5-13-15

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Photo by Meghan Sunners | Senior Staff Photographer

Cover by Alex Ryan

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Pennsylvania Senate seeks to raise minimum wage

Following rallies in Oakland and nationwide, Pa. Senate introduces legislation to raise the minimum wage DAYLIN LEACH,

Pennsylvania state senator

Keep in mind that if the minimum wage had kept pace with labor productivity, it would now be over $21 per hour.

MICHAEL SALTSMAN, Employment Policies Institute

Sen. Leach’s proposed $15 minimum wage is a nightmare for small businesses and less skilled employees in the Keystone State.

Emily Klenk | Staff Photographer

Elizabeth Lepro Assistant News Editor For Josh Orange, making $7.25 per hour, the Pennsylvania minimum wage, is not enough.

He wants $15 an hour.

At rallies last semester, Orange, a Pitt senior, told the story of growing up in Detroit with his mother, who worked for minimum wage to raise him and his siblings. She worked long hours in the service industry, he said, and struggled to pay her bills some months.

Sen. Daylin Leach proposed a Pa. Senate bill in April that he claims would “drastically improve” the lives of two million Pennsylvanians who work for minimum wage. Leach’s bill would match the minimum wage to the rate of inflation, increasing it from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. The bill would also raise the tipped minimum wage to $7.25, according to a release from the Senator’s office. But opponents say the legislation would cost other Pennsylvanians their jobs. With zero

co-sponsors, the bill isn’t currently scheduled for a vote and still has to make it past a Republican-led Senate.

On April 15, protesters and minimum wage workers across the country went on strike for the day and rallied for a higher minimum wage. In Pittsburgh, fast food workers, service workers, students and community leaders marched down Forbes Avenue with banners and signs and called for a $15 an hour minimum wage.

“Keep in mind that if the minimum wage had kept pace with labor productivity, it would now be over $21 per hour,” the release reads. “And if it had kept pace proportionately with CEO pay, it would be much higher than that.”

Last Senate session, Leach introduced a bill that would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour. He increased the amount this session in part because he felt Gov. Tom Wolf would receive minimum wage legislation favorably, Hoenstine said.

“When you put money in the pockets of

people at a lower socioeconomic cycle, they mostly spend it,” Steve Hoenstine, Leach’s spokesperson, said.

This, in turn, would boost Pennsylvania’s economy, according to Hoenstine.

Sam Williamson, president of service workers union 32BJ, was successful in negotiating higher wages for service workers at Pitt and said he’s happy to see public actions to raise the minimum wage.

“A lot of service workers are making, if not minimum wage, then close to it,” Williamson said.

Williamson supports a higher minimum wage but expressed doubt about whether or not the bill would pass in the Republican-led House. Hoenstine, however, said he was sure that Leach, who worked in January bipartisanly to co-sponsor and advocate a recent medical marijuana bill, will commit himself to getting the legislation passed. “[Leach] has a record of proposing something and then working with his colleagues to get it passed,” Hoenstine said.

Opponents, however, such as Michael Saltsman, a research director at the Employment Policies Institute, said rather than boost Pennsylvania’s economy, the legislation will cost the state thousands of jobs.

“Sen. Leach’s proposed $15 minimum wage is a nightmare for small businesses and less skilled employees in the Keystone State,” Saltsman said in an email Tuesday. “With youth unemployment in the Philadelphia metro area above 22 percent — right in the Senator’s backyard — now is the worst time to enact policies that would make jobs even harder to come by.”

According to a 2013 Gallup poll, 76 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage, though only to $9 an hour.

But Orange is adamant about a $15 an hour minimum wage. Orange, who helped organize the Fight for $15 march in Oakland on April 15, said the fair wage bill is “a concrete representation of the power of organizing.”

Wage

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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Pitt, United Way work to employ disabled youth Lauren Rosenblatt Assistant News Editor For many young disabled people in Pittsburgh, life comes to a halt after high school.

“We call it graduating to the couch,” Mary Hartley, who works with local charity 21 and Able, said. “[These kids] don’t have anything to do with their time when they don’t have school.”

To help divert this pathline, Pitt has pledged to hire at least a few of these individuals. Michelle Fullem, director of recruiting and client services for Pitt’s Human Resources department, said by early summer, Pitt and the United Way of Allegheny County will hire a full-time career transition professional who will work with disabled young adults to help them make the transition to the workplace. The career transition professional will serve as a “non-traditional job coach,” Fullem said, and will help disabled individuals find jobs at Pitt, wherever they are qualified.

