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@PPUGlobe November 13, 2019
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Editor-Elect Jordyn Hronec reviews Bojack Horseman as it nears its ending Trump’s mysterious “covfefe” Tweet and what it could possibly mean Volleyball earns division title, right to host River States Conference tourney ppuglobe.com
Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967
Issue 12
Tuition to increase 4.4% for 2020-2021 school year IT to use chunk of increase for 3-year system upgrade Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief
Tuition will increase once again for the 2020-2021 school year. Traditional full-time students will see a 4.4% increase on their tuition bill to attend classes at the university. “We look at the anticipated expenses for next year, and we look at the anticipated enrollment for next year, and then we have an expense number and a revenue number,” Point Park University President Paul Hennigan said. “There’s usually a gap, and that’s what determines how much we have to increase price.” Currently, students enrolled for the 2019-2020 school year in the Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) pay $19,870 per semester, and students in the Rowland School of Business and the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Communication and Education pay $15,590 per semester. For the 2020-2021 school year, students in COPA will pay $20,740 per semester, a $870 increase from the previous cost per semester. Students in the other schools will pay $16,280 per semester, a $690 increase.
Hennigan says about 1.2% of the increase is financial aid increases directly for students. 93% of Point Park students receive financial aid, according to Hennigan, and the university’s website says 99% of the incoming freshmen for the 2019-2020 school year received financial aid. “My conversation with most students is that they understand that tuition will increase,” Hennigan said. “We’re particularly focused on students who have a change of life circumstance that would require a review of their individual financial aid package.” Hennigan says the university considers a parent losing a job, a parent’s death or a divorce as a life changing circumstance. If a student experiences a situation of this kind, they have the opportunity to file an appeal. Every student has their own financial aid package based on their individual circumstances, according to Hennigan. In addition to financial aid increases, roughly half of the tuition raise is set to go towards general operating expense increases, according
Chief Besong confident in PointAlert effectiveness after pistol whipping Hayley Keys Co-News Editor
On Sunday Nov. 3 at 3:21 p.m. the Point Park Police Department notified students of dangerous activity near the university. According to an email sent out by campus police, the incident took place on Third Avenue at Cherry Way around 1:45 p.m. Sunday. A man allegedly pistol-whipped a woman during an armed robbery and then ran toward the Allegheny County Courthouse. The suspect was described as a black man approximately 25 years of age, with short hair and a thin build. He was wearing a black coat and a multi-colored backpack. No Point Park students were involved, but campus police are asking for students to keep a watch out for their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity. Jeffrey Besong, Assistant Vice President and Chief of Police, said the Pittsburgh Police are working to get more information. Besong also said he felt
his team did a good job notifying students of the event, and he feels confident in the effectiveness of PointAlert. “There have only been 44 people who have opted-out from Point Alert,” Besong said. Emari Stevens, a sophomore creative writing major, mentioned that he saw campus police outside after he read about the incident. “I had to go over to my friend’s dorm to do homework and there weren’t any police outside,” Stevens said. “When I came back there were like seven campus police standing on the corner...so I felt pretty safe. I also wasn’t super worried because, in the email, they called it an “attempted robbery” so it didn’t feel that dangerous.” Stevens also said that he thought the Point Alert was sent out in a timely manner. “I don’t really know the timeline, but I know I was at home when the notification was sent out,” Stevens said. “The PointAlert was sent out pretty quickly.” Hayley Keys
hekeys@pointpark.edu
to Hennigan. This includes faculty and staff salaries, healthcare, electric and other utilities. A lot of people review a tuition increase before it is finally decided, according to Hennigan, including Finance and Operations staff, Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations Bridget Mancosh and the university’s Board of Trustees. “It’s a months long process to create the annual operating budget for the university,” Hennigan said. The individuals involved consider multiple factors when raising tuition, according to Hennigan. “Have we been prudent with student money,” Hennigan said, “Are we spending it wisely? Are we getting the most out of our expenses? Have we diversified our revenue streams? Where do we fall in the marketplace of schools that we compare ourselves to?” A significant portion of the tuition increase, 1.2%, will fund the first phase of a campus-wide Informational Technology upgrade. According to Hennigan, the IT upgrade will cost close to $3 million over three years, and one phase of the project will be completed each year. Year one will focus on the core and distribution pieces of the network. “The first year, we’re focusing on the core of the infrastructure,” Director of IT Infrastructure Aaron Seymour said. “Kind of a typical
network model is you have the core...the central operations piece. That’s where your Internet connection comes in. Expanding out from that, you have what we call the distribution layer, which is the portion of the network that feeds connectivity to individual buildings around campus.” Year two will focus on the access layer, “the part where everybody basically connects into the network,” according to Seymour. Seymour also said that beginning with the core is the best place to start because it will “provide the best platform to build on from a security and from a performance standpoint.” Seymour said that IT is currently in the process of purchasing all of the equipment for phase one, and it will be ready to implement this upcoming summer. Upgrading the system during the summer will minimize the effects on students using technology around campus. “A lot of this work will happen over the summer at times when there’s a relatively small number of students on campus, breaks and then off hours,” Seymour said. “Some of the pieces we need to replace are pretty critical pieces of infrastructure, so there will be planning. There will be some announcements that go out in advance before anything happens.” Students will notice incremental improvements after the first summer due to more capacity in the core infrastructure, but the more
noticable changes will come in year two, according to Seymour. The university has not undergone an entire infrastructure upgrade since 2012, according to Seymour. Tim Wilson, Assistant Vice President of IT, is determined to give students a reliable network with the three-year upgrade. “We want to deliver a technical infrastructure that is reliable,” Wilson said. “You shouldn’t be asking yourselves, ‘I wonder if it’s going to work.’ That should never cross your mind. You should just expect it.” Students bring an average of three to four different devices to campus and connect to the network, according to Wilson. Aside from computers, Wilson says students bring game systems, TVs, smart TVs, iPhones and Android phones. Other technology across campus operates on the network, including washers and dryers, security cameras and the scanners the campus community uses to scan their IDs for access to buildings. “Those are all network devices today,” Wilson said. “A lot of our locks on campus are computer chips and computer-operated anymore. The digital signs you see all over campus all sit on a network. All of that flows back through, in some way, shape or form, this department, and we are expected to make it work in its entirety.”
TUITION page 3
APPRECIATING THOSE WHO SERVED
Joie Knouse | The Globe
Dr. Gregory Rogers (left) and Dr. George Bromall (right) salute to the American flag as the National Anthem plays during a Veteran’s Day service in LH Lobby on Nov. 11.
