task Force” to address the issue of racism in schools. “We ended up having the betterment of education,” Rivera said. “We saw some of what was happening around race and gender and sexual identity, and it was not good enough. And we needed to be the voice against it...you just have the conversation and lead. When we were addressing this issue, and all of the issues we address, we do exactly what we’re doing here. We didn’t assume we knew anything. I am fortunate to be a man of color, but I also acknowledge the fact that I am a man...I can’t represent what I’m not, and that meant we brought to the table people who can represent. And that means sometimes it’s a big table.” In regards to Point Park’s own initiatives to represent underrepresented students, Paylo said discussions with outside organizations and other colleges and universities allows Point
Strip District shuttles briefly cancelled amidst roadwork
Students appreciate quick notice from administration of cancellation Hayley Keys Co-News Editor
This past Saturday, the shuttles that run through the Strip District were canceled due to road work and closures. The university offers shuttles that run throughout the city both during the week and specifically on weekends. These shuttles offer students an escape from downtown and the opportunity to see different communities in Pittsburgh. Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs, Keith Paylo said, “the situation was not anything glamorous or complicated.” Paylo said “that many of the roads leading to the Strip District were closed for construction purposes and the delay in traffic would have affected the shuttle routes.” “It wasn’t a shuttle related issue, it had no other reason except for construction,” Paylo said. “My understanding of it is that by the time we would get the shuttle to and from the Strip District, it just wouldn’t make any sense for us to try to keep the regular schedule.” Nola McGuire, a sophomore business administra-
tion major, said she thought the shuttles were canceled due to the sinkhole that had swallowed a bus earlier in the week. “When they announced the shuttle cancelation, I immediately thought about the sinkhole, but then they said it was about the road closures,” McGuire said. McGuire also mentioned that she appreciated the quick notice from the university because it helped her change her plans for the weekend. “I was planning on getting lunch with some friends, but then they canceled the shuttles,” McGuire said. “It was nice to have the heads up because I was able to go to the Waterfront on Friday instead.” Paylo said they worked hard to inform the student body as soon as they decided to cancel the shuttle. He said they were able to give students a week notice in order to fix their plans. “I thought it was early enough in the week to give everyone a heads up,” Paylo said. Paylo also mentioned that the shuttle had been seeing increased numbers
throughout the semester and he felt that the Strip District was a nice addition to the list of shuttle locations. “I’ve looked at the numbers and they’ve been pretty good, and I think that it’s been a welcome addition to the shuttle routes,” Paylo said. “It’s someplace where students can get good prices on food and clothing and those different things, and it’s kind of a Pittsburgh tradition.” The purpose of the shuttles, according to Paylo, is to help students find new spots around the city that they enjoy going to with friends. “I believe that there are students who have probably gone here for a while, who don’t know about the Strip District,” Paylo said. “Hopefully we are giving them an opportunity to see a cool and unique part of Pittsburgh.” Paylo said, “the Strip District shuttle will be back up and running next weekend for students who are interested in a weekend trip.”
2018 2030
Future Ready PA Index Preview:
Statewide Goals and Interim Targets 4-year graduation rate
100
80
60
40
20
0
White Students
Black Students
Hispanic Students
For the entire report, refer to the Future Ready Preview
Students with Disabilties
Alysse Baer | The Globe
Park to be introspective. “When we have discussions with organizations such as the NAACP, and we can compare ourselves to other colleges and universities, then we can kind of mark ourselves of where we are at in our charge to represent underrepresented students,” Paylo said. “How do we perform in making sure that we are sensitive to the needs of students of color,
LGBTQ+ students or Latinx students, all those different groups and organizations... We care, we recognize it and we are striving to be the best that we can be.” Additional reporting contributed by Editor-in-Chief Dara Collins Jordyn Hronec
jthrone@pointpark.edu
OCT. 19, 2019 - OCT 27, 2019
Saturday, October 19th N/A - 3rd Avenue Warrant
11:23 p.m. - Thayer Hall Drug Violation
Sunday, October 20th
3:08 a.m. - Blvd. Apartments Alcohol
Monday, October 21st 4:31 p.m. - Village Park Alcohol
Sunday, October 27th
2:00 p.m. - Blvd. Apartments Theft
Need Help? Dial 2222 on any campus phone or 412-392-3960 on any other phone
Hayley Keys
hekeys@pointpark.edu
Alysse Baer | The Globe
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
FEATURES
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Honors program, communication students head to DC By Jake Dabkowski and Luke Mongelli For The Globe
We got on the bus to Washington D.C. at 7 a.m. The two of us, both freshman students in the School of Communication, looked like we were about to pass out from exhaustion. We boarded the coach bus, which would prove to not have comfortable sleeping arrangements, and were off. We arrived in front of the Newseum at noon. After a quick lunch, we entered into something, which at the time we did not realize, would be a surprisingly emotional experience. Walking through the various exhibits, we saw things we didn’t expect to ever see, like pieces of the Berlin Wall, the Unabomber’s cabin and the Times Square Bomber’s car. One of the exhibits included a wall of all of the documented deaths of journalists that were accompanied by a picture. The wall was filled to the top of the high ceiling. We found ourselves sitting here the longest. These men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice for their passion. Some were executed, killed in crossfire during gang shootouts or in a war zone. They all took their respective jobs knowing the risks involved, and they did all they could have done in attempts to deliver truthful and pertinent news to the masses. This exhibit in particular, reminded us of why we want to be journalists and work in this field. It certainly isn’t for the money, nor is it for any sort of fame. It is for these brave men and women,
PIONEER PUBLIC Christian Ferarro By Tia Bailey Co-Features/A&E Editor