While Pitt will employ the career transition professional, the hiring is part of an initiative that the United Way of Allegheny County started this year. In January, the Kessler Foundation awarded United Way with a $378,000 grant to hire individuals in Pittsburgh like the transition professional at Pitt.

These individuals, the release said, will help find jobs for young, disabled individuals. Before United Way received the grant, it launched a pilot of the program and hired Barbara Graham, a vocational rehabilitation counselor with Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, to help hire disabled individuals at Giant Eagle.

Since September 2013, Graham has helped employ 27 young adults, the release said.

Using 2000 U.S. Census data, Pitt found that 7.7 percent of disabled women and 9.4 percent of disabled men in Pittsburgh were unemployed. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the national unemployment rate was 4 percent in 2000.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for disabled individuals is 10 percent, almost twice the national percentage of 5.4 percent.

Pitt’s initiative comes from a partnership with United Way and 21 and Able, which works to “bridge the gap” between high school and adulthood for people with disabilities. At Pitt, once the transition professional connects a disabled individual with the University, he or she will go through the same hiring process as any other person, and Pitt will give them the same opportunities as anyone else, Fullem said.

“There is no limit on what types of opportunities [are available]. There could be a variety of positions based on the individual’s skills, experience and education,” Fullem said.

United Way and 21 and Able chose to partner with Pitt because it is such a large institution and hires a variety of people,

according to Hartley, who is the lead consultant for policy and advocacy for 21 and Able.

“The nice thing about Pitt is that there are lots of different jobs, those for very high levels of education and those that you just need some training and then you can do the job,” Hartley said. “And it’s very centrally located, and the support [these students] need is close by.”

Apart from 21 and Able, some Pitt researchers are focusing on helping disabled individuals, particularly through projects such as wheelchair robotics, according to Michael Lain, Information Dissemination Coordinator for one of these labs at Pitt.

Pitt has approximately 700-800 disabled students registered with the Office of Disability Resources and Services, according to Leigh Culley, the office’s interim director. The ODRS works to make sure disabled students have access to the same opportunities as other students.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Third timeʼs the charm: Pitt plans for Iranian Nationality Room Amidst nuclear controversy and a strict deal with the U.S., Iranian-Americans in Pittsburgh rejoice

E. Maxine Bruhns doesn’t like how Iran is portrayed in the U.S., so she’s taking its perception into her own hands.

Bruhns is the director of the Nationality Rooms at Pitt and after two unsuccessful attempts dating back to 1958, Pitt — after it secures funding — is nearly set to transform room 352 of the Cathedral of Learning into an Iranian Nationality Room. For a country that has been under recent scrutiny for its nuclear program, the Iranian Nationality Room committee hopes the new nationality room will redefine how Americans portray Iran.

According to Ali Masalehdan, the ad hoc chair for the Iranian Nationality Room committee, fundraising efforts will dictate how elaborate the room’s design can be, but the committee cannot begin raising money until it has an official approval from Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. This is Pitt’s third attempt to build an Iranian room, a project

this committee of 10 members including representatives from Persian Panthers and the American Middle East Institute, has worked on since 2011.

The Iranian Nationality Room committee doesn’t know how long it will take to construct the room, but it set a five year deadline to begin construction, according to Bruhns.

In 2011, the Iranian Nationality Room committee submitted a request to Pitt to have an Iranian Nationality Room in the Cathedral of Learning. According to Bruhns, the University approved the request in December 2014. This approval, however, is only the beginning of what will likely be a long project.

After Pitt approved the request, it gave the committee three months to submit fundraising and design proposals, which it submitted several weeks ago, Bruhns said. She then approved it and sent it to the director of the University Center of International Studies.

Once the director approves it, Bruhns

said, he will send it to Provost Patricia Beeson and Gallagher, who will finalize it.

Bruhns said she hopes the Chancellor will sign the proposal by the end of the summer.

“Fundraising is the Achilles heel for the project,” Masalehdan said.

The total cost of the room will be between $800,000 and $1 million, he said.

To fundraise for this project, Salim Malakouti, a computer science doctoral student and vice president of the Iranian Nationality Room committee, plans to have private fundraising campaigns in Pittsburgh and nationwide, as well as host a local Iranian food and film festival in Pittsburgh.

He said more important than the fundraising, though, is having the chance to show Pittsburgh Iranian culture.

“People think there is war in Iran all the time or people killing each other in the streets, but it’s not like that,” Malakouti said.

“I get the chance to show the people what is the truth about Iran. The media just shows the portions of Iran that they want to.”

The Pitt News Crossword, 5/13/2015

Anjana Murali Staff Writer

ACROSS 1 Barn birds 5 “A Fish Called __”:1988 Cleese film 10 Jordan Spieth’s org.

13 Hair-removal brand 14 Olympics chant 16 Onassis nickname 17 *Cause championed by Martin Luther King, Jr. 19 Nintendo’s Super __ 20 Somme summer 21 “Love __ Open Door”: “Frozen” duet 22 Paris tower designer 24 “I __ noticed” 26 *Military branch 28 Archaeological artifact 29 Cold War CIA foe 30 Assents at sea 31 Capital of Libya 33 Morally bad 36 “Catch my drift?”

37 On the __: escaping 38 Like steak tartare 39 Unused 42 Reverse, as a computer operation 43 Newman song played after a Dodgers home victory 45 Pass up 48 Long or Peeples 50 “The Grapes of Wrath” family 51 *Five-sided figure 54 Mottled mount 55 Sign up 56 Old MacDonald’s place 58 Seething state 60 Brian of ambient music 61 Late-May observance, whose first word can follow each answer to a starred clue 64 Org. with narcs 65 Buffalo NHL team

Masalehdan said Americans have a skewed view of Iranian culture and civilization because all they hear about Iran in the news are the nuclear issues.

“The nationality room will put a human face to this culture that has had a huge contribution to world science and literature,” Masalehdan said.

Although the nationality rooms are not meant to be political, Bruhns said, this project restored her faith in politics.

“We were on TV in Tehran,” she said.

“The Iranian community was so happy and optimistic, and the mood was just wonderful.”

Coincidentally, Bruhns said, when the group got the approval in December, Masalehdan was planning to visit Iran. There, he met the deputy minister of arts and culture and Nader Ardalan, a well-known design professor to help with ideas for the design of the room, and he continued to stay in touch with them after he returned to Pittsburgh.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

5/25/15

By C.C. Burnikel

66 “__ Dinah”: Frankie Avalon hit 67 Moth-eaten 68 Papas’ partners 69 Vietnam neighbor DOWN 1 __ in a blue moon 2 “Don’t move until I get back” 3 Be habitually dishonest 4 __ Lanka 5 German sausage 6 Japan’s locale 7 Words from a beleaguered spouse 8 “Boy, am I dumb!”

9 Daisylike flower 10 Cook in a skillet 11 Plato’s country 12 Theater walkways 15 “Yeah, right!”

18 *Bearded Mount Rushmore president 23 Stable baby 25 Guacamole, e.g.

27 Spain and Portugal 28 NFL linemen 29 Japanese robe 32 Young fellow

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

34 Actor Kilmer 35 *Iconic WWII flagraising island 39 “Clever thought!”

40 Legendary city of gold 41 “What __ I thinking?”

42 At most 44 Maria __ Trapp 45 Skimpy swimwear brand 46 Hound hotel

5/25/15

47 Damaging encroachment 49 Break the news to 52 Charitable gift 53 Sparkle 54 Overly proper type 57 Pi r squared, for a circle 59 Baby blues 62 CEO’s degree 63 “Bad” cholesterol letters

May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Pitt’s peregrine falcon’s 43rd egg hatches on Mother’s Day Dale Shoemaker News Editor No one — especially Kate St. John — thought it would happen, but on Mother’s Day, Dorothy the falcon’s 43rd egg hatched.

Dorothy is a peregrine falcon that nests on top of the Cathedral of Learning. She’s been there since 2001, and first nested in 2002, according to St. John, a volunteer with the Western Pa. Conservancy. Since Dorothy’s arrival, St. John has monitored the falcon via a live camera feed the National Aviary hosts on its website. St. John also started a blog where she posts updates on Dorothy’s health — called “Outside My Window” — which she updates regularly.

In her entry on March 31, St. John wrote that Dorothy was not in good condition and said she and other experts at the National Aviary wondered if Dorothy was egg bound, a sometimes fatal condition for birds in which they cannot lay an egg that has formed inside of them. Dorothy, now at age 16, was egg

bound last year, but survived, St. John said.

But on Sunday, Dorothy’s 43rd egg hatched. The bird is alive, but St. John said she isn’t going to count it officially until the hatchling takes its first flight.

“In the many years she’s nested, two nest-

lings died in the nest before flying,” St. John said in an email.

Still, this hatching is rare because Dorothy was also egg bound last year. Dorothy is not the oldest falcon to lay an egg, but she is beyond the life expectancy of female peregrine falcons, St. John wrote on her blog.

As for the possibility of hatchling number 44, St. John said that if Dorothy doesn’t lay another egg this week, she won’t for the rest of the year. Next year, however, she still could, but St. John isn’t so sure.

“Never say never … but age is not in her favor,” she said.

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WAGE

“This is a step in the right direction,” Orange said. “It’s acknowledging that our issue right now is not scarcity — but distribution.”

On May 5, the Senate Labor and Industry Committee held hearings about who a higher minimum wage might affect in response to a five-part legislation package from Sen. Christine Tartaglione.

Tartaglione’s legislation would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2016.

At the hearings, Mark Price, a labor economist at the Keystone Research Center, backed the Raise the Wage Coalition.

Price said that raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour “would boost the wages of 1.2 million workers of the state’s resident workforce and in total wages in Pennsylvania would increase by $1.8 billion,” according to the recap.

Although Leach’s fair wage bill lacks cosponsors, its supporters remain hopeful.

“A couple of years ago, even people who wanted to raise the minimum wage weren’t talking about $15 an hour,” Williamson said.

“And now they are.”

T P N Today’s difficulty level: Very Hard S U D Puzzles by Dailysudoku.com O K U

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS

Keep Big Brother out of the workplace

The year 1984 and its namesake novel have had their times, but Big Brother still flourishes in today’s society — especially regarding employees whose bosses submit them to GPS-tracking apps in the workplace.

On May 5, Myrna Arias, a former sales executive at Intermex, a wire-transfer company, filed a lawsuit against her employer for privacy violations. According to the court documents, Intermex hired Arias in February 2014 and two months later began requiring employees to install Xora StreetSmart — a GPS app — to track its employees’ whereabouts.

Employees agreed to the surveillance during work hours, but in practice, their bosses tracked their location off the clock. For employers, Xora seemed like the right answer for issues in productivity. Intermex could track slackers in real time — even down to the speed they’re driving. Arias’s boss, John Stubits, admitted the company could track employees off the clock.

According to the lawsuit, Arias “likened the app to a prisoner’s ankle bracelet.”

In this conversation, we must consider where the harm lies in potential slacking. If it isn’t to prevent any inherent obstructive harm — like violence or withholding information from the public — GPS tracking is not only unnecessary, but it is an infringement on privacy rights. We must ask ourselves: “Where is the need?”

For police officers, there is an evident need. To keep their power in check, the government often surveys officers through video footage or location tracking. Without this scrutiny, there is an open door for

possible violence. Similarly, public figures — like politicians — require a level of transparency because their duty is to serve the public.

However, what are the stakes for an office worker in a private company? They simply aren’t as high. While the Intermex scenario may seem like an outlier, it’s a conversation that becomes increasingly pertinent with the influx of products in our data-driven, technology age.

“How Some Men Fake an 80Hour Workweek, and Why It Matters,” a May 4th column written by Neil Irwin in The Upshot, a New York Times blog, discusses how employees working 80 hours per week don’t necessarily serve clients better than those working 50 per week. Some workers can adequately finish the same work in less time than those working long hours. In much the same way, employers won’t necessarily increase productivity through GPS-tracking apps.

The real solution? Employees need to hold themselves accountable through providing great work.

Employers should analyze their workers’ labor and have disciplinary conversations, when necessary, if productivity is inadequate.

Using a watchdog GPS-tracking app just seems passive aggressive, in comparison.

We shouldn’t pigeonhole ourselves into relying on technology to spy on every employee. What we really need is more face-to-face contact and more conversations between real people, rather than computer screens.

How else can we fix a problem in human error than with a human approach?

TNS

THE TALBERT REPORT

Five reasons you should vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Eli Talbert Columnist

You’ve seen her on the news for her email scandal, listened to her Benghazi testimony and appreciated the colorful spread of Internet memes dedicated in her honor. Yet there is still some debate on why Hillary Clinton should win next year’s popularity contest — the 2016 Presidential Election.

Below are five reasons why we should support a second President Clinton: 1) She has waited her turn.

In 2008, Clinton was the frontrunner, but a certain sena-

tor from Illinois beat her out for the Democratic nomination and then swept the general election.

Now, it’s Clinton’s time to shine.

You might wonder why Clinton deserves to be president just because she’s next in line. After all, waiting for the presidency isn’t the same thing as waiting for swings on the playground.

However, think of all the disasters mistiming presidencies can cause. For instance, if the president tried to reset our relationship with Russia at the wrong time, then Russia might feel entitled to invade a nearby country. Luckily, last March Clinton likened Vladimir Putin’s

aggression in Ukraine to Adolf Hitler. With comments like these, we can rest assured that Clinton’s timing is superb.

Thankfully, Clinton has proven throughout the years that politically, she has the patience to take the correct position at the correct time. She has had the foresight to take the right position on gay marriage, which she recently decided was a constitutional right after opposing it in 2008. She’s also had the sense to time her vote for the Iraq War — which she has now labeled a mistake despite refusing to dis-

Talbert

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 6

TALBERT own her stance in 2007. As president, I have confidence that she will continue to have the patience to take the right position at the right time.

2) She has gone the distance.

Clinton visited a record-setting 112 countries as Secretary of State. However, simply traveling a great deal isn’t really an accomplishment — the real accomplishment lies in Clinton’s ability to overcome obstacles in becoming president. If Clinton can overcome overseeing a failed healthcare initiative, losing the Democratic nomination to a one-term Senator and a failed reset with Russia to run for president again, just think of all the failures she could overcome as president.

3) She is a meme.

Quite simply, if you are a meme you are automatically cool. Clinton may have been a Washington insider for more than 20 years, but the meme depicting her texting on her Blackberry proves that she has what it takes to be a modern president. Why? Because

President Obama is a “celebrity president” with his face plastered on memes, who also uses technology. To follow in the footsteps of the man who once beat her out for the Democratic Primary, Clinton must utilize her meme status and tech-savvy in the up-

since her image can appear next to the likes of Internet sensations like Grumpy Cat, she can truly understand the concerns of middle-class Americans, despite her economic privilege. If you have a meme, you’re one of us.

After all, voters care more about who looks cool, trendy and techy than who has a better political platform. most way. After all, voters care more about who looks cool, trendy and techy than who has a better political platform.

But to be cool, you have to be relatable — and Clinton’s meme status does just that.

Clinton is worth upwards of $5 million and is married to a former President that can make $500,000 in around three hours. But,

4) She will respect your privacy.

Recently, the government has given Clinton flack for using a private email server during her time as Secretary of State.

While admittedly, this misuse of government emails isn’t great for transparency, it does show that she has a concern for her technological privacy — similar to regular

7 citizens. Just think, if Secretary Clinton had these concerns about technology, President Clinton will have just as much sympathy for regular citizens whose emails aren’t supposed to be public record.

5) Her campaign symbol is cool.

The Clinton campaign symbol is an H crossed with a red arrow. Some have criticized it as a rip off of the WikiLeaks logo or have complained that it sends the message that Clinton is going to shift to the right.

However, I feel that its blocky ‘90s feel is perfectly suited to represent Clinton’s stability as a left-winger.

The ‘90s feel reminds us that we were first graced with Clinton’s political opinions over 20 years ago, when her husband was President. The illustrated reference to the 1990s cannot be pure coincidence — it’s a hidden symbol to subconsciously remind liberal voters that she’s on their side, while still giving conservatives hope that she’s on their team. Moreover, Clinton should be president simply for the design genius of her campaign staff.

Eli Talbert writes a biweekly satirical column for The Pitt News.

Write to Eli at ejt26@pitt.edu.

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC

MIXED MEDIA

Chris Estes | For The Pitt News

Artists rave at museum’s cultural extravaganza Chris Estes For The Pitt News Guests of the #NOWSEETHIS party at the Carnegie Museum of Art this Saturday had an opportunity to check out local fifth graders’ art projects before breaking it down on a sweaty, chaotic dance floor.

The Carnegie Museum of Art, in partnership with VIA — a Pittsburgh group dedicated to showcasing local and international artists — presented a wild blend of art and music from 7 to 11 p.m. at the museum.

The Hillman Photography Initiative, a project dedicated to innovation in photography, provided interactive exhibits that prefaced performances headlined by American singer-songwriter Kelela, as well

as DJ Juliana Huxtable from New York City and Danish synth-pop musician, Dinner.

Men in heels, middle-aged folk in business casual attire and younger people sporting leather, platform shoes and mesh shirts joined in the rare coupling of musicians in risqué fashion and elementary school artwork. The event kept its finger on the moment, yet pushed artistic boundaries.

In a technicolor cocktail of music, new media art and technology, the party gave a new definition to the phrase mixed media and reimagined modern art for a digital stage.

Along with the professional artists’ exhibits, attendees could also examine paintings and sculptures created by 10-year-olds.

One such piece included a pair of contorted legs wearing paint-splattered denim and

Nikes, contrasting against the dark, stark and sometimes pornographic works of digital artists like Kevin Ramser. The Video and Media Design Program from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama also joined the party, with interactive and experimental video displays.

The eclectic mix of attendees and art alone made this night edgier than other Pittsburgh cultural events that focus on traditional, conventional definitions of art — but what really exaggerated the party was the musical accompaniment.

Sporting blue lipstick that matched her blue Beats by Dre headphones, Huxtable played an hour-long eclectic mix of songs ranging from “2 On” by Tinashe to “Lionsong” by Bjork. Her setlist sampled everything from reggaeton to Madonna.

She upped the energy and reimagined the feelings each song could evoke. She transformed “Frozen” by Madonna, for instance, from a melancholy, ethereal track into a thumping dance anthem.

Never making eye contact with the crowd, Huxtable kept her persona docile and mysterious, dipping into coquettish.

The ferocity of her setlist, however, transformed the inquisitive museum patrons into frantic, moving bodies on the dance floor.

With braids brushing her knees and her beige, full-length sheer dress, Huxtable’s performance was one of the most rewarding parts of the CMOA event.

Prior to Huxtable’s set, photographers Rollin and Tad Leonard encouraged audi-

Mixed Media

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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MUSIC

Toro y Moi offer tired, indecisive show at Mr. Smalls Chris Estes For The Pitt News

At 11 p.m. on Thursday night, Chaz Bundick, who goes by the stage name Toro y Moi, checked in on his fans, asking them, “How are you guys doing?” Before the cheers were over, he powered through the remaining 30 minutes of his set at Mr. Smalls Theatre.

Headliner Toro y Moi and his fourman band performed tracks with a ‘70sinspired sound, different from the soulful house records they have produced in the past. With a little help from his guitar, the instrument that helped move the artist in a new, funky direction in his latest album, “What For?,” Toro y Moi performed a feelgood set for the night’s crowd. Neither Toro y Moi nor its opener, Vinyl Williams, were particularly vocal or engaged with the audience, which was mostly comprised of white, 20-something men.

The show began at 9 p.m. with the Los Angeles-based Vinyl Williams, an experimental pop group. A male vocalist/keyboardist sporting a full, curly head of hair led the one-woman, four-man band. The lead vocalist crooned out indecipherable

CUISINE

lyrics to an atmospheric set for a little under an hour.

The setlist of songs from Toro y Moi’s latest album complemented the summery Pittsburgh weather, and made for a fun,

Mr. Smalls’ bar area and the main stage, was politely attentive, but not captivated with the opening act. A morphing, trippy projection played above the backdrop while red lights shone down on the band

Chris Estes | For The Pitt News

easy-going concert environment. With beers in hand, the crowd assembled close to the stage to enjoy Toro y Moi’s new music. Unlike its past three albums, where it relied heavily on the synthetic sounds of the keyboard, Toro y Moi utilized the guitar on its fourth album to create 10 cheerful, uncharacteristic new songs.

Vinyl Williams prefaced Toro y Moi’s performance with a decidedly average performance. The crowd, divided between

from above. From behind his keyboard, the curly-haired lead vocalist sang along to the band’s ambient sound while those directly in front of the stage watched.

Toro y Moi occasionally sat the guitar down, returning to its musical roots — the keyboard — to perform tracks off of its more electronic, penultimate album, “Anything in Return.” The disparity between the often sensual and laid-back sound of “Anything” and the upbeat guitar tracks

off of “What For?” was obvious. Their fourman band seemed relatively unfazed by the dissimilarity, playing along without any change in their energy or movement.

The lighting seemed to be the only aspect of the stage to react to the change. It transitioned from deep blues and reds when Bundick stood behind his keyboard, to multi-colored, psychedelic lighting when he went back to wielding the guitar.

The crowd, mostly comprised of guys sporting undercuts and groomed facial hair, reacted to the variation in sound by bobbing their heads along to the upbeat new music.

The encore performance of Toro y Moi’s biggest hit, “So Many Details,” put Bundick behind the keyboard once again.

As the excitement in the room reached its peak, fans let loose whatever inhibitions they had, dancing more emphatically and singing along.

Past the bright lights, Toro y Moi’s performance faltered in the details. With his late greeting, Bundick seemed aloof and tired to the monotonous crowd, and his eclectic set of keyboard-heavy songs juxtaposed with guitar-heavy ballads just didn’t mesh well in the wayward performance.

