1-7-20

The Pitt News

T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | January 7, 2019 ­| Volume 110 | Issue 196

CLASS IN SESSION

FORBES STREET MARKET CITED FOR HEALTH VIOLATIONS Jon Moss

News Editor

Students make their way through the Cathedral of Learning to the first afternoon classes of spring 2020.

Thomas Yang assistant visual ediotr

The Allegheny County Health Department cited Pitt’s Forbes Street Market for two health code violations Monday.

The Forbes Avenue grocery store received one low-risk Food Source/Condition violation for a dented can of green beans found with the canned goods. It received another low-risk Fabrication, Design, Installation and Maintenance violation for using an overturned milk crate in a mop closet to store boxes of cleaning supplies.

PITTSBURGHER PAINTS REACTIONS TO ‘LEST WE FORGET’

Emily Wolfe

artist Adam Maeroff.

In fact, “Lady in the Flower Dress,” which shows Loeb Emily Loeb noticed a man taking photographs as she and two other women gazing at Toscano’s portraits, is one and two companions walked through the “Lest We Forget” of about 15 “Lest We Forget”-inspired paintings Maeroff exhibition on the Cathedral of Learning lawn last fall, but created during the month the exhibition stayed in Pittsshe didn’t think much of it. She figured he, like her, was burgh.

In the swirling style of Maeroff ’s paintings, the faces of focused on the series of large-scale photographs that made up the exhibition — 60 portraits of Holocaust survivors exhibit’s visitors are left mostly featureless, but the large taken by German-Italian artist Luigi Toscano, each more portraits of the survivors are still easily identifiable.

“I get out and experience life, see the final painting in than seven feet tall.

“I’ve never seen anything like these gigantic photo- my head, then paint it. The personal experience and my graphs,” Loeb, the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, perspective of the world is the painting,” Maeroff wrote in said. “You could see every hair and wrinkle and pore on an email. “The desired result is a painting which allows you, the viewer, to see through my eyes.” their faces.”

Maeroff paints a variety of subjects — he’s partial to naLoeb didn’t know a fellow visitor was watching her reaction to the exhibition, or that her experience, like that of ture scenes — but he said he’s been drawn to capturing the many others who visited “Lest We Forget,” would later be way people interact with their surroundings since he first captured in a painting by the man taking pictures — local started painting in New York City in the ’70s. He visited Contributing Editor

Toscano’s exhibition on one of his walks around Pittsburgh, and when he started watching other visitors, “all [his] creative bells and whistles were going off simultaneously,” he said.

“Folks engaged the portraits as they moved through them,” Maeroff said. “It was all but five seconds before my mind started seeing paintings portraying what I saw.”

The exhibition, which has been displayed in similar public locations in a number of cities in Europe and America, stood on the Cathedral lawn from mid-October to midNovember. Its appearance was intended to coincide with the one-year commemoration of the Tree of Life masacre, and Toscano photographed a number of Pittsburgh-area Holocaust survivors for inclusion in the exhibit.

During his trips to the exhibition, Maeroff would take pictures or sketch visitors, letting them know what he was doing if he thought there was a chance they would notice.

See Reactions on page 5

News

PLAN FOR PITT 2025: UNIVERSITY BEGINS PLANNING PROCESS

Mary Rose O’Donnell Assistant News Editor

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher announced the launch of the planning process for Plan for Pitt 2025 in a campus-wide email Monday detailing a new strategic plan meant to guide the University over the next five years.

According to its website, the new plan will build upon the goals set in Plan for Pitt 2016-2020. These goals are to advance educational excellence, engage in research of impact, strengthen communities, promote diversity and inclusion, embrace the world and build foundational strength.

A steering committee consisting of 18 people from across the University and its four regional campuses will guide the planning process. The committee is led by distinguished professor of law Vivian Curran and Nathan Urban, the vice provost for

graduate studies and strategic initiatives.

Each school within the University has also appointed a planning liaison to help gather and share information with their respective schools and further assist the planning process.

According to the Plan for Pitt 2025 website, the University will host Strategic Planning Workshops throughout the next several weeks to gather input from the Pitt community. Some sessions are exclusive to only undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty or staff, while others are open to the general public.

The workshops for undergraduate students will be held Jan. 13 at 5 p.m. and Jan. 15 at 10:30 a.m. in the O’Hara Student Center Dining Room.