Christian Ferarro, a junior psychology major from Robinson Township, is the president of a club that was started on campus this semester. The club, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), has been making a buzz on campus. Along with running the Point Park chapter of SSDP, Ferarro is a part of a Psychedelic Book Club here in Pittsburgh. Ferarro is very interested in learning about people, which is why he chose psychology as his major. “I’ve never been one to not question things, and people are the most interesting things in the world to me, even more than drugs,” he said. “You can never learn all there is to know about someone, and neither can they.” As he mentioned, Ferarro is also interested in learn-
and the truth they wanted to spread. We have never had a museum exhibit affect us like this one did. They are some of the bravest people we will ever have the honor of sharing a title with. This visit solidified what we want to do for the rest of our lives. We want to carry on their legacy to the best of our ability. If we had any doubts about what we strive to do in the future, they are gone now. Later in the evening, we went to a mixer with Point Park alumni who worked in the area. After talking to people for a few hours over drinks and finger food, we were free to explore D.C. for the rest of the night. We visited several locations, such as the Washington Monument, the Treasury Department, and Donald Trump’s house. The next day, we were able to attend two places that, had we not gone with the school, would not have been able to attend. The first place we attended was the National Press Club, a place where journalists in D.C. can visit to write, drink at the bar or see a guest speaker. In the week leading up to our visit they had several presidential candidates speak, including Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson. We received a tour, provided by Bill McCarren, the Press Club’s Executive Director, and Daniel Moore, the current leader of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Washington Bureau. McCarren said that the reason he loves the press club so much is that “you can go see Cory Booker… it’s not that easy, but here’s a place you know they’ll be.” ing about drugs as well as people, which is a reason he got involved with the SSDP club, and ultimately ended up bringing one to campus. “Fun fact, I had the winning D.A.R.E essay in 6th grade,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in education in general, but more so I’ve been interested in correcting misinformation. At risk of incriminating myself, most all of the drugs I’ve had experiences with are nothing like what I was told they would be by TV and media, or even teachers whose duty it was to educate about these things.” “Students for Sensible Drug Policy is a national organization that gives college students the platform through which to educate on, and change, drug policies at any scale or level they’re able to,” he said. “The War on Drugs has been proven a failure and the laws that surround drugs is one that will take a long time to move away from.” According to Ferarro, the main purpose of the club is to educate students about many things involving drugs and drug use. Ferarro’s favorite part of being the president of the SSDP club is the people in it. “It’s really hard to find people who are so open and interested in something like this because of the nature of
Helen Fallon | Submitted Wolf Blitzer of CNN’s “The Situation Room” poses with School of Communications students on the annual Washington D.C. Fall trip.
Moore agreed with him, telling us that he loved “running into sources here.” Next up on our list was, arguably, the coolest place we went, the Cable News Network (CNN) building. Danny Allman, a Point Park Graduate who now works for CNN, gave us a tour around the four-floor office space from top to bottom. We were able to go into the Situation Room, which would’ve been the coolest part of the trip, if not for what happened while taking our group photo. We were allowed one group photo in CNN, and we were instructed not to take any other photos. While taking our group photo, Danny had an idea. A minute later, and Wolf Blitzer was talking to us. He got a photo with our group, cracked a joke about how Mexico paid for the wall that had the Situation Room’s the subject matter, but having a whole club of people like this really helps bring them out of the woodwork,” he said. As a psychology major, he knows that everything is connected to psychology including drugs and drug use. Because of this, he will incorporate psychology, as well as other science and chemistry terms, into his presentations during club meetings. “I think everything has to connect to psychology, cause that’s just the truth,” he said. “However, as it pertains to SSDP, I guess that boils down to what I’m talking about.” “I’ll always describe psychedelics, for instance, as drugs that take you into another layer of consciousness, wherein the rules are different and the way you behave and react to things are not going to line up exactly with the way you act when you’re not ‘tripping,’” he said. He decided to bring a chapter of the SSDP club to Point Park because of his friend telling him about it. “My best friend Eric Macadangdang, a member of student government up at Pitt, and I were having a conversation where I voiced my wish to ‘do for drugs what drugs have done for me.’ He pointed me to Pitt’s chapter of SSDP and suggested I start my own at Point Park,” he
logo, and gave us some brief life advice. That night, we rode electric Razor scooters around D.C. The problem with the scooters in D.C. was that there were so many different scooter companies in the D.C. area that you had to download a different app to use each company’s scooter. They simply weren’t practical. The next morning, we checked out of the hotel and headed for the Supreme Court. We were able to go into the courtroom where the cases are heard, the library where law clerks and Justices have access to centuries worth of law textbooks, and the gym that Ruth Bader Ginsburg lifts in. We were even able to shoot a few hoops on the basketball court, the highest court in the land. Before heading back to Pittsburgh, we had one last stop to make: The Capital
Area Food Bank. We sorted food that had been donated, and were given a tour of the facility by an absolutely delightful gentleman. After that we hopped back on the bus and headed home. Overall, the trip was an overwhelmingly positive experience. Both of us would like to thank everyone involved, in particular Helen Fallon, who started the trip many years back and keeps making it possible for the School of Communication to go on trips. DISCLOSURE: The writers of this piece used a specific type of journalism known as Gonzo journalism.
Luke Mongelli lrmonge@pointpark.edu Jake Dabkowski jcdabko@pointpark.edu
Christian Ferarro | Submitted
said. “An hour later we were in his office laying out a game plan for how to start going about this, and a week later the chapter became officially recognized.” As far as the future of the club, Ferarro hopes to host more activities and events. “I would love to have more speakers come and talk about their unique views with certain drugs, be they a doctor or an ex-felon,” he said. “...I want as many people as possible to come in, get educated and spread the word.” “I’ve never really kept my
experimentation a secret, so when asked, I’d tell, and from that it evolved to me educating myself about what exactly these things are doing to my body so I could better answer questions that first-time users (or long-time users) may have,” Ferraro said. “I’ve always been the go-to drug authority in all of my social circles, so I guess I just really decided to fall into that title, and I’m thankful that I did.”
Tia Bailey tbaile@pointpark.edu
Send suggestions to hwalde@pointpark.edu or tbaile@pointpark.edu or reach out to the Globe on our social media pages.
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
A&E
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
5
English student highlights the must-read classics Chandni Shah For The Globe
“All the Bright Places” by Jennifer Niven Soon to be a major motion picture, “All the Bright Places” follows the love story of Violet Markey and Theodore Finch as they learn about themselves and life through each other. It’s a perfect book for those who enjoy Young Adult Fiction and page turners.
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini
From the author of the “Kite Runner,” “A Thousand Splendid Suns” tells the heart-wrenching tale of two different sets of characters and how they are brought together by war. Taking place in Afghanistan and spanning over 30 years, the novel illustrates the unforgiving outcomes of destruction and the ruling of the Taliban.
“Why We Broke Up” by Daniel Handler
Mostly known by his pseudonym Lemony Snicket, Handler writes a book about the events leading up to a break up. The pages are full of illustrations of the contents of a box where Min (the main character) keeps all the knick knacks and keepsakes collected from her and Ed’s
relationship.
us an insight into how Christianity was introduced to African culture and how in this case it clashed — instead of making things “better” the colonists destroyed a village and the main character, Okonkwo.
“Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates Written in the form of a letter to his son, “Between the World and Me,” illuminates to readers the history of America and race. Coates elucidates the truths of racism and the dangers of being a black man or woman in American society. Toni Morrison stated that “this [book] is required reading.”
“Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
Charlie, a mentally disabled man is given an experimental brain operation to boost his intelligence and increase his IQ. Algernon, a mouse, is given this same operation as a parallel to Charlie. The reader sees how these two characters change within the writing of the novel, as the story is told through a series of the main character’s diary entries.
“In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote On Nov. 15, 1959 the Clutter family was murdered by two men in Holcomb, Kansas. Capote writes this true-crime novel detailing the killing of the victims and the trial held, becoming one of the most well-known homicides in American history. The reader is given a deeper understanding of the two killers and some find themselves empathizing with the criminals.
“Beartown” by Fredrik Backman Backman follows the interconnecting lives of residents from the small hockey town of Beartown. The residents of the town rely on the sport to bring up their spirits and the town itself as it is slowly failing. Their
“Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil deGrasse Tyson “Flowers for Algernon” book cover.
junior hockey team is about to compete in the national championship game, but a scandal may take that all away.
“Love, Rosie” by Cecilia Ahern
A charming must read for anyone who loves romance. The book follows the story of Rosie and Alex, best friends
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
who are meant to be together, but are separated by teen pregnancy and college ambitions.
“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe Achebe conveys the impacts of colonialism and ethnocentrism with the story of the Igbo people in his novel, “Things Fall Apart.” He gives
Tyson answers all of the commonly asked questions about the ways of the universe in a manner that is easy to understand, especially for beginners. He takes the reader on a journey through the creation of the universe all the way to lesser known entities such as dark matter and energy. A great read for curious people who enjoy science and physics.
Chandni Shah crshah@pointpark.edu
STUDENT HOSTS FIRST GALLERY Pittsburgh gears up for winter events Holiday season brings joyous events to city By Tia Bailey Co-Features/A&E Editor
It’s officially November, and you know what that means-- winter events are coming. No matter what holiday or celebration you’re the most ready for, there’s sure to be an event for it. Here are some winter events in Pittsburgh to try to make it to.
Phipps Winter Flower Show and Light Garden:
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a Pittsburgh favorite, and they don’t stop once the warm weather is gone. The Flower Show and Light Garden will begin on Friday, Nov. 29. There are many winter-themed attractions and showcases, all filled with flowers and lights to help get everyone in a festive mood.
Light Up Night:
Junior multimedia major Devon Colebank hosted his first gallery, COLORS, on Friday, Oct. 25 in South Side from 6-10 p.m. Friends and family were invited to the event featuring a varierty of Colebank’s work from 2019. “‘COLORS’ is intended to to embody our desire for playful expression,” Colebank said in an Instagram post prior to the event. All photos courtesy of Ray Carrington
Pittsburgh’s annual Light Up Night will be held on Friday, Nov. 22 this year. It takes place downtown, and there are lots of options of things to do. You can ice skate at PPG Place, shop at the Peoples Gas Market held in Market Square or just walk through the city as the lights and decorations are up with a peppermint mocha in hand. The event also features free entertainment and fireworks throughout the night.
and Sunday from Nov. 22 to Dec. 22, as well as every night from Dec. 26-30. The amusement park’s website says, “enjoy holiday performances, see spectacular light shows, visit Santa Claus, and more!” This is a great option for some family and friend’s fun.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Winter Open House: On Saturday, Dec. 14, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is holding a “Winter Open House” event. They have festive food and drinks, crafts, games and more family fun. The event is listed as an “all ages welcome” event.
Heinz Hall Concerts:
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, along with some more special guests, is putting on a “Highmark Holiday Pops” concert on Friday, Dec. 13, and they will have a sensory-friendly Holiday Pops concert on Friday, Dec. 21 as well.
Holiday Concert:
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will perform at a concert at PPG Paints Area on Sunday, Dec. 22. They will perform for two shows, and their show is titled “Christmas Eve & Other Stories,” so it will for sure be festive for the holidays.
The Nutcracker:
Downtown Tours:
Watch the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre perform the holiday classic “The Nutcracker” at the Benedum Center every weekend from Dec. 6-29.
Kennywood Holiday Lights:
These are just some favorites around the city, and there’s so much more. Go out and try these events, but don’t be afraid to look for more to attend. The city is full of festive fun.
All year round, take a tour of Downtown Pittsburgh, by a horse-drawn carriage or on a trolley. The cold weather may make Kennywood shut down their rides for the winter, but that doesn’t stop them from joining in on the festive fun. Kennywood’s Holiday Lights goes every Friday, Saturday
Tia Bailey tbaile@pointpark.edu
6
OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THE
GL BE’S POINT
The ‘Sinkhole Bus’ lives Last Monday, the City of Pittsburgh was shaken to its core, though arguably, in a good way. Last Monday was the birth of the Sinkhole Bus. Everyone should know about Sinkhole Bus by now, but if you happened to be asleep for the past 10 days or so, right smack dab in the middle of the Monday morning commute, a Pittsburgh Port Authority bus was swallowed up by a sinkhole at 10th and Penn by the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. In last week’s paper, we published a glorious photo of the bus sticking out of the sinkhole, taken by our lovely and talented News Photo Editor, Jared Murphy. The infamous Sinkhole Bus, which looked fabulously silly with its front wheels extended up toward the sky, was instantly memed by all of Pittsburgh. We thought the memes would stop after one day. We should’ve known better. With Halloween closing out the tail end of the week, The Sinkhole Bus was immortalized as a party-favorite Halloween costume. We’d like to extend a special shoutout to the individual responsible for
parading around the South Side, wearing their surprisingly accurate cardboard costume, squatting down every so often at the immense enjoyment of passing motorists. The event was also the subject of several promotions at Pittsburgh businesses, such as the Sinkhole Sundae offered by Millie’s or the Sinkhole Bus cupcakes sold by Oakmont Bakery. Heck, there’s already a Sinkhole Bus Christmas ornament that’s been made and ready for sale. It was a time of pure fun, spurred on by the fact that no one at the sinkhole site was injured. Perhaps though, the fun was an escape from the inevitable traffic delays caused by the sinkhole’s needed repair over the next several months. We recognize that it’s been a great time, but we also recognize that Sinkhole Bus is bound to fade from our memories. We hope though, that Sinkhole Bus lives on in tales told to our children and grandchildren, and that it can always be a heartwarming memory in this city’s history.
Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Jane Fonda arrested once again Climate change rallies stir controversy By Mya Burns Copy Editor
Climate change is real. It exists, it’s happening, and the Earth is dying as I type this. Now that we’re all on the same page and those that like denying facts and science have stopped reading, let’s talk about Jane Fonda. Fonda has recently been protesting and subsequently getting arrested in Washington D.C. every Friday for the past four weeks. She’s fighting to raise awareness about climate change and to encourage others to do their own part to join the fight alongside her. Fonda has reduced her own carbon footprint as much as she can, and along with encouraging others to do the same, she is also pushing for individuals to rally together and put the pressure on lawmakers to pass legislation to protect our planet. Because the Earth is dying. Some are critical of her decision to get arrested every Friday in what she calls the “Fire Drill Fridays,” inspired by climate activist Greta Thunberg. But I really, truly don’t understand why. Don’t get me wrong, I hate the prison system. I believe that it unfairly targets people of color, poor people, and other marginalized groups. I think that it’s a huge privi-
lege to be able to go out with the intention of being arrested, knowing that you most likely are not going to be the subject of police brutality in the process or be killed by police.
“She’s using her privilege to do something that catches the eyes of the general public...” Mya Burns Copy Editor Let’s face it: Jane Fonda isn’t really risking much of anything by doing this. She’s a white, rich celebrity who has the funds to get out of this sticky situation if she needs to and the privilege to survive being arrested and put into jail. But I think that’s exactly why what she is doing is important. Why wouldn’t we want Jane Fonda doing what she’s doing right now? She’s using her privilege to do something that catches the eyes
of the general public, brings awareness to a cause, and disrupts the police and D.C. in general. Every Friday, Fonda gets arrested. And by Saturday, she can move on with her life and prepare for her next arrest. She’s only been actually kept in jail overnight once so far, and it was just one night and she still didn’t face any real longterm consequences for this. But more and more people are paying attention to her getting arrested, and that’s more and more people that could possibly be swayed by her actions to pay more attention to climate change. Why wouldn’t we want this? There are people all over the world that are a lot less privileged than Fonda, fighting the good fight to try to save the Earth. People like Native Americans protecting their land or children who have barely known the world but know that it needs to be saved. Fonda is using her privilege of having wealth and white skin to do something that these people can’t. She is using her platform, her visibility in the public eye, to make a change. And honestly, that’s more than what most celebrities are doing.
Mya Burns mnburns@pointpark.edu
Struggles of registering for classes, balancing work load By Shannon Hartnett Co-Opinions Editor
As the semester comes to a close and I begin to register for classes for next semester I am really torn about how I feel about the fall semester. I feel overworked and surrounded by homework. I mean in a sense I did it to myself. I picked my classes last spring knowing the work-load was going to be high, but here I am anyways. Between homework, actual work, picking my sister up from cheer practice and going to the occasional pumpkin patch, I am tired. Personally, I am tired of saying “sorry I can’t, I have homework.” I know that these are the de-
mands of college, but I just need a break. Hence, I cannot wait for Thanksgiving break, even though I will probably be studying for most of it anyways. As I register for classes, I keep in mind how tired I am right now and how this affects what classes I should take. I really urge anyone who just registered for four English classes to reconsider, or to the person who just signed up for a 6-9 class, who also commutes, maybe check for other options. These things are perfectly doable, until its the middle of January and you have four papers due that week and you are sitting in class until 8:57 at
night. You may think you can write four papers in one night, but I assure you the results will not be too pretty. As students, how do we find a balance between successfully completing our classes and safely navigating the rest of our busy lives? Sadly, I don’t know. I hope the spring proves to be better than what I have going on now, but only time will tell. Another thing learned; however, is that the professor makes the class. When you go to sign up for that night class, look at who is teaching it. If you only hear praises about the professor, maybe the latenight learning won’t be bad.
If you look at the instructor and you know that the professor has a habit of keeping students until a minute past the end time of class, maybe reconsider. Some people may not have a problem with this, but if that’s not you, maybe try to take something else. I have had my fair share of classes that are hard to finish. I think I contemplated dropping a couple of them at least a dozen times. Thankfully, I persevered and made it through, well, at least almost. I really need to learn to not make things harder for myself than they already are. The bottom line is that the professors, homework
and class time, these are the things that will make or break a semester for you. College is hard enough. You don’t need to willingly throw yourself into something you already know you are not going to like. Talk with your advisor to try and make a solid plan you know you can stick to and work with. Above all - don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are a bunch of professors, advisors and older students that would be more than glad to answer questions and help you out. Stay strong Point Park students, we can do this.
Shannon Hartnett snhartn@pointpark.edu
ISIS leader’s death: a milestone for United States By Logan Dubil For The Globe
What do the beheading of U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff, the burying alive of Jordanian pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh and the 2015 suicide bombings of Beirut all have in common? These acts of brutality and savagery were all perpetrated by the same group: ISIS. To make things even more concerning, these tragic incidents were three of many to take place under the rule of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Since
2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has directed the Islamic State, dragging country after country into negative, damaging situations, including the United States. We as a country have dealt with terrorism for an extensive amount of time. Finally, it was time to put ISIS’ wrongdoings to an end and save the American people. On Oct. 27, President Donald J. Trump announced that an American raid in Syria resulted in the death of this horrible human being – or as the New York Post referred
to him as, a “religious scholar.” Since the day he became President, Trump has taken a firm stance against this wellknown terrorist group. His administration has accomplished task after task to eradicate ISIS, protecting the lives of countless people from multiple countries. Like I said before, ISIS has recorded attacks across the globe; the United States is not the only country to be affected by these acts of violence. Trump’s efforts on removing ISIS from power has not gone unnoticed
over these past few years, and the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sets a major milestone on his progress. Just a few days after the big news was released, the video of the raid was published for the public to see, along with in-depth details. After being chased down a tunnel by American military dogs, the terrorist could not fight it any longer, detonating his suicide vest, taking multiple children with him, according to President Trump. Not only does this make me
proud to be an American because his death was due to an American troop, but because it was an American military dog that finished the deed. The President’s Instagram account was soon greeted by a picture of this canine hero, allowing Conan to receive the necessary praise and recognition. Read the full story online at ppuglobe.com
