2-1-18

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | February 1, 2018 | Volume 108 | Issue 102

Fraternity discusses concerns with policing

EXPLOSION LEADS TO EVACUATION

Zane Crowell

For The Pitt News Wesley Giles, a sophomore finance major at Pitt, claimed he and a friend were walking up to the friend’s car in September 2017 when two police officers allegedly approached them with guns and told them to get on the ground.

“Upon reaching us, they cuffed us, emptied our pockets, searched us and then as soon as we got up, we realized we were surrounded by approximately five to seven more police SUVs,” Giles claimed.

Giles alleged after he and his friend waited 20 minutes for their identities to be confirmed, an officer finally told them why they’d been stopped.

“Apparently there had been an armed robbery in the area, and me and my associate, who is a much darker African-American male, had fit the description. Basically, [the officer] told us he was sorry for the inconvenience and that was the last we heard of it,” Giles claimed.

Giles said this moment was what lead to the creation of Wednesday night’s event.

About 25 people attended “Flashing Lights,” an interactive discussion between students and Pitt police that focused on policing efforts, such as outreach programs, within Pitt’s community.

Alpha Phi Alpha hosted the event in the William Pitt Union. Amir Dorsey, a sophomore studying chemistry and an organizer of the event, said the turnout at the event was positive.

“I think a lot of people learned new perspectives on issues they had in their hearts,”

Firefighters leave the Life Sciences Annex after a small explosion occurred Wednesday afternoon.

John Hamilton | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Langley and Crawford Hall complex. A flame hood designed to limit exposure to toxic materials contained the explosion. Only one student The Pitt News Staff needed medical attention, the statement said.

Paramedics evaluated one student for eye irThe buildings were evacuated as a precaution ritation after a small explosion in a life science and reopened at about 3:30 mostly reopened. The lab Wednesday afternoon led to a precautionary first floor of the annex is still closed for cleanup. evacuation.

At least four fire trucks and three hazmat vehicles According to a statement from the University, from the Pittsburgh Fire Department were on the explosion occurred at about 2:45 p.m. in the scene.

Life Sciences Annex — a section of the Clapp, See Policing on page 3 Junior neuroscience major Heather Smith’s

Janine Faust and John Hamilton

class in Langley Hall was just wrapping up when the fire alarm went off. She said she hadn’t heard or felt anything but knew an false alarm had gone off earlier in the day, so she assumed it was “just another faulty alarm or fire drill.” But before she knew it, fire trucks, an ambulance and a hazmat crew had shown up.

“I feel like [with] Clapp, I kind of associate [it] with fire alarms, but they’ve always been minor See Evacuation on page 3

News

SGB candidates meet the public

Madeline Gavatorta Staff Writer

The 2018 candidates for Student Government Board gathered Wednesday to discuss their platforms and answer questions presented to them by “Pitt Tonight” host Andrew Dow. UPTV broadcasted the event from William Pitt Union Dining Room A. Dow, a sophomore sociology and communication major, asked the slates — groups of two or more people running for a position on SGB — questions about what made them different from their opponents, their potential initiatives and how they came up with their identifying slate names.

Horizon Slate Current SGB Wellness Chair Maggie Kennedy, who is also a resident assistant in Tower A and a peer educator with the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education Office, is the presidential candidate for this slate. She is accompanied by three board member candidates — current SGB Allocations Chair Cory Stillman, current SGB Community and Governmental Relations Chair Jessica Chong and junior economics and political science major Rajaab Nadeem, a resident assistant in Panther Hall and the executive chair of donations and finance at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh Food Pantry in Oakland.

When Dow asked her what era of Lady Gaga best represented the slate as a whole, Kennedy said when Lady Gaga wrote “Til It Happens To You,” a song focusing on campus sexual assault awareness. Kennedy expressed a strong desire to educate and help prevent sexual assault on campus.

“When we’re having that conversation about sexual assault, I think too often we focus on bystander intervention, which rests on the assumption that this negative behavior is going to happen in the first place,” Kennedy said. “And I don’t think this is the best way to solve this problem.”

The slate chose the name “Horizon” because, as Kennedy said, they are looking toward the future and how to change it for the better. Chong added that looking toward the future meant including student input.

“We’re always looking for feedback. We always want to hear everyone else’s opinions,”

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Ethan Gertzman (left), a member of the Student Government Board allocations committee, introduces himself to candidates Matt Jones and Noah Rubin (right) at the 2018 Meet the Candidates event in the William Pitt Union dining room. Sarah Cutshall | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Chong said. “We want student feedback, and we’re always looking to improve and we’re always looking towards the future, towards the horizon, head right to the horizon.”

Neighbors Slate Saket Rajprohat, a junior marketing major who unsuccessfully ran for SGB in 2017, is also running for president alongside board candidates Pooja Humar, a junior biology major on a premed track, Cole Dunn, a sophomore finance and accounting major and vice president of finance for Phi Beta Lambda, and Jahari Mercer, a junior industrial engineering major, National Society of Black Engineers corporate liaison chair and president of the Students for Social Justice Organization.

Rajprohat advocated for gender-neutral bathrooms, increased sustainability on campus and free feminine and masculine hygiene products.