The workshops for graduate and professional students will be held Jan. 14 at 5 p.m. in the O’Hara Student Center Dining Room

and Jan. 21 at 1:30 p.m. in Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower, Room S120.

The workshops for faculty will be held at the following times: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 8:30 a.m in Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower, Room S100A Thursday, Jan. 23 at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. in William Pitt Union, Room 548 Monday, Jan. 27 at 9:30 a.m. in William Pitt Union Ballroom Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 3:30 p.m. in William Pitt Union Ballroom The workshops for staff will be held at the following times: Thursday, Jan. 23 at noon in Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower, Room S120 Monday, Jan. 27 at noon in William Pitt Union Ballroom Tuesday, Jan. 28 at noon in William Pitt

Union Ballroom Thursday, Jan. 30 at noon in William Pitt Union, Room 548 The workshops for all members of the Pitt community will be held at the following times: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 2:30 p.m. in O’Hara Student Center Dining Room Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 8:30 a.m. in O’Hara Student Center Dining Room Thursday, Jan. 16 at 10:30 a.m. in O’Hara Student Center Dining Room Wednesday, Jan. 29 at noon in William Pitt Union Ballroom Thursday, Jan. 30 at 2:00 p.m. in William Pitt Union, Room 548 The “Plan for Pitt 2025 Initial Input Survey” is also available on the initiative’s website for people to share their thoughts on what should be included in the new plan.

Pitt police officer sues University for alleged age discrimination Jon Moss

News Editor A Pitt police officer filed a civil complaint against the University for allegedly discriminating against him on the basis of his age.

Alcuin Mitchell, a member of the Pitt police since 1979, filed the complaint on May 6, 2019, later amended on Sept. 25, 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Mitchell alleged that the University’s actions violated the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. He asked the court to award him back and front pay, lost benefits, damages and legal fees.

Pitt spokesperson David Seldin said the University believes the case is “without merit,” and the University’s lawyers seek to have the case dismissed for failure to establish a clear discrimination case.

According to the complaint, Mitchell responded on Feb. 18, 2018, to a call of a suspicious person and determined that the person

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about whom the call was made was not a suspect. Mitchell didn’t pursue an investigative detention or an arrest. At the time, he served as a sergeant — a position he was promoted to in 2007.

But following the call, Pitt police Chief James Loftus heavily criticized Mitchell for how he handled it, according to the complaint.

“Loftus berated Officer Mitchell for exercising his discretion in the way he responded on scene, while no other officer had been subjected to scrutiny for failing to make an arrest in the way that Loftus scrutinized Officer Mitchell over this incident,” the complaint said.

Mitchell, who had been actively seeking a promotion to the Pitt police’s lieutenant position, heard the following day that he was one of two candidates who qualified for the position.

According to the complaint, the other candidate was Bryan Luczak, a man in his “late 30s or early 40s” who had initially trained under Mitchell.

Two days after the incident, Loftus removed Mitchell’s name for the promotion list and sus-

pended him with pay, retroactively from Feb. 12, 2018, to March 8, 2018, citing the Feb. 18 incident. Loftus further disciplined Mitchell by downgrading him after serving his suspension from his management role as a sergeant to a patrol officer, with a corresponding deduction in pay.

Luczak ultimately received the lieutenant position on May 2019, according to the complaint, which Mitchell claimed was part of a series of other decisions that appeared to favor younger members of the force.

The complaint said a younger sergeant, Ben Salvio, seemed to Mitchell to have been treated more favorably due to his age. Salvio, according to the complaint, approved a 2017 “bad arrest” by then-officer Michael Rosfeld near the Garage Door Saloon on Atwood Street. After the incident, Salvio was retrained with pay and restored to his position as a sergeant.

Rosfeld later voluntarily resigned from the force with a clean disciplinary record, according to the complaint. He would later join the East Pittsburgh Police Department and would

January 7, 2020

be at the center of the controversial shooting of Antwon Rose II, an unarmed black 17-yearold.

The complaint alleged that another officer, Lieutenant Andy Redman, enjoyed beneficial treatment due to his younger age, despite numerous complaints against him. “[Redman] was moved to a newly created office position with no demotion in rank or pay,” the complaint said, “even though he was accused of, and has a history of complaints of, acting in a discriminatory and derogatory manner to fellow officers based on sex, race and religion.”

