4-16-19

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 | April 16. 2019 ­| Volume 109 | Issue 143

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED

CROONING FOR A CAUSE

Joanna Li

News Editor Pitt announced on Monday the commencement speakers for the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies.

The graduate ceremony will take place on April 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. Allegheny County Executive Richard Fitzgerald will be the speaker. Fitzgerald was elected to represent District 11 in the inaugural County Council in 1999 and Jared Landau, Alpha Tau Omega brother and senior communication major, performs at the fraternity’s annual is currently serving his second term as charity concert. Knox Coulter | senior staff photographer county executive.

The undergraduate ceremony will take place on April 28 at 1 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center. The speaker for the event is Dereck Hogan, U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Moldova. Hogan graduated in 1995 from Pitt after studying politics, philosophy and economics, and he began serving Erica Guthrie time talking with his staff and going issues with the Counseling Center, and as an American diplomat in 1997. He Senior Staff Writer on a “listening tour” around campus to Darr said he’s already worked with received the position of ambassador to hear what students are saying about the his staff to make some changes. For Since he began the job in mid-Febthe Eastern European Republic of Molcenter. instance, the sometimes-long screenruary, Pitt’s newest Counseling Center dova in 2018.

Students have been vocal about their See Darr on page 2 Director Jay Darr said he’s spent his

Q&A: JAY DARR ON THE FUTURE OF PITT’S COUNSELING CENTER

News Darr, pg. 1

ing process students have encountered when they walk into the Counseling Center has been replaced with a new system that allows them to meet with a clinician and create a care plan on an initial visit to the center. But other issues — like the fact that the Counseling Center sometimes refers students to care elsewhere, which can be difficult to pay for — may be trickier to solve.

Most recently, Darr was employed as the clinical liaison at the University of North Texas. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he has also worked as the CEO of a renewable energy company called SDL Citadel, the care manager and senior learning specialist at health insurance company Cigna and the program manager at an NGO in Pittsburgh called Healthy Start, Inc. Darr spoke to The Pitt News on Monday about changes he wants to see implemented, plans for expansion, and whether or not students are being pushed to group therapy.

TPN: As the new Counseling Center director, what are your priorities?

Jay Darr: I’ve been here for about two months now, and really looked at really learning from my staff, learning [about] the Counseling Center operations, hearing their voices. The main thing is not only hearing the staff ’s voices, but also hearing the students’ voices.

Over these last 30 days or so, I’ve been really working with the staff with learning what’s happening, some of the history and taking that information to begin to formulate some plans for the future and also sort of going on a listening tour of sorts with students. That first started with the Town Hall with SGB and RSA. Then I met with SGB leadership, to hear their voices and continuing those meetings with CCLD, organizations here, in the upcoming few days.

So [I’ve been] working with students to hear their voices as well and continu-

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Counseling Center Director Jay Darr at the “Mental Health Mixer and Town Hall” in March. Allison Hansen |

staff

photographer

ing to hear from administration and also other leadership across the campus and our University community to say, “Okay, so what can we do better?” and to take that information back to inform our planning here in the summer.

TPN: Is there anything specific that people have been bringing up that you think is going to be a major concern or goal you want to work toward?

JD: Well, one thing is the wait-list question, or not being able to access services. (Editor’s note: Currently, students have to wait two to three weeks following a mental health screening and preliminary meeting with a clinician before having another appointment.) One thing our outstanding staff and I did over the course of spring break was really look at that to see what we can do

before the end of the semester. What we did [is], I like to call, some “halftime changes,” if you will. Prior to spring break, what students had to do, there was a screening process, and then students were hopefully scheduled for an intake.

That process created a wait list.

So what we did is combine those two processes into one so when a student comes in during walk-in hours, they will be able to see a clinician, fill out the papers and work collaboratively with the clinician to see what the best courses of treatment or care is for the student is at that time, based on their needs. That’s one thing we’ve changed here, just over the past couple of weeks, and after spring break we implemented that. I’m pleased to say that we do not have a wait list at this moment.

April 16, 2019

TPN: There’s a big group therapy initiative being run by the counseling center. A lot of students have mentioned they feel as if they’re being pushed into group therapy. How do you plan on making sure that students’ individual needs are being met?

JD: When we combine into one initial consult, we’re able to sit down and work collaboratively with the students.

At the end of that, meeting students’ needs — also looking at clinically, what’s appropriate for the student — we’re able to come up with what we’re calling the Student Success Plan.

