Point Park Globe Spring 2020 Issue 4

IN THIS ISSUE: PAGE

4 PAGE 6 PAGE 7

@PPUGlobe January 29, 2020

Student play evokes raw emotion by connecting with audience Co-Opinions Editor Shannon Hartnett questions the integrity of TikTok Senior guard Tyra James ties school record for most career 3-pointers ppuglobe.com

Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967

Issue 4

PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME City of Pittsburgh tops charts with

worst air quality in United States Jake Dabkowski Co-News Editor

Alexis Wary | The Globe Freshman forensic science major Chad Mercer makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the Feed the Many event hosted CAB and SAIL in Lawrence Hall Lobby on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The event was a part of last week’s events dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s name and cause.

President details actions of university inclusion plan Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief

Point Park University President Paul Hennigan sent an email to the student body, faculty and staff on Monday evening listing the actions in the university’s plan to enhance its culture regarding inclusion.

This email comes after the semester’s first town hall style meetings on Jan. 13 and 15. The email from the Office of the President extended a thank you to all who participated in the open forums.

Hennigan says the information provided by attendees will be “valuable” to building the culture of Point Park.

The actions listed in the email will happen concurrently as Hennigan realizes multiple actions must happen at the same time.

Hennigan announced in the email that a full-time position titled “Director of Inclusion” has been created.

The position will work closely with Vanessa Love and report directly to Lisa Stefanko, Vice President of Human Resources.

The president commended Love, Director of Title IX and Diversity, for filling a gap in university leadership well and said she will maintain an important role in inclusion strategies.

The second announce-

ment in the email revealed the process for forming the university-wide Steering Committee for Inclusion. As of Monday, students, faculty and staff can submit an application to join the committee.

The email explained the committee will have a maximum of 20 participants, 10 from the student body and 10 from the faculty and staff. Hennigan expressed the importance of representation from all schools and undergraduate and graduate programs.

Hennigan sees the committee operating with subteams, including Communications, Policies and Procedures, Specific Advisory Teams, Student Assistance and Diversity by the Numbers. Applicants are encouraged to identify which sub-team they are interested in.

“The goal of the Steering Committee is to identify opportunities, develop strategies and report on accountability in areas that will create an inclusive environment on campus,” Hennigan wrote in the email.

Applications are due Feb. 7 and can be submitted to Stefanko or returned to the Human Resources office.

The first Steering Committee meeting will be held no later than Mar. 14.

Dara Collins

dmcolli2@pointpark.edu

The city of Pittsburgh had the worst air quality in the United States on Thursday, Jan. 23. That statistic was reported by AirNow, a website that the government uses to track the air quality of the entire country.

According to the site, on Jan. 23, the Air Quality Index (AQI) for the Liberty-Clairton area was 159, which is considered unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For comparison, Beijing, China, which is considered to have some of the worst air on the planet, had an AQI of 184, according to AQICN.org, a website dedicated to tracking the air quality of major cities in China.

According to AirNow. gov, a website run by the EPA, when Air Quality is unhealthy, “everyone may begin to experience health effects” and “members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.” Sensitive groups include people with lung disease, children, older

adults and people who are more active outside than others.

The EPA states that high AQI can cause irritation to the eyes and lungs. It also damages and inflames the cells that line the lungs, and can cause permanent lung damage. It can cause asthma and typically aggravates asthma in people who already have the condition, often to the point of needing medical attention.

Unhealthy air quality isn’t a new issue for Pittsburgh, it’s been a problem for almost a century. By the 1940s, Pittsburgh’s air was so polluted that the sky appeared black from coal pollution almost all the time. In 1941 Pittsburgh passed laws intended to fix air pollution, and while these laws brought clear improvements, they still aren’t perfect.

This all comes from the back of a controversial essay recently written by a Google employee entitled “When better isn’t good enough: Why I tell my Google co-workers and industry peers to avoid Pittsburgh.”

The essay, which was pub-

lished in PublicSource, a non-profit newsroom based in Pittsburgh, details Dennis Towne, a Google employee and his experiences with Pittsburgh’s air since moving to the city. Towne writes “an obnoxious stench in the mornings, a mix of smells resembling coal tar and sulfur” as well as waking up “in the middle of the night to a stench that burns the lungs and turns the stomach.”

Google issued a response to the statement, in which they made clear that the views of this employee are not the views of the company, and that they remain clear to the public that Google remains committed to Pittsburgh. At the same time, Google acknowledged their commitment to provide the local government with technological innovations to improve the air quality.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald seems even less concerned by the article. “For people that have lived here and grown

POLLUTION page 3

Inadequate facilities generate photography department unrest Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect

The photography department, currently housed within the School of Communications, has been in a state of unrest due to inadequate facilities, according to the head of the department, April Friges.

The department currently has its facilities on the fifth floor of Academic Hall, where there are several photography labs and the walls hold

cloth-covered panels and push pins for students to display and critique their work.

When Camryn Drabenstadt, a junior B.F.A. photography major, hung up her project in the hallway, she said that she wasn’t expecting that there would be any issues.

However, her photos, collages that contain pornographic scenes and nudity, were the catalyst that eventually led to Public Safety’s involvement.

Jared Murphy | The Globe There are signs posted throughout the fifth floor of Academic Hall that state the photography staff’s support for student work.

Chief Jeffrey Besong stated that Public Safety was called to the fifth floor of Academic Hall on Nov. 9, 2019 at 1:17 p.m. He stated that officers responded to a “loud argument” that pertained to “some materials hanging on the wall that was offending some students.” But Drabenstadt, who was not present for the altercation but was aware of its occurrence, claims that it was professors who have offices on the fifth floor of Academic Hall who were offended.

“It was the three people that have offices on this floor,” Drabenstadt said. “It was three of them, two guys and a lady. And I guess that April [Friges] heard them yelling, and she went over and got really defensive. And I guess they felt threatened, so they called Public Safety.”

Friges confirmed that it was professors who were offended by the work. However, Friges also believes that this incident could have been avoided if photography students had access to a space more suitable than a hallway to display their work. Friges stated that during her time at the university, which has

PHOTO page 2

Weather Forecast

Today: Cloudy H 36, L 23

Thursday: Cloudy, H 40, L 27 Friday: Cloudy, H 40, L 30 Saturday: Rain/Snow H 41, L 31

Sunday: Snow, H 37, L 31 Monday: Cloudy, H 45, L 38 Tuesday: Rain, H 45, L 33

Point Park

GLOBE

2

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Concerns surround money allocation for Drake Bell event SGA

By Sarah Gibson SGA Beat Writer

The Student Government Association (SGA) of Point Park University discussed Spring I funding at their meeting on Jan. 27. After the funding period closed last week, SGA decided to allocate $14,051.68 to different Point Park clubs and $10,200 to the internal SGA budget.

Some concern was addressed after announcing the amount that each club would get. SAEM club was asking for a considerable amount of money for an upcoming Drake Bell concert.

“I was under the impression that there was a concern with the SAEM club allocation, specifically the fact that we are funding a Drake Bell concert, which sold tickets before that money was allocated, and now put the burden on us to foot the bill,” President Jake Berlin said on the matter.

Senator Hattie Charney explained that part of the issue with the concert was that students would not only be paying for the concert via their student activity fee should SGA fund it, but were also being expected to pay for tickets.

