3-5-19

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 5, 2019 ­| Volume 109 | Issue 118

STUDENTS FACE DIVESTMENT REFERENDUM

A GALA THAT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD

Emily Wolfe

Assistant News Editor Tuesday’s runoff election to determine Student Government Board’s executive vice president for the 2019-20 academic year will offer students the chance to show either their support or opposition for fossilfuel divestment.

The ballot students see on elections.pitt.edu from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday will feature a referendum question on whether or not the University should divest from fossil fuels.

SGB President Maggie Kennedy said the current board has discussed the concerns of the pro-divestment Fossil Free Pitt Coalition, a partnership of more than 35 student organizations, to the administration.

According to Kennedy, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher advised SGB to collect student opinion to demonstrate to the Board of Trustees that students truly want divestment — if that is what they want.

“We wouldn’t want to make a statement [to the Board of Trustees] that doesn’t represent, ideally, a maSaturday evening’s Lunar Gala Fashion Show primarily featured designs from CMU students. Kaycee Orwig | staff jority of the student body,” Kennedy said. photographer She acknowledged that tomorrow’s runoff and referendum vote is unlikely to turn out a majority of the student body to vote. But it could still show how a significant portion of undergraduate students feel about divestment. About 18 percent of the student body votthe future of Pitt’s Oakland campus and its plan for to its website, 8,782 people, including alumni, doMary Rose O’Donnell ed in the presidential and board elections on Feb. 19. development over the next 20 to 30 years. Accord- nors, businesses, faculty, staff and students, conKennedy said board member Albert Tanjaya had Staff Writer the idea to pose the question to students at the time of As students are planning for their futures, ing to the plan, it illustrates “how the institution’s tributed to the CMP, discussing what they would the runoff election between Caroline Unger and Anaïs whether it be a summer internship or a job post- Pittsburgh campus can evolve over time in a way want to see from the University in future. This inthat supports academic excellence, the student ex- put was accrued via surveys, town halls and web Peterson, who tied for the position of executive vice graduation, Pitt is planning for its future as well. engagement. president in February’s SGB election.

After more than a year and a half of develop- perience and connection to the community.”

The CMP was developed with input from indiProjects have been placed into short-term, “Since these are two large birds, we’re hoping we ment, Pitt’s Campus Master Plan, or CMP, was recan get them both with one stone,” Kennedy said. leased on Feb. 11. The CMP is a detailed outline of viduals across the University as well as the greater See Master on page 3 Oakland and Pittsburgh communities. According

PITT FINALIZES CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

News

STUDENTS TO RESPOND TO TREE OF LIFE THROUGH SCHOLARS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

Nicole Marzzacco For The Pitt News

When tragedy strikes a community, its members respond in different ways. After a gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue and killed 11 worshippers last October, Pitt first responded by holding a candlelit vigil outside the Cathedral of Learning and providing numerous counseling options for students.

Now, four months later, the University plans to sponsor up to nine undergraduates who will conduct research on the Tree of Life shooting this summer and create an exhibit based on their findings, which will be on display at the University in fall 2019.

The Office of Undergraduate Research has created a Scholars in Residence program called “Responding to the Tree of Life Tragedy.” The summer research program will give the selected students an opportunity to work with materials obtained from the Tree of Life shooting. Then, the students will create an exhibit to demonstrate how the community can heal from the tragedy as well as how a similar event can be avoided in the future.

The deadline to complete the application is Wednesday, and it is open to undergraduate students with a passion for research who can find a faculty sponsor to oversee the project. The final form of the exhibit will depend on the specific skills and ideas of the students who are selected.

Eric Lidji, the director of the Rauh Jewish History Archives at the Heinz History Center, was asked by Pitt to be involved with the project.

Lidji will serve as an adviser throughout the project’s duration, in case students have any questions throughout their research.

“The goal is for students to create a response to the tragedy and look more broadly at what happened,” Lidji said.

Students have the opportunity to work with material collected relating to the tragedy, including sound and film recordings, images and typed recollections from the Heinz History Center and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.

“As a graduate of Pitt, it serves a communal feel-

pittnews.com

The Tree of Life Synagogue on the first Monday after the Oct. 27 shooting last year. tpn file photo ing to help with this project. I’m excited for students to have a close look at the materials and student involvement,” Lidji, a 2004 alumnus, said. “It’s important for people to engage emotionally and intellectually. This project has the potential to improve lives in wake of tragedy.”

Caroline Nesbit, a sophomore media and professional communications major, has been an active member of Hillel since her first year and serves as a campus engagement intern who works to get more students involved with Hillel.

She is excited to see how the students deliver the project, and said she hopes the exhibit will be

something that both Hillel members and others can learn from.

“I’m looking forward to see what they do.

I would go out of my way to see it, and I think it would be good for Hillel to see,” she said. “Students should be aware that this happened and other students should be encouraged to see it.”

She is looking forward to see how the students work with the material and hopes they’ll approach it with sensitivity.