So [with] that Student Success Plan, students can do self-help, go to workshops, groups, participate in campus resources such as Panther Wellness See Darr on page 3

2

Darr, pg. 2 … and then looking at group therapy and individual therapy and if need be, referral out to either our psychiatrist, which is in the health center or Wellness Center, [or] some of our community partners here in the greater Pittsburgh area.

Part of that combination of services and care is being connected back to the Wellness Center. So, whether we need students to see some of our medical providers, or take advantage of our acupuncture services that we added there at the Wellness Center. So really, it’s a combination of resources and services and support, because we have a wealth of resources and support here on campus. So it’s just not one thing that fits all.

I think that’s part of the myth, that people are getting pushed to groups. I think it’s definitely a myth in that we want to meet the students needs, and based on our clinical expertise, we’re able to help the students in a collaborative fashion. A student can always come back during our walk-in hours or during their scheduled appointment, and meet with a clinician and say, “Hey, can we talk about adjusting some things?” Or the clinician can say, “Hey, I can see that this is not working for you. Let’s talk about adjusting what’s best for you.”

TPN: We currently have just less than 30,000 students, considering the graduate population as well. From what we saw on the website, there’s around 16 full-time counselors employed at Pitt. Do you have any plans to increase the number of counselors or counseling services to better address the student population, as we have such a large student population?

JD: The current staff, including myself, is 20 clinicians that are licensed professional counselors, psychologists and social workers. We also have four doctoral psychology interns and we also have three practicum students.

That takes us up to around 27 clinicians that are available for students.

Of course, we’re looking at some ways to expand, and expansion I’m looking at in terms of two ways. One, of course, diversity of our staff. At Stu-

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dent Affairs, we’re definitely committed to enhancing diversity of our counseling staff and are willing to meet that challenge, through not only looking at our trainees, but also positions that will be coming in the future. And some of those positions may be embedding counselors in housing and other locations throughout the campus.

We’re also looking at how we can continue to partner with others throughout the University, particularly through outreach, being visible. One of those efforts that we’re doing right now is “Let’s Talk” being in spaces such as the Union and other locations throughout the campus.

The other expansion piece is also looking at additional outreach activities and workshops and some of those include our suicide prevention gatekeeper training. (Editor’s note: Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention is an educational program designed to teach people, or “gatekeepers,” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond.)

So really, the expansion is threefold — one is increasing the diversity of our staff and trainees, second is really looking at through that expansion and increasing that diversity, having clinicians at various programs and embedded programming. And then third is, of course, being more out on campus, being outside of Nordenberg Hall and the Wellness Center to provide services and so that students can see us.

TPN: Something else we have heard from other students is concerns about cost. So, for instance, if they have a problem that they’re dealing with or something that leads them to get referred to someone outside of the University, but they might not have the health insurance or money to cover it, has that been something the Counseling Center has been considering how to address, or other options?

JD: That is a challenge. And what we would do is look at that by a caseby-case basis and see what we can do internally, as well as work with our county partners to see what we can do around insurance and other community providers. Insurance or self-pay options or low-cost/no-cost services — that’s all in the works, there’s no guarantee, but we’re willing to look at students by a case-by-case basis.

The Pitt News SuDoku 4/16/19 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

April 16, 2019

3

Opinions poem

from the editorial board

Grocery Shopping Grace McGinness Staff Columnist

Enter the house where nature lies still.

Where it’s pinned to the platter prepared to my order.

Ignore the soft smell of the flowers from where they crowd around the door stuffed in pots and hanging from wires.

Pulled up from their roots slowly dying but their bursts of colors are so bright.

Stride straight for the stink of fish My nose crinkles but my stomach growls.

Limp limbs dangle over a box’s edge Pickled or drowned, dried or parched Sliced or cut, wrapped or suffocated.

My mouth starts to water.

It’s bloody red and I can already smell it cooking in my pan.

Dissected into a hundred parts.

Emily Wolfe | contributing editor

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Strung upside down hooked through where its heart once sat beating and warm.

I could buy that too.

My skin prickles with the cold Ice piles high as tiny glaciers behind glass Vacant eyes peer out from within those hills Stacked on top one another Hear the sizzle of frying oil without the stove.

Whirring machines slice a thousand cuts for the people waiting in line.

The sound makes a rhythm over the constant hum of coolers.

Impatient fingers tap at that cool glass.

Chop, chop, chop off just a bit more.

There’s only spit on my tongue but the phantom can taste just as good.