Ritter’s Diner a comforting, caloric respite from on-campus eateries

Jai-W Hayes-Jackson For The Pitt News Nothing, to me, says vintage charm like a cash-only diner.

Ritter’s Diner opened in 1951 in Bloomfield and is a family-owned, nostalgic wonderland of home-cooked food. Housed in an unassuming brown-and-gray building at the corner of Baum Boulevard and Powhattan Street, the restaurant is similar to Pamela’s Diner in Oakland by serving comfort food for less than $15. Unlike Pamela’s, Ritter’s goes all night and serves classics like hot roast beef and meatloaf 24/7. With breakfast, lunch and dinner options throughout the day, the restaurant is an amusing, anytime hub for patrons to slide into teal booths, flip through a

vintage jukebox and get away from campus restaurants filled with college students discussing classes and recent blackouts.

I took a trip down to Ritter’s around 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night that was busier than most, according to the conversation between waitresses I overheard. From my booth near the front of the restaurant, I noticed a group of senior citizens laughing in the back of the restaurant, a couple of old friends catching up and a younger couple on a date.

My waitress gave me a menu when I sat down and then fielded my requests for an appetizer of provolone sticks to preface a Meat Lover’s Omelette. With crisp breading and melted cheese, the appetizer was picturesque. The provolone cheese combined with the tang of marinara sauce

made for a homey treat.

Not too long after finishing my second cheese stick, I received my omelette, which featured bacon, sausage and ham compiled into one delicious ensemble. Every bite burst with savory flavor that overpowered the basic taste of egg.

Full, but craving more, I encored my omelette with an order of honey-dipped fried chicken. My waitress brought out the beautiful, golden-crisp skinned chicken, and I took my first bite. The skin was sweet and flavorful and the meat soft and tender, but the chicken lacked any noteworthy flavoring. Nevertheless, it tasted like a home-cooked meal that any college student would look forward to.

To complete my feast, I ordered a slice of apple pie. My waitress joked about my

slim figure and the amount I was eating.

I didn’t expect the slice to be cold, but nonetheless, I devoured the dessert, which was less sweet than I anticipated. Pie is a luxury to be enjoyed whenever the chance presents itself.

Ritter’s food is comforting and delicious like other local diners, but the cuisine is only a part of the vintage diner feel.

This idyllic restaurant is superior to others in that it’s open all hours of the day and plays with a 1950s aesthetic.

Every booth at Ritter’s has a jukebox offering classic songs from Johnny Cash to Stevie Wonder. I enjoyed my meal while listening to Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” and the Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann.” For only 50 cents a play, you’ll want to bring your quarters.

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 8

MIXED MEDIA ence participation for their art demonstration. They invited partners to sit facing each other to be photographed, and then the artists digitally manipulated the participants’ faces on a computer.

They merged the two faces, smashing them together and displaying them on a large screen. The magic of the exhibit came from the diversity of the subjects: gay, straight, black, white, young and old were all welcome

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to sit together on the stools and share an imagined, digital kiss.

Dinner performed his set after Huxtable close to 10 p.m. In a simple black buttondown, he commanded the audience with his bellowing voice, at one point getting the entire crowd to sit on the floor while he serenaded them. The music was somewhat reminiscent of the ‘80s new wave genre, almost a contemporary parody of bands like Flock of Seagulls and New Order. Heavy male vocals accompanied generally upbeat, synthesized pop beats to achieve a decidedly nostalgic sound.

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Close to 11 p.m., the event’s headliner, the alternative R&B performer, Kelela, took to the stage and opened with her song “Bank Head.” In an oversized, plunging black blazer, subtle gold jewelry and black lipstick, Kelela all but mesmerized the audience. Her voice, similar to Janet Jackson a la “That’s the Way Love Goes,” echoed in soulful, futuristic R&B ballads. Her DJ joined her on the stage, sporting slicked-back blonde hair and a black t-shirt. He bore semblance to a young, hipster Alan Cummings.

Ewenlina Aleksandrowicz and Andrzeji Wojitas of the 3D print art duo Pussykrew

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accented Kelela’s performance with their futuristic, surreal digital artwork. As Kelela performed tracks from her EP, “Cut 4 Me,” Pussykrew’s artwork — gold faces covered in black magma that turned before a stormy gray sky — played on two large screens behind the singer.