The complaint added that Redman had allegedly failed to “appropriately and adequately” respond to an active shooter situation the year prior, and was not disciplined or reprimanded, but instead provided with commendations by the Pitt police.

Oral arguments for the case will occur Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Joseph F. Weis.

Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Courtroom 6A before Chief Judge Mark Hornak

2

Opinions

Politics Wrapped: Top American political momrents of the decade Online at pittnews.com

column

Stop giving Bret Stephens a platform Leah Mensch Opinions Editor

First Bret Stephens was just a New York Times Opinions columnist. Then he was the bedbug, and subsequently the weird guy who went on an online rant and deleted his Twitter account. Now, he just seems to persistently be the center of controversy.

The Times published a column Stephens wrote on Dec. 27 titled “The Secrets of Jewish Genius,” and faced fierce scrutiny after readers discovered he sourced a eugenicist and white nationalist in his argument’s research. Stephens, who is a conservative columnist, is not only known for his questionable values, but also notorious for responding aggressively to negative feedback. This is far from the first Stephens column that has made readers angry — think back to Stephens’ stance on the ongoing free speech debate or his first column for the Times back in 2017 that questioned the science behind climate change.

I like the New York Times, and I trust the publication as a news source. The paper has been my own primary news source for the past four or five years.

Though it’s had its fair share of bad judgment calls and controversial issues — like the anti-Semetic Benjamin Netanyahu cartoon last spring — I, like many, have been forgiving. I respect the opinions of other conservative columnists — like David Brooks and Ross Douthat — even though I often disagree with their arguments. But Stephens is different. On multiple occasions, Stephens has proven himself racist and explosive towards other people. This is bad journalism. The New York Times needs to step up and fire him.

In a column published in June 2019, Stephens cultivated outrage amongst

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readers. In his piece, he criticized the Democratic party, calling it “a party that makes too many Americans feel like strangers in their own country. A party that puts more of its faith, and invests most of its efforts, in ‘them’ instead of ‘us.’”

“They speak Spanish,” Stephens wrote.

“We don’t. They are not U.S. citizens or legal residents. We are. They broke the rules to get into this country. We didn’t.

They pay few or no taxes. We already pay most of those taxes. They willingly got themselves into debt. We’re asked to write it off. They don’t pay the premiums for private health insurance. We’re supposed to give up ours in exchange for some V.A.-type nightmare. They didn’t start enterprises that create employment and drive innovation. We’re expected to join the candidates in demonizing the job-creators, breaking up their businesses and taxing them to the hilt.”

It wasn’t the argument itself that outraged readers. Rather, it was Stephens’ categorization of Americans and outsiders, as if to suggest that refugees and non-American people are inferior to Americans because of the language they speak, because, as Stephens seems to suggest, they provide nothing for us. Scholar Reza Azlan wrote that Stephens jumped “out of the white nationalist closet” with his use of “they are not us” language.

The fact that the Times didn’t question his rhetoric prior to the publication of his column is the most disconcerting. Stephens’ argument could have been published in a less hostile way, but it wasn’t. And this is the problem. His rhetoric continues to display ignorance, and the publication doesn’t seem to be making much of an effort to fix that.

The Times later published an editor’s note at the top of Stephens’ column about Jewish genius — which cited a

study directed by white nationalist Henry Harpending. Responding to public outrage with an editor’s note is rare, especially for the opinions section.

“Mr. Stephens was not endorsing the study or its authors’ views, but it was a mistake to cite it uncritically,” the note reads. “The effect was to leave an impression with many readers that Mr. Stephens was arguing that Jews are genetically superior. That was not his intent …

We have removed reference to the study from the column.”

Whether or not it’s true that Stephens and his editors were unaware of the fact that they used a white nationalist and eugenics as a source, the error shows lazy research on the part of the editors and Stephens himself. A singular Google search of Harpending shows he was labeled a white nationalist by the Southern Law Poverty Center in 2015. This was an easy mistake to catch.

In addition to his questionable rhetoric and values, Bret Stephens is explosive and aggressive, notoriously toward people who disagree with him. When a New York Times editor tweeted that there were bedbugs in the office this past August, George Washington University professor David Karpf responded with a joke on Twitter.

“The bedbugs are a metaphor,” Karpf wrote. “The bedbugs are Bret Stephens.”