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Point Park
GLOBE
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019
NEWS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Open forum held for Playhouse usage Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor
Intense disagreements and confusion characterized a recent forum held by SAIL leaders Rachel Phillips and Brad Kovalcik, Dean of Student Life Michael Gieske, Director of Conference and Event Services Tina Morton and Drew Martorella, Assistant Vice President and Managing Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The Students Activities, Involvement and Leadership (SAIL) staff and the Pittsburgh Playhouse hosted a “Student Organization Playhouse Forum” on Nov. 11 in Thayer Hall’s JVH auditorium. Only six students were in attendance, but administration officials consistently fielded questions for an hour, with the topic routinely returning to the costs for renting out spaces in the new Playhouse. At the beginning of the forum, administrators were quick to assure that renting a space in the Playhouse was a simple process. Morton oversees requests from organizations to book venues on campus. “...it’s the same process that every department on campus uses, every external request that I receive comes in,” Morton said. “I compile them all into a spreadsheet, and then we review all of them so nobody’s given pref-
erential treatment. “ However, while all spaces on campus must be requested and approved, most venues do not require any kind of payment from students. The Playhouse is the notable exception. USG President Jake Berlin, a senior mass communications major, particularly addressed monetary costs posed to students. “...the understanding amongst students was that the Playhouse was treated just as any other space on campus, that this was just yet another building,” Berlin said. “It just doesn’t seem as equitable as the other options for students.” “Well, it’s different,” Martorella told Berlin. “Every different space on campus has a different set of policies surrounding the use of it.” Fees include the valuable equipment the Playhouse spaces provide as well as staffing for events. After extensive talks about the stringent Playhouse requirement of staffing and security at events, Berlin questioned whether Martorella was “afraid” that “students won’t use the equipment correctly.” “No it’s because it’s specialized equipment that we define who touches our equipment and who runs the equipment,” Martorella said. “I certainly know that theatrical spaces are inherently
dangerous spaces. Like construction zones, they involve types of equipment and types of activity that are inherently contoured towards a tremendous amount of risk.” Martorella proceeded to describe how a fly rail (a piece of theatrical equipment) falling could potentially kill someone or make them “lose fingers.” Martorella and Morton also discussed the possibility of creating estimate packages for student organizations planning on renting out the spaces, with the advisory that there would be a number of variables that could affect the actual cost for organizations. There is no structure in any university system yet for creating these estimates. They mentioned that requests even without these estimates take weeks to process. SAIL Director Brad Kovalcik brought up the issue of the estimates not being timely enough for student organizations to file for funding. “I just know for USG funding process [clubs] are putting in requests twice a semester,” Kovalcik said. “So if you don’t know the numbers you need when that USG request is there and you’re still waiting for that estimate, there’s no way for them to fund that for you.” A club that would seek USG funding for using a space at the Playhouse is Pinnacle Productions, a student-run
FORMER VP BIDEN VISITS PITTSBURGH
Katie Williams | The Globe
Former Vice President Joe Biden (middle) poses for a photo during Rich Fitzgerald’s election party on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
production company. They use different venues across campus to host their shows, but they have not been able to use the Playhouse due to the fees involved. Although they use a ticketing system through Pointsync, the Playhouse insists that they use a physical ticketing system because of contract agreements. Another price concern the organization had was due to the labor costs. “The frustration that I have with [labor costs] is that the people who do the tech work for us on our shows are the same people who do tech work for the shows in the conservatory,” Pinnacle’s president Anthony Giancola said. Giancola elaborated by saying he didn’t understand why organizations had to pay for labor costs when they bring their own equipment to the space. Martorella initially said he didn’t know how to answer Giancola’s question and emphasized the importance of the Playhouse employees being involved in student organizations’ events. He expressed his frustration with the continual emphasis on pricing structures for using spaces at the Playhouse. “What I’ve come to talk to this about is...what it would take to work in the spaces. Also, I’m aware too about the student activities fee. I think that student activities is a way of adding value to student life [and] to the institution,” Martorella said. “When we have a student activities group or club that wants to work with us to present events in the Playhouse that would be impactful to the entire student body and we have a 500 seat venue, that would be wonderful.” “Truly it’s a new thing. They just started the year when the CMI first started doing the speaker series, that was the first non-Playhouse kind of event that were being [done] with the anticipation that we would build on that in the new Playhouse,” Gieske said. “...[it] was the first conscientious effort the university made to start a group of things other than theater productions and plays there.” Amanda Andrews
aaandre@pointpark.edu
Kindness spreads with kindness grams Point Park Cares, Campus Cursive collaborate Diana Navarrete For The Globe
The station for “Kindness Grams” was set up in the Lawrence Hall Lobby from Monday to Thursday, Nov. 7 from 10 to 1 p.m. Organized by the on-campus organization Point Park Cares, the brand-new event also involved cross collaboration. Bags of candy were prepared with handwritten notes provided by Campus Cursive. One bag cost $2 and three bags were $5. President of Point Park Cares Lauren Reuther, a sophomore psychology major, said that the fundraiser was aimed to raise money for T-shirts for when the club volunteers at events and for volunteers to “look more like a team.” Allie Marker, a sopho-
more psychology major, is the treasurer for Point Park Cares. “It’s helping us to eventually have enough money for T-shirts, at the end of the semester,” Marker said. “Plus, we’d like to just keep with the kindness aspect of our club, and a lot of them are able to be donated to the Wood Street Commons.” Rain Diaz is a freshman this year and stopped by the station twice to buy Kindness Grams for his friends in need of kindness. “I did one, two days ago for a friend of mine who’s been going through a lot of personal stuff, with a loss,” Diaz said. “So, I saw this and I just thought of all the people that I know and who might need one. Today I want to do another one for
a friend I feel is struggling with...mental health...I just figured maybe people could use a little something.” Kyla Dean is also a freshman and was very supportive of the idea and purpose of the Kindness Grams. “I know especially there’s a lot of freshmen that are kind of struggling this specific time of the semester...I guess I’m getting these to send to a specific friend,” Dean said. “I think that it’s just nice to be able to have the option to give your friends something...not everyone is able to do something so little to just give to their friends, and it can make a big difference in somebody else’s life,” Marker said. Point Park Cares is a new organization that was
created last semester. Its purpose is to provide students with the ability to become involved in the community and make connections. Reuther said that she thought about creating Point Park Cares since her first semester at Point Park in her Intro to Community Engagement class. “We would go over to the Wood Street Commons as a part of our class,...but after the class ended I wanted to continue going there and bring other students there too,” Reuther said. Point Park Cares is looking to hold the event again next semester due to its success this first time around. Diana Navarrete
dnavar@pointpark.edu
Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief
A choice between jail and debt A new study from Splash Financial revealed that four in five individuals think of their student loans as a life sentence. In fact, 39% of students said they would would spend a week in jail in order to erase student loan debt. The nationwide federal student loan debt crisis is a $1.5 trillion problem that one-sixth of the population over age 18 experiences, according to data from the Center for American Progress. As of 2018, roughly 65% of college graduates from public and private nonprofit colleges experienced an average student loan debt of $29,200, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. 1,000 undergraduate and 1,000 postgraduate degree holders participated in the Splash Financial survey. The study concluded that 89% of the participants with student loans view their loans as a financial burden a burden that 43% of survey takers say will make buying a house and saving for retirement impossible, according to the data. Of those graduates with student loan debt, 39% have reported skipping a social event/gathering, and 39% have also devoted free time to a side hustle. 36% of respondents took a job they don’t like but pays well, 36% declined others’ life events because of travel costs, 35% rented a cheap place in a less safe area and 29% lived with their parents. Aside from spending a week behind bars, 51% of graduates said they would shave their head, 49% said they would walk to work for a month and 40% said they would relive high school.
