3-19-19

The Pitt News

T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | March 19, 2019 ­| Volume 109 | Issue 123

STRIKE A POSE

VIBRANT MEDIA LAB OFFERS GLIMPSE INTO FIRST GAME SYSTEM

Vaibhav Gupta

The fourth annual Pitt Dance Marathon Fashion Show’s “miracle kids” wear outfits to feel like royalty at Monday evening’s showcase. Hannah Heisler | staff photographer

AL PRIMACK CELEBRATES PI YEAR-ROUND Neena Hagen

Senior Staff Writer In a darkened classroom at Copper Mountain College in Southern California, undergraduate student Al Primack stood at the front, fiddling with a computer mouse. After pulling up the first slide introducing his “pi cultural artifact speech,” he turned to face the class — more than 20 pairs of eyes gleamed back at him in the dim fluorescent lighting.

“3.14,” he said slowly and profoundly to the crowd. His classmates stared at him, puzzled.

But then, he blurted out 97 more digits — 15926 535897932384626433832795028841971693993751 058209749445923078164062862089986280348253 421170679 — in a dizzying 15 seconds.

As he explained to the class in the minutes following, he’d opened his speech rattling off the first hundred digits of pi — an irrational mathematical

constant, meaning the digits are infinite and never repeat. His classmates and teacher’s looks of bewilderment soon turned to admiration. And while Primack didn’t know it at the time, as a mere college student in 2010, reciting those digits would help jump-start his academic career in communication.

“My professor just really liked it. He told me to join the speech and debate team,” Primack said. “I See Primack on page 2

For The Pitt News In a room on the fourth floor of the Cathedral of Learning, a group of students and faculty became the first in the world to revive one of the oldest video-game consoles.

The group, the Vibrant Media Lab, will present one of the earliest-created game consoles in history — the Magnavox Odyssey — to Pitt students on April 5 in order to promote a wider understanding of the history and culture behind video games along with the VML’s work for the past two years.

According to Zachary Horton, the director of the VML and an assistant professor of English, the Odyssey exposition exists to demonstrate the experience of early video gaming. He notes the experience of playing with the Magnavox Odyssey is not exciting only to video-game enthusiasts but rather is available for anyone interested in the gaming experience.

“The act of taking those experiences that are normally single-player and having them in an open environment and bringing them into a space with lots of people changes your understanding of the game experiences,” Horton said.

According to the National Museum of American History, the Magnavox Odyssey is a home videogame system created in 1972 that preceded the release of Atari by a few months. The console has limited capabilities regarding graphics, showing only a few blocks with a line moving in a lateral direction. Despite constituting a significant development in videoSee VML on page 2

News Primack, pg. 1

knew [when I started the project] that I didn’t want to go the traditional route with religious artifacts …

I wanted to come up with something different.”

Primack’s originality paid off — he won a local speech competition only weeks later, an accolade that helped land him a spot in Pitt’s doctoral communication program, where he’s studied and been a teaching assistant since 2016.

But Primack’s pi knowledge isn’t now an artifact of his early college days. Those long walks in the Southern California heat, messing around with the pi memorization app on his Palm Pixi smartphone, have kept all 100 digits burned into his mind since opening his cultural artifact speech eight years ago.

And all his students get to see it firsthand — he recites 100 digits of pi on the first day of class every semester.

Pi itself doesn’t relate to anything he teaches in his rhetorical process and mass communication process classes. But it makes a statement about his memory, which he said is actually quite dismal when it comes to other things — something he wants his students to know.

“The second you walk out [of my classroom], I’ll probably forget your name. I may even forget

VML, pg. 1 game history, the console only sold about 350,000 units in its prime due to poor marketing.

The VML started in January 2018, and its goal, according to the lab’s website, is to experiment in different types of media that can link the digital with a hands-on experience. The VML is available to any individual who is interested in media systems and accepts faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students from any background.

While the Magnavox Odyssey is the VML’s main project, new projects can be proposed starting in September. The lab’s website gives applicants wide-ranging control over their proposals and states specifically that it seeks to promote “collaborative research in material media systems and practices.”

The Odyssey exposition — the first of its kind in the world, according to Horton — will be open to the public, and trained members will be present to assist students with the experience. Horton said it will provide a new perspective of video-game evolution as it showcases early styles of gaming.

“It has two goals. One is to showcase the work

pittnews.com

your face. But 100 digits of pi? Right here,” he said, pointing to his head.

