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@PPUGlobe October 2, 2019
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Point Park alum Lucy Leitner writes about zombies in the workplace Editor-Elect Jordyn Hronec reviews the ‘dateability’ of each Democratic candidate Men’s and women’s soccer won their conference opener ppuglobe.com
Covering the world of Point Park University news since 1967
Issue 6
PULL UP A CHAIR, PIONEERS Part-time faculty
reach tentative contract agreement Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief
Hannah Johnston | The Globe
Marcyssa Brown, a senior SAEM major, sits on top of VistPittsburgh’s 8-foot-tall chair at Village Park. VisitPittsburgh’s Pull Up a Chair intiative came to campus last Wednesday.
Adjunct faculty members at Point Park University reached a tentative contract agreement with the institution last Friday, according to a press release from the United Steelworkers (USW). Point Park University’s managing director of marketing and public relations, Lou Corsaro, released a statement on behalf of the university: “Point Park University has always been proud of its part-time faculty, and the role they will play in educating our students through their expert and practical knowledge. The tentative contract agreement is reflective of their importance in a flourishing academic community.” According to the 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, the university employed 396 part-time faculty members as of Fall 2018. “I think it’s a really good agreement,” Damon DiCicco said in a phone interview. DiCicco is the president of Local 1088 and an adjunct faculty member in the School of Communication. “It includes a number of improvements that I think are
Pittsburgh holds events for National Hispanic Month Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor
Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 marks National Hispanic Heritage Month. Pittsburgh has joined in with celebrations of Latinx and Hispanic cultures particularly this year. From Point Park to the Strip District, events have sprung up to connect the Pittsburgh LatinX and Hispanic communities to share their cultures with the city. Point Park had their own celebration on Sept. 26 at Village Park from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., courtesy of the LatinX Student Association here on campus. The group held the LatinX Kickoff, which was the first event of the semester for the organization. Ailén Videla Ortiz, a senior double dance and psychology major, is the president of the LatinX Student Association. Videla Ortiz said that the timing of the kickoff did intentionally coincide with National Hispanic Heritage Month. The club’s focus will not just pertain to Point Park. Videl Ortiz is intending to become more involved with local
LatinX organizations around Pittsburgh. “We are a pretty new club, so we are reaching out to the Latino Community Center here Downtown [and are] trying to see if some of them will come speak about what they do and get more volunteers for their [projects],” Ortiz said. That following Sunday, the Strip District featured the Pittsburgh Latino Festival 2019, the first of its kind for the city. The organizer, Dan Bartow, was inspired as a proprietor of “Cool Beans Taco Truck” to gather all Latinx inspired food vendors in one place. “The goal is to get the Latino community together, and all these vendors are paying a minimal fee of $50 just to rent the parking lot. So they have an opportunity to show their food and bring their family and their friends all out together as [part of] a festival,” Bartow said. “So it’s all about the community, and hopefully it grows.” The event had nine food trucks, eight vendors and even
HISPANIC page 3
going to make life better for our members including a significant raise, stronger guarantees about protecting ownership of the class materials that we produce, hopefully some more stability in the appointment process and a sick day, so these are all significant gains for us,” DiCicco said. Upon approval from the members of USW 1088, the three-year contract would include wage increases every semester through Spring 2022 and other contractual improvements sought after by the faculty, according to the release. “You never get everything that you wanted when you go to the bargaining table, but I think this agreement is a good deal for everyone, and it builds significantly on our first agreement from three years ago, so I’m happy with it,” DiCicco said. The university and adjunct faculty members reached their first contract agreement in June 2016 following 10 months of negotiation. That contract expired Aug. 19 of this year. “A lot of what was in the first [agreement] was working fairly well, so we left a lot of it alone, frankly,” DiCicco said. “The big changes I think are in
FACULTY page 2
Amanda Andrews | The Globe
Totopo was one of nine local food trucks and eight vendors at the Pittsburgh Latino Festival in the Strip District. The festival, the first of its kind in the city, was free to all and had dozens in attendance.
Weather Forecast Today: Partly Cloudy H 87, L 67
Thursday: Thunderstorms, H 85, L 52 Friday: Partly Cloudy, H 59, L 40 Saturday: Partly Cloudy, H 66, L 52
Sunday: Showers, H 70, L 51 Monday: Showers, H 67, L 48 Tuesday: Showers, H 65, L 43
Point Park
GLOBE
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
NEWS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
O’Rourke holds Oakland rally, appeals to young crowd Jake Berlin Staff Writer
Last Wednesday, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) became the second presidential candidate in a week to visit the University of Pittsburgh’s campus in Oakland. “[When I think of Pittsburgh], I think of the neighborhoods that have so much character,” O’Rourke said. “I think about a community that has distinguished itself by welcoming refugees and immigrants. People from all over the planet have found a home here in Pittsburgh.” A mere seven days after Senator Amy Klobuchar made the college town a focal point of her “Blue Wall Tour,” O’Rourke swung through Schenley Park to drum up younger support for his candidacy. Like Klobuchar’s visit, the weather was a perfectly clear 70 degrees, and turnout was higher than organizers expected. But unlike the senator’s rally, O’Rourke courted a crowd sporting t-shirts and hats bearing his name. As he took to the platform under a circus-like tent, O’Rourke made himself the ringleader of hundreds of fans who cheered after nearly every sentence. The former Texas Congressman from El Paso has seen a surge in his campaign since the tragic shooting in his hometown last month. His proposals for gun buybacks received roaring applause in Pittsburgh as he spoke passionately about the Tree of Life Synagogue victims. He also discussed proposals for a prominent concern among
the crowd: tuition and student loan debt. “Those who are entering college will have their first two years paid for, and four years will be debt-free,” he said. “Not just for tuition, but for room and board and books. We’ll make sure that cost is not an object.” But Beto O’Rourke’s college support existed before this campaign. Last year, he mounted a nationally-recognized Senate run against incumbent Ted Cruz. O’Rourke lost the race but won the enthusiasm of many Democrats, not only in the red state of Texas but across the country. As one of the youngest candidates in the 2020 presidential race, he has become meme material for the internet as younger generations affectionately reference his days of skateboarding and guitar playing. “Being in an election and getting this much coverage sets him up for fantastic chances and opportunities to win,” Vikaas Arunkumar, a junior Political Science major at Pitt, said. He works on a campus show called “The Bully Pulpit,” which covered the O’Rourke rally but not Klobuchar’s. Arunkumar said if he had to vote in the primary today, “it would probably be for Elizabeth Warren.” “Historically, with the Republican Senate, she’s still been able to pass legislation,” he said. “As sad as it sounds, most people vote with their hearts. If someone’s been in Congress, it gives you a sense that they know what to do.” Arunkumar also acknowl-
edged that “most people vote with their age,” and attributed the large college turnout to Beto’s younger style and demeanor. Jon Delano, Money & Politics Editor for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, referenced the previous presidential election when discussing O’Rourke’s turnout with The Globe. “Donald Trump carried every single county in Western Pennsylvania—all the Republican counties—except for Allegheny,” Delano said. “Allegheny County was an island of Democrats voting... And there’s no indication that has changed. So for the Democrats, the strategy has to be to drive up the vote in Allegheny County. Because Donald Trump is going to carry all the other counties, as I see it as a political analyst.” Delano spoke of the reality Democrats face as they must boost enthusiasm from liberals who didn’t bother voting for Hillary Clinton. “For example, they need to win by 150,000 instead of 100,000… if they’re going to carry Pennsylvania,” he said. “I don’t think people cared for the Democratic nominee. She didn’t campaign outside of Pittsburgh. When Barack Obama ran, he went to the outlying counties.” For right now, O’Rourke, Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders—who has already visited Pittsburgh twice this year during his campaign—will focus on the city where there are the most votes and most fundraising dollars in Western Pennsylvania. More specifically, in terms of polling and engagement, that means cam-
Jake Berlin | The Globe
Beto O’Rourke speaks in front a full crowd at Schenley Park just a week after Amy Klobuchar’s rally in Oakland. O’Rourke emphasized his proposals for gun legislation and college tuition. puses like the University of Pittsburgh. “College students are the lifeblood of a political campaign,” Delano said. “You have the time, youth and energy to campaign, knock on doors, call people and use social media far better than your elders who have no clue. In my view, college campuses are where a smart candidate goes to recruit volunteers. The candidate who can attract the most students to a
campaign is usually the candidate who can win.” To college student cheers, O’Rourke ended his speech with a familiar indication that he may be back to visit: “Thank you all for having us, we’ll see you soon.” His aide tossed him the keys to a minivan as he took the wheel and drove off to the next campaign stop. Jake Berlin
jberli@pointpark.edu
Union is optimistic COPA show ‘Adding Machine’ poses challenge for students, about new deal from FACULTY page 1 mail because there isn’t really a contains controversial material the appointment day that all the adjuncts are on process. Prior Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect
This season at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Point Park University is set to put on a production of “Adding Machine,” a musical that is requiring the production team to take extra care due to controversial themes and lines, which include sentiments such as racism and misogyny. Tlaloc Rivas, a guest to Point Park, is the director of the show. He stated that in order to put on the show, which will be on stage from December 6-16th, he has a plan titled “Action Plan for Traumatic Content.” “The majority of the creative team are women and people of color,” Rivas said. “Throughout the process we are going to be prepared to talk about our own backgrounds and our own experiences with racism and sexism. We are going to confront these issues in a safe space, and we are going to promote a regiment of self-care...students may raise issues, and we will be more than happy to talk about them.” According to the Artistic Director of the Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA), Steven Breese, who was hired after the Playhouse season was announced, putting on the show will have several educational benefits for students. “In doing this show, stu-
dents will take on something that is so challenging, both as a vocalist and as an actor,” Breese said. “It will also give them exposure to an important show in theatrical history, and they will learn how to deal with the controversial aspects of the play.” “Adding Machine” was written as a play by Elmer Rice in 1923. It was adapted into a musical in the early 2000s. The play is set in the 1920s, and tells the story of the anti-hero named “Mr. Zero.” “It’s not a play you would imagine as a musical,” Breese said. “It’s very dark and very difficult. And when they made it a musical, they didn’t make it any less difficult or easier to digest, and the music is challenging.” The cast and crew of COPA’s production is set to include students of different races, genders and backgrounds. The show itself, however, includes lines and slurs that reflect sentiments of racism, sexism and anti-semitism. The show’s stage manager, MacKenzy Clyne, a senior stage management major at Point Park, stated that she is working closely with Rivas and the rest of the cast and crew to put on the show and handle the controversial content sensitively. “I think as the person that’s supposed to set the tone of the show, with such a diverse cast and such a tense
show, it’s my job to support everyone and make sure that no one feels judged for being in the show because there are moments that can make people uncomfortable,” Clyne said. “I want everyone in the cast to be able to come to a consensus that we can all put on a show that we’re proud of.” Clyne said that the “infamous party scene” is the part of the play where much of the controversial sentiments are expressed. She also said that per Rivas’ “Action Plan,” rehearsals will be “very methodical” in how the sensitive content is handled. “The cast doesn’t start rehearsal for another month, but we want to emphasize to students that we are not shying away from these themes,” Rivas said. “We can’t alter or excise text or music from the show due to legal reasons, so we want to make sure that we are doing our due diligence to prepare the students and the audience for the content.” Breese believes that although the play may make audiences uncomfortable, it still provides valuable commentary. “This play tends to stay with people for quite some time,” Breese said.
Jordyn Hronec
jthrone@pointpark.edu
to this agreement, the university had total discretion about what classes were offered to who, but now they’re going to have to actually survey the adjunct faculty in advance and actually find out when people are available to teach and what classes they want to teach before making those assignments, so I think that’s going to be really positive.” DiCicco mentioned more specific improvements from the new agreement. “The intellectual property protections that are going to ensure that we own our class materials and could go teach the class at another university if we wanted to is also really important,” DiCicco said. The press release stated informational meetings will be held by faculty members in the coming weeks, but DiCicco said the informational meetings may not be likely. “Informational meetings are sort of typical in most unions, but, again, because our members aren’t ever all present at the same time, I’m not sure how many of those we’ll have,” DiCicco said. Ratification votes will still be in full motion regardless of the status of meetings. “If it’s not approved, hypothetically, any topic that we’ve negotiated could be reopened at the bargaining table, but I think it’s very likely that this agreement will be approved,” DiCicco said. “The approval process is called the ratification vote, and some unions do that in person, but we do it by
campus.” DiCicco explained the approval process that will take place. “What we will be doing later this week is mailing out ballots along with a summary of all the changes that we bargained,” DiCicco said. “Those ballots should hopefully come back in next week, and we can sign this agreement.” In the press release, DiCicco expressed gratitude on behalf of the adjunct faculty to the students and families of Point Park as well as the full-time faculty’s support. This agreement came after a public demonstration on Aug. 19, one of the university’s move-in days, when faculty members distributed leaflets to students and their families on campus. A horizontal green box in the center of the page claimed that a majority of tuition money wasn’t going to the people who teach. The leaflets also included a link to sign a petition to show support for adjunct faculty. “This contract represents a victory for the faculty, but more importantly for quality education at Point Park,” Local 1088 Vice President Sharon Brady said in the press release. “Faculty working conditions have a direct impact on students’ learning conditions, so this agreement represents a step forward for everyone involved.” Dara Collins
dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
NEWS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
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New developments ongoing USG to possibly add in humanities department graduate students Department introduces new courses and a multi-major student council Amanda Andrews Co-News Editor
The 2019-2020 academic year holds a lot in store for the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. On Sept. 9, the department held its first meeting that invited all faculty and students. Among the plans for this year, the department announced that an array of new courses would be introduced over the next few semesters and that a multi-major council for students was going to be developed. Dr. Channa Newman, the chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, said that the courses would cover a range of topics but connected its theme of global outreach and understanding. “What’s interesting about these courses is that they kind of they don’t overlap exactly, but they relate to one another,” Newman said. “So, we hope to create majors...who see the big picture.” The new courses include Agriculture and Food Systems, Global Governance, Community, Eastern Central European Culture, The Law of Elections, World History: Asia, Literature, Politics and Arts in a Global View as well as Prejudice. Newman is already teaching two sections of her course Prejudice this semester and said that it is likely she will teach it again in the Spring 2020 semester. “So in this particular course, we’re going to examine the most discriminated groups over history,” Newman said. “And then try and actually, at the end of the class, to come up with maybe some kind of a manual that even teachers could use in schools to try to inoculate people against prejudice.” Newman is not the only professor taking on the new course load. For example, Assistant Professor Marion Dixon will be teaching Agriculture and Food Systems
and Assistant Professor Dora Ion will teach Global Governance. Agriculture and Food Systems will cover the complexities of global food production and touch on the roles of pesticides, small farms, poverty, war and water among others, according to Newman. Global Governance will address how different governing systems affect the operations of the entire world.
“We decided that we really want student participation and student input on a regular basis. I don’t know that it happens usually.” Dr. Channa Newman Chair of the HSS Dept.
Notably, Ion is part of 12 new full-time faculty members to join the university for this academic year. Dixon is also a full-time faculty member. However, Newman said that the contribution of adjuncts was also essential to making the offering of these courses possible. “For us, it’s actually a lot of courses because we’re a small department. We just don’t have very many fulltime faculty….And we use a lot of adjuncts who are wonderful, really well-qualified,” Newman said. “So we integrate the adjuncts into our program. We tap into the talent that we have and seek the talent that we need to offer this really
high-quality program.” The other significant change for the Humanities department is the creation of a multi-major council. A select number of students majoring in the Humanities and Social Sciences have been chosen to represent the concerns of their programs and will be able to communicate those with the HSS faculty about those concerns. “We decided that we really want student participation and student input on a regular basis,” Newman said. “I don’t know that it happens usually.” One of the students selected was Samantha Shuler, a junior history major. “I was the only person at the [Sept. 9] event who was a history major, so that’s how I ended up on the council,” Shuler said. “They’re trying to have at least two people [from each major] on the council.” Shuler said that six students were on the council as of Sept. 29 and that a council meeting is likely going to be held this week. She also said she would be attending a faculty meeting as part of her role for the council. The multi-major council is still in the early stages of development. It is yet to be determined whether it will become an official student organization or stay contained within the HSS department, and meeting locations are not exactly fixed. Newman said that HSS professors’ office spaces would be offered whenever the council wanted to meet privately. “We may also offer them the opportunity to come to our faculty meetings on a regular basis and take 15 minutes of our time to share with us their thoughts,” Newman said. “Basically, the aim is to really get their voice heard in a very open way.” Amanda Andrews
aaandre@pointpark.edu
SEPT. 22, 2019 - OCT. 2, 2019
Tuesday, September 22nd 2:50 a.m. - Village Park Suspicious Person
Thursday, September 24th 12:58 p.m. - Boulevard of the Allies Hit and Run
Friday, September 25th 9:16 p.m. - Thayer Hall Drug Violation
Alysse Baer | The Globe
USG By Sarah Gibson USG Beat Writer
The United Student Government (USG) hosted another guest speaker at their weekly meeting. Allison Harnden, the Nighttime Economy Manager for the City of Pittsburgh, discussed how important socialization is to the health of an individual and why it was so important that the city of Pittsburgh has vibrant and safe spaces to socialize and boost the economy. USG also recognized the Funeral Services Club. The leader of the new club, Brighid Shanahan, noted that most people don’t even realize that Point Park has a funeral services major and that one of the goals surrounding the creation of the club was to reduce the stigma associated with the major. The last of the newly elected senators were also sworn in President Berlin mentioned that there were some graduate students wanting to get involved with USG, and he was trying to work out a system that would allow them to join, as the graduate students do not currently pay the student activities fee. He stated that USG controls how the student activity fee money is spent and that he would not want students who do not pay the fee to control the funds. Senator Mathew Johnson raised a parliamentary inquiry during the Open Floor, requesting to know whether or not senators could choose which committee to be a part of. Parliamentarian Jess Wrzosek responded that while students had a say in what committee they were involved with, the situation that Senator Johnson was referencing was a special circumstance and that he had been removed from
Rules Committee due to his own actions. After confirming that Senator Johnson wanted to discuss the situation in such a public setting. Parliamentarian Wrzosek said that Senator Johnson’s behavior in the Rules Committee meeting got to a point where she felt like she was “being bullied” by the senator. She explained that, as a member with some experience, she expected Senator Johnson to understand that his talking point at that meeting “wasn’t going anywhere”, and she asked if he disagreed. He said that he did not, and that’s why he “stayed quiet” for the last portion of said meeting, a point that the Parliamentarian disagreed with. Senator Johnson explained that his question had nothing to do with the incident and that he just wanted to know if senators could join a committee without assignment from the Vice President. Wrzosek responded by saying that students’ committee preferences were taken into account in the poll that they send to the Vice President before being assigned a committee. This is done in order to make sure that all committees have enough members while still allowing students to serve a committee that they are passionate about. She also mentioned that students have the opportunity to switch committees if they don’t feel as if they fit on the one that they are assigned. After further deliberation from Senator Johnson, Vice President Lake announced that a senator continuously raising points of parliamentary inquiry of a solved matter would be counted as disorderly conduct. Nothing further was said on the matter. Sarah Gibson
sagibso@pointpark.edu
Strip District hosts first Latino Festival from HISPANIC page 1 a DJ playing music. Dozens of people roamed around the parking lot space located on Smallman St. and 22nd St., trying food from the various purveyors. One of the vendors there was “Big Diehl Peppers,” coowned by married couple Racheal Diehl and her husband Terry Diehl. The Diehls pride themselves on organically grown and produced spices, which range from a scale of one to ten. “If you’re feeling hot, go for the ten. If you’re scared, go for the one,” Racheal Diehl said. “Big Diehl Peppers” mainly sets up during events catered for vendors. Racheal Diehl was particularly excited to be servicing customers in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. “I just really love the Strip District because it has such a sense of community,” Diehl said. “I think it’s one of the most colorful areas of Pittsburgh. You see all these different cultures coming together all the time. And I always love being down here, being able to see that.” Another food truck at the event, “Totopo,” uses their truck for mass events like this one and for catering, but they also have a restaurant in Uptown Mt. Lebanon, a neighborhood in Pittsburgh’s
South Hills. “Totopo’s” food truck menu included a range of items including nachos, quesadillas, empanadas—even chicken tenders and fries. Marco Honores, a Totopo employee, said that his favorite item off of the menu is the Pastor (pork) Burrito, but insisted that all the food was good. For Honores, being able to serve food to people in the Strip District meant more to him than just promoting the restaurant. “We feel we’re being counted in the community for our heritage and Hispanic pasts. I mean, we love it,” Honores said. “Sometimes we want to feel [a part] of this country because we are Latino, we want to be part of it. When we have these kinds of events, we really like it because we want to show our traditions and our way of living to show who we are.” Although the LatinX Student Association was not attending the festival as an official event, Videla Ortiz said that some members were planning on going. “I think it’s really good, especially for Pittsburgh,” Videla Ortiz said. “I think...definitely bringing in a festival to celebrate the Latin community is really important.” Amanda Andrews
aaandre@pointpark.edu
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
FEATURES
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
LatinX students host kickoff event in Village Park By Sara Cronin Co-Copy Desk Chief
Point Park’s LatinX Student Association hosted their first event of the semester this past Thursday. Village Park was filled with laughter and upbeat Latin American music as students danced and enjoyed each other’s company. The LatinX kickoff event offered free food, music and small pins and stickers for students of any background to enjoy. The kickoff event also allowed students to participate in a raffle for a chance to win bottles of Jarritos soda, a popular soft drink in Mexico. “This event is basically to kick off the year, and it’s also our first event on campus to let everyone know what our club represents and what we’re doing,” senior dance major and treasurer of the LatinX Student Association Stephanie Perez said. “It’s basically a fun time for every-
one to get together and to listen to some Spanish music.” Cecilia Benitez, senior dance major and Vice President of the LatinX Student Association, was an active participant in the kickoff event. Benitez greeted students at the front of Village Park as she scanned people in, danced with friends, served queso to other students and helped with the raffle for the Jarritos sodas. “We just wanted everyone to come and learn a little bit about our culture, dance, eat a little bit and have fun,” Benitez said. The kickoff event also allowed incoming freshmen to not only become aware of the club’s existence on campus, but to also encourage them to get involved. “I’m a teacher’s assistant for a freshman class and I was really adamant about getting [the freshmen] involved and hoping that they would end up coming,” Beni-
Students attend LatinX kickoff event at Villiage Park on Sept. 26.
tez said. “Pretty much everyone on the board are seniors, and once we’re gone we really want the club to keep coming back, and we want it to be reestablished.” Ailen Videla Ortiz, a senior double major in dance
‘This Is Us’ introduces fourth season, includes new characters By Tia Bailey Co-Features/A&E Editor
The NBC fan-favorite show “This Is Us” has premiered its fourth season. The show is about people whose lives are all connected in some way. It focuses on a couple, Jack and Rebecca Pearson, and their kids throughout their lives - triplets Kevin, Kate and Randall Pearson. As usual, the new season begins on “The Big Three’s” birthday. However, the episode focuses primarily on introducing some new characters, with a little bit of young Jack and Rebecca sprinkled in. This was hinted at in the title of the first episode,
PIONEER PUBLIC Lucy Leitner By Hannah Walden Co-Features/A&E Editor
It was during a “boring” office safety meeting that 36-year-old Point Park alum, Lucy Leitner was inspired to write. During the next four years, she collected notes of her co-workers’ behaviors and noted the resemblance to zombies, publishing “Working Stiffs,” a horror-comedy novel, in 2012. “One day I was forced to attend a company safety meeting in which the office safety consultant told us what to do in the event of emergencies like tornadoes, earthquakes and maybe even the Rapture,” Leitner said. “It was then she mentioned an outbreak of workplace violence
“Strangers.” The new characters introduced are Cassie (Jennifer Morrison), Malik (Asante Blackk) and a man who is played by Blake Stadnik, who is a Pittsburgh native in real life. Jack and Rebecca’s plotline focuses on Jack meeting Rebecca’s parents for the first time. Because Rebecca comes from a wealthier family, they do not approve of Jack. He comes to dinner at their country club in a borrowed suit (which he is given permission to borrow from Miguel, who we see him meet for the first time), and Rebecca’s parents visibly try to get under his skin. Despite Rebecca telling them
not to talk about Vietnam to Jack, her father goes on a tangent about how it was not a real war. Jack, however, calmly owns him, stating that he lost his brother in Vietnam, so therefore, it was very real to him. After dinner, Rebecca’s father tells Jack that he is not good enough for his daughter, out of Rebecca’s earshot. Rebecca comes back, and she and Jack go to a club where she sings and dedicates her song to Jack.
that I tuned in. The protocol was to barricade yourself in a conference room and apparently wait until the disgruntled employee ran out of ammo. I thought ‘What do I need this for? I’ve seen ‘Night of the Living Dead!’’ And that’s when the idea of zombies in the office was born.” “Working Stiffs” is a story of surviving a zombie invasion in a pharmaceutical company corporate office. Throughout the workday she would take notes on what office supplies could be fashioned into weapons against the zombies, and would send herself transcriptions of overheard conversations, ideas for characters and some one-liners that “just had to make it into the book.” In “Working Stiffs,” a mad scientist CEO of a pharmaceutical company accidentally invents a serum that, when injected, turns people into zombies. The entrepreneur puts the invention to use to reduce the pesky overhead costs of paying employees by abducting homeless people and injecting them with the serum, using the obedient and flesh-hungry zombies to work his plant. Things seem to be
going well until the zombie workers unionize and storm the corporate headquarters with demands, which is essentially eating as many employees as possible. With a little help from her family and her skills as a journalist, Leitner was able to publish her first book and has more in the works. With some tips from her brother, who was attending screenwriting school, and from her mother, a copy editor, Leitner had a story with tension and perfect punctuation to give to the publisher. “The story started coming together when I enrolled in Point Park in 2008 and kept a bizarre schedule that gave me large chunks of time to write,” Leitner said. “Somewhere along the line, the plot started coming together.” Before graduating from Point Park in 2010 with a degree in journalism and mass communications, Leitner, from Arlington, Va., participated in the Innocence Institute and the Point Park News Service. She also had an internship with the City Paper and worked for the Trib. Most recently, Leitner
Read the full story at ppuglobe.com
Tia Bailey tbaile@pointpark.edu
and psychology and the president of the LatinX Student Association, also explained the importance of freshmen participating in the club’s kickoff on campus. “We actually had some freshmen sign up and say, ‘This is so cool,’” Ortiz said. “At school events, they don’t usually play Latin music, so [freshmen] just listen to it in their dorm rooms. But having it on campus kind of brings them together.” Ortiz is responsible for starting the club at Point Park last year. Coming from California, Ortiz noticed that there wasn’t a club on campus for those who are from Hispanic or Latin cultures. “Coming in, I did see that there are so many international students here that are from Hispanic places,” Ortiz said. “I started the LatinX club primarily to bring the Latin culture and community together on campus, but [the club] is not just for Latin and Hispanic people, but anyone who is involved in the culture or who wants to learn more about it.” The kickoff event is not the only event that the LatinX community planned on host-
Katie Williams | The Globe
ing this year. In fact, the club already has two other events planned for the fall semester. “For Día de los Muertos, which is in October, we want to watch “Coco” while drinking hot cocoa,” Benitez said. “We also have a salsa night planned where we’re going to teach a salsa class.” Ortiz explained the importance of holding such events such as the salsa classes and the movie night on campus. “[Take] Día de los Muertos, for instance,” Ortiz said. “People think that all Hispanic cultures celebrate it and we don’t, so I think it’s really important to educate people on that and explain that each culture within the Latin community is both different and unique at the same time.” Perez explains that she is anticipating the upcoming events and the LatinX Student Association’s future. “I’m looking forward to everyone connecting on campus and having them be more aware of what the different cultures are, and to make people feel safe,” Perez said.
Sara Cronin scroni@pointpark.edu
Lucy Leitner | Submitted
wrote a book with her father titled “Nemesis Selection,” where a whistleblower goes on a dangerous mission to expose a decades-long conspiracy resulting in the current, and very real, conflict in the South China Sea. Right now, Leitner is working on the first series of a hard-boiled comedy detective. “My time at Point Park helped me refine my writing and become a journalist. By day, I’m a writer in marketing
[and] advertising, and you’d be surprised how much journalism influences my daily work,” Leitner said. “I know how to ask the right questions when taking on a new project and how to tell a story…I know how to write a lede that grabs attention.”
Hannah Walden hwalde@pointpark.edu
Send suggestions to hwalde@pointpark.edu or tbaile@pointpark.edu or reach out to the Globe on our social media pages.
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A&E
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
5
Twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara release album with reworked demos from their teenage years By Hannah Johnston Sports Photo Editor
The Canadian indie pop twin-sister duo Tegan and Sara are back again with their ninth studio album, “Hey, I’m Just Like You.” The album features re-recordings of cassette-tape demos from their teen years. This album marks a slight return to the edgy, indie rock sound of their early albums, making it highly evocative of their previous albums, such as “Under Feet Like Ours” and “So Jealous,” while still retaining the synth-pop vibe of their most recent albums, “Love You to Death and Heartthrob.” The album was released in conjunction with their co-written memoir, “High School,” a poignant, nostalgic novel chronicling their teen years in the 90s. The album is a companion piece that also speaks to the feelings of being a teenager, in love, angry, angsty, and the end result is oh-so-nostalgic to those high school years.
Hey, I’m Just Like You
The title track of the album does not disappoint.
The catchy synth combined with the guitar solos shows the clear mix of their old and new sound. This song is highly approachable for fans of Tegan and Sara’s more recent work. This song sounds like it would have seamlessly fit in with their 2016 album “Love You to Death.” Listening to the original demo, “Plunk Song,” shows that the main elements of the song were barely changed. Other than the addition of the synth pop elements and some slight lyrical changes, the song sounds very similar. The melody was not touched in the re-working of the song, so it retains a lot of the sound of the original demo.
Don’t Believe the Things They Tell You (They Lie)
This song was one of the very first songs that Tegan and Sara ever wrote as a duo. They actually wrote this song in 1996. This ballad is much more somber than, “Hey, I’m Just Like You.” The lyrics of this song are primarily about how when you are a teenager, you are not truthful and often lie to the people you love. Specifically, the two girls were writing about
Tegan and Sara perform on stage.
lying about going to parties, drinking and doing drugs, sneaking out, and about their sexuality, which they were both struggling with. The duo is very outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights. In this song, they speak heavily about both of their struggles with discovering their own sexuality. This song exemplifies the feeling of needing to lie about a part of yourself. In an interview with
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Genius, Tegan said, “I think there is something about owning that you are also a liar. Parts of yourself are false and parts of what you are projecting to the world are false and admitting that in the song feels really important.”
Please Help Me
This ballad is essential to this album for the way it portrays the feelings of be-
ing a teenager scared of their future. One of the opening lines clearly sets up what the song is about, “What if I become all the horrible things, I said that I would never be? Waste my life and then never see” This fear of fitting a mold of adulthood you don’t want to be a part of or never achieving the goals you want for your future are such an integral part of the teenage experience. The rest of the lyrics of this song strike many of the same chords of being scared of what is in store for you in your future. Tegan and Sara described this album as a “record they never could have made as teenagers, full of songs they never could have written as adults.” This feels like one of those songs that perfectly captures the essence of adolescence. I don’t think they would have been able to so succinctly capture these feelings if the song was written in adulthood. Read the full story at ppuglobe.com
Hannah Johnston hmjohns@pointpark.edu
‘The Fall of Hobo Johnson’ signals anything but By Matthew Bright For The Globe
While there may be an urge to write Hobo Johnson off as an example of everything that’s wrong with hiphop, it’s hard to deny that he’s created a sound that sets him apart from peers. To the uninitiated, Hobo Johnson, real name Frank Lopes Jr., found himself at the center of viral fame last year after entering the Tiny Desk Contest hosted by NPR with a performance of a song titled “Peach Scone.” In less than a week, the video racked up millions of views and drew a line between critics and fans, with many calling him on his feigned approach to rap. “My name is Hobo Johnson, I’m a rapper/ I’m actually not a rapper, I like to say musician,” he proclaims, while relying on the fact that his band, “The Lovemakers,” use live instruments to set himself apart from the moniker. “The Fall of Hobo Johnson” is the follow-up to 2017’s appropriately titled album, “The Rise of Hobo Johnson,” and feels like the next logical step for the quirky artist. The record delivers exactly what fans have come to love about the group, but it doesn’t seem destined to sway detractors. The record kicks off with the frantic tune “Typical Story,” and doesn’t waste a moment before settling into his unique style of vocals. The dirty guitar riffs provide the thrust of a slightly anthemic chorus before dropping out completely to make room for a few calmly spoken verses. Don’t let that fool you though; this song ends with as much anxiety as it began with. “Mover Awayer” draws comparisons to his viral success, with plenty of samples and a slow building melody. The production on the song shows maturity, with discon-
nected piano and reverberant guitars highlighted by lazy drums. The song’s lyrics play sincere with Johnson recalling, “She makes my Mondays feel like Fridays/ She makes my Ruby Tuesdays taste like Benihanas/ And all I’ve really wanted/ For us to get along.” “Uglykid” shines a light on the self-deprecating tendencies of Johnson. The song starts with the calming, dreamlike female vocals of Elohim and a drippy trumpet while maintaining a groove that will have you slowly bobbing your head along. In addition, the poetic lyrics effortlessly endear you to the young artist. Johnson has always taken a very personal approach to his writing, but on the track “You-The Cockroach” he takes a gamble by dabbling in the current political climate. It’s a clunky mix of him lamenting a fear of death, the banality of the human condition and insulting the president, which are ideas that may work on their own, but come across as someone attempting to be an intellectual in the way they’re presented here. The straightforward track, “Subaru Crosstrek XV”, has Johnson reflecting on his rise to fame and how far he has left to go. “I just bought a Subaru Crosstrek/ I would have bought a Lambo, but I’m not quite there, yet.” This record beautifully highlights Johnson’s wide range of influences. “Moonlight” features haunting string instruments and a spunky saxophone before breaking down into controlled mayhem. If the song shows the group settling into their trademark sound, then “February 15th” strips that sound down to its foundation. It’s a slow guitar jam that plays like it’s being performed in a dark, smoky bar. This song is exactly what the
album needed. A simple version of all the juicy elements that this record is built upon - a guy screaming about his feelings. “Happiness” sounds like a heartfelt song, but there is a biting sense of sarcasm underlying the elegant piano notes and whisper-adjacent vocals. The song tackles the regret and anger of a failed relationship and trades his humor for an opportunity to let his guard down. It’s one of the strongest tracks that the album has to offer. “Ode To Justin Bieber” sees the artist almost manically describing the downside of fame and notoriety before dropping into an ethereal synth-backed breakdown. This layered song has the feel of an early Eminem tune before completely tossing the listener a curveball and ending with a delicate piano melody and a taste of Johnson’s true singing voice, which is pleasant and somewhat unexpected. The record winds down with “I want a Dog,” which reinforces the theme of the previous track. We hear Johnson compare little things, like getting a puppy, to the more personal goal of starting a family. At first, the song seems more suited for the middle of the record, but it builds to a vibrant finale worthy of closing out this unique album. The “Fall of Hobo Johnson” makes the artist feel more relatable than his previous efforts have. His left-ofcenter style and vocals create the image of a young man attempting to find his place in life. You can sense that he enjoys the chaos and is finally developing the skills to bring his listeners along for the journey.
Matthew Bright mbrigh@pointpark.edu
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Fitz and the Tantrums perform at a concert.
Fitz and the Tantrums misses opportunities By Mya Burns Copy Editor
Fitz and the Tantrums recently released their fourth studio album, “All of the Feels.” This album continues the infectious, upbeat sound that the pop-rock group has cultivated since their formation in 2008. From the title track to the end of the album, most of the songs are about loving yourself, loving others and disconnecting from technology for long enough to make genuine connections with those around you. Although the sound of this album is fun enough that it can entice you to listen to the album from start to finish, that might just be because all of the songs blend together. This album did something, but it’s unclear what it was trying to accomplish in the end other than an upbeat attempt at political commentary that ends up falling short of anything but a passing reference. From the first track to the eighth song out of the 17 songs on the album, the lyrics and upbeat tunes seem to blend together into an overall pleasant experience. However, the ninth song on the album, “OCD,” curdled this pleasant listening experience. This song is about “...when you sat there tirelessly organizing your CD
collection to the point of obsession, trying to curate the perfect playlist to impress her,” according to lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick in an interview with Billboard about the album. However, for those that suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, this comparison comes off as ignorant as opposed to poetic and romantic. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over ... People with OCD may have symptoms of obsessions, compulsions, or both. These symptoms can interfere with all aspects of life, such as work, school and personal relationships.” Something that interferes with the lives of those who suffer from it should not be used as a lyrical device to express love; in 2019, this seems like a strange, almost blatantly ignorant choice. Read the full story at ppuglobe.com
Mya Burns mnburns@pointpark.edu
6
OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
THE
GL BE’S POINT
Facility facelifts You may have noticed some renovations happening around campus. West Penn has been undergoing changes for a while now, and Point Perk was welcomed to campus last year. The library, the shiny Playhouse’s next door neighbor, got a pretty big upgrade over the summer, and now the Academic Hall security desk is being totally redone. This is great. A lot of Point Park’s buildings are pretty old, so upgrades are always necessary. However, most of the upgrades only seem to be happening in all of the places the public is able to see. There are a lot of areas on campus that are extremely outdated and run down, and lot of these areas are only populated by students. For example, the Lawrence Hall fourth floor commuter lounge is the epitome of wasted potential. It’s a huge space, and would be a great place for commuters to call their home base, or even for clubs to host their events in. As of right now, it’s anything but. The furniture is old and worn out. The lighting is dull and depressing. The com-
puters rarely work. The old piano in the corner is out of tune. The outlets are loose. We could go on. This lounge is only one example of areas on campus that need a serious face lift. Other specific areas include the bathrooms in Academic Hall, which are all tiny, dark, and have an absurd number of doors for some reason. This also includes much of the Student Center, which is an extremely underused building on this campus. We won’t even get started on dorm spaces, although, we understand that renovating Lawrence Hall’s 20 floors is most definitely a task that the university may not be prepared to undertake just yet. We do ask that on-campus renovations don’t just simply occur in spaces that make the university look good on the outside and nowhere else on campus. Point Park is an amazing place to live and learn, and students deserve to do so in the best facilities possible.
Point Park Globe globe@pointpark.edu
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Impeachment process commences By Jake Dabkowski For The Globe
Donald Trump narrowly escaped one of the biggest political scandals of all time. The next day he went and did it again. No, seriously, Robert Mueller testified on July 24, and due to a variety of reasons, mostly media expectations, his testimony was a dud for impeachment-wanting Democrats. Trump had escaped by the skin of his teeth. Then, on July 25, he called the President of Ukraine and pressured him to investigate Joe Biden, while also strongly hinting that they’d lose their military aid if they didn’t comply. It doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve racked my brain for potential explanations for why Trump would do this. One thought is that he felt emboldened by escaping the Russia probe, another is that he felt that he really needed dirt on Biden, because he fears him as a candidate. But the real answer is that he’s Donald Trump - he just doesn’t care. He’s spent his entire life getting exactly what he wants, when he wants it. He doesn’t care about the law because he never cared about the law. The biggest argument Republicans have right now is “oh, he’s Trump, he just does that.” The story broke, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had no choice. She an-
nounced an impeachment inquiry. The White House published a memorandum of the phone call, trying to pass it off as the transcript. That memorandum reads like a mob boss trying to intimidate a man. Then they released the whistleblower complaint, which paints a horrible picture of Trump’s, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s, and his Attorney General Bill Barr’s interactions with the Ukraine.
“Either they vote to convict him and he gets removed from office, or they don’t and all have to go on record defending President Trump .” Jake Dabkowski For The Globe
Rudy Giuliani went on Chris Cuomo and admitted that he had gone to Ukraine to get dirt on Joe Biden. He also called Chris Cuomo a “sell out” (which is, quite
frankly, ironic) and repeatedly yelled about CNN being the enemy of the people. At the end of the night, Cuomo said “good night Rudy” to which Rudy replied: “you shouldn’t have a good night.” It was one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen on cable news. But why do I bring this up? Because Trump, and everyone around him, is panicking. Republican’s defenses have been, at best, half baked. I’ve seen a lot of people say “there’s no quid pro quo” even though that’s not the standard impeachment would be held to, and also there arguably is quid pro quo with withholding the military aid. To some Republicans, I guess he would have to yell out “I, president Donald J. Trump am committing illegal crimes!” But their opinion doesn’t really matter. It’s on House Democrats to make the case against Donald Trump to the American people. I hear a lot about how “the senate will never convict,” but it doesn’t really matter. Either they vote to convict him and he gets removed from office, or they don’t and all have to go on record defending President Trump. Lastly, to conclude on how bad this is: Mitch McConnell’s silence is deafening.
Jake Dabkowski Jcdabko@pointpark.edu
What it would be like to date Democratic candidates By Jordyn Hronec Editor-Elect
Today, I will be discussing the upcoming Democratic primary election. However, I will not be discussing candidates’ policies or even who you should or shouldn’t vote for. Instead, I will be ranking some of the candidates on their date-ability. That’s right. Date-ability. Buckle up, friends.
Joe Biden
In the area of romance, Joe is very experienced. He is someone who has really played the field, and knows exactly how to woo his significant other. He is also especially fond of restaurant dates and loves to eat. However, a relationship with Joe would not be longterm, as his know-it-all tendencies would annoy any lover to the point of a nasty breakup.
Cory Booker
Cory is the type of boyfriend who CHUGS “respect women” juice. And this is an endearing feature. He is incredibly positive and upbeat, which is often refreshing as his significant other. However, he is a vegan, and while his moral compass is commendable, he
unfortunately subscribes to the vegan stereotype and reminds you that he is a vegan pretty much every ten minutes. It’s super annoying, and no one could live with it. His date-ability suffers a lot from this fact.
Pete Buttigieg
I’ll be honest, Pete Buttigieg is pretty date-able. He’d serve as some serious arm candy to anyone that would be lucky enough to court this candidate. His main trait is that he is incredibly ambitious and has a whole plan laid out for a life filled with success for the two of you. He’s the perfect partner to take home to mom.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris would be your super cute, but also super intimidating, girlfriend. She is extremely skilled at arguing, so if you get in a fight, you might as well not even try to win. With Kamala as your partner, it may be difficult trying to find friends to go out on double dates with, because she dominates friendly arguments and has a few problematic moments in her past that people love to bring up. However, if you’re strongwilled enough to see past her flaws, you could make it work.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie is the guy who has waited patiently for you while you dated around. He’s liked you for a while now, but took his turn in shooting his shot. But now it’s up to you to decide whether you want to Feel the Bern or not. Bernie also has an “alternative” style and tries not to engage in “mainstream” media or activities. So if you want to spend your time shopping for vinyl records or browsing your nearest Goodwill, then Bernie’s your man.
Amy Klobuchar
Dating Amy would be like dating your mom. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Amy is the quintessential midwestern woman who holds some good old-fashioned traditional values. She’s the type of partner who’s always talking about the future and settling down to start a family. If you’re down for that, then wife her up. If you’re afraid of commitment, get out now.
boyfriend, but he’s also cooler than you, although he’s not as cool as he thinks. He also grew up in a strict household where he wasn’t allowed to swear, but now that he’s older he takes every opportunity to do so. But you might find that to be cute or whatever.
Elizabeth Warren
If Amy Klobuchar is like your mom, then Elizabeth is like your grandma. But she’s like the grandma that every kid wishes they had. Dating Elizabeth would never be confusing, because she always has a plan for everything. You would always know exactly when your next date would be, and you would know exactly how she feels at all times, no guesswork
required. She’s also incredibly nurturing. If you need some real structure and support in your life, then go get you some Elizabeth.
Andrew Yang
Andrew, as a boyfriend, isn’t date-able. He’s known by all of his past partners for his empty promises and his concern with social status. Also, don’t expect any one-on-one romantic evenings with him. He doesn’t go anywhere without his entourage of worshippers. They enjoy his meme skills and think he’s a cool guy, but they are really there for the money.
Jordyn Hronec jthrone@pointpark.edu
Beto O’Rourke
Beto is like that kid at school who was never the most popular, but went against stereotypes and was somewhat popular, despite also being a bit of a geek. So he’s your
Alysse Baer | The Globe
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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News Editors: Amanda Andrews, Hayley Keys Photo Editor: Jared Murphy Features/A&E Editors: Hannah Walden, Tia Bailey Photo Editor: Julia Cavataio Sports Editors: Allison Schubert, Austin Alkire Photo Editor: Hannah Johnston
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Delivery Assistant: Mya Burns, Veronica Marinelli
SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
All In with Allison By Allison Schubert Sports Columnist
The First of The Lasts I have been trying to avoid writing this for as long as I can, but I think the time has finally come. This year is my senior year, so naturally, there are going to be a lot of lasts this year - but I am so sentimental because as of Sunday, I had the first significant one. For the past six months, I have worked for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their Media Relations department. It was everything that I want to do upon graduation and my bosses (including Dan Hart, a Point Park alum himself) could not have been better. On Sunday afternoon, the season, and ultimately my time with the organization, came to an end via a 3-1 loss from the Pirates in just two hours and 43 minutes. It was my last game my last time walking from 201 Wood Street to PNC Park, clocking in, and running around like mad before sitting down at press dining to enjoy one last cup of half-and-half ice cream and researching statistics during the game. And then it hit me. That was the first ‘last’ that really made me emotional. So as my tear-stained cheeks walked back to my apartment after hundreds of goodbyes and a fair amount of hugs and handshakes, I started to think of what’s to come. There is going to be a final broadcast for me at the Point Park Sports Network. A final women’s basketball
beat article that I have so enthusiastically covered for all of my years at Point Park. A final shuttle bus ride home from a baseball game in Greentree. A final column. I knew senior year was going to bring about a lot of changes, but I was not prepared to let go of things that have meant so much to me, especially those things that have kept me sane as a college student. I cannot imagine a life without The Globe, U-View and Point Park athletics. Growing up is scary and we are not supposed to have all the answers right out of college. Honestly, I don’t think we are even supposed to have all of the questions. It is easy to grasp onto the things we are involved in while we are in college because we know they will be constant - and that once we graduate, there is no such thing as ‘constant.’ That is why this first ‘last’ cuts so deep. My constants aren’t constants anymore - the things I have clutched onto are no longer in my grasp and it’s hard to wrap my head around. With less constants come more availability for the unexpected and ever-changing - the scary stuff. I don’t want to grow up just yet, but one day next semester, there will be a last ‘last.’ Hopefully, there will shortly afterward be a first ‘first.’
Allison Schubert alschub@pointpark.edu
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
7
Volleyball finishes three-forthree in last week’s matchups By Dara Collins Editor-in-Chief
Point Park’s record reflects only one loss in Pittsburgh this season. The Pioneers defended their home court last weekend and swept Carlow University on foreign territory. “Winning at home is a different atmosphere,” senior setter Julia Menosky said. “You’re proud when you win at home having all your friends and family here. Winning on the road, you have more of a chip on your shoulder. It feels good to beat the opposing team on their home court [and] gives everyone a confidence boost.” Point Park opened River States Conference (RSC) play last Tuesday at Carlow University, a neighboring university in Oakland. The Celtics came closest to the Pioneers’ strength in the third set, but it wasn’t enough to top the green and gold. Point Park won by scores of 25-17, 25-11 and 25-23. “Against Carlow we did a great job of being scrappy and running new plays with our hitters,” senior Haley English said. English, sophomore Madison Sima and freshman Taylor Small led the Pioneer attack with 10 kills apiece, claiming half of Point Park’s 45 total kills. “We noticed that they were less effective when we spread the ball around, so we capitalized on getting all our hitters involved,” English said. Senior Maria Ferragonio displayed her versatility during the Carlow match, trading in a high kill count for the team-high assists. Ferragonio racked up 24 assists and 11 digs for a double-double, and Menosky followed with 10. Sophomore Ashley Castelli picked up 19 digs to lead the Pioneer defense, English recorded 14 and junior Micaela Shevell chipped in 13. English finished with the second double-double for the match. Following the road victory, the Pioneers returned home to defend the court of the Student Center Gym. Point Park celebrated its first home win on Sept. 17 in a non-conference match-up against Salem University. After this weekend’s 3-1 victories against on West Virginia Tech and University
Hannah Johnston | The Globe Freshman Taylor Small goes up to block a kill attempt in a River States Conference match this past week.
of Rio Grande on Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Pioneers are now three-forthree in home victories as well as RSC play. “We are really taking conference one game at a time...Our goal is to host the conference tournament, so every time we step on the court, we are working toward that goal,” Menosky said. The Pioneers topped West Virginia’s Golden Bears by scores of 25-23, 25-23, 2325 and 25-19. Point Park repeated the 3-1 victory the next day to send the RedStorm home by scores of 24-26, 2514, 25-22 and 25-22. Castelli, English and Shevell led the defense in both games with Castelli totaling 47 digs on the weekend. Small took control at the net to lead the team in both matches with 16 kills on Friday and 15 on Saturday. The weekend’s victories thrusted Point Park to the top spot in the RSC East, and it shares the same conference record (3-0) as RSC West’s Indiana University (IU) Southeast and Indiana University (IU) Kokomo. “A huge goal of ours is to stay number one in our division,” English said. “We know that every team is looking to beat us and that motivates us to get better every time we step in the gym. I think if we continue to be aggressive, and
challenge each others weaknesses at practice, we will have no problem defending our number one spot.” Before Saturday’s afternoon game, retired Pioneer volleyball players returned to the Student Center Gym for the annual alumni game. Among the alumni were Kelsey Veydt, Nikki Inquartano, Shiloh Simonson and Ashley Taylor. “During the alumni game, it felt like nothing changed honestly,” Taylor said. “We all had a blast, laughing so hard, being together, and just playing the sport we all love and miss. It definitely is hard to be on the outside watching, but I’m so proud of all the things I accomplished while being on the team.” The Pioneers, now 12-2 overall and 3-0 RSC, have a long road stretch ahead of them. Following the Notre Dame Tri-Match, Point Park will play conference road matches for three straight weekends before returning to the Student Center on Oct. 22. “Traveling definitely takes its toll, but going into someone else’s home gym and taking control and winning on their court makes a win that much more rewarding,” Castelli said. “So it motivates us to always play our best.”
Dara Collins dmcolli2@pointpark.edu
Hannah Johnston | The Globe The Pioneers celebrate after scoring a point in a River States Conference matchup this past week. The Pioneers are currently undefeated in RSC play and are 12-2 overall.
8
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019
SPORTS
THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Women’s soccer begins RSC play with split games at home Pioneers No. 4 in RSC with 1-1 record By Austin Alkire Co-Sports Editor
30 minutes into their second game of River States Conference (RSC) action, the women’s soccer team found themselves down 2-0. Sophomore forward Taylor Goldstrohm made it her mission to try and change that. Goldstrohm was already having a career week. Last season Goldstrohm, then a freshman tallied three goals for six points. This year, Goldstrohm finds herself setting new career totals with three goals and two assists for eight points. The majority of those stats came this past week. The women’s soccer team began RSC play, squaring off against two Indiana University teams: IU Kokomo and IU East. Both games were played at the Montour Junction Sports Complex, instead of the usual Highmark Stadium. The change in venue did not matter for the Pioneers. Eight minutes into their game against IU Kokomo, Bailey Boyd opened the scoring for the Pioneers, capitalizing on a pass from Goldstrohm. “It put us in a position we had not been in for the past couple of games where we were trying to catch up to the other team,” Boyd said. Almost halfway through the first half, Goldstrohm
created separation from the defense and buried her second goal of the season, her first of the day. The second half was no different. With a focus on defense, the Pioneers kept the Cougars’ shots to a minimum. In the 77th minute, Goldstrohm showed off her playmaking ability and threaded the needle with a pass to fellow sophomore forward Tia Horew to give Point Park the 3-0 lead. With five shots on goal for the Cougars, Ashtyn Webb picked up her first shutout of the season, giving the Pioneers a 1-0 RSC record and their second win of conference play. IU East proved to be a tougher task for Point Park. After the first 20 minutes, the Red Wolves struck first. Just two minutes later, IU East found another hole in the defense and scored the second goal of the game. “A two goal lead is one of the worst leads to have in soccer, so I think that we really needed to be the ones who scored next in order to stay in the game,” Goldstrohm said. “I pushed up high and saw an opportunity for a long ball. I was playing in the mid so I know they weren’t expecting me to be up there. Chloe [Bowser] saw me and played me a perfect bouncing ball, so I just tried to get any sort of touch on the ball
into the gap to get past the defenders.” Once she had a oneon-one opportunity against goalkeeper Gabby Mitchum, Goldstrohm shot the ball towards the far corner, scoring her third goal of the season. “With the score being 2-1, we were right back in it. It was anybody’s game again,” Goldstrohm said. “It was really in our hands to take that momentum to get another one back, but it unfortunately didn’t work out like that.” Six minutes later, IU East responded and took their second lead of the game. With two additional goals in the second half, the Pioneers fell to IU East 5-1. At the time of publication, Point Park’s 1-1 RSC record puts them No. 4 in the RSC. “I feel that there are things I can still be doing as a coach to get us to the point where we can play IU East and come out on top,” head coach Bethanie Moreschi said. “I’m impressed by my teams ability to put up a hard fight for 90 minutes.” The Pioneers will be back in action later this week, traveling to both Midway and Asbury for two RAC matchups before coming home on Monday to host non-conference opponent Washington Adventist.
Austin Alkire apalkir@pointpark.edu
Nick Koehler | Point Park Athletics Junior midfielder Geert Bijl celebrates a goal against with junior forward captain Mitchell Roell. Bijl scored twice in the RSC opener.
Men open RSC play with 6-3 win By Rachael McKriger Staff Writer
The month of September was kind to the Point Park men’s soccer team. Heading into conference play, the Pioneers boasted plenty of confidence. After opening the month with a loss against Lincoln College, the Pioneers went on a four-match unbeaten streak before opening up the RSC competition. On Saturday, Point Park compiled a statement win over Indiana University East, notching six goals in the victory. Point Park dominated the entire first half, scoring five of their six. Geert Bijl found the back of the net twice, while Lloyd van Wees and Victor Lorente Casaus tapped in goals past the Red Wolves. The fifth goal of the first half was on goal. Last year, the story was different. Point Park fell to the Red Wolves on the road in a tight 0-1 loss. Sophomore midfielder Conner Kelly said extracting revenge at the Pioneers home field has brought a new energy to the team. “Starting off our conference play with a win is huge,” Kelly said. “After losing to them last year, it feels great to get the win. After taking a 10-day break between games, keeping our win streak going is great. We came out fast and strong in the first half and took our chances well. We worked as a unit and stuck to our game plan that we practiced in training.” Wessel Rietveld, a senior from the Netherlands, started the match and said that, despite the heat, Point Park was on the stronger side. “They couldn’t handle our pressure,” Rietveld, a midfielder, said. “At half time, we were leading, 5-0. Then, we just got sloppy and gave away too many chances. But, we still managed to win. Being back in conference play is great, though.” As Rietveld mentioned, the second half wasn’t as crisp for the Pioneers. The Red Wolves packed on the chances, as Montell James and Gustavo Ferrari found the back of Point Park’s net within four minutes. After a lone second-half goal from Pioneers senior Daan Stormink, the Red Wolves found one more consolation goal. Point Park managed to keep them scoreless for the last 30 minutes. Kelly isn’t letting the weather count as an excuse for sloppy play. He also doesn’t credit the location of the match. Point Park splits
their home fields between Highmark Stadium and the Montour Junction Sports Complex. With Toby Keith performing at Highmark Stadium, the match was moved to Coraopolis. They’ll play there two more times this season. “Playing at Montour is unlike our normal home atmosphere, but we don’t let that become an excuse,” Kelly said. “We play our game the same way every match, no matter the conditions. We have trained there and played there multiple times so we know the terrain. We’re familiar with how we want to play on that particular pitch.” However, the Pioneers won’t be seeing that field for a while. Furthermore, they won’t be home until Oct. 7. That might seem like a short time away, but the Pioneers will have three matches before they return to Highmark Stadium. In the span of 10 days, the team will feature in five matches from Oct. 1 until Oct. 10. Meanwhile, not all matches are RSC contests. Instead, the team will face off with non-conference opponent Salem University before heading on the road to conference opponents Midway and Asbury. “We have a good portion of conference and non-conference games coming up in a small span, but what we have in good numbers is depth,” Kelly explained. “We have a lot of good players ready to help this team get through the next few days and help us win out these games. We’re confident that as long as we stay focused and play our game, we can continue to ride out our win streak.” Freshman Allan Deryamin said that each win will help the Pioneers focus on the next game. “We need to preserve our win streak, and to do that we have to continue to enjoy what we do, with the people we are doing it with,” Deryamin said. “The team chemistry is great. Everyone works so well together. Practices and games are just a brilliant display of camaraderie and trust in one another.” Point Park will hit the road on Tuesday to West Virginia to face Salem. Then, a trip to Kentucky will take up the rest of the week, as the team faces Midway on Thursday and Asbury on Saturday.
Rachael McKriger rakrige@pointpark.edu