Inciting violence against politicians hurts everyone President Donald Trump tweeted a video to his 59.7 million followers targeting Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar on Friday, accusing the Democrat of delegitimizing the 9/11 terrorists attacks.

The video, containing graphic footage of the World Trade Center being destroyed, took one line of a speech she made in March entirely out of context, leading to a large amount of aggressive threats made against the congresswoman.

It is natural to disagree with politicians, but no matter how opposed one is to their values, inciting violence against them through misinformation — as Trump did with his video — is never OK. Mixed in with the graphic 9/11 photos and footage is a clip of Omar repeating the words “some people did something” from a speech she made on civil rights and Muslims in America. Trump’s video, which was briefly pinned to his profile, features only these four words out of her entire 20-minute speech. The words are actually part of her criticism on the treatment on Muslims following the 9/11 attack.

“Some people did something,” she said in her speech. “And then all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

Due to the misleading context of the video, Omar has received multiple death threats since the release.

“Since the president’s tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life — many directly referring or replying to the President’s video,” Omar wrote in a statement on Sunday. “Violent rhetoric and all forms of hate speech have no place in our society, much less from our country’s

April 16, 2019

Commander in Chief.”

The threats became so severe that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has requested House officials to review security measures in order to protect Omar, according to The New York Times.

Omar also cited in her statement that this kind of rhetoric isn’t unusual for the president.

“Violent crimes and other acts of hate by right-wing extremists and white nationalists are on the rise in this country and around the world,” she said. “We can no longer ignore that they are being encouraged by the occupant of the highest office in the land. Counties that hosted a 2016 Trump rally saw a 226 percent increase in hate crimes in the months following the rally. And assaults increase when cities host Trump rallies.”

Omar is correct in the sense that Trump has a broad history of subtly inciting violence among his followers. He’s mentioned “Second Amendment people” could act against Clinton and prevent the appointment of liberal judges. He’s also suggested his supporters “knock the hell” out of people aggressively counterprotesting. In reference to Rep. Greg Gianforte’s 2017 attack on a reporter, Trump made a remark that “any guy that can do a body slam” is his type.

Considering his lengthy history of hateful remarks, Trump was likely aware of the violent fervor that would ensue following his tweet. Ultimately, it should not matter how adamantly Trump disagrees with Omar. As the president of the United States, he should not abuse his power to incite violence against anyone, particularly a member of his own Congress.

4

The Pitt News

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

CHRISTIAN SNYDER

JANINE FAUST

editor@pittnews.com

manager@pittnews.com

News Editor JOANNA LI

Opinions Editor MAGGIE DURWALD

news@pittnews.com

opinions@pittnews.com

Sports Editor TRENT LEONARD

Culture Editor SARAH CONNOR

sports@pittnews.com

culture@pittnews.com

Visual Editor SARAH CUTSHALL

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Emily Wolfe | Assistant News Editor Jeremy Wang | Assistant Opinions Editor Tessa Sayers | Assistant Sports Editor Thomas Yang | Assistant Visual Editor Eli Savage | Assistant Layout Editor Elizabeth Martinson | Multimedia Editor

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Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus.

Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor-in-chief for $.50 each.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter intended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any.

Letters may be sent via e-mail to editor@

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The Pitt News is an independent, studentwritten and student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is published Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer.

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editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Committee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

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The editor-in-chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, faculty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and editorial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

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April 16, 2019

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5

Culture

ATO charity concert rocks Bellefield Hall

Neena Hagen

Senior Staff Writer Keyboards, music stands and electric guitars lay scattered across the stage in Bellefield Hall Saturday afternoon. As concert host Sam Ashworth, a sophomore studying gender, sexuality and women’s studies, history and political science, stood on stage fiddling with his microphone, an audience of about 100 people sat in their red velvet seats, waiting for those props to be put to use.

“Y’all ready to hear some music?” Ashworth, the member educator for Pitt’s Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, asked.

The audience raised their hands above their heads and cheered.

ATO hosted Saturday’s concert as its annual philanthropy event, with the $5 admission fee going toward the Children’s Miracle Network and Greenhouses for Everyone. The

event put a spotlight on a diverse lineup of local musicians, bands and guest performers from the fraternity itself.

And despite the crowd’s energy, the first performer, Pitt student Lauren Kaseman, struck a softer, more somber note when she sang Adele’s love ballad “One and Only.” As the undeclared first-year student’s strong, resonant vocals rang throughout the room, audience members swayed their hands back and forth to the slow rhythm of the music.

