10-23-17

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | October 23, 2017 | Volume 108 | Issue 52

Poet connects race, culture with verse

MAKING A SPLASH PG.11

Lauren Forsythe Staff Writer

The bumping and bouncing beat of rap music filled Nordy’s Place Saturday evening as students snapped and clapped along to live music and slam poetry. G Yamazawa rapidly spit lyrics rooted in personal stories about race and culture.

“When you forget where you’re from, you truly become American,” he said.

Invited by Pitt’s Asian Student Alliance, the Asian-American slam poet and rapper George Yamazawa performed for about 70 students in Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union. His work is known for challenging American perspectives of race and culture, commenting on stereotypes and conveying his struggle being an Asian American.

Yamazawa has performed at more than 200 universities, the Pentagon and the Sundance Film Festival. He was crowned the National Poetry Slam Champion in 2014 and co-founded Sacrificial Poets — a poetry organization that advocates for youth empowerment through poetry.

The opening poem of the night was “10 Things You Should Know About Being an Asian From the South.” This particular poem was a humorous response to dealing with racism and being picked on as an Asian American growing up in Durham, North Carolina.

“Dog I’m Asian, I eat cats like you,” he said.

Christine Nguyen, a junior computer engineering student, attended the event for Yamazawa’s lively performance and the chance to hear about the performer’s opinions on issues in the Asian community such as “anti-blackness.” Although she has followed Yamazawa on YouTube

Pitt’s swim team grabbed 11 first-place finishes in their first home meet of the season against LSU and Virginia Friday and Saturday. Sarah Cutshall | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Student mental health stories illuminated at vigil

Madeline Gavatorta Staff Writer

After sustaining a concussion playing street basketball during his junior year of high school, Wyatt Macejka’s life would never be the same.

The senior psychology major was diagnosed with depression and anxiety as a result of the concussion, and he struggled through his recovery.

“I couldn’t leave my room, I wasn’t able to go to classes, wasn’t able to go to school, just locked in a dark room for 24 hours of the day,” Macejka said. “So I was alone with my thoughts and nothing else.”

Macejka was one of five students who spoke at the Mental Health Vigil Friday on the patio of See Poet on page 4 the William Pitt Union. Attended by about 40

people, the event was organized by Student Government Board and gave students grappling with mental illness a chance to share their experiences.

Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner gave the opening remarks at the event, mentioning how he has a degree in counseling and spent his graduate years aiding students.

“I was working with students and helping them through a lot of the things they were experiencing in college, and while I believe I was a pretty effective counselor at the time, I really wanted to work in administration because I thought that my role in administration would allow me to try to effect a change in the entire environment,” Bonner said.

Bonner went on to discuss the “Talk About

It” campaign intended to help reduce the stigma of mental illness, and how it turned into something bigger than the University could’ve imagined when the idea was first conceived 10 years ago.

“That’s not to say that we’re done, there’s a lot of work to be done,” Bonner said. “We believe at Pitt that we have been committed to this, but we know that we need to continue to stay on it. This work — this is unceasing, unending work.”

Macejka’s own journey has been long and wrought with obstacles. He said his situation did not improve when he first arrived at Pitt — thoughts of suicide still plagued him, and See Vigil on page 3

News

CULTURE SHOCK: Students wrestle with returning home Nina Kneuer | Staff Writer

Aarthi Pookot remembered her first moment of “reverse” culture shock when she returned home from spending a year abroad in Japan.

Pookot — a first-year Japanese major — was at an airport in Atlanta, Georgia, and was trying to buy a hot chocolate while waiting for her connecting flight home.

“I was holding the right amount of cash, but I forgot completely how much each bill and coins were worth, so I couldn’t count money. And I just burst out crying. I was so stressed,” Pookot said.

She said this was one of her most shocking moments from coming home after studying at the Fujimigaoka High School for Girls her junior year in high school through Rotary Youth Exchange.

“I just remember being in the airport and hearing English all around me, and that freaked me out,” Pookot said.

While many experience culture shock — a feeling of disorientation experienced when subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life or set of attitudes — students who study abroad often encounter the same feelings when returning home after becoming accustomed to their host country.

Emma Russell — a sophomore Chinese major and Korean minor — studied abroad in Asia, like Pookot. She spent four weeks over the summer studying at Korea University in South Korea.

Going into the program, Russell only knew how to say “hello” and “can I order this” in Korean. Although her four weeks were short, she said she learned way more than she expected to, and on her return home, her brain had to readjust.

“It took a minute to realize that people could understand when I was talking really fast,” Russell said. “I didn’t have to slow myself down, and

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I could just keep talking.”

Russell connected through Toronto on her flight home, and the immigration ofFiirst-year Aarthi Pookot reflects fondly on her study abroad experience in Japan. ficer there asked her Bethany Krupicka | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER the question, “How long were you “Helping out with Rotary, after my year, really “I think reverse culture shock is really important abroad?” Russell said she found it difficult to too, because it helps you process your experience, helped me stay sane, because I was kind of living answer her simple question and it took her a few and figure out how to talk about it in succinct vicariously through those students,” Pookot said. minutes to say, “30 days.”