Logan Dubil lmdubil@pointpark.edu
Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Dara Collins Editor-Elect: Jordyn Hronec Business Manager: Cortnie Phillips Faculty Adviser: Aimee-Marie Dorsten Administrative Adviser: Dean Keith Paylo The Globe board consists of Dara Collins, Jordyn Hronec and fellow editors. Opinion articles, letters to the editor, columns and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the position of the newspaper or editorial board. The Globe reserves the right to refuse advertising and edit all submitted articles and letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed and include author’s contact information. The Globe offices are located at the corner of Wood Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard. Writers should address letters to:
The Globe 201 Wood Street, Box 23 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or globe@pointpark.edu
Advertising: Submit advertising related inquiries to globeadvertising@pointpark.edu All ads must be approved by the university. The deadline for ads is Friday at 5 p.m. Details: ppuglobe.com/advertising Story Ideas: If you have a story you think The Globe can use, email globe@pointpark.edu Meetings: Mondays at 2:40 p.m. in the CMI Details: ppuglobe.com/contribute
News Editors: Amanda Andrews, Hayley Keys Photo Editor: Jared Murphy Features/A&E Editors: Hannah Walden, Tia Bailey Photo Editor: Julia Cavataio Sports Editors: Allison Schubert, Austin Alkire Photo Editor: Hannah Johnston
Public Relations Coordinator: Diego Febres-Cordero Graphic Design: Alysse Baer Staff Photographers: Emma Federkeil, Siena Ciancia, Katie Williams Staff Writers: Rosalie Anthony, Jake Berlin, Rachael McKriger, Ben Reinke
Copy Editors: Mya Burns, Amara Phillips Opinions Editors: Sarah Gibson, Shannon Delivery Assistant: Mya Burns Hartnett Online Editor: Nicole Pampena Copy Desk: Sara Cronin, Nathan Vrablic Social Media Coordinator: Hannah Johnston
SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
All In with Allison By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist
Collapsing Conference
The River States Conference (RSC)’s Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) announced last Monday that they will be closing their doors at the end of the fall 2019 semester. No school means no athletic department, so CCU decided that all athletics should cease immediately. Local media outlets have reported that a number of student-athletes, mostly freshmen, said they would have never even committed to CCU had they known the financial instability of the university. CCU released in a statement that student-athletes that participated in the fall sports, although not able to complete their season, will be charged a season of competition. (Student-athletes that participate in winter or spring sports will not be charged.) Let me tell you why that sucks. If both Point Park and CCU men’s soccer were participating in playoffs, both would be in the RSC tournament (Point Park at No. 3, CCU at No. 6). CCU women’s soccer was riding a three-game winning streak going into the postseason, seeded at No. 5. The Eagles’ volleyball team was last in the west, but with more matches to play. Because of the school, both men’s and women’s soccer are forced to sit out of playoffs without any chance of a championship. The seniors from these teams have to look back on their last
season knowing that the school prevented them from a final postseason. As a former athlete, I can only imagine how amazingly disappointing that would be. On Oct. 30, coaches from other National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics universities were allowed to begin talks with CCU athletes to recruit those players. Obviously the sudden stoppage of athletics is not the fault of the student-athletes, so the NAIA and the RSC are attempting to work with them. Typically when a student-athlete transfers in the middle of a season, there is a 16-week residency period. For CCU athletes, that period is waived should they transfer by December of 2020. There is also no restriction to former CCU student-athletes that wish to transfer to another RSC school. So, what does this mean for Point Park athletics? Well, for starters, the Pioneers now have one less conference opponent during their season. Every game already scheduled versus CCU opponents (for men’s and women’s basketball) will simply be canceled. We could also possibly be welcoming some new faces to the Pioneers from the Eagles since inter-conference transfers are allowed for the CCU student-athletes, and some new talent with them.
Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
7
Women headed to RSC playoffs Six athletes honored before Senior Day win By Austin Alkire Co-Sports Editor
With under twenty minutes left in the game against Brescia, the women’s soccer team was facing a potential overtime. Earlier in the season, the Pioneers failed to come out of overtime with a victory, instead tying Midway University 1-1. Just three days before their game against Brescia, Point Park left overtime against Cincinnati Christian with a loss. The idea of potential back-to-back overtime periods was quite the scare that the team was looking to avoid. After all, it was senior night for Point Park. Goalkeeper Ashtyn Webb and fellow seniors Chloe Bowser, Gabby Widman, Jess Kavelish, Olajua Pedemonte, and Nikki Polens were all celebrated before the game. “Honestly with being hurt, I just wanted to be able to play,” Bowser said. “I was sad but not as much as I thought I would be. I think that’s because I haven’t been able to play, it seemed like my season ended awhile ago.” Emotions were high for all of the seniors, including Widman. “As a senior you want to be a role model and leader for a team and that is what I tried to provide best to the younger girls this season,” Widman said. “We were able to keep our emotions under control coming out on top with a win. What I enjoyed most about this team this past year is the ability for girls to come in and compete and to be able to learn. You truly do learn something new everyday and being able to pass down knowledge and skill to the younger girls is something that I enjoyed most doing this year.” In their game against Cincinnati Christian, the Pioneers found themselves down 1-0 for most of the game after Maren Hance scored in the 45th minute for Cincinnati. The defense from the home team proved to add some difficulty to Point Park’s campaign. “I think we generated a lot of opportunities in their defensive end, but I think it goes back to what we do with those opportunities,” sophomore Taylor Goldstrohm said. “We didn’t have the
Mallory Neil | Point Park Athletics Senior Jess Kavelish moves around a Brescia defender. Kavelish was honored as one of six seniors honored pregame.