Historic pieces of Pittsburgh On Monday, Nov. 4, a time capsule contained in the cornerstone of the university’s late Oakland Pittsburgh Playhouse was opened. The Playhouse containing the cornerstone originally served as the Tree of Life Congregation’s home from 1906 to 1953, according to the press release from the university. Members of Point Park University as well as the Tree of Life Congregation were invited to attend the unveiling of the contents of the capsule. The capsule revealed historic documents from 1906. The documents included Pittsburgh newspapers, bank deposit books, letters and envelopes, as reported by KDKA. The time capsule also contained a green Heinz pickle pin. Some of the items suffered water damage, so it may take some time before the contents can be fully inspected and sorted.
Dara Collins
dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019
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USG shuts down proposed conservative club
Senator faces censure trials, name change vote passes USG By Sarah Gibson USG Beat Writer
Senator Jade Steele was censured during Monday’s United Student Government (USG) meeting. Senator Steele was tried for two possible censures because she allegedly violated two different By-Laws of USG, being By-Laws 104.34 and 104.36 in the United Student Government Code of Ethics. Senator Steele’s formal charges were “intentional coercion of the electorate in the election of a Finance Committee Vice Chair” and “conspiring to oust a finance committee member with an ulterior motive,” respectively. Senator Steele was given five minutes to defend herself at the presentation of each censure opportunity. She used the time to explain that she didn’t know what she was being censured for. After President Pro Tempore Grace Frank-Rempel noted that the situation needed some clarification, Parliamentarian Jess Wrzosek said that she did not reveal the identity of all parties involved, so they could remain anonymous if they wished. According to Parliamentarian Wrzosek, Senator Steele had been coercing senators to vote for her in an election at a Finance Committee meeting. Wrzosek claimed that she had talked to multiple people at the meeting to support the original claim. After a secret ballot vote, the motion was not passed because it failed to get a three fourths majority. The motion had 12 ayes, three nays and five abstentions.
The second censure opportunity that was presented was about a different incident. It was implied that at a party Senator Steele held at her apartment, she whispered, “we have to get her,” regarding an unknown USG senator. According to Wrzosek, it was a statement that was heard by multiple USG members. When Steele was given time to speak, she defended herself, saying that she was in her own apartment, not at a USG event, and that she didn’t remember saying those things. She further implied that her apartment was her “safe place” where she could speak without a filter, unlike a USG sponsored event. She said that if she did say it, she was sorry. At the end of her speech, she stated that she would never go out of her way to censure someone for something that was said in their own apartment. Communications Director Kari Dettorre spoke up to dispute the fact as to whether it was a USG party or not. While the party was not an official USG party, Detorre cited a text invite that Steele had sent her claiming it was a “USG Halloween get-together.” Regardless, President Pro Tempore Frank-Rempel noted that the censure was not about the setting but about the comment that was made. Because it was toward a USG senator, that made it a USG matter, even if it was not in a USG setting. President Berlin took this time to make a point that senators are expected to be held to USG standards around the clock, and not just when they’re in legislative body meetings. He also encouraged students
not to abstain from a vote when they know the situation and are able to make a choice, rather than abstaining and possibly not letting a motion pass. After the secret ballots were passed out, collected, and counted, the censure passed with a count of 18 ayes and two nays. Vice President Alexa Lake informed Senator Steele that a censure is the USG’s disapproval of a senator’s conduct and a warning of suspension or expulsion. Following Senator Steele’s censure trials, the Humanities and Social Sciences Association, or HSSA was recognized by USG without any dissent. After this, the motion was made to pass a student branch of the larger group, Turning Point USA, which is a group that, in their constitution, claims to support free market, limited government and conservative ideals. The USG Senator who originally was going to represent the group was not present. When put up for discussion, Ssenator Dennis McDermott noted that Turning Point was registered as a section 501 C3 nonprofit and had a history of not following the laws that came with that distinction, namely the participation or intervention of any political campaign, as referenced in the IRS guidelines. He also noted that many of their leaders had made homophobic, sexist and transphobic comments. Following that, Senator Bryce Hayzlett approached the stage with a piece of paper, citing two pages worth of incidents that Turning Point had been involved with since December of 2017, all regard-
Sarah Gibson | The Globe
Senator Jade Steele gives her five-minute testimony during one of her censure trials on Monday, Nov. 11. ing racism and sexism involving leaders and employees of the group. He referenced a WhatsApp group message from a Florida Turning Point University chapter which contained racist memes about dressing up as ICE agents in order to grope Latina women. It also contained tips on how to avoid scrutiny, which included the phrase “don’t jew-hate.” Hayzlett also mentioned a “Professor Watch List” that Turning Point provides, which allows students to claim that their professors discriminate against conservative students for actions as little as “making clever remarks about the president.” Hayzlett mentioned that several teachers had received death threats for being on this website. Lastly, Parliamentarian Wrzosek noted that the club’s
constitution contained one flaw that could prove to be discriminatory: a condition saying that all executive cabinet members had to be conservative. Wrzoseck further elaborated, saying that if the word “conservative” was replaced with gay, female, or something else, it could prove to be problematic. When it came to the vote, the motion to recognize the club was unanimously rejected. Finally, USG unanimously voted to pass a resolution allowing the students of Point Park to vote on a possible name change for the organization after survey results revealed that a majority of students would prefer it if USG changed their name to “Student Government Association” or SGA. Sarah Gibson
sagibso@pointpark.edu
IT to provide students with a ‘reliable infrastructure’ from TUITION page 1 Certain programs also require a need for technology services, according to Wilson. “There’s certain programs, like the cinema and animation folks, communication folks that are doing things with digital photography and doing things with TV production and movie-making,” Wilson said. “When you start talking about these kinds of programs, they’re heavy technology programs, and for those to operate really correctly in 2020, we need to give you an infrastructure to be able to move that data around and store that data and work on it wherever you want to work on it.” In addition to using devices for academic purposes, Wilson acknowledges students use the network for personal matters as well. All students’ technological needs drive the cause for a better campus-wide network. “You folks are driving the need, to be quite honest, because you’re expecting to do things like stream your favorite movies and watch your favorite sporting events, and right now...we’re not delivering a reliable enough service associated with that,” Wilson said. Seymour says campus Internet usage is at its highest around 11 p.m. “We don’t watch your emails and things like that, but what we do is we watch bandwidth in its entirety and aggregate, so we see Netflix, we see ESPN, we see those kind of web services that are
associated with video and audio,” Wilson said. “You’re doing the entertainment thing, and you should do those kinds of things. You’re students that live on campus. It’s part of the whole college experience. It’s not just about going to class; it’s about the things that happen in your lives outside of class, too.” In addition to better performance, Wilson and Seymour say the network security will increase as well. Seymour referenced the Equifax and Facebook hacks and explained “major companies that have huge budgets have invested in their security and still found themselves compromised.” “We have to make these kinds of investments and we have to make this commitment to network security,” Seymour said. “It does mean it’s more inconvenient in some ways, but we would be negligent if we didn’t just because that’s the reality of the Internet in 2019.” The announcement of the technology upgrade follows news of multiple outages across campus. “Some of those outages are because of old design or old equipment,” Wilson said. “Some of those outages are self-inflicted because people will put stuff on a network and because we don’t have the technology that’s up to date to detect it and quarantine this.” Wilson says the department is working to build an infrastructure that is “as foolproof as possible,” but we will still suffer self-inflicted