“This is anti-Semitism that must be dealt with, not glorified,” Nesbit said.

Seth Berk, a visiting lecturer at the University,

March 5, 2019

thinks it’s good that the project encourages students to be involved in the community. Berk, who lives just a few blocks away from the Tree of Life Synagogue, was in Squirrel Hill during the attack. He said he remembers seeing the police lines blocking off the street and hearing helicopters scoping through the neighborhood.

“I hope people take a minute to think of the people murdered as individuals rather than victims as a whole,” Berk said. “This project gets the dialogue going to prevent this in the future. It’s a good way to get students to think about and engage with rather than forgetting what happened.”

2

Master, pg. 1 mid-term or long-term phasing strategies. Shortterm projects, ones that some current Pitt students are most likely to see during their tenure at the University, aim to be completed in one to seven years.

Mid-term projects aim to be completed in eight to 15 years. Long-term projects aim to be completed in 15 years or more, as these projects “have a longer implementation time frame due to a lower priority or because their enabling projects typically require the demolition of an existing University building.”

There are 13 short-term projects listed in the CMP. This includes the creation of the Human Performance Center — a 3,000-seat sports area and student-athlete training facility — a 300-meter indoor track and additional athletic parking. These projects will require the relocation of the OC Parking Lot located on Allequippa Street. The O’Hara Garage will be demolished to make space for the Recreation and Wellness Center, a student recreation facility aiming to connect upper and lower campuses. Scaife Hall, the University Club and the Petersen Sports Complex will undergo expansions.

North and south campus housing hubs are also among the short-term projects.The North Campus Housing Hub will replace part of University Drive and aims to create 600 beds north of O’Hara Street.

The South Campus Housing Hub will involve the redevelopment of Bouquet Gardens and additional structures, aiming to create 1,000 to 1,300 beds.

Joe Miksch, a University spokesperson, said creating more on-campus housing will be beneficial for students.

“The increase in on-campus housing has multiple benefits, including it will stabilize the cost of housing for students, improves the quality based on University standards and frees up more housing for non-students in the nearby neighborhoods,” Miksch said in an email.

A new academic building called One Bigelow will be built at the site of the parking lot east of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall. According to the CMP, “One Bigelow will be a transformative academic complex that will serve as the hub of systems-oriented research, applications and education at Pitt.” This complex will house the School of Computing and Information and have an underground parking garage.

There are 11 mid-term projects, including the expansions of Trees Hall, Posvar Hall and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, as well as redevelopment of Crabtree Hall. An Aquatics Center and Integrated Health Sciences Complex are also set to be developed.

In addition, there are 12 long-term projects, many of which deal with athletic facilities and housing. Athletic ventures consist of softball/base-

pittnews.com

ball improvements, creation of a multipurpose indoor facility and additional development of the Petersen Events Center. Housing developments will take place on the east side of campus. New buildings will take the place of the Information Sciences Building, the Music Building and the PNC bank at Fifth Avenue and Craig Street.

The CMP states the Information Sciences Building is “currently in poor condition,” and acknowledges the School of Computing and Information, housed in the Information Sciences Building, will find a new home in One Bigelow.

In regards to the potential housing site at the PNC bank, the plan states the bank “could be removed

or accommodated on the ground floor to create a housing facility.”

The Music Building, a Schenley Farms Historic District property, and its adjacent parking lot are set to be demolished or maintained, according to the plan. Miksch said the building’s future is uncertain.

“There are no final decisions on the Music Building. The plan notes that ‘special care’ is needed, given the building’s history,” he said.

Mathew Rosenblum, the chair of the music department, has raised concerns about where the music department would be relocated if the Music Building was to be demolished or used for student

March 5, 2019

housing.

“They have no time line and they haven’t consulted us [the music department] and what our needs are. We’ve sent documentation of what our needs are, but we haven’t been involved in any discussions,” Rosenblum said.

The University is now seeking input from the community to create the Institutional Master Plan, or IMP, a plan required by the City of Pittsburgh to provide an outline of how new developments will adhere to City regulations. The next public meeting regarding the IMP will be held on Monday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the first floor of Mervis Hall.

3

Opinions from the editorial board

Fox-Trump relationship unethical, dangerous Partisanship in the media isn’t something new. Americans seem to have an inherent sense of which news outlets have a conservative bent, which ones have a liberal bent and which ones they trust most to avoid any sort of political leaning.

Most Americans familiar with Fox News know it serves a conservative, Republican-leaning audience. What some might be unaware of is just how close the media outlet is with the White House — a fact The New Yorker made obvious in a recent investigative piece. The article shows an unethical, incredibly alarming relationship between Fox News and the Trump administration.

According to the article, Fox reporter Diana Falzone uncovered the entire Stormy Daniels scandal before the 2016 election, but the network wouldn’t publish it. Falzone was demoted, after which she sued the network and agreed to a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement.

The article also details the preferential relationship between President Donald Trump and Fox. When the president went to the U.S.-Mexico border in January to convince Americans there was a national emergency there, all other networks’ reporters were held back by the Secret Service except Fox’s Sean Hannity. He was allowed to mingle with the Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and the White House Communications Director Bill Shine.

In fact, Hannity isn’t the only example of the too-close-for-comfort relationship between Trump and Fox News. The outlet has a history of lending the White House its employees to be a part of the Trump administration. Bill Shine, former copresident of Fox News, was appointed in July

pittnews.com

2018 as director of communications and deputy chief of staff at the White House.

Former Fox commentator John Bolton became Trump’s national security advisor.

Former Fox News anchor Heather Nauert was picked to become ambassador to the United Nations, but she withdrew herself from consideration. And it works both ways — many former Trump administration officials have taken up residence at Fox News.

“It’s the closest we’ve come to having state TV,” Nicole Hemmer, assistant professor of presidential studies at the University of Virginia, told The New Yorker. And this isn’t an exaggeration. Former president of Fox News Joe Peyronnin also equated the outlet being a part of the government.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he said to The New Yorker. “It’s as if the president had his own press organization.

It’s not healthy.”

The relationship between the GOP and Fox News has become different from any relationship between a major liberal-leaning network and the Democratic Party. Fox acts as an arm of the White House, a propaganda machine that seriously impacts American politics. A 2017 study estimated that if Fox News hadn’t existed, the Republican candidate’s share of the popular vote would have been 3.59 points lower in 2004 and 6.34 points lower in 2008.

Simply put, Fox has the power to influence votes and is apparently comfortable letting the White House use that to its advantage. This isn’t an ethical relationship that should exist between the government and its watchdog. It goes against the idea of a free press and gives a media outlet the job of promoting a political party rather than reporting the truth about it.

Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks at a campaign rally in Glendale, California, on Feb. 18. Warren is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. ronen tivony/sipa usa/tns

BUST THE FILIBUSTER Devi Ruia

For The Pitt News The Senate filibuster isn’t exactly the top issue of the 2020 presidential election. But while it may not be talked about as much as climate change, health care or gun violence, it could be the key to passing legislation regarding these issues.

Abolishing the filibuster is integral to passing important legislation as we move forward. The Senate filibuster refers to the Senate rule — cloture — that debate on a bill cannot be moved to vote unless three-fifths of the senators vote to close the debate.

This makes it extremely difficult for our partisan government to accomplish things, creating more gridlock in a government that has already ground to a halt multiple times, as evidenced by the three government shutdowns in the past two years. Abolishing the filibuster is the best way to get rid of a major roadblock towards passing meaningful Democratic legislation, and it is something 2020 Democratic presidential candidates should be willing to add to their 2020 platforms.

When the Senate is as polarized as it is today, with 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two Independents who caucus with the Democrats, it’s hard to reach the 60-vote threshold in order

March 5, 2019

to pass legislation. This is something that has repeatedly frustrated Republican President Donald Trump, who tweeted in July 2017, “The very outdated filibuster rule must go.”

Trump is correct in stating that the Senate filibuster is an outdated rule, and it’s not even one that can be found in the Constitution. The voting threshold requirement to end debate on legislation was added to the Senate rules in 1917, but at the time it required a two-thirds majority vote to close debate. This rule was changed in 1975 to require the three-fifths majority that we see today because it was too difficult to obtain the two-thirds vote. Unfortunately, it is still rather difficult to obtain the three-fifths majority vote.

Although abolishing the filibuster and moving to simply require a majority of the Senate to vote to end debate on a bill would help the Republican party — the current majority party in the Senate — it does not seem inclined to do so.

“I’ve long said that eliminating the legislative filibuster would be a mistake,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, tweeted in December. “It’s what’s prevented our country for decades from sliding toward liberalism.”

This quote is fairly telling of where Republican leadership stands when it comes to abolishing the filibuster. Though it might be beneficial See Filibuster on page 5

4

Filibuster, pg. 4 to them currently to get rid of it, if they lose the majority, they know liberals would be able to use it to their advantage to pass legislation, and Republicans refuse to allow Democrats to have this power.

So one would think that the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates would be on board to abolish the Senate filibuster. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“We should not be doing anything to mess with the strength of the filibuster,” presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said in an interview in January.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., another presidential candidate, seems to be in agreement. After announcing his presidential candidacy, Sanders said in an interview with CBS News he’s “not crazy about getting rid of the filibuster.”

Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., both presidential candidates, seem to be on the fence about what they want to do regarding the filibuster. Harris said at an Iowa Town Hall that she was “conflicted” and Gillibrand stated in an interview she was still “weigh[ing] all the pros and the cons.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., seems to be the candidate most inclined toward abolishing the filibuster. Warren remarked in February on political podcast Pod Save America to former National Security Council spokesperson Tommy Vietor, “If the Republicans are going to try to block us on key pieces that we’re trying to move forward, then you better believe we’ve got to keep all the options on the table.”

Their hesitancy is somewhat understandable. All five of the candidates are currently serving in the Senate, and therefore have experienced some of the problems that the abolishment of the 60-vote threshold has caused in confirmation votes. When the Democrats held the majority in the Senate in 2013, they changed the rules so that a basic 51-vote majority could confirm lower court and cabinet appointments due to heavy Republican obstruction of thenPresident Barack Obama’s appointments. When the Republicans held the majority in 2017, they changed the rules so the simple vote majority would extend to Supreme Court justices.

Without this rule change, the contentious appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court may not have happened, as he was confirmed in a narrow 50-48 vote, with two senators abstaining from the vote.

“Having just lived through being in the minority and how destructive the 51-vote threshold has been for Supreme Court justices, I just want

pittnews.com

to think long and hard about it,” Gillibrand said in an interview.

Democrats may also be concerned about the long-term consequences of abolishing the filibuster, which could possibly lead to Republicans reversing Democratic legislation when they regain the Senate majority. However, if Democrats are truly confident that their legislative agenda is the best choice for the American people, that is not something that should hold them back. The Republican-majority Senate voted three times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a Democratic health-care bill that has been heavily criticized by Republican leadership. They couldn’t even reach the 50 votes needed to repeal the ACA any of those three times.

Although it’s understandable to have reservations about abolishing the filibuster, it is likely a necessity if any of these Democratic presidential candidates hope to pass their legislative agendas.

Democrats have a decent chance of winning the Senate majority in 2020, according to political think tank The Brookings Institution. However, if they are able to do so, it will certainly not be by a large enough margin for them to bypass the Senate filibuster.

As a result, Senate Republicans will still be able to block most liberal legislation that Democratic candidates have talked about, like increasing taxes on the wealthy, family leave, voting rights reform, climate change action and healthcare reform.

In addition, past elections have shown us that midterm elections will take the majority away in Congress from the party of the President. Therefore, a Democratic president may only have two years to accomplish any wide-sweeping legislative goals. This is a small amount of time in which Republican senators and the filibuster could actively impede the passing of their legislative agenda. Democratic candidates must at least be willing to abolish the Senate filibuster in order for them to have hope of passing the legislation they have promised.

“You can’t pass any version of Medicare for All or the Green New Deal unless you’re willing to kill the filibuster,” tweeted Jon Favreau, Pod Save America co-host and former director of speechwriting for Obama. “If you’re not willing to kill it, that’s fine, but then you shouldn’t pretend you’re going to pass these proposals. Be honest with voters.”

Democratic presidential candidates should be willing to get rid of the Senate filibuster or be honest with voters. We as voters must make this an important issue in the 2020 Democratic primary in order to choose the candidate who has the best chance of passing the Democratic legislative agenda.

The Pitt News SuDoku 3/5/19 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

March 5, 2019

5

Culture CMU LUNAR GALA 2019 SHOWS OFF GLOWING FASHION Maya Best Staff Writer

After completing their initial walk, models for Carnegie Mellon University’s annual Lunar Gala fashion event waited as the stage became dark, revealing the glow-in-the-dark paint on their garments that highlighted new embellishes on their clothing.

This particular line — titled “Aluminare” — made use of resin, which was provided by Dallasbased company Art ’N Glow. Crowds of about 1,200 gathered on Saturday in CMU’s gym, now transformed into a runway for the 23rd Lunar Gala, one of the largest fashion events in Pittsburgh.

Lunar Gala is a student organization of about 150 students at CMU. However, anyone in the City can participate. The organization consists of students, creative designers, producers, designers and models. It typically sells out around 1,200 tickets, with the proceeds going back into the organizaAn outfit from the “Boroqué” line at Saturday evening’s Lunar Gala Fashion tion and to the designers through a crowdfunding Show. Kaycee Orwig | staff photographer

campaign.

Lunar Gala was founded in 1997 by a group of students who wanted to showcase and celebrate the student body during the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Every year the theme has traditionally related to the zodiac symbol for that year. This year was the year of the pig.

The theme of this year’s Lunar Gala, “Anomie,” is a philosophical term that describes a state of society in which there are no morals or bounds for its citizens. Anna Gusman, a senior at CMU majoring in design, explained that the idea stemmed from the current political climate in the past year. The creative team consists of about 16 people from print design, web design, motion design, press release, public relations and photography. As creative director, Gusman’s job is to guide these groups in the direction of a theme or vision.

“This theme fits well for 2018 because if you look at the Pittsburgh fashion and artistic comSee Gala on page 7

HOZIER HITS A HIGH NOTE WITH SOPHOMORE ALBUM ‘WASTELAND, BABY!’

Delilah Bourque Senior Staff Writer

Irish-born musician Andrew “Hozier” Byrne came into an almost accidental fame when his 2013 single “Take Me to Church” soared to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, following the release of his eponymous first album in 2014.

With any artist who released a well-liked first album, the pressure was on for the follow-up. “Wasteland, Baby!,” released on Friday, is a spectacular sophomore album that does more than just act as a follow-up to “Hozier.”

Hozier’s music has a tendency to transcend genre, bouncing from American folk to rock to traditional Celtic music effortlessly. The same thing can be said about the topic of

pittnews.com

the songs. Some are celebratory, some are angry, some tell a story and for the most part, they work together to create a whole album. Together, the songs of “Wasteland, Baby!” cover the range of emotions one may feel toward the looming threat of climate change.

“There’s been this global political pissing contest going on and the willful denial of climate change and CO2 emissions. So a lot of the songs have this feeling of foreboding, but they look at it in different ways.” Hozier said in an interview with the Evening Standard. “There are laments and there are optimistic ones saying, ‘No, it’s not the end of the world, it’ll be fine.’ Others are more like, ‘Great! Get on with it! I’m very tired!’ I imagine the record taking place around this

bonfire of our times with everyone screaming into it.”

Borrowing some of the best songs from his 2018 EP “Nina Cried Power,” “Wasteland, Baby!” balances between the macabre and the delightful, as though Hozier is throwing an end-ofthe-world party and we are all invited.

In a world where literally everything is probably going belly-up in less than 50 years, sometimes it pays to be a little cheerful about the end times once the apocalypse feels inevitable.

The album isn’t just about the end of the world, although that is the dominating theme. The first track, “Nina Cried Power,” which was first released on the EP of the same name, features activist and gospel singer Mavis Staples. “Nina Cried Power” is an homage

March 5, 2019

to musician-activists, like Nina Simone. The lyrics are a powerful anthem for protest and social change, promising that “It’s not the wakin’ / It’s the risin’.”

Like with “Hozier,” “Wasteland, Baby!” evokes a feeling that you’ve stumbled across some sort of woodland Jesus while taking a walk in the forest one evening. The moody, hushed vocals and quiet acoustic notes punctuate some of the softer songs on the album, like “Shrike” and “As It Was.” One of the strongest tracks on the album in terms of vocal prowess is “Nobody.” Described by Hozier in the Apple Music notes as “one of the closest things to a road song that I’ve See Hozier on page 7

6

Gala, pg. 6 munity, you find a lot of people who are trying to create this magical thing out of nothing,” Gusman said. “And we’re all students. We don’t have a lot of money or time, but somehow these people thrive at the intersection of art, technology and music design, and they’re able to create something magical out of that.”

This concept visually translated into the idea of the desert, an arid, dry and apathetic environment.

“We drew influence on the idea of the horizon where the sky meets the ground,” Gusman said.

“What is past the vanishing point? Where are we going into the future as we keep trudging together and moving together into this environment?”

Each look featured a different theme and title.

The line “Reborn” had a sustainability theme, using discarded fabrics from local designers to bring awareness to the vast amount of waste that is produced by the fashion industry. The garments in “Eden” resembled the visual textures of coral and glacials, addressing mankind’s destruction of the earth through deforestation and oil spills.

The line “Found” made use of recycled materials to produce garments made of recycled newspaper and plastic bags. At the end of the walk, the models held up signs that described where in Pittsburgh the materials were found. The final line, “Boroqué,” was described as “broke, but fancy broke,” taking a pop culture approach to Baroque art with images of Barack Obama beneath Queen Elizabeth printed onto garments.

CMU senior architecture major Michael Powell was one of this year’s design coordinators. The design team began the planning process over the summer with recruitment beginning in the fall semester. Every year there are between 40 to 60 applicants, consisting primarily of designers at CMU. About 16 to 18 designers are chosen from the pool of applicants to create garments for the fashion show.

While the design coordinators serve as a support system for designers, providing advice on choosing fabrics and leading sewing tutorials and workshops, Lunar Gala has also built relationships with several local nonprofits and organizations in Pittsburgh over the years. This year they partnered with a Pittsburgh nonprofit called Style412, a collection of local fashion designers in Pittsburgh with varying backgrounds and professional interests.

“Each design team was partnered with a member from Style412,” said Powell. “They were able to act as an adviser or mentor as much as they wanted. So we established a really awesome relationship with them, and I would attribute a lot of our pieces this year to them and their influence.”

pittnews.com

Each year CMU alumni or people who have designed in the past for Lunar Gala are also invited to come back and design lines again, in an effort to bring other generations back into the organization.

“This year we invited anyone who did LG in the past — whether they were on creative team, design, production, modeling, whatever it might be, you were invited to design clothes so we made it more open and accessible to our alumni network,” Powell said. “And we also invited alumni models to come back so if the designer and the model wanted to work together again, they were encouraged to do so. I think this year we had two, maybe three alumni models come back, which was super exciting to be able to see those familiar faces again.”

The models in Lunar Gala practice for months in advance, with model casting starting in September of last year, ensuring they establish perfect choreography, timing and establish relationships with their designers. One of this year’s model coordinators Jessica Timczyk — a sophomore technical communications major — used her experience being signed to an agency in New York to help plan the choreography and coordinating the background logistics between the models and designers.

“We try to be as body-diversive as possible,” Timczyk said. “We actually hold auditions right at the beginning of the semester and about 300 people usually audition and we accept about 50.

We really just look for someone who knows how to walk already, has confidence and personality.

We try to be as inclusive as possible.”

A few months after getting models trained, designers came in and watched the models walk one by one, picking which ones they thought would work best for their lines. After getting chosen for lines, the models began practicing the moves for their designated lines, rehearsing twice a week for two hours each.

“The typical model walk is very straight-back, you have to have super good posture,” Timczyk said. “It’s really about your confidence when you’re walking, too. So just making sure that your arms are swaying lightly and you have a good fierce face on. ‘Smizing,’ like Tyra Banks says.”

The event allowed those involved to reflect on the past year. Gusman, in particular, shared her thoughts on the message of this year’s show and work that went into it.

“2018 was a place of intense debate and political social cultural disparity,” Gusman said. “Kind of the idea that platforms that we currently have to voice our own opinions are the very same thing that distorts them. [We wanted to show] the idea that we’re all trying to communicate and survive, but we can barely see each other or hear each other in the way that we want to be represented or shown.”

Hozier’s new album, “Wasteland, Baby!” hozier/tns

Hozier pg. 6 written,” “Nobody” describes a love that is perfect — not for forever, but for right now. “I’ve been fed gold, by sweet fools in Abu Dhabi / And I danced real slow with Rockettes on dodgy molly / But I’ve had no love like your love / From nobody,” Hozier sings in the refrain.

The best track of the album is the titular “Wasteland, Baby!,” which strips down the production of the other tracks, leaving just soft, folkesque acoustic guitar and vocals.

Though the other tracks on the album mix Hozier’s vocal talent with choir backing, bass and folk-rock crossover, “Wasteland, Baby!” strips the best of Hozier’s music down to its essentials.

The masterful lyricism of “Hozier” is still present in this soft ode to the end of time, to “The day that we’ll watch / The death of the sun / To the cloud and the cold / And those jeans you’ll have on.”

While “Wasteland, Baby!” is a strong album, some songs fall short

March 5, 2019

of matching the intensity and lyricism of the rest of the album. Though an album that is overly cohesive runs the risk of being criticized for all the songs sounding the same, there is something to be said for sticking to a theme.

Where “Wasteland, Baby!” is soft and sweet without being cloying, “To Make Noise (Sing)” can come across as almost patronizing, especially if you don’t really like to sing. The same goes for some other songs. The lyrics of “Dinner & Diatribes” get almost lost in the abundance of electric guitar and production, and the same could be said for “No Plan.”

While in some places “Wasteland, Baby!” falls short, the album is not short on great songs. Follow-ups to well-reviewed and popular albums that are similarly loved by fans are hard to come by. In the digital, instant streaming age, five years is a long gap between albums. Hozier delivers with “Wasteland, Baby!” what his fans have eagerly anticipated since 2014 — a stellar second album.

7

Sports

Softball’s Gray outlasts change to lead Pitt in senior season Stephen Thompson Staff Writer

Olivia Gray, Pitt senior infielder, said she was a stubborn child. She reluctantly began playing softball when she was 6 years old after some persuading from her father, Shawn Gray.

According to Gray, she originally had no interest. She was content with gymnastics and soccer, but as soon as she started playing softball, she was hooked.

“As soon as I touched a glove, I think it was something I was meant to be doing,” Gray said. “And I found I was pretty decent at it, so I kinda liked it.”

Throughout her time at Pitt, Gray has seen significant changes befall the program.

The Panthers have gone through a conference change, a coaching change and, above all else, a transformation into conferencetitle contenders.

Through all the modifications and transitions, Gray has been a constant both on and off the field, batting 0.304 in her four years at Pitt. She credits much of this to her father. Besides convincing her to pick up softball, he suggested she move from outfield to infield and coached her on a travel team he created throughout her time in high school.

“He’s the reason I’m where I am today,” Gray said. “100 percent. He’s worked with me since I was a baby and it’s just as much his dream as it is mine. It’s really cool to share this experience with him.”

He was also there to help guide her through the college recruitment process — if you consider it a process.

Gray’s recruitment was short. Some schools showed interest, but she knew what school she wanted to go to and commit-

pittnews.com

ted to Pitt in her sophomore year of high school. The Washington, Pennsylvania, native did not want to pass up the opportunity to stay close to home.

For as set-in-stone as her recruiting process was, Gray’s college career has been defined by transformation and transition. When Gray first stepped on campus in 2015, Pitt was in the middle of its move to the ACC. While her team was going through a period of big changes, Gray was also struggling to find her footing in college.

While her transition to college may have been difficult, Gray didn’t let it show on the field. She started 47 games and was stout at the plate and in the field, posting a 0.325 batting average with 20 runs batted in and a 0.961 fielding percentage in a year where the Panthers won 31 games.

Following her first year, former head coach Holly Aprile sat her down and told Gray she needed to take a more vocal and visible leadership role.

“When I was a freshman, I stepped into a role of leading by example, and I really prided myself on just doing me and handling what I had to handle,” Gray said. “I think as a freshman, I went through a stage of learning who I was as a leader and then my sophomore year, I knew that I had it in me and that my teammates saw it in me, which was a very humbling experience.”

The leadership role Gray accepted manifested itself in a number of different ways.

Gray is now known as the most vocal player on the field –– calling out plays and shouting encouragement –– but she also values her role off of the field. Gray leads team prayers and has helped younger players

Women’s basketball head coach Lance White’s team currently sits near the bottom of the ACC in the No. 14 seed. The Panthers have won two of their 16 conference games. Thomas Yang | assistant visual editor

THE DEVIL WEARS BLUE, PITT HOPES TO ‘PROD-A’ WIN AGAINST DUKE Alexa Marzina Staff Writer

Pitt women’s basketball travels to Greensboro, North Carolina, Wednesday for the 42nd annual Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament. This year’s bracket features all 15 ACC teams, with the Panthers’ 2-14 conference record (11-19 overall) netting them as the No. 14 seed spot for the second year in a row.

Last year’s tourney saw a Lady Panthers’ loss to a then-seeded No. 11 Wake Forest in the first round, 72-38. The devastating loss saw Pitt shooting an abysmal 15-for-54 field goals, for 27.8-percent shooting, compared to the Demon Deacons’ 50-percent success rate.

Losing in the first round isn’t something new for the Panthers.

Pitt women’s basketball hasn’t made it past the first round of the ACC tournament since 2016, when it defeated UNC in a thrilling overtime victory, 8272. Big names missing from that team compared to today’s include forwards Brenna Wise and Yacine Diop, both big scoring assets. That year, the Panthers See Gray on page 9 only ended with a 4-14 conference record, demon-

March 5, 2019

strating that regular-season performance doesn’t necessarily define postseason play.

This year, Pitt will face No. 11 Duke (14-14, 6-10) in the first round at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the final contest of the day. The Panthers met the Blue Devils only once this season, in a 55-74 losing effort on the road on Feb. 3.

At that point in the season, Pitt had yet to notch a conference win, going into the contest with a 0-8 ACC record against Duke’s 2-7. The game was a declining effort on the Panthers’ part, with the first quarter being their highest scoring at 19, culminating in an overall field-goal ratio of 22-66 for the game.

Senior Cassidy Walsh nabbed six 3-pointers, but with only a 24.1-percent team success beyond the arc, Pitt just couldn’t make up the scoring deficit.

“We are a different team when Cassidy Walsh knocks down shots,” head coach Lance White said.

“She had a couple open looks early on and she knocked them down to give the team some confidence and allow our other players to do what they do best, but we just couldn’t maintain that down the stretch today.”

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

8

Gray, pg. 8 find their places on the team.

Senior infielder Marissa DeMatteo met Gray when they were on their official visit to Pitt. DeMatteo found herself immediately drawn in by Gray’s infectious positivity and says the rest of her teammates are as well.

“She is very talkative, she’s always cheering very loudly,” DeMatteo said. “She’s the first one, when someone makes an error or needs to be picked up, to say, ‘Hey, I got you’ or ‘You got this,’ ‘Next play, next play!’

She’s such a great motivator.”

Panthers first-year head coach Jodi Hermanek still remembers Pitt’s first team meeting, where Gray began to stick out as a leader in her mind.

“In the first team meeting we had on the first day of school, one of the things I noticed, walking into a room of new people, was that out of all the seniors and returning players, Olivia was the only one sitting amongst the group of four new freshmen,” Hermanek said. “[I realized] this is a person in a senior leadership role … who is ready and willing to be leaned on by that

pittnews.com

younger group.”

After that first meeting, Gray continued to show Hermanek how natural of a leader she is, both on and off the field. Hermanek credits Gray with helping her adjust to her new job at Pitt.

“She helped me with some adjustments here,” Hermanek said. “Some community service ideas, some ideas for new access areas for practice. Just kind of understand what the formats and usages were [for different facilities] … She was definitely sharing her experiences with the new staff.”

Gray, a rehabilitation science major, was recently awarded the 2019 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Award. After Pitt, Gray plans to attend graduate school to become a physician’s assistant. In order to get to where she is today, Gray has taken her academics seriously and has taken advantage of everything Pitt has to offer.

“Olivia is definitely the kind of person this athletic department is proud of,” Hermanek said. “She’s such a well-rounded person, athletically, academically, community service-wise. I think that she’s involved herself in all of the resources that our athletic department provides for student athletes to be successful.”

Senior shortstop Olivia Gray attained a batting average of .304 over her Pitt softball career. tpn file photo

March 5, 2019

9

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.

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

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.

2 apartments for rent. 1 for im‑

pittnews.com

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

Classifieds

For sale

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

mediate and 1 for August 1st. 2 Large 1 BR apart­ments, equipped kitchen/ yard/porch. 307 Lawn Street. $625+. Jeff 412‑445‑7681

and Mc­kee Place.

Newly re­modeled.

Some have laundry on site. Min­utes from the Univer­sity. For more info please call Mike at 412‑849‑8694

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.

August “Best Value” Few remaining, Fur­ nished 2‑bedroom apartments in South Oakland. Call/ text Tim TMK Properties 412‑491‑1330. Visit our website www.­ tmkrentals.com

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

412‑271‑5550 3444 Ward St. ‑ Stu­ dio and 1bedroom apartments. Free heating, free park­ing.

Available May & August 2019 move‑in.

Call 412‑361‑2695 4BR apartment avail­able on Dawson. $2300/mo plus some utilities. Wash­er/dryer in buildings. Call or text 724‑350‑5000.

Apartments for rent. 2 and 3 bedroom apart‑ ments available. Some available on Dawson Street, At­wood Street,

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unre­lated people can share a single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Per­mits, Licensing & In­spections.

412‑255‑2175.

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 Brand new spacious 2BR, first floor. Wood floors, laundry in apartment. $1300 +utilities. Call 412‑871‑5657 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

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

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

ments with Laundry and Central Air. Call or text 412‑38‑Lease Now Renting Fall 2019! Various Two BR units in South Oakland, Bates, Coltart, Edith, Halket Place, Ward Street; rent starting from $975‑$1410 Contact: John C.R. Kelly 412‑683‑7300 www.jcrkelly.com info@kellyrealtyinc.­ com Now Renting for Fall 2019 One Bedrooms

located conveniently throughout South Oakland

Rents Starting at: $740‑$825

Contact: John C.R. Kelly

Office: 412‑683‑7300 Email: info@kellyre­ altyinc.com

Website: www.­ jcrkelly.com

Oakland Court‑ 2 bedroom house, 1.5 bathrooms. Air con­ditioning. 1 Good lo­cation, close to Hill­man Library.

Rent $750/month + utili­ties. Available Au­gust, 2019. Call 412‑881‑0550.

Recently reno’ed S Oakland 3BR house, $1800/mo + utilities.

Spacious, beautiful, well‑maintained.

Dishwasher, wash­er/ dryer, central AC. Close to Pitt campus

3/5/19

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

Employment

The Pitt news crossword

I N D E X

Rentals & Sublet

March 5, 2019

10

& shuttle. Off‑street parking available.

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

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

$1,200 plus utilities on North Avenue, Millvale. Need Secu­ rity Deposit and Credit Check. Please call: 412‑315‑8024.

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,

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

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

a Post‑Gazette Top

Bloomfield

ship, light housekeep­

Available March 1st.

Large, 2 level, 2 BR apartment. Equipped Kitchen/porch. 135 Pearl Street. $750+.

Jeff 412‑445‑7681

Rental Other 115 Chesterfield

Road ‑ 1 nice 3‑bed­ room house. 1.5

bathrooms. Recently remodeled. Good

lo­cation, close to Ca‑ thedral of Learn­ing.

Rent $1300/month

+ utili­ties. Available Au­gust 5th, 2019.

412‑881‑0550.

Available Now! 2‑bedroom fully fur­nished house, Air Conditioned for

pittnews.com

Workplace, is seek­ing caring individu­als.

Caregivers work

alongside seniors to

provide companion­

ing, personal care ser­

rental appli­cants, do internet post‑ ings & help staff our action‑central of­fice.

Either Part time or full time OK now; full time over the summer. $13/hour. Perfect job for sopho­mores & juniors, se­niors planning to en­ter grad school, re­turning grad students, and first‑year law stu­dents!

Mozart Management 412‑682‑7003 thane@mozartrents.­ com full time OK starting now; full time over the summer. $13/ hour. Perfect job for sophomores & ju­niors, seniors plan­ ning to enter grad school, returning grad students, and first‑year law stu­dents!

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

vices. Flexible hours

Personal, profes­sional

call 412‑363‑5500

Long term position.

available. If inter­ested OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Manage­ ment Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs. college, for upcom­ing spring semester, to interview & pro­cess rental appli­cants, do internet post‑ ings & help staff our action‑central of­fice. time or OFFICE INTERN Shadyside Manage­ ment Company seeks person w/ min 2 yrs. college, for upcom­ing spring semester, to interview & pro­cess

masseuse needed.

2X/week. Washington County location. Call 724‑223‑0939 or

724‑229‑8868 any time.

Services Educational The Phlebotomy Training Center

www.

justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes

weekly, 5 weeks +

excellent Clinicals.

Call 412‑521‑7334.

March 5, 2019

11

pittnews.com

March 5, 2019

12