He also criticized the current Campus Master Plan — a plan for what campus will look like in the next 30 years — and called SGB’s “Build Pitt: The Future of Our Campus” presentation Tuesday night a “master problem” instead. He said it highlighted problems on campus and included few solutions.

“I think that there [are] some small things that we can do here on campus to actually make a difference with our environment, like not wasting

so much Market food, making our hand dryers more efficient, more energy efficient,” Rajprohat said.

The slate said they got the name “Neighbors” from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” which was filmed in Pittsburgh. At the end of each candidates’ post on their “Vote Neighbors” Facebook page, it asks, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

“I think we can all vote on this because I didn’t come up with the name, one of our campaign staff members came up with the name,” Rajprohat said. “We want to make some initiatives and make some plans for Pitt to help the Pitt community feel more like a neighborhood.”

582 Bridges Slate This board member slate, with no presidential candidate, consists of sophomores Nick Bibby, a political science major and secretary for the Pitt Political Science Student Association, Zechariah Brown, an economics and political science major and vice president of the PSSA, and Albert Tanjaya, a computer science major, Asian Students Alliance advocacy chair, Phi Gamma Delta recording secretary, Humans of Pitt logistic coordinator, OCC Honors Society and OCC brand ambassador and the recording secretary and delegate for SGB’s Assembly. Brown said the different race each member belongs to as well as the different organizations they are each involved in gave their

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slate a diverse perspective.

“I think that’s really helping us in terms of shaping our policy and the way we want to enact that,” Brown said.

This slate emphasized the desire to improve the Wi-Fi system at Pitt along with getting student organizations more involved in campuswide programs such as Sexual Assault Awareness Week. Their name references student organizations’ involvement in connecting University students, staff and faculty.

“We believe that each and every student organization acts like a bridge to the overall Pitt community,” Tanjaya said.

Legacy Slate This duo slate is made up of sophomores Matt Jones, a finance and global management major as well as a liaison for SGB’s Allocation Committee, and Noah Rubin, a political science major. Neither candidate is going for the presidential position. Jones said he was inspired to run because of his work on SGB’s first-year council, where he was impressed by the amount of change he saw SGB could make.

“In high school, student government wasn’t a thing that I was able to actually make real positive change on, and I see here at Pitt that that’s totally not the case,” Jones said. “I really want to make my mark on here and make my legacy.”

Rubin mentioned that Pitt’s national recognition and academics were great and that to continue that, SGB needs to focus on initiatives beneficial to students. This includes having faculty, alumni and students work together to increase campus health and wellness. Rubin and Jones chose “Legacy” as their slate name as a reference to Pitt’s legacy and their desire to create their own legacy at Pitt.

“We’re just trying to be the part of that group that tries to build on that legacy and try to cement our performance and our progress here,” Rubin said.

No slate that ran without a presidential candidate made it on the board in the 2017 election.

Only one person who ran with a presidential candidate did not make it on the board last year, since there were eight positions for the board and nine board member candidates attached to a presidential candidate.

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or a drill, never anything of this magnitude,” she said. “Everybody was like, ‘This isn’t another ordinary day at Clapp.’”

Smith said she had an exam in her next class in the same room she had evacuated, but the professor ended up rescheduling it once the time reached 3:10 p.m.

“It was at first going to be Monday, but my professor took pity because of the Super Bowl,” she said.

Senior microbiology major Aisha Kanneh was in her microbiology seminar in Langley and said she didn’t hear any explosions prior to the fire alarm going off. She knew about the alarm from earlier in the day and assumed that it was “just another drill.” She left her belongings in the classroom and filed out with the rest of her class.

“We realized soon, ‘Oh, this is real,’” she said.

“We’d all left our stuff behind, so we hung around for 45 minutes until we could get it.”

Kanneh said when she and her classmates re-entered the building, they couldn’t find their professor, who had the key to the locked room with their belongings.

Policing, pg. 1 Dorsey said. “I think Officer Guy Johnson did a really good job responding to people’s questions in the respectful manner.”

Johnson, a Pitt police officer for 34 years, has been in charge of community relations for the force since 2014. He responded to questions about concerns with policing from the audience at the event. “[Police brutality] changes my job ... people look at us differently,” Johnson said. “People see you in a uniform and don’t see someone that cares about you ... I’m here because I care about your concerns.”

The discussion covered a wide range of topics, from police training methods to University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Police Department jurisdictions and procedures. The attendees also talked about Black Lives Matter, body cameras and the current controversy surrounding police presence in communities across the country.

“It’s almost made out like all police are racist. Getting rid of police won’t get rid of racism, that’s why we have to go to these trainings,” Johnson said. “The higher-ups won’t tolerate it, we’re trying to break down those walls. You tell me what I can do as a police officer to make you feel safer.”

When Johnson asked what could be done to change the audience’s perception of police, a member responded, “more transparency

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“One of our classmates went to the front desk and got the key for the door,” she said. “We left him a note on the board and left.”

Kanneh said she’s had plenty of classes in Clapp before when the fire alarm has gone off, but it’s always been a drill.

“I’m pretty sure the last time I was in there and there was an alarm, they told us not to evacuate,” she said. “I think it was my junior year, fall semester, something happened with the fire alarm.”

Sylvia Freeman, a junior biology and art major, was present for both fire alarms that went off Wednesday. When the second alarm went off, she was in the library in Langley and assumed it was a mistake.

