11-29-2018 | Choose a Major Guide

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 | November 29, 2018 ­| Volume 109 | Issue 70

HEALTH-CARE PROFESSIONALS ADDRESS DIVERSITY

‘QUEER EYE’ STAR ANTONI POROWSKI VISITS PITT, PAGE 6

Andrew O’Brien Staff Writer

Bhutanese refugee Ashok Gurung left government persecution behind when he came to Pittsburgh, but his trauma stayed with him.

At the Cultural Awareness in Health Systems workshop Wednesday, Gurung, a chairperson in his mid-30s on the board of directors of the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, opened up to the audience about the severe anxiety he experienced when he first came to Pittsburgh in 2009. Gurang said his psychological symptoms mani- Antoni Porowski from the television show “Queer Eye” spoke to a crowd of more than 200 students at Pitt Program fested as a sensation of physical pain all Council’s “An Evening with Antoni Porowski.” Sarah Cutshall | senior staff photographer over his body.

“Refugees are often in pain,” Gurung said. “The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with them, but the reality is they have mental health issues.”

Love.” Each sticker held a name of a friend to HIV and AIDS.” Emily Wolfe Gurung was one of several speakers Senior Staff Writer or relative who had been lost to AIDS. Some He gave the room permission to rise. hosted through a partnership between “Please come forward and place the had four or five.

Rabbi James Gibson stood before a Pittsburgh-based immigrant inclusion small, quiet congregation in Heinz Chapel names of those for whom you are still achMore than 60 attended the commemoinitiative All For All and the Pittsburgh Wednesday night with a dedication. ration service, sponsored by the Pitt Men’s ing on the Circle of Love,” he said. branch of the Whitetulip Health FoundaNearly everyone in the room came for- Study in honor of the 31st annual World “We remember our friends, lovers and tion, a nonprofit that connects health- spouses,” he said. “Our mothers, fathers, ward. They waited in line to reach the front AIDS Day. Nearly 40 years after the start of of the chapel and place a sticker on a large See Awareness on page 2 brothers and sisters, daughters and sons lost See Commemoration on page 2 white cardboard circle that read “Circle of

COMMUNITY REFLECTS ON “CHANGING FACE OF AIDS”

News Awareness, pg. 1

care professionals who want to serve their community.

The doors to the Allegheny Health Network Center for Inclusion Health opened at 5:30 p.m. When the organizers called the meeting to order, about 40 community members sat in a semicircle of assembled chairs and waited for the speakers to begin.

After Gurung shared his experiences with health care in Pittsburgh, Stephanie Dewar, a pediatric hospitalist at UPMC Children’s Hospital, shared her insights on cultural awareness in medicine. Pittsburgh is one of the least diverse cities in the nation, according to a 2015 study by financial consulting company WalletHub — but Dewar said she has seen a significant increase over time in the diversity of her patients.

“The large number of immigrants and refugees that we support in this area is really quite impressive,” Dewar said. “It’s not something I remember about Pittsburgh from growing up. It makes me proud to be from here.”

Dewar said health-care providers and patients both have a lot of room to improve in their understanding of the cultural context others come from. Lack of cultural

Commemoration, pg. 1 the AIDS crisis, mourners and survivors gathered in memory of those lost to the disease.

The first AIDS patients appeared in New York and California in the early 1980s. Young gay men showed up at doctors’ offices with rare forms of cancer and pneumonia.

Slowly, doctors came to the realization that the patients’ immune systems had been compromised by an unknown virus.

Cases began to emerge across the country, including Pittsburgh. Doctors soon knew enough to recognize the symptoms, but there was no name for the disease.

Later, scientists discovered human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, was at the root, attacking the immune system’s T-cells and making the patient extremely susceptible to other types of disease and infection. They put a name to autoimmune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, the third stage of the virus, when HIV has devastated the immune system.

The Pitt Men’s Study is an investigation into HIV/AIDS that has received funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1984. Its principal investigator is founder Dr. Charles Rinaldo, who chairs the department of infectious diseases and microbiology at Pitt’s School of Public Health.

Rinaldo gave a short account of the beginnings of the study, thanking those who had made it possible.

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awareness is an issue, but Dewar said there are also instances of blatant bias.

“Pittsburgh is a very welcoming community overall,” Dewar said. “[But] some of our trainees have experienced some bigoted and hateful conversations with patients and families who are not as interested in making a real effort to coexist with people who look different than they look.”

In one such incident, a parent refused to allow a doctor to care for her child because the doctor was Muslim.

The hospital’s administration responded to this incident and others like it by training residents on how to respond to xenophobic comments and sentiments.

After she spoke, Dewar moderated a panel discussion between three other health-care professionals.

One of the panel members, Dr. Ermal Aliu of UPMC Children’s Hospital, emphasized the need for trust and bonding between providers and culturally diverse patients. “[If a patient’s health-care provider] speaks their language, that’s better than just knowing someone has medical knowledge or a degree,” Aliu said. “Human interaction cannot be replaced with a piece of paper.”

This kind of provider-patient connection is impor-

tant to Kiya Keili, All for All’s health and food access coordinator. Keili moved to the United States from Sierra Leone and joined All in All in part because she admired the work it does to make immigrants like her feel welcome in Pittsburgh.

“Even with female physicians, there are some things that in my culture I’m not comfortable talking about,” Keili said. “Instead of just delving right into the health issue, [I appreciate] getting to know me as a person first, so I feel more comfortable talking to the physician about issues I might have.”

