2-22-16

The Pitt News T h e in de p e n d e n t st ude nt ne w spap e r of t he University of Pittsburgh

See Online for updated crime map February 22,2016| Issue 110 | Volume 106

Student Dhirana yields biggest donation yet passes away in Oakland Dale Shoemaker News Editor

A 21-year-old male Pitt student was pronounced dead Sunday morning at a South Oakland residence, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Rick Lorah, a forensic supervisor for the office, said the student was pronounced dead at his Ward Street residence at 10:46 a.m. Lorah said the Medical Examiner’s Office would not release the student’s name until it had contacted his family.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning to determine the cause of the student’s death.

Loni Hardy-Mori, a Mount Washington resident who was on scene with police and investigators, said she had met the student the night before at Rivers Casino.

The next morning, Hardy-Mori, 33, said she heard the student collapse in the kitchen at about 10 a.m. and attempted to perform CPR. The student had been foaming at the mouth, she said at the scene.

Pitt police Sgt. Tracy Harasyn said city police are investigating the incident and referred requests for comment to Pitt spokesperson John Fedele. Fedele said the University will be able to provide more information about the student after the Medical Examiner’s Office releases his name.

Dhirana competitors dance at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum Saturday. Jordan Mondell STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Tomasz Swierzewski For The Pitt News

Dressed in traditional garb and telling religious stories through Indian dance, eight teams raised more than $10,000 for a local health clinic at Pitt’s annual Dhirana competition this weekend in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum.

On Saturday night, eight Indian dance teams from around the country

faced off in Pitt’s fourth Dhirana competition. The annual Indian classical dance-off raises money for the Pittsburgh Birmingham Free Clinic — an organization that offers medical care for uninsured or medically vulnerable individuals.

According to Kamalini Ghosh, the co-director, about 700 people attended the event.

Pitt Nrityamala, a 15-member, all-

female team, opened the night with a Pushpanjali, an opening prayer dance featuring synchronized hand movements and twirls. Four Pittsburgh dance teams performed throughout the night but did not compete, as they hosted the event.

Ghosh, a senior neuroscience major, said she recognized the dancer’s dedication from her own time on Pitt’s See Dhirana on page 2

News

Dhirana, pg. 1

Dacners compete for first place on Saturday.

Jordan Mondell STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Nityamala’s team. Ghosh was on the team for two years before leaving to act as co-director.

“When you step out onto that stage, in front of the lights and the crowd, you feel this powerful energy,” Ghosh said. “You feel really powerful too, when you do the stomping part.”

Ishita Srivastava, co-captain of Nrityamala and a sophomore neuroscience major, has been on the team for two years and has danced Bharatanatyam for 13 years, an experience she credits for some of her happiest moments. ”I feel nervous getting on stage but as soon as I start performing, everything falls into place,” Srivastava said.

This year, Dhirana broke its fundraising record — about

$10,400 for the Free Clinic through ticket sales — according to Tyler Galvelis, a senior neuroscience major and Dhirana’s co-fundraising chair.

Mary Herbert, a Pittsburgh Birmingham Free Clinic spokesperson, said the organization is very grateful for the support from Pitt’s Dhirana team.

“Thirty percent of our patients are underneath the poverty level,” Herbert said. “We serve those who continue to fall through the cracks of the health care system.”

In the past, the Clinic has used the money to purchase an ECG machine and recently began allowing colonoscopies at the clinic, according to Herbert.

One of the first patients for the procedure was found to have a benign polyp that, over time, may have become malignant.

Ghosh said since the competition’s inception, Pitt’s Dhirana has always donated money to the organization.

“We support the clinic because we appreciate what they do for the community and we want to help them achieve their goals,” Ghosh added.

A panel of six judges of professional dancers from the Pittsburgh area, some of whom also teach dance, awarded trophies to the three winning teams.

The University of Maryland’s Moksha team took first place for its performance telling the story of a king who fails to control his own insecurities and begins to oppress his people.

The dancers show a king who, after being insulted by one of his peasants, begins to feel insecure. In his emotional toil, he See Dhirana on page 4

obama awards four pitt professors Lauren Rosenblatt Assistant News Editor

President Obama has recognized four Pitt professors for their groundbreaking research — and their careers are just starting out.

According to a release from the University, Obama awarded 105 researchers — four from Pitt — with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers Friday, Feb. 19. From Pitt, Ervin Sejdić, an assistant professor in the Swanson School of Engineering; Elizabeth Skidmore, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences; Tina Goldstein, associate professor in

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Pitt’s School of Medicine; and Cynthia Puranik, former associate professor of communication science and disorders, received the award for their research and innovation.

According to the release, the award goes to science and engineering professionals as they begin their independent research careers.

Each year, Obama selects about 100

recipients based on their level of innovation and commitment to research as well as their c o m munity service work.

The Office of Science a n d Te c h nology Policy within the Executive Office of the President coordinates the awards, which began

“The award serves to further reinforce my commitment to the critically important investment in the mental health of America’s youth” -Tina Goldstein February 22 2016

in 1996 during Bill Clinton’s presidency.

In 2009, Gonzalo E. Torres, a Pitt professor in the School of Medicine, also received the award.

Pitt is tied with Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the highest number of recipients, followed by University of California, Berkeley, which has three recipients.

In a statement Feb. 18, President Obama said he hopes the award will encourage and accelerate “American innovation.”

“These early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from See Awards on page 5

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The Pitt News

Students text and drive in simulator

Editor-in-Chief DANIELLE FOX

Managing Editor HARRISON KAMINSKY

editor@pittnews.com

manager@pittnews.com

News Editor DALE SHOEMAKER

Phi Delta Theta fraternity hosted the AT&T texting-and-driving simulator Friday in Posvar Hall. Emily Klenk STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ers to turn off their phones or use airAndrew O’ Brien plane mode while operating vehicles to For The Pitt News avoid accidents.

Students rolled through stop signs Doug Steeber, a senior psychology and nearly hit bicyclists in an indoor major and Phi Delta Theta brother, said texting-and-driving simulation Friday in interacting with people at the event rePosvar Hall for AT&T’s It Can Wait camvealed the tangible effects of texting and paign. driving.

The company partnered with the Phi “I’ve met two people who were vicDelta Theta social fraternity to bring a tims of texting and driving in the last 30 virtual reality texting-and-driving simuminutes,” Steeber said, speaking of atlator to the first floor of Posvar Hall and tendees he talked to at the event. raise awareness about the dangers of disSteeber said the fraternity agreed to tracted driving. help host AT&T’s simulation because From 12 to 4 p.m., the program atthey wanted to help out the Pitt commutracted a steady stream of curious stunity. dents taking turns using the simulator, “Texting and driving is incredibly which used virtual reality technology to dangerous,” Steeber said. “People think, simulate a fatal accident with another car.

‘It can’t happen to me,’ until it does. Any Cell phones distract about 660,000 time you take your eyes off the road, it American drivers at any moment, encan be a deadly mistake.” dangering drivers, passengers and other Though the model car students sat on people on the road, according to Distracwhile participating was made of cardtion, the U.S. government website for disboard — complete with stickers to reptracted driving. resent the speedometer and the temperaAccording to Doug Steeber, a Phi Delture gauge — the simulation itself used ta Theta brother, an AT&T representative cutting-edge technology from virtual approached the fraternity and asked the reality device manufacturer Oculus Rift. brothers to host and event to spread the “It can wait” message, which urges driv-

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Opinions Editor MATT MORET

newsdesk.tpn@gmail.com

tpnopinions@pittnews.com

Sports Editor DAN SOSTEK

Culture Editor JACK TRAINOR

tpnsports@gmail.com

aeeditors@gmail.com

Visual Editor KATE KOENIG

Layout Editor EMILY HOWER

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Online Editor STEVEN ROOMBERG

Copy Chief MICHELLE REAGLE

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Zoë Hannah | Assistant News Editor Lauren Rosenblatt | Assistant News Editor Marlo Safi | Assistant Opinions Editor Elizabeth Lepro | Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor Danah Bialoruski | Assistant Layout Editor Sydney Harper | Multimedia Editor Amy Beaudine | Social Media Editor

Chris Puzia | Assistant Copy Chief Copy Staff Bridget Montgomery Anjuli Das Sierra Smith Sydney Mengel Sarah Choflet Kelsey Hunter

Matthew Maelli Kyleen Pickaring Casey Talay Corey Forman Alex Stryker Maria Castello

Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration.

Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any.

Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com.

The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left.

The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and

student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer.

Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

Business Manager MATT REILLY

advertising@pittnews.com

Sales Manager DAVE BARR

Inside Sales Manager KELSEY MCCONVILLE

Marketing Manager KRISTINE APRILE

University Account Executive ALEX KANNER

Marketing Assistant LARA PETORAK

Digital Manager STEPHEN ELLIS

Graphic Designers Jillian Miller Maya Puskaric

See It Can Wait on page 5

February 22 2016

Account Executives Dave Barrone Steve Bretz Rob Capone Sean Hennessy

Mathew Houck Calvin Reif Allison Soenksen

Inside Sales Executive Marissa Altemus Victoria Hetrick Arianna Taddei

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University Senate talks tech with CSSD Emily Migdal Staff Writer

The University Senate Computer Usage Committee met Friday to begin planning for technology improvements in Pitt’s five-year strategic plan.

Eight committee members and two members of the Office of Computing Services and Systems Development met in Room 717 of the Cathedral of Learning at 10 a.m. to discuss preliminary ideas on how to incorporate technology into the plan, according to Co-Chair Alex Jones. The meeting was an executive session, making it closed to the public.

In the fall, the University announced its strategic plan, a list of initiatives for the school to focus on over the next five years. The committee said it will use cloud services and mobile devices to promote the plan’s goals, including advancing educational excellence and engaging in impact

research.

Jones declined to comment on the specifics of Pitt’s plan, but said each implementation will work to improve computer and digital resources.

According to Jones, CSSD representatives distributed and discussed a document outlining six key points related to the strategic plan, including cloud services, self-service, security, reliability and how to remain forward-thinking.

The committee plans to further the use and accessibility of technology, but it recognizes the importance of putting new security measures in place, according to the CSSD document.

Although no student representatives attended the meeting, CSSD Director Jinx Walton and Jones both stressed the importance of student feedback on the proposed policies, which they said they hope to get through student focus groups on technology.

Dhirana, pg. 2 starts to use force to control his people, which leads to his own demise. The yellow- and purple-clad dancers acted out the scenes of his spiral into madness in a dramatic and rhythmic performance.

Moksha beat out University of California, Berkeley’s Natya team, who took second place, and Johns Hopkins University’s Shakti, who claimed third.

A seventh judge, who represents the Srinivasa Prasad International Foundation for the Performing Arts, gave a separate award to University of California, Berkeley’s Natya for sticking to tradition.

Galvelis said the group pays for the event through fundraising efforts and sponsorships from local organizations, such as Tamarind, an Indian restaurant.

According to Ghosh, SPIFPA is the largest sponsor for the event. The foundation normally donates around $3,000 to Dhirana but the exact amount varies based on the board’s decision.

T h e idea for Pitt’s Dhirana came after Pitt won Laasya, a traveling intercollegiate dance competition in 2011, according to Ruhee Jain, co-fundraising chair. Pitt hosted Laasya the year after and, after the experience of hosting one competition, decided to host an annual event.

“It’s the proudest thing I’ve ever done,” Ruhee said.

“It’s the proudest thing I’ve ever done.”

-Ruhee Jain

The Pitt News SuDoku 2/22/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

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February 22 2016

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Awards, pg. 2 climate change to our health and wellness,” Obama said in the statement. “We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people.”

At Pitt, the four recipients focus their research on a variety of topics, from Sejdić’s work on medical devices to Goldstein’s work on psychosocial treatments for youth.

Goldstein, who has worked on more than 60 published studies, said in the release that the award would motivate her to continue researching, studying

It Can Wait, pg. 3 Participants strapped on virtual reality goggles and headphones, cutting off their sensory connection to the outside world and immersing themselves in the simulation. The goggles simulate 360 degrees of vision — when users move their heads, the camera moves with it, simulating normal vision.

The simulation put users in the driver’s seat, interrupting their concentration with text messages from friends and family members. Each time the user gets a text, the simulation has the driver look at the cell phone, which ultimately results in the user getting T-boned by a red sports car.

As it hits them, time slows to a crawl — glass shards float through the air in slow motion and the camera suddenly shifts, giving the user the impression they are hovering above the wreck, looking down at the mangled mess that used to be their vehicle. The scene fades.

Though the simulation ends and users can take off their goggles and walk home safely, it represents a real ending for many drivers and passengers. In 2013, distracted drivers killed 3,154 people, according to Distraction.

According to Jim Penna, director of external affairs for AT&T, the national campaign’s virtual reality tour began last

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and innovating.

“The award serves to further reinforce my commitment to the critically important investment in the mental health of America’s youth through clinically relevant research,” Goldstein said.

“I share this award with the many generous and wise mentors, collaborators and students with whom I have been privileged to work — their efforts have made this work possible.”

For Sejdić, the award was an honor for him and, by extension, the people who have helped him along the way.

“I am extremely grateful to all my mentors, my colleagues and my students,” Sejdić said. “Without them, I would not be able to achieve this award.” summer.

Penna said texting and driving is so dangerous because, to drivers, glancing downward for a few seconds seems inconsequential.

“People feel a compulsion to answer texts — they might think they’re being rude, or it might be curiosity,” Penna said.

“People think they’re bulletproof.”

Penna said it’s especially important that the campaign’s message reaches the young adult age group.

According to the Department of Transportation, 27 percent of distracted driver fatal crashes involve drivers in their 20s.

Alex Dawson, a first-year computer science major, said the simulation can make people think twice about texting and driving.

“Most of my friends text and drive.

Snapchatting and driving is probably the most common,” Dawson said.

Dawson said the simulation scared him, which, according to Penna, is part of its goal.

Penna said the simulation targets the young adult audience, hoping to emphasize how unimportant text messages are in comparison with human lives.

“It’s about raising awareness,” Penna said. “Pick the silliest text you got yesterday — a joke, a meme, whatever it is — and ask yourself, ‘Is opening that really worth your life?’”

February 22 2016

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Opinions

column

from the editorial board

Increased NYFW diversity strikes the right pose At 2016’s New York Fashion Week, inclusion was en vogue.

From Thursday, Feb. 11 to Thursday, Feb. 18, NYC runways featured models decked out in the fashion world’s latest creations. But more important than the accessories was what the extravagant clothing lacked: gendered distinctions and whitewashed faces.

The fashion world has finally stopped letting the sexual and racial politics of its craft decide its future.

But high fashion shouldn’t corner the market on social progress. Even if you can’t afford the threads, you should embrace the message that nobody needs to fit a particular box in order to feel confident in their appearance.

How we cover our bodies is a deeply political decision. It isn’t simply about looking cute or cool. Clothing is about presenting yourself in the way you feel most comfortable, whether that is with a dress, tuxedo or mesh bodysuit with matching platform shoes.

Those decisions are wound up in cultural expectations of beauty and presentability, so making them is often easiest for white people who identify within the malefemale binary. Individuals who identify otherwise are surrounded by stores that try to tell them where men or women are supposed to shop to look respectable.

Many models walking the catwalks during NYFW escaped these boundaries, though, and nobody got hurt. Nobody fled from fashion shows because they couldn’t emotionally handle the fact that a model projecting as male was also wearing heels

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on the Hood by Air runway. And NYFW became part of a larger march away from stereotypes within the clothing industry.

In December, Tom Ford rolled out a new series of his Lips and Boys line, which features lipstick for men, and last month, Louis Vuitton announced that Jaden Smith would be one of the faces for its womenswear catalog. At pop star Rihanna’s “Fenty x Puma” show during NYFW, the focus was on non-gendered streetwear. Rain Dove, a woman who models clothing collections for all genders, dominated the catwalks of Boyswear and three other menswear shows during New York Men’s Fashion Week. She has gained attention across the internet on sites, such as Buzzfeed and The Huffington Post.

Listen to the runway: Gender boundaries are simply out of style.

Progress in fashion isn’t only about embracing ambiguity, though — it includes breaking down the categories that make androgyny seem so radical.

Fashion icon Marc Jacobs’ newest collection featured clothes targeted at women, but Jacobs designed his pieces to look oversized and take up space. It was a clear rejection of norms that women appear slight or stay out of the way, and similar approaches appeared on runways for DKNY, Zero+Maria Cornejo and Coach.

Certain colors and garments have historically belonged to certain groups. We’ve all heard it before: Pink is for girls and suits are for boys. Once we move past such arbitrary gender distinctions, we open ourselves up to new worlds of creativity and experimentation.

Even more arbitrary than the gendered boundaries of the fashion world, though, are the racial ones that surround model casting. This year’s NYFW featured models from across the ethnic spectrum — a welcome change from the mostly white catwalks of the past.

Designer Zac Posen featured 25 multiracial women during his NYFW show on Monday, and posted an Instagram photo of him with a bag asserting “Black Models Matter.”

Lamine Kouyaté, designer for XULY. Bët, planned to hire only black models for his event. The designer fell slightly short of his goal, as Kouyaté’s publicist told The New York Times, “There still aren’t that many black models at the agencies, and the ones that there are tend to be inexperienced. They haven’t had an opportunity to walk in many shows.”

If the problem is that too few nonwhite models have experience, the solution seems simple: Hire more of them. Respecting and embracing the contributions of all races to modern fashion only expands the industry: A Japanese musician inspired Jacobs’ gender-defying collection.

Multi-cultural influences are nothing new, and now it’s time for the representation to follow. While there are still significant issues surrounding body shape and size representation, we are moving in the right direction.

If there’s one fashion week trend we should all hop on, it’s that conformity is so last year. Accepting someone, regardless of who they are and how they dress, is all the rage.

February 22 2016

Beyoncé outrage shows misunderstanding Natasha Taylor For The Pitt News

My mom told me she felt Beyoncé’s Super Bowl halftime performance was unnecessary, but for me and much of the black community, it was just what we needed.

As a devoted Beyoncé fan, I had to hear her out. She was confused about why the Super Bowl was the right stage for Beyoncé’s message of empowerment and how Beyoncé could have the audacity to condemn the police protecting her.

The fact that my mom is white and grew up in Germany for most of her life probably has something to do with it. Watching the show didn’t quite resonate with her like it did for me, who grew up black in the United States.

The police never targeted my mother for the way she looked. She never had a group of girls hold hands and cling to the other side of the sidewalk at the sight of her simply walking with her friends. She never felt the experiences that make Beyoncé’s positive message accessible.

Beyoncé was singing for black people who could identify with such experiences — who have experienced far worse.

A major figure in the music industry had just dominated one of the most anticipated and watched events in the country — and she spent it advocating for black lives.

Through the performance of her new single “Formation,” Beyoncé not only reiterated the fact that black lives matter — she made it clear that she is proud to be black. Many people still see black people as stereotypes rather See Taylor on page 7

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Taylor, pg. 6 than human beings.

To cope with this, the black community has been embracing their culture and empowering each other just as Beyoncé did through her song and performance.

I smiled throughout the entire performance not only because I was witnessing the televised magic of Beyoncé but because here was a black woman surrounded by Black Panther dancers, and she was telling me it is amazing to be black. As individuals battle against the stigmas and low expectations surrounding black lives, we were reminded that we are strong and we will persevere.

Beyoncé and her lyrics helped me feel a moment full of pure strength and pride in a society where I’m pushed to ignore part of who I am. What I heard through that song was even though some people will judge me based on how I look before noticing how I act, I am capable and strong enough to overcome.

Not everyone heard the same message, though.

The misplaced hostility toward Beyoncé’s performance spread enough to invoke online protest against her. Shortly after her performance, a listing on Event Brite appeared with the hashtags #BlueLivesMatter, #BoycottBeyoncé and #AllLivesMatter, rallying, “Let’s tell the NFL we don’t want hate speech & racism at the Superbowl ever again!”

The outraged corner of the Internet organized a protest scheduled for Feb. 16, at the NFL headquarters in New York City. Police officers gathered in preparation for any rowdy behavior, but they weren’t needed — only two people showed up. The “protest” ended up riling more support within Beyoncé’s fan base, the Beyhive, than among the opposition.

Sharing a too-popular opinion, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani stated on Fox News that “it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us and keep us alive.”

But the people who only see the performance in a negative light must have misunderstood the message.

Beyoncé told ET News, “I want people to feel proud and have love for themselves.” She added that “Formation” was meant to “have a

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TNS positive impact on her fans’ lives.”

If a person watched the performance with the intent of only hearing the song and not listening to the true message behind it, then of course they wouldn’t fully get it.