intensity we needed to finish those chances. We were slow to counter attack as a unit. With the weather it was difficult to judge the ball and some balls skipped too far for the forwards to get some sort of touch on it. In the end both teams had the same conditions and same field, unfortunately they caught the break that we didn’t get.” Point Park decided to add some drama to the game, when Britney Adrian tied the game in the 84th minute. For the second time in the season, the Pioneers were heading to overtime. According to Widman, the approach was aggressive, but not too aggressive. “We knew that we had to give it our all,” Widman said. “We went into overtime confidently just like we do any other game. This was a do or die moment for us as a team. We had to keep a good balance between offense and defense. I wouldn’t say we were specifically one of those. When we had our chances and created opportunities we were offensive minded and when mistakes happened we quickly transitioned into defense. Keeping that balance is key in every game that you go into.” Balance proved to work, that is until the 105th minute. Once again, Hance would score, this time ending the game with her team in the victory column, the Pioneers taking another loss. After an overtime like
Mallory Neil | Point Park Athletics Senior captain Gabby Widman takes a shot on goal during Saturday’s game against Brescia.
that, when it came to playing Brescia on Halloween day, the Pioneers wanted to avoid being tricked. Sophomore Tia Horew delivered a treat for Point Park and their playoff hopes. Horew buried the eventual game winning goal with 19 minutes to spare. Widman added herself onto the scoresheet when she tucked in a goal in the 83rd minute, giving her team a 2-0 lead. They would keep this lead for the rest of the game, coming away with a win. The Pioneers finished their River States Conference (RSC) season with a 4-5-1 record. The game’s final score was a clear example of how the Pioneers ended up playing, but not how they really wanted to play, according to junior Bailey Boyd. “I do think the score reflected the way the game went,” Boyd said. “It should have been a much higher scoring game on our part. We played pretty poorly in the first half but are also dealing with a lot of injuries at the moment. We were able to pick it up finally after halftime on the finishing aspect of our game to say the least.” After Cincinnati Christian University suspended their school’s operations and declared they would not participate in the RSC playoffs, Point Park moved up to No. 5 in the conference. With the top six teams qualifying for the playoffs, the Pioneers needed one of Midway or IU Kokomo to lose in order to clinch a playoff spot; Midway did just that. While the team awaits to see who they will play, depending on final seeding, the focus turns to recovering from injuries and improving all aspects of their game. “I think this week off from games is going to be a lot of recovery and strategy focused training sessions that take a look at our weak spots,” Boyd said. “Also some of the girls are really going to have to step up and have confidence in their abilities to be able to make up for the loss of key role players.” The Pioneers will either play first seed Ohio Christian, who they beat on the road earlier in the season 2-0, or second seed IU East, who they fell to at home 5-1 on Nov. 9.
Austin Alkire apalkir@pointpark.edu
8
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Men close out historic season with 15-3 record
Rietveld, Roros among eight seniors honored for Senior Day By Rachael McKriger Staff Writer
Another regular season has come and gone for the Point Park men’s soccer team. Now, after finishing the season with a 15-3 record, the team awaits their playoff fate. With three matches in the span of six days, the Pioneers suffered one loss, but rebounded with two victories at home. Point Park began their week with a road trip to Rio Grande, Ohio. Initially the match was supposed to be played on Oct. 26. However, severe weather caused the match to move to last Monday. Point Park suffered their biggest loss of the season and their only second-straight loss of the season. Rio Grande — nationally ranked at No. 14 — put up 10 goals against the Pioneers, who scored two goals. Scoring didn’t kick off right away, though. Rio Grande found their first
goal in the 28th minute, while Mitchell Roell came back to tie it for the Pioneers in the 31st minute. However, Rio Grande ran away with the match, scoring four goals. The Pioneers tried to pick up momentum with a goal from Alan Pinho Martins, but Rio Grande came back with five unanswered goals. Senior defender/midfielder Kakanou Fotie said the loss was tough. “I think the injuries to the team definitely played a part on us not being at our best above all,” Fotie said. “We came out slow and they started out strong. That was the case for the entire game. I felt as though, we as a group, gave up a little toward the end. But, nonetheless, it happens. We just had to move on and play better the next game.” Meanwhile, Roell said the week was not ideal. “We were fully prepared to play on Saturday and we were all about to get on the
Mallory Neil | Point Park Athletics Senior goalkeeper Niko Roros throws the ball to a teammate after making a save against Brescia on Saturday.