wounds. “No environment is going to be completely free of malware or free of the occasional upset, but the thought is mitigation,” Seymour said. “How do we contain that so it’s not a campus-wide outage? It’s an outage affecting a small number of people or something like that.” Wilson encourages students to continue reporting connectivity problems to the Help Desk during the upgrade process. “They need to report that to the Help Desk because we do take that into consideration...if we have a good list of where our biggest heartaches are, we can address those first,” Wilson said. Considering all portions of the tuition increase, Hennigan believes the overall increase is essential to the future of students. “It’s an investment in one’s future, so the important thing is for our students to take advantage of the internship opportunities and the co-op opportunities so that our students are fully prepared as seniors to interview for jobs, get a job and begin to earn a living and then get a return on the investment,” Hennigan said. “All of the data and all of the research clearly shows that people with a college degree will live a healthier, happier, longer and more fulfilled life than those without a college degree,” Hennigan said. Dara Collins
dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
2020-2021 Tuition per Semester 2019-2020 Tuition 2020-2021 Increase
COPA
All other schools
$15,000 $17,000 $19,000 $21,000 $16,000 $18,000 $20,000
Dara Collins | The Globe
NOV. 6, 2019 - NOV. 11, 2019
Wednesday, November 6th 8:22 p.m. - Second Avenue Attempted Robbery
Alysse Baer | The Globe
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019
FEATURES
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Conservatory showcases director’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ By Rosalie Anthony Staff Writer
The original playwright, William Shakespeare, composed “Much Ado About Nothing” in the 1600s. In 1996, Steven Wilson, director and alumni of the Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) adapted the show to the time of World War II, 1944 specifically, from Italy’s perspective. “Shakespeare typically involves a lot of verse, but ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is an adaptation, so our director Steven Wilson adapted the script to make the show more concise and also contemporize the show slightly,” sophomore acting major and main character, Hero, Bailey Wilson said. According to Anthony Giancola, junior acting
major, Assistant Director and Dramaturg, Dramaturgy notes in the beginning of the program, during and around 1944, Italy surrendered to the Allied powers and declared war on the Nazi powers. A Dramaturg’s role is making sure the adaptation is staying as true to the original and/or adapted time period as possible. For example, the baseball theme throughout the play and on the cover of the program alludes to the relationship the American and Italian troops made through the American troops introducing baseball to their culture. “Much Ado About Nothing” ran this past weekend, Nov. 8 through 10, and will run this weekend, Nov. 15 through 17. Kaylin Blaney, senior
BFA theatre production major with a concentration in stage management, was the stage manager for “Much Ado About Nothing.” Her job was to keep track of all the moving parts that come together to make the show possible. For example, her job entails making sure communication between all designers for the show is cohesive and that everyone’s on the same page. “I feel excited,” Blaney said of this being her final show before graduating and her capstone project. “This has been a dream to work on, and I feel really blessed that this is my last hurrah.” An aspect of the show that received an abundance of praise was the set design. Towers, 13 feet high made of steel, were manip-
John Altdorfer | Submitted Morgan Snowden as Beatrice (left) and Victor Gariseb as George Seacole (right) performing at the Playhouse in ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ The play took place last weekend and will have another showing this weekend.
PIONEER PUBLIC Brianna Fallahee By Hannah Walden Co-Features/A&E Editor
Sophomore theatre arts major Brianna Fallahee started in theatre at a young age. At 8 years old she was cast as Glinda the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz. From there, she continued in a number of shows and continued her training in college. “The puffy, sparkly pink dress was a big selling point for me, and after that, I was hooked,” Fallahee, 20, of Clearwater, Fl., said. “I was involved in almost every single production after that, even into middle and high
school. Some of my favorite roles I’ve ever done in school were the Witch in ‘Into the Woods,’ Fiona in ‘Brigadoon,’ Marty in ‘Grease’ and Alice in ‘Alice in Wonderland.’” Outside of her middle and high school productions, Fallahee also participated in shows in community theatres and summer intensives. She says her favorite roles from these performances are Anybodys in “West Side Story,” Anna in “Spring Awakening” and Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde.” She attributes her acting experience before attending Point Park, and formal training she received at Point Park to being cast as Marion in “Bad Panda,” a student run show by Pinnacle Productions. Written by Megan Gogerty and directed by Allison Svagdis, “Bad Panda” is about the last two pandas on Earth (or so they think). Marion and Gwo Gwo, the two pandas, feel it is their duty to procreate in order to keep their species alive.
ulated by the actors and crew throughout the show transforming the stage from scene to scene, along with projections on the set that helped immerse the audience members into a new chapter of the story. “We have to carefully put them together in the right order, because where they are also matters to the set,” Bailey Hobbs said. Hobbs is sophomore theatrical production major with a concentration in technical design and management and crew chief on “Much Ado About Nothing.” “Then we have to lock all of them together before the actors can walk across them,” she said
The show is well-supported by its ensemble. In the beginning, they help set the scene for the play, and throughout they provide context for various scenes. “The film screen [in the beginning] really helped you dive into the beginning,” Emily MacIntyre, junior public relations and advertising major, said. “It was very good at zoning in and taking a moment to think and anticipate.” The show’s opening weekend was well received and there is still opportunity for students to see it from Nov. 15 through 17.
Rosalie Anthony rantho@pointpark.edu
John Altdorfer | Submitted Bailey Wilson as Hero (left) and Reyna Guerra as Ursula (right) performing on stage as another character peeps their head around the corner.
However, a pesky alligator named Chester enters the relationship and the truth is revealed in multiple ways. “I’m so happy to be making my debut with this wonderful little skit,” Fallahee said of “Bad Panda” being her first show at Point Park. “It’s already so special to me.” For this role, Fallahee said she did more than just memorize her lines, she wanted to perfect the ability to tell the underlying story of “Bad Panda” and to highlight non-traditional families and how family and love can unite people in times of trouble. According to Fallahee, rehearsals for the show started on Nov. 3 and the show will open and run from Dec. 7 through 9. Outside of the theater world, Fallahee is an Honors student and is a member of HerCampus.
Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu
Brianna Fallahee | Submitted
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 13, 2019
5
Country star Luke Combs blends classic, modern sounds in ‘What You See is What You Get’ album Combs’ releases ‘most anticipated country album for 2019’ Noah Bieniek For The Globe
Luke Combs’ “What You See is What You Get” (WYSWYG) was arguably the most anticipated country album for 2019 and it dropped Friday, Nov. 8. It is the sophomore album from Combs’ campaign that has launched himself into being one of, if not the biggest new star in the country music world. Combs is leading a revolution, one that is trying to revive a more classic country sound from the 90s but also trying to blend modern country with it. His first album “This One’s For You” showcased this strategy well. The album set up a campsite on the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Country Album chart for 50 straight weeks. It broke the record for a male country artist on top of the chart, which was previously held by Randy Travis at 44 weeks, and tied the all-time record held by Shania Twain at 50 weeks. Just this week, Old Dominion’s new self-titled album dethroned “TOFY.” Every single, five in total, that came off “TOFY” landed on top of U.S. Country Airplay charts. In fact, Combs is the first ever to have their first six released singles land at No. 1 on the charts. For those who somehow haven’t heard of Combs, he is an average American “everyman,” and he prides himself as that and his im-
age is one thing that helps his popularity. Combs is on the chubbier side, can’t quite fill out is red beard, and hasn’t quite figured out award shows, yet he’s won plenty of them. If you see him, he’s probably wearing a button-down fishing shirt and a hat. Those two paired together along with a double red solo cup during his performances have become his stapled look. The “Average Joe” as he calls himself in his song, “Does to Me,” feat. Eric Church has marketed himself very well to not be acclimated to the full lyric, “Underachieving, Average Joe.” Combs has ventured himself away from playing in small venues and clubs, to now selling out arenas as the headliner in just about two years. He is someone in the country music world that is hard to not like, he pleases both the traditionalists and pop country fans. Combs’ new album is really, really good, and I encourage everyone to spend an hour of time to listen to this masterpiece even if they don’t normally have country songs in their playlists. “WYSWYG” gives off a strong Brooks and Dunn sound that is very nice to hear again after the duo split and their revamp album has not made an impact. Combs has a few songs on “WYSWYG” that reflect on his past giving homage to people that mean a lot to him. The album has
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Fan art depicting country artist Luke Combs.