Angry about the tweet, Stephens emailed Karpf and carbon copied the provost of the professor’s department in the email.

“Someone just pointed out a tweet you wrote about me, calling me a ‘bedbug,’” Stephens wrote in the email, which Karpf later posted on Twitter. “I’m often amazed about the things supposedly decent people are prepared to say about other people — people they’ve never met — on Twitter. I think you’ve set a new

January 7, 2020

standard.”

Stephens invited Karpf to come over to his house, to meet Stephens’ family and insult them all to the columnist’s face.

Though Stephens denies it, Karpf said he posted the email on Twitter because he felt Stephens was using his position of power by cc’ing the university’s provost in order to get Karpf fired. Either way, Stephens’ erratic behavior was both inappropriate and uncalled for. Stephens is a professional journalist and an opinions columnist. Inevitably, the writing of any columnist is going to anger someone. If it doesn’t, then the columnist likely isn’t doing their job well.

It is also true that firing Stephens would allow space for a columnist who has conservative economic opinions like Stephens, but can express them more appropriately. Karpf weighed in on the most recent Stephens controversy following his sourcing of Harpending.

“I have to imagine anyone else would get fired for this,” Karpf said. “If they fired Bret Stephens, it might open a slot for a conservative who would do a better job and try harder than he does.”

Just because Stephens won a Pulitzer Prize doesn’t mean that the New York Times should tolerate his lazy research and erratic behavior. It would be one thing if this was his first offense, but Stephens has a long history of racially controversial takes and hateful rhetoric.

Out of respect for its readers — and the ethics of journalism — the New York Times needs to fire him. His behavior can’t be excused with an editor’s note anymore.

Leah writes primarily about mental health, books, essays and the spices of the world. Write to Leah at LEM140@pitt. edu.

3

Culture

Slippery Rock n’ roll: University Percussion Ensemble visits Heinz Chapel

Charlie Taylor

Senior Staff Writer On the surface, Taiwanese folk music, Radiohead and contemporary a cappella represent three vastly different and conflicting styles of music. The Slippery Rock University Percussion Ensemble would beg to differ.

The ensemble played an eclectic variety of pieces spanning several time periods, geographic areas and musical genres in a concert held at the Heinz Memorial Chapel on Sunday. Directed by David Glover, an assistant professor of percussion and chair of the music department at Slippery Rock, the concert featured students playing a wide range of percussion instruments.

The show opened with David Skidmore’s 2004 “Ritual Music” — a piece that started low and rumbling before launching suddenly into an intense uproar of drums and marimba. According to Glover, the ensemble thoroughly rehearsed and performed pieces like “Ritual Music” well before bringing it to Heinz Memorial Chapel. He said the musicians first began rehearsing some of their music a year beforehand and performed some earlier in the fall.

“It’s been about a year thinking about [the concert] and putting things together,” he said.

“Not necessarily rehearsing all summer or anything like that, but many, many hours went into prep.”

Other pieces were prepared just a few weeks before the concert, with little time for musicians to practice as a group. “Ghanaia” was one such piece — a marimba solo from the German composer Matthias Schmidt that draws from the rhythms of traditional Ghanian music and requires the musician to play with four mallets.

Nico Ricciuti, a junior music therapy major who performed “Ghanaia” with accompaniment by Glover, said although he had been practicing the piece for two years, he rarely had accompaniment while doing so — a factor that added to the stress and excitement of playing

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head and work out the melody and follow that, so [playing the song] was easier.”

Glover also noted that the space of the Heinz Memorial Chapel lent itself to the piece.

He said that the Gothic-revival architecture, with its echoing acoustics, created a great atmosphere in which to perform the piece. “[‘Sleep’] sounded really nice in [the Chapel] especially, so I think we were all most looking forward to playing that piece, and I think it’s one of my favorites [of the evening],” he said.

The concert ended with another percussive twist on a non-percussive song — “Daydreaming” by Radiohead — which embodied the eclectic nature of the ensemble’s set. Four musicians moved between playing several instruments, including a steel drum, a cymbal cut into a spiral shape and stretched on a stand and a melodica — which is an instrument resembling a small piano connected to a plastic tube.

According to Glover, the group tends to The Slippery Rock University Percussion Ensemble combined Taiwanese folk music, Radiohead and contemporary a cappella at its performance at avoid traveling because of the volume of instruHeinz Chapel on Sunday. Charlie Taylor contributing editor ments and equipment it uses, so a performance a solo.