ATO brother and senior communication major Jared Landau wanted to mix it up a little with his performance. He strutted onto the stage with a guitar slung over his back.

“Gonna try something a little different for you guys today,” Landau, who’s been performing for four years, said. “I doubt any of you have ever heard of this next song.”

He launched into a cover of the folk song

“Come Pick Me Up” by alternative country singer/songwriter Ryan Adams, and then abruptly transitioned to an acoustic cover of Dr. Dre’s “No Diggity.” The audience rose to their feet and roared.

Landau finished his performance serenading the crowd with a love song he wrote in high school, before handing off the microphone to headline band Jungle of Thieves, which really brought the energy to Bellefield Hall.

A trio of electric guitar players walked onto the stage, and a student holding a pair of drumsticks hopped in front of the previously dormant drum kit.

“We’re performing original songs only,” the lead singer said. “This next one, called ‘Pink Champagne,’ was inspired by my room- First-year Lauren Kaseman performs mate who left out a half-filled bottle one night at Alpha Tau Omega’s annual char… I think everyone here can relate to that.” ity concert. Knox Coulter | senior staff See Concert on page 7 photographer

STAFF PICKS: OUR FAVORITE HOMEMADE SNACKS FOR A STUDY BREAK

Culture Staff

With finals week rapidly approaching, it’s important for us college students to keep our bodies and our minds fueled for the stress of studying. When dining hall meals and Pop-Tarts won’t satisfy a body that is mentally and physically worn out from the semester, look no further than our staff-favorite DIY snacks. Not to mention, spending some time cooking presents the perfect opportunity to take a study break or procrastinate.

Potato hash // Delilah Bourque, Senior Staff Writer My favorite meal of the day is and always has been breakfast. I love to eat breakfast food at any time of the day. My favorite thing to make, especially after a long day of studying, is a potato hash with over-easy eggs. Since I’m cooking for just one person — me — some personal home fries are fast,

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easy and delicious to make.

I take a few minutes to dice up one or two potatoes I have lying around, along with some ham or prosciutto, and fry them in butter. Seasoning is really important to me, and my spice drawer is chock-full of different mixes. My favorites to use for this recipe are onion salt, cumin, coriander and regular ground pepper. Potatoes are a versatile food and soak up whatever seasonings you add to them like a sponge.

Once the potatoes are almost done, I add a minced clove of garlic and spend a few minutes cooking a couple eggs. Classic Frank’s RedHot sauce is a staple for me, so I top my eggs and hash with a few dashes.

Cooking potatoes can seem daunting or time-consuming, but they’re perfect for a warm, hearty snack in the midst of finals season.

Tofu with vegan ranch dressing //

Sarah Connor, Culture Editor As someone who eats a mostly vegan diet and also doesn’t really know how to cook anything more complicated than pasta and microwave dinners, my snacks tend to be pretty basic. I stick to peanutbutter-dipped bananas, plain popcorn or Double Stuf Oreos — yes, Oreos are vegan.

However, I have recently discovered that grilling up tofu is not too difficult. All I have to do is open up the package, chop it up into small cubes, squeeze out the water and throw it in a pan with melted butter — my personal favorite is the vegan butter by Earth Balance. I flip the tofu cubes on the pan until all sides look golden and crunchy.

I have also discovered the gift that is vegan ranch dressing. Sold by the brand Daiya Deliciously Dairy-Free, the ranch dressing is the perfect compliment to freshly grilled tofu. It is a tasty, protein-

April 16, 2019

filled snack that I can expand into a full meal if I’m really hungry. Grilling up some frozen vegetables and adding some rice or noodles to my plate is always a great way for me to build upon it.

Ants on a log // Elizabeth Donnelly, Senior Staff Writer As a second-year Towers resident, I can attest to how hard it can be to successfully make tasty and efficient study snacks with very little space, time and supplies. With no stoves or ovens at my disposal, it is difficult to create filling and tasty culinary treats while living in what some may call a room the size of a shoebox — shout-out to Tower C. A go-to snack for me is the traditional ants on a log, a crunchy celery stick filled with smooth peanut butter and topped with a row of raisins.