a good-time sound flooded with guitar, and steel. There are also hints of mandolin and piano that bring the love and heartbreak, and good old beer highlighted in this album to life. The standout on the album is the title track, “What You See is What You Get.” It is classic Luke Combs. The song has an up-tempo guitar sound with piano added in it to allow Combs to bring in the humor we heard in his previous No. 1 single “When
it Rains it Pours.” The humor is displayed in lines like “I’m an easy read but I aint no open book / And I’ve got a knack for making things harder than they look.” The chorus just again gives off the Luke Combs vibe with, “I’m a straight shootin’ / Beer drinkin’, rule breakin’ / Don’t think I won’t take a good thing too far / I’m a midnightin’, backslidin’ / Getaway car drivin’ / Runnin’ away with your heart / I guess be careful what you
wish for is all I meant when I said / What you see is what you get.” A song that is almost a guarantee to become a smash hit is “Better Together.” It’s one of the more stripped-down songs on the album with plenty of piano and is going to be the reborn version of another past No. 1 by Combs “Beautiful Crazy.” It’s a love song with lyrics in the chorus that say, “Some things just go better together, and probably always will / Like a cup of coffee and a sunrise / Sunday drives and time to kill / What’s the point of this ol’ guitar if it ain’t got no strings? Or pourin’ your heart into a song that you ain’t gonna sing? / It’s a match made up in heaven, like good ol’ boys and beer / And me, as long as you’re right here.” The 17th song on the album is so strong because it has a beautiful bridge that goes “Sometimes we’re oil and water, but I wouldn’t have it any other way / And if I’m being honest, your first and my last name, would just go better together…” that leads right back into the beginning of the chorus. NOT SO BOLD PREDICTION: This song will be a huge wedding song in 2020. Read the full article at ppuglobe.com
Noah Bieniek nabieni@pointpark.edu
First half of final season of Bojack Horseman hits Netflix By Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect
When it comes to Netflix originals, there’s a lot to choose from. However, there aren’t a lot of animated Netflix originals, and the show Big Mouth tends to dominate in this category. However, the Netflix animated original Bojack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, is a gem, truly. But sadly, as many Netflix originals do, it is soon coming to an end. The sixth and final season of the show was scheduled to be released in parts, with the first eight episodes becoming available on Oct. 25, 2019, and the second half of the season becoming available on Jan. 31, 2020. This split is an interesting move, but an appreciated one, coming from a fan who binge watches entire seasons of this show as soon as they come out. By splitting up the final season, it feels as if the show is getting a bit more time to survive. The first eight episodes of season six did not deviate from the show’s course. Since season one, Bojack Horseman has been focused on examining the life and choices of its titular character, an aging B-list celebrity known for starring in a 90s sitcom called “Horsin’ Around.” The world of Bojack Horseman, who is voiced by Will Arnett, is one where humans and anthropomorphic animals live, work and play sideby-side, but the reality of this world is a lot less fun than it sounds. Almost ev-
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Screenshot from Bojack Horseman.
ery adult character in the show, be they human or animal, is going through some type of real-life adult struggle. Bojack, for example, is chronically depressed, and destructively turns to sex, alcohol and drugs rather than dealing with his problems, many of which stem from a traumatic childhood with his abusive and neglectful parents. The show hits heavy topics, like alcoholism and drug abuse, head-on and continues to do so in season six as Bojack is in rehab for his drug and alcohol use and incessantly remembers the overdose death of his once child actor co-star, Sarah Lynn. And yet, the show still finds its footing in being humorous.
The humor of Bojack Horseman is often times self-deprecating, which tends to resonate with many of its young adult viewers. What I find to be one of Bojack’s most endearing qualities is the fact that its humor does not draw from being overly offensive or crude. Of course, the show is for adults, and includes strong language and themes, but the show never tries to draw a cheap laugh. Characters who are offensive are never celebrated, and in fact, the majority of the characters in the show are not written to be good or admirable. Bojack Horseman actively examines the pitfalls of Hollywood (or Hollywoo, in the show). Thus, its characters often-
times represent those pitfalls - whether they be substance abusers, work-aholics, egomaniacs or sell-outs. As someone who falls on the asexual spectrum, I think one of the best recurring jokes on Bojack Horseman has to do with the character Todd, an asexual man who often experiences and exasperatedly expresses the trials and tribulations that come with being asexual. The show could have easily turned his sexuality itself into a joke, as many other shows would, but instead accurately portrays what it is like to be an asexual person looking for a partner. It’s a small detail, but it’s one that really solidified my appreciation for this show.
The first part of season six explores Bojack’s time in rehab. Throughout this part of the season, it becomes apparent that while rehab has been helpful for him, it has also become a crutch as he is afraid to leave. Bojack’s anxiety and depression, as someone who has experienced both, has always been portrayed extremely accurately by this show. But the first part of season six also introduces another accurate portrayal of depression in one of its other main characters, Diane, Bojack’s ex-ghost writer turned friend and confidante. Diane’s depression manifests itself differently, as she ignores her feelings, throws herself into her work, and then later on down the road, finds herself with no motivation and a feeling of unfulfillment. Bojack Horseman’s characters’ slow descent into sadness is one that sneaks up on you as a viewer, but once revealed, causes you to understand that the signs have always been there. I believe that every college-aged person should watch this show. It’s incredibly relatable and funny at surprisingly dark times, and the animation itself is colorful and extremely detailed. Truly no stone has been left unturned in the writing, the voice performance and the making of this show. And because of this and the fact that I don’t think there’s another show out there quite like Bojack, I’m sad to see it go. But unfortunately for Bojack, the end is neigh.
