12-4-17

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | December 4, 2017 | Volume 108 | Issue 78

ASIAN STUDENT GROUPS CRAFT CULTURAL SHOWCASE

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE PG.2

David Solomon Staff Writer

Several students engaged in matches of Rock, Paper, Scissors on Saturday to see who would ascend Mount Everest first.

This did not take place in the Himalayas, but rather as a game held in the O’Hara Student Center as part of the XSA Asian Culture Fair Saturday. Groups of students roamed around exhibits representing different Asian cities while learning about cultural dances, music and food.

More than 30 students attended the fair hosted by the Asian Students Alliance and the Korean-, Vietnamese-, Chinese-American and Filipino student alliances for the first time in two years. Each group created an exhibit representing a city central to their cultures — Ho Chi Minh City for VSA, Seoul for KSA, Beijing for CASA and Manila for FSA. ASA also put together an area for lesser-known regions of Asia.

Each city included several activities to give students a better understanding of the culture of that particular region, including trying Vietnamese coffee, learning the basics of a Filipino dance called tinikling, having their fortune told and playing a game where participants raced each other to climb a makeshift Mount Everest.

Emily Hua, a sophomore majoring in computer science and member of ASA, bounced between exhibits prior to the event, making sure everything was ready for students to take part in what has been coined the “Tour of Asia” at this year’s Asian culture fair. She said the group came up with the theme earlier this year, spent several months working on their own projects and then reconvened to exhibit their finished products together.

“We thought, ‘What if we could bring like

The Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh, Inc. performs a traditional Filipino dance in the Cathedral of Learning during the Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House Sunday afternoon. Elise Lavallee | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

UNION ORGANIZERS TALK TAX BILL, MOVING FORWARD Remy Samuels Staff Writer

Graduate students sexually harassed or assaulted by a faculty member have the option to file a claim with the Title IX office.

But Hillary Lazar said a graduate student union would help hold Title IX and the University accountable, pressing the office and the administration to investigate these types of cases more fully.

“We as the union, with the Steelworkers, would say [to the administration], ‘We’re going to hold you legally accountable, and here is our team of lawyers,’” Lazar, a doctoral sociology student, said. “It’s about changing the culture [of sexual harassment], but we can also take the legal measures necessary to tell the See Showcase on page 3 University to follow up on Title IX.”

A panel comprised of Lazar and four other students gathered and answered questions from 12 students in the Posvar Colloquium Room Friday as part of an event hosted by the Council of Graduate Students in Education.

The event aimed to inform students about unionization efforts and provide a place for them to voice their concerns.

Sexual harassment was among the concerns graduate students discussed during the panel. Beth Shaaban — an organizer for the Graduate Student Organizing Committee and one of the panelists — said a 2015 study by the Association of American Universities found that one in 10 female graduate students at 27 large U.S. universities was harassed by a faculty member and that 53 percent of these harassers were serial offenders. Shaaban also

said training for Title IX at Pitt is not mandatory for staff and students — which she said could be taken up with the administration by a union.

The Graduate Student Organizing Committee has pressed forward with their campaign to unionize graduate students at Pitt since they publically announced it January 2016, hoping to eventually gain enough support for a vote in February 2018.

The University came out against the union in a letter composed by Provost Patricia Beeson and released this past July. The letter indicated the University’s concern with how a union could negatively affect relationships and communication between students and faculty.

Shaaban, a doctoral epidemiology student, See Union on page 3

News

Holiday open house features plans for new Nationality Room

Elise Lavallee

Contributing Editor Adorned with Christmas decorations, filled with the aroma of food and ringing with music and conversation, the Cathedral’s atmosphere matched that of a holiday bazaar.

The Nationality Room and Intercultural Exchange Programs hosted their 26th annual Holiday Open House Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. in the Cathedral of Learning. The event — held every year on the first Sunday in December — draws an average of 3,000 participants from the Pittsburgh area.