Ants on a log is a snack I’ve enjoyed See Staff Picks on page 7

6

Staff Picks, pg. 6 since preschool, and it’s honestly simple enough for a preschooler to make themselves. There are endless variations to this snack staple, and they will leave you feeling full and satisfied. One that I’ve enjoyed is substituting cream cheese for the peanut butter and then using mixed berries, either chopped fresh or dried, in place of the raisins. This is awesome for people with nut allergies and the fruits and celery help get in that daily dose of vitamins. The fun doesn’t stop there, however. You can trans-

My cooking skills are incredibly limited, as I have just learned to successfully boil water and cook noodles within the past year. Like most college students, I am on a budget and ramen noodles are a staple in my life. As much as I love and appreciate ramen, it can get pretty boring sometimes.

The various flavor packets like chicken and lime chili are too much for my Caucasian tongue and often give me heartburn. But without the flavor packets, I find that plain ramen is just, well, too plain.

My solution to this dilemma is quick and simple: add Kraft parmesan cheese —

Tofu cooking in a pan. Thomas Yang | assistant visual editor form it into fish in a stream using hummus and goldfish crackers, or even beans on a stalk using guacamole and black beans.

The options are endless when it comes to this treat, which is why is has always been and will continue to be a staple in my snack routine.

Ramen with Kraft parmesan & veggies // Mary Rose O’Donnell, Senior Staff Writer

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that kind in the green bottle, you know the one — grape tomatoes and spinach to plain ramen noodles. No flavor packets needed, just the lovely flavors of Kraft parmesan and vegetables. If Market is serving grilled chicken that day, grab a tupperware, sneak some of it back to your dorm and add it to your ramen for that extra protein. Each of these ingredients can be purchased — or taken from Market — for a low price, perfect for Pitt students on a budget!

Concert, pg. 6 The drummer tapped his drums to a fluid rhythm throughout the song, while the guitarists strummed in unison to the lead singer’s booming vocals. Audience members leapt to their feet when the lead singer landed a high note to conclude the performance.

The crowd size ebbed and flowed throughout the afternoon, peaking at about 150 people, when the band Rack Jobbins, lead by singer and ATO brother Sam Jenkins, strolled onto the stage to cover several songs from different generations and some with local significance.

“I want everyone to sing along to this next one,” Jenkins said. “I know you all know it.”

One audience member cocked her head to one side, waiting anxiously for the song choice. Jenkins hunched over the microphone and began to sing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” As he reached the chorus, the audience began to sing along, nearly drowning out the band with their shrieks.

Pausing for the crowd to simmer down, Jenkins stripped off his guitar and adjusted his microphone.

“Now, I know everyone knows this next song,” he said with a laugh, beginning to sing Pitt-favorite “Sweet Caroline.”

The crowd stood up, raised their hands and answered back.

“Touching me,” they sang. “Touching you.”

After the show’s biggest headline song, it was time for the afternoon’s biggest headline act — local rapper, Pitt student and ATO brother James Pickering, known as Pick Patek, glided onto the stage wearing a red bandana and a paint-stained denim jacket.

[Read: James “Pick Patek” Pickering: From the studio to Spotify] Pressing the power button on his boom

April 16, 2019

box and raising the microphone to his lips, Pickering began to rap to his hit song “Blue October.” The crowd, got up from their seats and made their way toward the stage, forming a circle around Patek to give the show a more intimate experience.

“See, isn’t it more fun this way?” Patek said, gesturing to the crowd in front of him.

He shrugged off his denim jacket to reveal a T-shirt that read “AWOL,” the name of his next song. Patek told the crowd to to “get hype.” Several audience members jumped up and down.

Patek finished off the show with a dizzying energetic display hunching over the microphone, spitting lyrics and strutting back and forth across the stage. He said after his performance the purpose of the event was to donate to children, and they’re the ones who really need the crowd’s attention.

“I want to thank you all for coming out today,” Patek said. “I think we’re all here because we all love music. But we’re sending love to the children, too.”

Audience member Rachel Martin, a sophomore industrial engineering major who attended to cheer on her roommate performing in the show, said she liked that this kind of philanthropy event was different from those put on by most Greek organizations. “[This event] I think was a success because it got people really energized and involved,” Martin said. “It’s really exciting to come out and support your friends and have them be a part of such a great cause.”

Landau, one of the first performers in the show, echoed Martin’s point. He said the show provided the opportunity to use his talents for philanthropic purposes.

“I really love to perform. I hope the audience liked seeing me perform,” Landau said.

“And because this is for such a great cause, I was all the more willing to get up there on that stage.”

7

Sports

PENGUINS’ ICE CRACKING UNDER PRESSURE Griffin Floyd Staff Writer

Pitt Athletics’ current website. Thomas Yang | assistant visual editor

A REQUIEM FOR PITT ATHLETICS’ OLD ONLINE LAYOUT

Trent Leonard Sports Editor

Pitt Athletics hosted its long-awaited reveal ceremony at Bigelow Bash on April 8, unveiling a new visual style across all its programs. The changes, displayed during a flashy fashion show in partnership with Nike’s Global Identity Group, included a throwback-inspired royal blue and yellow color scheme, an original Panther logo and new uniforms with numbers based on the Cathedral arches.

The new initiatives, billed as a “strong and unified visual identity” by Athletic Director Heather Lyke, received nearuniversal acclaim from students, ath-

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letes and fans alike — save for a mixed reaction on the font of the numbers, which some deemed too pointy.

Behind the scenes, though, a more subtle shift happened within Pitt Athletics. This one didn’t involve any public brouhaha, but instead happened quietly, behind closed doors. In fact, this change probably went unnoticed by most Pitt fans, except for those with a need or affinity for checking statistics and press releases.

I’m referring, of course, to Pitt Athletics’ new — but far from improved — website, which went into effect along with the reveal event on April 8.

See Website on page 9

A four-game reverse sweep is a feat that only four teams in NHL history have managed to pull off. Two of those have occured within the last decade –– one by the Philadelphia Flyers against the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals and another by the Los Angeles Kings in the first round in 2014 against the San Jose Sharks. Both of those teams went on to the Stanley Cup Finals and the Kings won a championship.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to become the fifth team to pull off such a feat this week. The Penguins currently face a 3-0 deficit in their first-round series against the New York Islanders and will fight for their season in a fourth game against the Islanders at 7:30 p.m. today at PPG Paints Arena.

The reason the Penguins find themselves in this hole is not hard to figure out — each time, they have been bested by the Islanders’ use of the neutral-zone trap defense, a strategy that has given the team fits in each of the last three postseasons.

The Penguins were pushed to a game seven by the vastly inferior Ottawa Senators by virtue of this tactic in 2017. The team employing the trap clogs up the neutral zone with defensive positioning and sticks in the passing lanes, not allowing the team with possession of the puck to carry it into the offensive zone. The objective of the trap is to force the other team to dump the puck in deep, where it can quickly be recovered by the defense.

Even though the Senators did not manage to complete their upset, the template was provided. Barry Trotz, former head coach of the Washington Capitals, used the same strategy to beat the Penguins in

April 16, 2019

six games on the way to raising the cup in 2018.

Trotz is now the head coach of the Islanders and he seems to finally have Pittsburgh’s number, having once again employed the tactic to astounding success.

The reason the trap works so well against a team like Pittsburgh is because of its offensive prowess. Players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Phil Kessel are so used to being in control by virtue of their immense talents that this grinding, physical style of play wears at them.

Even when Pittsburgh manages to get through the neutral zone, it isn’t met with success. The Islanders’ disciplined defensive play pushes the puck to the outside, away from the slot and the goalie where most scoring chances come from, until they are able to recover the puck.

Because of the Islanders’ stifling defensive play, the Penguins have moved their defensemen in order to manufacture scoring chances. Having a defenseman out of his normal position gives the Islanders an open window to escape down the ice on a breakaway.

The trap is impossible to play against once a team is down because of the way it tires out opponents. Once the Penguins are down, they are more likely to take risks and pinch again, playing right into the Islanders’ hands.

Even so, the Penguins scored first in both games two and three. They were unable to hold the lead for long, though, giving up the tying goal less than three minutes later in game two and 26 seconds later in game three.

Find the full story online at

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8

Website, pg. 8 I’m a member of the sports media, meaning I’ve seen quite a few college athletic websites in my day. They’re typically a journalist’s first resource for fact-checking player names, years, statistics and the like. Most team websites follow roughly the same formula: a task bar across the top of the screen, including an icon labeled “Sports” that provides quick and easy access to the schedule, roster and news for each of the school’s athletic programs. Some are less visually appealing than others, but most provide the same level of navigability.

Call me biased, but I always thought Pitt’s old athletic website was among the nation’s best. It was easy to look at and just as easy to use — a blend of style and practicality nearly unrivaled among its peers.

In all my experience with collegiate athletic sites, there was always one school that stood out as having a particularly dreadful layout: Syracuse.