Jordyn Hronec jthrone@pointpark.edu
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OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019
THE
GL BE’S POINT
College is a privilege This week, the news dropped that tuition is set to increase for next year. It’s an announcement that we’ve all grown to anticipate, as tuition has increased for the past several years. In fact, there’s really not much you can count on anymore...except for an increase in tuition. We at The Globe understand that college is an investment and that in the future, college may pay off for some people. We also understand the need for tuition increases from time to time, especially when the extra income is set to go toward things that will directly benefit students. However, we also understand that the ability to make an investment in education is a privilege that not all people have. Every potential college student’s situation is different. Some don’t have to pay a dime for their education due to scholarships or some wealthy relative. Some work out a payment plan with the university to cover the difference after receiving financial aid. Some are left in that awkward middle area, where FAFSA doesn’t grant them need-based aid,
but there’s no real way for them to pay. Some of us have to go through the unsavory process of obtaining loans. In order to acquire student loans, students either need their parents to apply as they have a credit score (be it good or bad), or they need a co-signer. Some students don’t have their parents’ blessing to obtain a loan. Some parents don’t have a good enough credit score to get approved. This is a surprisingly common issue, and what are students who are willing to make the investment to do if they simply cannot? A nearly $700 or $900 increase per semester may not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of college costs. However, there are students who budget to the dollar, and this amount is enough to send them into the red. We believe that while college is an investment, college is also a privilege. Students’ access to funds to pay for education should also be considered when tuition numbers are set.
Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu
Jake Dabkowski | The Globe University student Jake Dabkowski put together a diagram on their wall to attempt to explain the “mistweet” covfefe.
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
A highlight of systematic flaws By Alexa Lake Vice President of USG
A desk attendant unusually played sentry as I walked into the Student Center. A caterer dressed in black paused to let me go in ahead of him. The fresh cut flowers on his cart covered the typical faint B.O. smell of that building which houses our athletes. Dozens of beer, liquor, and wine bottles clinked when the elevator rose up to the seventh floor. My destination was on the left. A police officer was on the right. The roasted potatoes with maple reduction sat behind several suited Trustees was in front. CulinArt really pulled out all the stops. How did the Board members get here? Some climbed the administrative ladder, but most were born into corporate nobility. Oh...I misunderstood the question! Although they are supposedly the bosses, they drove to this meeting with directions from their leaders. They are told how to get to campus, how to navigate to the boardroom in Student Center 701 and nod thoughtfully at PowerPoint Presentations. Those with power and influence here barricade themselves. Ideally, the University’s President would be beholden to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees would be beholden to the students, who foot the bill for their schmoozing. Nothing could be further from the truth. I recently met with the Pa. Secretary of Education, who reiterated that Boards of Trustees and Student Governments hold the administration to account. From my vantage point, USG and the Board of Trustees do not and probably never have fulfilled this role. Warning signs like these hide in plain sight at Point Park. Good people do
not speak out for fear of retaliation. If we are to believe the writing leadership says is on the wall, a grim future awaits universities like Point Park. President Hennigan let USG in on that last year, and every year prior. Institutions like ours fail every few years. At three USG meetings, I have heard him present how enrollment will continue to drop at institutions like ours – mid-sized, private, “value” colleges. That’s why his expert analytics team simultaneously raises tuition by 4.4% and borrows from our reputation’s capital. Academic excellence here is a box to check when accreditation rolls around. When big brother isn’t watching, however, leadership plans to cheapen itself by settling for less rather than striving for more. The current plan in the face of looming student scarcity seems to be making us no more than a glorified trade school. Nevertheless, students, faculty, and the rare administrator – the fabric of Point Park – persist. I am so proud of our professors who strive for excellence and a decent wage simultaneously. So what? What has the administration to do with us plebeians? Self-serving administrative culture means the world to you when you are a victim pursuing a Title IX investigation. You may not have any say in whose decision it will be to keep you safe after the Title IX Coordinator left for greener grass. So what if the interim coordinator must recuse himself from your case? So what if a final ruling is weeks late? Point Park embodies retaliatory culture. Conservatory students cannot settle their grievances and allegations of discrimination for fear of being named as a
trouble-maker in their professional lives. Perhaps if those with power could blatantly wield it, we students might get some catharsis. It’s a long-shot, though. Every administrator must go through the motions of redressing a grievance and having a dialog, not matter how one-sided the compromises are. The systematic flaws in this institution cannot be fixed by funneling more money into more acronyms on campus. No, we don’t need another vice to the assistant to the coordinator of some obscure department. Even as the non-teaching staff began to outnumber teaching faculty several years ago, nothing changed. Our only hope is to work smarter, not harder. The concerns of USG are not drastically different from year to year. I could name a dozen chronic concerns that are fixable with overwhelming student support. When they do not negotiate – when they do not budge – hopelessness is instilled in all of us. President Hennigan, in your doctoral dissertation fourteen years ago, you wrote, “There was no structured, organizational focus on quality improvement at Point Park.” You quoted an administrator from that time who said, “there are individuals who are focused on quality, but mostly it is lip service.” I wholeheartedly agree. When I am an alumnus, I want to be proud of my alma mater, but now, I am deeply concerned. When will we students get academic excellence? When will we become a Name Brand school? When will we get accountability? When will we get quality?
Alexa Lake aslake@pointpark.edu
Covfefe: cracking the code, what does it mean? By Jake Dabkowski For The Globe
On May 30, 2017, President of the United States Donald J. Trump tweeted out “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” The next day, at 3:09 in the morning, he tweeted out ‘Who can figure out the true meaning of ‘covfefe’??? Enjoy!” At this point, I was intrigued. Could his seemingly accidental spelling error actually have some deep hidden meaning? I never could crack it, and I assumed that it was either a spelling error or glitch in his phone. Until Nov. 4, 2019, when he tweeted out “Great! But how do you know it was a ‘mistweet?’” May be something with deep meaning!” At this point, I became committed to solving the mystery of
“covfefe.” To start off my investigation, I put “covfefe” into an anagram solver, and while it couldn’t find any direct anagrams, it gave me my first lead: coffee. I did some digging and discovered that the coffee that McDonald’s serves is, according to Newsweek Magazine, connected to why some Hondurans are fleeing to America. Could Trump have been trying to warn us of McDonald’s’ effects on the immigration crisis? Then I remembered another blonde haired man. The Hamburgler. Both he and Trump were criminals who liked McDonald’s hamburgers but hated the company McDonald’s, at least if this new information was enough to back up my theory. But then I realized a
major hole in my theory: the Hamburgler was a fictional character. I would have to look elsewhere. A few days after the tweet, then press secretary and current “Dancing with the Stars,” star Sean Spicer, said in a press briefing that, “I think the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant.” I thought about Trump’s inner circle at the time of the tweet, people like Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Rudy Giuliani, all whom right around the time were dismissing former ally George Papadopolous as “just a coffee boy.” This got me thinking about the case of Russian Interference in the 2016 election. Could “covfefe” have been a code for Russia to do midterm interference? Could it be the
password to the server where more hacked DNC emails are kept? I had just opened up a can of worms. It was at this point that I found a news story from that day: Michael Cohen refused to comply with congressional inquiries into Trump’s dealings with Russia. Perhaps Trump had meant to tweet out “Despite the constant negative press Cohen will not cooperate with congress.” However, Cohen and “covfefe,” were, in my opinion, too different of words. At this point I began to think about the whistleblower scandal with Ukraine, however, there’s simply no way Trump could have predicted in May of 2017 that he would still be president by the June 2019 phone call.