New to the event this year was room 313 — the future site of Pitt’s Philippine Nationality Room. Born in the Philippines, Jaime Abola of the Philippine Nationality Room Task Force has been a resident of Pittsburgh for more than 40 years. He fielded questions about the Philippine Nationality Room.

The task force is comprised of the Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh, the Philippine-American Medical Society of Western Pennsylvania and the Philippine-American Performing Arts of the Greater Pittsburgh Area.

Fundraising for the room began in 1999, but after reaching about 50 percent of their goal in 2010, plans for the room were halted because of in-fighting caused by changes made to the FAAP’s bylaws. Between 2012 and 2015, the task

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A variety of ethnic foods were served in the Commons Room of the Cathedral of Learning during the annual Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House.

Elise Lavallee | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR force was able to reconcile these differences.

Since the end of 2015, the task force raised the other half of the funds — about $300,000.

Abola said construction for the Philippine room is expected to start in May 2018 and should be completed by late fall of the same year.

The room’s design is inspired by a specific 18th century Filipino architectural style called

“Bahay na Bato,” popular the time period when the University was founded. Abola said the design reflects the strong Spanish influences on the country during that time and said certain elements of the design add to the authenticity of the room.

“The windows aren’t transparent ... they are made of Capiz shells,” Abola said, gesturing to a

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photo of the design for the room.

Flat and translucent, Capiz shells help filter the harsh tropical sunlight, Abola said, and are more durable than glass in the Philippines, a country prone to earthquakes. The shells, which are native to the Philippines, are also used for jewelry and decorations.

There are currently 30 constructed Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral, which are located on the first and third floors. Other than the Philippine room, there are currently plans for two more — the Finnish and Iranian rooms — which have no set timeline for completion, according to Cristina Lagnese, committee relations and scholarship administrator for the Nationality Room and Intercultural Exchange Programs.

From start to finish, the process of approving, funding and building a Nationality Room takes an average of 10 years. There is a limited amount of space available for these rooms to be constructed, and 33 rooms might be approaching the limit, Lagnese said.

The open house — which celebrated more than just the new Philippine Nationality Room — featured ethnic food for sale, along with free performances and Nationality Room tours.

The event essentially works as a fundraiser for the Nationality Room committees’ scholarships, which were created in 1948 to help fund See Open House on page 4

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Showcase, pg. 1

Union, pg. 1

said this letter may have made some grad students wary of what they say around faculty and administration, but overall it helped garner more awareness of the situation.

“Even among people who hadn’t previously considered themselves to be pro-union, some found this letter to be really condescending,” Shaaban said. “It’s telling me I should just be here for the knowledge, not the money.”

In order to hold a formal vote for the formation of a union, 30 percent of grad students at Pitt must sign interest cards within one year. The carding phase began in February 2017, making the deadline for collecting interest cards February 2018. While Shaaban didn’t have an estimate of how many graduate students have already signed interest cards, she said the organizing committee is on track to file for the election “really soon.”

“It’s possible it will be sooner than [February 2018], but it has to be by then because we initially started collecting cards a year ago,” Shaaban said.

Organizers hope a union will address a number of grievances — including sexual See Showcase on page 4

a really big city from Asia here and exhibit it to give students a chance to see what it would be like to be in that city and the culture it would have outside of just the touristy aspects?’” Hua said.

Courtney Yu, a junior studying economics and computer science and president of ASA, said the “Tour of Asia” was not executed last year since the groups wanted to focus more on their own separate projects. Yu said Pitt “isn’t the most diverse school,” with about 72 percent of undergraduates at Pitt’s main campus identifying as white, according to the 2018 Pitt Fact Book. She said that makes it more important for minority groups to collaborate and “bridge the gap.”

“Given the current political climate, it seems really easy to pit people against each other, so we just want to support each other with more events like this,” Yu said. “It has really pushed us to reach out to other students.”