According to Brandon McDonald, who met Primack in their masters program at Cal State Long Beach in 2014, Primack tries to keep his teaching entertaining. And reciting pi is only one of many ways he commands his students’ attention.

McDonald said he’s never had the good fortune of taking one of Primack’s classes, but in California he substituted for his friend’s recitation one class period, and students raved about Primack’s energy, spirit and teaching abilities for the full hour.

“I think communications is only as interesting as the instructor makes it,” McDonald said. “Al walks into the classroom and talks about the communications elements of Trap Queen by Fetty Wap.” Primack said he tries to maintain a laid-back atmosphere in the classroom. He doesn’t want his students to be afraid of participating in class discussions.

“I don’t think the classroom should be a highstress environment,” Primack said. “I like to have a lot of space for open and respectful conversation, especially on controversial issues.”

Primack said it’s the little things that contribute to that kind of atmosphere. He likes to stay on a first-name basis with all of his students and tries to get to know them one-on-one, instead of just lec-

turing from the front of the classroom.

But when the class discusses controversial topics like racial representation in media, for example, Primack feels it’s necessary to interject with his own experiences as a mixed-race — half Jewish, part European and indigenous — individual to break the ice and relieve the class’ anxiety surrounding the topic.

“Growing up in Yucca Valley, California, there were problems with white power and white supremacy,” Primack said. “Just one example that pops into my head — my friend and I were playing music practicing for a show, and one of the band members took off his shirt to reveal a giant swastika on his chest.”

Witnessing these hateful incidents as a teenager, Primack wanted to prevent injustices from happening to kids in subsequent generations.

“Al is very intentional about the research he chooses to delve into, based on the impact it might have,” McDonald said.

Most of Primack’s research revolves around legal argument or interpretation, specifically involving children, who he said don’t have the power in society or the know-how to defend themselves in legal cases.

One of his first theses in 2017 argued against sending children to court for cases of cyberbullying.

And his most recent thesis, published at the end of 2017, aimed to reinterpret child pornography laws to ensure teens at the age of consent weren’t registered as sex offenders for sending explicit photographs.

“There are many archaic aspects of current laws,” Primack said. “A lot of my work revolves around decriminalizing things that are common in teens.”

As a burgeoning expert on communication and legal studies, Primack also finds time to help his peers, like Hillary Ash, who’s in the same boat writing her dissertation. Ash sent out her first paper for publication last fall and had it rejected two months later. She said Primack not only affirmed that her paper was publishable, but sat down with her and reviewed every single comment.

“I regularly say, ‘He’s the best human,’” Ash said.

“Al had taken the time to black out any comment that was not productive to revising the paper, the good comments and the bad and we problemsolved the biggest issues with the paper that the reviewers identified.”

Ash said she appreciates all that Primack has done for her professionally, but as his close friend she enjoys his friendly spirit and his genuine interest in people — not to mention his “incredible meatloaf.”

Odyssey has now been doing for the past two years, and secondly make it accessible for the public to play and understand,” Horton said. “It’s not intuitive to people now in 2019 how to play this thing, and so one of the things that we want to do is give people that experience of what the beginning of video games was like.”

Ahmad Jumper, a sophomore politics and philosophy student, said VML’s expo offers a glimpse into the original technology that now constitutes his pastime.

“I feel like this is something that is cool for the nostalgia effect and just comparative to see where video games started to where video games are now,” Jumper said.

Horton also said the Magnavox Odyssey project builds upon the existing foundation by including new game designs that aim to make the experience more marketable to university students. New levels will be present in the Odyssey games that offer new experiences curtailed at more modern arcade games.

The inside of the Vibrant Media Lab “We do a lot of work to improve some of those in the Cathedral of Learning. Levko original games, and then create new games that Karmazyn | staff photographer push the Odyssey in a new direction,” Horton said.

“We are excited at the possibility of designing new games right now for the 1972 console, which is a very challenging console.”

Tim Zubizarreta, a student at the law school, has been working with the VML for more than a month and a half as a volunteer. He said the exposure to the video-game console was mesmerizing due to the experimentation and the research involved with the Magnavox Odyssey.

“I love the experimentation that is going on in here, being able to experience that, being able to look at the mechanics of these games and see how this translates to modern gaming and also interesting things that are lost by history,” Zubizarreta said. “Getting to be a part of game design and providing input on these games that are coming — this lab is fascinating for me.”

Video games have been present since the early 1970s and continue to have influence on modern culture, something Horton said the event is meant to convey.

“I think the much larger significance is to gain a tactile, concrete understanding of how our media culture has emerged, and to understand what the possibilities are,” Horton said.

March 19, 2019

2

Opinions

KNOW VIOLENCE IN VOCABULARY

Leah Mensch Staff Columnist

In Mexico City, Valeria Luiselli is a name most households know and love.

In the United States, the author is lesser known, though that’s begun to change since the publication of her latest novel, “Lost Children Archive,” in early February.

Luiselli, a Mexico City native who now resides in New York City, spoke at the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures “Ten Evenings” series on March 11. Her writings largely recount the experiences she has had working in court as a transla-

tor and her political rage. In some of her most recent works, she emphasizes how the United States gives unaccompanied minors who cross the border only 21 days to find a lawyer to take their case pro bono before they are deported back to their country of origin. The message of her lecture was for Americans to become conscious of the violence in their own vocabulary that can contribute to how these children are viewed.

Luiselli’s reasoning comes from her time in the summer of 2014 working as a volunteer Spanish-to-English interSee Mensch on page 4

Mexican author Valeria Luiselli at Hay Festival 2016. image via wikimedia commons

pittnews.com

from the editorial board

Admissions scandal not surprising Federal officials charged 50 people including actresses, investors and chief executives last Tuesday in the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice. Participants of the scheme paid bribes of up to $6.5 million to secure a place for their children at elite colleges like Yale, Stanford and the University of Southern California. Others fabricated disabilities to receive time extensions on standardized tests.

While the bribery scheme is outrageous, it should not spark surprise.

Instead, it should highlight the enormous advantages wealthy Americans possess that allow them to get into college due to factors other than their intellect or accomplishments.

The case brings attention to the entrenched generational inequality that plagues opportunities for advancement.

“This case is about the widening corruption of elite college admissions through the steady application of wealth combined with fraud,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said at a press conference.

Parents engaging in the scheme engaged in two major forms of fraud to ensure their children possessed an unfair advantage over their peers.

“One was to cheat on the SAT or ACT, and the other was to [use] connections with Division I coaches and use bribes to get these parents’ kids into school with fake athletic credentials,” Lelling said.

Whereas most students with dis-

March 19, 2019

abilities would need months to be approved for special accommodations while taking college admissions exams, the children of the charged individuals acquired approvals through personal psychologists by feigning disabilities. Parents would then fabricate reasons to change the test location to testing centers where proctors could be bribed to change incorrect answers or take the tests themselves.

Other parents, like actress Lori Loughlin, paid athletic coaches at universities to falsify athletic credentials for their children. Loughlin’s daughters were designated as recruits to the USC crew team despite having never participated in the sport.

Loughlin merely sent photos of her daughters on a rowing machine.

The scheme’s leader, William Singer, disguised bribes using his nonprofit he claimed was set up to help disadvantaged students. Singer called Loughlin’s husband, Mossimo Giannulli, in 2018 to clarify a cover story about Giannulli’s immense bribe paid to the nonprofit.

“So I just want to make sure our stories are the same … and that your $400K was paid to our foundation to help underserved kids,” Singer said.

“Uh, perfect,” Giannulli allegedly responded.

For many students, the college admissions process should be a meritbased process providing opportunities to move up in the world. For these wealthy Americans, it’s a game they were paying to play and paying to win.

3

Mensch, pg. 3 preter in a court for child refugees from Latin America detained crossing the border. Using the makeshift questionnaire the volunteers made to help the children build a court case, she wrote the piece she is best known for in the United States, “Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions.” She moves through questions such as “Why did you flee your home?” and “Did anyone hurt you on the way here?”

“We have to learn to denounce the violence in language,” she said during her lecture in Oakland last week. “We must understand that immigration is not a crisis, but rather a geographical reality.”

She is right — immigration is a human movement that has been part of the world’s past and present and will be part of the future. You learned about it in middle school, likely on an overhead projector or in a flimsy science textbook. Perhaps it was called “migration” then.

“In modern history, major demographic transitions have included the

pittnews.com

influx of immigrants to the U.S. from the mid-1800s to the early 20th century; the flow of humanity at the end of World War II, when tens of millions of people, particularly in Europe, were sundered from their native countries by years of violent conflict; and the movement of more than 17 million Africans within their continent in the 21st century,” wrote University of Pennsylvania faculty member Abigail Meisel.

One of the major factors pushing migration today is violence and unrest in Central America. In “Tell Me How It Ends,” Luiselli tells the story of a young man who migrates to the United States from South America to escape the MS13 gang. He tells her in court that gang members killed his friend and then hid outside of his house. He could not leave for days. She notes this is a common occurrence.

William Lacy Swing, the former director general of the International Organization for Migration, notes both natural and man-made disasters, such as climate change, hurricanes and tsunamis, also force migration. Scientists estimate that climate change alone

could cause more than 140 million people to migrate by 2050. Moving around due to conditions is an inevitable phenomenon, not a crisis that can be prevented.

While it’s important to address immigration as a movement rather than a crisis, Luiselli also stresses the importance of choosing appropriate language to address the refugees themselves.

“Children, adults, they can do illegal things, but nobody can be metaphysically illegal,” she said at the end of her lecture.

Luiselli admitted she, like everyone else, does not have a perfect answer to addressing the influx of refugees. But she believes that looking at them as people, in a more humane way, is the root of the solution.

“Only then can we solve it,” she said before her closing remarks.

Sometimes lectures like Luiselli’s can leave the audience overwhelmed, on top of being empowered. For college students who are taking 15-plus credit hours, working side jobs and upholding their commitment to on-campus extracurriculars, finding a way to help an in-

March 19, 2019

flux of immigrants can seem not only daunting, but nearly impossible. During the book-signing reception, I asked her what students like myself could do to help.

“You have to start small,” she said.

“Change your language, like I said. And get involved with local organizations.”

Casa San Jose, a Pittsburgh-based organization, was tabling at the discussion. The organization’s goal is to help Latin and South American refugees become more acclimated to the Pittsburgh area through connection to other Hispanic students, transportation, interpretation, jobs and overall empowerment. The nonprofit has assisted more than 1,000 Latinos since its founding, according to the website.

While volunteering is a time commitment, being conscious of language is not. Immigration is a reality that does need a solution. Luiselli does not argue otherwise. But the solution needs to be to see the refugees as human beings, not intruders. When we speak, others pick up on what we say. We do not need to be policy-makers or border interpreters to make a difference.

4

Culture

Review: ‘Captain Marvel’ packs great performances and action into a crowded plot pittnews.com

LOCAL ARTIST STEW FRICK DOMINATES THE ART SCENE BY CUSTOMIZING CLOTHES Siddhi Shockey

Staff Writer As a child, Stew Frick assumed everyone saw different days of the week or letters not just as symbols, but as an array of colors. When they got older, they discovered these experiences were actually a particular phenomenon called chromesthesia, in which auditory and visual sensory information interact. This synesthesia helped Frick discover their calling in art and fashion.

Frick’s fashion art primarily consists of geometric shapes, sometimes dripping with metallic or pastel-colored ooze. Some designs highlight shades of greens, browns or pinks. Often they are simply words or colorful vines that stretch up sleeves of a shirt or the heel of a boot.

The designs are almost otherworldly and abstract, as if pulled from a fever dream.

“Often a thing of it will be that you see ‘A’ as blue or you envision different days of the week or of the year as different colors or shapes and patterns,” Frick said. “You’ll conceptualize them in a physical space around you.”

Their chromesthesia has allowed them to collaborate well with musical artists like Brittney Chantele or indie rock band Distant Futures.

For an upcoming project, Frick has been working with artist Benji to create one jacket for each of the 13 tracks on Benji’s newest album. Each piece is inspired by Frick’s synesthetic experience with each track.

Frick’s own clothes are decorated in bold hues of blue and pink, some depicting words celebrating queerness. Whether they are modeling their designs or crafting clothes for local singers and bands, Frick thrives in a league of their own.

Frick — a Pittsburgh native, born in Coraopolis — has coined the term “clothing customizer” as their official job title. They often begin with a clean canvas of items ranging from boots to sneakers to jackets, made of either leather or cloth, and then add their creative designs.

Frick’s love of art didn’t begin until much later in life after they had decided to leave college and pursue a career that would hopefully

pittnews.com

involve clothing customization. During their time at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, they studied business and marketing, a career path Frick hoped would create a foundation for starting their own clothing design business.

“The [business classes] were interesting enough, and I started taking them with the thought in mind of making clothes one day,” they said. “But it just all felt like if I followed the teachings that I got in college, even if they might technically get me more money, it was all soul-

With their family mostly rooted in the sciences, Frick wasn’t sure of their path in clothing customization. But they were sure it was better than finishing school with thousands of dollars in debt. Around this same time, they began pursuing art more by creating more sketches and canvas paintings. Frick didn’t immediately begin working with clothing upon making the decision to leave school.

“I started with canvas paintings,” they said, “and that’s really just because I hadn’t worked my

Native Pittsburgh artist Stew Frick’s fashion work heavily features abstract designs. Anna Bongardino | contributing editor less and disappointing to think of my life following that path.”

Frick spent most of their childhood living with family in Germany and returned to Pittsburgh during their teenage years, going on to attend IUP before dropping out to pursue clothing design and graphic art as a career. When they are not working on their art, Frick works part-time at a road and infrastructure company, grading roads in the greater Pittsburgh area. Although time-consuming, their work allows them to support themselves, both in their art and in meeting their daily needs.

way up to ruining a shirt yet.”

While painting a mural for The Bushnel — a house venue for music performances in Oakland — Frick met Brittney Chantele, a singersongwriter, activist and artist. Chantele and Frick hit it off right away and began collaborating on pieces. Frick began to customize hoodies for Chantele’s music performances that she would use to advertise her music and Frick’s art.

“Basically, we developed this relationship where I give Stew my old clothes and they put their art on them and passes them onto me,” she said. “Then I usually wear them for a perfor-

March 19, 2019

mance where I know that I’ll be photographed.”

Frick has done similar projects with groups like Distant Futures. They are featured on the band’s album cover wearing an original Stew Frick: a shirt with the word “were” printed vertically in scratchy red handwriting on the back.

Connor Schweisberger — guitarist and vocalist for Distant Futures — was excited to collaborate with Frick again.

“There is so much self-appreciation that they put into their art,” Schweisberger said. “I’ve never seen such mutual respect and admiration in an artist because they put their whole heart into everything they do.”

Through their collaborations, Frick has found a burgeoning network of support in the artist community. With this, they have expanded their business through their online store, Sweet Tooth, or through their social media.

Frick has since worked with stores like Three Pigs Collective, a vintage store in Lawrenceville that showcases the work of different clothing and jewelry artists in the Pittsburgh area.

Through this collaboration, Frick began working with leather jackets, a staple of their current customizations.

Ultimately, Chantele believes Frick deserves more credit for their work. She claims their impact on her life has been greater than they give themselves credit for.

“You know, I think they embody the ‘walkthe-walk, talk-the-talk’ mentality,” Chantele said.

“They treat others the way they would like to be treated and I see that in so much of what they do.”

Frick enjoys being immersed in the artist community, but they readily admit that it is also nerve-racking to put themselves out there. They find that at the end of the day, everyone is simply looking to enjoy art together, no matter their background or level of achievement.

“I started making art as an escape to try and express trauma or express any kind of emotion,” Frick said. “At the end, it’s an ability to re-contextualize yourself and be able to escape the banalities of life and stress.”

5

Sports

Pitt’s unveiling their efforts to rebrand through an ongoing partnership with Nike pittnews.com

PITT’S HERMANEK SET TO FACE FORMER TEAM FOR FIRST TIME

Michael Nitti Staff Writer

After being in the opposing dugout in Pitt’s 6-1 loss to Ohio University last season, first-year softball head coach Jodi Hermanek will look to lead the Panthers to a win in their home opener.

Hermanek will square off against her former team for the first time on Tuesday when the Panthers take on Ohio. Prior to being hired at Pitt, she spent 10 years as Ohio’s head coach and won two Mid-American Conference Tournament championships en route to becoming the Softball head coach Jodi Hermanek during the Sept. 16 matchup with Slip- winningest coach in the program’s history. pery Rock last year. Kaycee Orwig | staff photographer “As a coach, I really learned how to evolve

a program and how to embed yourself, your culture and your philosophies into a sustainable program,” Hermanek said. “It took me a couple of years to get the right kind of recruits and the right kind of stigma going on there.”

Hermanek was hired as the head coach of Pitt’s softball team this past summer after former head coach Holly Aprile resigned to take the same position at Louisville.

Before Hermanek took over as Ohio’s head coach, the team was coming off a season that saw them go 29-26 and make a surprise run to the 2008 MAC Tournament Championship See Hermanek on page 7

BRACKET BUSTER BREAKDOWN

Nick Carlisano Staff Writer

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for sports fans. Yes, March Madness is finally here –– starting Thursday, the NCAA tournament will commence as 64 teams battle it out to be crowned the champion of college basketball.

It’s a commonly held belief that only a select few teams truly have the chance to win the big dance. While that often holds true, it doesn’t mean there can’t be a few upsets along the way.

It’s tradition for a few surprise schools to become Cinderellas –– teams that were some of the last to be invited, but also end up some of the last standing. Last year it was Loyola Chicago, an 11-seed that shocked the world by making it to the Final Four, cheered on by the infamous chaplain Sister Jean.

With the Ramblers missing out on the

pittnews.com

tourney this year, people are starting to wonder what team will take Loyola’s place.

Here are a few teams that have the potential to pull off a few big upsets.

11-seed Saint Mary’s Gaels, South Region There’s no better way to start off the tournament than with a win against the defending national champion. The Gaels will get a shot to knock out the Villanova Wildcats in the first round. The Wildcats breezed through the tournament last year, but are vulnerable this year after losing a collection of talent to the NBA. Saint Mary’s is fresh off a statement victory against Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference tournament championship.

The Gaels held the Bulldogs, a one-seed averaging almost 90 points a game, to a mere 47 points. They proved they’re capable of setting the pace by slowing down arguably the best offense in the country.

Saint Mary’s takes care of the ball and does

not commit many turnovers — a big deal, as every possession counts in the tournament.

The Gaels also have a star player, junior forward Jordan Ford, who averages more than 20 points a game and shoots more than 40 percent from three. Big performances from him could carry the Gaels down the stretch. Although Saint Mary’s would have potential matchups against Purdue and Tennessee if it continues advancing, the Gaels proved they’re a force to be reckoned with when they beat Gonzaga.

12-seed Murray State Racers, West Region Murray State’s sophomore guard Ja Morant alone puts this team on the list.

Morant is a potential top-five pick in the NBA draft and is following in Steph Curry’s footsteps. Luckily for Morant, Curry already proved star power can carry a midmajor team deep into the dance. Morant averages a double-double, pouring in al-

March 19, 2019

most 25 points and dishing out 10 assists per game.

Morant and the Racers will face off against Marquette, a team that has lost five of its last six games. Meanwhile, Murray State hasn’t lost since the end of January and captured the Ohio Valley tournament championship against Belmont, a team good enough to receive an at-large bid from a small conference.

While Morant is the focal point of the Racers, they have other guys who can get it done. Four of five starters average doubledigit scoring. Murray State’s path also goes through potentially the weakest one-seed in Gonzaga. Buckle in for this first-round matchup between Morant and Marquette junior guard Markus Howard, two players from our March Madness preview last month.

Find the full story online at

pittnews.com

6

Hermanek, pg. 6 before losing to Kent State. Ohio went 21-25 with a 12-12 conference record and lost its only two games in the double-elimination MAC Tournament in 2009 — Hermanek’s first year as head coach.

Fast-forward a year later, Ohio finished 2030, but with a vastly improved 15-8 conference record. Hermanek would go on to lead the team to two more winning conference records before falling below .500 in conference play in 2013 for the first time in her career at Ohio.

The following year, Ohio went 32-26 and 12-8 in the conference and won the 2014 MAC Tournament Championship for the first time in program history.

The win was special for Hermanek for another reason, as it was a week after her daughter was born. It also showed Hermanek’s dedication to her team.

“I gave birth to my daughter Emma in 2014, and she was seven days old when we entered the MAC tournament,” Hermanek said.

“It was so surreal … having Emma as our baby champion was one of the most amazing experiences, and not just for myself, but for those student-athletes to be a part of it.”

pittnews.com

Following a down year in 2015, Ohio compiled a staggering 119-58 record while going 51-19 in conference play over Hermanek’s final three seasons as Ohio’s head coach. During the 2018 season that concluded her 10-year tenure at Ohio, the team went 40-17, and 20-3 in conference play before taking home its second MAC Tournament Championship in six years.

“In 2017, we lost two games of a doubleheader in the championship, when all we had to do was win one of them, and we ended up losing 14 innings straight to Kent State,” Hermanek said. “The next year we came in with this horrible taste in our mouths and awful feeling in our stomachs and we knew we were never going to relive that.”

After winning the MAC Tournament, Ohio won its first regional games ever in the NCAA Tournament, beating Monmouth and James Madison before losing to Tennessee in the semifinals, which put an end to a historic season and career.

“I built some amazing relationships with the administration, everyone there is just family,” Hermanek said. “They were super supportive, we had a lot of niches of personal and professional relationships there that were created over a long span of time.”

Junior catcher Walker Barbee transferred

after two years at Elon University and has started 16 games this season for the Panthers, tallying two RBIs while throwing out four runners from behind the plate. Barbee describes Hermanek’s ability to create a strong sense of unity as a big factor for her decision to come to Pitt.

“One thing that really stuck out to me was [Hermanek’s] will to win and her will to really develop a community that feels like a family,” Barbee said. “We’re all sisters, we all love each other, we fight hard for each other on the field.”

In the midst of her first season at Pitt, Hermanek feels she can offer a great deal to the program.

“I bring into Pitt the opportunity of creating a new, enriched relationship with new people,” Hermanek said. “Knowing how to build a sustainable, strong-standing program, a championship-winning program and a familybuilding program, I want to up the ante and go a step further and produce who I am into the Pitt Panther culture.”

Hermanek’s culture is evident to Pitt players, including sophomore outfielder Hunter Levesque. Levesque is coming off an All-ACC Freshman-caliber season in 2018 and has started every game for the Panthers so far this year.

“I really admire [Hermanek’s] optimism

March 19, 2019

and her family-oriented style,” Levesque said.

“She brings a great presence, a great positive vibe to field, and it brings more energy and life to the game itself, and we learned that there’s so much more to the game of softball.”

Hermanek isn’t just bringing who she is into Pitt softball, but also to the City of Pittsburgh. Having been hired back in August, Hermanek moved from a small town near Athens to the greater Pittsburgh area. Despite considering Pittsburgh a great city, she could do without the City traffic.

“One of the things I’ve loved about being a small-town girl my whole life is that seven minutes and seven miles mean the exact same thing,” Hermanek said. “In Pittsburgh, I live about seven miles from campus and it takes me almost 25 minutes.”

Despite that, Hermanek loves what the Steel City has to offer.

“In Pittsburgh, you can turn left and find a completely different environment and I’m still eyes-wide-open to all the new experiences and all that this city has to offer,” Hermanek said. “I think in year three, I’ll have more opportunity to really gain ground here and continue to appreciate its values more.”

First pitch on Tuesday against Ohio is set for 4 p.m. at Vartabedian Field.

7

I N D E X

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

For Rent North Oakland 3 BR Apartment on 732 S. Millvale Ave. Available August 1, 2019. $1320‑$1630 +gas & electric.

412‑441‑1211. info@­ forbesmanagement.­ net. www.forbesman­ agement.net Two ‑ 4BR apart­ments available Au­gust 2019. 4821 Cen­tre Ave. Photos on­line, check out www.­ forbesmanagement.­ net, or call 412‑441‑1211. Apt. #1 ‑ $2690+gas/electric.

Apt. #2 ‑ $2580+gas/­ electric.

South Oakland 1,2,3,4,5,6 bedroom houses in South Oak­land. Available Au­gust 1st or May 1st. Newly remodeled.

pittnews.com

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

Classifieds

For sale

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

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

Bouquet, Meyran, At­wood, Semple St. Call 412‑287‑5712 for more information.

equipped kitchen, $1,195 + electric, Heat included.

412‑271‑5550

2 and 3 bedroom lo­cated on Meyran.

Newly renovated, air‑conditioning, dish­washer, and wash­er/dryer. Avail‑ able Summer 2019.

412‑915‑0856 or email klucca@veri‑ zon.net.

3444 Ward St. ‑ Stu­ dio and 1bedroom apartments. Free heating, free park­ing.

Available May & August 2019 move‑in.

Call 412‑361‑2695

2 Bedroom Apart­ ment. Rent: $1690 + electric. Avail‑ able August 1, 2019 on Louisa St. 412‑441‑1211. info@­ forbesmanagement.­ net. www.forbesman­ agement.net.

2BR houses and apart­ ments available in August. Unfur­nished, no pets. At­wood/S. Bouquet. Call 412‑492‑8173 3408 Parkview Ave. Studios, 1‑2‑3 BRS Available June &Aug. Pet Friendly & Park­ ing. CALL NOW! 412‑455‑5600 3436 Ward. Spacious 2‑Bedroom, 1 bath,

Apartments for rent on Semple ‑ studio, efficiency and one bedroom ‑ availabil­ ity May 1 and Aug 1 recently renovated and great location.

Includes heat, elec­tric is metered sepa­ rately. Call or text 412‑720‑5023.

Apartments for rent. 2 and 3 bedroom apart‑ ments 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 Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unre­lated people can share a

notices

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

single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Per­mits, Licensing & In­spections.

412‑255‑2175.

Brand new remod‑ eled spacious duplex.

5BR, 2BA, second and third floors with wooden floors.

Laun­dry room in apart­ment. $3000 +utili­ties. Call 412‑871‑5657 Furnished apartment for rent. 1 bedroom available immedi­ately. $700/mo in­cludes all utilities (for 1 occu‑ pant) ex­cept electric.

Conve­nient to schools and hospitals. Call Nancy for appoint‑ ment 412‑681‑7201.

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 North/South Oakland Houses and Apart­ ments with Laundry

R A T E S

Insertions

1-15 Words

16-30 Words

1X

2X

3X

4X

$6.30

$11.90

$17.30

$22.00

$7.50

$14.20

$20.00

$25.00

5X $27.00 $29.10

6X $30.20 $32.30

Add. + $5.00 + $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

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

and Central Air. Call or text 412‑38‑Lease Recently reno’ed S Oakland 3BR house, $1800/mo + utilities.

Spacious, beautiful, well‑maintained.

Dishwasher, wash­er/ dryer, central AC. Close to Pitt campus & shuttle. Off‑street parking available.

Panther Properties, 412‑328‑6236, pan­ therproperties2@ g­mail.com. pan‑ ther‑life.com/oakland

hardwood floors. $100 Amazon gift card upon move in. Avail‑ able spring, summer and fall. Contact Sue at 412‑720‑4756.

Shadyside: 1 and 2BR, great location, hardwood floors.

Free heat. Immedi‑ ate occupancy. Call 412‑361‑2695

Southside A very nice 2BR

apartment is avail­able

Welsford St. ‑Large 6 bedroom house, 3.5 bathrooms. Recently renovated with dish­ washer, washer/ dryer. $3000/month.

724‑825‑0033

with a start date of

Shadyside

skylights, appliances

4909 Centre Ave. Great location for this spacious 1BR apartment located be­ tween Pitt and CMU. On buslines, near restaurants, hospital.

Rent includes heat.

Laundry, storage & parking available.

Up­dated kitchens and

March 19, 2019

June 1. Located in a large apartment

building that primar­ily houses university

students, this apart­

ment is updated with and it’s own laundry.

Building has a shared courtyard which has a grill and tables for re­laxing outside.

No pets, no smok‑

ing. Rent is $1299/ mo. +utilities. If

inter­ested call Louis 412‑770‑4419

Rental Other Studios, 1, 2, & 3 Bedroom apartments available August 2019 & sooner. Oak­land, Shadyside, Friend‑ ship, Squirrel Hill, Highland Park, Point Breeze. Photos & current availabil‑ ity online, check out www.forbesmanage­ ment.net, or call 412.441.1211

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

Caregivers work alongside seniors to provide companion­ ship, light housekeep­ ing, personal care ser­ vices. Flexible hours available. If inter­ested call 412‑363‑5500 Need school year and summer help. Flexi­ble hours‑basic main­ tenance of Oakland

rentals‑painting, light yard work, etc.

Some­one who can use a hammer or drill with­out killing them­ selves. $15/hour. Dave 412.688.0533.

Team Scotti (insur­ ance broker for major league baseball) seek­ ing an information technology intern to assist in technical sup‑ port, troubleshoot­ing issues, organiza­tion and maintaining IT resources. Help with upgrading net­work equipment, as­sisting IT and other depart‑ ments with re­ports, tracking hard­ware and software in­ventory and other du­ties as assigned. Ideal candidate would have strong computer skills and a passion to learn. Fa­miliarity with Access is required.

Ability to work in a team en­vironment as well as independently is nec­essary. Contact Dave Webster at dweb­ster@team‑ scotti.com for further informa­tion.

8