The Orange’s online home looks fine on the surface, with a scoreboard across

pittnews.com

the top and large pictures on the main page that lead to new articles. There’s just one nagging problem — it’s hard to get to your desired location, especially if it’s your first time visiting the website. This is because Syracuse’s tech team decided it was a good idea to swap out their its labels with icons, creating a sort of guessing game as to which images indicate news, schedule, roster and so forth.

I get that Syracuse is trying to be different from its peers, to zig where other sites zag, with an emphasis on succinctness and simplicity. Even its URL, cuse. com, is a bastion of brevity. But since the dawn of the Phoenician alphabet around 1000 B.C., human beings have communicated primarily through alphabetical letters. Words are effective because they have an exact meaning.

So it always puzzled me as to why Syracuse Athletics chose to rely on ambiguous images to depict information. For a school that prides itself on having a top-notch communications department, the athletic site sure does a poor job of communicating.

So you can imagine my dismay when

I went to check Pitt Athletic’s website on the night of April 8, only to find a labyrinthine and disorienting iconbased layout seemingly inspired by our Orange neighbors to the north. Instead of simply changing the color scheme from navy and gold to blue and yellow, Pitt Athletics decided that wasn’t enough — it needed to drastically revamp the entire user interface as well.

Gone is the easy-to-use toolbar across the top of the screen, replaced instead by only four options that can be reached with one click. All four options, “Buy Tickets,” “Shop Now,” “Donate Today” and “Online Auction,” have to do with giving money to Pitt Athletics, giving the impression that the department made the collective decision to prioritize finance over usability.

What used to take a simple, mindless mouse drag and a single click now takes three clicks and a moment of hesitation as you try to decide which icon signifies the link you’re looking for. Sure, it only takes a second or two to realize the image of a calendar probably means schedule, or the icon showing the outline of three people probably means roster. But

April 16, 2019

you know how one would be able to tell for sure? If the labels simply read “Roster” or “Schedule” like the good old days.

Maybe the new website will just take some time to get used to. But I can’t see a scenario where clicking on a drop-down bar on the site of the screen, clicking “Teams” then scrolling through a vertical list of all Pitt’s athletic programs in order to reach my destination is more convenient than the old path. The only thing I can think of is that Pitt Athletics wanted to make its site more accessible to prekindergarten toddlers who haven’t learned to read yet but can still derive meaning from the iconography.

So, Pitt Athletics, you can change the color scheme I grew up watching, come up with a new logo and make the jersey numbers as pointy as you want.

These new initiatives have little to no effect on my personal life. But when you mess with the user interface on your website — modeling it after one of the most confusing layouts and a long-time Pitt rival, no less — and prolong my fact-checking process by two to three seconds, then we’ve got problems, pal.

9

I N D E X

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

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

412‑441‑1211. info@­ forbesmanagement.­ net. www.forbesman­ agement.net

South Oakland ****************** Large 6 bedroom house for rent. Fall occupancy.

Atwood Street.

Close to campus.

Please call Gary at 412‑807‑8058 1‑2‑3‑4‑5 Bedroom apartments/houses.

Rents starting at $650 for 1BR. May or Au­gust availability.

412‑999‑2124 1/2/3 BR, furnished, sharing for 3 people.

Oakland Ave. $600 per month per person, utilities included.

Available May to Au­gust. Contact 412‑848‑9442.

2 Bedroom Apart­ ment. Rent: $1690 + electric. Avail‑ able August 1, 2019 on Louisa St.

pittnews.com

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

412‑441‑1211. info@­ forbesmanagement.­ net. www.forbesman­ agement.net.

2 BR house and 3 BR house, South Oak­land, very nice, good rent, close to Pitt. Avail‑ able Aug. 1, 2019.

Call 412‑881‑0550 or email apetro­v@ pitt.edu 2 BR house with off street parking & newly remodeled 2 BR apartment.

Avail­able in August.

Unfur­nished, no pets.

At­wood/S. Bouquet.

Call 412‑492‑8173 3326 Juliet St. Big 3 bedroom, 2‑story house 1.5 bath, fully equipped eat‑in kitchen/appli­ances/ new refrigera­tor, living, dining room, 2 porches, full base‑ ment, laundry/ storage, park‑ ing on premises, super clean ‑move‑in con­dition. Near univer­sities/hospi‑ tals/bus. $1800+.

412‑337‑3151 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,

Classifieds

For sale

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

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

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

Newly re­modeled.

Some have laundry on site. Min­utes from the Univer­sity. For more info please call Mike at 412‑849‑8694 Atwood Street. 1/ 2BR units available now. Close to Pitt.

