1-6-15 by The Pitt News

Vol. 105 Issue 86

@thepittnews

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Peet’s Oakland location closes, among others

Netflix star Laverne Cox to visit Pitt Dale Shoemaker Assistant News Editor Actress and transgender rights activist Laverne Cox will speak at Pitt this spring, according to Pitt’s Rainbow Alliance. Cox, best known for her role as hairdresser Sophia Burset in the Netflix series “Orange Is The New Black,” will speak to students on March 30 at 7 p.m. Cox’s talk will kick off Pride Week, which is from March 30 to April 3, according to Rainbow Alliance’s vice president Michael O’Brien. Other slated events, O’Brien said, will address gender, pride and sexuality. The title of Cox’s talk is “Ain’t I a Woman: My Journey to Womanhood” and will explore “how the intersections of race, class and gender uniquely affect the lives of trans women of color,” according to the Keppler Speakers Bureau website. Born in Mobile, Ala., and identified at birth as male, Cox now speaks at universities around the country as a transgender rights activist. She speaks to empower individuals to move beyond gender expectations and live more authentically. She was also recently

named one of Out Magazine’s “Out 100,” one of the country’s top 50 transgender icons by The Huffington Post and one of MetroSource Magazine’s “55 People We Love.” Erin Cullen, business manager of Rainbow Alliance, is helping to organize the event. Cullen worked with students and administrators to bring Cox to Pitt for “about a year and a half,” she said. Transexuality is an “important topic,” she said, one that “needs to be discussed.” “Representation of transexual students is something that is lacking [at Pitt],” she said. This idea of transgender empowerment that Cox is a proponent of comes at a key time for Pitt. In 2012, The Pitt News reported that Seamus Johnston, a former Pitt student, and Tricia Dougherty, former president of the Rainbow Alliance, filed complaints against Pitt to the Pittsburgh Commission of Human Relations that Johnston had been discriminated against because of his sex. The complaints were filed because Johnston, who was identified at birth as a woman but

Cox

Pittnews.com

Meghan Sunners | Staff Photographer

Abbey Reighard Assistant News Editor

After providing Pitt students with hot beverages for slightly more than a year, Peet’s Coffee & Tea has gone cold. After assessing coffee shop locations in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Peet’s will be closing locations in those states in order to “focus on our top performing markets,” according to spokesperson Amy Lester. Peet’s Oakland location on Forbes Avenue is among those to shut its doors after replacing its Oakland corner coffee shop predecessor, Caribou Coffee — which closed on Sept. 9, 2013 — in October 2013. Peet’s started an “aggressive U.S. 2

expansion” in summer 2013, Lester said in a release last month. Since that time, Peet’s locations in areas like Chicago and Washington, D.C., have had incredible growth, according to Lester. Even so, Peet’s will be closing all its locations in three states — six in Ohio, two in Michigan and three in Pennsylvania. Lester said the shops in those three areas have “not performed to our expectations.” The Peet’s locations in Pennsylvania — all three in Pittsburgh — were located in Oakland, South Side and at the Waterworks Mall. Jeff Inman, a professor at Pitt’s Katz Graduate School of Business, said a company like Peet’s probably has specific performance criteria that

it compares to the average sales at other stores. “If these new [store locations] were way below that figure, they may have figured it was easier to close up and do better somewhere else,” Inman said. While Inman said 18 months of sales might not indicate what a store location could make in sales in the long-term future, he added that it would make sense for Peet’s to close its stores in areas that fall below the average sales in the first year at its other locations. Peet’s, which is based in Emeryville, Calif., has more than 170 locations in California and more than

Peet’s

January 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 1

PEET’S 220 locations in the United States. “At the end of the day, it’s about the dollar sales,” Inman said. Sam Watson, a junior majoring in English literature, said he only went to Caribou Coffee once, because he usually got his coffee from Market Central or the on-campus coffee carts. Watson added that he frequented Peet’s a few times a week this past summer. “I liked the atmosphere of the store,” Watson said, adding that he also liked that the em-

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ployees “didn’t have to wear uniforms.” Watson said he also preferred Peet’s for the variety of the roasts — dark, medium and light — and he liked that he could sample the coffees before purchasing a cup. Watson said he was surprised when he heard the company would be closing its Pennsylvania locations. He said despite the two coffee shops that closed at the Forbes location, he would like to see another coffee shop or diner move into the location. “A lot of students are looking for things like craft beer and organic food,” Watson said. “I think [the location] could be a restaurant or coffee shop, like a mom and pop type.”

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FROM PAGE 1

COX

identifies as a man, was expelled from Pitt Johnstown for his continued use of the men’s locker room. To fund the event, Cullen said Rainbow Alliance received grants from both the office of Cross Cultural and Learning Development and the University of Pittsburgh Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Program, as well as allocations from Student Government Board. Cox will speak in the seventh floor au-

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The Pitt News Crossword, 1/6/2015

ACROSS 1 Sardine cousin 5 “My take is ...” 10 Princess from Amphipolis 14 Iota 15 One-up 16 “Head With Pipe” artist Nolde 17 Watchable, in a way 18 Jar for leafy vegetable storage? 20 2000s World #1 female golfer 22 Nurture 23 Word with cake or break 24 Actor Jackie’s pet fish? 27 “__ Love” (Maroon 5 hit) 29 Smoking, perhaps 30 Half a score 31 1959 novel in whose film version Mary Crane became Marion Crane 33 Giant 36 Rabbit’s friend 37 Opine ... or create four long answers in this puzzle? 41 Literary __ 42 More than hammer home 43 Video game segments 45 Jr.’s jr. 46 Spot for a soak 49 With 60-Down, only South Korean World Golf Hall of Fame inductee 50 Emulate an inveterate swindler? 53 Small songbird 54 Work on a canvas? 56 Unfortunate 57 Vessel with limited space? 61 Bard’s verb 62 “See Dad Run” star 63 Steer snagger 64 Mishmash 65 TripAdvisor alternative

ditorium of Alumni Hall. The auditorium seats up to 700 people, and Cox is expected to “fill the place,” according to Rainbow Alliance president Allie McCarthy. Cox is the first high-profile speaker Rainbow Alliance has hosted, McCarthy said, and she hopes Cox’s talk will expand the organization’s influence on campus and foster a larger dialogue. “We’re trying to expand the organization to get bigger events and reach more students,” she said. “The community doesn’t know a lot about trans issues. Laverne Cox is a big name. People will come and learn about [those] issues.” advertising@pittnews.com

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1/16/15

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66 “No worries” 67 White side, maybe DOWN 1 More than peck 2 Head __ 3 Besides 4 Plymouth’s county 5 Org. with a multiring logo 6 “No __!” 7 Whitewater figure 8 Pitcher? 9 Green sage 10 Survey taker, at times 11 Text clarifier 12 Compliment on a course 13 Antacid brand word 19 Old PC monitors 21 Martin’s start? 25 Hollywood glitterati 26 Sambuca flavoring 28 On a sugar high, say 31 Psychologist’s concern 32 Quaker Honey Graham __ 33 Toast, with “a”

Thursday’s Puzzle Solved

34 U.S.-U.K. separator 35 “Truth is more of a stranger than fiction” writer 37 The works 38 Second section of Verdi’s “Requiem” 39 Fit nicely 40 Quarters, e.g. 44 Daffy Duck has one 46 Move on a screen

1/16/15

47 Shakespearean heiress 48 “But I digress ...” 50 Trainee 51 Marine predators 52 Bygone birds 53 Mango tango smoothie server 55 Prefix with cardial 58 Post-spill need 59 __-Aztecan languages 60 See 49-Across

January 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS

Transgender identity: Letʼs end the confusion

Imagine coming across a very feminine person with long blond hair and a pencil skirt. Then, they introduce themselves as Larry. In many cases, there is some level of confusion associated with a gender identity that does not match the first name. Thankfully, more resources have become available in recent years to transgender people who encounter such confusion in Pittsburgh. The Name Change Project, an effort to provide free legal aid to transgender individuals seeking to alter their name, came to Pittsburgh in late 2013. The project’s director said its arrival stemmed from a “very strong demand for services,” according to an article published Monday in the Pittsburgh PostGazette. Since the program’s arrival, 19 name changes have been completed, with 17 more in process and 23 on a waiting list. Individuals who change their names to match their gender identity receive less negative feedback from others. It makes their lives easier and allows them to enjoy the benefits of personal freedom in sexual identity. Nonprofit organizations like The Name Change Project play a role in Pittsburgh’s reception as gay- and transgender-friendly. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s 2014 municipal equality index (MEI), Pittsburgh is the second-most LGBTQ friendly city in the state, behind Philadelphia. This is certainly progress in a positive, accepting direction.

That being said, this spring, notable transgender activist Laverne Cox will visit the University, thanks to Pitt’s Rainbow Alliance. Cox is known for her role as Sophia Burset, an incarcerated hairdresser, in Netflix’s “Orange Is The New Black.” Her visit in March falls during Pitt’s Pride Week, an LGBTQ celebration that takes places from March 30 to April 3. She will speak, from her own perspective, on the struggles and successes of the transgender community. Cox’s visit to Pitt is one vehicle through which we can learn about the greater community of transgender people within and outside of Pittsburgh. Our generation is becoming increasingly vocal and interested in sharing the challenges that come with sexual identities that haven’t been fully integrated into society. Cox’s presence on a popular television show has brought more attention to her own “Journey to Womanhood” — a path that is shared by people in our own city. Her visit has the potential to be a step toward equality for sexual minorities, which we, as a society, have yet to fully accomplish. She allows us to enter into a dialogue about genderqueer people that we may not have had before. Through public figures like Laverne Cox and organizations like The Name Change Project, students on college campuses, like Pitt, may have less confusion when encountering transgender peers.

COLUMN

“Serial” podcast: Where is the discrimination discourse? Adrianne Glenn Columnist

The tides are changing: America is fed up with the U.S. justice system after the courts’ refusal to indict Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo, coupled with authoritative responses to Ferguson protests. This unrest originates from the unreliability and inequality within the legal system, not just the notion of institutional discrimination, as many believe. The change is partially because of the recent popularity of a true crime podcast, “Serial,” by the creators of the popular NPR show “This American Life.” “This American Life” is an international, hourlong radio show that airs weekly journalistic nonfiction stories In “Serial,” Sarah Koenig dives into the intricacies of a 1999 murder case. In this case, Adnan Syed was sentenced to life in prison for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Both Syed and Lee were only 17 at the time. Koenig gets to the bottom of the case’s inconsistencies: The entire case sentence relied upon the flimsy and problematic testimony of a single witness, not to mention a lack of forensic or tangible evidence. Jay Wilds, the case’s key witness, testified multiple times, delivering inconsistencies. Each time, his story differed as he altered crucial elements, such as the time frame. The success of “Serial” comes as no surprise. It features professional and intriguing storytelling and a nonfiction investigation featuring violent crimes tends to garner mass attention. However, the sheer extent and

rapid rate of this popularity were unprecedented and wholly unexpected. “Serial” has become the top podcast in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada and hit the top 10 in Germany, South Africa and India. It is also the first podcast to reach 5 million downloads, and Apple regards it as the most popular podcast in the world. It is entirely probable that the program’s success originates from the preexisting disappointment with the American justice system regarding the Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases. These shootings occurred between August and December and the podcast aired between October and December. Confirmation bias inclines people to accept messages compatible with their preconceived notions of the world. Having frequent examples of cruelty in the justice system could cause a person to cling to a podcast reflecting the same idea. It’s important to realize, though, that this is not exactly the same issue. The shootings reflect the court’s unwillingness to prosecute those who deserved it. “Serial” examines the court’s readiness to prosecute without proving the killer was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In considering the Ferguson conversation, this shows that although the shooting and related events in Ferguson were clearly entangled with race, the discontent with the justice system does not stop there. Negative attitudes toward the justice system are no longer solely about racial inequality and the way white Americans are often unjustly found innocent. Citizens are also

concerned with the integrity of the institution as a whole. “Serial” listeners on Reddit repeatedly illustrate that people are far less interested in race when it comes to this case. The discourse boils down to the idea that the justice system is not about justice or truth, but actually just about who can argue and present their case the best. This principle is entangled with race issues, though, considering that white Americans make considerably more than most racial minorities and, simply put, good lawyers are expensive. However, despite Syed being a Pakistani Muslim and Lee being Korean, racial and religious discrimination are more or less left out of the argument in “Serial.” Koenig mentions race only to understand the behaviors of individuals involved in the case in an attempt to fully understand the events of the day Lee was killed. But when it comes to the potential of discrimination during Syed’s trial, Koenig offers almost no insight. Presumably, people consider that the key witness was black and won in court. They assume that must mean no discrimination took place. However, discrimination is evident at multiple points in the podcast, but Koenig fails to mention this. For example, the jury found countless stereotypically religious motives for Lee’s murder. These are based on honor or shame and would likely have been left out of the discourse if he was, for example, a white Christian. Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

January 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT

CINEMA

Jolie’s ‘Unbroken’ begs for Oscars, but is an unbearable torture-fest Dylan Galper Staff Writer

“Unbroken” Directed by: Angelina Jolie Grade: C The tagline for “Unbroken” reads “Survival, Resilience, Redemption.” This should tell you everything you need to know about what director Angelina Jolie hoped to achieve. Longing for an Oscar isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Many in Hollywood see it as the crowning achievement — the pinnacle of a successful career in film. Most of the films that come out this time of year do so because someone involved with its production thought it would be Oscar-worthy. And, despite the fact that the question “Which film was the year’s best?” is invariably a matter of opinion, the Academy typically does a good job at pinpointing some of the year’s best offerings. It has become abundantly clear, however,

that over the Academy Awards’ 86-year history, the Academy has an affinity for a certain type of picture. Though the subject may vary, voters most definitely favor big-budgeted films with familiar, easily decipherable plots and themes that champion the human will to endure even under the harshest of circumstances. With those cinematic champions grabbing gold, the voters then eschew the more esoteric films that experiment with style and explore more exotic themes. One of the Academy’s favorite genres is the historical drama, a genre that generally provides it with the qualities it desires in a film — a fact the makers of “Unbroken” were undoubtedly cognizant of. But, while “Unbroken” may share the same genre, high production values and talent both behind and in front of the camera with past Best Picture winners like “Schindler’s List,” “The King’s Speech” and “12 Years a Slave,” the similarities end there. The film starts out well enough, opening with a gorgeous shot of the sky as planes slowly and majestically emerge from the clouds. The following sequence is tense and thrilling with action that resembles other war films like “Sav-

ing Private Ryan” and the recent “Lone Survivor” in its stirring, chaotic execution. Unfortunately, the rest of the film never lives up to the promise of its opening shots. Instead, Jolie launches us on a redundant and, at times, insufferable journey through the wartime imprisonment of American Olympic runner and bombardier Louie Zamperini. After his crew’s plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean, Louie and two other survivors endure nearly a month at sea only then to be captured and imprisoned by the Japanese. There is a brilliant story of “survival, resilience and redemption” in here somewhere, but, rather than fully capitalizing on it, Jolie establishes a weak correlation between Zamperini’s will to compete and his will to survive and wallops us with two hours of unbearable torture — which was unbearable to withstand, I’m sure, but almost as unbearable to watch. The suffering of an American POW permeates the final two hours, and we become more familiar with Zamperini’s battered and bruised face than we do with the man behind it. If the action on screen fails to pique your interest, you can at least enjoy how beautiful it all

is. The always-reliable cinematographer Roger Deakins (known best for his work with the film’s acclaimed writers, Joel and Ethan Coen) should earn his 12th Oscar nod — his work in “Unbroken” is brilliant. Jack O’Connell, who plays Zamperini, also manages to do the best he can with the thin character he has been offered. It’s a feverishly intense performance, and we feel his sorrow and pain even if we still don’t know who Zamperini really is by the film’s end. Unfortunately, neither of these qualities is good enough to redeem what is eventually a tedious and unrewarding enterprise. We are so exhausted by the end of Zamperini’s journey that the scene in which he is reunited with his family, a typically emotional cinematic setup, barely manages to conjure up any compassion. Similarly, the filmmakers appear so blinded by the sight of Oscar gold that they forgot what makes these films work. We see the “survival,” but where is the “resilience” or the “redemption,” and what reason are we given to believe another prisoner wouldn’t survive similar circumstances? Unfortunately, no Oscar-worthy film accompanies the Oscar-worthy tagline.

January 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

MUSIC

Time Capsule: LCD Soundsystemʼs eponymous debut turns 10 Dan Willis Staff Writer

It is impossible to feel contempt for LCD Soundsystem. No matter what your opinion is of frontman James Murphy’s threealbums-and-done dance-punk collective, you still aren’t going to roll your eyes at an upfront and razor-sharp song like “Losing My Edge.” That’s because, at a time when every postpunk revivalist and New Sincerity hand waver was trying to convince you that they were cool (I’m looking at you, Conor Oberst), LCD Soundsystem couldn’t even convince themselves that they were cool. Over their decadelong existence, they crafted an identity out of reluctance, anxiety and compromise, which all but razed the barrier dividing audience and performer. Delightfully apathetic toward the time, but, with 35 years of experience, James Murphy became the anti-rockstar we all wanted:

someone with a keen ear, a faith in dancefloor transcendentalism and a lack of faith in pretty much everything else. Now he’s moved on. LCD is no more. But on the 10th anniversary of their self-titled debut’s release, it’s worth taking a look back to the band’s humble beginnings. On Nov. 8, 2004, LCD Soundsystem released “Movement,” the first single from their debut. Here, buzzsaw synths and 808 claps bash out a proto-punk stomp while Murphy shames the lack of critical thinking among modern rock bands (“It’s like a movement without the bother of all of the meaning!”). Yet he goes to no length to exclude himself (“It’s like a fat guy in a T-shirt doing all the singing!”). His voice is phlegmy and occasionally dips into rock affectation. One moment, however, always strikes me as exceedingly sincere: during the climax of his squawking anti-guitar solo, he can be heard faintly off-mic saying “Here’s the change! Ba-ba-ba-

ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.” He comes across desperate to impress and fails to do so. His earnest attempt to salvage a so-far-terrible solo only sends the song into further disarray. Thirty seconds later, an unceremonious decelerando arrives with the band increasingly unsure of why they’re playing. This is how LCD Soundsystem works: they don’t express sentiments so much as concerns, and the songs resolve once the ambivalence has been sufficiently rendered, even if that takes 10-plus minutes. On “Yeah,” it’s the clash between rage and apathy. On “On Repeat,” it’s between faith and faithlessness. On “Too Much Love,” it’s between a culture and its past. Its albums grew less caustic and more delightfully self-defeating as time passed. Yet LCD Soundsystem was still a necessary record, which ushered in new music of posing questions — of disciplined conflict resolution. To be original or to re-hash the work of one’s idols? To be funny or to be serious?

T P N S U D O K U

To go for the listeners’ hips or their brains? James Murphy refused to ally himself with any belief or approach. He represented his dilemma instead of putting faith in either side and ended up with a band that we, a population obsessed with transparency, wanted. Just listen to their debut single, which ends with Murphy rattling off a list of his major influences, including This Heat, Scott Walker and more than 20 others. Little did he know, Murphy and LCD Soundsystem would become the blueprint for many of his DFA labelmates and even the most recent Arcade Fire record. But LCD Soundsystem was also the band we didn’t realize we needed, which encouraged us not to define ourselves by our opinions, but rather by the obstacles that prevent us from forming them and the compromises we ultimately make. Later, the music became more personal and delicate, but first they had to figure if what they were doing was worth it in the first place.

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January 6, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

BASKETBALL

SPORTS

Pitt looks to rebound against BC in second straight road game Chris Puzia Sports Editor As the Pittsburgh Panthers men’s basketball team readies for its second consecutive ACC road game to begin conference play, starting forward Jamel Artis knows that the team needs to play with an increased sense of urgency. “When you play on the road, you’ve got to play with more energy,” Artis said. “You’ve got to play with more intensity. You’ve got to execute that much better than when you’re at home.” That knowledge didn’t help Pitt in its first road ACC game on Saturday, as the team lost to North Carolina State University 68-50. After briefly holding an early 6-1 lead, the NC State Wolfpack gained the lead and never relinquished it en route to handing Pitt its fourth loss this year. “I thought we should have been up more,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said of the initial lead. “It seemed that we came out ready to go and executing well. Then, it seemed to get away from us.” Now the Panthers (10-4, 0-1 ACC) travel again on Tuesday — this time, they face the Boston College Eagles (7-5, 0-1 ACC) at 9 p.m. Boston College lost its only conference game so far by 85-62 to Duke on Saturday. Before traveling to Durham, N.C., the Eagles had won four out of their last five games, with the lone loss during that span coming by four points to USC. A focus on execution will be crucial, Artis said, if Pitt wants to even its conference record. “We’ve just gotta pay more attention to detail and sustain our energy, our intensity and our focus throughout the whole game,” the sophomore forward said. Artis led Pitt in scoring with 13 points on Saturday and ranks third on the team this season with 9.5 points per game, as well as placing second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game. Dixon said his team will have to be

Jamel Artis and the Panthers look to improve on an 18-point loss to NC State on Saturday in their conference opener. Alyson Derrick | Staff Photographer

smarter with the ball for the rest of the season, especially concerning how and when they choose to take shots. “Shot selection and impatience — that was a big part of it,” Dixon said. “We had nine shots blocked [against North Carolina State]. Those are generally not good shots, and that’s a pretty good indicator.” He added that poor shots impact other parts of the game, too. “When you don’t take good shots, generally you’re not going to get a good offensive rebounding opportunity,” he said. Junior Olivier Hanlan leads the Eagles with 16 points per game and 4.2 assists per game. Pitt struggled in the paint on

Saturday and will try to attack the boards this game, as Boston College ranks 243rd in the country in rebounding with 33.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Michael Young said North Carolina State’s defense last game presented a challenge for the Panthers that the team will try to correct moving forward. “If I caught the ball anywhere near the paint, they were [double-teaming] me,” said Young, who scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds on Saturday. “From the opening tip until the end of the game, they were doubling me, so [scoring] was going to be kind of hard for me.”

Dixon repeated the message that Artis gave after the loss, also telling his team that “we’re a better team than what we played.” “[Boston College] is our emphasis going forward. We can’t dwell on this game,” he said. “We didn’t play to our capabilities, and we’re extremely disappointed in that.” Part of that disappointment came from Pitt’s defense in the game, an aspect that has been somewhat unsatisfactory at the start of the season, with the Panthers ranking 68th in the nation in points per game allowed, despite a relatively weak non-conference schedule. “The defense has always got to be there. That’s what we’re striving for,” Dixon said. “That’s got to be the constant.” So far this season, the Panthers are allowing 61.1 points per game, ranking 68th in the country. Pitt may have an opportunity to improve that ranking against a Boston College team that only ranks 195th in the country in scoring, including the 62-point performance against Duke. Pitt also has a vastly different roster from BC, in terms of age proportions. Boston College has eight seniors on its roster compared to three for Pitt, though only Pitt guard Cameron Wright starts out of that group. Boston College head coach Jim Christian said those experienced players help the team perform, especially graduate students Aaron Brown and Dimitri Batten. “They’ve had a positive influence on everybody,” Christian said. “They’ve brought a toughness to our basketball team. They’ve done a great job, when they first got here, of getting together with the guys and getting to know them.” With only one true freshman on the team — Idy Diallo — Christian will have to revamp the roster once this season ends. Before that, the Eagles will face the Panthers on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m.