Standing by the student-made statue of Filipino National hero Jose Rizal — who inspired the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish in 1896 — directly across from a model of the Great Wall of China, Nina Ordinario, president

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harassment policies and wages for graduate students — which were discussed at the panel Friday.

Panelists and attendees also discussed the Republican tax bill and its implications for the unionization efforts. Katelynn Kelly, the president of CGSE and a fourth-year doctoral student, said that while the bargaining process is going on — which happens after a formal vote for a union is held — graduate students will already be affected by the Republican tax bill.

“We’re going to have that tax bill before you can bargain for us,” Kelly said. “It’s not your fault, but it’s a timing issue.”

The Senate bill — which passed the U.S. Senate late Friday night with a 51-49 vote — still has to be reconciled with the House version of the bill. The House version treats tuition waivers given as compensation for work — such as teaching undergraduates or performing research — as taxable income, but the Senate version of the bill lacks this provision. If the final version of the bill includes the provision and passes into law, it will affect some 145,000 graduate students.

Lazar said she had similar concerns as Kelly, particularly because she has a 1-yearold son.

“Last year I netted $12,000,” Kelly said.

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“This frozen period could be devastating.”

Robin Sowards, an organizer and researcher at United Steelworkers, said if the Senate bill passed — which it did soon after the panel — then the organizing committee would take graduate students’ concerns to the administration.

“Once the bill is passed ... then we’ll know what the actual damage is. We’ll go to the administration and demand that they address it to think through what the most fair and financially sound solution is,” Sowards said.

Shaaban said GSOC’s primary goal is to get higher wages and have in-state and outof-state tuition reduced because of the tax increase.

“It is our goal to set a floor beneath wages in which people cannot drop,” Shaaban said.

“We don’t feel there is a reason to put a cap on wages, but there should be a basement.”

At the end of the panel, Shaaban encouraged attendees to join the committee or talk to the organizers about their concerns. Lazar said the union would provide an appropriate platform for students to express concerns independent of the University.

“This is our movement. These are our grievances. This is our voice,” Lazar said.

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Open House, pg. 2 students’ summer study abroad programs and have been awarded annually since. In the past 69 years, students have received more than $2.8 million in scholarships from the room committees, according to the Nationality Room website.

Each Nationality Room has a committee, and the committees that participate in the open house sell food and merchandise authentic to each committee’s respective country. The money made from these items is then contributed to that committee’s scholarship fund. Local vendors from the area, with some cultural relation to a committee, also participate in the event, donating 25 percent of their profits to the scholarships.

Michael Walter, tour coordinator and adviser to Quo Vadis — a student organization that conducts nearly 30,000 tours of the Cathedral’s Nationality Rooms each year — said the open house event helps spread awareness of the ethnic richness of Pittsburgh.

“It’s a celebration with an academic root behind it,” Walter said. “Over 50 students were able to take advantage of the summer study abroad programs this past year.”

In each Nationality Room, a member of Quo

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Vadis wore traditional attire respective to their room, informing visitors about the country’s culture and holiday celebrations.

Greg Carlson, a sophomore economics major, helped inform visitors about the Czechoslovak Room Sunday afternoon.

“I was interested in the Nationality Rooms, and when I heard you could be a tour guide, I decided to sign up,” Carlson said.

According to Carlson, the Holiday Open House and Halloween tours are two of the most fun events members of Quo Vadis get to participate in, and co-tour guide Brynn Anderson, a first-year microbiology major, agreed.

“Halloween tours are really fun because we tell scary stories from the room’s country,” Anderson said. “But telling Christmas stories is fun too.”

Nettie Semethy, a member of the Austrian Room committee and a 1960 Pitt graduate in business education, has been helping with the Holiday Open House for more than 10 years.

Beside being part of the committee and working with some of her friends, including alumni from her graduating class, she likes how the open house is a unifying event for the entire community.

“It’s great coming back [every year] and seeing the people I know,” Semethy said.