Senator Charney noted that in previous years, SGA has

Sarah Gibson | The Globe Lillian Hinckley (left) of the School of Arts and Sciences and Chris Blount (right) of COPA are sworn in as senators at Monday’s SGA meeting.

agreed to help foot the bill for concerts, so long as students weren’t charged. Communications Director Kari Dettorre made sure to mention that this concert is not going to be in the Playhouse, where students are normally expected to pay for tickets, but in the Lawrence Hall Ballroom.

It was explained by Vice President Grace Tyler Frank-Rempel that the reason students were being asked to pay is because of incidentals, such as a possible situation where Drake Bell could not

JAN. 23, 2020 - JAN 28. 2020

Thursday, January 23rd 1:00 a.m. - Lawrence Hall Harassment

Saturday, January 25th 1:00 a.m. - Lawrence Hall Drug Violation

Sunday, January 26th 7:30 p.m. - 3rd Ave. Disorderly Conduct

Alysse Baer | The Globe

Besong promotes safety at bus lanes Luke Mongelli Co-News Editor

A Port Authority bus in North Oakland struck and killed a University of Pittsburgh student on Saturday, Jan. 19.

Barbara Como, a 20-year -old senior anthropology major, was hit at the intersection of De Soto Street and Fifth Avenue around 12:15 p.m. Como was transported to UPMC Presybyterian Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

“As the Pitt community mourns the loss of one of our students, we send our heartfelt sympathy to her family and friends,” University of Pittsburgh officials said.

Since the crash, a statement was released from the Port Authority saying that the operator of the bus at the time of the crash has been placed on a temporary suspension from driving while the incident is under investigation.

“Everyone at Port Authority is deeply saddened by the tragic event that claimed the life of Barbara Como on Saturday afternoon,” Port Authority officials said. “Our

heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to her family and friends. The operator involved in this incident will not be driving until the completion of the ongoing investigations by both Pittsburgh police and Port Authority.”

It is still unknown at this time whether Como used the crosswalk or not.

Point Park University Police Chief Jeffrey Besong encourages students to be aware of their surroundings during their commutes, or navigating their way through campus to attend classes.

“I worked in Oakland as Chief of Police at Carlow University, and I know how dangerous the bus lanes can be for pedestrians,” Besong said. “I am concerned about the bus lane that runs right through our campus at Point Park, and would caution all students, faculty and staff to adhere to the crossing signs, do not try to ‘beat the light’ and always look both ways before crossing.”

Luke Mongelli

lrmonge@pointpark.edu

show up or perform, and SGA refuses to pay for incidental fees with funding.

After this discussion, a friendly amendment was made to revoke the money that SGA was originally going to allocate for the Drake Bell concert. The motion passed.

During cabinet reports, President Berlin reported that after meeting with Student Affairs and Enrollment committee, he finally came to an agreement with the registrar so students can be notified in advance when their courses

are rescheduled or cancelled, as well as whenever course offerings are locked in for upcoming semesters.

Dettorre, the Communications Director, also announced that SGA now has a TikTok account, and it can be found @sgappu.

SGA also appointed two members during Monday’s meeting. Chris Blount, from COPA and Lillian Hinkley, from the School of Arts and Sciences. After the two explained why they wanted to be in SGA, the motion to

swear them in passed without dissent.

During the second open floor, President Pro-Tempore Bryce Hayzlett announced that only about 50-percent of senators had sent him their office hours, and he requested that senators at the very least wear the SGA polos as specified in the SGA dress code. Parliamentarian Jess Wrzosek agreed and added that SGA had been relaxed regarding office hours and attendance in committee meetings. Recording Secretary Jordyn Hronec added that the legislative body meeting was one senator away from not reaching quorum. Senator Dennis McDermott reminded the senators that this was a censureable offense, and while he’s the “last person” who would want to censure someone, he would have to start if attendance did not improve.

To end the meeting, Vice President Frank-Rempel announced that it was the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and Holocaust Remembrance Day, and requested a moment of silence in honor of the victims involved in the Holocaust. This concluded the meeting.

Sarah Gibson

sagibso@pointpark.edu

Photography classes held in hallway, projects censored from PHOTO page 1 been six years, she has been advocating for better facilities for the department, even making her own suggestions.

“I’ve gone face to face with every administrator under the moon,” Friges said.

Friges also said that in 2016, she conducted a “fiveyear program review,” with suggestions for the future based on the department’s needs. Friges stated that so far, it doesn’t seem as though her suggestions have been taken into consideration.

Lisa Stefanko, the Vice President of Human Resources, stated that the occurrence with Drabenstadt’s art falls under Title VII, which states that harassment is unlawful when “the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.”

Stefanko also stated that because the critique space is in a hallway, which is public, minors may also be present, which could be unlawful.

She stated that photography critiques were moved into a “private space.”

Friges stated that an of-

fice on the second floor of Academic Hall was proposed as a space for Drabenstadt to display her work. Both Friges and Stefanko agreed that this space was not optimal for long-term use.

However, Stefanko stated that a long-term space for students to display and critique their work was in the process of being finalized. She stated that construction would occur over the summer.

This development occurred following Friges’ interview with The Globe, though according to Drabenstadt, she has since been notified.

This information was confirmed by university spokesman, Lou Corsaro.

However, what happened with Drabenstadt’s work raised the question within the department and the university of what can be considered art.

“Our program is about exploring tough subjects,” Friges said. “That’s what’s art.”

Friges compared Drabenstadt’s work to that of Mickalene Thomas, an artist whose work has been featured in the Museum of Modern Art. “My project is about the implications that por-

Jared Murphy | The Globe

The walls of the fifth floor of Acadmic Hall are where photography students display their work.

nographic material has on sex culture,” Drabenstadt said. “And so I was kind of examining a range of decades, like some of it starts in the 40s and 50s and goes up until now, and specifically how men treat their female partners. Like how the line is blurred between what is performed sex and what is actual sex. So I did use pornographic material in my collages, as one would in a project about porn.”

“Camryn was told that her work is not art,” Friges said.

“And I am not a hall monitor.

It’s not in my job description.”

Friges also said that Drabenstadt’s work had been selected by Hannah Turpin, the Curatorial Assistant of Photography and Contemporary Art at the Carnegie Museum of Art, to be in a juried show.

“The university doesn’t have a policy that says you can only create one type of art or expression,” Stefanko said.

In response to what happened with Drabenstadt’s work, Friges stated that specific signs had to be hung on the fifth floor of Academic Hall.

“Please understand that you are entering a dedicated safe space, where students are allowed to work with difficult subject matter, under the guidance of faculty mentorship,” the signs read. “As you navigate this area, please maintain a high level of professionalism and understanding that not all works of art are designed to depict visual beauty.”

Friges believes that Drabenstadt should continue to create whatever she desires.

“She [Drabenstadt] shouldn’t be fearful,” Friges said. “I can’t tell her not to put her art in the hallway.”

Jordyn Hronec

jthrone@pointpark.edu

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

3

Coronavirus mimics common illnesses Luke Mongelli Co-News Editor

The fifth case of the Wuhan Coronavirus in the United States has been identified by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This particular Coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China. The virus is believed to have spread from a wet market within the city, where raw meat is sold and served alongside live animals that are also sold in the market as well.

The virus has already killed 81 people in China, and thought to have already infected approximately 2,700 more citizens.

In narrow walkways, live and dead animals live in close proximity, allowing the virus to spread much easier than it would on its own.

“Poorly regulated, live animal markets mixed with illegal wildlife trade offer a unique opportunity for viruses to spillover from wildlife hosts into the human population,” the Wildlife Conservation Society revealed in a statement given to Business Insider.