The National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jonathan Thompson told The Washington Post that “art is one thing, but yelling fire in a crowded theater is an entirely different one.”

It appears that he was implying that Beyoncé was promoting violent acts against police officers.

But there is no mention of the police force in her song.

A local police union in Miami was offended enough to call for a boycott of Beyoncé’s first world tour performance, which will be at Marlin Park on April 27. Javier Ortiz, the president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, said in a press release that “her anti-

police message shows how she does not support law enforcement.”

Based solely off of her halftime performance, it appears that her backup dancers’ costumes is what roused discomfort among many police officers. This is most likely due to past conflicts between the Black Panther organization and the police force throughout the ’60s and ’70s.

T h e president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association of New J e r s e y, Christopher Burgos, wrote in a letter to an NFL commissioner, “It cannot be denied that the Black Panthers have assassinated officers and troopers who were upholding the constitution and rule of law.”

The Black Panthers’ primary purpose was to uplift and support the black community as it rose up against the racial inequality facing

Beyoncé reminded people the fight for equality is in their hands.

February 22 2016

their neighborhoods.

Burgos mentioned JoAnne Chesimard, a Black Panther who killed state trooper Werner Foerster in 1973, as an example of violence promotion. Yes, the actions of some members are condemnable, but the organization’s guiding principle was always empowerment.

Officers across the nation are distraught about Beyoncé’s supposed anti-police sentiments, but have these officers questioned why this explanation could even be a possibility?

Have they questioned why people would celebrate as they saw dancers and Beyoncé form an X in memory of Malcolm X? Beyoncé was not anti-police — she was anti-police brutality. Beyoncé was not advocating for an extreme, radical agenda to overthrow every other community. She was promoting self-love to the black community. She was embracing an important aspect of black history within the month. As one of the most successful black people in pop culture history, her platform matters.

With nearly every political message, there will be people who disagree. But it seems unreasonable for individuals to disagree with something they don’t understand — especially if there’s been little to no effort to try to understand the rationale of the other side’s actions and opinions.

It’s understandable that police officers would be offended at first glance of Beyoncé’s performance, but they need to understand it’s not about them. Their responses make it seem like the show was firing shots directly at them when, in reality, it was meant to show support for black lives.

If the focus could shift from a nonexistent anti-police tone toward the preservation of black lives, Beyoncé’s message would be loud and clear. People should spend their energy addressing the problems that make these displays of solidarity necessary instead of condemning them.

Beyoncé reminded people that the fight for equality is in their hands. People who understand that will know why Beyoncé’s stellar performance was necessary for everyone. The black community needed to see this sign of empowerment.

Those who understand will know it’s time to get into “Formation.”

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Sports

PANTHERS IN PINK FALL TO SYRACUSE, 70-56 Logan Hitchcock Staff Writer

The Petersen Events Center, even decked out in pink to support the Susan G. Komen foundation, hasn’t yielded a home court advantage for the Pitt women’s basketball team this season.

Pitt’s (12-14, 4-10 ACC) downfall on Sunday was consistent turnovers, leading to a defeat for the Panthers to No. 23 Syracuse (22-6, 12-3 ACC), 70-56. The loss marked Pitt’s eighth straight at-home defeat this year.

Pitt fell behind early, trailing by five before sophomore point guard Aysia Bugg connected on a 3-point basket to get the Panthers on the board. After a few minutes of traded buckets, Bugg would again connect from deep to tie the game at 9-9.

“I’m just taking what the defense gives me,” Bugg said after the game. “If they’re leaving me open, I’m going to take it.”

Syracuse added five more quick points, but Pitt used a pair of transition layups as well as a Fred Potvin 3-pointer to spark an 11-0 Pitt run, which gave the Panthers a six-point lead. The Orange would add a basket before the quarter expired, but Yacine Diop answered with her fourth layup of the quarter to keep the Pitt lead at six entering the second period.

In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Pitt’s offensive formula held steady. The Panthers found easy baskets at the rim after breaking Syracuse’s full-court press and used open looks from beyond the 3-point arc to keep their lead.

Despite their success from the field, the Panthers plateaued and eventually, the team’s 11 turnovers in the first half bogged the team down too far to recover.

Leading by five with 4:45 remaining, Pitt yielded a 3-point basket to Syracuse’s Brianna Butler, who gave the Orange the lead two possessions later with a steal and a layup. Butler’s spark lit Syracuse’s offense to close the half on

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Aysia Bugg brought her offensive game Sunday afternoon, totaling 15 points. Emily Klenk STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER an 11-3 run, giving the Orange a three-point lead heading into halftime.

Syracuse took ample advantage of Pitt’s firsthalf turnovers, which led to 18 of its 38 points.

After rallying the team offensively in the first half, sophomore Yacine Diop again provided a jump-start in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Diop connected on her first two shots of the second half, erasing the Pitt deficit

to tie the game.

“I thought Yacine stepped up today. She did a lot of good things and was active and aggressive getting to the rim,” head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said.

While Diop continued to play a pivotal role in keeping Pitt in the game, fellow sophomore Stasha Carey also helped bolster the team offensively in the second half. After a quiet first

February 22 2016

half, Carey added five points in the first four minutes of the third quarter to help Pitt keep up with Syracuse.

Despite erasing the deficit and taking a momentary lead, Pitt couldn’t shake its dominant issue, leading to a total of 21 turnovers. Syracuse grabbed the lead back with a pair of free throws

by Brittney Sykes as well as forced turnovers on three of Pitt’s next four possessions. Syracuse carved out a 12-2 run that spanned the rest of the quarter.

During the stretch, Pitt remained scoreless for more than five minutes, missing seven straight field goal attempts before a Diop layup broke the streak. In the third quarter, the Panthers turned over the ball seven times, which gained another 10 points for the Orange.

“Our margin for error is slim. We need to be efficient on the offensive end,” McConnellSerio said.

In the fourth quarter, the situation became more bleak for the Panthers as Syracuse’s Butler connected on her third 3-point basket of the game on the opening possession of the quarter.

Pitt kept fighting, adding a 3-pointer by Fred Potvin and a pair of layups by Bugg and Carey to bring the deficit back to single digits.

“I think we had a lot of chances to get the momentum back,” Potvin said.

Pitt got as close as seven points, but Syracuse continued to take the basket with ease, depleting Pitt’s momentum.

The Orange held Pitt scoreless over the final 3:59 of the game and capped the scoring on a long Butler 3-pointer, earning them a 14-point victory.

Bugg led Pitt offensively for the second consecutive game, finishing with 15 points. Diop also finished with 15 points and added nine rebounds, while Potvin scored 12 points on 4-7 from three.

The Panthers will play next when they host Georgia Tech (16-11, 6-8 ACC) Thursday at 7 p.m.

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Pitt baseball opens season, goes 3-1 in florida Steve Rotstein Staff Writer

The Pitt baseball team started its 2016 season at the Historic Dodgertown Classic in Vero Beach, Florida, with an offensive explosion against Niagara University but lagged behind for the weekend’s main event against Ohio State.

During the tied season opener Friday night, cleanup hitter Alex Kowalczyk calmly stepped up to the plate with two runners on base in the bottom of the first inning and blasted a threerun home run, setting the pace for the rest of the night.

Kowalczyk gave Pitt a 4-1 lead, which the team maintained to win the game 19-10. Pitt followed up that win the next day with a solid all-around performance in a 7-2 win against Toledo. Hoping to go three for three, the Panthers faced off against Ohio State but couldn’t maintain the energy, falling to the Buckeyes 11-8. Pitt picked up another 5-4 win against Niagara on Sunday to round off the weekend, leaving the tournament with a 3-1 record.

Niagara got the scoring started on Friday evening, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a double and an RBI single. This would be the Purple Eagles’ only lead of the night.

Junior Jacob Wright got Pitt’s season started with a walk, before sophomore Charles LeBlanc was hit by a pitch. Freshman David Yanni then drove Wright home with a single for Pitt’s first run of the season, tying the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning. Kowalczyk followed with Pitt’s first home run of the season.

Niagara fought back in the top of the second inning, tying the game with a pair of home runs, but the Eagles were already out of the game by the end of the inning.

Senior Ron Sherman’s three-run home run highlighted Pitt’s game-breaking, eight-run second inning, leaving the Panthers with a 12-4 lead. After Yanni put the game away for good with his own three-run home run, Pitt tacked

pittnews.com

Ron Sherman went 5-for-5 against Toledo Saturday. The Pitt News file photo on three more to take a 19-4 lead in the sixth, then held on to win 19-10.

Sherman and junior Caleb Parry came out on fire for day two of the Historic Dodgertown Classic Saturday morning. Both went 3-for-3 with two runs scored in the first game of the day, a 7-2 win against Toledo. Sherman had two doubles and a triple, while Parry had three runs batted in on two singles and a solo home run.

The Rockets took a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the top of the second inning, but Pitt tied it in the bottom of the inning when Sherman tripled down the left field line and Parry brought him home with an RBI single.

Toledo came back to within one run in the fifth inning, but Parry singled home Sherman again in the bottom of the sixth to extend Pitt’s lead to 4-2.

Starting pitcher Sam Mersing brought in the win for the Panthers, allowing only one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven over five and one-third innings. Senior Garrett Wrambel was nearly perfect in relief, giving up just one hit over the final three and

two-thirds innings to close out the 7-2 win.

In the main event of the Historic Dodgertown Classic against Ohio State on Saturday night, the Panthers came just three outs away from making a successful opening weekend an exemplary one.

Starting pitcher Aaron Sandefur retired the first 10 Ohio State batters he faced, allowing only one unearned run on one hit. Coach Joe Jordano, returning for his 19th season, took him out of the game after the fifth inning, however, and Ohio State scored three runs off relievers Josh Falk and Josh Mitchell.

Hoping to limit the damage, sophomore reliever Isaac Mattson came in and stranded a runner on third base as Ohio State led 4-2.

Pitt tallied four runs in the bottom half of the inning, using RBI singles from senior Matt Johnson, Wright and Kowalczyk to regain the lead, 6-4. Johnson led the team with four hits in the game.

After a solo home run by Ohio State in the top of the seventh inning, Pitt was still clinging to a 6-5 lead to start the ninth, only three outs

February 22 2016

from a victory. Ohio State fought back to regain an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning after a leadoff double, two singles and a sacrifice fly.

Sherman, up to the plate with runners on first and second and nobody out, was still looking for his first hit of the game. He delivered, smacking a game-tying triple to left-center field.

Sherman’s luck ran out as Ohio shortstop Craig Nennig threw him out at home on a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat, and the Panthers were unable to bring home the winning run.

After three scoreless innings for both teams, Ohio State put up another three-run inning.

Pitt couldn’t put together one more comeback this time, losing 11-8 in 13 innings.

Pitt’s final game of the tournament was a rematch with Niagara on Sunday morning, which became a much more competitive game than the opener. Niagara came out looking for revenge, again jumping out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Niagara struck back at Pitt’s lead with a bases-clearing double to takeover 4-2 in the top of the fifth before Falk came in to record the last out.

As was the case all weekend, Pitt came storming back in the bottom half of the inning to take back the lead 5-4, with the help of a tworun double from Schnurbusch. That was all the offense Pitt needed with Falk on the mound, as the junior reliever completely shut down Niagara’s bats the rest of the way.

Falk tossed four and a third shutout innings in relief, allowing only one hit and three walks while striking out seven and preserving a onerun lead. He finally gave up a double in the top of the ninth inning, but stranded the tying run on third base to save the 5-4 win and cap off a successful opening weekend for the Panthers.

Pitt’s next game is 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at Grambling State and is the first of a three-game series.

9

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10

country club in the

East Suburbs of Pittsburgh is currently

searching for candidates to fill the fol-

lowing positions:Ala

Carte Wait Staff,Banquet Wait Staff,Bar-

tenders. The proper candidates are energetic, trustworthy,

and able to adapt in any situation. Al-

though no prior experience is required, it is certainly a posi-

tive. You must have reliable transporta-

tion. Along with competitive wages, the club also provides

scholarship oppaortu-

nities, free meals, uniforms, parking and

flexible scheduling to

all employees. All in-

The Pitt news crossword 2/22/16

A private, prestigious

terested persons

should email their resume to nleitzel@longuevue.org.

Victim of sexual violence? Gilmary has a Christian retreat for you. Visit gilmarycenter.org for details.

pittnews.com

February 22, 2016

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pittnews.com

February 22, 2016

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