As a result, their music had a similar sound in a space as small as the Chapel is somewhat “For a solo, everything is about you,” Ric- to the human voice, allowing them to mimic of a rarity.

“It’s a lot to move this stuff, like we have to ciuti said. “You can’t rely on hearing somebody the melancholy choral quality of Whitacre’s else. I barely practiced with Doc [Glover] be- original work. Glover said he enjoys putting get a facilities truck and pack it jam tight with fore we did this. He just jumped in and was like, together pieces like “Sleep” because of the way everything we own,” he said. “We also have to ‘Alright, let’s go.’” they push the limits of percussion instruments choose pieces that fit in the space, so we usually only do two to three performances [outside While “Ghanaia” is a piece originally writ- and create unusual sounds. ten for percussion, the ensemble’s sixth piece of “I’m always eager to get my hands on mu- Slippery Rock a year].”

Dante Burns, a sophomore double majorthe performance, “Sleep,” is intended for a cho- sic that wasn’t meant for these instruments and ral group. According to composer Eric Whita- put it on them, because the result really is beau- ing in music education and performance, said this wide variety of instruments is one of the cre’s website, singer Julia Armstrong commis- tiful,” he said during the show. sioned the sorrowful piece in 1999 in memory Anastasia Long, a senior music education most appealing aspects of participating in the of her late parents. major, said she also appreciated the opportu- percussion ensemble. He said playing with The lyrics of the choral version reflect the nity to cross the traditional boundaries of per- the group widened his horizons and brought theme of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by cussion and apply new aspects of her musical him closer to a community of musicians he Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and even with- abilities to the marimba. She said she enjoyed wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity out lyrics, the arrangement performed by the singing the choral arrangement of the song, to work with.

“I think being able to perform in a percuspercussion ensemble holds the same contem- which she used to help her better play the persion ensemble is a really nice way of using a plative feeling as the poem. Eight musicians, all cussive version. playing marimba, tapped quickly on their in“[“Sleep”] is my favorite choir piece, and bunch of instruments you don’t really get to use struments, lengthening the sound of each note when [Glover] passed it out I got really excit- in other ensembles, and we get to be together as in a technique called tremolo. ed,” she said. “I can think of the words in my percussionists,” he said.

January 7, 2020

4

Reactions, pg. 1 Then he’d return to his home studio, where he’d paint from the references he’d taken. As he completed his paintings, Maeroff posted them to Facebook, where they caught the eye of Toscano himself. Toscano shared the paintings with his followers, saying Maeroff ’s works — inspired by his own — left him “speechless.”

“It’s really cool and generous of him to see what I was doing, portraying people responding to his work, as nothing more than what it was — not threatening, just more art,” Maeroff said.

Maeroff and Toscano have since struck up a friendship, and one of Maeroff ’s pieces — “Cloudy with a Chance of Learning,” which shows a young woman sitting on a bench, gazing across the walkway at portraits of two Pittsburgh-area survivors — will soon be printed in a book of Toscano’s “Lest We Forget” portraits.

The original copy of the painting, though, will stay in the City on the office wall of Lauren Bairnsfather, the director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Bairnsfather, who worked closely with Toscano to bring “Lest We Forget” to Pittsburgh, said Maeroff ’s paintings perfectly illustrate why the exhibition is meaningful. “Cloudy with a Chance of Learning” was the first painting of Maeroff ’s that Bairnsfather saw. The instant that she did, Bairnsfather said, she knew she had to buy it.

“I loved all of the paintings that Adam did, but that one especially, because it captured exactly the meaning and significance of the exhibit to me,” Bairnsfather said.

“It was meant for people to be able to stop as they were walking across the lawn and really take in the images, and that’s what this painting is.”

Maeroff ’s series of “Lest We Forget” paintings isn’t so different from the work he’s done in the past, he said.

In almost 50 years of art and travel, he’s painted many “strong and struggling faces” — from teenage Midwestern sex workers in the 1970s to starving families in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

“In many ways, the faces of the people portrayed in ‘Lest We Forget’ remind me of those people and others who have been characters in the chapters of my life,” Maeroff said.

The difference, Maeroff said, is that he doesn’t know what happened to those faces that he saw and painted in the past. Toscano’s subjects survived into old age.

“The people in Luigi’s portraits survived, and that makes them different to me, a narrative in itself,” Maeroff said.

Loeb was initially startled to recognize herself in “Lady in a Flower Dress” when it showed up on her Facebook feed, shared by Bairnsfather. But when she was sure the painting showed her, she contacted Maeroff and bought the painting — she plans to hang it on the wall of her own office.

“You go through the world and you don’t know who’s recording or painting these moments,” Loeb said. “Maybe we’re all captured somewhere, and we don’t realize it.”

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Adam Maeroff’s painting “Cloudy with a chance of Learning” depicts the “Lest We Forget” exhibition that was on display on the Cathedral of Learning lawn last fall.

Courtesy of Adam Maeroff

January 7, 2020

5

Sports DURKIN DOESN’T DESERVE A JOB Stephen Thompson Assistant Sports Editor

People often misuse the word “tragic.”

It’s typically followed by “accident” or “incident” and paired with “unfortunate.” It implies that whatever happened was unavoidable. All you can do is shrug your shoulders and say oops.

Recently, “tragic” has been misused time and time again to describe the death of former Maryland football player Jordan McNair. His head coach D.J. Durkin, strength coach Rick Court and Maryland’s athletic administration all came under scrutiny, and the conclusions of the investigations paint Durkin as someone unfit for a college coaching job — though that didn’t stop Ole Miss from hiring him last month.

McNair died after being hospitalized for heat stroke in May 2018 after paassing out during an offseason workout. An independent investigation conducted by athletic training consultant Rob Walters and released the following August concluded that not only were the proper precautions for workouts in the heat not taken, but response time to McNair’s condition was reprehensibly slow.

Walters’ report states that it took 34 minutes after McNair began showing symptoms for the medical staff to remove him from the field and 67 minutes before 911 was called.

Simply put, every football staff member present failed McNair, and the most heartbreaking part of his story is that it comes as no surprise, particularly to his teammates, who remained anonymous when interviewed by multiple media outlets.

“It shows a cultural problem that Jordan knew that if he stopped, they would challenge his manhood, he would be targeted,” one of the current players said. “He had to go until he couldn’t.”

A separate report commissioned by the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents on the football’s program culture paints a damning picture of how Durkin, who’s first

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Former Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Mississippi last month. Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS stint as a head coach was at Maryland, ran his program. According to interviews, there was a lack of accountability for his staff, particularly Court, who is said to have constantly verbally and physically abused players.

Some of the alleged stories are horrifying.

Court allegedly forced overweight players to eat candy bars while watching other teammates workout, threw a player’s food across the room, forced a player to eat until he vomited and even choked a player with a pulldown bar in the weight room. Completing Court’s workouts were said to have been prioritized over an individual’s safety, lest they be subjected to homophobic slurs and challenges to their masculinity.

But as shocking as the report was, its conclusion was even more upsetting.

“The Maryland football team did not have a ‘toxic culture,’ but it did have a culture where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out,” according to Walters’ report.

A culture where a coach is king and players are held in silence by fear is toxic. Maryland administrators thought so as well. University president Wallace Loh accepted full “legal and moral” responsibility for McNair’s death, to which his parents showed appreciation and uncommon grace.

“While Marty and Tonya [McNair] will never get another day with Jordan, Dr. Loh’s words were meaningful to them and gave them some comfort that he will put the University on the path to change the culture of the program that no Terrapin family will have to endure the heartache and grief that they feel,” McNair’s parents said in a statement released by their lawyer in August 2018.

Durkin was fired two months later, but his unemployment was short-lived. Just one month ago, Lane Kiffin was hired as the University of Mississippi’s head football coach, and one of his first assistant coaching hires was none other than Durkin. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter stood by the hire and the

January 7, 2020

school’s vetting process.

“We received consistently strong feedback about Coach Durkin’s strong character and work ethic and his positive impact on the communities and institutions where he was previously employed,” Carter said.

Positive reviews are a likely outcome when dissenters are bullied into anonymity, as former players and staff members attested to in the Walters report. But even those Maryland players courageous enough to speak out, like graduate offensive lineman Ellis McKennie, appear to have been ignored.

McNair was by all accounts a committed teammate and talented athlete, who received offers from powerhouse schools like Ohio State, Alabama and Penn State, though he chose to stay close to home and committed to Maryland in 2017.

But neither his talent nor character is relevant. Regardless of who McNair was, his death was unwarranted. And both the findings of Walters’ independent investigation and the Board of Regents’ commissioned report about the athletic department’s culture under Durkin should have made a strong enough statement to universities everywhere.

However, his top-20 recruiting classes and record as a coach were enough for Ole Miss to overlook these accusations.

Editorials have been written about how Durkin is being “persecuted” and deserves a second chance. There are mistakes that earn second chances. Losing games, missing out on a recruit or dropping a swear word in an interview are worthy of forgiveness. But the actions Durkin has allegedly allowed under his watch are not.

Don’t conflate consequences with persecution. While Durkin has not been ruled responsible in the eyes of the law, the details in the reports should be enough to keep him out of coaching. But Kiffin, by hiring Durkin, has reaffirmed that college football values wins and money over the well-being of its participants.

6

CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS: ACC IS DUKE’S DOMAIN Kyle Saxon Staff Writer

As the halfway mark of the college basketball season approaches, ushering in the marathon of conference play across the nation, one thing is clear –– parity is this year’s defining trait.

Usually, several teams and conferences have established themselves as dominant

by January, but no such thing has happened this season. The ACC, college basketball’s gold standard, is not clearly the best in the country this year, nor is there a clear favorite to win the conference.

Four teams have established themselves to be the top tier of the ACC in 2020, but the rest of the conference appears to be entirely for the taking. Although they are sure to look vastly different by March, or even next week, here are the midseason ACC basketball power rankings.

Duke (13-1, 3-0 ACC) Other than a breathtaking early home loss at the hands of Stephen F. Austin, the Blue Devils have been the most consistent-

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ly excellent team in the conference thus far.

Mike Krzyzewski has once again guided a group of star first-years to success. Firstyear center Vernon Carey Jr. has played like a National Player of the Year candidate and sophomore guard Tre Jones has improved as the team’s floor general and leader. Duke boasts a No. 2 national ranking, along with impressive victories on neutral courts against Kansas and Georgetown as well as on the road at Michigan State.

Florida State (13-2, 3-1 ACC) Despite losing a great deal of talent and leadership this offseason, Leonard Hamilton’s group has returned with a vengeance.

The Seminoles have bounced back from an opening loss at Pittsburgh stronger than ever, with huge wins over Florida, Tennessee, Purdue and Louisville.

Offense was the pressing question for this Florida State squad, and the duo of senior guard Trent Forrest and sophomore forward Devin Vassell have answered the call. Expect another big year from the No. 10 nationally ranked Seminoles.

Louisville (11-3, 2-1 ACC) The Cardinals came into this season as a trendy pick to win the conference, and they’ve lived up to the hype thus far.

However, setbacks against Texas Tech, Kentucky and Florida State sank Louisville to No. 13 in the nation, and third in the power rankings.

But Chris Mack has done a phenomenal job, and his team is poised to grow from losses against three likely tournament teams. Third-year forward Jordan Nwora has been a superstar and leader for Louisville, who remain in strong position to make a run at the ACC title.

Virginia (11-2, 3-0 ACC) Despite very ugly losses at the hands of Purdue and South Carolina, the No. 18 Cavaliers seem to have finally found their stride. This comes as no surprise in Charlottesville. Tony Bennett has proven he can consistently compete regardless of the talent on his roster. Offense is still a struggle, as should be expected given the production lost in the offseason.

January 7, 2020

The defending national champions still boast the best defense in the nation, as well as a convincing home win over a healthy North Carolina group, and will look to build their recent momentum as they hit the more difficult games in their schedule.

NC State (10-4, 1-2 ACC) Coming off of a disappointing loss against Clemson, the Wolfpack earn the fifth spot in the power rankings by default. Kevin Keatts has an experienced, tournament-caliber team this season, but NC State will have to win big games to make it into the dance. Despite a worthy record last season, their lack of signature victories left them stunned on Selection Sunday. Senior guards Markell Johnson and Braxton Beverly are one of the best backcourts in the conference, and play with an edge all year to redeem last year’s snub.

Find the full story online at

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I N D E X

Rentals & Sublet • NORTH OAKLAND • SOUTH OAKLAND • SHADYSIDE • SQUIRREL HILL • SOUTHSIDE • NORTHSIDE • BLOOMFIELD • ROOMMATES • OTHER

For Rent North Oakland 214 N. Craig Street.

Safe, secure build­ ing. 1BR, furnished.

Newly remodeled, no pets. Rent $850 and up, including heat. Mature or Graduate students.

412‑855‑9925 or 724‑940‑0045. Email for pictures: salonre­ na@gmail.com 3 Bedroom 2 Baths 2nd Floor apartment.

Laundry in basement.

Walking distance to Pitt/CMU. $1,800­/mo. +utilites North Oakland loca­tion. “Country in the City”. Call 412‑999‑3112.

Newly renovated, fully furnished, 4&5 BR, 2‑1/2 BA houses.

Located near Pitt Den‑ tal School and Carlow Univer­sity. Laundry ser­vices available.

Rent $600/mo per unit, which includes utili­ties. Contact Chris 412‑656‑5693.

South Oakland ** 5 Bedroom/2 full bath; HUGE HOME‑ duplex style, three sto‑

pittnews.com

Employment • CHILDCARE • FOOD SERVICES • UNIVERSITY • INTERNSHIPS • RESEARCH • VOLUNTEERING • OTHER

ries. COM­PLETELY REMOD­ELED, 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens, 2 dining rooms, LAUN­DRY, DISH­WASHER and a huge yard to enjoy!

Huge Bedrooms!

Located on Dawson Street. PITT Shuttle stops di­rectly in front of house, only 15 minute level walk to PITT/CMU. $3,395­+.

Available 8/1/2020.

NO PETS. Call Jason at 412‑922‑2141. Pic‑ tures‑ Info: tinyurl. com/­dawsonhome 322 S. Bouquet.

Huge 2 BR apart­ ments. Available May 1, 2020 or Au­gust 1, 2020. 412‑361‑2695 3227 Hardy Way. 2BR, 1BA apartment with patio. Laundry in building. $960/mo. plus gas & electric.

412‑596‑8732 3444 Ward St. We have studios, 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apart­ ments. Bright and spacious. Free heat­ ing and free parking.

Move May 1, 2020 or August 1, 2020. Call 412‑361‑2695 416 Oakland Ave., Garden Court. Bright and spacious 2BR, 1BA. Hardwood floors, laundry. Move May 1 or Au­gust 1, 2020. $1395

Classifieds

For sale

• AUTO • BIKES • BOOKS • MERCHANDISE • FURNITURE • REAL ESTATE • PETS

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

includes heat. Call 412‑361‑2695.

Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unre­lated people can share a single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Per­mits, Licensing & In­spections.

412‑255‑2175.

Fall 2020 Rentals ‑ 1 and 2 bedroom apart­ments very close to campus, well main­ tained, 24 hour laun­ dry, secured build­ings.

Rates starting at $700 with some utili­ties in‑ cluded. Call us today at 412‑682‑7622 Now renting for Fall 2020. Apartments and houses of all sizes.

Conveniently located throughout South Oakland. Rents start‑ ing as low as $620.

John C.R. Kelly Re‑ alty. 412‑683‑7300 www.jcrkelly.com Pet Friendly!!

Studios ‑ $695‑$705 1Beds ‑ $795‑$815 2beds ‑ $975‑$995 3beds ‑ $1,245 412‑455‑5600 Studio, 1, 2, 3, and 4 BD apartments avail­ able in South Oak­land from $800‑$2500

• ADOPTION • EVENTS • LOST AND FOUND • STUDENT GROUPS • WANTED • OTHER

R A T E S

Insertions

1X

2X

3X

4X

5X

1-15 Words

$6.30

$11.90

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16-30 Words

$7.50

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6X $30.20 $32.30

Add. + $5.00 + $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978

mjkellyrealty@gmail.­ com. 412‑271‑5550.

Employment Internships OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Manage­ ment Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs. college, for upcom­ing spring semester, to interview & pro­cess rental appli­cants, do internet post‑ ings & help staff our action‑central of­fice. Part time or full time OK starting in January; full time over the summer. $13/ hour. Perfect job for current sopho­mores & juniors, graduating seniors set to enter grad school, returning grad stu­dents, and first year law students!

Mozart Management 412.682.7003 thane@mozartrents.­ com

Employment Other Medical and Heart Care, Students Welcome, 155 N. Craig Street, Dean Kross, MD, 412‑687‑7666

M.J. Kelly Real Estate

January 7, 2020

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