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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

Pitt takes 10 on selection day

See Online See Online for last week’s ACC for updated crime tournament coverage map March 14, 2016 | Issue 120 | Volume 106

Dan Sostek Sports Editor

Although the Panthers’ odds for an NCAA Tournament berth heading into Selection Sunday seemed positive, an Internet mishap calmed any lingering fears of a surprise snub.

Thanks to the bracket leaking on Twitter Sunday evening, the Pitt men’s basketball team discovered early that it earned a No. 10 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers will join six other ACC schools, including the University of West Virginia, Notre Dame and Texas Tech, as it takes on the No. 7 seed Wisconsin Badgers in St. Louis, Missouri on Friday.

Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said the Students unload their bags from spring team was prepared to sit through the two- VISUAL EDITOR hour CBS broadcast awaiting its fate, until some received word of the premature revelation.

“Very bizarre for that to be out there,” Dixon said. “For a second we were like, ‘Can this be right?’ But we played it out.”

Pitt earned the spot by ending the season with a 21-11 record, going 9-9 in conference Emily Brindley play. It advanced to the quarterfinals of the Staff Writer ACC Tournament last week in Washington, D.C., defeating Syracuse and next losing to Cross your T’s, dot your I’s, mind eventual champion North Carolina. your manners as well as your inner self Wisconsin finished the season 20-12 on — or so says a wave of recent research the year and is entering its 18th consecutive and an increased focus on being presNCAA tournament. ent.

The Badgers previously matched up In the midst of some 28,000 stuagainst Pitt in the 2004 Tournament, when dents with racing, cluttered thoughts, the No. 3 seed Panthers defeated the No. 6 the Center for Mindfulness and Conseed Badgers 59-55 in Milwaukee. sciousness Studies opened last semesSee Men’s Hoops on page 8 ter at Pitt. The center is a collective of

break buses on Bigelow Boulevard Sunday afternoon. Jeff Ahearn

BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT

ASSISTANT

Mindfulness practices slowly find focus at Pitt about 30 graduate students, staff, faculty and one undergraduate student, all of whom are committed to promoting, supporting and practicing mindfulness — the practice of intentionally focusing on the present.

CMCS is part of a larger, nationwide mindfulness and meditation trend, filling YMCAs with yoga classes and universities with stress-free zones.

The act of being present can help students reduce stress levels and increase emotional balance, according to Carol

Greco, a Pitt psychiatry professor. “[Mindfulness is] basically learning how to pay attention with curiosity, and learning how to be very kind to yourself,” Greco said.

Although CMCS doesn’t have a physical home yet, the collective hosts lectures, twice-weekly meditation sessions and other events around campus, including a Mindfulness Fair in the Frick Fine Arts Building on March 19.

Funded through the Office of the See Mindfulness on page 3

Pitt study finds overdose deaths rise in PA Dale Shoemaker News Editor

As the country sees a nationwide rise in heroin use, as well as deaths and legal issues surrounding the drug, Pitt researchers found the rate of overdose deaths in the state has increased since 1979.

Drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania increased 14-fold over the last four decades, according to a study Pitt funded, showing the extent of the state’s overdose epidemic for the first time.

Since 1979, the study found, 35- to 44-yearolds have had the greatest increase in the rate of overdose deaths, though 25- to 34-year-olds have almost matched the rate — the later group had the highest number of overdose deaths in 2014.

Published in Thursday’s edition of the peerreviewed journal PLOS ONE, the study mapped overdose deaths in Pennsylvania — from 1979 to 2014 — by age, race and gender, giving law enforcement and elected officials usable data to draw attention to the groups of people most

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prone to drug abuse. In the same week, Pitt’s School of Pharmacy announced the establishment of the Pennsylvania Heroin Overdose Prevention Technical Assistance Center to implement and maintain initiatives to reduce overdose incidents in counties across the state.

A c cording to the study, Pe n ns y l vania was one of 30 states with overdose as the leading cause of accidental death in 2008. It was also one of 20 states with overdose death rates higher than the national average.

Using Pitt’s Mortality and Population Data System — a database Pitt compiled of detailed

death data from the National Center for Health Statistics — researchers from Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health found white men experience the most overdose deaths between the ages of 25 and 44. The data also showed drug use differs by race and age since black men have the highest overdose death rate between ages 45 and 65. Additionally, the data showed white adults used cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and nonmedical painkillers more often, while black adults used crack cocaine more often.

Overall, overdose rates were higher in men than in women, though women saw a more

Our research also points to issues on the horizon ...

-Jeanine Buchanich, co-author

March 14, 2016

drastic increase from 2010 to 2014. The overdose death rates spanned several years for women — death rates for white women peaked between ages 25 and 54 and ages 35 to 64 for black women.

The study found that Philadelphia County had the highest concentration of overdose death rates in the state, but said death rates in Allegheny County almost equaled those in Philadelphia by 2013.

Jeanine Buchanich, co-author of the study and deputy director of Pitt Public Health’s Center for Occupational Biostatistics and Epidemiology, said in a release that other states could apply the findings in Pennsylvania to their own intervention procedures. Buchanich said the data could provide “avenues” toward potential focus areas. “[Our research] also points to issues on the horizon that public health officials could prepare forsuch as overdoses in younger age groups and rapid overdose increases in areas centered on smaller cities with fewer resources,” Buchanich said.

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Mindfulness isn’t just sitting on a pillow and humming — it’s any practice that aims to increase focus on presence, often through breathing exercises or yoga.

The 2015 National Health Statistics Reports showed the number of yoga-practicing adults aged 18 to 44 increased from 6.3 percent in 2002 to 11.2 percent in 2012.

Outside of the center, the University Counseling Center’s Stress Free Zone offers undergraduates a space to focus on their bodies and relax without the stress of homework or technology.

On the third floor of the William Pitt Union, SFZ’s services range from yoga classes to biomedical feedback machines. Though SFZ’s mission is ultimately to reduce student stress, it offers mindfulness services like yoga classes and audio tapes because of their stressreductive side effects.

Carnegie Mellon University also embraced the mindfulness trend in January 2014 when it unveiled its See Mindfulness on page 4

Mindfulness, pg. 1 Provost as part of Pitt’s Year of the Humanities and housed within the Graduate School of Public Health, CMCS is split into three core areas — research, education and service — headed by members of the group.

While the center is promoting mindfulness for the health benefits, it is also focused on how meditation can help students learn. The center helps facilitate discussion with teachers and educators about how to bring mindfulness into classrooms at Pitt.

Leah Northrop, the leader of CMCS’ education core, said interested teachers bring their problems, ideas or goals to her and together they develop a curriculum that will bring mindfulness into the classroom.

“Our mission is really to support educators from the youngest to graduate level — anybody who is working with a student or students in their wish to bring mindfulness to their classroom,” Northrop said.

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Wenhao Wu STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

March 14, 2016

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Mindfulness, pg. 3

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

University of Pittsburgh Division of Student Affairs March 14, 2016

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March 14, 2016 Dear Pitt Community: Two weeks ago, a student organization hosted a speaker whom some members of our campus community found offensive. This is not the first time the University has faced this issue. However, this event provided us with another opportunity to reflect on our University’s core values and the importance of free speech in order to forge a positive path forward as a united community.

Our values at the University of Pittsburgh are clear. Our Pitt Promise unequivocally reflects our commitment to civility. We are committed to cultivating an environment of mutual respect, concern for others, diversity, inclusion, and academic integrity. These core values are the bedrock of our community.

As one of the nation’s oldest academic institutions, our mission is to transmit knowledge across generations to make our world a better place for those who follow.

As a university, one of our roles is to foster conversations on difficult topics that may be polarizing or divisive, and to encourage discussion of viewpoints that are unpopular.

These conversations can be and indeed sometimes are impassioned, uncomfortable and objectionable for those involved. We do this because we are an academic institution whose purpose is to advance learning through the extension of the frontiers of knowledge and creative endeavor. We cannot learn—and we certainly cannot grow—if we listen only to people whose viewpoints reflect our own. To do so would also thwart our efforts to help students learn how to engage with controversial subject matter as part of the training to be contributing citizens.

Beyond this, our University affirms the First Amendment rights of students, faculty, and staff to engage in discussion, make inquiries, exchange thoughts and opinions, and sponsor speakers of their choice, in accordance with the guarantees of the law and our University policies. Indeed, active engagement and freedom of expression on college campuses has resulted in some of the most profound social and political change in our country.

From time to time, people are invited to our campus to express their point of view which may or may not align with all of Pitt’s core values. Consistent with the University’s mission, and with the law, the University permits such speech. However, this should not be construed as an implicit or explicit endorsement of any viewpoint expressed. It also shall not negate our core institutional values.

As our community continues to evolve, I believe that we all have a responsibility to engage with each other in ways that help us grow as we strive to see each other and the world from a more reasoned perspective. The reconciliation of disparate viewpoints is inherently challenging, and intellectual conflict is to be expected. In response to unpopular or offensive viewpoints, I encourage members of our campus community to exercise their own rights, including the right to voice dissent through vigorous debate, intellectual scrutiny, and lawful protest. The University will take appropriate steps, up to and including discipline and/or legal action, to address any member of our University community or visitor who violates University policy or the law.

Although society has made great strides, daily events remind us that there is much work to be done to make our world a more tolerant, respectful, empathetic, and inclusive place. When our University’s core values are challenged, I encourage students, faculty, and staff to stand together in solidarity, defend our rights, and work to enlighten hearts and minds in ways that are distinctive to our University.

Sincerely,

Kenyon R. Bonner Vice Provost and Dean of Students

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Mindfulness Room, filled with plants, yoga mats and inspirational books.

Those who enter the room must leave cell phones and homework at the door in order to focus on relaxation and rest.

First-year Pitt student Gabe Jaffe wasn’t impressed with the University’s SFZ services. When he started at Pitt, he said he wanted a mindfulness group so he could have a place to practice his twice-a-day meditation sessions.

For him, mindfulness is the answer to the ever-present stress of college.

When he found CMCS, he immediately joined the group and took a position as a student assistant, where he handles day-to-day tasks at the center and is currently designing flyers for the Mindfulness Fair.

Jaffe, the only undergraduate member of CMCS, said he can personally attest to the effectiveness of mindfulness practices and hopes more undergraduate students start taking advantage of CMCS’ services.

“The benefits I get, and that a lot of people get, are reduced stress [and] a greater sense of control over your life,” Jaffe said. “It’s this resource that’s out there that so many people haven’t even heard of that they could be benefitting from so much.”

Although mindfulness reduces stress, Emily Lindsay, a fifth-year CMU graduate student, said it is not the overarching cure to anxiety for college students.

Lindsay, who has conducted research regarding the effects of mindfulness meditation, said she often hears claims that go beyond the research-proven benefits of meditation and instead exaggerate the practice as a cure-all.

“I think [meditation is] very powerful, I just would be cautious about it being an easy solution for stress,” Lindsay said. “It’s something that takes practice and efforts, but if you’re willing to devote even five to 10 minutes a day to practice, then it can start to have benefits.”

Lindsay, partnering with J. David See Mindfulness on page 5

March 14, 2016

SIDEBAR Erin Hare

For The Pitt News Mindful meditation can relieve chronic, debilitating pain in older adults, according to a new study from Pitt researchers.

Researchers from UPMC published the study, which showed the effects of meditation on chronic pain, in the American Medical Association’s journal of internal medicine in March 2016, and found that patients with chronic lower back pain who meditated felt their symptoms go away after eight weeks of meditation training.

Natalia Morone, lead author, researcher and associate professor of medicine at Pitt, and her team recruited 282 adults aged 65 years and up who have chronic lower back pain.

Morone and her team taught chronic low back pain sufferers mindfulnessbased meditation, which involved directed breathing and drawing attention to thoughts and body sensations. Compared to a control group, subjects who received meditation training experienced significant relief from their pain.

Half of Morone’s subjects underwent an eight-week group training course on mindfulness-based meditation between February 2011 and June 2014, and the other half — the control group — received an eight-month education on healthy aging.

Eighty percent of participants who received the mindfulness meditation training described improvement in their pain, function and coping levels directly after the eight-week program. Six months later, 76 percent of the meditation group reported at least minimal improvement.

Thirty-seven percent of the study’s control group saw decrease in pain levels.

While both groups saw some improvement, the magnitude of the effect was 30 percent greater for those who learned meditation. Morone said the control group improved because people generally “get better” when they are put together in groups.

According to a recent Centers for Disease Control survey, 11 percent of Americans suffer from daily pain, and 53 percent of adults over the age of 65 experience daily pain and, according to the National Institutes of Health website, pain affects more people than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.

Morone said the study’s results offer hope for chronic pain sufferers who have tried multiple pain relief methods to little or no avail.

“If a physician tells a patient that there’s nothing more they can do, I want them to know that there is hope,” Morone said.

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Mindfulness, pg. 4 Creswell, a CMU associate professor in the psychology department, found meditation is not an immediate, quick solution to stress.

In their study, which Lindsay and Creswell published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology in 2014, participants who took part in three 25-minute meditation sessions reported decreased feelings of stress, but had high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

The higher levels of cortisol compared to the group of participants that had not meditated at all may indicate that long-term, regular meditation is necessary before the stress-busting benefits fully kick in, though Lindsay and other researchers are still investigating this phenomenon.

While some claims may be overhyped, others stand up. Pitt’s School of Medicine found that mindfulness meditation helped with chronic back pain management in adults over 65, even six months after the study ended.

The study, which Pitt published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Internal Medicine this March, showed that compared to a control group, subjects who received meditation training experienced significant relief from their pain.

Of the subjects who received meditation training, 80 percent described improvement in their pain symptoms immediately following the eight-week program, compared with 37 percent of the controls.

After six months, 76 percent of the mindfulness group reported at least minimal improvement, compared with 42 percent of the controls.

The Pitt researchers modeled their meditation training program after Deanna Burkett, a yoga teacher on campus and staff member in the counseling center, and Greco’s mindfulness-based stress reduction program.

“We go through the day trusting [our default] thoughts and emotions and rarely question whether they are helpful or beneficial,” Burkett said.

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The purpose of meditation is to introspect and examine, with the ultimate goal of controlling thoughts and emotions, Burkett said.

Although faculty and staff have shown interest in the trend, Northrop said many students either haven’t heard of mindfulness or don’t know how to participate.

Despite the benefits, the wide variety of mindfulness traditions — including those with roots in Buddhism, Christianity or secular culture — can be daunt-

ing at first.

Tony Silvestre, CMCS director, said there is no one right way to begin mindfulness practices, though many people begin by reading books, listening to tapes or using apps that help track breathing and narrate meditation.

“I think in my experience, people have come in through different doorways,” Silvestre said. “I really think it depends on what people are comfortable with and how it is that they learn new things.”

March 14, 2016

Silvestre said he doesn’t have any concrete plan to grow the center, but said membership will grow “organically” as people show interest and get involved.

“I don’t have any grand scheme of where we’re going or how we’re going to develop,” Silvestre said. “Mindfulness meditation is a very powerful skill, a very powerful method of relating to reality. We want to make it available. I trust that if it works, it works.”

Erin Hare contributed reporting

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Opinions

column

from the editorial board

Pitt drug center leading charge on heroin prevention Instead of making the nation’s heroin epidemic a conversation seemingly too improper for academia, Pitt went and created an entire center and study to advance the national dialogue.

According to a study from Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health published Thursday, Allegheny County has Pennsylvania’s second highest number of heroin overdoses. Pitt’s study is the first to examine accidental overdose deaths in the state over time.

But when the federal government allocated $1.8 million to pay for new opioid abuse centers across the state Friday, Pittsburgh ended up without a share.

This funding snub of Pittsburgh treatment centers ignores an addiction and abuse crisis in western Pennsylvania that we must address.

Fortunately, Pitt has decided to confront the problem itself, setting the tone for how we must approach the national heroin epidemic in the process.

Using $248,000 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Pitt’s School of Pharmacy is launching The Pennsylvania Heroin Overdose Prevention Center.

The center will direct resources for counties to help fight the heroin epidemic by assisting community coalitions aimed at curbing overdose deaths. It will also help the state Commission on Crime and Delinquency generate funding for expanded prevention programs.

Both the research and initiative show an increased focus on community health issues

by Pitt, as opposed to commercial studies.

Just last April, 70 University professors signed a letter to Chancellor Gallagher expressing concern about the University prioritizing fi-

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nancially lucrative research over public good. .

The narrative surrounding other diseases is that they happen to you, while addiction is perceived as self-inflicted. It’s a better attention draw and funding lure for Pitt to take on cancer or privatized drug research.

But for the Pitt community, the struggle against drug abuse is personal. The campus has seen students die from overdoses within the last year, and, following statistics, we know many others suffer in the dark.

This isn’t a problem just facing the country at large or even just the state. Pitt’s new center and study shows a dedication to the community, and more importantly, the specific concerns of minorities.

The study takes a root-cause approach, breaking down overdoses by age, race and gender to see which communities are having the most issues with opioids and heroin.

Going forward, it will now be easier to build programs that directly target the people most in need.

Both foundational research and active guidance are necessary to effectively address addiction and overdoses. It also helps to engage the community itself. Hopefully Pitt students will have the opportunity to participate in raising awareness about addiction among their peers and neighbors, either through contributing to research or acting as public advocates.

Even though Pittsburgh missed out on additional federal funds, Pitt has the chance to help communities ravaged by heroin and opioids.

Drug abuse is not a glamorous discussion, but it is one Pitt should be proud of leading.

Eurotrump: why america’s Election matters to Europe more than you’d think Stephen Caruso Columnist

It happened to me in Amsterdam.

In a small town in the Apennines. In my favorite gelato place, 100 feet from my apartment in Florence, Italy.

Someone figures out I’m an American, and they immediately ask, “What about Donald Trump?”

Well, what about him?

He’s a New Yorker, a reality TV star, the owner of the largest ego this side of Kanye West. He’s a demagogue and the front-runner to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. And his rise has horrified almost everyone I’ve met while spending a semester traversing Europe.

As much as Americans can selfflagellate about foreigners’ opinions of us, I’ve yet to encounter more than an isolated jerk or two who seemed to genuinely dislike me for my national origin.

Regardless of what Trump says, few Europeans see us as weak losers, and his election would only shatter the continent’s remaining confidence in the United States as a world leader — not restore it.

Surprisingly, most Europeans seem to look at America’s government as a source of stability. While rage at America’s two-party system is driving Trump’s — and Bernie Sanders’ — insurgencies, that same system also helps assure non-Americans that someone reasonable will be president

March 14, 2016

of the United States.

Pick up The Economist or Der Spiegel to see how Europeans view America’s leadership much like the marble statues in the old country — stodgy, humdrum, but solid.

Outside of the States, quirkier voices can gain strength through the use of smaller elected districts, proportional representation and a focus on parliamentary politics over a chief executive.

From Jeremy Corbyn — the leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party — to Marine Le Pen — leader of France’s National Front — firebrand populists always have a home in European politics. They’ve even reached positions of power.

If Labour wins a majority at the next general election, Corbyn is prime minister, which means “God Save the Queen” may be replaced by “The Internationale” as the United Kingdom’s national anthem as the top tax rate jumps to 75 percent for the wealthy.

Meanwhile, La Pen’s party won 21 of 74 French seats at the European Parliament and 21 percent of the vote in the final round of regional elections in 2015. The fascist Golden Dawn party is in Greece’s Parliament, while Silvio Berlusconi — best described as a mashup of Trump, Rupert Murdoch and George W. Bush and best known for his “bunga bunga” sex parties — was Italy’s prime minister for eight of See Caruso on page 7

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Caruso, pg. 6 the past 15 years.

Point this out to Europeans and they will laugh at themselves. A Dutch bartender — and the Australian next to me — who I talked to in Amsterdam both brushed off the nationalistic groups brewing in their own countries.

“The problem is,” Stu, the Australian, said, “Trump can actually do something if he wins.”

Stu’s words host the strongest criticism of Trump and all his bombast about America’s weakness.

Foreigners don’t fear their own screwedup government — but they sure fear one based in Washington, D.C. It’s a compliment to the power and prestige the rest of the world places on America’s shores — and the great responsibility American voters have when selecting their leader.

A buffoon ruled Italy for eight years, and while Italians suffered — unemployment sits at 11.5 percent, the lowest rate since 2013 — the world didn’t fall apart.

Stu decried former Prime Minister Tony Abbott in Australia as a xenophobic corporate stooge, but his leadership didn’t destabilize the Pacific.

And if the Netherlands did come under the sway of its nationalist party, Europe wouldn’t descend into chaos.

Political outliers in these countries might make life more interesting, b u t t h e y won’t ruin the global order.

But a President Trump could do just that.

If Trump pursues a trade war with China, economists both left and right fear it will lead to a global recession. A slowdown in U.S.-China trade would hurt shipping companies, which are overwhelm-

ingly American, making all trade more expensive for everyone.

An aggressive Trump policy against Russia could also hurt Europe.

Besides a mutual border order that has had troops roll oll across it twice in the last century, tury, the European Union imports most of its energy from Russia — including luding nearly 40 percent of its naturall gas and 33 percent of its crude oil. Any dis disruption of this supply would only further skyrocket European electricity and gas prices.

And if Trump’s actions against Muslims inflame radicals, Europe, not the United States, has the most to fear.

If Trump has his way, no refugees or Muslims will enter the United States. Besides adding more masses of humanity to Europe’s door, it’ll make it hard for any ISIS agent to enter the country for an attack.

So with Boston or Los Angeles so far away, terrorists might just settle for Berlin or Rome. This is not to play into any xenophobic fears, but simply stating a fact. The European Union is a lot closer to Syria than the United States.

What Trump doesn’t acknowledge is that his campaign — based on the widespread fear of

As the world gets even smaller, America turning away again isn’t an option.

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America’s decline — is doing more to hurt our image to the rest of the world than any action of the past decade.

As the leader of NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, of which many European nations are members — America must be strong, or Europeans wouldn’t feel safe.

In a recent Pew Research Center study of citizens from eight different NATO member nations, 42 percent saw it as the United States’ duty, not their own country’s, to protect the alliance.

Only the United States and Canada had a majority agree with the use of military force to protect a fellow member no matter what.

In arguably the three strongest Continental powers — Germany, France and Italy — more than 50 percent thought otherwise. It seems even to Europeans, only America has the will — and the means — to keep Europe safe.

Europe’s problems overflowed to the world twice in the last two centuries, spawning unmatched bloodshed. As the world gets even smaller, America turning away again isn’t an option.

As Teddy Roosevelt said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” America’s stick is plenty big, and Trump doesn’t speak softly with it.

When Trump paints the United States as impotent, invalid and inconsequential on the world stage, however, he is playing to his core voters — older generations who grew up with the strength-based foreign policy of the Cold War. With only 2 percent of Trump’s supporters under the age of 30, most will recall “Duck and Cover” drills and Ronald Reagan’s pos-

March 14, 2016

turTNS ing about the good ol’ evil empire.

Even for some who appreciate a strong America, Trump is too much.

I met a Polish man in my travels to Monte Cassino, a World War II battlefield in the hills of southern Italy. At 48 percent, Poland had the highest rate in Europe of respondents in the Pew study who agreed with collective security. With Poland’s long history of confrontation with Russia and Germany, I expected my new acquaintance to love Trump’s hardball language.

“Normally, we in Poland love the Republican Party,” he said, “because they stand for a strong America in the world.”

I nodded solemnly.

“But, I don’t know if you can trust someone like Trump with deciding who bombs what,” he continued.

I responded with a smile, pleasantly surprised at his foresight.

However, there is in fact one person in Europe who seems to take Trump seriously as a world power broker.

“He is a very colorful and talented man, no doubt about that,” Vladimir Putin, Russia’s autocratic tyrant, said.

If you admire Putin’s leadership style, Trump is your candidate. Just don’t expect the rest of the world to be your friend.

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Sports

CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR THE MARCH MADNESS EDITION

Men’s Hoops, pg. 1

LEFT: JAMIE DIXON’S GEARING

ABOVE:

UP FOR WISCONSIN

JEFF AHEARN | ASSISTANT

JOHN HAMILTON | STAFF

VISUAL EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHER

Dixon said he hasn’t familiarized himself with the current Wisconsin squad yet, but remembers their previous postseason matchup.

“I watched them play, I know we played them in the NCAA Tournament a while back,” Dixon said. “But we won’t be playing them in Wisconsin this time.”

The tournament berth is Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon’s 11th in his 13 seasons at Pitt. Senior point guard James Robinson will make his third appearance, marking the most tournament experience of any player on Pitt’s roster.

“When you’re young you watch the NCAA Tournament, you know the significance of the tournament,” Robinson said. “You just gotta be ready, right from the first game. You just gotta be ready to go.”

Dixon is excited that the Panthers have finally unmasked their opponent.

“There was a lot of energy today [at practice], but you don’t have that team that you’re focused on,” Dixon said.

“Now we have it and now we can get going on specifics and tendencies and characteristics of Wisconsin.”

Tipoff is scheduled for 6:50 p.m, and TNT will broadcast the game.

Unlucky three marks panthers’ acc opener Phoebe Gilmore For The Pitt News

Pitt softball head coach Holly Aprile could have brought home her 200th career win this weekend, but her Panthers fumbled on all three chances to deliver it.

In a weekend upset in Blackburg, Virginia, the Hokies (9-14, 4-2 ACC) swept the Panthers (16-8, 0-3 ACC) in a three-

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game series, ending a strong streak for Pitt, who won 5 of 6 games at the San Diego State Tournament earlier this month.

“We did not have any strengths this weekend. Nothing was strong. We had weaknesses in every area,” Aprile said. “We did not give our team a chance to win it offensively. We were uncharacteristically bad on defense.”

The Panthers fell to the Virginia Tech Hokies 8-0 in game one, 10-7 in game two and 12-9 in game three. Sophomore left fielder Giorgiana Zeremenko offered a silver lining offensively, kicking off the first game of the series with a double to center field in the second inning.

Zeremenko made up half of the Panthers’ hits against the Hokies, but the team

March 14, 2016

didn’t convert any of her efforts into runs.

“After this weekend, I feel like everyone could have room for improvement,” Zeremenko said. “We’re going to keep grinding and keep putting forth our best effort.”

After Zeremenko’s double, Jenna Modic and Olivia Gray both hit singles in the fourth inning. Nobody came home for the See Softball on page 9

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Softball, pg. 8

Sophomore Kayla Harris had a tough weekend on the mound. The Pitt News file photo

Panthers, and Virginia Tech went on to trample Pitt, bringing in eight runs to win the game, 8-0. “[Virginia Tech was] pretty patient, laying off things they didn’t need to or didn’t want to hit. They saw their pitch and kind of took advantage of it,” infielder Maggie Sevilla said.

Virginia Tech scored four runs in the first two innings of the second game, but Pitt quickly caught up in the top of the third with a homer from Erin Hershman that brought Kathryn Duran, McKayla Taylor and Shelby Pickett in to score.

With the score tied 4-4, the Hokies knocked off a homer of their own, tallying six runs. The Panthers added another three runs before the end of the inning.

Kayla Harris, Jenna Modic and freshman Sarah Dawson all got time

on the mound, but struggled — a weakness that Aprile said will put the Panthers away if they can’t remedy it.

“If we can’t be better on the mound, it will be very tough to win,” Aprile said. “We have to want the challenge of playing in the ACC. This weekend, that did not happen.”

In the final game of the series, Jenna Modic gave up the first four runs to Virginia Tech on the mound.

Sophomore Harris came in for relief on the last four innings and gave up eight runs, four of which were unearned.

Game three began an hour earlier than scheduled because of incoming inclement weather, with a home run from Sevilla.

The Panthers remained tied with the Hokies until the bottom of the third, when Modic let two runners on and back-to-back singles brought three runs in for the Hokies.

The Panthers had weaknesses on both sides, but Zeremenko called game one a “defensive slipup.” A combination of poor performance on the mound and two throwing errors with Hokie runners on base forced the Panthers to tighten their defense in the second and third games.

Despite the adjustments, Zeremenko said her team couldn’t make up for weak on-field play. “[The Hokies] were picking good pitches to hit and they were just able to drop in key situations when they needed to,” Zeremenko said. “We weren’t able to string enough quality at-bats together.”

Pitt reclaimed the lead at the top of the fourth with runs from Gray, Sevilla and Taylor but ended up losing 12-9.

Find the full story online at

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Pitt scoops one win of three in weekend series Ashwini Sivaganesh For The Pitt News

The Pitt baseball team started its ACC season with two demoralizing losses, but managed to walk off the field in North Carolina with a last-ditch victory.

At the ACC opener at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the Panthers (7-6, ACC 1-2) faced catastrophic losses to the Tar Heels (14-2, ACC 2-1).

Pitt fell 14-2 in game one, and 4-0 in game two, but pulled a win out for the final game

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of the series, 5-0.

Tar Heels pitcher Zac Gallen held off the Panthers at the onset of game one. Neither team managed to get runs until the bottom of the second, when North Carolina brought two runners in to raise the score 2-0, with two back-to-back sacrifice flies.

Pitt saw its first major setback in game one during the fifth inning, when it failed to recover from the Tar Heels’ eight-run inning.

During the fifth, with the score at 4-0, the Tar Heels filled the bases and picked up a rhythm that far surpassed Pitt’s. North Carolina managed six runs to bring the score to 9-1.

UNC sophomore Brian Miller hit a double, and left the score at 11-1 to end the inning.

The Tar Heels notched another three runs in the sixth and seventh innings. The Panthers had been failing to keep up but started to gain momentum in the ninth just

March 14, 2016

as Pitt’s P.J. DeMeo’s single brought David Yanni back home for one last run.

The night ended with a crippling 14-2 loss for Pitt.

In the second game of the series, UNC maintained stamina from the first win and denied Pitt any opportunity to lead.

The Tar Heels’ reign continued in the first inning, as they took two around the field, marking an early 2-0 lead.

Find the full story online at

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I Rentals & Sublet N D E X -NORTH OAKLAND -SOUTH OAKLAND -SHADYSIDE -SQUIRREL HILL -SOUTHSIDE -NORTHSIDE -BLOOMFIELD -ROOMMATES -OTHER

3 bedroom apartment. $1450 (utilities included). 704 Enfield St. 5 bedroom house. $2200 + utilties. 35 Enfield St. Call 412-969-2790. ****************** Large 6 bedroom house for rent. Fall occupancy.

Atwood Street.

Close to campus.

Please call Gary at 412-807-8058

*1 BEDROOM REMODELED FURNISHED APARTMENTS. Beautiful, clean, large, and spacious. Fullyequipped kitchen and bathroom. Wallto-wall carpeting. $750. Owner pays heat. Available Aug. 2016. Call 412-247-1900, 412-731-4313.

pittnews.com

Employment

-CHILDCARE -FOOD SERVICES -UNIVERSITY -INTERNSHIPS -RESEARCH STUDIES -VOLUNTEERING -OTHER

Classifieds

For Sale

-AUTO -BIKES -BOOKS -MERCHANDISE -FURNITURE -REAL ESTATE -TICKETS

*3 BEDROOM, REMODELED HOUSE -FURNISHED* Beautiful, large, clean and spacious.

New fully equipped kitchen. Wall-towall carpeting.

Washer/Dryer included. Whole house air-conditioning. Garage Available. $1600+utilities. Aug. 1. Call 412-247-1900, 412-731-4313. +++5 bedroom, 2 full baths, huge house, nicely updated, shuttle across street, washer/dryer, $2795+, August 1, photos www.tinyurl.com/pittnewsad4 coolapartments@gmail.com 724-935-2663 3104 Niagara Street 6 Bedroom House Available for Rent for $2500--BHK--no utilities but includes central air--Please call 412-721-8888 if interested.

Services

-EDUCATIONAL -TRAVEL -HEALTH -PARKING -INSURANCE

2529 Allequippa Street Apartment Available For Rent

By Trees Hall beginning August 1st--$1200 2 Bedrooms w/ Central air + BHK--Please call 412-721-8888 if interested.

2BR, 3RD FLOOR apartment. Furnished or unfurnished with laundry. No pets. $950 including utilities. A No-Party Building. Available Aug. 2016. Call 412-683-0363.

310 Semple Street, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. $1500 for 2 person occupancy, $1600 for 3 person occupancy including gas, water, and electric. Very close to campus. Off street parking available. 412-559-6073. marknath12@gmail.com

Large 5 or 6 BR house, 2 full bathrooms, washer/dryer, dishwasher, and many upgrades, Juliette St. 724-825-0033.

Announcements -ADOPTION -EVENTS -LOST AND FOUND -STUDENT GROUPS -WANTED -OTHER

Available 8/1, 1 BR/1 Bath, 5 min. walk to Cathedral, A/C, hardwood floors, newly renovated, starting at $995+, 412.441.1211 Available 8/1, 3 BR/1 Bath, less than 1 mile to campus, updated, Dishwasher and AC, starting at $1325+, 412.441.1211 Available 8/1, 4 br/2bath, Less than 1 mile to campus, Split Level, Updated, Central A/C, $2420+, 412.441.1211

Completely updated 2BR apartment within walking distance to Pitt for $1850 per month.

Apartment has A/C, stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in unit, spacious living room & bedrooms, heated bathroom floor, hardwood floors and more! Call 412.682.7622 or email sarah@robbrealestate.com for more info on this amazing apartment for FALL 2016.

R INSERTIONS 1X 2X 3X 4X 5X 6X ADDITIONAL A 1-15 WORDS $6.30 $11.90 $17.30 $22.00 $27.00 $30.20 $5.00 T 16-30 WORDS $7.50 $14.20 $20.00 $25.00 $29.10 $32.30 $5.40 E S DEADLINE: TWO BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR BY 3 PM | EMAIL: ADVERTISING@PITTNEWS.COM | PHONE: 412.648.7978 (EACH ADDITIONAL WORD: $0.10)

FOR SALE: 307 S. Dithridge. 2BR, 2 full bath condo, open floor plan, 24 hr security, renovated pool & exercise room, indoor parking, laundry in unit. $279,000.

Valerie Rose 412-359-9677 Large 1-2-3 BR apartments available August 1st. 3450 Ward Street. 312 and 314 South Bouquet Street.

Free parking. Minutes to campus. Cat friendly. Call 412-977-0111.

M.J. Kelly Realty Studio, 1, 2, 3, & 4 Bedroom Apartments, Duplexes, Houses. $750-$2400. mjkellyrealty@gmail.com. 412-271-5550, mjkellyrealty.com Newly Updated 4bedroom, 1-bath townhouse. Laundry in basement. $1800+ Utilities. Call 412-292-1860

NIAGARA ST. LARGE 3-5 PERSON HOUSE. Updated kitchen, dishwasher, laundry, A/C, back deck. Across street from bus stop. Available August 2016.

Rent varies w/number of tenants.

412-445-6117 Studio and 1 Bedrooms. 216 Coltart.

Heat included. Parking. Available Aug. 2016. Greve RealEstate.

412-261-4620.

March 14, 2016

Spacious 4BR apartment within walking distance to Pitt for $2500 per month.

Apartment has central A/C, two full baths, eat-in kitchen, spacious living room & bedrooms. Call 412.682.7622 or email sarah@robbrealestate.com for more info on this amazing apartment for FALL 2016.

2 bedroom. 343 McKee Place. $1200 (heat included).

2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house. 3201 Niagra St. $1200. A/C, dishwasher, washer and dryer.

1 bedroom. 365 Ophelia St. $550+ electric.

Call 412-969-2790.

2-3 bedroom apartments for rent located on Atwood St, Dawson St, and McKee Place. For more information or to schedule a viewing, please call 412-849-8694.

1,2,3,5,6, & 8 bedroom houses. August & May 2016.

Bouquet, Atwood, Ward & Dawson.

Please call 412-287-5712.

EFFICIENCY apartments, quiet building, laundry, shared bathroom, no partying.

Short-term or longterm lease. $395-$450 includes utilities. Available immediately.

412-683-0363

**Large efficiences, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments available for August 2016. Clean, walking distance to campus. Great location. $575-$630$900-$1100. Utilities included. No pets/ smoking or parties. 412-882-7568.

3303 Niagara Street 3 Bedroom House Available for Rent for $1400--BHK--no utilities included-Please call 412-721-8888 if interested.

3444 WARD ST. Studio, 1-2-3 BR apartments available Aug. 1, 2016. Free parking, free heating. Call 412-361-2695. No evening calls please.

3 & 5 bedroom. May 2016. Sarah St. Large bedroom, new kitchen, air conditioning, washer & dryer, dishwasher, large deck. 412-287-5712.

Studios, 1, 2, & 3 Bedroom apartments available August 2016 & sooner. Oakland, Shadyside, Friendship, Squirrel Hill, Highland Park, Point Breeze. Photos & current availability online, check out www.forbesmanagement.net, or call 412.441.1211

Real estate advertising in The Pitt News is subject to the Fair Housing Act. The Pitt News will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate which violates the law. To complain of discrimination, call HUD at 1-800-6699777 or email fheo_webmanager@hud.gov. For the hearing impaired, please call TTY 1-800-927-9275.

1 BR bungalo in Greenfield with deck and large backyard. $600+ utilities.

Close to busline, downtown and Oakland. 412-377-3985.

Ask for Karen.

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.

FOR RENT AUGUST 1 2016: Completely remodeled, spacious 3BR 1.5 BA home on tree-lined residential street. $1725/mo + utilities. Original woodwork, high ceilings, large bedrooms.

Parking available.

Panther Properties of PA, pantherproperties2@gmail.com.

Photos: https://panther-life.com/properties/oakland/

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Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh has an opening in our event sales department. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for an experienced sales professional to show companies and groups the great time that awaits them at Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh. Every day we celebrate our German Heritage with live entertainment, craft beer brewed onsite and authentic German Cuisine. We need your help letting groups in Pittsburgh know we can help them celebrate Oktoberfest all year!

The Pitt news crossword 3/14/16

SMOKERS NEEDED! Researchers at UPMC are looking to enroll healthy adult cigarette smokers ages 18-65. This research is examining the influence of brief uses of FDA-approved nicotine patch or nicotine nasal spray on mood and behavior. The study involves a brief physical exam and five sessions lasting two hours each. Eligible participants who complete all sessions will receive up to $250, or $20 per hour. This is NOT a treatment study. For more information, call 412-246-5396 or visit www.SmokingStudies. pitt.edu

OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Management Company seeks person w/ min 3 yrs. college, for upcoming spring semester, to interview & process rental applications, do internet postings & help staff in action-central office. Part time or full time OK starting now; full time in summer. $12/hour. Perfect job for graduating seniors set to enter grad school, returning grad students, and first-year law students!

Mozart Management 412.682.7003. thane@mozartrents.com Now hiring professional and friendly individuals to provide backyard pest control treatments in the Pittsburgh area during the spring/summer. Good working environment, excellent pay. Paid training. Need valid driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license. Call 412-298-2139.

The Pitt News SuDoku 3/14/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

Must have a minimum of 2 years of restaurant/event/marketing sales experience.

Send your resume to twilliams@prg.us.com

Research in the Falk Library at least several hours. $15/hr.

Contact Rick at rickvernier@sbcglobal.net

pittnews.com

March 14, 2016

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pittnews.com

March 14, 2016

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