Since the greater outbreak, the wet market responsible for the spread of the coronavirus has closed, and is under further investigation.

Coronavirus’ are viruses usually spread between animals that cause digestive tract and respiratory issues. It is capable to spread to humans, and the main symptoms include mild respiratory infections. In some rare cases, the Coronavirus can be fatal to humans, but in Wuhan, the death toll has spiked.

According to Aljazeera News, the Coronavirus has since made its way from China to: ● Australia - Five confirmed cases ● Cambodia - One confirmed case ● France - Three confirmed cases ● Japan - Four confirmed cases ● Malaysia - Four confirmed cases ● Nepal - One confirmed case ● Singapore - Four confirmed cases ● South Korea - Four confirmed cases ● Taiwan - Three confirmed cases ● Thailand - Eight confirmed cases ● Vietnam - Two confirmed cases There are now five confirmed infections in the United States. The infections have been confirmed in Everett, Wash., Chicago, Ill., Maricopa, Ariz., Los Angeles, Calif. and Orange County, Calif (see map). The CDC is investigating 110 potential cases in 26 different U.S. states as of Monday evening.

The first man diagnosed in the U.S. recently took a trip to Wuhan, and felt the effects when he later returned home.

The woman most recently diagnosed in the United States had also recently traveled to Wuhan, and did not start to feel ill until she arrived home in Chicago.

Neither subject reported using any public transportation, and anyone whom they

had had contact with since their return is being monitored closely through testing.

According to NBC, all five of the known carriers of the Coronavirus are held in isolation at hospitals.

“We ask that any individual who begins to experience symptoms and has recently traveled to Wuhan, or had contact with someone diagnosed with the novel Coronavirus to call their health care provider or hospital before seeking treatment, so that appropriate infection control measures can be put into place,” said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer at the Illinois Department of Public Health in an interview with ABC News.

According to the CDC, common human Coronavirus symptoms include, runny nose, headache, severe cough, fever and a general feeling of being unwell, which in turn makes human Coronavirus difficult to differentiate between everyday common illnesses.

In order to detect this specific strain of virus, a person’s healthcare professional must send for laboratory tests on respiratory specimens and a blood sample in order to gain more specific information.

Although seeming like an impending threat, professionals say that there should not be cause for widespread panic.

“The risk that others have been affected and will be affected is low,” health officials said.

Luke Mongelli

lrmonge@pointpark.edu

Google employee encourages people to ‘avoid Pittsburgh’

Poor air quality a century-old problem from POLLUTION page 1 up here, they realize it’s way better, way better than it’s ever been and continues to get better,” Fitzgerald said when asked about the essay.

Fitzgerald also notes that sulfur dioxide has dropped by 88-percent, however this reduction is not felt by the entire city of Pittsburgh. Spe-

cifically, the air near Clairton Coke Works has only improved 27-percent.

Since Pittsburgh’s population is under 350,000 people, the local government is not required to notify the public of the daily AQI. People looking to find the AQI can view the current air quality status and a weekly forecast on AirNow.gov. Several

mobile phone apps are available, such as Air Quality | Air Visual, which offers current AQI, and forecasts for around the world. Another app is Smell PGH, which is dedicated to tracking the AQI as well as the smell of pollutants for various areas in Pittsburgh.

Jake Dabkowski

jcdabko@pointpark.edu

Alysse Baer | The Globe

Alysse Baer | The Globe

An explanation of Trump’s impeachment process Logan Dubil Staff Writer

The concept of impeachment was implemented into the Constitution to remove any sitting civil officer from office for committing a crime.

Numerous individuals have experienced the impeachment process for a handful of reasons. However, when it comes to offices with higher levels of power, such as the President of the United States, it is expected that these elected persons serve with a higher level of regard to his or her duty.

Due to the spotlight increase, it is extremely rare for a president to go through the impeachment process, as the past men who served have put more effort in following the law.

In fact, the United States only impeached Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, the 17th and 42nd Presidents of the United States, respectively.

On Dec. 18 of last year, President Donald J. Trump joined Johnson and Clinton on the list.

After hours of providing statements and debating, Trump was impeached. The impeachment process is extremely time consuming and difficult for a country to deal with; including hearings, trials and possibly a conviction.

As a result, the process is not rushed. Members of the House of Representatives went back and forth in an attempt to shed some light on the situation at hand.

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, said during the final vote: “You do not uphold our constitution. You do not uphold your oath of office. Well, I will tell you this, I will uphold mine. I will vote to impeach Donald Trump.”

Schiff was not the only one who believed that removing Trump from office was necessary.

“I could not be prouder or more inspired by — than by the moral courage of the House Democrats,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said.

At the end of the process’ first step, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the President on two accounts: Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress.

This article serves to explain Trump’s impeachment in depth, providing details about the before, during, and after of the House’s vote.

Trump’s first account, Abuse of Power, regarded his interactions with Ukraine.

He requested Ukraine’s help to ensure his re-election this upcoming November. Trump

asked Ukraine to publicly announce an investigation regarding Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

The vote on whether to impeach Trump based on his Abuse of Power came down to 230 yes and 197 nos.

His second account is Obstruction of Congress, Congress accused Trump of refusing to permit staff members to testify. The vote on whether to impeach Trump based on his Obstruction of Justice came down to 229 yes and 198 nos.

However, Trump is still serving as the United States President. When impeachment is passed, it does not mean they are immediately removed from office. The concept of impeachment is a vote to press charges against a civil officer. Since the House of Representatives voted to impeach the President, it is now up to the Senate to decide if Trump is convicted or not. In order to do so, the Senate requires 2/3 of its members to support his conviction.

If the Senate votes to convict Trump, his days in the oval office are over, forcing Vice President Mike Pence to take his place. The probability of this happening is extremely low, considering the Senate has a Republican majority.

If the Senate does not vote to convict Trump, he will, like he is now, continue to serve as the 45th President of the United States.

On Jan. 15, the House of Representatives voted to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Chief Justice John Roberts was then sworn in to conduct the trial. Less than a week later, on Jan. 21, the Senate passed a resolution on the ground rules and how the trial will take place.

The next day marked the start of the trial that determines who will lead the country until the next election, Trump or Pence. Both the Democratic and Republican parties were given the opportunity to provide statements in hopes of taking down or saving Trump.

The Senate must now vote to convict Trump of his accused crimes. If 67 members of the Senate vote agree that Trump is guilty, Pence will take over. If not, Trump serves until his term ends or until his possible re-election.

As stated before, Trump has the votes to remain in office, due to the Republican majority in the Senate.

Logan Dubil

lmdubil@pointpark.edu

4

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

FEATURES

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

A student-produced play evokes emotions from crowd

By Sara Cronin Co-Copy Desk Chief

“Glitter in the Snow,” an original play written and directed by Zetra Goodlow, left audiences floored after the play’s three-night debut this past weekend. Lawrence Hall 200 was packed as audience members laughed and danced together, stared at scenes in front of them with tear-filled eyes and clapped ceaselessly as the cast members took their final bow.

The production touched on the theme of sex trafficking, and, although an uncomfortable subject, “Glitter in the Snow” sent home a powerful and moving message thanks to its brilliant playwright Goodlow, a junior performance and practice major.

Goodlow explained that she originally wrote “Glitter in the Snow” as a one-act for her playwriting class. After her classmates were amazed by what she had written, Goodlow decided to expand her work into something more.

“I just went to figure out what I could do to make it happen because I feel like [sex trafficking] is happening so much today, it would be almost stupid not to touch material like that in today’s world,” Goodlow said. “It’s like going to a battle without a gun.”

The play featured an extensive cast filled with captivating dancers and a talented group of actors who brought Goodlow’s original characters to life.

Shannon Williams, a soph-

PIONEER PUBLIC Royce Jones

By Amanda Andrews Co-Features/A&E Editor

When he was in grade school, the first destination on Royce Jones’ mind was his grandmother’s house in New Kensington. There, he would sit with his grandmother and mother at the kitchen table, watching the different talk-shows and broadcasts.

He chuckled before recalling a specific memory from this childhood ritual.

“I would make them actually introduce me,” Jones said. “I would make my family introduce me before I would step in the room, and the dining room would be my set, and I would have a talk show.”

In particular, Jones was fascinated by journalist Vince Sims reporting and anchoring the evening news for WXPI. Jones said that as a black man, he saw a part of himself in Sims.

“I used to just gawk at him on the screen because I thought it was really cool...it was almost like I was look-

omore acting major, played the lead in “Glitter in the Snow” as Willow, a senior in high school who ends up in a sex trafficking incident with her friend Gee Gee after a man slips something into both of their drinks during their night at prom. The play follows Willow as she experiences the traumatic effects that follow her sex trafficking experience, and it shows firsthand how her relationship with both her mother and Gee Gee changes because of the trauma she experienced.

Goodlow explained that she created the play to put emphasis on a subject that is normally kept in the dark and not addressed in today’s society as it should be.

“When we’re on our cell phones, we just scroll, scroll, scroll, see missing girl and then just keep scrolling,” Goodlow said. “It’s just become second thought to us and so my play is you following that person without having the chance to scroll.”

Although some scenes did provide comic relief, such as the funny mother-daughter banter in Willow’s bedroom or the slow-moving, weird-walking teacher that doesn’t know how to get off of the phone with the school’s principal, there were also scenes in the play that made the entire room hold their breath.

“Glitter in the Snow’s” sex trafficking scene was one of the most intense and powerful scenes in the entire play.

The scene was not inappropriate, but was sensitive in a way

that made its audience want to squirm and cover their ears, or even want to look away as the dancers circled Willow, breathing heavily with an eerie look of determination. The scene made the audience feel as if they were there and part of the scene themselves.

“I couldn’t believe I was watching a student-written show,” Maddie Kote, a sophomore theater arts major said. “It brought me to tears; I thought it was so beautiful.”

ing at myself in an older manifestation, talking back at me,” Jones said.

Jones has made his young aspirations to be on-camera turn into a reality. Jones currently works as a freelance reporter at KDKA on the weekends and has more than two years of experience reporting and anchoring for two local television stations. He does all of this while still finishing his studies as a senior broadcast major at Point Park.

However, he didn’t always imagine a career in broadcast for himself.

“So I really went back and forth for a lot of years about what did I want to do because I cannot invest my time into something that I’m not fulfilled with,” Jones said. “Because if I’m passionate about something, especially whenever it comes to work, I’m going to fully put the pedal to the metal and give it all I got.”

Being “spiritually fulfilled” with his work was a priority for his career, and he got an extremely early start to the work world.

Jones began washing dishes at a family friend’s restaurant when he was 12 years old. From there, he worked at a McDonald’s when he was 15 and then jumped into various jobs with retail fashion just a year later. An avid shopper, Jones used his charismatic charm to secure managerial positions at clothing stores

right up until the summer of senior year at Point Park.

While working with customers, he discovered his talent as a people-person.

Due to this interest and his love of family, Jones decided to abandon a potential gig in modeling and acting in New York City after graduating high school and instead attended Westmoreland County Community College as a marketing major for a semester.

After deciding that was not the path for him, Jones came to Point Park as a transfer student in the spring semester, wanting to pursue radio. He was quickly swayed to switching to a career in TV after everyone involved in radio told him that he was meant for TV. Knowing it was a competitive industry, Jones dove right in, researching on how to get ahead and secure himself multiple internships and a job offer before he walked on the stage for graduation.

“When I’m doing that research, I was reading their bios, I’m seeing where these reporters came from, what experiences they had,” Jones said. “Are there any organizations that they’re members of that I should be in?

What are they doing that I need to do so that I can have their job?”

It was during his research that he stumbled across the Emma Bowen Foundation, a nonprofit organization that places

By the end of the show after the lights came up, every audience member rose to their feet, clapping loudly and cheering. Goodlow, the final member of the play to be recognized, received an incredible amount of applause and appreciation for her work.

“I [was] speechless of how amazing it was put together and well written, I didn’t even know what to say,” sophomore theater arts major Jesse Chovanec said.

At the end of its weekend debut, “Glitter in the Snow” had a lasting impact on its audience members, empowering them to not passively scroll over another incidence of sex trafficking, but rather to wake up and become aware of issues similar to Willow’s without being able to glance away.

Read the full story at ppuglobe.com

Sara Cronin scroni@pointpark.edu

BSU brings Greek life back to campus

By Amanda Andrews Co-Features/A&E Editor

The Black Student Union (BSU) held an event called “Black Student Union Presents: Meet The Greeks” on Jan. 21 to inform BSU members and other students of color about opportunities for Greek life in the city.

Ryan Dunston, a senior psychology major and secretary of BSU, organized the event. He said the purpose of the event was to raise awareness about different city-wide chapters focused on African American students.

“It was mainly realizing that we go to a PWI (predominantly white institution) and not [an] HBCU (historically black college or university), and with that entails not fully being able to access information about Greek life, so people only think that the normal Greek life exists with whites, per se,” Dunston said. “People don’t believe that there are Af-

rican American organizations out there.”

Dunston himself is the president of a city-wide chapter at Duquesne University.

His grandfather is the founder of the larger organization Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, which has over 250 locations across the world, according to their website. Due to his grandfather’s contributing role, Dunston is considered “superlegacy.”

Four different fraternities and sororities set up tables around the room where students could freely move around and ask the organizations questions. Among those present included Iota Phi Theta, Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma.

Phi Beta Sigma’s president, Cameron Clarke of the University of Pittsburgh, provided historical context for why black students felt they had to form their own Greek life organizations: “...the reason why there is

black Greek life is because historically, we weren’t allowed into the white sororities or fraternities [and] we didn’t feel as though we belonged. And so, we made the Greek life...with Divine Nine,” Clarke said.

“Divine Nine” or the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), founded in 1930, is made up of nine historically Greek-lettered African American sororities and fraternities.

Sophomore multimedia major Darius Walden said he attended the networking event to hang out with friends.

Walden said he was interested in potentially joining a fraternity because of the event.

“I’m thinking about it.

Our school doesn’t have any [Greek life], so I might do it,” Walden said.

Read the full story at ppuglobe.com

Amanda Andrews aaandre@pointpark.edu

Royce Jones | Submitted

students of color with apprenticeships. The apprenticeships allow the students to work in communications with major local and national stations, free of charge to the students.

After a rigorous interview process, Jones had a four-year internship in place with KDKA where he would work full-time during summers. Every day, he would shoot a few stories and write them up for the reporters or the anchors.

As an intern, he himself was never shown on-camera, despite collecting the necessary information for a multitude of stories. After a little over a year interning at KDKA, Jones felt that he needed a new experience to expand on his knowledge of the industry.

“You got to crawl before you walk, you got to walk before you run but I think that’s

definitely just the nature of it. I mean, you’re going to do a lot of other people’s work,” Jones said. “It’s just what you got to do. You got to pay your dues, and at that point in time I’m like ‘I think I paid mine.’ I think my dues have been paid in full.”

When he discovered there were no on-air opportunities at KDKA at the time, Jones decided to cast his net elsewhere. He was surprised after emailing the news director at WTRF, a news station in West Virginia, that they wanted to hire him on as a reporter and anchor.

With that development, Jones left KDKA, although even back then he insisted he’d be coming back.

Read the full story at ppuglobe.com

Amanda Andrews aaandre@pointpark.edu

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

A&E

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

5

‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ disappoints with new season

By Amanda Andrews and Tia Bailey Co-Features/A&E Editors

Rating: Where to watch: Netflix Everyone’s favorite teen witch, Sabrina Spellman, is back—this time to rescue her boyfriend from Hell—in the third season of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”

Netflix released season three on Friday, Jan. 24 to stream. This season has eight episodes in total, each about an hour long. Minimal spoilers for the series ahead.

To recap, Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) is a teen half-witch, half-mortal, who is trying to balance life as a normal teen at Baxter High while practicing witchcraft and attending the Academy of Unseen Arts.

The first season dealt with Sabrina trying to live a more normal life but ended with her signing her name in the Book of the Beast, meaning she was bound to do the Devil or, as he’s known in the show, Dark Lord’s bidding whenever he asked.

The second season followed Sabrina as she embraced her darker, witchy side with plot revolving around the shocking revelation that she was actually Lucifer Morningstar’s daughter. He wanted her to conquer the Earth and rule Hell alongside him, but her

boyfriend Nick Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood) stopped that from happening by trapping Lucifer (Luke Cook) inside of him. Lilith (Michelle Gomez), the new queen of Hell who also masqueraded as Sabrina’s favorite high school teacher, took Nick back to Hell with her to ensure Satan would never be freed.

The third season begins with Sabrina determined to rescue Nick from Hell.

Meanwhile, her cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) and Prudence Blackwood (Tati Gabrielle) search the world for revenge against Faustus Blackwood (Richard Coyle), a power-hungry warlock who has served as an antagonist through the seasons. The Academy of Unseen Arts and the witch coven is being run

by Sabrina’s two aunts, Zelda Spellman (Mirando Otto) and Hilda Spellman (Lucy Davis).

The first few episodes follow Sabrina as she actually rescues Nick, and has to become the Queen of Hell in order to stop Caliban—the Prince of Hell—from ruling Hell himself.

This comes with many challenges, such as bringing people who have sold their souls to Hell, and an eventual competition when Caliban (Sam Corlett) challenges Sabrina for her position on the throne.

While this is happening, Sabrina’s coven is slowly losing its powers, which Zelda and Hilda desperately try to find

ways to fix. However, Sabrina has brought Nick/Lucifer into the Academy, where an angry Lucifer wreaks havoc on the coven.

Meanwhile, Sabrina’s high school friends, Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch), Rosalind Walker (Jaz Sinclair) and Theo Putnam (Lachlan Watson) are helping Sabrina in every way they can while still balancing their own lives as well. Harvey and Roz contemplate taking the next step in their relationship, while Theo meets a new love interest, Robin Goodfellow (Jonathan Whitesell), who is new in town.

A whole new cast of allies and villains alike were introduced this season along with the old favorites. Besides Caliban, the coven and the world itself face deadly threats from a group of supernatural pagans disguising themselves as a human carnival troupe. Prudence and Ambrose also make a friend in Mambo Michelle Marie LaFleur (Skye Marshall) who is drawn to the coven— and more specifically, Zelda.

As obvious as it may seem, part three of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” has far too many plot points. The season only has eight hour-long episodes to tell at least six major storylines, not to mention the dozens of other minor ones scattered throughout the episodes. There are even instances in the writing where it is clear the creators have either forgotten or ignored events that

happened in just the previous season alone.

Romance and sex are also at the forefront of this edition and not in any particularly sexy way, either. Some characters are shamed for being virgins, while others for being sexually promiscuous. In true teen drama fashion, most characters are unable to stay in any committed relationship, and the story comes up with very conspicuous obstacles to keep particular characters apart or, alternatively, force them together.

Even more frustratingly, much of what had been praised last season was completely undone throughout the episodes in part three, concluding with an extremely dissatisfying, puzzling finale that tried vainly to replicate Avengers’ Endgame time travel logic, despite this being a show about magic.

The show continues to be darkly lit, a recurring problem from the first two seasons, although it seemed to be exacerbated this season. At a variety of points too, there are awkward close-ups on characters’ faces among other noticeable technical problems.

It is obvious that the showrunners are attempting to tie “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” closer to the CW’s “Riverdale.” Both properties are based on Archie Comics and many of the same executive and production teams work on both shows. There is

even an episode where Sabrina and Ambrose travel to “Riverdale,” and the actor portraying Robin (Jonathan Whitesell) originally starred in “Riverdale.” Fans of the last two seasons may be dismayed to find unnecessary singing characteristic of “Riverdale” features in several episodes.

The standout performance of the season was easily given by Otto as Zelda Spellman.

Her struggle to maintain order within the coven, scramble to keep her family together and prevent the end of the world is by far the most compelling and comprehensive storyline.

Beyond just the writing, Otto masterfully conveys emotional nuances that a novice actor could not possibly pull off.

Without giving too much away, her performance in the last two episodes is a particular delight to watch.

Despite the newest installment of “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” feeling rushed and bloated with unnecessary storylines and characters, ardent fans will probably want to watch to satisfy their curiosity from last season’s ending.

Here’s hoping part four will make a little more sense.

Read the full story at ppuglobe.com

Amanda Andrews aaandre@pointpark.edu Tia Bailey tbaile@pointpark.edu

Grammys brings drama, leaves future unclear

By Chandni Shah Copy Editor

Jordyn Hronec | The Globe AJR plays at Robert Morris University’s UPMC Events Center on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

AJR plays for largest Pittsburgh crowd to date at UPMC Events Center

By Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect

Rating: In 2013, a song titled “I’m Ready,” which sampled the musical stylings of Spongebob Squarepants, was released.

The song, perhaps due to its bizarre sampling, was certified platinum in 2015.

The men responsible for this hit were Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, the three New York City brothers who make up the band AJR. Since “I’m Ready,” AJR has released several EP’s and full-length albums, the most recent of which was the masterpiece titled “Neotheater.”

This album and the Neotheater World Tour is what, according to Jack, brought AJR back to Pittsburgh for their fifth visit.

The concert held on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the newly-constructed UPMC Events Center on Robert Morris University’s campus. According to the brothers, it was the largest Pittsburgh venue they had

seen thus far. They revealed that their first Pittsburgh show took place at the Altar Bar in the Strip District, a venue that has since closed permanently. Just last year for The Click Tour, the band visited Stage AE, a venue that the brothers noted was half the size of the UPMC Events Center.

The group, Almost Monday, a three-man band from San Diego, warmed up the crowd before AJR took the stage, and they did a pretty good job. They played their new song “Parking Lot View” for the Pittsburgh crowd before its release several days later.

When AJR took the stage, they began with the first song on “Neotheater,” “Next Up Forever.” AJR samples a 1930s’-esque orchestral choir throughout the album, and this song opens with some pretty lofty chords. The song has a “grand opening” aura, making it the perfect opening song for a concert, as well as a first album track.

Throughout the show, AJR played songs from “Neotheater” as well as some pop-

ular hits from their previous album, “The Click.” Some of these tracks, such as “Weak” and “Sober Up,” which features Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, had gained incredible popularity as singles.

Aside from the music, the standout features of this show were definitely AJR’s use of a giant screen behind the stage. During the song “The Entertainment’s Here,” Jack, while performing, walked on a treadmill as the screen displayed a neighborhood moving past him. At one point, he even grabbed an umbrella as the screen displayed a rainstorm and subsequent rising floodwaters. At another point in the show, trumpeter J.J. Fitzpatrick, who joined the brothers for The Click Tour as well, played and walked along to a mashup of AJR hits as the song titles floated by on clouds displayed on the screen.

Read the full story at ppuglobe.com

Jordyn Hronec jthrone@pointpark.edu

This year’s Grammy Awards held many surprises, but the predictions and outcomes of the awards were straight forward.

Billie Eilish took home five awards out of the six that she was nominated for, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. This isn’t surprising to most fans because she wrote some of the most trending songs of 2019, as we all know the tune, “Bad Guy.” Another surprise of the night, although she was nominated for three categories, Taylor Swift flaked on the awards show altogether. Online news outlets such as The New York Post and CNN say that it is unclear why she decided not to show, but that it is plausible to assume it was because she knew that she wasn’t going to win.

The beloved Lizzo started off her Grammy performance with addressing the death of Kobe Bryant, a tragedy that happened earlier that day.

She won three categories including Best Pop Solo Performance for her empowering song “Truth Hurts,” a tune that one can call the female anthem of 2019. Although Lizzo’s sound is unique and is not appealing to some, Pitchfork, an online music reviewer says, “Lizzo’s music performs an important social function. The sound might disappoint, but there will be people moved to transformations of their own thanks to her songs.”

Ariana Grande, Bon Iver and H.E.R. were nominated for multiple categories, but did not win any Grammys this year--mostly due to the fact that Eilish and Lizzo swept the top categories.

There were many performances this year including Ariana Grande, Lizzo, Demi Lovato, Aerosmith, H.E.R. and many others. Billboard, another music reviewer, says, “the healing, cathartic power of music prevailed and led to genuinely moving and excellent showings from artists across all genres.” Every single performance meant something to all of the viewers and ranged from new artists to ones that have performed in past award shows, making the event significant to everyone who watched.

For some it was very unfortunate to see their favorite artists lose their category (-ies), but the Grammys are known for having some controversy. Deborah Dugan, the Chief Executive of the Recording Academy (overseer of the Grammy Awards), was placed on leave just a little over a week before the Grammys, after being accused of bullying. Dugan filed a discrimination complaint, and it is unclear at this time if we can really trust the Grammys to tell the public what music and producers are really “the best of the best.”

Some of the most popular artists have declined being considered for The Grammys and have questioned their integrity. Frank Ocean was one of these artists, saying that the Grammy award process “doesn’t seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down.”

If things don’t change in the industry, the future of music has an unclear path and we will continue to see the artists we love today, step out of the Grammy Awards altogether.

Chandni Shah crshah@pointpark.edu

6

OPINIONS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

THE

GL BE’S POINT A health crisis at home

Currently, the world is closely watching an outbreak of the Coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. As reported in the news section, the virus has spread to several other countries with travelers returning from this area. There have been five cases confirmed in the U.S. at the time this article was written.

Throughout human history, outbreaks of different viruses and diseases terrorized populations. This has only become worse as travel became easier and more sophisticated. Currently, the city of Wuhan is under quarantine and airports across the globe are on high alert.

However, here at Point Park, there is one issue that students have started to notice. The Health Center, located on the second floor of Thayer Hall, has had its door shut, lights off and an “appointments only” sign taped up on the door.

Previously, the Health Center moved to “appointments only” at some points

during the day, but had stayed open for walk-ins during their main daytime hours during the week. However, for the past few weeks, the hand-written sign has been a permanent fixture.

This makes little sense.

One reason is due to the fact that the Health Center is not suitable for treating most illnesses. In fact, the majority of the time, students who visit the Health Center are sent to a downtown UPMC doctor. The Health Center is not suitable for emergencies, though in some instances, students may need to visit in an emergency for guidance.

It’s weird and inefficient for students to schedule an appointment only to be sent to another appointment. The Health Center was designed to be a place for busy college students to be able to quickly stop in and receive some advice. Asking students to schedule an appointment is simply not suitable.

Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

TikTok: entertainment or epidemic?

In 2017, Music.ly came into the social media platform. It was designed for users to post videos of themselves dancing and lip-synching to popular songs. However, the world turned on its side when the app changed its name to TikTok and users began changing the quality of their content. Now, instead of strictly posting dance videos, it has become a form full of funny videos, storytelling, acting perspectives and generally anything the user can think of.

Recently, as in the last couple months, I personally feel that TikTok has exploded on the internet. Opinions vary from die-hard fans who love the app to luddites who refuse to watch any of the videos. A few months ago I didn’t know what the renegade was, I didn’t know what a VSCO girl was, I never heard the phrase “Okay Boomer” uttered and I really didn’t think I would include scrolling through TikTok into my daily social media usage. Yes, I am admitting it here that I use TikTok. I also blame my 14-year-old sister for my slight obsession I have. She would send me videos that I found myself laughing at until I finally gave in and downloaded the app.

It started as a slow descent into obsession. At first, I didn’t use it much, then as time went on, I found myself on the app more and more. Then, at last, I

made an account.

I feel slightly ashamed to be admitting this. I am a 20-year-old college student, surely, I have better things to do to occupy my time. Regardless of my bad habits and poor time management decisions, TikTok is something to talk about. Other news surrounding the app includes: The Chinese government can steal all of our information through the app, the app allows child predators access to provocative videos of underage girls and that the app is encouraging these said videos in order to become famous.

Now the validity of these statements is the bulk of my commentary about TikTok. First, the issue concerning the Chinese government. Apparently, they censor any material that criticizes their government. Many people who have made videos about the Hong Kong protests or have simply created a video making fun of the governing bodies is shut down. While this does present an issue, it hasn’t gained as much traction in the United States. The problem that U.S. users have with the app is that they reserve the right to all content published on the app. Users have found their own content being used for ads without compensation for their work. While I see this as a problem, it doesn’t outwardly concern me right now.

The big issue that I see with this app is the promo-

tion of underage girls dancing sexually on the app. Many would say the parents of said child should be monitoring their kid’s phone usage and that the blame falls on them.

Others would say the app itself is at fault for not monitoring the ages of viewers or content being put out. Then there are people who would blame the girls for posting the content, despite their clear innocent displacement. Again, regardless of where to place the blame, it is a clear problem with the platform and unfortunately, I don’t have any solutions on how to solve the issue. I don’t think young girls barely past the age of 15 should be sexualized as they are on this platform.

This is where I start to think about my usage of the app. Everyone needs joy in their lives and TikTok gives me just that. Does the fact that I have the app downloaded mean that I am a part of the problem? I would say no, because I am not one of the perverted adults using the app for ill reasons. I use the app to laugh and for mindless scrolling when my brain needs a break from homework. Where should the line be drawn between minors and internet content? This is a bigger issue that follows all social media platforms, but how do we as users combat this issue?

Trump the president.” Her legacy is nothing but failure, and she has been completely forgotten except for the phrase, “Just chilling in Cedar Rapids.” My only request is that she stop trying so hard to interject herself into everyone else’s business. Accept your loss and go spend the rest of your life hanging out with Bill, he probably needs someone to talk to seeing as one of his good friends passed away earlier this year.

And another thing: why does she think saying that people in Washington don’t like him will hurt him? Most Americans don’t trust politi-

cians whatsoever, it’s literally what got Trump elected in the first place-he wasn’t a politician. His plan to drain the swamp and end corruption: Did he do that? Obviously not, but that message resonated more with voters than “nothing will fundamentally change.”

Alright, time to bring it full circle here. Hillary says no one likes him. I like him. 73% of Democrats like him. According to a Morning Consult poll, he’s the most liked senator in America. Five million different people donated to his campaign. Maybe Washington doesn’t like Bernie, but

the people do. While Hillary Clinton, Neera Tanden, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the political establishment spend their time fighting back and stirring the pot, millions of everyday working-class Americans are ready to fight to get Bernie Sanders in the White House. As the Senator said in his 2015 memoir, “Outside in the White House,” “I have cast some lonely votes, fought some lonely fights, mounted some lonely campaigns, but I do not feel lonely now.”

By Shannon Hartnett Co-Opinions Editor

Shannon Hartnett snahrtn@pointpark.edu

Bernie Sanders has supporters despite Clinton’s claims

By Jake Dabkowski Co-News Editor

Recently, Hillary Clinton was asked about Bernie Sanders. “Nobody likes him,” she said, claiming he had no allies in Congress. It’s a bizarre statement to make, especially since many of the current Democratic candidates claim to be friends of his. Elizabeth Warren repeatedly stated that she views him as a friend and ally. Amy Klobuchar cited a bill she worked on with Sanders during the last debate.

Pete Buttigieg wrote an essay in college praising Sanders’ consistency and commitment

to making the world a better place. So, I wonder where on earth Hillary Clinton gets the notion that “no one likes him.”

One explanation is that she blames him for her loss in 2016, despite him participating in more rallies for her than she did for herself in the leadup to the election. The real explanation: she fears him winning. She represents the very political establishment that Sanders takes on. Clinton knows that Sanders defeating Trump proves just how incompetent she is. America collectively agreed: “you fail the vibe check so much that we’re going to make Donald

Jake Dabkowski jcdabko@pointpark.edu

Philadelphia mascot Gritty accused of assault, finally shows true grit

By Sarah Gibson Co-Opinions Editor

Point Park, this week I come to you not as the Opinions Editor or SGA Beat Writer (though those are two positions I do currently occupy).

Today, I come to you as the Senior Mascot Correspondent from the Pioneer Sideline, and today I’m here to talk about Mascots. Specifically, I’m here to talk about everyone’s favorite: Gritty. I’m here to tell you why he’s soft.

Gritty as a mascot is loved because he’s funny.

He makes lots of silly social

media posts and one time he swung down into the Wells Fargo Center to Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” He’s gone streaking during an outdoor match against the Penguins and he beat up Santa Claus once. Actually, several Santa Clauses, but you can’t tell me that one isn’t as fake as Monday Night Raw. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Gritty lacks what his name alludes to: Grit.

Gritty is funny, playful and until recently, nonviolent. He was the Jake Paul of mascots.

He’s a clout chaser. He’s in it

for the fame, for the laughs and for the airpods and hermit crabs, which he asked for in a tweet as presents for his first birthday.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been saying “until recently.” That’s because Gritty has finally done what needed to be done to earn his Philly mascot stripes: he beat up a kid. Allegedly, of course. If you haven’t seen what is the most prevalent mascot news of the year so far, Gritty is being investigated in a criminal lawsuit. He is accused of punching the 13-year-old

child of a season ticket holder for the Flyers.

I’d like to say here that as Sarah Gibson, human being, Sister, Daughter and Friend; I think that assaulting children is bad and that nobody should do it. I feel bad for the kid who got (allegedly) punched.

But, as the Mark-Madden-esque persona of Sarah Gibson, Senior Mascot Correspondent, I think that this is precisely what needed to happen to Gritty to make him a bona-fide Philadelphia Mascot.

The strength in Philly

Mascots is their, no pun intended, grit. The Philly Phanatic is the most sued mascot in history. He shot a friendly pig mascot meant to advertise $1 hot dog day with a hot dog gun. That pig mascot got hit with several hot dogs at 98 miles an hour. The Phanatic used that same hot dog gun on a woman named Kathy McVay, who was sitting behind home plate.

Read the full story at ppuglobe.com

Sarah Gibson sagibso@pointpark.edu

Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967 Editor-in-Chief: Dara Collins Editor-Elect: Jordyn Hronec Business Manager: Nathan Vrablic 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

News Editors: Jake Dabkowski, Luke Mongelli Photo Editor: Jared Murphy Features/A&E Editors: Amanda Andrews, Tia Bailey Photo Editor: Emma Federkeil Sports Editors: Allison Schubert, Austin Alkire Photo Editor: Mallory Neil

Graphic Design: Alysse Baer Staff Photographers: Katie Williams, Kylie Thomas, Alexis Wary Staff Writers: Rosalie Anthony, Jake Berlin, Ben Reinke, Mason Strawn, Logan Dubil, Zoey Angelucci, Kylie Thomas

Opinions Editors: Sarah Gibson, Shannon Copy Editors: Mya Burns, Chandni Shah, Nardos Haile, Sabry Mohieldin Hartnett Online Editor: Mya Burns

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

Public Relations Co-Coordinator: Jake Berlin, Regan Tischler

Copy Desk: Sara Cronin, Hannah Walden Social Media Coordinator: Payton Comunale

Delivery Assistant: Mya Burns

SPORTS

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

7

All In with Allison

By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist

Why It’s Okay to Cry Over Kobe Bryant None of us knew Kobe Bryant.

We knew who he was, what his most recent goals were, what his contributions were to the NBA and the sports world, but we didn’t KNOW him.

For those of us that idolize sports figures, musicians or other celebrities, it can resonate with us in a way that really hits home.

It is all too often that someone I know is grieving a celebrity death and someone either makes fun of them or yells at them for grieving it as if it is a friend.

The reality is: for a lot of us, those celebrities that we grieve are our friends.

We look to them for guidance. We are inspired by them. We follow their lives as we would follow our friends from high school.

Whether you like him or not, Kobe was a figurehead for Los Angeles, the NBA and for the sports world in general.

So many young athletes looked to him and how he was changing his life around as inspiration for their own lives.

So many people felt genuine connections with him.

Anyone that knows me knows that I hate the NBA with a strong passion. That being said, I have always

had a tremendous amount of respect for Kobe the athlete and Kobe the person.

If you are feeling the effects of Kobe’s death and no one has told you already, it’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to cry over someone you didn’t know. It’s okay to be sad after losing someone with such a large impact on the world.

As we get older, more and more of our idols or prominent celebrities from our childhood are going to leave us.

It’s okay to mourn the loss of someone we felt so connected to, even if that connection was solely online or in our heads.

I have personally felt the effects of Kobe’s death so maybe that’s why I thought it was an important topic for this week’s column.

Regardless, hug your friends a little tighter this week. Tell someone you love them. Make sure you appreciate the little things.

Life is so fragile.

The victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash: Kobe Bryant, 41; Gianna Bryant, 13; John Altobelli, 56; Keri Altobelli; Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser; Ara Zobayan; Sarah Chester; Payton Chester.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

Jared Murphy | The Globe Freshman guard Taylor Rinn attempts to steal the ball off an IU Southeast defender in a game this weekend at CCAC-Allegheny. Point Park won the matchup 80-76.

Women’s basketball splits RSC games, improves to 3-5 in RSC Senior guard Tyra James ties record for most 3-pointers made in a career with 191

By Allison Schubert Co-Sports Editor

The women’s basketball team split River States Conference (RSC) games at home this weekend.

On Friday, the Pioneers welcomed the Brescia Bearcats to CCAC-Allegheny.

Brescia out-scored Point Park by one in the first quarter and scored 15 points in each of the third and fourth quarters, but it was the Bearcats’ second quarter that put them so far above the Pioneers.

Junior guard Michelle Burns came out in the second and scored five quick points to put the Pioneers up 2319, but the Bearcats took the lead shortly after and never looked back.

Brescia ended the half up 46-27. It was that quarter alone that would lead to their 76-55 victory over Point Park.

Burns ended the match with a game-high 20 points, followed by freshman guard Taylor Rinn’s double-double of 11 points and 10 boards.

The Bearcats shot 54-percent in the first half, but cooled off to just 23-percent in the second. Point Park shot 31-percent overall and made just three of 24 attempted treys, six below their season average.

Moving on from their offensive struggles on Friday, the Pioneers were back on their home turf to host IU Southeast.

The Grenadiers got off to a fast start, out-shooting Point Park 22-14 in the first quarter.

Thanks to a 16-6 run to end the half, Point Park cut that deficit to 38-37 before heading to the locker room.

The Pioneers’ rally was not done at the half; Point Park out-scored Brescia 25-12 over the third quarter.

Senior guard Tyra James capped off the third quarter run with a 3-point buzzer beater shot. That trey was monumental for James, as it tied the Point Park women’s basketball career 3-point record of 191 that was set by April Austin

from 2009-13.

The Grenadiers rallied again in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to edge out the Pioneers.

Point Park collected their third RSC victory over IU Southeast, 80-76.

Freshman guard Taylor Kirschner led all scorers with a career-high 23 points, going five-for-eight from 3-point range.

Rinn and freshman Lexi Petit chipped in eight points apiece, and senior guards Ariana Sanders and Baylie Mook contributed seven and six points, respectively.

The Pioneers had a better overall shooting game than the game against Brescia, shooting 42-percent overall and 40-percent from beyond the arc.

Point Park will hit the road this weekend, heading to Kentucky for two conference games against Asbury and Alice Lloyd.

Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu

Jared Murphy | The Globe Junior guard Michelle Burns sets up Point Park’s offense while an IU Southeast athlete prepares to defend against the play. Burns had 18 points against the Grenadiers.

8

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY

Men’s basketball team suffers first home defeat

Pioneers give up dominating first-half lead to fall to IU Southeast at home

By Mason Strawn Staff Writer

The men’s basketball team split their home series last week, defeating Brescia University and falling to Indiana University Southeast, both River State Conference (RSC) rivals.

The Pioneers now bring their record to 12-10 and keep their RSC record at .500, and 4-4.

The men now stand in third place in the RSC East division, just behind Indiana University East and WVU Tech in second and first, respectively.

Facing off against Brescia on Friday, the Pioneers defeated the Bearcats with a score of 86-69.

The first half was closer than the score shows, with five different lead changes.

The first five minutes of the second half were a different story, as Point Park exploded for a 13-point lead.

The Pioneers wouldn’t relinquish the lead for the rest of the game, leading by as much as 19 at one point.

Compared to the first half where the Pioneers only out-rebounded the Bearcats 23 to 21, the men absolutely dominated the boards in the second half, out-rebounding Brescia 29 to 12.

“I think the difference was our determination on defense and we came together as a team and said we have to work harder on defense and communicate with one anoth-

Jared Murphy | The Globe Junior forward Kyle Carrington fights for the ball against defenders from IU Southeast last week.

er,” sophomore guard Sherron Schifino said. “We were able to create pressure and force them to take bad shots.”

As a team, Point Park shot 44-percent from the field, but shot a below average 26-percent from three.

Brescia was held to 35-percent shooting from the field, but shot better from beyond the arc at 39-percent.

The men would also lead the way with 12 second-chance points over the Bearcats zero second-chance points.

Three different Pioneers recorded double digit points, with Schifino leading the way with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.

“Our coach told us that game that us guards need to hit the boards and I went in the game the mentality that I’m going to try and get every rebound that comes my way, or try my best to,” Schifino said.

Junior forwards, Garret McHenry and RJ Fairrow, were right behind him with 17 and 14 points, respectively.

Forward Adam Scott would also lead the way on the boards with ten rebounds and nine points off the bench.

On Sunday, the Pioneers suffered their first home loss to the hands of the Indiana University (IU) Southeast Grenadiers 84-64.

Point Park led for almost all of the first half, giving up the lead right before

Jared Murphy | The Globe Junior forward RJ Fairrow looks for an open teammate in a game at CCAC-Allegheny this week.

the end of the half.

The second half was a different story, with the Grenadiers simply outplaying the Pioneers in most aspects: out-shooting and out-rebounding.

“We rushed ourselves and turned the ball over too many times and rushed our shots in the second half,” junior forward Kameron Shockley said. “We also didn’t play defense as well as we did in the first half.”

Point Park was out-shot

by IU Southeast 40-percent compared to 43-percent, and was heavily out-shot from behind the arc, as the Pioneers only shot 26-percent while the Grenadiers shot 39-percent and hit over double the amount of threes.

Scott led the way for Point Park, recording a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Schifino was the only other Pioneer to hit double digit points, scoring 12.

The men will look to rebound from Sunday’s loss with an away game on Thursday at Asbury University. After that, the Pioneers will play again on Saturday at Alice Lloyd University.

Asbury currently sits last in the RSC West division, with Alice Lloyd standing in fourth. Neither team currently holds a record above .500 on the season.

Mason Strawn mtstraw@pointpark.edu

Dance takes home fourth in second scored meet

By Zoey Angelucci Staff Writer

This weekend, the Point Park competitive dance team traveled to Adrian, Mich. to compete at the Siena Heights Halo Classic.

This was the second scored meet of the Pioneers competitive dance season.

“It was really nerve wracking because we went in there knowing Point Park won the competition last year,” junior Jayci Ross said.

“We definitely felt like we had some high expectations, but I felt like over all we performed the best we ever have.”

The team placed fourth out of six teams with a

score of 66.41. No team scored more than 80.00 in final averages handed out by the judges.

“We had a good time traveling as a team, and we went out and did our best when performing,” freshmen Katlyn Busch said.

Both the cheer and dance team will be traveling to the Spirit Against Cancer competition of Feb. 1 at Penn State Behrend. This will be an exhibition event for the dance team. Their next NAIA competition will be held at St. Francis for a tripleheader of dual meets.

Zoey Angelucci zaangel@pointpark.edu

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January 30th at 5:30 pm JVH Auditorium. Food and drinks will be provided!

ʹͲʹͲ Ƭ February 6th from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM Point Park University Student Center

Register at Handshake pointpark.joinhandshake.com Hosted by the Professional Career Readiness Center Questions? Contact careerdev@pointpark.edu

Mallory Neil | Point Park Athletics ABOVE: Members of the dance team perform at halftime during a women’s basketball game last semester.

The dance they performed was a preview of the dance they competed with.

BELOW: More recent than the above photo, the dance team again previews their competitive routine at halftime of a basketball game at CCAC-Allegheny.