Lynn said the Pitt Study Abroad Office has a ways.”

“I didn’t expect to have that kind of reaction. I Lynn said most students find it difficult to ex- page to help with students who are going through was like yeah it’s English, it’s my native language, press their feelings about their experiences abroad the signs of culture shock after coming back it’s normal,” Russell said. “But then, being just and their family and friends won’t necessarily un- home. four weeks abroad in a completely different lan“This is what we’ve dedicated our professional derstand the experiences students went through guage setting, it was really confusing to my brain.” lives to,” Lynn said. “For students who are having and what they go through after returning.

Although she has now readjusted to life in “That’s six months of your life that people re- a really rough time, they shouldn’t be ashamed of the United States, Pookot plans to move back to ally close to you don’t share, and you want them to going to the counseling center.”

Tokyo, permanently, with one of the members For many students, the struggles of culture share it with you, but they’re never going to have of her Rotary program with whom she became and reverse culture shock are worth it. Russell the same context,” Lynn said. best friends. Pookot said she misses Japan every Lynn said the Pitt Study Abroad Office likes said studying abroad is a good way to get a global single day. to get students thinking about the possibility of perspective of America, and going to a different “From the second I got off the plane [in Jare-entry shock before students leave home. Af- country can help students see how America is pan], I was like ‘whoa I feel so happy here.’ It just ter they return, the office also has opportunities viewed in the world. felt like I belonged,” Pookot said.

“It’s a good way to get a broader perspective, to go to Re-Entry Career Workshops — where Brice Lynn — a Pitt alumnus and an assistant students can learn to update their resumé, get tips learn a new language, meet new people and have director at the Pitt Study Abroad Office — said and advice on how to best market their new skills fun. I loved it very much, and I’m excited to go the Study Abroad Office supports students by and participate in networking activities. Students back,” Russell said. preparing them to go abroad and to return. Lynn Aside from gaining an understanding of how can also attend the Lessons from Abroad Conferwent through his own re-entry slump when he ence to help debrief and reflect on their experi- foreigners view the United States, Pookot said stureturned from his study abroad semester in 2009. dents can learn so much about themselves, and ences.

He said his excitement about coming home and For Pookot, staying in contact with her Ro- the experience can illuminate future careers that seeing family and friends lasted about one week tary program and becoming a Rotex — a student students want to pursue in life. before he started to wish that he were back in “You really don’t know how much you grow who has completed their exchange year and helps Granada, Spain. train the next set of exchange students — was one until you come back. And coming back is always “Most students don’t prepare themselves for the hardest part,” she said. thing that helped her adjust to returning home. how difficult it can be to come back,” Lynn said.

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“had the pocket knife out.”

“I’d never really gotten to that point before and it really hit me — I have two roads to go worrying kept him up at night. down, I either end it here or I gotta get better “On weekends I would try to forget about but I can’t keep doing this. It took about another everything that was happening,” Macejka said. hour just sitting there staring to finally make up “And then trying to forget turned into more my mind about what I was going to do. And so problems and those problems turned into bigI dropped that knife off the bridge that night,” ger problems and those problems turned into Macejka said. walks at 2 a.m. at night that ended up at bridges Macejka went on to make friends with in Schenley Park.” people who would talk with him about his deHe said he’d bring a pocket knife with him pression and go out of their way to make him when he went out to the bridge, and one time he feel better. He eventually sought therapy and also found help when he got involved with Phi Gamma Delta.

“And those 2 a.m. walks that used to end at the bridge, would end at a friend’s house, would end at a brother’s house. And I truly believe, I know that those talks I had with those individuals who let me come saved my life,” Macejka said.

Emily Amspacher, a sophomore nursing student who has severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, was another student who spoke at Friday’s vigil. She began by addressing the stigma those with mental health issues and advocates Abby Katz | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

Vigil, pg. 1

deal with.

“People like to pretend that we aren’t here or we aren’t valid,” Amspacher said. “And I just wanna let you all know that you are valid.”

OCD is a disorder characterized by unwanted intrusive thoughts, known as obsessions, that can be accompanied by unwanted habitual behaviors, known as compulsions. Amspacher said she suffered from the illness — which was triggered by her brother’s death when she was 10 years old — long before her diagnosis seven months ago.

“It is not the stereotypical OCD that everybody passed around as if it is some treasure to have. It is not the everyday neat organized individual that is just around all the time. It is a debilitating obsessive fear that grips at your heart and tears at your lungs,” Amspacher said.

Amspacher has “pure O,” which means she internalizes her obsessions and does not express them. She found an escape in books, she said, adding that mindfulness and the diagnosis helped.