Parking available.

412‑561‑7964. Leave message.

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. Laun­ dry room in apart­ ment. Parking avail­ able. $3200 +utilities.

Call 412‑871‑5657 Dawson Village Apts. near CMU and

notices

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

Pitt. One bedroom apt. available for immedi­ate move in.

On bus line, close to restau­rants and shops. *CALL IN FOR SPE­CIALS!* Contact Jerry at 412‑722‑8546 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 Recently reno’ed S Oakland 3BR house, $1750/mo + utilities.

Spacious, beautiful, well‑maintained.

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

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

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

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.

to restaurants and shops. *CALL IN FOR SPECIALS!* Contact Jerry at 412‑722‑8546

Brett/Thames Manor Apts. (Ellsworth & S. Negley Ave.) near CMU and Pitt.

Stu­dio‑One‑Two bed­ room apts. available for immediate move in. On bus line, close

Shadyside: Studio

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

Free heat. Immedi‑ ate occupancy. Call 412‑361‑2695 ($740) or 2 Bedroom ($1190). Quiet,

clean, well‑main­tained apartment house.

Great location ‑ in

heart of Shady­side!

Fully equipped

kitchenette, A/C,

Breeze. Photos &

carpeting. Near

ity online, check out

laundry, wall‑to‑wall Pitt shuttle and city

busline and shopping.

No pets, no smoking.

Available Aug. 1st.

current availabil‑

www.forbesmanage­ ment.net, or call 412.441.1211

412‑628‑1686.

Employment

Rental Other

Internships

Studios, 1, 2, & 3

Bedroom apartments

Concrete Casting

& sooner. Oak­land,

searching for individ­

ship, Squirrel Hill,

operations. $12/hr.

available August 2019

Start‑up company

Shadyside, Friend‑

ual to engage in daily

Highland Park, Point

412‑477‑3800

Spacious and bright 2BR apartment on Dawson St. Second floor. Free laundry and water/sewage.

Available August 2019. $1150/mo.

Contact Rebecca at 412‑651‑6594. Text or call.

Shadyside 4909 Centre Ave. Great location for this spacious 1BR apartment located be­

April 16, 2019

10

Employment Other

Shadyside Manage­

B&R Pools and

landscapers, painters,

maintain swimming

pools. No experience

neces­sary! Candidate must be 18 years of age or older with

valid driver license.

40 hours per week for the entire summer, overtime possible

at time and a half.

IDEAL FOR COL­

LEGE STUDENTS! Candidates should

call 412‑661‑7665 to inquire. Looking for

people to start imme­ diately!!!!

and assistant roofers

for the summer. Must be at least 18 years old. No experience

necessary. $11/hour

plus additional atten­ dance bonuses are

available, if earned.

Work involves land­ scaping, painting,

roofing, and general labor. Perfect sum­

mer job for college students!

Mozart Management

phone:412‑682‑7003 email:thane

@mozartrents.com

NOW HIRING!

Team Scotti (insur­

NEEDED at Phipps

league baseball) seek­

No Experience needed

technology intern to

Flexible Hours

port, troubleshoot­ing

Time Opportunities

and maintaining IT

sphere and location

upgrading net­work

shift

IT and other depart­

SET‑UP CREW

ance broker for major

Conservatory

ing an information

Competitive Wages

assist in technical sup­

Full Time and Part

issues, organiza­tion

Awesome work atmo­

resources. Help with

Free Meal with every

equipment, as­sisting

Paid Weekly

ments with re­ports,

Call (804)‑615‑6245

software in­ventory

d@Sodexo.com

as assigned. Ideal

SUMMER WORK

strong computer

or Email Kieran.Tod­

Landscape help, wall and patio construc­

tion, planting, mulch­ ing, and con­crete work.

Near 279 Camp

Horne Rd exit. Full time and part time. $11‑15/hour. Need

transportation. Call 412‑477‑3800.

SUMMER WORK

pittnews.com

tracking hard­ware and and other du­ties

candidate would have skills and a passion to

learn. Fa­miliarity with Access is required.

Ability to work in a

team en­vironment as

well as independently is nec­essary. Contact Dave Webster at

dweb­ster@team­

scotti.com for further informa­tion.

4/16/19

for gen­eral help to

full‑time dependable

The Pitt news crossword

Swim Shop looking

ment Company needs

April 16, 2019

11

pittnews.com

April 16, 2019

12