“Most people assumed it was false, I think,” she said. “I went outside for about five minutes and then went into Alumni Hall to keep studying.”

Ayesha Godiwala, a junior biology major, was in an auditorium in Langley when the alarm went off. She said she packed her things and left for Hillman because it was her last class of the day. She wasn’t alarmed, though, because she had a similar experience in Langley recently.

“There was another alarm last week,” she said.

“I was like, ‘Oh, here we go again.’” would help me trust police officers.” Recently, body cameras have grown in popularity, and some Pittsburgh police officers have been issued them. In many cases, though, footage is not available to the public.

“With body cameras, a lot of times things are said that aren’t accurate and the camera clarifies that,” Johnson said. “The camera sometimes says, ‘Yes, that’s what happened,’ or ‘No, that’s not what happened.’”

The conversation then transitioned to what police training pertained to treatment of women and LGBTQ+ members. Johnson addressed new training requirements that help with that, such as University-mandated sensitivity classes for Pitt police.

“We’re trained to treat everybody equally, even though that doesn’t always happen,” Johnson said. “If you don’t put the time in [to University-assigned training] you don’t pass.”

After the event, students appreciated the chance to speak with Johnson and get an understanding of how it is for an officer, while also being able to express their concerns.

“I think this is really good for the community in terms of getting an officer out here, and at the very least, being able to pick his brain towards what’s going on in the community right now,” Giles said.

It all came down to one thing — trust.

Johnson said that wasn’t something that could be achieved single-handedly.

“You’ve got to give us room to grow,” Johnson said. “We have to grow together.”

The Pitt news crossword 2/1/18

Evacuation, pg. 1

February 1, 2018

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Opinions

column

from the editorial board

Cleveland mascot’s departure signals strong first step With statues of Confederate generals removed across the South last summer and likenesses of Christopher Columbus vandalized across the North last October, it was only a matter of time before the next symbol of racism in America came down. This time, it was in our own backyard.

The Cleveland Indians announced earlier this week that they would be retiring their controversial mascot — a caricature of an American Indian with stereotyped red skin and huge teeth — at the start of the 2019 Major League Baseball season. Cleveland has been home to the mascot, known as “Chief Wahoo,” in one form or another since 1947. And activists have been demanding its removal for almost as long.

“It’s about time they give ‘Chief Wahoo’ the hard goodbye,” Twitter user LakotaMan1 said Monday after the decision was announced in Cleveland.

“Racist team mascots stand as explicit anachronisms of a bygone era, when racial and gender inequalities were the norm.”

Critics are right Chief Wahoo might have been one of the most shockingly open symbols of racism in American pop culture in 2018, but it’s far from the only reminder of our country’s continuing problems with race. While supporters of the move are right to see it as a shift in the right direction, Cleveland’s decision is far from the end of the line for promoting the rights of American Indians.

For all its positive effect in removing a blatantly racist depiction of a minority from the public sphere, it’s unlikely that the owners of Cleveland’s baseball

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team saw the pivot away from Chief Wahoo as much more than a public relations coup. The team had already changed its official logo to a blocky letter “C” and relegated its racial caricature to the sleeves of players’ jerseys and the sides of helmets. The team’s name will remain the “Indians,” and vendors not associated with the franchise will still sell paraphernalia with the mascot on it.

Yet systemic issues facing American Indian communities in the contemporary United States will continue to have an effect — with or without Chief Wahoo’s face grinning down upon them.

One sports writer and activist for American Indian rights, Jeff Pearlman, responded to the decision to remove the Chief by calling it almost a step in the wrong direction. “[The mascots] need to stay — as a reminder — until the hypocrisy, the emptiness and cynicism that underlie the decision to change the ugly logo are actually banished,” Pearlman wrote in a column Monday for CNN. “Though the move is understandably heralded by native Americans, it is a distraction from something larger.”

It’s hard to understand the argument that the only way to keep the negative effects of racism in the public eye is to preserve the prominence of racial caricatures. Yet Pearlman does have a point — the change in Cleveland is a decidedly small change in American Indians’ actual day-to-day lives. The activists who managed to topple Chief Wahoo should be proud, but not so much that they ignore further work toward racial fairness.

In wake of Aziz Ansari, don’t get confused about consent

The American Association of University Women club invited Pitt students to a discussion about the recent events regarding Aziz Ansari and the sexual assault claim made against him Monday night in the William Pitt Union.

Annemarie Yurik | CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Anne Marie Yurik For The Pitt News

“It was sexual harassment.” “It was just bad sex.” “She should share her experiences.” “She’s a weak woman.” “Speaking out about this was anti-feminist.” “Something like this shouldn’t ruin his career.”

Reactions varied wildly after feminist website babe.net published a story in midJanuary from an anonymous source — who went by the name “Grace” — about a sexual encounter with actor Aziz Ansari last September. The story marked the beginning of a new stage in the #MeToo movement, reopening fundamental questions about how to define sexual violence — questions that should be brought up and debated if we’re ever to move past gender inequality.

According to her story, Grace met Ansari at a party a few weeks before their en-

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counter, bonded with him over their shared interest in photography and went on an awkward first date. After the date, she accompanied him back to his apartment.

Ansari quickly began behaving intimately — and in the process ignored Grace’s strong discomfort, both “verbal and non-verbal.”

The questions central to this debate are “what constitutes sexual assault?” and “what is consent?” Both really go hand in hand — according to federal law, sexual assault can be any sexual contact where one party’s consent is given under constraint or not given at all, so consent is an important part of understanding sexual assault.

Ansari is a self-declared feminist, a proponent of women’s rights and the creator of an award-winning show, “Master of None,” featuring episodes specifically addressing See Yurik on page 5

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Yurik, pg. 4 women’s rights and sexual harassment. But based on the account featured on babe.net, even someone as presumably progressive as Ansari can make the mistake of simply being too impatient to wait and assuming silence was consent.

I’ve been a big fan of Ansari’s show.

It was exciting to see the series discuss women’s struggles with sexual violence and include a prominent male character working toward female empowerment . Since he was the main writer of “Master of None,” and many of his episodes grapple with the topic of consent, Ansari seemed very aware of the frequent harassment women experience.

Yet Grace allegedly described her encounter with the actor as a repeated series of strong cues indicating “how uncomfortable and distressed she was” by his behavior. In Ansari’s official statement, he claimed the activity was, “by all indications completely consensual.”

“It was true that everything did seem okay to me, so when I heard that it was not the case for her, I was surprised and concerned,” Ansari said. “I took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.”

His response the day after the night they experienced together didn’t seem to reflect the same level of thoughtfulness.

In what appears to be a text conversation exchanged between the two, Grace texted him saying she “didn’t feel good at all” and that the experience affected her negatively.

“It would never be my intention to make you or anyone feel the way you described,” Ansari said in the alleged text messages displayed in a video by babe.net. “Clearly I misread things in the moment and I’m truly sorry.”

While Ansari at least recognized how he was wrong, that’s exactly where the problem is. There shouldn’t be anything to misread when a woman willingly gives a verbal “yes.” And even though Ansari has covered issues of sexual assault and supports women’s rights, he was too absorbed in his own sexual desires to actually consider Grace’s all-important verbal consent.

The wide discrepancies between the two parties’ perceptions of how the evening went is startling, and it shows a lack of a universally understood definition of consent. To be clear, consent is an uncoerced

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verbal “yes” from everyone involved.

Consent is meant to affirm that everyone involved wants to participate. Silence cannot be mistaken as consent, and neither can lack of repulsion. Consent is nothing except a confident “yes” from both parties.

Yet critics of Grace’s story ignored this basic fact, instead focusing on how the story had affected Ansari. Caitlin Flanagan of the Atlantic was quick to criticize the controversy as an example of a woman simply upset because her feelings were hurt.

“There is a whole country full of young women who don’t know how to call a cab,” Flanagan wrote in a column the day after Grace’s account was published on babe.net.

“They’re angry and temporarily powerful, and last night they destroyed a man who didn’t deserve it.”

It’s unsurprising people have written off this experience as one of just bad sex or disappointment. In a culture where male sexual fulfillment seems like the sole focus of gender roles and relations, calling it internalized misogyny seems too easy — but that’s really what it is.

What Flanagan doesn’t consider is the fetishization of women and the stereotypical “hard to get” or “too easy” act expected of women in heterosexual relationships.

Coupled with the inherent power imbalance in any exchange between a man and a woman, the situation is much more nuanced than Flanagan recognizes.

Bad sex is not equivalent to sex without consent, and that’s a distinction that needs to be made clear. No person should get so caught up by overwhelming lust in the moment that they can only think of their own feelings and rely on the person pulling away if they don’t actually want to continue.

To create more sexual competency, we need to further educate people on what consent is in an attempt to change the cultural norms existing today. Teaching people to ask for verbal consent is one of many possibilities to ensure all intimacy is reciprocal. And we can start even earlier by teaching kids the value of their bodies so they never feel obligated to have forced sex.

In the meantime, here’s the simple answer: if they say yes — without coercion — you have consent and may partake in sexual activity. If they simply “acted” like they wanted it, “implied” it with their actions or anything else that does not have verbal confirmation, take a step back and consider what’s really going on.

The Pitt News SuDoku 2/1/18 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

February 1, 2018

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Culture Battle for the band: Students trade pop for performance at Hofbrauhaus’ College Night Siddhi Shockey Staff Writer

In the great beer hall at Hofbrauhaus every Thursday night, college students dance under the warm light of chandeliers to authentic live music — partaking in a beloved College Night tradition.

But when Pitt senior accounting and business information systems major Derek Arnold walked into College Night during the first week of January, he realized one key element was missing — the live band, the Haus Band Trio. In its place was a DJ — a common feature in many Pittsburgh bars, but something that appeared odd in the Hofbrauhaus atmosphere.

“I kind of figured since this was an off week, you know, the college kids aren’t here, they have a DJ for this one night,” Arnold said.

Hofbrauhaus — a South Side restaurant and brewery — has been the site of the beloved College Night experience every Thursday for almost a decade. Modeled after its contemporary, the Hofbrauhaus of Munich, the atmosphere boasts traditional German festivities, Bavarian dishes and sometimes German folk bands such as the Haus Band Trio.

Arnold had been an avid College Night attendee — largely because of the band, which often plays covers of popular songs in the German folk style.

With hopes that the band would soon be returning, Arnold’s friend and fellow Pitt student, Max Kneis, a senior finance and accounting major and President of Student Government Board, attended Hofbrau College Night the following week. Much to their disappointment, the band had not been reinstated in the Thursday night slot.

“The band created an environment that was very fun and created a sense of community around everyone who was at

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Pitt seniors Derek Arnold and Max Kneis petitioned to bring the band the Haus Band Trio back to Hofbrauhaus on College Night after it was replaced by a DJ. Christian Snyder | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR the venue, which makes it really stand out from any bar in South Side or Pittsburgh in general,” Kneis said.

On a whim, Arnold took to Change. org three weeks ago — a website to host petitions— and wrote up a petition titled “Bring the band back to College Night.”

“Hofbrau got rid of the band and replaced it with a DJ. We need to let them know that the band was one of the best appeals of going to College Night at Hofbrau and we want them back!” the description read.

Arnold shared the petition on his Facebook page as well as with Kneis, who passed the petition around at the bar itself to get more signatures.

“That first night we got something like 60 or 70 signatures ... it didn’t really take off,” Arnold said. “Then [after a week] a friend of mine sent me the petition and we saw that it had like 220 signatures on it — and this was without us

pushing it.”

The number of signatures on the petition began to snowball — gaining 745 signature by Jan. 24. Other students, family members and band members shared the post to rally support. Arnold had even gotten in touch with some Pitt alumni and heard they were also sad to see their favorite tradition coming to an end.

Much support came from All Grk’d Up, a regional group that negotiates contracts and helps musicians perform traditional European music in the United States. All Grk’d Up — which has helped the Haus Band Trio with booking and representation in the past — came across Arnold’s Facebook posts and messaged him expressing interest in promoting his petition.

The restaurant announced on Facebook that the band will return in April, but until then, the Haus Band Trio will

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continue to perform Friday nights from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.

“We know our loyal College Night fans love our regular band, the Haus Band Trio with All Grk’d Up, and we want to share that they’ll be back April 5.

Until then, our Thursday College Nights will feature on of Pittsburgh’s favorite DJs, Carroll DJ Services. See you all tomorrow!” the post said.

Despite replacing the band with a DJ, general manager Tony Lucas still said that Hofbrauhaus has a tradition intact to offer the Pitt community.

“Change will always receive some sort of reaction. People will have some positive and some negative feedback,” Lucas said.

The original decision to create such a change, he said, was to fit the needs of current college students in the area. Being such a popular location for College Nights, Hofbrauhaus has also attracted attention as a party venue for certain Pitt events. Many of these events had a DJ, not a live band, but he said attendees appeared to enjoy the experience nonetheless.

Lucas recognizes, however, that many students did enjoy the live music of Hofbrauhaus, and he hopes to continue the tradition of dancing on tables in the uplifting atmosphere.

Kneis and Arnold both said they are proud they could gather support and effect change in a short time frame, and they hope this experience shows others just how easy it can be. Kneis said he is looking forward to attending future College Nights and hopes many future Pitt students will appreciate the same experiences.

“I’m really excited for the first College Night when the band comes back in April.

I think it’ll be like a homecoming of sorts,” Kneis said. “You’ll see a packed house and a lot of excited Pitt students.”

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Migos’ sophomore album “Culture II” falls flat

From left, Takeoff, Quavo and Offset, from the group Migos, perform at the Rolling Loud music festival in San Bernardino, California Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Zachary Donovan For The Pitt News

Migos had every reason to go down as a footnote in the brief history of the trap genre. The collective — made up of Atlanta rappers Quavo, Offset and Takeoff — dropped its breakout single, “Versace,” almost five years ago but failed to recreate the track’s success because of a string of PR and legal issues.

But these setbacks didn’t stop the persistent trio from returning to the spotlight.

Migos broke onto the scene in October 2016, with the help of rising SoundCloud rapper Lil Uzi Vert, with the release of “Bad and Boujee,” skyrocketing the group to unprecedented fame. They followed the hit single with the release of a full-length album in 2017, becoming the subject of internet memes and earned a pair of Grammy nominations.

The stripped down, repetitive sounds of Migos’ 2017 album, “Culture,” dominated the party scene last year, serving as another marker of hip hop’s recent dominance in popular music.

“Culture II,” the group’s sophomore album released Jan. 26, is a sequel in every

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sense — it maintains the lyrical themes of the trap lifestyle featured on its predecessor — but it doesn’t quite live up to the hype that surrounded it in the wake of last year’s success.

The album’s three lead singles were dropped over the course of a few months to varying degrees of success. “MotorSport” features the one-two punch of rap femme fatales Cardi B and Nicki Minaj.

The contrast between the mumbled baritone of Migos and the pointed finesse of the featured artists is so satisfying that it almost distracts from the fact that the song drags on for more than five minutes.

In spite of the success of these singles, “Supastars” — released about a week before “Culture II” — foreshadowed the kind of lazy craftsmanship that would ultimately plague Migos on the new album. Lines like, “I put my wrist inside the freezer, came out froze,” are unoriginal, predictable and lack the cleverness that brought Migos this far.

At first glance, one glaring issue of “Culture II” is its length. At 24 tracks and almost two hours in length, this album is nearly as self-indulgent as the 40-track See Migos on page 8

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Migos, pg. 7 flop we saw from Chris Brown earlier this year, “Heartbreak on a Full Moon.”

These super-sized albums have become increasingly popular among artists due to the shift from physical releases to digital. It is nearly impossible to release an album of this length without any filler or subpar tracks.

On “Culture,” tracks like “Bad and Boujee” made it apparent that Migos had found an effective song structure to churn out rap hits. Each song on “Culture II” fol-

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lows the same three-verse format, rarely deviating, making the album unbearable to listen to in one sitting.

While several songs on “Culture II” do feature as many as five verses, they still create a painful, monotonous listening experience. Very few tracks clock in under four minutes, and the predictable structure and beats fall flat.

The album finds some redemption lyrically — Takeoff really comes into his own on several of the tracks, elevating him from an expendable member of the group to a vital piece of the Migos puzzle. Take-

off ’s flow on tracks like “White Sand” has a new-found vigor and intensity that was previously missing on “Culture.” Offset continues to provide solid verses, while Quavo’s autotune-littered hooks are still a highlight of Migos’ sound.

In spite of this infrequent lyrical merit, the song topics are lazy — seemingly spawned from some kind of random word generator on tracks like “Beast” and “Flooded.”

The album has a big helping of guest features — from superstars like 21 Savage, Drake, Big Sean, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla

February 1, 2018

$ign, Post Malone and 2 Chainz.

The features have varying degrees of effectiveness, the most impressive of which is the 2 Chainz verse on “Too Playa.” 21 Savage and Post Malone’s hooks on “BBO” and “Notice Me,” respectively, underutilize the abilities of the artists, and Drake’s verse on “Walk It Talk It” feels out of place.

If there is one thing to take away from this album, it’s that Migos is only as good as its producer. The beats that stand out on the album were produced by true masters of the craft, including Kanye West, Metro Boomin and Zaytoven. Quavo produced several tracks himself, showing signs of talent but also a level of inconsistency that proves he is still finding his footing.

It is undeniable that Migos’ brand of trap already hit its peak. Younger rappers like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Pump and the late Lil Peep have been trailblazers for a new variety of this genre that is leaving originators like Migos and Future in the dust.

While Migos is sure to remain in the spotlight and continue gaining recognition for its work, “Culture II” was not a complete success and may be the beginning of the end of this trio’s enormous popularity.

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Sports

column

MICHIGAN STATE JUST PART OF THE PROBLEM

Brandon Glass Staff Writer

In a courtroom in Lansing, Michigan, Wednesday, Jan. 24, a small amount of justice was served. The unfortunate truth of justice is that it’s often preceded by a great deal of pain. In this case, it took the courage of more than 150 women who suffered before the decision was made to sentence former Michigan State gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar to between 40 and 175 years in prison.

“I’ve just signed your death warrant,” Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said in what may seem like a sufficient end to Nassar’s case.

In times past, it was enough to clip a rotted plant’s leaves until it looked pretty again. Times have changed, though, and rotted plants need to be ripped from the root.

Now, the attention of the public has turned to those who enabled Nassar. They find themselves in the disinfecting spotlight of transparency and are trying to wriggle to some dark corner to wait it out.

What happened at Michigan State is not a one-off incident. It doesn’t take much searching to find the gross misconduct of college athletics departments, such as what came to light at Penn State in 2011 or Baylor in 2016. The injustices perpetrated are merely a symptom of a systemic problem in college athletics and America at large.

During the days surrounding the announcement of Nassar’s imprisonment, the entire board of USA Gymnastics resigned at the behest of the United States Olympic Committee. The decision was long overdue and made only after the abuses came into the public consciousness in late 2017 — the Indianapolis Star had reported the story of alleged abuses in 2016.

The full extent to which the powers that be at Michigan State were involved in the dismissal and subsequent cover up of abuses isn’t fully known yet, although the initial reports are damning.

University officials looked to end Title IX Federal investigations on campus in fall 2017.

The university also neglected to release or report the full extent of its internal investigation of Nassar to federal investigators. The university’s

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Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo talks to guard Miles Bridges (22) during second-half action against Indiana Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press/TNS investigation found Nassar clear of the charges levied against him.

If the Nassar case were an isolated incident, it could simply have been the mistakes and mishandlings of a few. But the federal investigators weren’t on campus for the Nassar case. They were on campus because of the reported mishandling of multiple abuse cases.

“Outside the Lines,” ESPN’s investigative sports journalism show, reported on the case and revealed that MSU officials exhibited a complete lack of action. Sometimes, officials contested the investigation of sexual assaults on campus by members of athletic institutions. Officials at MSU reportedly deleted information from incident reports, persuaded investigating firms against writing incident reports and then refused to release Title IX system reports.

Even Baylor, a private university not re-

quired to release Title IX compliance reports, did so when it was revealed they were complicit in covering up alleged rapes by Baylor football players between 2011 and 2014.

The systematic ignoring of abuse on Michigan State’s campus extended past the institution’s highest positions of authority.

In the wake of the scandal, both the university president and the athletic director resigned.

University President Lou Ann Simon resigned the same day Nassar was sentenced. A few days later on Friday, Athletic Director Mark Hollis resigned.

Prominent men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo and football head coach Mark Dantonio find themselves in the midst of the controversy.

As of now, there is no direct link between the head coaches and active attempts to hide sexual assault complaints.

February 1, 2018

The Michigan State football team has had at least 16 players accused of sexual misconduct since Dantonio began his tenure as head coach in 2007. Meanwhile, a member of Izzo’s coaching staff was kept on staff after being convicted of assault on a woman in 2010. A different woman later accused that staff member of sexual assault.

It seems neither coach has plans of stepping down from his position. It may be in the best interest of all those involved if the coaches, new university president and athletic director take some time and think about both head coaches’ futures with the university. Root and branch, after all.

For a university that clearly cares so much about its image, it seems hypocritical not to consider the image it portrays by not, at least, thinking about a complete overhaul.

This, however, isn’t an indictment of the student body or student athletes. It’s wrong and unjust to claim that every person involved in athletics at the university is complicit. Students athletes come and go. The institution heads oversee almost all operations and decisions at universities for years on end.

Don’t take it out on the man or woman with no power. Understand that this issue is because of a rot in positions of power of large organizations. It’s from the roots that flowers grow.

Look at NCAA President Mark Emmert, who apparently knew about the reports of sexual assault by athletes on Michigan State’s campus in 2010 and remained inert. Only now, in 2018, is the NCAA interested in investigating Michigan State.

It’s not just about Michigan State. This kind of systematic abuse can happen anywhere. It’s important to be aware and shine the spotlight in places you don’t necessarily want to. Michigan State operates as an example of how passivity in the highest levels of power can allow for such abuses to occur.

In the end, people make mistakes — and in a situation like this, it’s a lot of people making a lot of mistakes, throwing away human decency in an attempt to protect the image of an institution.

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PANTHERS SWEPT AWAY BY HURRICANES, 69-57

Trent Leonard Staff Writer

The Pitt men’s basketball team continued its trend of poor play late in games Wednesday night at Miami. As in their previous two contests, the Panthers held a lead in the latter part of the second half, but they failed to maintain that lead and fell to the Hurricanes, 69-57.

With Miami’s (16-5 overall, 5-4 ACC) most productive player, sophomore guard Bruce Brown Jr., out for six weeks with a recent foot injury, the time seemed ripe for a potential Pitt upset — especially considering that the Panthers (8-15 overall, 0-10 ACC) knocked on the door in their two previous ACC matches, losing to NC State, 72-68, and Syracuse, 60-55.

The Panthers kept it close for much of the contest, but once again they faded down the stretch. Miami dominated its opponent on the boards collecting 39 re-

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bound to Pitt’s 24 as Pitt fell in its 10th straight ACC game.

Pitt struggled on offense early on, and it looked like the game may have been trending toward a blowout. The Panthers scored just nine points through the first 12 minutes of game time and fell behind to the Hurricanes, 21-9.

The Panthers finally broke the doubledigit barrier with seven minutes remaining in the first half when junior guard/forward Jared Wilson-Frame knocked down a three. Still, Pitt continued to struggle and fell behind by as many as 15 points.

The Panthers refused to allow the deficit to grow any further and mounted an 8-2 run in the final four minutes of the first half. Wilson-Frame and first-year guard Marcus Carr were instrumental in the comeback effort, accounting for all eight points as the Panthers narrowed the deficit to 34-25 entering halftime.

At the half, Carr and Wilson-Frame led the Panthers in points with nine each.

The first half displayed Pitt’s reliance on 3-point shooting, as the Panthers scored 15 of their 25 points on five-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc.

The two teams more or less traded buckets to open the second half, with Pitt unable to close the deficit and Miami unable to broaden it. The difference remained the same after seven minutes of action, with the Hurricanes leading 43-34.

The Hurricanes went ice cold and the Panthers began to find their shooting stroke over the next three minutes. Pitt quickly went on a 10-0 run led by Wilson-Frame and first-year guard Parker Stewart, who each hit a 3-pointer. The Panthers took their first lead of the game, 44-43, with 10 minutes remaining.

Pitt’s momentum ended abruptly. As the saying goes, “live by the three, die

February 1, 2018

by the three” — well, the Panthers took the lead by nailing threes, but they would go ice cold from long distance for the remainder of the game.

Miami proceeded to go on a 14-2 run over the next six minutes, securing a decisive 57-46 lead with five minutes left in the game.

Wilson-Frame and Carr each knocked down a three in the final minutes, as the duo did all they could to keep Pitt in the game. But the Panthers failed to muster any significant defensive stops, and the Hurricanes secured a 69-57 victory.

Wilson-Frame finished as Pitt’s leading scorer with 17 points — 15 of which came from three-pointers — followed by Carr with 14.

The Panthers’ next chance to right the ship will come on the road against North Carolina Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.

10

I N D E X

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

For Rent North Oakland 2BR apartment on N. Dithridge St., available Aug. 2018. A/C, dishwasher. $1050/ mo. + gas & electric.

412-818-2626 3 BR Apartment.

Available August 1, 2018. $1320-$1620 +gas & electric.

412-441-1211. info@ forbesmanagement. net. www.forbesmanagement.net.

3BR apartment on N. Dithridge St., available Aug. 2018. A/C, dishwasher, 2 Full Bathrooms. $1575/ mo. + gas & electric.

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6BR house on N. Dithridge St. Available Aug. 2018.

A/C, 2 kitchens, 2 dishwashers, 3 Full Bathrooms. $2970/ mo. + gas & electric.

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Awesome and affordable studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments close to campus- renting for Summer 2018 move in. Find your perfect home- call for more info and a tour!

412-441-1400

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

South Oakland

Classifieds

For sale

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

ple. $1,600 + Utilities.

412-287-5406. Leave a message.

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

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

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.

2 BR apartment available from August 1st 2018. New kitchen, dishwasher, new carpet and close to campus. $1250 all utilities included. Call 412-414-9629

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

3 & 4 Bedroom Apartments on Semple, Bates, & Juliet.

August availability. $1425-$2600. Call John CR Kelly Reality. 412-683-7300 Visit: www.jcrkelly. com 3 Bedroom & 1.5 Baths House for rent.

2 car garage. Full house air conditioning, dish washer, self-cleaning oven, full basement. Steps from campus shuttle.

Back deck over garage with view. $1650+ utilities.

August 2018. Call 412-736-8095.

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

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.

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

South Oakland

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Deadline:

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

South Oakland

Furnished apartment for rent. 2BR available immediately.

Rent includes all utilities except electric and is dependent upon number of tenants. Convenient to schools and hospitals. Call Nancy for appointment 412-681-7201.

Large 5 Bedroom.

Mckee & Louisa. 2 bathrooms, free laundry, gas included. One block from Forbes.

Available August 2018. 412-600-4219. jwquinn@mac.com M.J. Kelly Realty.

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

N. & S. Oakland from $750-$2500. mjkellyrealty@gmail. com. 412-271-5550. www.mjkellyrealty. com

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New 3 Bedroom on Meyran. Free parking, central air.

Available August 2018. 412-600-4219. jwquinn@mac.com Numerous 1 & 2 bedroom apartments located throughout South Oakland. Starting from $760-$1,395.

Available August 2018. Call John CR Kelly Realty.

412-683-7300. Visit: www.jcrkelly.com Studio & 1 Bedrooms Available Fall 2018. Heat included.

412-261-4620.

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

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

Shadyside 1 bedroom luxury apartment. 2 apartments available in a beautiful brick home with private entry, private laundry, off-street parking or garage, newly remodeled throughout. Kitchen w/ Dishwasher, Granite countertop & more!

Located on Morewood Avenue, 15 minute walk to Pitt/ CMU, Walnut Street.

5 minutes to UPMC Shadyside, West Penn Hospital. One block to Buses, hospital/ Pitt/CMU shuttles and many restaurants.

Available August 1st, 2018. No Pets. $1195+ g/e. Call Jason at 412-922-2141.

Pics/info: tinyurl.com/ morewood1br

granite, hardwood, parking, and laundry.

Close to restaurants and shopping. Call today! 412-441-1400

Squirrel Hill Stunning 2, 3 and 5 bedroom duplexes on tree lined residential streets. Available Summer 2018. Features may include hardwood, granite, porch, A/C, parking, laundry. Near buses, shopping and restaurants! 412-441-1400

Employment Employment Other Comfort Keepers, a Post-Gazette Top Workplace, is seeking caring individuals.

Caregivers work alongside seniors to provide companionship, light housekeeping, personal care services. Flexible hours available. If interested call 412-363-5500

A variety of beautiful studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartment homes- available Summer 2018. Features may include

4 Bedroom 1 Bath House. Large kitchen, new windows and paint. Security System. Available August 16th. Bates and Sem-

February 1, 2018

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Employment Other

Employment Other

Guardian Angel Ambulance is actively seeking EMTs and Medics. Immediate openings. Flexible schedules. Apply in person 700 Lebanon Road, West Mifflin or email guardianangelambulance@msn. com. 412-462-1400

Seasonal Marketing Assistant Shadyside property management firm established in 1960 needs two Seasonal Marketing Assistants to work with Excel, Word and the internet from approximately NOW to August; four days/week from 9am-6pm. Saturday and/or Sunday hours a must; some flexibility in days and hours will be considered; most hours will be solitary on the computer with no phone work; 40 words per minute and strong computer skills required; no experience needed & we will train you at our Shadyside office; free parking. $13/hour plus generous season end bonus.

Mozart Management 412-682-7003. thane@mozartrents. com

Join KEYS Service Corps, AmeriCorps.

Mentor, tutor, and inspire Pittsburgh area youth. Summer and fall positions with bi-weekly stipend and education award. Full and part-time. Possible internship credit.

Call 412-350-2739. www.keysservicecorps.org

OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Management Company seeks person w/min 2 yrs. college, for upcoming spring semester to interview & process rental applicants,

Services Parking

do internet postings & help staff our action-central office.

Part-time or full time. AVAILABLE NOW; full time over summer. $13/hour.

Perfect job for current sophomores & juniors, graduating seniors set to enter grad

GARAGE PARKING available in the heart of Oakland. Protect your car while parked.

Only $80/month! Call 412-692-1770.

Notices Adoption

school, returning grad students, and first-year law students!

Mozart Management 412-682-7003 thane@ mozartrents.com

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

February 1, 2018

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