“And actually having a diagnosis from what was going on was the best thing that has ever happened in my life,” Amspacher said. “I felt so much better just knowing that something made me the way that I was.”

Madison Shaftic — a senior psychology

major and second-time Mental Health Vigil speaker — discussed her struggle with major depressive disorder along with persistent depression and generalized anxiety disorder. She talked about how a person close to her refuses to believe she has depression. “[They] have told me that ‘I’m so sick about hearing about your mental illness ... you have nothing to be depressed about. I have everything to be depressed about. Get a grip,’” Shaftic said.

Ilana Kornblatt, a sociology and urban studies double major, attended the event to support her friends Shaftic and Bridgette Serrechia, another speaker at the event. She said it is important that mental health awareness continues to increase.

“I think that as long as the events are catering to students groups or different individual students then I would consider that a success,” Kornblatt said.

Amspacher has seen her own success — she said she improved because she took the first step and reached out to other people for help.

“In the words of one of my professors who also has OCD, ‘Everybody has their own [problems] and you kinda just have to deal with it,’” Amspacher said. “And no matter what life gives you, you just have to fight back, do better. You can succeed.”

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Poet, pg. 1 for a couple of years, this was her first time seeing him live. She was inspired by how his words focus on challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about race and tries to incorporate his techniques into her own writing.

“I think G coming to Pitt — you know we don’t have a lot of conversations about resolving a lot of the issues of racism in the Asian-American community — is a huge part in taking a step towards understanding other people and solving those issues of racism,” Nguyen said.

Yamazawa recited several more of his poems, with most focusing on cultural identity and relating to his life and family. One poem, “The Bridge,” referenced his father’s struggle to make a living in a country where he was not a native English speaker.

“Speaking English is like climbing a barbed wire fence / Standard English wasn’t gonna feed his children,” he said.

Along with sharing a lot of personal stories, Yamazawa’s poems focused on the guilt and confusion he felt being born in America yet tied to his Japanese roots. In one of his poems, he spoke about how the culture he grew up in distanced him from his heritage.

“The doctor tricked me into thinking English was my native language,” he said.

Devin Dang, a junior computer science major, was influenced and touched

by Yamazawa’s mentions of the culture clash that happens between generations of Asian-American families. His performance brought out Dang’s feelings of guilt about the language barriers within his own family.

“That’s something I feel very guilty ... about with my relationship with my grandma. I’m not really able to speak her mother tongue and she can’t really speak English,” Dang said. “That’s not really anyone’s fault, but we just have to find a way [to communicate] somehow.”

Several other students connected with Yamazawa’s words on family. Some even felt he reminded them of family.

Katherine Pham, a first-year neuroscience major, said the poems made her miss home and she felt like she could relate to Yamazawa like a brother because of his humor and energy.

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October 23, 2017

“[His poems] made me appreciate my background as well as my family and their experiences a lot more,” Pham said.

“He acts a lot like my older cousin, so I felt like I was at home.”

Yamazawa also shared some of his raps with the audience, which followed the same themes of cultural identity and family history as the poems. They also focused on his hometown of Durham.

In his piece “North Cack,” he showed his pride for Durham by rapping about southern culture — mainly focusing on a specific southern food.

“Bull City born bred, cornbread fed / I’m Bull City cornbread, cornbread cornbread cornbread,” he rapped.

The event ended with a question-andanswer segment led by ASA advocacy chair Albert Tanjaya. Yamazawa shared his inspirations and most meaningful concepts he has learned as an artist. He focused on the unwavering support his parents gave him when he decided to become an artist, despite having different plans for him.

“I could speak well and argue with them for days, so they wanted me to be a lawyer. I think it’s very rare for parents, especially immigrant minority communities, to support their kids doing anything that is not a secure pathway,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of folks here can relate to that.”

Yamazawa told the audience to focus on the importance of basing your work on your life and experiences. He said to be aware of how your work makes other feel and to be sincere about who you are.

“It’s not about what you have to say in your poem, it’s about what you have to say when your poem is done,” he said.

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Opinions from the editorial board

column

Military rhetoric marks harmful double standard From what we’ve heard in the past week from the Trump administration about respecting a former four-star general, you’d think it would show greater deference for other members of the military.

A political dispute that began last week highlighted this sharp contrast between words and actions. After making a call to offer his condolences to the widow of a soldier killed in action in Niger, President Trump faced criticism from a Democratic congresswoman who was present during the call for what she characterized as a lack of empathy.

“Basically, he said, ‘Well, I guess he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt,” Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., told Don Lemon of CNN last Tuesday.

While Trump has publicly disputed Wilson’s version of the events on Twitter, it’s not hard to believe that the notoriously insensitive president would say what he’s been accused of saying, even to an American war widow.

What’s more concerning for the country as a whole is the administration’s decision to wheel out his chief of staff, former Gen. John Kelly, as a military prop to hide behind.