Stephanie Miller, a second-year resident at Forbes Family Medicine and a woman of color, has personally experienced racial insensitivity in a medical context — for instance, people have assumed she is a member of the cleaning crew instead of a professional healthcare provider. Miller said attending the workshop made her realize how much of the medical community is interested in becoming more culturally aware and providing better care to diverse patients.

“People already say our health-care systems don’t work, but refugees and immigrants have to deal with extra barriers on top of that,” Miller said. “Providers owe it to their patients to make change.”

Among those who made it possible were a doctor who identifies as gay and worked on the study as a medical student, and the owners of the Pittsburgh gay bars who allowed Rinaldo and his colleagues to advertise their study.

He also thanked Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, a victim of last month’s shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. In the days following the shooting, many remembered Rabinowitz for his treatment of Pittsburgh HIV/AIDS patients in a time when compassionate care was difficult to come by.

“Back in the 1980s, we referred many of our men to his practice,” Rinaldo said.

Rinaldo said he and Bill Buchanan, the clinic coordinator for the Pitt Men’s Study, wrote an obituary for Rabinowitz to appear this December in AIDS, a scientific journal focused on HIV/AIDS. Above all, Rinaldo thanked study participants.

“It was 1982, at the beginning of the epidemic, when fear of AIDS was rampant, when 60 gay men in Pittsburgh answered our hand-drawn recruitment posters,” Rinaldo said. “These 60 men in our pilot study knew we had no treatment or care. They knew we had no magical elixir.

Without those 60 men, there would be no Pitt Men’s Study.”

1,736 men have enrolled in the study since 1982, according to Rinaldo. Out of these, 465 have died, most due to complications from AIDS. And although AIDS is no longer a death sentence, there is no cure and the Pitt Men’s Study continues to investigate HIV/AIDS.

Sean DeYoung represented Allies for Health + Wellbeing, the HIV testing location and health center, of which he is CEO. During the service, which was themed “The Changing Face of AIDS,” he spoke about the group’s 2017 decision to change its name from the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force.

“The community let us know that the word ‘AIDS’ was too stigmatized,” DeYoung said. “And we weren’t a task force anymore.”

Allies’ mission has expanded since its 1985 beginnings.

Then, it existed to provide support and information to the infected in the Pittsburgh area. Now, it offers HIV testing, health care for transgender people and access to PrEP, one of the most reliable methods of HIV prevention.

At the end of the service, some attendees traveled across the street to the basement of the Community of Reconciliation Church, where they caught up with one another at a small reception. For some, like partners Robert Flaherty and Robert Maxin from Emsworth, the service is an annual occurrence.

“My partner was part of the original Pitt Men’s Study,” Maxin said.

Now, he and Flaherty attend the event nearly every year. Both are HIV positive and both had names to add to the Circle of Love.

“I put two up, but I could have easily put up 12 or 15,” Flaherty said.

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Opinions from the editorial board

Gab back online: A threat to public safety

After gunman Robert Bowers killed 11 Jews at the Tree of Life Synagogue last month, investigators found he made multiple threats to do just that on an extremist-friendly social media site called Gab. Gab’s domain registrar, GoDaddy, promptly took down the site — but this past weekend, with the help of self-proclaimed “free-speech absolutist” Matthew Prince, who runs a tech provider called Cloudflare, Gab returned to the internet.

This is a step backward in the fight to combat hateful — and potentially violent — speech online. Gab is a breeding ground for extremism and has routinely failed to flag threatening individuals. But it’s not the only social networking site to blame for perpetuating harmful speech.

Facebook and Twitter, the world’s most prominent social networking sites, have poor records when it comes to cracking down on speech that violates their terms of service. The sites harbor hate users on all sides, from support for terrorist organizations to virulently anti-Semitic content. To expose holes in Facebook’s censoring algorithms, ProPublica conducted a study in 2017 asking Facebook how it would handle 49 offensive posts. Facebook’s algorithms failed to flag 22 of them.

For example, a post that read “Death to Muslims” was promptly taken down.

But another offensive and more vague and vulgar post that described killing Muslims made it through Facebook’s army of 7,500 censors unscathed. Such inconsistency is dangerous — especially when Bowers posted similar content

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on Gab and then followed up on his threats.

“HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people,” Bowers posted minutes before authorities were called.

“I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”

Bowers also boasted about his gun collection on the site and frequently lamented Jews’ power in the United States, calling them a threat to white America.

According to a report by professor Peter Neumann of King’s College London, an expert in combating radicalization and violent extremism, social media plays a large role in motivating violence in radical individuals.

“Extremist groups were some of the internet’s earliest adopters, and continue to be among its most enthusiastic users,” the report reads. “The growth of hate speech and incitement to violence — often directed against minorities, such as Muslims and Jews — is closely linked to the rise of social media.”

While there’s no universally accepted definition of hate speech, it’s clear that allowing extremists to flourish on social media poses a real threat to public safety. Improving algorithms to take down this kind of vitriol should be the number-one priority for Facebook and other popular social networking sites.

It’s a shame Cloudflare has chosen to give a voice to potentially dangerous extremists on Gab — but hopefully it can be a wake-up call for the site to invest more energy in screening for violence threats. It’ll be a step toward preventing individuals like Bowers from acting upon hate and taking lives.

HIPSTER HELP WANTED: REVIVIING OLD ART FORMS Emily Pinigis

For The Pitt News When my grandmother first invited me to watch a musician play along to silent movies, I groaned — it sounded like something only people over 80 would like.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Professional theater organist Nathan Avakian, along with the Pittsburgh Area Theater Organ Society, did indeed play along to silent movies — not those old, worn-out slapstick movies from nearly a century ago, but modern-day short and silent films, created by students and young people all over the world. He put a modern spin on a seemingly ancient instrument.

I fear that most of my generation

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shuns things that are not the latest fad — as was my first instinct when my grandma mentioned silent movies.

Things young people see as old seemingly don’t interest them, but millennials should open their minds to art forms that precede them.

The hipster generation gives me hope. The very definition of a hipster is someone who follows trends outside the mainstream — that is, until the hipster population popularizes those trends and makes them mainstream, the never-ending cycle of true hipster culture.

“Countercultures attract some of the most creative and innovative thinkers,” Nathan Pipenberg, a journalist at HuffSee Pinigis on page 4 A Wurlitzer theater organ.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

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Pinigis, pg. 3 Post, said. “They mobilize the youth and accept novel ideas … long before most Americans are willing to.”

While the term hipster often has a negative connotation, hipsters are the ones who respect trends from generations before them — they’re the ones who preserve the past and even bring forgotten wonders back to the mainstream.

The hipsters of this generation have been responsible for the rebirth of old trends such as vinyl, ’90s fashion and even old-fashioned language. Vinyl record use is perhaps one of the biggest trends associated with hipsters. In the past year alone, sales of vinyl records have gone up 19.2 percent. If we can once again popularize these seemingly ancient arts, surely we can introduce students to other valuable vintage techniques.

Take the theater organ I saw Avakian playing along to silent movies. A magnificent display of keys, the organ boasts more than triple the number

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that grand pianos have. Covered in colorful paint and elaborate designs — as well as trinkets and miscellaneous keys for sound effects — each is a work of art.

If I’d never heard the instrument, I would have forever dismissed it simply because it seemed too old. But more young people — both hipster and otherwise — should learn to expand their horizons and appreciate the obscure arts like these.

The theater organ is no longer a new or innovative instrument, but it’s still just as impressive, and it deserves far more attention than it gets from this generation, as I discovered a few weeks back when I attended Avakian’s concert.

The PATOS concerts are far more than simply someone playing along to silent films — they’re spectacular shows of a dying, but extraordinary, art.

Using some beats he previously recorded, Avakian played the soundtrack to “Slumdog Millionaire.” Suddenly, the old-timey sounds one thinks of

when ones thinks of the theater organ vanished into a heavy pop beat that vibrated the audience to its core.

When I thought it couldn’t get any cooler, Avakian finished his show with a phenomenal mashup of Queen’s most famous songs. Hearing anything by Queen performed live is a pretty wild experience, but to watch Avakian play half of “Bohemian Rhapsody” with only his feet was truly astonishing.

Putting a modern spin on old art forms, like Avakian did, is the perfect way to lure young fans — an audience PATOS desperately wants to attract.

When I spoke with PATOS President Dale Abrahams after the show, he was immensely excited that someone my age showed interest in promoting the theater organ. He said while the number of young people attending shows is growing, right now the audience stands at only 30 percent high school and college-age students.

As an artsy school, Pitt has the perfect student body to appreciate these art forms. Theater, film, art majors and hipsters alike are sure to enjoy

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old-timey music, especially if it has the modern spin to appeal to millenials.

Theater may not have the glamour or deafening beats of a Beyonce concert, but the performances still possess an entertaining vintage flair — and other art forms are the same.

Classical music today, for example, sounds nearly nothing like it did when the masters Bach or Beethoven played.

Contemporary artists like Daniel Corral use homemade synthesizers and music boxes to produce sounds Claude Debussy would have never dreamed of. And visual artists like Kehinde Wiley, who painted portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery, use ancient techniques to produce art unlike anything seen before it.

We as young people cannot let such a magnificent art die. We need to embrace our hipster titles proudly, latch onto what we find compelling and make sure old traditions live into the future, while still changing and evolving with whatever that future brings.

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Culture

‘Queer eye’ star Antoni Porowski visits campus Apoorva Kethidi Staff Writer

Antoni Porowski discusses his thoughts on sexuality at Pitt Program Council’s “An Evening with Antoni Porowski.”

Sarah Cutshall | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

When more than 200 students headed to the WPU Ballroom to listen to a lecture from reality TV star Antoni Porowski, they left with more knowledge on his show, his life and — most importantly — salads.

The Pitt Program Council’s event “An Evening with Antoni Porowski” Wednesday night followed one of the stars of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” and food and wine expert Antoni Porowski through a discussion and Q&A and topped the evening off with a cooking demonstration.

Many are familiar with Porowski for his work on “Queer Eye.” On the hit show, he is a member of the “Fab Five” along with Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France and Karamo Brown.

The group travels from state to state helping people whom they feel need a life makeover using their stylish instincts.

To kick off the event, PPC Executive Board Director Nikita Iyer, a senior neuroscience major, interviewed the star.

The pair discussed a whole range of topics, from Porowski’s own personal life to food to the show itself.

Iyer focused heavily on food and “Queer Eye,” but she also incorporated questions about Porowski’s life.

Porowski, a bit out of character, was very open with his responses, especially those pertaining to his sexuality.

“My sexuality was something I never talked about other than with my close friends and my relationship with my parents was very transactional,” he said.

Iyer knew Porowski was famous for being on “Queer Eye,” but his celebrity, unlike most TV stars, doesn’t just come from his talents. It comes from his activism.

“I knew I needed to talk about ‘Queer Eye,’ of course, but I also knew I needed to talk about the LGBTQIA community,” she said. “Not because of the general public, but rather because I owed it to him, I owed it to the show and I owed it to the community to talk about his experience.”

Porowski himself does not identify as gay like most may believe, but rather “on the sexuality spectrum,”

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and his sexuality isn’t something that defines his life — but rather enhances it.

When asked about the effects the sudden fame has had on his life, he responded with words about staying true to himself.

“The more that I am myself, and the more that I am honest about my experience,” he said. “That’s usually when I get the good type of attention from the people who can relate to you and make me feel a little less lonely in the world.”

PPC Lecture Director Maddie Ward, a senior marketing and human resources management major, said the planning for this event didn’t follow any of her expectations.

“Last year when I became lecture director, I sat down with our committee members that are Pitt students and was getting ideas for this year,” she said.

“Some of the committee members suggested someone from ‘Queer Eye.’ I had never heard of it, but then I saw it and thought that it would be great.”

Porowski’s food expertise made him one of the best options to book as a campus speaker, Ward said.

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“I originally just said we wanted someone from ‘Queer Eye.’ I did not seek Antoni specifically, but when Antoni said he would do a cooking demonstration I thought that it was such a great bonus,” she said.

Following a Q&A session with fans, Porowski gave students a lesson on food with tips to make college cooking easier and a cooking demonstration. Questions ranged from how to store sliced onions to how to stay connected to one’s culture through food — which Porowski related to as he formed his love of food from his own Polish heritage.

For the more able college cooks he suggested a rice risotto toasted in a pan with butter, onions, vegetable or meat stock, vegetables and parmesan cheese. However, he did give suggestions to the more microwave-friendly students, such as frozen peas and mint in a bowl or microwaved pasta with heavy cream, grated cheese and peppercorns.

Audience member and senior developmental psychology major Kate Farley was excited to put Porowski’s expertise to the test and make some of the dishes herself.

“I’m definitely going to try the peas and mint. I’m a big frozen peas fan,” she said. “I like how honest he was and how personable he was with the audience.”

Porowski ended by demonstrating the creation of a salad dish from his new restaurant in the West Village, Village Den. The salad consisted of fennel, grapefruit, pistachios and avocados — which are often seen as his signature ingredients. He messily mixed the ingredients together to form his final dish, which he then ate with his hands due to the lack of utensils.

Throughout the night, Porowski used his and his audience’s love of food to answer questions the audience had about life. When someone in the crowd asked him how college students could plan for the future, he responded with a very on-brand pun.

“You don’t have to decide today, sit on your feelings,” he said. “I love sitting in my feelings. I just stew the s--- out of that!”

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STUDENTS CELEBRATE OAKLAND squirrel-ebrities Jon Kunitsky Staff Writer

Believe it or not, the many squirrels seen bouncing around the Cathedral Lawn and scavenging in the William Pitt Union’s trash cans are Instagram stars in the making.

Pitt’s campus squirrels have gained a significant following on the Squirrels of Pitt Instagram page over the past four years, thanks to their fluffy tails, beady eyes and shenanigans around Oakland.

The account surpassed 1,000 followers this month and has accumulated more than 180 posts of pictures and videos. On average, a single post receives anywhere between 100 to 250 likes. A video showing a squirrel eating food from a student’s hand posted in November was viewed more than 400 times.

Vaishnavi Guddeti, a sophomore majoring in neuroscience, currently runs the account after the original owner, fellow squirrel enthusiast and 2018 Pitt alum Anastasia Bodea Crisan, passed it on to her when she graduated. She posts diligently and answers direct messages from fans on a daily basis, checking the page at least three times a day.

The page recently experienced a spike in popularity due

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to Guddeti’s frequent postings, so she fluctuates her posts between pictures she has taken herself and ones that students have sent her. Every day she receives between three to five direct messages on Instagram of followers supplying her with fresh squirrel content and relaying messages of positive support.

“I like the idea that we are all in this, trying to find squirrels together. It’s like a way to bond with people,” she said.

“I never meet them in person, but it is kind of social. You’re sharing stuff with people you don’t know, but you’re both interested in it.”

It may not be a surprise for some that there is an Instagram account dedicated to the local tree rodents. Squirrels have reached a certain kind of celebrity across the internet — squirrel-ebrity, if you will.

On Twitter, The Common Squirrel, whose tweets delve into politics — “Hey, I’m tired of the election too. Steve King is a white supremacist serving in Congress,” reads one — and border on the bizarre — featuring squirrel-isms such as “run run run,” “blink blink,” “stare” or “hop” — has accumulated more than 92,000 followers. “Squirrel Lovers,” a Facebook page that regularly shares squirrel images and videos, has

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91,956 likes and 91,566 followers.

And Instagram has numerous squirrel accounts for various college campuses and cities, including Squirrels of Indiana University, UT Austin, State College, Philadelphia and Milwaukee, to name a few.

Guddeti said she believes the account plays into a larger joke among young people. By following the page, she said, you are contributing to the meme — a funny or ridiculous image, video or piece of text that is copied and disseminated by internet users.

“It is a continuous joke that no one is ever actively laughing at, but still exists and it’s kind of funny when you think of it,” she said. “I don’t think my captions are so funny, or I as an individual am so funny. Everyone is just in on it.”

Zachary Hartman, an undecided first-year, chose to follow Squirrels of Pitt after seeing that a friend liked one of its pictures on Instagram’s “Explore” tab. He noticed many of the posts give credit to whomever submitted the picture or video, and sent in a photo so he could get his “15 minutes of fame.”

“I’ve been featured twice now, so I’m pretty much a ceSee Squirrels on page 16

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Sports

TAKE 5:

SWEET 16 ON HORIZON FOR PITT VOLLEYBALL Browns, Buckeyes, basketball

Kate Hall Staff Writer

For the first time in program history, the Pitt women’s volleyball team will host the first two rounds of the NCAA championship tournament. This will be the team’s third consecutive appearance in the tournament and 14th appearance in team history — and fans can expect the Panthers to go further in this tournament than ever before.

Pitt has never won an NCAA Volleyball championship before. In fact, it has never surpassed the second round of action. The Panthers’ past two runs at the championship, in 2016 and 2017, were cut short at the hands of Penn State, both times in the second round. But Pitt was the away team in both those tournaments, losing at Penn State 3-1 each time. Now, the Panthers don’t have to worry about traveling or facing the Nittany Lions early on.

Last season, in the first two rounds of play, the Panthers traveled to University Park for the Penn State headliner. Pitt beat VCU in round one, winning the match 3-1. The trouble came in round two, when Pitt had to face in-state rival and then-No.1 seed, Penn State. Penn State blew out Pitt 3-1 in the match. The Panthers’ lone bright spot came in a second-set win by just two points — 2523. The Nittany Lions went on to place as a semifinalist in the tournament, falling just short of the championship.

This time around, Pitt’s headline of the tournament will begin at 4 p.m. Friday with Navy and Michigan squaring off. The crowd-favorite Panthers will hit the court at 7 p.m. to face Iona College — champions of the MAAC conference. The winners of each match will face each other in round two on Saturday, with the winner of that game moving on to likely play No. 5 Texas in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Panthers finished the season ranked seventh, according to the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Ratings Power Index, which takes into account record and strength of sched-

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ule. The Gaels finished the season in No. 155.

Pitt will be the toughest team that Iona has played all season.

An elite high school team is the equivalent to some of the squads in the MAAC conference — including Iona. The Gaels’ No. 155 ranking is the highest in their conference, with some other MAAC teams ranked almost twice as far down the list. If the current Pitt volleyball team was in the MAAC, it easily could’ve swept in all in conference matches. The final set scores would have been mind-blowingly unfair.

Iona is the only school in the MAAC to make the tournament this season, showing that the conference does not have a deep talent pool. Pitt, on the other hand, is one of five ACC teams participating in the tournament — the others being Duke, Florida State, Syracuse and Louisville.

The Gaels’ toughest opponent this season was Stony Brook, which finished in the rankings at No. 104.

Iona lost that match in a 3-0 sweep, losing

the last set 258.

Pitt, meanwhile, went a perfect 3-0 against top-25 oppo-

nents this season.

The Panthers also enjoy a noticeable home-court advantage, having won all 19 home games this season, thanks in part to the record-breaking crowd appearances at the Fitzgerald Field House this season.

Pitt has a comfortable edge over Iona that surpasses home court advantage. The Panthers aced their season with a 29-1 record.

Iona finished with a credible 20-7 record, albeit against inferior competition. This will be the Gaels’ second-ever appearance in the tournament — their first was in 2004, when they lost to Nebraska in a first-round sweep.

Now, the team has earned a spot in the tournament for three seasons in a row with roughly the same elite team — minus a few seniors along the way. The Panthers have the high-caliber championship experience heading into this match.

Pitt also had one of its best seasons to date. Of the Panthers’ 29 wins, 16 of those were sweeps of their opponent. They only had two wins that were even decided in a fifth set.

Pitt’s second-round blues should also come to an end this championship run.

Michigan (22-9) would be the harder team to beat over Navy (23-8) in round two — the Wolverines have an RPI ranking of 21 compared to 90 for Navy — but even so, Pitt should be favored to eliminate them.

That being said, there’s no reason why the Panthers should lose their initial match against Iona. They are the far better team going into the tournament and have the home advantage. With fans like the ones Pitt has, the Pete should be rocking this weekend.

Junior right side hitter Nika Markovic (17) celebrates during Pitt volleyball’s 3-0 victory over Georgia Tech. Kaycee Orwig | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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The Pitt News Staff The sports world saw its fair share of drama this past week, with much of it revolving around the state of Ohio. The Browns and Bengals faced off in a revenge game, while the previously struggling Buckeyes suddenly looked like one of the nation’s best teams once again versus Michigan. Our staff tackles these topics and more in this week’s Take 5.

Guess Hue’s back Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns dismantled the Cincinnati Bengals 35-20 Sunday — but somehow, the major upset wasn’t the most exciting story line of the day.

Instead, headlines revolved around the behavior of certain Browns players toward former head coach Hue Jackson, who was fired several games into the season and then accepted a position on Cincinnati’s coaching staff. After picking off a pass, safety Damarious Randall handed the ball to Jackson as if to mock his former coach.

Mayfield also had words for Jackson after cameras captured the icy postgame interaction between the two.

“It’s just somebody that was in our locker room asking for us to play for him and then goes to a different team we play twice a year,” the rookie said.

Many sports commentators, such as Stephen A. Smith, criticized Mayfield for his actions and words, stating Jackson made a “business decision” and the QB needs to “grow up.”

While I agree that Jackson made a business decision, Mayfield and the rest of the Browns can still dislike the decision. Le’Veon Bell made a “business decision” to sit out this year, but that didn’t stop the entire City of Pittsburgh from See Take 5 on page 17

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credits and core courses, go to: www.pitt.edu/languages //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

We live in an increasingly diverse and global society. When you graduate, you need to be world-ready, not just work-ready. You need to demonstrate flexibility, versatility, sensitivity to different cultures and people, and the enriched interpersonal communication and relationship-building skills that come from increased cultural awareness. These are traits both employers and graduate school admissions officers want to see. No matter what the field, fluency in cultures and languages outside of your own give you a competitive edge.

Popular Majors: Students interested in cultures and languages often explore such majors and minors as Chinese, classics, French, German language and cultural studies, German studies (minor), interdisciplinary German studies, Italian language and literature, Italian studies, Japanese, Korean (minor), Portuguese (minor), Russian, Slovak studies (minor) and Spanish.

Dept. of Physics and Astronomy The University of Pittsburgh ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Contact Information: Katie Ferguson // kaf135@pitt.edu // 412-624-9068

Please visit our website: https://www.physicsandastronomy.pitt.edu Our majors benefit from: • close personal contact with dedicated teachers • small intermediate and advanced courses • interactive learning and direct access to faculty members • participation in research programs directed by faculty members • access to various in-house departmental research labs and facilities • travel opportunities to national and international facilities and conferences • our very own student group, the Society of Physics Students • opportunities to participate in the undergraduate teaching assistant program • departmental awards and scholarship opportunities The B.S. in physics (65 credits) has core courses in introductory physics, modern physics, computational methods, mechanics, statistical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and quantum mechanics. Students also take advancedlevel lab courses, and math courses ranging from calculus to differential equations. The B.S. in physics and astronomy (68 credits) has the same core courses plus five astronomy courses.

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Contact Information: Shabana Reza, Enrollment Manager // 412-624-5230 // Room 510, Information Sciences Building // 135 North Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260

tions. In this major, you will learn the theory, experimentation and engineering that form the basis for the design and use of computers. A minor in ComputerScience is also available.

Bachelor of Science in Information Science Our bachelor of science in information science (BSIS) major teaches you how to look at problems holistically, so you not only understand the technology, but also the needs of the people who will be using it. You will gain critical skills and broad theoretical knowledge in systems analysis, user needs, programming principles, database systems, networks and more.

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The University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information is a new school for a new era. We are breaking down disciplinary silos to unite seemingly disparate fields through the power of computing. Our vision is simple: to make the world a better place through polymathic education and the creation, application and advancement of the science of interacting systems.

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Our bachelor of science in computer science (BSCS) degree introduces you to a scientific and practical approach to computation and its applica-

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November 29, 2018

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Sponsored Content

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HIM professionals maintain, collect and analyze the data that health care providers rely on to deliver quality health care. They are experts in managing patient health information, administering computer information systems and coding the diagnosis and procedures for health care services provided to patients.

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Can you picture yourself as a health information management student?

Learn more at shrs.pitt.edu/HIMBS

Literature

The University of Pittsburgh

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Contact Information: www.english.pitt.edu/undergraduate/advising ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Want to personalize your education? Major in literature and choose from five different concentrations. Which one fits your interests, talents and career goals?

Media and Technology: Take a class on “Narrative and Technology,” where you’ll design a video game or a podcast.

Environment, Science and Culture: Try “Literature and Medicine” and see how dissection works up close in one of Pitt’s anatomy labs.

The Invention of Literature: Take our “Medieval Imagination” course and see history come to life when you study abroad in the medieval city of York.

English for the World: Check out “World Literature in English” and expand your mind with the greatest literature from around the globe.

Children’s Literature: Take “Children and Culture” and reimagine Harry Potter and other favorites in their broader cultural and literary contexts.

Ready to talk to a faculty member about your unique path through the major?

Contact our English advisers today or sign up online: www.english.pitt.edu/undergraduate/advising.

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November 29, 2018

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Theresa helped me explore my interests and encouraged me to take classes, even if they didn’t seem to fit in with my major. She told me about the non-profit management certificate, which she thought I would be interested in. I am currently half way through the certificate program and I couldn’t be more grateful for her advice: Those classes are some of my favorite I’ve taken at Pitt.

During my time with Theresa as my adviser, I probably emailed, or even called her, more than 50 times. I always had questions and she always had an answer. College is a big deal, and it’s important to me that I get as much out of it as possible. My future was completely changed when Theresa became my first-year adviser. Academic advisers can truly lead the way down a unique and meaningful path.

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Academic Advising Center at 412-624-6444. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// When I started at Pitt, I thought I wanted to go the pre-med route. But ask my first-year academic adviser, Theresa Fabrizio, and she’ll tell you that was far from set in stone.

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November 29, 2018

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for graduate school, public engagement, African-American rhetoric and public writing,

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pittnews.com

November 29, 2018

15

Squirrels, pg. 8 lebrity,” he said. “Don’t be surprised when I start acting differently.”

Vanity is not his only motivation, however. Hartman said seeing them on his social media feed offers some much-needed humor to his stressful school days.

“It’s just a nice little thing to see in my Instagram feed besides the usual trash,” he said. “And it gives you some micro-stressrelief.”

That’s exactly why, as a first-year student, Crisan started the page in 2015. When she arrived on campus, it seemed to her that the squirrels she saw were generally more friendly and uplifting than others she encountered elsewhere, and she was immediately fascinated by their bold attitude.

“I’d be on campus having the worst day and then I’d just watch a squirrel for like, two minutes,” she said, adding that she’d often take photos and store them on her phone.

“It’s something simple, pure.”

Crisan first publicly spoke about her love for taking pictures of squirrels during icebreakers at a meeting for Pitt’s sailing club.

Nobody shared her interest. This motivated her to begin a page dedicated to her photos

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of Pitt’s tree-dwelling rodents so she could find others who shared her passion.

The first image she posted, a parody of the internationally known Humans of New York Facebook page, is a simple photograph of a gray squirrel crouching on all fours by a tree, its dark eyes staring directly into the camera.

The caption reads, “Although there are squirrels all around me every day, I still somehow feel lonely. I suppose my greatest insecurity would be that I still don’t really have a squad or place where I belong.”

The post, though reflective of Crisan’s own social insecurities as a first-year, was the start of a short-lived photo series with similarly humorous captions. Her posts her senior year were irregular, but the squirrels still brought her joy. Even as graduation became a looming reality for Crisan, she found solace in the page and the community it started to create.

“I think the thing that makes Squirrels of Pitt so great is that it’s a community kind of page. Anybody can end up submitting pictures, and that’s how it became so big,” she said. “[The squirrels] are a big constant on campus. So many things change all the time.

Administrators change, buildings change, classes change, friends change, we change.

But those squirrels are always there.”

The Squirrels of Pitt Instagram, run by sophomore neuroscience major Vaishnavi Guddeti, features images of Oakland squirrels.

Photo courtesy of Vaishnavi Guddeti

November 29, 2018

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Take 5, pg. 9 turning on him. Just because someone makes a decision that’s good for them doesn’t mean others can’t disagree with it.

— Nick Carlisano, Staff Writer Buckeye on the prize The College Football Playoff committee released its penultimate season rankings Tuesday after a surprising rivalry weekend brought some much-needed parity to the rankings.

Three games in particular were most influential to the change in rankings — No. 10 Ohio State over No. 4 Michigan, 62-39, No. 6 Oklahoma over No. 13 West Virginia, 59-56, and No. 16 Washington over No. 8 Washington State, 28-15.

The current CFP rankings are currently in the order of Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State. Notre Dame is a lock for the playoffs after completing its first undefeated season since 2012.

Clemson is also essentially a lock for the playoff as well, barring an unfathomable upset of 7-5 to Pitt. Assuming Alabama beats Georgia in the SEC Championship, ’Bama would be in and Georgia would be out — leaving Oklahoma and Ohio State left to battle for the fourth playoff spot, causing mass debate throughout the college football nation.

Oklahoma currently sits on an 11-1 record, with the lone loss coming to its bitter rival Texas.

Ohio State also possesses an 11-1 record with a 29-point loss to Purdue. These teams also share a similar modus operandi — impeccable offense and lackluster defense.

The main argument against Oklahoma is that they have an atrocious defense and the main argument against Ohio State is that they have an inexcusable loss to Purdue. The difference between these teams is that we know that Ohio State’s defense can show up for big games, as it did versus Penn State and Michigan.

History would be on the Buckeyes’ side in a

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matchup against Alabama — don’t forget when they took down the Crimson Tide in the 2014 playoffs.

— Tyler Moran, Staff Writer Trust the Process with Fultz The saga involving second-year guard Markelle Fultz and the Philadelphia 76ers organization is well-documented and unlike anything seen in NBA history. Fultz, whom Philadelphia acquired in the 2017 draft, saw almost no action in his rookie year due to a mysterious shoulder injury that destroyed his jump shot. Things seemed to be looking up this year, with Fultz beginning this season as a starter in Philly and, while still

looking hesitant, taking some shots from the perimeter.

Things began to break down a few weeks ago when Fultz was at the free-throw line, where his shooting motion showed a comically hideous hitch that sent shock waves through the NBA world. At a time when it looked like Fultz was improving, the whole situation turned on its head.

Fultz soon separated with shooting coach Drew Hanlen after the two butted heads over Hanlen’s comments on Twitter.

Fultz’ shooting motion continued to decline as he descended into a system of trial and error in an effort to find a motion he could be success-

November 29, 2018

ful with. As this occurred, rumors surfaced that Philly would like to part ways with the secondyear guard and that Fultz would prefer a fresh start somewhere else as well.

But his thinking just doesn’t seem logical for the Sixers. Sure, things are downright bad for Fultz right now. He is refusing to play until he sees a specialist and fans certainly prefer veteran guard TJ McConnell as the backup. Nonetheless, it makes no sense for Philly to dump Fultz when his value is next to zero. Even if he does not pan

Find the full story online at

pittnews.com

17

I N D E X

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

For Rent South Oakland ** 5 Bedroom/2 full bath; HUGE HOME‑ duplex style, three sto‑ ries. COM­PLETELY REMOD­ELED, 2 living rooms, 2 kitch‑ ens, 2 dining rooms, LAUN­DRY 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. $3,295+.

Available 8/1/2019.

NO PETS. Call Jason at 412‑922‑2141.

Pictures‑ Info: tinyurl. com/dawson­home ***August 2019 rental.

4 BR+TV room/ 2 BA apartment.

Wall‑to‑wall carpet‑ ing. Kitchen w/dish­ washer. Wash­er/Dryer.

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

$2300/month + utili­ ties. 724‑934‑0653. **2, 3, 4 Bedroom Houses/Apartments in South Oakland.

Available for rent August 2019. Very clean with different amenities (dish­ washer, A/C, washer and dryer, 1‑2 Baths, off‑street parking, newer ap­pliances & sofas). Check out my Face­book page: https:­//www. facebook.­com/ KenEckenrode­ RealEstate/. Call Ken at 412‑287‑4438 for more informa­ tion and showings or email name, phone number, desired number of bed­ rooms, and anything else you want in housing to kenshous­ ing@gmail.com. **AUGUST 2019: Furnished studios, 1,2,3,4 bedroom apartments. No pets.

Non‑smokers pre­ ferred. 412‑621‑0457.

Classifieds

For sale

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

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

South Oakland 1‑6 bedroom. All newly renovated, air‑conditioning, dish­washer, washer/ dryer, and parking.

Most units on busline and close to Pitt.

Avail­able Summer 2019. 412‑915‑0856 or email klucca@veri­ zon.net.

2/4 bedroom apart­ ments and houses available in May and August 2019. Nice, clean, free laundry, includes ex­terior maintenance, new appliances, spa­cious, and located on Juliet and Mc­ kee 412‑414‑9629. douridaboudproper­ tymanagement.com 2BR apt South Oak­ land. $1,095/mo + electric.

New kitchen, bal­cony, and A/C.

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

Call 412‑6661‑6622 322 S. Bouquet. Huge 2 BR apart­ments.

Move avail­able

May 1 or August 1.

412‑361‑2695

3436 Ward. Spacious 2‑Bedroom, 1 bath, equipped kitchen, $1,195 + electric, Heat included.

412‑271‑5550 3444 Ward ‑

Studio/1,­2,3 bedroom apart­ments. Free

heating, free parking.

Avail­able Aug. 2019.

412‑361‑2695

4 BR HOME ‑ SEM­ PLE STREET, LO­ CATED NEAR LOU‑ ISA. EQUIPPED KITCHEN, FULL BASEMENT. NEW CENTRAL AIR ADDED. AVAIL­ ABLE IMMEDI­ ATELY AND RENT­ING FOR MAY AND AUGUST 2019.

(412) 343‑4289 or 412‑330‑9498.

R A T E S

Insertions

1-15 Words

16-30 Words

1X

2X

3X

4X

$6.30

$11.90

$17.30

$22.00

$7.50

$14.20

$20.00

5X $27.00

$25.00

$29.10

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

South Oakland 416 Oakland Ave. HUGE 2BR, 1BA. Hardwood floors. Available August 1, 2019. Call 412‑361‑2695 Apartments for rent.

2, 3, and 4 bedroom apartments avail‑ able. Some available on Dawson Street, At­wood Street, and Mc­kee Place. Newly re­modeled. Some have laundry on site.

Min­utes from the Univer­sity. For more info please call Mike at 412‑849‑8694 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.

Houses for rent. Steps to campus. Starting at

November 29, 2018

$1800+ utilities. Mod‑ ern kitchen and bath­ rooms; on site washer and dryer. Available in August 2019. Call at 412‑916‑4777 Huge 5BR apartment in Panther Hollow.

Close to universi‑ ties. Laundry and dish­washer. Large deck. $1,900/mo. plus utili­ties. Contact gbazz­i7@gmail.com M.J. Kelly Realty.

Studio, 1, 2, 3 and 4 Bedroom Apart­ments, Duplexes and Houses.

N. & S. Oakland from $750‑$2500. mjkellyrealty@gmail.­ com. 412‑271‑5550. www.mjkellyrealty.­ com North / South O Houses and Apart­ ments with Laundry and Central Air Call 412‑38‑Lease Now renting fall 2019 various two bed­rooms units in South Oak‑ land, Bates, Coltart, Edith, Halket Place,

Ward Street; rent start‑ ing from $975‑$1410 Contact: John C.R. Kelly 412‑683‑7300 www.jcrkelly.com info@kellyrealtyinc.­ com Outstanding One Bed­rooms located throughout South Oakland; Fifth Ave, Meyran, Pier, Sem­ple, Blvd of Allies, Ward; Rents Starting at: $740‑$825 Contact: John C.R. Kelly Office: 412‑683‑7300 Email: info@kellyre­ altyinc.com Website: www.­ jcrkelly.com South Oakland

off‑campus housing.

2‑6 BR apartments/­ houses for rent.

Up­dated kitchens

and Bathrooms. A/C, laundry, and some

with parking. Avail­

able August of 2019.

412‑445‑6117

Employment Employment Other Child care assistance needed, working with infants, toddlers, or preschool. Flexible scheduling, $10/hour.

412‑462‑4463 Part Time sales staff wanted. Littles

Shoes is looking for

fun, outgoing people looking to gain sales experience.

Call Justin at

412‑521‑3530 if inter­ ested.

Part‑Time Job: Earn up to $200 a day driv­ ing and hanging out with senior citizens.

Apply here: https:­// www.fountain.com/­ papa‑technologies/ ap­ply/pittsburgh‑pa‑ pa‑pal The Pitt News is

cur­rently seeking

18

stu­dents to work as In­ side Sales Representa­ tives for the newspa­

per. They will pro­vide advertising ser­vice to all Student, Univer­ sity, and Clas­sified

Accounts, while also complet­ing assigned

office duties. Submit re­sumes/applica­

tions to advertising@

pittnews.­com, or stop by our office at 434

The Pitt news crossword 11/29/18

William Pitt Union!

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