Showcase, pg. 3 of FSA and a junior health information management major, said she was proud of the sets of the different organizations, admiring different installations such as VSA’s miniature replica of Ho Chi Minh City Hall.

“I think they turned out really well,” Ordinario said. “A lot of us don’t really communicate because we are so busy running our own clubs, so it’s really nice to come together and show off what we’ve been working on for the past few months. Like VSA’s clock tower is so cool, and we built a statue to Rizal.”

John Juozitis, a sophomore studying at Pitt’s business school, said he participated in almost every activity at each of the city exhibits. While admiring traditional Vietnamese clothing, he said he would like to see more events like this made available to students to give people a better perspective of different cultures.

“I don’t know a lot about different Asian cultures so I thought it would be cool to come here and try out the games and the food,” Juozitis said. “I’d say my favorite part is the food. But I also enjoyed watching the tinikling, and everyone is really nice and open to talk about their clubs and their own experience with their cul-

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ture.”

All the different organizations used to focus more on their own activities, Mimi Nguyen, a junior studying psychology and co-president of VSA, said. But the organizations decided to come together a few times a year to put on events such as the culture fair to give students with little knowledge about Asian cultures the opportunity to learn more.

“At first they started out as very different ethnic groups, but because we are from the same regional area, so like most of Asia, we share a lot of things in common, and so whenever there are really big events that involve politics or food, everyone relates to that. We come together as all five groups,” Nguyen said.

While trying his hand at fish crab prawn — a common Vietnamese gambling game — junior biology major and president of KSA Russell Yoo said the fair was beneficial for the organizations because it helped defeat common yet incorrect stereotypes about the uniformity of Asian cultures.

“When people think of Asia, they usually think of it as one big region,” Yoo said. “Really Asia has many different parts.”

Brian Salvato contributed reporting.

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Opinions from the editorial board

column

Data breach proves tech needs more oversight If you took a ride with Uber before last year, your personal data may have passed into and out of the hands of hackers — and before two weeks ago, you wouldn’t have even known.

According to a Nov. 21 memo from Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s recently installed chief executive, the company fell victim to a hack last October that compromised the personal information of more than 600,000 Uber accounts — including 13,000 in Pennsylvania. Prior to last month’s disclosure, the data breach had been kept under wraps, with Uber paying the two hackers responsible a sum of $100,000 to delete the information and stay quiet about the incident.

Law enforcement in multiple states, including New York and Pennsylvania, have responded to Uber’s confession by launching investigations into the company’s practices. Here in Pennsylvania, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro requested specifics last week about the stolen data to determine whether or not the company violated the Commonwealth’s Breach of Personal Information Notification Act by not informing Uber users about the breach.

But regardless of whether or not Uber broke this specific law in this specific instance, it’s long past time that the government holds big tech companies accountable for their actions.

Shapiro said as much in a statement announcing the investigation, suggesting that the issue with Uber is systematic, not a fluke.

“These kinds of breaches will keep happening — and Americans and Pennsylvanians will keep seeing their

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personal and financial information compromised — until we force these companies to change the way they do business,” Shapiro said.

While Uber’s statement assured its customers that the data hackers stole amounted to only names, phone numbers and email addresses, a lack of accountability and reporting means that we really can’t be sure yet if that was the full extent of the breach. The same goes for whether we can trust that the hackers really did delete the data after receiving payment. And while Shapiro’s and others’ investigations will hopefully uncover the truth in this case, it won’t be enough in the long term.

High-tech giants like Uber, Amazon and Google continue to hold unconscionably unchecked power in the United States. In its search for a new headquarters, Amazon has shown just how much power tech corporations have over cities — including Pittsburgh — desperate to be chosen host. That power to more or less flout the law is unacceptable and Shapiro should look to use this case to cut down on it.

It’s a good sign that Khosrowshahi appears to have come forward with information about the hack voluntarily — he wasn’t CEO at the time of the breach — and appears willing to cooperate with law enforcement to address the issue. Still, it’s too risky to rely on tech chiefs to be so forthcoming regularly. Increased regulation is a must.

It’s up in the air exactly when we’ll see headlines about more data breaches like this again. But when it happens next, it’d be nice to get the information sooner than a year down the road.

Microtransactions mar gaming experience Thomas Wick Columnist

A short time ago in an industry not so far away, the gaming empire Electronic Arts released a video game called “Star Wars Battlefront II” — but gamers should keep their wallets handy if they want the full game experience.

This sequel to the 2015 “Star Wars Battlefront” promised to add improvements and fix many of the problems gamers had with the first game, such as the lack of a compelling game mission like in previous Battlefront entries. The developers also promised that all of its downloadable content would be free and released gradually over time.

“Battlefront II” did remove the season pass that many gamers, myself included, had issues with, and added a campaign, more maps and new characters. But they included something that wasn’t at all necessary — microtransactions.

Microtransactions are small financial transactions made online, often within the context of online apps or digital gaming. When gamers make use of microtransactions, it usually involves the purchase of an online currency which they can use to get premium content in the game.

In “Battlefront II,” these microtransactions allow players to purchase loot boxes — random rewards in the form of star cards – after purchasing the game. These loot boxes can either be earned through normal gameplay or by buying the ingame currency required to obtain more.

By including microtransactions, developers wear down player willpower through tactics such as slowing player progression, implementing longer wait times and jacking up prices for items. Only the most patient — or skilled — gamers might have the willpower to avoid paying microtransactions, since not doing so would mean spending countless hours in the game to

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unlock a character they could get with an easy online payment.

All of this is meant to encourage players to bypass the tedious grinding with their cash.

However, EA took this concept and went full-on Darth Sidious — a “Star Wars” antagonist who represents evil and tyranny — in “Battlefront II” with its loot boxes.

Microtransactions have been prevalent ever since mobile games like “Clash of Clans” and “Candy Crush” — both free-to-play games — proved to be a resounding success. Other companies began implementing microtransactions into their games, including $60 retail games like “Battlefront II.” Microtransactions’ popularity with game designers largely comes from the ability to use psychological tactics to lure users into coughing up the cash. Tech journalist Joseph Farrell revealed in an October 2014 Huffington Post article how free-to-play games are designed around psychological techniques such as reciprocity, ego depletion and illusory discomfort to entice players to use microtransactions.

“These games know what makes us tick,” Farrell said. “And they know exactly how to get us to say yes.” “Battlefront II” made gamers tick, but it was more like a pipe bomb that blew up in company’s face.

By using these techniques to tempt gamers, designers can force gamers into a corner with two less-than-desirable options: toil away for days in front of the screen to unlock characters or pay up. One player did the calculations and found that it would take over 4,500 hours of playtime, or $2,100, to unlock all of the playable content in “Battlefront II.” Players can technically unlock all of the content without having to pay, but that doesn’t See Wick on page 7

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ceptible to gaming addiction due to underdeveloped brain functions for impulse and decisionmaking — both qualities microtransactions take advantage of.

A study in Psychology Today found adolescents seem more prone to video game addiction than other age groups, and the addiction could also lead to personality factors like compulsiveness, poor social skills and an aptitude for violence.

EA can try to rationalize its decision to include loot boxes in the new game, but clearly the potential consequences it could have on gamers isn’t worth unlocking level after level. And certainly a game like “Star Wars Battlefront II” — one that isn’t free-to-play and is part of the mega-hit brand “Star Wars” — is unlikely to need microtransactions to be profitable.

Don’t waste your money this Christmas on “Star Wars: Battlefront II.” Though EA may think your source of “pride and accomplishment” can come from confronting a paywall, you’ll do better to keep your money and instead spend the holidays watching “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” over eggnog.

Wick, pg. 6

Raka Sarkar | SENIOR STAFF ILLUSTRATOR government also ruled the loot boxes to be a form of gambling, and will potentially ban them.

It’s good that Hawaii and Belgium stepped in when they did, since young children are sus-

Thomas primarily writes about visual media and gaming for The Pitt News. Write to him at tmw79@pitt.edu.

The Pitt news crossword 12/4/17

mean EA should make it virtually impossible for people who don’t have 4,500 hours of spare time to grind for that in-game currency, tormented by rich gamers who pulled out their wallets to Force-choke people as Darth Vader.

EA tried to defend itself in a post on Reddit early last month, claiming the paywall gives players “a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

The post has since become the most downvoted Reddit comment of all time.

In response to the outcry, the game producer lowered the cost of the game’s characters by 75 percent — but it still wasn’t enough to appease gamers. Gamers could pay for these characters with microtransactions. The company temporarily lowered the microtransactions in “Battlefront II,” but in the meantime, the company may be facing other, more serious repercussions.

The gaming fiasco caught the attention of Hawaiian and Belgian governments, who suspected the loot boxes in “Battlefront II” were a form of gambling. Chris Lee, a member of the Hawaiian House of Representatives, called out EA in a press conference Nov. 21 for predatory practices against young kids, calling the game “a Star Wars-themed online casino designed to lure kids into spending money,” The Belgian

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Sports

Full Recaps online

PANTHERS COMPETE IN HIGH-STAKES CONTESTS OVER WEEKEND

Senior forward Ryan Luther scored 16 points and had nine rebounds in the Panthers’ 76-64 victory over the Duquesne Dukes Friday night.

Thomas Yang | SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Pitt News Sports Desk It was a high-stakes weekend for Pitt sports, with celebrated wins and heartbreaking losses.

As the volleyball team went dancing at the NCAA tournament, the swim team competed against former Olympians and men’s basketball reclaimed the City Game title.

Volleyball Despite winning the ACC championship for the first time in program history, Pitt volleyball’s year ended the same way as last year — in a loss to No. 1 Penn State.

The Panthers (26-7 overall, 18-2 ACC) breezed by Virginia Commonwealth University (30-3 overall, 14-0 A-10) Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at State College. But the Nittany Lions (31-1 overall, 19-1 Big Ten) eliminated the Panthers from the

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NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row with a 3-1 second-round victory Saturday.

Four Panthers hit for double-digit kills in a strong offensive performance against VCU Friday, leading to an 3-1 victory for Pitt in the first round.

Similar to last season, the Panthers defeated the A-10 conference champion in the beginning round of the tournament, but couldn’t manage to get by a perennial title contender in Penn State.

Playing in front of a raucous crowd and a homecourt advantage for the Nittany Lions, the Panthers kept pace throughout Saturday’s match. Four Panther players — sophomore Nika Markovic, freshman Kayla Lund, redshirt sophomore Stephanie Williams and sophomore Layne Van Buskirk — hit double-digit kills, but electric offense and strong blocking from the Nittany Lions gave them the edge in the match.

Pitt women’s volleyball lost its match to No. 1 Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday.

Courtesy of Pitt Athletics “I’m really pleased with the fight we had tonight and I think we represented ourselves well,” head coach Dan Fisher said. “It was a great year, I love coaching this group.”

Returning their entire starting lineup next season, the Panthers have experience as they hope to make another NCAA Tournament run next year.

Read the full recap online.

Men’s Basketball In an encouraging sign for the young Pitt men’s basketball team, the Panthers accomplished something that last year’s team was unable to do — manage a victory over Duquesne in Friday night’s annual City Game at PPG Paints Arena.

The Panthers led the Dukes throughout the contest — the highest deficit sitting at 16 points. After turning the ball over a season-high 22 times in their previous game, the Panthers (4-4) buckled down and narrowed that number to

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just eight. Led by senior forward Ryan Luther’s opening dominance and firstyear guard Parker Stewart’s second-half 3-point shooting clinic, Pitt avenged last season’s City Game loss with a 76-64 win over the Dukes (2-3).

“I’m proud of them,” head coach Kevin Stallings said. “I thought that was a gutty effort, and we were very happy to get the win.”

The Panthers return to the Petersen Events Center Tuesday, Dec. 5, for a 7 p.m. game against Mount St. Mary’s.

Read the full recap online.

Women’s Basketball In another close game for the Pitt women’s basketball team Sunday afternoon, a game-deciding 3-pointer bounced off the rim and resulted in a Fordham win.

The Panthers (5-3) fell to the Fordham See Recap on page 9

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Recap, pg. 8 Rams (4-2) 58-55 in Bronx, New York, which was the second close loss in a row after a 58-57 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers Wednesday night at home.

Junior center Kalista Walters got two easy buckets down low to start the quarter off, and a three from redshirt junior forward Yacine Diop helped the Panthers jump out to a 7-3 lead.

Fordham quickly came back, though, leading 11-7 at the media timeout with help from two 3-pointers from redshirt first-year guard Bre Cavanaugh and junior guard Lauren Holden. Pitt fouled out early with three of the first five being offensive — two of them Diop.

The Rams shot the ball well from outside in the first quarter, going 4-6.

A 3-pointer by first-year guard Kendell Heremaia with six second left ended the first quarter for the Rams who led 21-13.

Pitt will seek to return to a winning record Thursday night as they travel to Morgantown, West Virginia, to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers at 7 p.m.

Read the full recap online.

Swimming Six members of the Pitt swim team — who qualified by meeting national time standards — traveled to Ohio State University over the weekend to compete in the USA Swimming Winter National Championships. Competing in a highly contested field — which included several 2016 Olympians — the team secured top spots.

Three Panthers swam well enough in preliminaries to qualify for finals on Thursday, with Valerie Daigneault, Lina Rathsack and Luke Smutny all earning second swims. Daigneault finished 14th in the 200-yard IM and Smutny finished 20th in the 500-yard freestyle, but it was Rathsack who paced the team on its first day, placing seventh in the 200-yard IM with a time of 1:58.39.

After two straight days of top placements, Rathsack wrapped things up Saturday with her best performance of the meet — a fourth-place finish in the 200yard breaststroke with a time of 2.09.11, just .05 seconds shy of the Pitt record she set earlier this season at the Ohio State Invite.

Smutny, Menaham and Daigneault

chipped in quality finals performances as well. Smutny finished 11th in the 200-yard butterfly, while Menahem finished 18th and Daigneault 24th in the 200-yard backstroke.

The team’s next test will come when the Panthers host their last meet of 2017 with the Pitt Christmas Meet, beginning Dec. 14, and running through Dec. 17.

Read the full recap online.

Wrestling The No. 24 Pitt wrestling team traveled out west over the weekend to participate in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Five Panthers advanced to the second round of matches on Saturday, while four made it all the way to the podium with top-10 finishes.

“We came here to test ourselves against some high-level competition and the trip definitely served its purpose,” head coach Keith Gavin said in a press release. “This is a very tough tournament and I’m glad we decided to attend.”

In the first round of the invitational, five wrestlers qualified for spots in the consolation bracket. Senior Dom Forys (133), redshirt senior Nick Zanetta (141), redshirt sophomore Taleb Rah-

mani (157) and redshirt senior Ryan Solomon (285) all cruised through their opening rounds.

Forys and Zanetta continued their winning streaks, collecting two wins apiece and moving to quarterfinals.

Both lost their last matches but secured spots in Saturday’s consolation rounds.

Rahmani won all three of his matches to progress to the quarterfinals, but was taken down in the round and knocked out of the championship bracket. He also secured a spot in the consolation rounds.

Redshirt freshman Gregg Harvey (184) suffered a first-round loss, but made up for it after winning three consolation matches, securing a fifth Panthers spot in Saturday’s bracket.

Four Panthers pinned down consolation wins the following day. Zanetta and Solomon both snagged sixth-place wins in their respective weight classes.

Forys and Rahmani also placed, taking seventh in their classes.

The team will hit the mat again this Saturday in a backyard brawl in Morgantown, West Virginia, against WVU at 2 p.m.

The Pitt News SuDoku 12/4/17 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

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South Oakland ** 5 Bedroom/2 full bath; HUGE HOMEduplex style, three stories. COMPLETELY REMODELED, 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens, 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. $3,495+.

Available 8/1/2018.

NO PETS. Call Jason at 412-922-2141.

Pictures- Info: tinyurl. com/pitthome **AUGUST 2018: Furnished studios, 1,2,3,4 bedroom apartments. No pets.

Non-smokers preferred. 412-621-0457.

1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments. $1015 + electric, $1599 + electric respectively.

Available August 1, 2018. Louisa St. 412-441-1211. info@ forbesmanagement. net. www.forbesmanagement.net.

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

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

412-287-5712.

2 Bedrooms. Available Fall 2018.

Heat included.

412-261-4620.

Classifieds

For sale

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

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

South Oakland 2-3-4 bedroom apartments and houses available in May and August 2018. Nice, clean, free laundry, includes exterior maintenance, new appliances, spacious, located on Semple and Mckee 412-414-9629.

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

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

Apartments for rent.

2, 3, and 4 bedroom apartments available. 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 Available January 2018!

Spacious 2 bedroom apartment Newly updated, fully furnished kitchen Very close to campus on Atwood St. 24 Hour Emergency Maintenance Secured Building $1450/month Robb Real Estate Co., LLC Ph: 412-682-7622

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

R A T E S

Insertions

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Add.

1-15 Words

$6.30

$11.90

$17.30

$22.00

$27.00

$30.20

+ $5.00

16-30 Words

$7.50

$14.20

$20.00

$25.00

$29.10

$32.30

+ $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

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

South Oakland

Rental Other

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.

Apartment for rent.

Highland Park area, 3rd floor, 1BR, private entrance, $700/ month +electric.

412-719-0321.

school, returning grad students, and firstyear law students!

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 Oakland Ave. - Garden Court Apartments.

Charming 2BR, hardwood floors, free heat. Move in May 1 or Aug. 1, 2018. Call 412-361-2695.

412-682-7003 thane@ mozartrents.com

For Sale

Employment Merchandise Employment Other Join KEYS Service Corps, AmeriCorps this January. Mentor, tutor, and inspire local youth. Full and part time paid positions with education award.

Perfect for December grads! Possible internship credit. Call 412-350-2739. www. keysservicecorps.org

OFFICE INTERN Ward & S. Bouquet Streets - Studio, 1, 2 & 3BR apartments. Free parking.

Move in May 1 or Aug. 1, 2018. Call 412-361-2695

Shadyside Manage-

Rental Other

rental applicants,

624 Minnesota St Pittsburgh PA 15207.

3 bedroom 1 1/2 bath.

Newly updated2 blocks from Greenfield Bridge.

Large kitchen, Washer & dryer included. Rent $1100/ month. Call Jimmy 412-400-7997

Mozart Management

Scott’s Hot Dogs now selling Christmas trees at Frankstown Avenue and Lincoln.

Veterans welcome.

412-310-3769

Services Services Other Cell Phone & Computer Repair. Atlas.

4753 Liberty Avenue Bloomfield, Pittsburgh PA 15224.

412-681-2092.

ment Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs. college, for upcoming spring semester, to interview & process do internet postings & help staff our action- central

House cleaning: Oakland House, undergoing renovations, needs cleaner/ organizer one day/ week. References & background required.

412-414-7290.

office. Part time or full time OK. Starting in January; full time over summer. $13/ hour. Perfect job for current sophomores & juniors, graduating seniors set to enter grad

December 4, 2017

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

Call 412-521-7334.

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pittnews.com

December 4, 2017

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