In a speech at the White House Thursday, Kelly condemned Wilson for “politicizing” the soldier’s death — making claims that were later revealed to be blatant lies. When Wilson hit back at Kelly, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stepped in, calling the congresswoman’s disagreement with the Trump ad-

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ministration unpatriotic.

“If you want to get into a debate with a four-star Marine general, I think that is something highly inappropriate,” Sanders said at a White House press conference Friday.

Simply taking Sanders’ and Kelly’s statements out of context, they might come across as venerating the military as above politics. But in context, it’s obvious the Trump administration only cares about the military when it can use it as a political pawn.

According to Kelly, divulging the contents of Trump’s call to a gold star widow was a sign Democrats no longer consider families of American war dead “sacred.” But his selective outrage allows him to serve in the administration of a man who publicly slandered a Muslim gold star family last summer and avoided the draft in Vietnam five times.

Comforting the widow of a slain soldier is no easy task, but it should be easy for anyone with an ounce of basic human decency to understand how poorly what Trump allegedly said would come across. What’s more difficult to fix is Sanders’ undemocratic claim that any disagreement with the political opinions of a member of the military is “inappropriate.”

It’s obvious the Trump administration’s decision to put the military front and center in its political rhetoric is a bad move for the country. Invoking the country’s armed forces only when politically convenient isn’t patriotic — it’s opportunistic.

Term limits could transform Congress Ben Sheppard Columnist

Imagine the hectic day-to-day life of a senator — rushing from meeting to meeting, negotiating legislation and dealing with media and constituents. Now try doing that without even being able to remember where the Senate meets.

In an interview with Politico last week in one of the hallways of the Capitol, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., had difficulty doing just that. And when a reporter asked if Cochran would stay as chair of the Appropriations Committee — a vital Senate group that has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending — the senator could only repeat the question back, seeming confused.

This hallway interview isn’t the only concerning thing regarding Cochran. In a recent vote on an amendment to a tax reform bill, Cochran voted “yes,” even after instruction from an aide and Republican leadership to vote “no.” He eventually changed his vote after prodding by the aide.

Cochran only returned to the Senate last week, spending the previous month recovering from urological issues, unable to vote.

And while the Mississippi senator, who’s been in office since 1978 and elected seven times to his seat, is among the worst examples of hazardous old age in Congress, he certainly isn’t alone. More than a quarter of the Senate is more than 70 years old, and personal health issues are becoming more and more widespread.

Congress already isn’t adequately repre-

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senting citizens. Data from the Pew Research Center show recent sessions of Congress have been among the least productive in history.

And because of a lack of term limits, older members of Congress continue to hold the spotlight and stymie new debate. These real concerns show the time for term limits has arrived.

Most importantly, the lack of term limits is an affront to democracy. In 36 states, including Pennsylvania, the governor has the power to appoint a successor who can finish out a term if a senator dies in office — robbing the people of their right to choose their representation if a senator dies. Term limits would limit the chance of this occurring.

And a clear majority of Americans supports term limits — 74 percent of respondents supported term limits for Congress in a 2016 Rasmussen poll.

Politicians across the political spectrum support term limits, ranging from hardline conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., to Libertarian former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, DCalif. Khanna has been especially vocal about the issue. Along with Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Tex., Khanna introduced a piece of legislation in May that would limit members of the House to six two-year terms and the Senate to two six-year terms.

Khanna framed his bill as a move for greater diversity in Congress.

“Enacting term limits will give more voices the opportunity to serve in Congress and See Sheppard on page 7

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Sheppard, pg. 6

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., attends a political rally in Pass Christian, Mississippi, in 2014. TNS would remove most of these benefits and allow fresh ideas to have a fairer shot.

The road toward term limits is daunting.

In a 1995 case before the Supreme Court, a five-justice majority found that term limits would need to be implemented through

a constitutional amendment. That would require a daunting two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress. And with their seats threatened, many members of Congress aren’t interested in moving the process forward — a 2012 Senate vote for a constitu-

Ben primarily writes about American politics and libertarian issues for The Pitt News.

Write to Ben at bps29@pitt.edu.

The Pitt news crossword 10/23/17

bring fresh ideas and new energy to Capitol Hill,” Khanna told Politico.

While the 115th Congress may be the most diverse in history, Khanna is right — Congress is still overwhelmingly white and male. Term limits would give new and more diverse members of our society more opportunities to serve the public and represent their communities.

Opponents of term limits, like former Sen. Ted Kaufman, D-Del., might say voters can remove incumbents from office through elections if they aren’t satisfied with them. Yet despite Gallup polling consistently showing historic lows for Congressional approval ratings, the body’s incumbency reelection rate has hovered around 96 percent since 2012 — even lower than the turnover rate for European monarchies during that time.

Incumbency offers several benefits, including greater financial resources, more press coverage, ongoing delivery of constituent services and more experienced campaign operations. These benefits are incredibly difficult for challengers to overcome in both the primaries and general elections. Term limits

tional amendment for term limits failed with only 24 in favor.

If Congress won’t act, the states must. If two-thirds of the states call for a constitutional convention, congress must convene one. Then three-quarters of the states would have to ratify the amendment before it would become law.

Neither number is improbable. As of this month, 27 state legislatures have made general calls for a constitutional convention. This means only seven more states are necessary to convene a constitutional convention.

The time for term limits has come. Without them, we give the benefit of the doubt to incumbents who are unfit to represent their constituents. This does a disservice to all voters and denies us the chance for new, diverse and capable representation. It’s time to fumigate Congress and bring these disappointing politicians home with term limits.

The daily functions of government can’t be left to the disoriented and worn-out likes of Mississippi Republican Sen. Cochran. Congress should not be a retirement home.

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Staff picks:

Halloween movies The Culture Desk

With hundreds of thousands of Halloween titles to rifle through online, the thought of missing out on the spookiest movies can be frightening.

And with Halloween in about a week, there isn’t a better time to sit back with friends, snack on overpriced candy from Rite Aid and nervously laugh at scary movies you thought wouldn’t actually scare you.

From ’70s horror flicks to present-day thrillers, The Pitt News culture staff created a movie lineup that’s sure to startle you, make you laugh and maybe event haunt you for days after.

Carrie (1976 version) — Amanda Reed, Senior Staff Writer Sissy Spacek is unforgettable as Carrie White, a shy Christian teen with supernatural powers and mommy issues. Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, it’s good for fans of suspense, blood and some good ol’ fashioned tragedy. Highlights include Spacek running around in her blood-soaked prom dress and flipping

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cars with her mind, and getting sweet, sweet revenge against her dreadful classmates.

Beetlejuice (1988) — Lexi Kennell, Culture Editor Putting a comedic spin on an otherwise spooky film, Michael Keaton offers one of his most bizarre, yet humorous performances. Betelgeuse — played by Keaton — is a sleazy ghost hired by a recently deceased couple to rid their former house of the new obnoxious family who just moved in. With electric performances by Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Winona Ryder, as well as its hilarious yet disturbingly macabre script, the almost 30-year-old Tim Burton film remains a Halloween classic.

Scream (1996) — Elizabeth Donnelly, For The Pitt News Scream is a 1996 slasher film that follows high schooler Sidney Prescott as she is targeted by a masked killer called “Ghostface.” The movie opens with the murders of two high school students, Casey Becker and Steve Orth, which

instantly create a feeling of suspense. The killer goes on to target Prescott, calling her at home and threatening her. She believes the killer has the wrong number at first, but when she hangs up, she enters a disturbingly twisted storyline.

With its jump scares and gore, “Scream” is the perfect movie for all thrill and suspense lovers who want to be seriously spooked for the upcoming holiday.

It (2017) — Sarah Connor, Staff Writer This year’s release of “It” not only takes on remaking the popular 1990 miniseries, but also brings Stephen King’s terrifying novel of the same name to life. This film follows a group of socially outcast schoolchildren — known as the Losers’ Club — as they try to take down a demonic shape-shifting clown that is terrorizing their small town. Bill Skarsgard portrays the villain of Pennywise the Dancing Clown with the most petrifying charm, hiding his handsome face behind makeup and special effects. “It” is not a film for the easily

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frightened movie-goer, but it does master both the horror and comedy genres, making it one of the top films to check out this Halloween season.

Hocus Pocus (1993) — Joanna Li, Staff Writer A classic for the Halloween season, “Hocus Pocus” is an exciting and hilarious film that will remain relevant until the end of time — even if the hairstyles are out of style. With a perfect balance of horror, comedy and heartfelt moments, this movie became the trend-setter for Halloween films for years to come. Not only does it contain catchy tunes, but Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker make the perfect witches, especially in the on-screen performance of “I Put a Spell on You.”

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Sports

VOLLEYBALL SPLITS TWO-GAME HOME STAND

David Leftwich Senior Staff Writer

The Panthers volleyball team’s 13-game winning streak came to an end this weekend — but they still sit at the top of the ACC. In a weekend home stand at the Fitzgerald Field House, Pitt volleyball (16-5, 9-1 ACC) easily defeated North Carolina (108, 7-3 ACC) Friday, but lost to NC State (14-7, 9-1 ACC) in an uneven performance Sunday — marking their first conference loss.

North Carolina Backed by a rowdy crowd almost filling the Fitz to capacity, the Panthers took down the North Carolina Tar Heels in straight sets Friday night.

The Panthers jumped out to a fast 9-3 start on the back of five Tar Heel errors. Once the Tar Heels overcame their early match jitters, they worked their way back into the match, cutting the Panthers’ lead down to three at 21-18.

Panthers first-years Chinaza Ndee and Kayla Lund took over the set from there. They hit kills on three of the next four Panther points to propel Pitt to a 25-18 first-set win. Just in the first matchup, the two combined for 11 kills.

“We really thought we had some players coming in that were ready to go, and [Ndee and Lund] are,” head coach Dan Fisher said.

The Panthers kept up the pressure and surged to a 5-0 lead to start the second set. The Tar Heels grabbed a few points, but the Panther serve combined with fluid offensive play kept North Carolina off balance — forcing the Tar Heels into a timeout, down 14-6.

As the crowd joined in singing “Sweet Caroline” during the timeout, a renewed sense of energy entered the arena and the team. When the Panthers returned to the floor, they dominated play.

Winning 11 of the next 15 points, the Panthers decisively won the second set 25-10 to take a 2-0 match lead.

The teams pulled to a 6-6 draw to start the third set after a few early errors by the Panthers kept the Tar Heels even.

Taking four of the next five points, the Panthers gained a three-point lead at 10-7. They maintained a slight edge the rest of the set, and a kill by sophomore Nika Markovic finished off a 25-21 third set victory and a 3-0 match win.

Markovic led the team with 16 kills, but first-years Ndee and Lund made the difference for the Panthers. Both brought a sense of energy to the floor, and combined for 17 kills.

NC State The team returned to the court Sunday for a 1 p.m. matinee

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Pitt women’s volleyball team is tied with NC State for No. 1 in the conference after its first ACC loss to NC State Sunday. Thomas Yang | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER against NC State.

Despite a quick 4-0 start for the Panthers, the Wolfpack surged right back and took the lead at 8-7. Sloppy serves and serve-receives plagued the Panthers, but the two teams remained within two points of each other throughout the set.

After the Panthers took a 20-18 lead, the Wolfpack took control of the set. Capitalizing on a disjointed Panthers offense, the Wolfpack won seven of the next 11 points to take the set 25-21.

Four early kills from Markovic sparked an 8-6 lead to start the second set for the Panthers, but the Wolfpack worked their way back to tie the set at 10-10.

“I was really mad and I wanted to give it everything I had on the court [after the first set],” Markovic said.

Finding their rhythm, the Panthers scored nine of the next 10 points to take a commanding 19-11 lead. From that point, the Panthers cruised to an easy 25-15 set victory to tie the match at 1-1.

During the third set, the two teams played each other evenly with neither gaining more than a two point edge until the Wolfpack pulled ahead at 20-17.

Mustering momentum, the Wolfpack won five of the next seven points to win the third set 25-19 and take a 2-1 match

October 23, 2017

lead.

The Wolfpack kept up the pressure to start the fourth set, taking a 6-3 lead. Maintaining this edge throughout the set, the Wolfpack dominated play at the net and didn’t allow the Panthers many untouched swings.

“They came out with a lot of energy, which we haven’t been faced that much with yet,” Lund said. “Normally we are the overpowering team with energy.”

Still holding a three-point edge at 13-10, the Wolfpack began to pull away, winning seven of the next nine points to take a 20-12 lead. After the Panthers cut the lead to four at 22-18, the Wolfpack won the last three points to take the set 25-18, sealing their 3-1 match victory.

A rare poor performance from Markovic compounded sloppy play all over the floor for the Panthers.

“This is Nika’s first off night the entire season,” Fisher said.

“And [her production] is something we have been relying on all year.”

This is the first lost in the ACC for the Panthers. They still remain No. 1 in the conference, but now sit in a tie with NC State.

The Panthers will look to bounce back Friday when they travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals in a 7 p.m. matchup.

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analysis

Darrin Hall adds spark to Pitt offense

Trent Leonard Staff Writer

In his breakout performance, junior running back Darrin Hall led Pitt to a 24-17 victory over Duke Saturday, rushing 24 times for an incredible 254 yards and three touchdowns. Hall accounted for more than half of the Panthers’ total 485 offensive yards and all three of their touchdowns.

His 92-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter set a Pitt record for longest run, breaking George McLaren’s 100-year-old mark of 91 yards. His 254 rushing yards marked the most by a Pitt running back since James Conner’s 263 in a 2014 double-overtime loss, also versus Duke.

The performance came out of nowhere, both from an individual and team perspective. One thing is for certain — Hall carried the team.

Entering the game, Hall was not the Panthers’ featured back. He previously rushed for only 108 yards on the season, making him Pitt’s fifth leading rusher.

Prior to his one-yard score versus NC State in week seven, Hall had not rushed for a touchdown since 2015, his freshman season.

Pitt’s rushing attack — which averages 113.7 yards per game — ranks among college football’s worst at 114 out of 130 FBS teams. Duke’s 16th-ranked rush defense was supposed to be one of the nation’s best, giving up an average of 108 yards per game.

In this weekend’s ACC matchup, Pitt found the answer to its offensive woes,

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win probability sat at just 10.2 percent.

It took just one carry for Hall to turn the Panthers’ fortunes around, as he covered 92 yards on the very first play, bursting through a seam and once again flashing his breakaway speed as he outraced junior safety Jeremy McDuffie on his record-setting dash to the end zone.

Moving forward, the Panthers seem to have found the answer to their offensive woes in Hall. His 254 yards marked the first time all year that a Pitt player produced more than 200 yards against a Power Five opponent, and he surpassed four of his backfield teammates to become the Panthers’ leading rusher, sitting at 362 yards for the season.

While he may never outdo Saturday’s explosive performance, Hall will take over as the every-down back in a football program with a rich history of running backs.

His impressive breakaway speed makes Junior running back Darrin Hall had more than 250 yards and three touch- Pitt’s offense a threat to score from anydowns in his break-out game Saturday. Anna Bongardino | ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR where on the field, so Panther fans can while Duke discovered their Achilles’ heel pressure off Pitt’s passing attack — a wel- expect him to receive 20-plus carries and come development on an offense recently rush for 100-plus yards on a consistent — Hall. basis.

After the Panther offense stalled in plagued by quarterback controversy.

But one productive player will not Thanks to Hall’s production, redshirt its first drive, Hall ignited the run game with his first carry of the second drive — a sophomore quarterback Ben DiNucci be enough to carry Pitt to victories over 79-yard touchdown scamper in which he only had to throw 14 passes throughout tough upcoming opponents in Miami and darted through a massive gap opened by the contest. This marked the first game Virginia Tech. Hall’s game was a bright the Panther offensive line and torched the all season in which Narduzzi did not play spot in a disappointing season, but the Panthers will need more players to step up remaining Duke defenders en route to the two quarterbacks.

Duke’s defense kept Hall in check for in the coming weeks if they hope to keep end zone.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi took notice most of the second and third quarters, their bowl game chances alive.

The Panthers take on Virginia at home of the hot hand, and Hall became the while their offense built up a 17-7 lead. leader of the herd for the remainder of the When the Blue Devils bottled up junior this weekend, and this is the opportunity Quadree Henderson for an 8-yard kick re- for Hall to prove that he can play well becontest.

Hall’s emergence served to take the turn late in the third quarter, the Panthers yond one game.

October 23, 2017

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Weekend sports:

Soccer falters, swimming starts Kait French | Staff Writer Swimming and diving The Panthers opened their home season this weekend as they hosted Virginia and Louisiana State in a two-day tri-meet at Trees Pool.

The weekend opened up Friday with the divers taking to their boards to start off the meet.

Senior diver Meme Sharp took fourth place on the 3-meter dive with a score of 248.0. Sophomore teammate Joe Ference took fourth for the men’s 1-meter with a score of 276.80.

This was head coach Katie Hazelton’s first home meet as Pitt’s new diving coach, and though the team didn’t get top spots, she was content with the performance of her team.

“All of the divers did some good things in their lists today,” Hazelton said.

Though the diving team came in lukewarm on Friday, Pitt swimmers found more luck, snagging four first-place spots.

Sophomore Samy Helmbacher took home an title in the 400-individual medley with a time of 3:49.83, while sophomore teammate Brian Ramsey took first place in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 55.91. Junior Brian Lovasik also claimed first in the 100 freestyle with a time of 44.78.

Senior Amanda Richey had a particularly successful day, taking the win in the 1,000 free, with a speedy time of 9:57.0.

The Panthers improved in the pool Saturday, starting with successes on the springboard.

Sharp worked to improve for day two and took second on the 1-meter with a combined score of 272.40. Ference also had continued success as he took third on the 3-meter dive with a total score of 301.2. “[Sharp] worked hard on all of the technique stuff that we have been working on in training,” Hazelton said. “[Ference] is really exciting. He is so new to the sport ... his potential is fantastic.”

Returning to swimming Saturday, the Panthers took home seven more individual titles — four on the men’s side and three for the women’s team.

Lovasik claimed first-place titles in two events — the 500 free, with a time of 4:46.56,

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and 200 free, with a time of 1:37.92. Helmbacher recorded his second first place finish of the meet, winning the 200 IM with a time of 47.52.

The Panthers concluded the weekend taking home the win against LSU, the men defeating the Tigers 203.0-150.0 and the women taking the victory as well, 212.0-141.0.

Pitt lost to Virginia — the men defeated by a score of 196.50-155.50 and the women losing 218.0-130.0.

The Panthers will continue their season back at home Friday in Trees Pool against Miami, Michigan State and James Madison in the Pink Meet. The first dive takes place at 4 p.m.

Men’s Soccer The men’s soccer team was unable to continue their luck Friday night as they travelled to Charlottesville to take on No. 10 University of Virginia. The Panthers lost 2-1 after holding on into double overtime.

The Panthers battled the Cavaliers with tight defense, letting in a single goal during the 40th minute of game by sophomore Raheem TaylorParkes. The Panthers exited the first half down 1-0.

The Panthers worked to get up from under the Cavaliers advantage, but were unable to do so until the 76th minute of play. First-year Alexander Dexter scored the first and only goal for the Panthers — his sixth of the season.

Neither team was able to break the tie before the end of regulation — sending the game to overtime. With 107 minutes in play, the Cavaliers found an opening, and junior JeanChristophe Koffi socked in the winning goal of the game.

The Panthers will host the Akron Zips Tuesday in a 7 p.m. matchup at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Women’s Soccer The women’s soccer team was unable to grab their first ACC win of the season, losing to the No. 18 Florida State Seminoles Sunday.

The Panthers (3-11-3, 0-8-1 ACC) took to the sunshine state in the hopes to turn their sevengame losing streak around.

Find the full story online at

pittnews.com

October 23, 2017

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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 Exclusive Discounted Business Class Air to Europe and Worldwide. Also, coach fare for US Travel and Worldwide. I have 35 years experience.

Call 412-884-0543 or email me your request joann.uts@gmail.com.

South Oakland **2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 Bedroom Houses/ Apartments in South Oakland. Available for rent August 2018.

Very clean with different amenities (dishwasher, laundry, A/C, washer and dryer, 1-3 baths, off-street parking, newer appliances & sofas). Check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KenEckenrodeRealEstate/.

Call Ken at 412-287-4438 for more information and showings. **AUGUST 2018: Furnished studios, 1,2,3,4 bedroom apartments. No pets.

Non-smokers preferred. 412-621-0457.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Bedrooom Houses.

August 2018. Bouquet St, Meyran, Semple, Neville, Chesterfield.

412-287-5712.

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

South Oakland 2-3-4-5-6-7 bedroom apartments and houses available in May and August 2018. Nice, clean, free laundry, includes exterior maintenance, new appliances, spacious, located on Meyran, Bates, Oakland, Semple, Wellsford, Dawson, Juliet.

412-414-9629.

3,4,6 houses available January and August 2018. Lawn St. Ward St. Call 412-287-5712.

4 BR Home - Semple Street, located near Louisa. Equipped Kitchen, Full Basement. New central air added. Renting for August 2018.

(412) 343-4289 or 412-330-9498.

6, 7, 8BR house for rent. Carpeted, appliances, porch, laundry facilites. Off-street parking available.

Five minute walk to Pitt. No pets. Aug. 1, 2018. 1 year lease.

Call 412-983-5222.

Apartments for rent.

2,3,4, and 5 bedroom apartments available. Some available on Dawson street, Atwood street, and Mckee Place. Newly remodeled. Some have laundry on site.

Minutes from the

Classifieds

For sale

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

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

University. For more info please call Mike at 412-849-8694 South Oakland Student Housing: 2, 4 & 5 BR House. Updated Kitchen, Baths, A/C, Laundry, some with parking. August 2018 Availability.

412-445-6117.

Shadyside 3 BR available immediately. Street parking, unfurnished. Utilities included except for cables. Gary 202- 271-9231

Rental Other 1,2,3 BR. Apartments, prices range from $450-$750 per person.

Some include utilities, some you have to pay. Call Jarrad 814-403-2798

Employment Employment Other GENERAL LABOR. Need workers for light-duty construction, renovation, painting, landscaping. Part-time and weekend work available. Must be 18. Experience not required but helpful.

Immediate openings.

412-738-1618. bigtfeight@earthlink. net

notices

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

R A T E S

Insertions

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(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

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

Employment Other

Employment Other

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT: Substitute Teacher positions, substitute Nurse positions, substitute Para-educator positions.

Positions available for all grade levels and areas of content.

We encourage upcoming graduates and retirees (on emergency basis) to apply.

Complete job descriptions are available at: www.southfayette.org South Fayette Twp. School District, 3680 Old Oakdale Rd. McDonald, PA 15057 EOE

Want to get a great discount and work flexible hours over the holiday season?

American Eagle and Aerie are now hiring at the Ross Park Mall location. Great Discount. Competitive Wages. Apply at aeo.jobs

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Neurobiology seeks a Student Office Assistant to perform clerical duties, such as filing, running on-campus errands, and typing/ printing labels. The right candidate will be detail-oriented, responsible, and good at following directions. Must be self-motivated and capable of working independently. Submit your application here: http://www.pittsource. com/postings/142452.

Add.

Events More than 1500 souls are lost in the Haunted Doll House.

Will yours be one of them?

Go to www.HauntedDollEscape.com for Special Halloween Discounts Call 412-586-8345 for details.

For Sale For Sale Other Composers, musicians. A gold mine of source material, mostly LPs, free to a weird home. Details: opaquemelodies.com/ sources.html

Services Educational Phlebotomy Training Centerwww. justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals.

Call 412-521-7334.

Notices Adoption ADOPTION: Loving, stable family hopes for one more blessing to join us in our adventures! Please call Heather/Chris 1 (800) 444-3089

October 23, 2017

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