Mallory Neil | Point Park Athletics Senior Wessel Rietveld gives chase to a ball at the Montour Junction Sports Complex on senior day versus Brescia. Rietveld is one of eight seniors who played their last game on Saturday.
bus when we found out the game would be postponed,” Roell said. “We had previously played on Thursday, so it was nice to get some rest, especially for me since I missed that game and the game prior to an ankle injury. We didn’t get the result we wanted.” Despite the loss, the Pioneers brushed off their road trip and moved on to face Cincinnati Christian University. The team’s final two matches would be held at home, but not at Highmark Stadium. Instead, Point Park headed back out to the Montour Sports Junction Complex. On Halloween, the Pioneers picked up a crucial 3-1 victory with goals from Roell and Geert Bijl. “The win against Cincinnati Christian was essential for our hopes at making the national tournament,” Roell said. “Our goal was to win any way possible and we are always trying to focus
on the games we are playing that day, and not worry too much about the last game or the next game.” Roell said both of his goals were “perfectly” set up by his teammates. On the first goal, Lloyd van Wees and Sam Truchot provided the assists. Then, on the second goal, Bijl added the assist for his teammate. Roell said that Bijl has been a force for the Pioneers. “Geert has been having a great year, and our offense has been great all year as well,” Roell said. “We are two very different types of players, but on the field during games it has been working great. Having him play up top with me has allowed me to play off him well, and I always have confidence he’ll find the back of the net.” Meanwhile, senior midfielder Wessel Rietveld said that Bijl is always guaranteed a goal when going one-
on-one. “His runs are really dangerous and his shot is incredible,” Rietveld said. “If he faces the goalkeeper, I can guarantee you it’s a goal.” Point Park closed out the regular season with a 4-0 victory and a clean sheet over Brescia University. Bijl found the back of the net again, along with three other different goal scorers: Daan Stormink, Ndayisenga Emmanuel and Ibrokhim Mirzakhonov. All of the team’s goals came in the second half. Point Park is not eligible for the RSC playoffs, but could potentially book their ticket to the NAIA national tournament with their 15-3 record. Should the Pioneers make the NAIA Tournament, they will compete on Nov. 22-23 in the opening round.
Rachael McKriger rakrige@pointpark.edu
Volleyball celebrates winning weekend at home By Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief
Looking ahead to the last week of River States Conference (RSC) play, the Pioneers have their eyes on the prize. That prize is the division title and the right to host the RSC Championship on Nov. 15-16. “For this weekend, we’re focused most on getting our revenge on IU East because we know if we beat them and OCU, we are guaranteed to host the conference tournament, which has been a goal of ours from the beginning,” senior outside hitter Haley English said. Last week, senior setter Julia Menosky said an approach to playoffs had yet to be discussed. “We have not been talking about our approach to playoffs yet because we’re focused on hosting the conference tournament,” Menosky said. As of Nov. 4, hosting the RSC tournament doesn’t seem like a far-fetched idea - but the Pioneers will have to work for it. Point Park leads the RSC East ahead of WVU Tech by 1.5 matches and IU East by 2. The Pioneers will host a rematch against the Red Wolves this weekend. Point Park fell to IU East 0-3 back in October. “IU East is going to be
a tough match, but they are most definitely beatable, and we just need to expect anything,” freshman Taylor Small said. After a weekend of wins, the Pioneers may be able to bring that positivity into the final matches of the regular season. “We’re going to continue focusing on having positive energy because we play best as a team when we have high energy, and we’re going to need that going into this big weekend,” English said. The Pioneers opened the week last Tuesday with a sweep against neighboring opponent Carlow University winning by scores of 2513, 25-22 and 25-12. This marked the second sweep of the Celtics by Point Park of the 2019 season. Point Park put down more than double the amount of kills Carlow managed to achieve. English and junior Camryn LaMonaca highlighted the Pioneer attack with 11 kills apiece and five other Pioneers recorded kills on the stat sheet. Seniors Menosky and Maria Ferragonio split the match with 19 and 17 assists. Junior Abby Miller had three blocks at the net, and sophomore Ashley Castelli held down defense in the back row with 10 digs. Midway University met the same fate as Carlow and
fell 0-3 to Point Park last Friday. The Pioneers cruised through set victories of 2520, 25-13 and 25-16. Small tallied the most kills with 10, and Ferragonio recorded the most digs with 15. Small and Rozier each collected three blocks. The Pioneers scored eight points off of service aces with setter Brittney Bianco leading the pack with three. The final match of the
weekend resulted in the third-straight win for the green and gold. The Pioneers sent Asbury University packing after a 25-21, 22-25, 2522 and 25-20 victory. Point Park out-gunned Asbury 53-45 with English highlighting the offense with 14 kills. Ferragonio followed close with 11, and they were the only two players of the match to reach double digits in kills.
Sara Cronin | For The Globe Freshman outside hitter Taylor Small goes up for a kill against Carlow in the student center gym last Tuesday.
Castelli snagged 22 digs to set the pace in the back row, English picked up 16 and Bianco finished with a double-double with 13 digs and 15 assists. Menosky had 17 assists on the match. Castelli and English collect three aces each of the Pioneers’ seven total aces. “We played together and had fun as a team which made winning as one easier,” Small said. Point Park (20-8, 10-4 RSC) will host the crucial match against IU East this Friday and celebrate its seniors on Saturday in the Student Center Gym ahead of the final regular season contest against Ohio Christian University. “We know both IU East and OCU are going to come out strong and want to beat us, but I think if we come out confident and focus on our side of the net, we should have no problem beating both teams,” English said. “As our team is nearing the end of regular conference play, players are working well together and showing resilience and determination,” Ferragonio said. “We continue to focus on the upcoming matches which remain and look forward to competing in the RSC playoffs beginning Nov. 15.”
Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu