The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | december 4, 2018 | Volume 109 | Issue 73

LNAP OFFERS PRE-FINALS STRESS RELIEF FOR STUDENTS

IT’S THE FINAL RUBDOWN

Emily Wolfe

Senior Staff Writer ‘Twas the week before finals, and all through the campus, students scrambled to study for the last exams of the semester. On Monday night at Hillman, some settled in for a long winter’s LNAP — the “Long Night Against Procrastination.” The event, hosted by the Office of the First Year Experience, offered students a chance to escape from the pressure of finals and de-stress. For some students, that meant receiving a massage from a trained masseuse or playing a game of Mario Kart. For others, like Riza Swartz, a junior marketing and business information systems major, it meant petting a therapy dog like Lola, a pit bull and boxer mix. “I have eight exams,” Swartz said. “It’s horrible.” She scratched the dog, cooing a little. “I love animals, so this is awesome,” she said. “Her ears are so cute!” Over the course of four hours, a few hundred people filtered in and out of the LNAP, held in the Digital Scholarship Commons on the ground floor of Hillman. The event was See LNAP on page 2

Junior non-fiction writing and communication double major Abigail Tesfay (left) received a massage from a professional masseuse during Hillman’s “Long Night Against Procrastination” event Monday night. Bader Abdulmajeed | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

STUDENTS DISCUSS GENETICS OF 'HARRY POTTER' Remy Samuels Staff Writer

Between complicated Punnett Square diagrams and mutations of genes, the study of genetics can be a confusing concept to understand. But Dr. Peter Blier, a pediatric rheumatology doctor and professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts, was able to teach a genetics lesson

using a template many students would understand — “Harry Potter.” “Genetics and ‘Harry Potter’ [are] really interesting on their own, but it’s [also] an interesting way to teach genetics in a very different way,” Blier said. “There’s a lot about genetics that informs how we think about ourselves as individuals and as a society.” Around 30 fans of science and “Harry Pot-

ter” gathered Monday evening in the Cathedral of Learning to attend Blier’s lecture, “On HalfBlood, Half-Breeds, and ‘The So-Called Purity of Blood:’ An Examination of the Role of Genetics in the Magical World of ‘Harry Potter.’” According to Lisa Parker, the director of the Center for Bioethics and Health Law, this was the last event in See Harry Potter on page 2

News LNAP, pg. 1

loosely themed around the five senses. Dogs and massage were touch. A spread of chips and drinks, laid out on a long table at the side of the room, served for taste. Students could mix their own smells at an aromatherapy table. At another table, they could spin a wheel to win a face mask — sight — or a pair of earplugs — sound. Donna Gupta, a mentor with FYE, welcomed students into the room. “Sometimes, we think it should be called ‘Long Night of Procrastination,’ just because clearly no one’s studying right now,” Gupta said. “Either way, our goal is just to de-stress people.” Gupta still handed out flyers with information about peer tutors, for the students who do use LNAP to study. The tutors have set hours where they’re available in Hillman to help students with languages and “basi-

Harry Potter, pg. 1 the Medical Humanities Mondays lecture series — the goal of which was to connect disciplines in humanities and the sciences. “We wanted to have this particular talk because it connected science, medicine and literature,” Parker said. “So one of the goals of this whole series of medical humanities is to do this bridging of the different disciplines and bringing the humanities and social sciences in contact with medicine.” Blier said the characters in British author J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series made many important decisions off of a flawed system of genetics and breeding, which he suggested means Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry needs to add a new course to its curriculum. “Genetics isn’t something that’s taught at Hogwarts,” Blier said. “It wouldn’t even be an undergraduate course at Hogwarts. It could be a graduate seminar.” For those who didn’t know the complex wizard-breeding system invented by Rowling, Blier explained how witches and wizards can be either pure-bloods, meaning they have two magic parents, or half-bloods, meaning they have one magic and one non-magic — or “Muggle” — parent. Someone with two Muggle, non-magic

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cally anything” if students need extra assistance, she said. “But [LNAP is] also a way for people to just enjoy themselves and relax, even though it’s very hectic right now,” Gupta said. According to Ashlan Hudson, a resident director working the event, the event was created to relieve some of the pressure of finals. “We really wanted to create a space where students could take a little break,” Hudson said. “Take a little break from studying, try to get some rejuvenation and just a little bit more motivation to go back to their studies.” Though FYE aims to help first-years adjust to life on campus, LNAP and the office’s other events are open to students of any year. Many students ducked into the room as soon as they saw the therapy pets, dropping to the ground to pet Lola and her fellow dogs. Lola’s partner, human Emily Born,

watched from a chair nearby. The two have been paired together for about a month through the Animal Friends’ Therapets therapy dog program, visiting schools and community centers to calm sad and stressed-out souls with Lola’s floppy ears. “I think everyone who walks in just goes, ‘Dog!’ and it’s an immediate reaction,” Born said. Over at the aromatherapy table, students could choose from six scents — lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, cinnamon, chamomile and lemon. Hudson, the resident director, showed students how to mix their scents. After pouring out a few drops of their chosen scent, each student filled up the rest of the small bottle with coconut oil. “We’re residence life, so we know that students can’t have candles in their rooms,” Hudson said. “We were like, ‘What can we do that’s going to make a room smell nice, that’s something that they can have?’”

As they came and went, students were invited to pick up a sticky note, write a few words and stick it to a whiteboard near the door that asked, “What’s your goal?” Some of the goals were ambitious. There were several that read “pass O-Chem,” a “get into grad school” and a “4.0.” Other students were more reserved — “finish notecards” or “not fail.” One student, perhaps not thinking specifically about finals, had written “buy a hamster.” But some students couldn’t afford to take even one night off from work. Bryan Runyon, a junior supply chain marketing and business information systems major, sat in the back of the room. His laptop and a line of Kool-Aid pouches rested in front of him. After visiting the snacks table, he had settled down to study. “I’m waiting for some friends,” he said, gesturing to the Kool-Aid. “I’m here because I have a final on Wednesday.”

parents is considered Muggle-born. However, Blier said a contradiction arises when one considers how someone like Hermione Granger, born from two Muggle parents, could be a wizard. In genetics, the offspring inherits traits from both the mother and father, so Blier said the cause of Hermione’s magical ability is not readily apparent. This suggests there may have been a mutation somewhere in her lineage. Blier also said the term “half-breed” to classify creatures like werewolves in the series is misleading, since being a werewolf is not genetic, but rather inherited from a werewolf bite. In the books, Blier said centaurs are referred to as halfbreeds, which, again, does not make sense. “For example, centaurs are [called] halfbreeds because they’re half horse and half human,” Blier said. “But they aren’t [an offspring] of a horse and a human, so they [should not] be [considered] a half-breed.” Blier connected the genetics of “Harry Potter” back to Gregor Mendel, the founder of the modern science of genetics. Blier applied Mendel’s theory of dominant and recessive traits to “Harry Potter,” suggesting there are two alleles, or different expressions of a gene. One allele is for wizards and one for Muggles, and the wizard trait must be dominant because even if the parents are mixed-blood, the child will be a wizard.

Blier displayed a Punnett Square diagram — a diagram used to predict the genetic makeup of an organism in a breeding experiment — and demonstrated what the possible offspring of the Muggle-born Hermione and the pureblood Ron Weasley, as well as the pure-blood Ginny Weasley and Muggle Dudley Dursley, would end up as. Because Hermione and Ron both have the dominant wizard gene, all of their children will be wizards. However, with Ginny and Dudley, Blier said it gets complicated. “Half of their kids could be magic, half could be Muggle,” Blier said. “Or they all could be Muggle, but this doesn’t actually occur in ‘Harry Potter.’” The skills of wizards do not correlate with their blood, according to Blier. For example, some of the most powerful wizards, like Voldemort and Dumbledore, are half-bloods, and some of the weakest wizards, like Neville Longbottom, are pure-blood. Blier said there are scholarly books that suggest there could be other genes for magic that would explain aptitude for specific kinds of wizardry, such as proficiency in transfiguration, potions and charms. This is separate to the notion of blood purity and could explain why some wizards are more skillful than others. “[The series] describes how complex inherited traits are, [such as] things like height [and]

intelligence,” Blier said. “J.K. Rowling is not a scientist, but just understands the world so well. She creates without knowing the framework for science.”` Christine Case, a first-year English doctoral student in children’s literature, said she thinks Rowling is smart for having readers question genetics and scientific theories through her writing. She said she came to this event because of her utter obsession with all things “Harry Potter.” “Obviously I’m a ’90s child, so ‘Harry Potter’ is life,” Case said. “I’ve also done a lot of scholarship research on ‘Harry Potter.’ But basically, I was going to come on any talk on ‘Harry Potter’ and then decide if I vehemently agree or disagree.” She said she found herself trying to track the genetics of the different characters throughout the talk and she was fascinated by the lack of correlation between blood purity and wizard aptitude. “I’m interested in this notion how there can’t be any correlation with blood purity and skill because there were more poor [wizards] that were more pure-blooded,” Case said. “But I know correlation is not causation.

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Opinions

column

from the editorial board

Denmark immigration policy inhumane Denmark seemingly took a page right out of President Donald Trump’s political playbook on Friday, except far more severe — the center-right Danish government and the right-wing Danish People’s Party struck a $115 million deal to house as many as 100 people, including foreigners convicted of crimes and rejected asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their home countries, on the 17-acre Lindholm Island. The subjects must, under threat of prosecution, report to authorities daily, spend every night on the island and are not allowed to seek work in Denmark. This bid clearly aims to push immigration restrictions to the limits of human-rights conventions, with the Danish government hoping to encourage rejected asylum-seekers and foreigners convicted of crimes to leave Denmark by making their lives as miserable as possible through policies that are simply inhumane. Denmark, like many European countries, experienced close to a 50 percent spike in immigration from 2010 to 2015 — from 70,000 immigrants to nearly 100,000 — so many Danish citizens and politicians have become wary of an influx of foreign residents. “If you are unwanted in Danish society, you should not be a nuisance to ordinary Danes,” Danish Minister for Immigration, Integration and Housing Inger Stojberg wrote on Facebook. “They are undesirable in Denmark, and they must feel it!” Despite finance minister Kristian Jensen’s claim that they had no plans to place these individuals in prisons, an independent study of current detention centers found the conditions to be similar to those in prisons or worse. Martin Henrikson, a spokesperson for the Danish People’s Party, told TV2 the island’s ferry service would be minimized and

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made “as cumbersome and expensive as possible.” This follows a shift in Denmark’s policy toward refugees. Just this summer, the Danish government introduced a ban on face coverings, clearly targeted at the expanding Muslim population in Denmark — and certainly a sign of growing animosity toward foreigners in the nation. Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen announced the government would no longer seek to integrate refugees into Danish society, but instead merely host them until they could be encouraged to return to their home countries. “It’s not easy to ask families to go home, if they’ve actually settled,” Rasmussen said at a party meeting. “But it is the morally right thing. We should not make refugees immigrants.” Denmark, a country once respected for rescuing 99 percent of its Jewish population during the Holocaust, is now taking the same steps that threaten the most vulnerable in their communities. But despite efforts to encourage them to leave, rejected asylum-seekers cannot simply return home, due to fears of persecution or because their countries will not accept them. The Syrian Civil War has caused 5.6 million Syrians to flee the country — many of them have fled to Europe as their only hope at survival. The Danish government has historically been pretty liberal on policy — the nation offers social welfare, free health care and free university education to all of its citizens. But Denmark should remember that even though immigrants aren’t citizens, they’re still people. And human beings don’t deserve to be stuck on a remote island with unlivable conditions, no matter what country they come from.

DISNEY-OPOLY AND THE STREAMING WARS Victoria Pfefferle-Gillot Staff Writer

The Mouse House has 21st Century Fox in its sights and it’s going in for the kill. Be warned, all ye media consumers, this is not going to be pretty. Hold on to your bank accounts and thoughts of creative diversity and pray for dear life. Disney is in the final stages of a horizontal merger deal with Fox — one that began in late 2017. The Department of Justice approved the deal at the end of June, and Disney-Fox has not faced any opposition from the foreign governments that still need to show their approval. The two studios hold a large presence in foreign film markets and both have numerous international assets. Even China, which was the biggest obstacle considering the current trade war, approved the deal without any conditions. If I’m being honest, this deal scares me. While I absolutely love Disney and most of what it has produced, it’s dawned on me in recent years that the company feels less like a magical center of creativity and more like a capitalistic black hole — one that devours every intellectual property that makes money for it and spits out hollow, formulaic nostalgia bait. This deal will reduce the number of large media companies in the United States from six to five, and drastically increase the amount of pull Disney gets from consumers. Through this merger, Disney will get all of 20th Century Fox’s movie studios — currently owned by 21st Century Fox — including its animation, home video and Fox Searchlight branches. Disney will also obtain all of its television studios, including channels FX and National Geographic,

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and Fox’s 30-percent shares of Hulu. The deal does not include the Fox News and Fox Sports groups, which will become a part of the spin-off company titled New Fox. If this is sounding increasingly like a media monopoly on the rise, it is. Antitrust laws exist to prevent a monopoly forming from merger deals much like this one. Around the time the Disney-Fox merger was proposed, the AT&T-Time Warner deal was rejected by the DOJ. So really, these antitrust laws should come into play for the Disney-Fox merger as well. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website, “Section 7 of the Clayton Act prohibits mergers and acquisitions when the effect ‘may be substantially to lessen competition, or to tend to create a monopoly.’” The agency has to ask whether the merger will “create or enhance” market power or make it easier to apply that power. All of this is awful, but the merger deal also applies to a growing streaming war. Recall the earlier comment about Disney getting Fox’s Hulu shares. Disney already owns 30 percent of Hulu, so after the deal is done, it will own 60 percent of the company. On top of this, Disney announced — also in 2017— that it would launch its own streaming service titled Disney Plus by the end of 2019. This platform would house an exclusive library of new and existing Disney content, including all of its subsidiaries — Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. While not confirmed, it wouldn’t be surprising if Disney keeps its new content from going to DVD/Blu-ray to force a need for its See Pfefferle-Gillot on page 5

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Pfefferle-Gillot, pg. 4 streaming service — judging from Disney’s vault trend pushing artificial scarcity. Disney CEO Bob Iger has said the starting price for Disney Plus will be “substantially below” streaming competitor Netflix. This alone is pouring salt into Netflix’s wounds, as Disney will pull all of its movies from Netflix before its service launches. On the consumer side of the coin, everyone who has dipped into streaming services will be spent from having to split their attention and their funds to multiple sites like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, DC Universe and now Disney. This is without even mentioning the myriad of music subscription services and video apps like Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Premium and HBO Now. A lot of users are young adults, most of whom are on tight budgets and don’t want to pay for ridiculous cable costs. We’ve got crippling college debt to worry about, which is why the less-expensive streaming services are attractive. In fact, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center, 61 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29 prefer streaming services over cable or digital antenna. Let’s assume a young college student wants access to all of the streaming services because of their vast arrays of original content. Netflix’s basic plan — one screen and standard definition — rounds out to $96 a year, as does Hulu’s basic plan. It’s important to note Hulu also has repetitive commercials and you need to pay extra to get rid of them. If you want more screens, you’ll have to shell out upward

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Disney is about to close a horizontal merger deal with Fox that began in late 2017. WOLRECHRIS/PIXABY of $25 or more on top of that. Amazon Jones” and “The Punisher” are expected to they “look forward to more adventures Prime Student is $59 a year with renewal also be cancelled once their respective new with the Man without Fear in the future,” but whether or not that means the cast of charges, and $119 otherwise. DC Uni- seasons air. While no official statement has been the Netflix show — and the others — will verse comes to $75 a year. Then add in HBO Now at $180 a year and YouTube made regarding the rationale behind these return in watered-down fashion on DisPremium at $144 a year. All of these sum decisions, fans and critics have speculated ney Plus remains to be seen. As a consumer and a born and bred up to a whopping $650 for the whole year that strained behind-the-scenes negotiafor this entertainment. Sooner than later, tions between Netflix and Disney/Marvel Disney fan, I’m conflicted watching all streaming services are going to be just as — along with the steep licensing price for of this drama and corporate devouring the Marvel heroes — was the major decid- go down. I want to love the company that costly and cluttered as cable. has produced the bulk of my childhood Disney’s involvement in the game means ing factor. Additionally, Netflix might be cutting its and young adulthood culture. On the you’ll not only be paying it for its Disney Plus service, but also twice-over for its con- ties to the Mouse House indefinitely fol- other hand, I can’t turn a blind eye and trolling stake in Hulu. Disney is cornering lowing Disney’s decision to pull its con- pretend that what’s happening isn’t trouthe competition in the streaming market, tent from the streaming company with bling for the media environment — one the intention of creating its own original that influences us every single day. Disand its competitors are feeling the heat. Already its plans have crippled Netflix’s series. It’s not the best business idea so ney will control a massive amount of what Marvel TV properties, as Netflix has can- far, as fans have already begun to cancel we consume, and it will wield that power celled “Iron Fist,” “Luke Cage” and “Dare- their subscriptions in protest of dropping to its advantage. It already has. Diverse creativity and competition will die out devil,” despite all three having premiered “Daredevil.” Marvel released a statement saying and we will pay for it. successful new seasons this year. “Jessica

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Culture ANNUAL LAWRENCEVILLE COOKIE TOUR BRINGS HOLIDAY CHEER AND SWEET TREATS Maggie Medoff

Staff Writer Lawrenceville shop owners were granted a business boom over the weekend, with heaps of Pittsburghers roaming Butler Street and Penn Avenue — and they had cookies to thank for it. Lawrenceville’s annual “The Joy of Cookies: Cookie Tour” — a weekend-long event consisting of holiday gift sales and cookie collecting — took place from Friday through Sunday. More than 45 businesses in the neighborhood took part in the event. In addition to shopping and munching on cookies, attendees could also vote for their favorite cookie featured at the tour on the event website, which would help determine the winner of the Joy of Cookies Cookie Cup — an award for the business with the best cookies and overall atmosphere. The event first began in 1997 as a holiday open-house event, and the number of participating Lawrenceville businesses has grown significantly over the years. Each tour stop is responsible for baking sample-sized cookies for their customers, and 15 designated take-a-break stops are chosen to serve coffee and meals to attendees along the way. Jen Macort, a Bloomfield resident who has participated in the self-guided Cookie Tour several times before, said the event introduced her to Lawrenceville, an area of the City she was previously a lot less familiar with. “Usually, I’ll go to specific places like B52 Cafe or my salon, which is all the way at the other end of [Butler] street. I don’t really go to any of the shops in the the middle of the street,” Macort said. Like many other attendees, she was finally able to get a complete sense of a neighborhood she usually only drove

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There were more than 45 stops on The Joy of Cookies: Cookie Tour 2018 in Lawrenceville this weekend. Maggie Medoff| CONTRIBUTING WRITER through by exploring it on foot. Not all of the cookie stops were shops — stops included art galleries, bakeries, gyms and even real-estate office buildings. Each of the 47 cookie stops could be identified by a large, brown gingerbread man placed at the entrance, with an assigned cookie stop number painted in white. The cookies were primarily a mix of gingerbread, chocolate chip, chocolatecaramel and different variations of decorated sugar cookies. Some stops let visitors fill up an entire bag with desserts, while others had a strict one-cookieper-person limit. A large part of the event involved local businesses advertising their products and services, as the tour was an opportunity for them to get more foot traffic. The Persad Center — an organization serving the mental health needs of LG-

BTQ+ and HIV/AIDS-impacted communities in the greater Pittsburgh area — has participated in the tour since the event launched. Jay Yoder, the center’s director of development, said the Cookie Tour is a great time for the center to spread the word about the work they do for the Pittsburgh community. “It’s perfect because there’s kind of this built-in tradition of the Cookie Tour that people know about, so they’re willing to drop by, grab cookies and we can talk about our mission,” Yoder said. Persad had a platter of ginger spice cookies out for attendees to help themselves. The cookies were baked by the center’s board members, and like other stops on the tour, they provided a recipe card for visitors looking to bake holiday cookies of their own. The Persad Center also had the work of

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several artists on display, including Tom Swartz’ Anytime Ornaments, glass plates and kitchenware made by Riverside Design Group and a painting series by local artist Pat Patterson. Hippie & French, a newly opened CBD boutique, was another popular stop on the tour. The shop sells cannabidiol-infused oils, vapes, tonics, bath and beauty products and food for both humans and pets. The shop had a sugar-cookie platter in the front window — many customers would munch on their cookies while browsing for possible holiday gifts. Lindsay French, the shop’s founder and owner, said the Cookie Tour was a great opportunity to gain exposure from Pittsburghers who generally don’t come to Lawrenceville. “Our sales from yesterday were a record-high. We have never gotten that much in revenue in one day,” French said. Having only opened her shop three weeks ago, French was excited about the opportunity the tour provided for advertising her new business. “It’s a great avenue to get our product out there and get the word out there that we’re here,” French said. For most business owners who volunteered their spaces as cookie stops, the joy of sharing treats for the holiday season was certainly present, along with a refreshed excitement for events to come and the work they have to share with the greater Pittsburgh area. For Macort, the event is a staple of the holiday season. It’s an event she has on her list of things to do year after year. “Sometimes it’s snowing, sometimes it’s hot like this — but no matter what, I always make sure to get a bunch of cookies,” she said. “I’m a big planner, and I plan to come to this every year.”

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Sports

Waiver Wire Weekly: Welcome to Playoffs pittnews.com

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PANTHERS VS. CARDINAL: NATURAL SELECTION AT WORK?

Griffin Floyd Staff Writer

The Pittsburgh Panthers (7-6) will face the Stanford Cardinal (8-4) in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Monday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. on CBS. Being selected for the Sun Bowl is an outstanding achievement for Pat Narduzzi and this year’s Panthers squad — though it is not one of the prestigious New Year’s Six bowl games, it’s the second-oldest bowl game in the United States, after the Rose Bowl. Both teams have similar backgrounds. While Pitt comes from the ACC, a conference essentially made up of Clemson and everybody else, Stanford is a member of the PAC-12, a top-heavy conference with many middle-of-the-road teams — but no real powerhouses and a lot of cellar-dwelling teams to boot. There are also a lot of similarities in the makeups and execution. Both teams feature extremely one-sided offenses — where the Panthers excel, Stanford doesn’t — and vice versa. The Panthers are ranked 13 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing offense, whereas the Cardinal is ranked 122 out of 130 teams. While it has struggled on the ground, the Cardinal has excelled in the passing game. Led by redshirt sophomore quarterback KJ Costello, Stanford has 3,445 passing yards and 29 touchdowns this season. The Cardinal’s passing offense is ranked 13 in the nation and is a far cry from the measly 1,833 passing yards and 12 touchdowns from Pitt’s starter, Kenny Pickett, ranked 89. Part of Stanford’s offensive struggle is 2017 Heisman Trophy runner-up Bryce Love, who is having a disappointing season, to say the least. A year after logging 2,151 combined yards and 19 touchdowns,

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Sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett gets tackled during the team’s 42-10 loss to Clemson Saturday night. Thomas Yang | ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR Love has only 838 combined yards in an injury-marred 2018 campaign. On the other side of the football, both defenses were ugly to watch at times throughout the season. The Panthers were ranked 69th in the FBS in total defense, just ahead of the Cardinal’s at 78th. While these much-maligned units have had flashes of greatness at points in the season, such as Pickett’s virtuoso performance on the road against Wake Forest or Stanford’s defense holding No. 17 USC to three points all game, neither team has put together a complete performance. Stanford has been up and down this season. The Cardinal won its first four games and climbed up to No. 7 in the Associated Press rankings, before losing four of its next five matchups. The Cardinal has since righted its ship with three straight wins to close the regular season. Similarly, Pitt had an outstanding four-game winning streak — sandwiched by two stretches

of brutal mediocrity. Because the teams are across the country from each other, the only real measuring stick to be had is Notre Dame — both teams played the Fighting Irish on the road. The Cardinal lost 3817, while the Panthers played them tough, losing 19-14 in South Bend with two missed field goal attempts by Alex Kessman looming large. Despite the earlier game, the rankings are set in stone at this point. Moral victories from weeks past don’t matter anymore, and although both teams have been in the top 25 for stretches this season, they are unranked heading into the bowl game. Stanford and Pitt both had difficult schedules, facing several ranked opponents. The Panthers went 1-5 in those games — their lone win coming against the Virginia Cavaliers. The Cardinal went 2-2 against ranked opponents. Entering the Sun Bowl, the Cardinal is on a three-game winning streak and looks to be on the upswing. The Panthers,

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on the other hand, have managed just 13 points in their last two games and look stuck in the mud. Ultimately, the game will come down to Pitt’s rushing offense — as it has all season long. The Panthers have to get the ground game going, even without star center Jimmy Morrissey, in order to take time off the clock and keep the football out of Costello’s hands. This is crucial, given the performance of Pittsburgh’s secondary this year. Pitt will also have to score early and continue to apply pressure for the duration of the matchup. If Pitt’s offense has to rely on Pickett’s arm to win the game, as has been the case the past two weeks, it will be a blowout in favor of the Cardinal — and an ugly end to a once-promising season. Stanford’s defense is a far cry from that of Miami and Clemson. Running backs Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall showed how motivated they were to succeed in their final game at Heinz Field against Virginia Tech, and they will likely have a similar reaction in their final college game. For a team that started the season 2-3, making a bowl game like the Sun Bowl and having a postseason game of that caliber is a fitting send-off for a talented and hardworking senior class. It will also bring national focus to Pitt and could impress recruits. Although the Cardinal is the early favorite, with the first odds giving it a point spread of -6.5 and ESPN’s Football Power Index reporting that the Panthers have a 28.2 percent chance to win, the game is far from a gimme for Stanford. Most importantly, it could mean the start of something special in Oakland.

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PITT DROPS CLOSE CONTEST TO NIAGARA, 71-70 Andrew Kelly Staff Writer

Despite a last-minute attempt from firstyear guard Xavier Johnson, Pitt (7-2) lost its second game of the season to Niagara University (3-4), 71-70, Monday night at the Petersen Events Center. This was Pitt’s second one-point loss of the season — the first being against Iowa — when the Panthers lost 69-68 with another last-minute shot coming up short. “I don’t think we handled anything well,” head coach Jeff Capel said. “That’s on me and our staff, we have to do a better job … they outplayed us in every facet of the game.” Niagara was the perfect matchup for Pitt when it came to size — only one player on the Purple Eagles’ roster measured 6-foot-10 or above. But the Panthers were unable to capitalize, trailing most of the game and failing to finish their come-

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back at the buzzer. Pitt’s offensive struggles to start were telling of how the game would end up. The Panthers were held scoreless until nearly three minutes into the game. Pittsburgh native and Niagara senior forward Dominic Robb put the Purple Eagles on the board first. Robb then made a big play, stuffing Johnson on a fast break a few possessions later, continuing Pitt’s struggles to get things started offensively. Despite two forced turnovers, the Panthers were unable to score. At the first round of subs, 2:30 into the game, Pitt trailed 2-0. The cold streak continued as Pitt dug its way into early foul trouble. First-year guard Au’Diese Toney, redshirt junior forward Malik Ellison and junior center Kene Chukwuka all picked up fouls within the first three minutes. Pitt’s first points came when sophomore center Terrell Brown hit an outside

shot, followed closely by an Ellison layup. The Panthers and Purple Eagles proceeded to trade baskets, with graduate guard Sidy N’Dir knocking down Pitt’s first 3-pointer of the game at almost five minutes into the first half. With more scoring came more fouls, and it didn’t take long for sophomore center Peace Ilegomah to record Pitt’s sixth foul of the first half — not even seven minutes in. What the Panthers lacked in offensive success, they made up for with defensive aggression. They forced five turnovers in the first seven minutes and were very successful playing tight, on-ball defense. Pitt finished the game with 24 forced turnovers. Part of Pitt’s early offensive troubles was due to leading scorers Johnson and senior guard Jared Wilson-Frame being held scoreless until 10 minutes remained in the first half. Johnson hit a corner three to end his

December 4, 2018

slow start and finished the game with 19 points, leading the team. Coming off backto-back 3-point makes from Johnson and Toney, the Panthers took their largest lead of the game thus far at three. Over the next few minutes, Pitt expanded its lead to six with points from Johnson, Toney and first-year guard Trey McGowens. With just less than eight minutes to go in the half, both teams reached the bonus with 13 combined fouls, also turning the ball over a combined 16 times. The number of fouls called was due to officials calling a tight game, not allowing players to be too physical on the inside. “I won’t really know until watching the film if the officials were calling the game close or not,” Niagara head coach Chris Casey said. “These are two teams that are very good at taking charges on the inside.”

Find the full story online at

pittnews.com

10

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

For Rent North Oakland North Oakland ‑ 264 Melwood ‑ 3 bed/1

bath ‑ Available Jan­ uary 2019

3 bedroom, 1 bath

large apartment in 6 unit building, fully equipped kitchen,

Central Air, can be

rented furnished or

unfurnished, laundry, walking distance to

Univerisity of Pitts­

burgh, On stree park­ ing by City Permit, Flexible Lease

Rent ‑ $1,600.00 +

G/E Available Jan­uary 2019

412‑462‑1296 ‑ Ma‑ droneproperty.com

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.

pittnews.com

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

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/ dish­washer. Wash­er/ Dryer. $2300/month + utili­ties. Call 724‑934‑0653 or text 724‑816‑4936 **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, 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. 1‑6 bedroom. All newly renovated, air‑conditioning, dish­washer, washer/

Classifieds

For sale

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

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

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 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 ‑ SEM­PLE STREET, LO­CATED NEAR LOUISA. 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. 416 Oakland Ave. HUGE 2BR, 1BA. Hardwood

notices

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

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

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$25.00

5X $27.00 $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

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 $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

The Pitt news crossword 12/4/18

I N D E X

Rentals & Sublet

December 4, 2018

11

from $750‑$2500. mjkellyrealty@gmail.­ com. 412‑271‑5550. www.mjkellyrealty.­ com Newly remodeled first floor apartment with 2/3 BR and laun­dry in apartment. $1500 + utilities. 412‑683‑0363 Newly remodeled sec­ond and third floor, 5 BR, 2 BA apartment with laundry room in­ side apartment. $3000 + utilities. Has a sky‑ light. 412‑683‑0363 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

pittnews.com

able August of 2019. 412‑445‑6117

Shadyside Looking for Grad/­Post Grad studen­t/Visiting Scholar roommate M/F, non‑smoker. Bedroom semifur‑ nished. Wash­er/Dryer in building. Rest of apartment fur­nished. $640/month, utilities included; Available December/­January. Email mlt55@pitt. edu. Shadyside ‑ 2BR, great location, hard­ wood floors. Free heat. Immediate oc­ cupancy. Short‑term. Call 412‑361‑2695

Rental Other Oakland ‑ 294 Craft Avenue ‑ Nice sized 1 bedroom in 12 unit building, Fully equipped, can be rented furnished or unfurnished, laundry, waling distance to University of Pitts­ burgh, Parking on Street, by City Per­mit, Flexible Lease. Rent ‑ $750.00 + Electric 412‑462‑1296 ‑ Ma‑ droneproperty.com

Employment Employment Other

rental appli­cants, do internet post‑

ings & help staff

our action‑central

of­fice. Part time or

full time OK starting in January; full time over the summer.

$13/hour. Perfect

job for sophomores & ju­niors, seniors

plan­ning to enter grad school, returning grad

students, and first‑year law stu­dents!

Mozart Management 412‑682‑7003

thane@mozartrents.­ com

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

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

William Pitt Union!

OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Manage­

ment Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs.

college, for upcom­ing spring semester, to

interview & pro­cess

December 4, 2018

12