All hope seemed to be lost. Perhaps I would never learn the true meaning of “covfefe,” and maybe it was because I wasn’t supposed to know. It couldn’t be a mistake, autocorrect would have fixed it into a real word, or so I thought. Because then I found the tweet that changed everything. Feb. 19, 2013, Trump tweeted out: “Too many people rely on auto correct...an assistant of mine apologizes!” With this tweet, he admitted to using autocorrect, at least with the phone he had at the time. Read the full story online at ppuglobe.com
Jake Dabkowski jcdabko@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:
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SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
All In with Allison By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist
Champ Szn While the basketball seasons are undoubtedly my favorite, I do have a close second: championship season. You know, that time of year when playoffs are happening and championships are being won? Yeah, that one. For the entire semester, the sports section has been bringing you coverage of the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the volleyball team and the cross country teams. I am proud to say that all of these teams have advanced to the postseason (with the exception of men’s soccer, but they would have if the ban were lifted). The men’s soccer team finished the year 15-3, and although they are ineligible for River States Conference (RSC) playoffs, there is still a chance for them to grab an at-large bid to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament. We find out about that at the end of the RSC championship, so hopefully within the next week or so. On the women’s side of things, the Pioneers just solidified their spot in the RSC Semifinals after defeating No. 4 WVU Tech on Saturday 2-0. Point Park grasped the No. 5 spot after late victories and the sudden closure of Cincinnati Christian two weeks ago. The women’s soccer team will head to No.1 Asbury on Wednesday for a chance at the RSC Championship, a title the team clinched in both 2015 and 2017 most recently. The volleyball team has been suffering from the quarterfinal curse recently - that is, they have not been able to make it past the RSC
Quarterfinals for the past few seasons. Hoping to change that this year, the Pioneers clinched the No. 1 seed in the RSC East division, which means they get to host the tournament this year. The volleyball team will be hosting the No. 4 seed out of the West, Asbury, on Friday (so go and support them to help break the quarterfinal curse!!!!). Finally, the cross country teams. The men’s cross country team finished their season as the RSC runners-up, getting second in the RSC championship race behind the defending champ, WVU Tech. Senior Xavier Stephens and sophomore Brody Carlin both ran away with All-RSC First Team honors, and three other Pioneers were honored with All-RSC Second Team placements. Senior Carlos Polanco was recognized as Point Park’s Champion of Character. Last, but certainly not least, the women’s cross country team. The women completed the hattrick of RSC Championships, clinching their third-straight RSC win in a row. Sophomore Alyssa Campbell placed first overall, earning the title of RSC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. Campbell, along with junior Reba Bartram and sophomore Alyssa Frausto were the three Pioneers chosen for the All-RSC First Team. Even coach Jim Spisak walked away with honors, taking home the RSC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year award for himself.
Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019
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Men open season with home win, weekend games in Miami By Mason Strawn Staff Writer
The men’s basketball team was not messing around in their home opener against Penn State-DuBois on Tuesday night. The Pioneers defeated the Nittany Lions to the score of 81-64, scoring the first points of the game and never looking back. Kameron Shockley, a sophomore guard out of Ohio, started the game off hot and went on to win Player of the Game. Shockley finished with 16 points and led the team in assists and rebounds with four and seven, respectively. Sophomore guard Sherron Schifino led the team in scoring with 17 points and shot 7-for-11 from the field. “I think we did a great job staying disciplined offensively,” junior guard Mark Shehady said. “We have enough skilled players that we don’t need to try to make difficult plays, but rather we can trust each other to make the right and smart play.” Point Park jumped out to an explosive 19-7 lead in the first five minutes of play and would keep Penn State at arm’s length the entire game, leading by 19 at multiple points and never letting their lead go any lower than seven. The men did not have long to relax though. The team flew to Florida the next day for a weekend series in Miami, where the team would face three different National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA ) powerhouses in Florida National University (FNU), St. Thomas University, and Johnson & Wales University. “This is a business trip, so we’re going down there
Mallory Neil | Point Park Athletics Sophomore guard Jesse Calloway dribbles the ball around a PSU-DuBois defender on Saturday at CCAC-Allegheny.
with the mentality to win every game,” Schifino said. “Miami is a hot bed for NAIA teams,” head coach Joe Lewandowski said. “It gives us a chance to expand our schedule and face off against some stronger teams like FNU.” FNU was averaging over 90 points per game before facing off against the Pioneers. Point Park would pull through with a win at 99-85 in the high scoring affair. The men suffered their first defeat of the season the next day, falling to St. Thomas 89-67, after shooting only 25% from the field with a 29-point first half. Sunday was another harsh shooting day, as the team shot for less than 25% from beyond the arc and fell to Johnson & Wales 83-74. The team led 39-36 at
the half, but lost it just 11 minutes into the second half. Johnson & Wales would not hand that lead back to the Pioneers for the remainder of the game. The Pioneers scored just 12 more points before the end of regulation. The Pioneers finished the weekend 1-2, with a record of 2-2 on the season as of publication. The team travelled back home Sunday night after their final game, giving them time to practice and rest until their next game on Friday at Penn State-New Kensington. The men won’t play at home again until they play Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo on Saturday.
Mason Strawn mtstraw@pointpark.edu
Women suffer tough loss to non-conference opponent By Allison Schubert Co-Sports Editor
The women’s basketball team has officially kicked off the 2019-2020 season. As tradition would have it, the women’s first few games took place in Southfield, Mich. during the Lawrence Tech Tip-off Classic. The Pioneers were still trying to find their groove, but the tournament would prove that they had not found it just yet. After suffering 85-71 and 84-68 losses in Michigan, the women traveled to Chillicothe, Ohio for their third non-conference game.
Point Park shot 41-percent overall and sank ten 3-pointers for a 72-36 win over Ohio-Chillicothe just five days after their first loss. For the next nine days, the 1-2 Pioneers rested and practiced in preparation for another trip to Ohio last Friday. This time, to take on the undefeated Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU). MVNU dominated the first few minutes, getting out to a 12-1 lead. The Pioneers’ sharp shooting for the rest of the quarter resulted in a 1917 deficit after one. In the second quarter, Point Park took the lead 35-
Robert Berger| Globe Archives Now-junior Michelle Burns sets things up from the opposite side of the court during a game last season.
34 after a trey from freshman guard Lexi Petit, but MVNU took it back just before halftime to send Point Park to the locker room down 36-35. The third quarter proved more of the same back-and-forth style of play, and at the end of 30 minutes, things were tied up at 52 points apiece. MVNU controlled play for the majority of the fourth quarter, but Point Park battled back to just a 72-68 deficit with almost two minutes remaining. The MVNU defense came up big for the next minute, preventing any scoring for the Pioneers and putting them down 76-68 with just 60 seconds remaining. Each team put up one more basket, but it was not enough for the Pioneers to edge out the Cougars. Point Park took its third loss, 78-70. Junior guard Michelle Burns led scoring for the Pioneers with 20 points, and Petit added 13 points, all of which came in the first half. The Pioneers will host Bryant & Stratton for their home opener in the first double header of the season on Saturday.
Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019
SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Women advance to semifinal round of RSC playoffs By Austin Alkire Co-Sports Editor
Sophomores Tia Horew and Taylor Goldstrohm ended the regular season tied for the team lead in points with 16 points each, putting them seventh in the entire River States Conference (RSC.) Playoffs games are nothing new to the two forwards; they know what it takes to win, and what it takes to lose. “We dominated the entire game and deserved to win. [WVU Tech] didn’t expect this from us and it’s not our fault that they didn’t prepare,” Horew said. Preparation was the first thing on first-year head coach Bethanie Moreschi’s mind once the Pioneers clinched the fifth seed. “A lot of the focus was surrounding being tactically prepared against whatever team we were playing against,” Moreschi said. “We had to know their strengths and weaknesses and the best way to take them on.” Moreschi praised WVU Tech, knowing the Bears provided a tough matchup in the quarterfinals round. “They have a great goalkeeper who plays a very high and aggressive line and has had an incredible season,” Moreschi said. “They also have some girls who are strong and composed when finishing inside the 18. We had to really focus on our defensive shape and working to break
Nick Koehler | Point Park Athletics Sophomore Nola McGuire tries to secure the ball in a game against IU Kokomo earlier this season. The Pioneers are moving on to the RSC Semifinals this week against No.1 Asbury.
the defensive line without playing balls over the top where they could be easily picked off.” Last time Point Park played WVU Tech, they lost 3-1. This time would be different. Same stadium; new mindset. “We went out wanting to win compared to the last time we played this team,” Horew said. The Pioneers showed their defensive shape in the first half, holding the Bears to three shots on net and no goals. Nothing was going into the opposing net for Point Park, either. “I
think we played really good during the first half we just didn’t get quality shots on net,” Goldstrohm said. The Pioneers did not change anything about their play going into the second half. “We just kept breaking their defensive line and happened to get a few goals,” Goldstrohm said. The first goal came from Goldstrohm under four minutes into the second half. Junior midfielder Kelsee McHugh sent took possession of the ball, sending a pass over to Goldstrohm who buried the ball past
Bears’ goalkeeper Jenna Miller. That first goal set the tone for the rest of the game for Point Park. “Obviously scoring first is very important, especially in a playoff atmosphere on another team’s turf,” Goldstrohm said. “It took a little pressure off of us and allowed us to control the game. After that first goal, we controlled the whole second half and we built off of that momentum.” Seven minutes after Goldstrohm’s tally, Horew seized the ball in the mid-
field and set herself on a path towards the net. “We broke their defenders left and right. It was just a matter of being confident and finishing on our opportunities,” Horew said. “I saw an opportunity for me to finish and I needed to capitalize on it to help our team seal the deal with the 2-0 win.” With Horew’s insurance goal in hand and nine saves from senior goalie Ashtyn Webb, the Pioneers upset No. 4 WVU Tech 2-0, advancing to the RSC semifinals to face No. 1 Asbury. Asbury is coming off of a double-overtime thriller against Ohio Christian, in which they took down the third seed 1-0. Last time Point Park faced Asbury, the visiting Pioneers gave up five goals in the second half, losing 5-0. Going into their rematch with the Eagles in Kentucky on Wednesday, Moreschi and her team are looking to pick up where they left off in that first half against Asbury back in Oct. “Asbury is a great team, but we are capable of playing with them and we proved that the first half we played them earlier in the season,” Moreschi said. “We just can’t let off the throttle for the entire 90 minutes or else they could use that as an opportunity. We need to take opportunities we have and capitalize.”
Austin Alkire apalkir@pointpark.edu
Volleyball wins division, set to host RSC tournament By Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief
Point Park volleyball played big games last weekend celebrating the team’s four seniors as well as claiming the River States Conference (RSC) East division title. Clinching the division title, a feat the Pioneers haven’t achieved since 2016, means that Point Park will host the conference championship this weekend, Nov. 15 and 16. “Hosting the conference tournament was a big goal of ours from day one, so we came out excited, focused and had high energy while playing IU East since we knew if we won that we would reach our goal,” sophomore libero Ashley Castelli said. Point Park beat out Indiana University (IU) East for
the No. 1 spot in the RSC East by scores of 26-24, 18-25, 2514 and 25-16 last Friday. “We were so excited and a little nervous to play them,” senior setter Julia Menosky said. “There was so much riding on this game, but even before and during the game, we wanted to win more than anything. We worked all season to get to this point, and we were all in every point.” Point Park’s middle hitters Madison Sima and Jazlyn Rozier played big at the net with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Sima, the top attacker of the match, posted three blocks, and Rozier chipped in two blocks and snagged six digs on defense. Senior Maria Ferragonio led the attack from the pins with 11 kills, freshman Taylor Small followed with nine and senior Haley En-
Joie Knouse | Point Park Athletics Senior Brittney Bianco get ready to serve the ball in Saturday’s matchup against Ohio Christian University.
glish put down six. Setters Menosky and Brittney Bianco split the match with 18 and 19 assists, respectively, and helped out on defense with a combined 21 digs. English led the Pioneer defense with 15 digs, and Castelli finished close behind with 14. Castelli also collected five assists and two of Point Park’s four aces. The positive momentum carried well into the next match day even as emotions ran high, especially in the seniors. “It’s a lot of mixed emotions,” Menosky said. “It feels like yesterday I was a freshman and learning the ropes, and now even though it’s coming to an end, I wouldn’t want to go out any other way. I wanted to leave my mark and legacy, and that is exactly what I did. I’m so proud of the girls and all we’ve done this year. I really couldn’t do it without them.” The Pioneers honored setters Menosky and Bianco and attackers English and Ferragonio, all of whom are key starters for the green and gold. Menosky is the only senior who has played in Point Park’s program for all four years. English transferred to Point Park in 2017 but sat sideline the entire season due to a torn ACL and MCL she suffered during the preseason. Bianco transferred the following season in 2018, and Ferragonio just came to the Pioneers this season. “This year we got really lucky with our seniors because they are all such strong players on the court,” Castelli said. “They are also good leaders and will definitely be missed next year.” The Pioneers dropped
Joie Knouse | Point Park Athletics Junior Jazlyn Rozier goes up for a kill against Ohio Christian University on Saturday. Saturday was also Point Park’s Senior Day.
the first set to Ohio Christian University but reclaimed their dominance to steal the final three sets and seal their regular season record at 22-8, 12-4 RSC. “The team has worked extremely hard to finish the season with two wins, and we are looking forward to carrying that momentum into the playoffs this week,” Ferragonio said. Ferragonio and Small played the big attackers this match with 11 kills each, and English and Rozier tied for second with 10 each. Rozier also recorded four blocks at the net. Menosky and Bianco dished out 19 and 14 assists to their attackers, respectively. Castelli led defense with 15 digs and racked up four aces. Ferragonio also totaled four aces. The Pioneers now look ahead to conference playoffs this weekend. “For conference playoffs, we are working on staying more consistent, eliminating unforced errors and
maintaining high and positive energy throughout each game,” Castelli said. Point Park vs. Asbury University (No. 4 West) will kick off the RSC Quarterfinals at 11 a.m. on Friday in the Student Center Gym. Brescia University, the No. 1 overall seed, will play the second matchup against Rio Grande University at 1:30 p.m. Following the second match, an award ceremony will be held to announce the all-conference teams and awards. If Point Park advances, they will face off against the winner of the IU Kokomo, defending RSC champion, and IU East contest at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the semifinal round. The finals will take place on Saturday at 6 p.m. “We’re working on fine tuning the little things, serving aggressive, hitter/setter connection, off-blocker defense, and just having that all in mentality,” Menosky said.
Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu