3-30-2016

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

JOE BIDEN TO VISIT PITT NEXT WEEK

UPMC announces plans to pay its workers $15/hour Page 2 March 30, 2016 | Issue 132 | Volume 106

Alexa Bakalarski Staff Writer

On a nationwide tour of three universities, Vice President Joe Biden will visit Pitt next week as part of the It’s On Us campaign, the White House announced on Tuesday.

According to a release, Biden will travel to Pitt on April 5, then move on to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Colorado, Boulder, to address the importance of preventing sexual violence on college campuses.

Pitt is still working out details of Biden’s stop with the White House, including where and what time he’ll speak, and who the event will be open to, Student Affairs spokesperson Shawn Ahearn said.

Biden’s visit will be a part of the It’s On Us Week of Action, which is April 3-9. During this week, students at college campuses around the country will host events to engage their campuses in supporting survivors of sexual assault and preventing future assaults. The Week of Action occurs during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner said it was an honor for Biden to choose to come to Pitt and that his visit recognizes the University’s work to fight sexual violence on campus.

“Having Vice President Biden choose to come here to support our efforts, and launch our own Sexual Assault Week, is validation that we are on the right track, but we also realize that there is much work to do to eradicate sexual harassment and assault from our campus,” Bonner said in an email.

The White House launched the It’s On Us campaign in September 2014 to increase awareness of sexual assault on college campuses. More than 200 universities are currently involved in the campaign, which urges students to sign pledges to help prevent sexual assault and promotes bystander intervention.

On Feb. 22, Pitt’s It’s On Us campaign dis-

Pitches & Tones practiced “Last Dance” by Donald Summer in preparation for its concert on April 15.

Wenhao Wu SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PITT SETTLES JOHNSTON LAWSUIT Lauren Rosenblatt and Emily Brindley

The Pitt News Staff Four years after he was expelled, Pitt announced Tuesday that it had settled Seamus Johnston’s lawsuit and would establish a focus group on transgender inclusion.

Pitt announced in a joint statement with Johnston that after working collaboratively, the two parties had settled Johnston’s 2013 lawsuit against the University out of court.

In the release, Pitt also said it would form a new working group on the needs of transgender students at Pitt which Pam Connelly, the associate vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, said she will establish in April.

In his suit, Johnston, a trans man and a former Pitt Johnstown student, said the University violated his 14th Amendment rights See Biden on page 5 and Title IX rights after it expelled him in

2012 for continually using a locker room that did not match his University “gender status.”

The group will include students, faculty and staff and will “study, evaluate and make recommendations regarding the implementation of best practices for institutions of higher education vis-à-vis transgender individuals.”

The release said the group is part of “continued efforts” to make all students comfortable on campus and to ensure the University is inclusive, respectful and welcoming.

“As the University focuses on its strategic goal of inclusive excellence, the formation of this working group comes at a critical time,” Connelly said in an email. “The working group will help continue the momentum at the University in the direction of inclusiveness.”

Connelly said she would specifically reach out to students in Pitt’s Rainbow Alli-

ance to join the group.

Marcus Robinson, president of Rainbow Alliance, said it was crucial to include students, especially transgender students, in these discussions since they know their needs best.

“Having a group dedicated to this instead of being broader, narrowing down and focusing on these issues that [transgender students] are having will be great because we haven’t really had that in the past,” Robinson said.

In the same press release, Pitt also formally announced the availability of genderneutral housing for students in Ruskin Hall next year. The University told The Pitt News in September the housing would allow students of different gender identities to share a suite in the dorm, but did not issue an official statement.

See Gender on page 5

News

UPMC TO PAY WORKERS $15/HOUR BY 2021 Danni Zhou Staff Writer

After several years of workers calling for higher wages, UPMC announced on Tuesday that by 2021, its minimum starting wage for employees would reach $15 per hour, and average service worker pay would surpass $15 per hour by 2019.

The raise will apply to most of UPMC’s Pittsburgh facilities, including Presbyterian Shadyside hospital, UPMC Mercy, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. The pay increases will begin Jan. 1, 2017, which UPMC based on a market analysis to keep wages competitive, it said in a release.

“We are very proud of our wages, generous benefits and other rewards and of the tens of thousands of jobs at UPMC that have meaning and purpose, and that fulfill

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an incredibly important mission for the region and the communities that we serve,” John Galley, UPMC’s senior vice president and chief human resources officer, said in a statement.

UPMC is the Pittsburgh region’s largest employer with about 62,000 workers across all of its facilities.

Employees who will earn $15 per hour and take full advantage of the hospital’s benefit package will earn, in total, more than $24 per hour by 2019.

Several calls to SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, the labor union that is working to unionize UPMC employees, were not returned. Pennsylvania’s current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

“We are particularly pleased to offer entry-level employment to those with fewer technical skills and training,” Galley said.

UPMC’s decision to raise wages comes

several years after workers at its hospitals began demanding higher pay.

Earlier this month, hundreds of workers with UPMC and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania demonstrated at the UPMC’s headquarters Downtown to demand a higher minimum wage. The workers occupied an entire intersection during rush hour traffic, and some sat down by the door of the headquarters, refusing to move, according to an SEIU release.

In a statement issued Tuesday morning, Mayor William Peduto said he is honored to have UPMC join the movement to increase the minimum wage. In November, Peduto issued an executive order that would put in place a $15 per hour minimum wage for all city workers by 2021.

“Today is a big step forward. I commend UPMC for taking this step on behalf of low-income employees, many of whom are Pittsburgh residents, and for showing

March 30, 2016

how good wages mean good business for employers,” Peduto said.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, too, commended UPMC. “I also applaud Mayor Peduto for ensuring that we continue to narrow the wage gap in our community. The county had also made that commitment to ensure that our full-time county employees receive the wages that they deserve for the betterment of their families,” Fitzgerald said.

Other local leaders, including city Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak and Pennsylvania state Representative Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) issued statements in support of UPMC and its workers.

“As one of western Pennsylvania’s largest employers, UPMC is showing leadership on this issue. The minimum wage in Pennsylvania has been stuck ... while all of our neighboring states have raised theirs,” See UPMC on page 5

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SGB VOTES TO AMEND ALLOCATIONS MANUAL Lauren Wilson

Senior Staff Writer By amending its manual, the Allocations Committee of Pitt’s Student Government Board is working to give a competitive edge to nonathletic clubs.

Nick Reslink, chair of the Allocations Committee, proposed a bill on March 1 to amend the Allocations Manual, which dictates how the group doles out money to student organizations.

One major amendment in the bill, which the Board voted to pass Tuesday, adds an exception to funding caps for non-athletic clubs to the Allocations manual to compete in national tournaments.

Currently, the cap to compete is set at $5,000.

Now, the Committee will judge allocations beyond the cap for these groups on a case-by-case basis when groups are invited to nationals.

“The amendment establishes the Committee and the Board can allocate more for nationals if the group has been good about shared responsibility,” Reslink said.

According to Reslink, the groups typically only have one-time expenses. According to Reslink, the exception would apply only to groups that have demonstrated shared responsibility,

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meaning they have fundraised to share the cost of their activities. “[The old policy] was disproportionately hurting them, so we thought it was appropriate to make the amendment because [nationals] is such a big deal,” Reslink said.

The bill also includes more than two dozen other amendments to the Allocations Manual, many of which change grammar or update outdated sentences in the code.

Reslink said he proposed the changes, which are largely syntax and style issues, in order to make the allocations process between the Committee and the Board smoother.

According to Reslink, one of the major amendments limits what the groups can change for additional requests between the Allocations Committee vote on Thursdays and the Board’s vote at Tuesday’s public meeting.

According to Reslink, the Board faced logistical issues when groups changed requests between the meetings, which forced the Board to vote on things that were not necessarily a part of the Committee’s recommendation because they had not had a chance to hear or discuss the changes. “[The group] has to take the changes back to the Committee so the vote is truly a recommen-

dation of the request,” Reslink said.

Now, during the interim period between the Committee vote and the Board’s vote, Reslink said groups can remove expenses or give documentation that may have been missing to the Board. Groups must propose all other requests to the Committee before they propose to the Board.

The Committee also announced Madeline Guido, a first-year biology major, will take over as Allocations chair beginning on April 30.

Reslink, Board President Nasreen Harun, Board member and future Board President Natalie Dall, Allocations Vice Chair Max Kneis and Allocations Committee member JJ Petti sat on a task force on Sunday, March 20, to interview two candidates.

Harun said SGB keeps the candidate’s name confidential because all the interviews and meetings are private.

According to Reslink, the applicant pool for Allocations chair is always small because it is limited to people who have already served on the committee.

“When you shrink down seniors who are graduating, the potential pool of candidates is always small,” Reslink said. “It’s also an intense job. There are few people looking to take on the

March 30, 2016

challenge.”

Reslink said he is excited for Guido to take over his position.

“It’s been three semesters since I’ve become [Committee chair],” he said. “I’m ready to pass on the torch.”

Guido said she wants to continue her work on the Committee with the positive changes the Committee has implemented this year, including the club sports policy, which limits the amount of money for club sports so that other groups have a better chance at receiving funding.

“Before we gave out a lot of money to [club sports], but now it’s more tailored,” Guido said.

“The cap makes it a lot more specific and now that we have those funds more organized, we want to open [allocations] up to more groups who thought they couldn’t use [the funds].”

Allocations Reformed University Fellowship requested $1,763.68 for a conference in Florida. The Board approved the request in full.

Pittsburgh Fencing Association requested $1,345.40 for a national competition in Florida.

The Board approved $316 and denied $1,029.40.

Some of God’s Children Gospel Choir requested $2,225 for a spring concert. The Board approved the request in full.

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The Pitt News Editor-in-Chief DANIELLE FOX

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

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March 30, 2016

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Gender, pg. 1 The University also reiterated in the release that it encourages students, faculty and staff to use the restroom facilities of whatever gender they identify with on campus — information it also told The Pitt News in September and posted online but never formally announced.

Ruskin Hall houses 416 students in one, two and three person apartments. The gender-neutral housing is set to begin in the fall 2016 semester.

Robinson said making these practices widely known can only benefit Pitt.

“People make their decisions [on where to go to college] on how inclusive a campus may be,” Robinson said. “Knowing Pitt has their restroom policy and gender-neutral housing can go a long way to making Pitt more diverse and inclusive.”

Pitt spokesperson Ken Service told The Pitt News in September that the new practices were not a result of the Johnston lawsuit.

Johnston enrolled at Pitt as a woman but identified and “lived openly” as a man during his time at the University, according to his lawsuit. In 2011, he showed the University proof of a name change and UPJ changed his name in his student record.

After a semester of using the men’s locker room for a weight training class, UPJ informed Johnston that he should use the unisex locker room, intended for referees, instead, the lawsuit said.

Johnston continued to use men’s restrooms on UPJ’s campus. At a Jan. 24, 2012 hearing, Johnston was found guilty of the same charges brought at his first hearing, the lawsuit said.

As a result, the court issued Johnston a “disciplinary dismissal,” which expelled him without the opportunity for subsequent re-

enrollment, in part on the grounds that “other students would be ‘uncomfortable’ sharing a locker room or restroom with a transsexual student,” according to the court records.

According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, each state has different rules and procedures for changing the gender of one’s birth certificate. In Pennsylvania, the applicant must submit a request form, a statement from a surgeon that a surgery was performed, a certified copy of the court ordered name change and any fees that apply.

Neither Sasha Buchert nor Ilona Turner, two lawyers from the Transgender Law Center who helped represent Johnston, returned

phone calls requesting comment. Johnston did not immediately return a request for comment.

Pitt said its release about the settlement would be its only comment on the lawsuit.

Service did not answer an email seeking further information.

Connelly said the working group she is helping establish will “continue the momentum at the University in the direction of inclusiveness.”

“I expect that the members will bring with them their ideas, experience and research, and the priorities will be set by the working group,” Connelly said.

UPMC, pg. 2

Frankel said.

Rudiak, who has long fought for higher pay for local workers, said in a release she had “no doubt” the wage raise was a result of worker’s advocacy, even though UPMC employees are not part of a labor union. Rudiak said UPMC’s decision was a step in the right direction.

“Today ... I celebrate UPMC’s decision to raise minimum wages at most facilities to $15/hour,” Rudiak said in a statement. “Today, we pause to celebrate, and tomorrow, we continue to fight for a union.”

Biden, pg. 1 played Pitt’s commitment to preventing sexual assault with the reveal of an approximately 800-foot paper chain of more than 4,000 signatures from Pitt faculty, staff and students. Student organizations such as Let’s RAVE and PantherWELL have trained peer educators in giving presentations on sexual assault and domestic violence. Pitt’s Sexual Harassment and Assault Response Education program offers counseling and medical services for victims of sexual assault.

Sharon George, the national It’s On Us campaign representative on the It’s On Us Student Advisory Committee, said Biden’s visit shows that Pitt has been grabbing national attention for its efforts to prevent sexual assault on its campus.

“I think it shows that Pitt has a really bright future ahead of it,” George said. “It definitely won’t be slowing down anytime soon.”

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March 30, 2016

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Opinions column

from the editorial board

TPN Takes: Stallings, Johnston and UPMC So much was happening Tuesday that we couldn’t pick which issue was most worthy of an editorial. We decided to resolve this predicament by addressing all of them.

The Kevin Stallings Conspiracy Since Pitt hired Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings to take over for Pitt men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon, Pitt fans have had mixed reactions.

The initial backlash to Stallings’ hiring has morphed into accusations of impropriety in the selection process.

Critics claim that personal connections between Stallings and the people in charge of filling Dixon’s seat constitute a conflict of interest.

But the conspiracy theory is just hysteria, and it’s time for Pitt to move on and give its new coach some peace.

According to a Pittsburgh PostGazette report, Pitt Athletic Director Scott Barnes used a consulting firm, Collegiate Sports Associates. The head of that firm, Todd Turner, was Barnes’ boss at the University of Washington from 2005 through 2008 and also hired Stallings as Vanderbilt’s coach.

Conspiracy theorists on social media are insinuating that Turner convinced Barnes to hire Stallings in a backroom deal to help the Vanderbilt coach escape a fanbase that was tired of him.

Barnes’ statement that he solicited Turner’s services because he trusts him is totally fair. That the two of them have a past provides good reason to believe that Barnes has observed Turner’s judgment firsthand.

The same goes for Turner’s connection to Stallings. Since Turner hired Stallings to a post he held for 17 years,

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clearly Turner thinks he is competent.

A chain of trust between the three primary figures involved in this decision is a good thing, not cause for a community-wide meltdown.

Stallings hasn’t even held his first practice yet. We should give him some room to plan our first championship.

Overdue justice in transgender lawsuit In 2012, Pitt’s Johnstown campus banned Seamus Johnston — a transgender student — from using men’s locker rooms and restrooms before eventually expelling him. Johnston sued Pitt for violating Title IX and Fourth Amendment protections. Both parties announced Tuesday that they had settled the 2014 lawsuit.

While they did not disclose details, their joint statement did highlight changes the University is making to be more gender-inclusive.

This is an important day for Pitt, as it moves past its biggest blunder in recent memory. The change shows that the University can and must grow by listening to its students’ demands.

But Pitt missed an important opportunity to advance the issue through transparency.

The release officially announced that Ruskin Hall will serve as genderneutral housing next year and that Pitt encourages all students, faculty and staff to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with.

The Pitt News broke this story in September, but the University didn’t officially acknowledge the connection to Johnston’s case until the settlement.

While it could have championed the moves as a sign that Pitt is willing

to make up for its mistakes — as we all should be when handling such sensitive issues — Pitt’s vice chancellor for communications Ken Service explicitly said they were not connected to the lawsuit.

Zero connection? That seems extremely unlikely.

We need transparency in order to fully appreciate results, and that includes, in the future, publicizing the work Pitt is doing with the groups pushing for change.

Still, this is a time for celebration.

These reforms came out of a terrible situation, but Pitt is clearly trying to do better. This is a great reminder that progress is achievable.

UPMC raises wages UPMC, the region’s largest employer, announced Tuesday that it intends to raise average wages to $15 by 2019 and increase starting wages to that level by 2021. UPMC is doing right by its some 62,000 workers by paying them what they deserve, but we must remember that this follows years of employee protesting for better treatment.

In 2014, UPMC employees and labor activist groups organized a weeklong hunger strike because many workers rely on food stamps and food banks. Just this month, hundreds of workers with UPMC and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania demonstrated in front of UPMC’s headquarters Downtown for higher wages. These rallies have been a consistent reminder that worker voices didn’t matter.

UPMC changing its ways is a good thing, but the people who have filled the streets deserve praise, too.

March 30, 2016

FORGET ENTERTAIMENT, INFORM ME Tim Nerozzi Columnist

Reading the news was never supposed to be fun.

Journalism has historically displayed itself in a rather stuffy light — factual, dry blocks of text with few pictures filled the first newspapers.

But BuzzFeed, Gawker Media and similar “news” outlets have stepped in to corner the market on edutainment. Articles about puppies, butts and pizza appear alongside the latest political campaign happenings — all wrapped up under the increasingly meaningless word “journalism,” but with some “fun” injected into it.

One of these “funny” articles, “Even for a Minute, Watching Hulk Hogan Have Sex in a Canopy Bed is Not Safe For Work but Watch it Anyway,” has landed Gawker in some hot water recently. The media company faces upwards of $115 million — almost half of its net worth — in damages to the professional wrestler. Gawker faces a very real threat of bankruptcy — and good riddance.

Gawker is finally getting what it deserves after years of terrible practices, but the outlet is only a drop in the bucket of new-media pseudo-journalism.

When these new-media outlets aren’t dumbing down their readers, they’re exploiting clickbait for revenue or carelessly printing articles for attention and page views. These sites are not reliable sources of journalism — they’re the Internet equivalent of grocery store tabloids. And to ensure better quality news, we as readers have to give our clicks to worthier outlets.

In our postmodern age of excessive media consumption, many people do not want to hunker down and read a dozen-page feature article See Nerozzi on page 7

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Nerozzi, pg. 6 about current events. Millennials want flashy, humor-driven entertainment and listicles with virtue-signaling and self-identification, such as “18 Ways All-Girl’s School Prepared You for the Real World” and “20 Times Emma Watson Shut Down Sexism in the Best Damn Way.” BuzzFeed is the monarch of this practice.

According to Digiday, around 52 percent of the 74.5 million millennials who use the Internet frequent BuzzFeed, and the site’s most popular content is its listicles.

While BuzzFeed’s News section has always featured some serious journalism and continues to expand that department, the entertainment overshadows that content. People still come for laughs and social media content. Worse, the tacky, uninformative writing BuzzFeed is known for — and continues to run — is rubbing off on the real news it does post.

“The Secrets of the Internet’s Most Beloved Viral Marketer” is a 2012 BuzzFeed article by Jack Stuef about Matthew Inman, author of the popular web series “The Oatmeal.” The profile was rife with inaccurate information, from falsely stating that Inman was a Republican to completely empty claims about his finances.

BuzzFeed’s article labeled fake social media accounts as belonging to Inman and attributed a quote to a daughter Inman doesn’t have.

The misinformation was so bad that Inman felt it necessary to post an annotated version of the profile piece, declaring it “so blatantly wrong that it borders on libelous.”

Since 2012, BuzzFeed has grown to employ more than 130 journalists based around the world. It has even earned a seat in the White House’s press briefing room. Its quality of news is improving.

But BuzzFeed’s primary content is still predominantly fluff — albeit with a slightly improved polish.

Some articles that appear to be real news stories end up being some collected social media posts and at most a quote or two, written by “contributing authors” who are really just members of the BuzzFeed community.

But it’s not the only outlet in town offering money for page views to any schmuck with a keyboard.

There’s an ever-growing number of “journalism” outlets aimed at college students that contain no characteristics of what journalism is all about. The articles have no research, no investigations and no reporting — only personal, vapid essays and exploitative confessional pieces.

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While they may not be malicious, publishing outlets like Odyssey and Bustle are misleading in their copy, using lingo that alludes to professional reporting and journalism instead of the more blog-oriented content that they actually contain.

The Tab Pitt is a “news site” that recently popped up. I applied to join as a contributor, and the site accepted me. Unknown to me, the promise of a “journalism” experience was empty. The site was filled with articles such as, “These young ladies are lifelong friends and occasional lovers” and, “Leaving my comfort zone to come to Pitt was the best decision I’ve made.”

I had joined the fluff confessionals without even realizing it, misled by standards that apparently don’t exist.

Pointless stories like these dilute “journalism,” but at least they don’t hurt people, right?

And you can’t say the same about Gawker.

Gawker launched in January of 2003.

Founder Nick Denton has summarized his personal editorial litmus test as being as simple as: “is it true, and is it interesting?”

This loose, uninhibited approach to journalism has been the common theme among all of Gawker Media’s outlets, from Gizmodo to Jezebel. Headlines are typically bold, in your face declarations or casual, conversational quips void of substance.

Gawker has made a name for itself by outing various public figures as closeted homosexuals, as well as posting intensely personal exposés on celebrities for the sake of a cheap laugh.

Take the case of the executive at Condé Nast, a rival company to Gawker, who was openly accused on the site of soliciting sex from a male escort.

The story in question had no stated purpose for its reporting, and was met with such heavy backlash that it became one of the first pieces taken down from Gawker for reasons other than legal issues or factual error. Internal debate over the story’s appropriateness caused major leadership changes and public conflict among staff.

Gawker relies on hollow journalistic ethics that its own leaders can’t agree on or understand. It does not seem to have a care in the world in regards to human decency, because drawing eyes comes first.

It is time that we as media consumers begin to act with discretion in the websites we give our page views to. We should end this trend of shoddy, harmful writing by being loyal to outlets that commit fully to solid reporting and ethical codes.

We’ve had our fun. Now let’s get serious.

March 30, 2016

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Sports

MANIGAULT WILL STAY WITH PITT Elizabeth Lepro and Dan Sostek The Pitt News Staff

Members of Pitt’s Equestrian Club celebrating their competition ribbons. Courtesy of Sarah Slocum | PItt Equestrian Club

RIDING WITH UNBRIDLED DEVOTION Meg Millure Staff Writer

Thirty minutes outside of Pittsburgh at BarGee Farms, Elizabeth Morris eases a bridle behind the recently operated-on teeth of Wynn, an attentive and slow-trotting mare.

Equestrians like Morris who ride with the Panther Equestrian Club team rotate horses,

depending on what horses might be too tired to practice that day. Wynn is a favorite of Morris’, so she pays careful attention to her health, making sure the metal doesn’t touch the tender parts of his pale gums.

Other sports — football, baseball, lacrosse, hockey — don’t rely on the well-being of 2,000-pound living creatures. But the

equestrian club’s seven different lesson horses all come with their own personalities, health needs and quirks that affect what it’s like to ride them. When it comes time for competition, club members have to leave their trusty steeds behind and jump on the backs of unfamiliar horses, hoping that they’ve been cared See Equestrian on page 9

KNIGHT CONSIDERS POSITION WITH STALLINGS Steve Rotstein Staff Writer

New Pitt men’s basketball head coach Kevin Stallings confirmed Tuesday morning that he offered Brandin Knight the opportunity to stay on as assistant coach next year.

On a TribLIVE radio broadcast Tuesday, Stallings said he offered Knight the position earlier that morning. Knight,

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former head coach Jamie Dixon’s top assistant this past season, had not accepted or declined the offer as of Tuesday evening.

“I offered him the job this morning, we met yesterday, and he asked if he could get back with me tomorrow and I said certainly that would be fine,” Stallings said on TribLIVE Sports Talk Radio. “I think that I’ll hear from Brandin sometime tomorrow ... I told him to

talk it over with his family and get back to me.”

In 2003, as a star point guard at Pitt under Ben Howland, Knight led the Panthers to a Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament title as well as two Big East Conference regular season titles and two Sweet Sixteen berths in 2002 and 2003.

Knight spent the past eight seasons as an assistant coach under Dixon after a brief professional career.

March 30, 2016

Paul VI Catholic High School (VA) forward Corey Manigault confirmed to The Pitt News on Tuesday he will stay committed to Pitt, despite former Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon’s move to Texas Christian University.

After Dixon’s decision to leave Pitt for his alma mater, three big commits were in the air for Pitt next season: Manigault; Crisshawn Clark, who’s currently attending Cañada College; and Justice Kithcart, a point guard from Durham, North Carolina.

Manigault said on Tuesday that he’s decided to stay at Pitt, defending the new head coach Kevin Stallings, despite ongoing controversy over his hire.

“I’ve just been watching film on Stallings’ teams and how he coaches, seeing how he uses his bigs,” Manigault said, “... just the overall city of Pittsburgh and the fans are all great.”

Kithcart is still deciding on whether he’ll decommit from Pitt. According to an interview with his father in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday, he’s not sure who to “trust” after Dixon’s move.

Clark announced over Twitter on Tuesday that he was re-opening his recruitment prospects.

On a TribLIVE radio show Tuesday morning, Stallings said he will focus on nailing down next year’s team over the next 20 days.

“We will certainly be trying to recruit, rerecruit in some cases, some guys that have signed here that are thinking about, you know, going elsewhere,” Stallings said.

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Equestrian, pg. 8 for just as dutifully.

“That’s my biggest thing as president, is that the horses get treated as they deserve,” club president Sarah Slocum said.

The Panther Equestrian Club has 32 members, each of whom pays $100 in dues and $400 for 10 lessons and is responsible for buying their own boots and helmets. Five members practice at a time, six times per week at BarGee Farms, a full service farm that offers riding lessons, which the club has been visiting for the past five years.

Morris, who is also a dedicated runner with Pitt club cross country, said through the equestrian club she‘s learned to depend on another athlete, who just happens to be a horse.

“It’s weird because [in] running, you care about yourself and if you get tired you slow down,” Morris said. “Having another animal to control makes a big difference.”

Working with animals as an athlete requires extra compassion and flexibility, according to Slocum, particularly when competing at Intercollegiate Horse Show Association events, where the hosting barn provides horses to competitors.

“We have gone to shows where the horses are not as well taken care of, and for me that’s really upsetting. There’s not much we can do about that except treat the horses with the respect they deserve while they’re under our possession,” Slocum, a biology major, said.

As a biology major on a pre-vet track, Morris said she joined the club to dispel any fears before coming face to face with the massive creatures.

“I figured if I never had contact with a horse and I’m too cautious around them, it wouldn’t look good for a large animal vet,” Morris said. Now she has learned there is nothing to be afraid of and works with coach Jim Boyce and more experienced club members.

Over the course of the year, the club competes in 10 regular IHSA competitions, plus Regionals and Zones — the championship round.

Pitt made it to both competitions this year, competing against other schools, including West Virginia University, Slippery Rock University, Allegheny College and Washington & Jefferson College.

To be competitive, Boyce has to teach Pitt equestrians how to look good on any horse.

“With the IHSA, it’s position [that’s most important], because you have to learn how to do the same position on every horse,” Boyce said after a lesson.

The randomized pairings of people and horses mean that riders have to grow accus-

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tomed to their horses quickly at competitions — there’s no time to adjust for complications.

The pre-existing abilities and health of a horse can have immense bearing on the final outcome of the competition. But riders have no power over that on borrowed horses.

Because riders don’t use their own horses, senior civil engineering major Becky Glucksman said it takes more than wealth to make a good rider.

“I like [IHSA competitions] more [than conventional shows] because it’s not based on how well-trained of a horse you can buy,” Glucksman said. “It’s not necessarily better because it’s luck of the draw. If your horse is

good, great, but if not you just have to be a good rider.”

Of all the special precautions and considerations riders make while riding, only a few are easily visible.

“To be a good rider, you have to be balanced, have good posture, lots of leg muscle and trust in your horse,” Slocum said.

At regionals this past weekend, two of the four team members who competed will move on to the next level of competition near St. Lawrence University in new York.

Emma Gorham won first place in the intermediate fences category, which involves cantering and jumping, and Jamie Spratford

March 30, 2016

won second place in open flat, a category that demonstrates the rider’s abilities on a course without jumps.

Wynn, Icon, Merly and the rest of Pitt’s horses and riders who didn’t make it to Zones will stay in Pittsburgh. For the team, it’s not always about winning or competing — it’s about caring for the animals. “[Taking careful care is] not as much an inconvenience as the best part of our day,” Morris said. “We’re all from small towns so it’s sort of like a piece of home that we have at school with us. It’s usually the highlight of my week to get to be around horses. I love them so much.”

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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.

Very large estate located 1/2 block from Ruskin Hall. Offering a 2nd & 3rd floor with a semi-private entrance with 6 BR, 3 BA, large kitchen, common lounge great for studying or entertaining guests. Lots of closets, original restored hardwood floors, partially furnished. Free limited parking. Free laundry room included. Free internet. $700 per person. Can divide each floor into 3 BR each.

No lease required but rental term available for duration of school year. E-mail felafelman@gmail.com. ****************** Large 6 bedroom house for rent. Fall occupancy.

Atwood Street.

Close to campus.

Please call Gary at 412-807-8058 1,2,3,5,6, & 8 bedroom houses. August & May 2016.

Bouquet, Atwood, Ward & Dawson.

Please call 412-287-5712.

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Employment

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

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

**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. +++5 bedroom, 2 full baths, huge house, nicely updated, shuttle across street, washer/dryer, $2595+, August 1, photos www.tinyurl.com/pittnewsad4 coolapartments@gmail.com 724-935-2663

1-7 BR apartment/house for rent. Dishwasher, washer/dryer, shuttlebus near property. Also for rent, one 5 BR house in Shadyside. Near CMU & Pitt bus.

Call 412-609-4340.

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.

Classifieds

For Sale

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.

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.

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

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.

311-1/2 Semple St. 2BR Unfurnished Apartment. For fall 2016 occupancy.

Kitchen, bath, living room, basement, front porch, back patio. 2 blocks from Forbes Ave. Dishwasher, disposal.

New gas range. New bathroom. Ceramic floor. New vanity and fixtures. Must see. $1200/month+utilities.

Call 412-681-3636.

PM 412-389-3636.

Available 8/1, 1 BR/1 Bath, 5 min. walk to Cathedral, A/C, hardwood floors, newly renovated, starting at $995+, 412.441.1211

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

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.

361 McKee Pl. 4BR + 2BA. $1650 +all utilities. Available May 1.

53 Bates St. 3 BR 2BA. $1300+ all utilities. W/D A/C. Remodeled. Avaiable now.

51 Bates St. 2 BR apartment. $900+ all utilities. Remodeled.

W/D and A/C. Available May. 51 Bates St. 3 BR apartment. $1200+ all utilities. W/D and A/C. Available August.

3142 Bates St. 4 BR single house. W/D. $1400+ all utilities.

Available August 1.

Call 412-721-1308 4 BR townhouses, Semple St., available May 1st 2016.

Equipped kitchen, full basement.

412-343-4289. Call after 5:00 pm.

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)

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 Brand new 2BR apartment in central Oakland for $1800 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 gorgeous apartment for FALL 2016.

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.

Large 1,2,3 bedrooms available for rent starting June-July.

Prices range from $695-$1490/month.

Includes gas, heat, and water. See websie www.rentnearpitt.com. Call or text 412-725-1136. Don't call after 8 PM.

March 30, 2016

M.J. Kelly Realty Studio, 1, 2, 3, & 4 Bedroom Apartments, Duplexes, Houses. $750-$2400. mjkellyrealty@gmail.com. 412-271-5550, mjkellyrealty.com Nice 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom, plus study.

Located close to Pitt campus and Schenley Park. Brand new kitchen and hardwood floors. Free washer and dryer included. $1850+ utilities. Available August 1, 2016. Call Peggy at 724-877-7761.

South Oakland Duplex. 4 bedroom 2 baths. Central air, dishwasher, washer and dryer. Available August 1.

(412)915-0856.

Studio and 1 Bedrooms. 216 Coltart.

Parking. Available Aug. 2016. Starting at $665. Free heat.

Greve RealEstate.

412-261-4620.

Updated 1BR apartment within walking distance to Pitt for $775 per month.

Apartment has A/C, plenty of storage, spacious living room, eat-in kitchen, lots of character and is located on Atwood Street! Call 412.682.7622 or email sarah@robbrealestate.com for more info on this amazing apartment for FALL 2016.

4909 Center Ave. Updated 1 BR with new kitchen, dishwasher & hardwood floors.

Laundry, storage and parking available.

Close to Pitt & shopping district. Available now and for August. 412-720-4756.

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

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.

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.

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

ATTENTION OCCASIONAL SMOKERS! UPMC seeks healthy adults ages 18-65 who occasionally smoke cigarettes.

This research is examining how smokers respond to cigarettes that are low in nicotine.

There are up to seven sessions lasting about three hours each. Research participants completing the study will be compensated up to $60 per session, or $20 per hour. For more information, call 412-246-5393 or visit www.SmokingStudies.pitt.edu Caregivers and babysitters needed.

FT/PT. Earn $25/hour. No experience required. Will train. Call now.

888-366-3244 ext. 102.

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Rolling Fields Golf Club in Murraysville.

Multiple positions available immeduately. Including bartenders, beverage cart, and pro shop assistant. Contact proshop@rollingfieldsgolf.com or 724-335-7522.

Seasonal Work: Shadyside Management Company needs full-time dependable landscapers, painters, and assistant roofers for the summer.

Must be at least 18 years old. No experience necessary. $10/hour.

Mozart Management, 412-682-7003. Email: thane@mozartrents.com.

SUMMER HELP NEEDED, Ice company close to campus. Weekends necessary. Production/driving/maintenance positions available. Good pay, part-time/full time. Contact Mastro Ice Company 412-681-4423. mastroice@aol.com

The Pitt news crossword 3/30/16

Come work where it’s Oktoberfest every day. Now hiring for all positions at Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh.

Apply in person Monday through Friday.

The Pitt News SuDoku 3/30/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

Join us in remembering the late George Daly by playing in the Spring Spike Volleyball Tournament on April 3rd!

Email SpringSpike2016@gmail.com to play and find out more. Donate at https://www.gofundme.com/SpringSpike2016

pittnews.com

March 30, 2016

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pittnews.com

March 30, 2016

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