The #NOWSEETHIS party was a vibrant, loud whirlwind of upbeat music coupled with thought-provoking artwork entertaining a crowd ages 20 to 50. Psychedelic lights and chest-crunching bass culminated in a wild dance party, the effects commanding the attendees’ attention. advertising@pittnews.com

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SOFTBALL

FIRST BERTH

SPORTS

Panthers reflect, prepare for first-ever NCAA Tournament bid

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Led by the hitting of Maggie Sevilla (left) and Shelby Pickett (below), Pitt turned a No. 6 seed into its first championship game appearance in program history.

Meghan Sunners | Senior Staff Photographer

Heather Tennat | Staff Photographer

Dan Sostek Sports Editor For the first time in program history, the Pitt softball team is going dancing.

Following a surprising run to the ACC Tournament Championship, the Panthers learned Sunday evening that they earned the school’s first-ever selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Pitt will open up tournament play in the regional round of the tournament, facing the University of California, Berkeley on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich.

As the round is double elimination, the winner of the game will take on the winner of the matchup between Michigan and Oakland University. The final team standing will advance to the Super Regionals as one of the final 16 teams remaining in the tournament.

For Pitt head coach Holly Aprile, the possibility of a tournament bid became real as the season began to dwindle, with the only remaining contests being one

game against Penn State, two against St. Francis and three against Louisville.

“I’d say going into our last [six] games, [we knew we had a shot at a berth],” Aprile said. “Going into that series [of games] where we were sitting, I thought that if we performed really well and didn’t lose a game, we had a shot.”

The team wasn’t able to corral an undefeated record in those final games — all at home — losing the contest to Penn State and falling in two of three to Louisville.

“I thought that was too much of a stumble, to tell you the truth,” Aprile said. “But I didn’t really discuss that with the girls.”

When the team wasn’t able to take advantage of that homestand, however, players like senior pitcher and ace Savannah King saw it as an opportunity.

“Obviously if we had won out, I’m sure it would have been clear [that we would earn an NCAA Tournament berth],” King said. “When we didn’t do as well as we wanted to in those last six games, I said, ‘Well, we better make a name for ourselves

in the [ACC] Tournament.’”

That was precisely what happened, as the sixth-seeded Panthers stunned the conference, defeating No. 3 seed Notre Dame in the quarterfinals and No. 2 North Carolina in the semis, before falling to the topseeded Florida State Seminoles in a closely contested matchup last Saturday.

“I think with how strongly we played this past weekend, we deserved to be in the [NCAA] Tournament,” King said. “That’s when I felt like, ‘Hey, I think we have a chance.’”

Despite the solid weekend, the announcement of the tournament field, which aired on ESPNU on Sunday night, was a suspenseful experience for the team.

The Panthers were the penultimate bid announced.

“Being the second-to-last team picked, it really got that stress level up,” senior outfielder Carly Thea said. “They made

us sweat.”

As soon as Pitt was announced, though, the anxiety quickly evaporated.

“Once we saw our name up on the screen, the entire team, the entire room just blew up,” Thea said. “It was a really, really great environment and a great experience.”

As the first Pitt softball team to earn an NCAA Tournament appearance, the group broke numerous records.

Softball

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May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com CLUB SPORTS

Lax Gals Despite a colossal roster turnover, the Pitt womenʼs lacrosse team continues to thrive

Jasper Wilson Senior Staff Writer Entering this season, Pitt women’s club lacrosse head coach Gary Neft figured his team wouldn’t be as good as last year’s.

The man who has led the program for 18 seasons had good reason for thinking so.

It’d be hard for any team to follow the standard set by the 2013-2014 Panthers, considering they won the program’s first national championship and lost just one of 21 games played. Remove the 11 of 12 departing starters from that lineup, and matching the previous year’s effort becomes even more unlikely.

Indeed, the 2014-2015 Panthers (165) failed to repeat as Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) National Champions in Virginia Beach, Va. this past

weekend, losing in the quarterfinals and going 2-2 overall.

While they fell short of retaining the title of America’s best, they went undefeated in league play, won regionals, qualified for the 16-team national tournament as the sixth seed and finished the year ranked No. 7 overall. All of this success came with a roster consisting of 14 freshmen, seven sophomores and just seven upperclassmen.

“We definitely overachieved this year,” Neft said.

Junior midfielder Anna Studenmund agreed.

“We had a far better season than we could’ve ever imagined,” Studenmund said.

A large key to exceeding their own expectations was integrating youth into

games. Usu- Club women’s laally, Neft crosse faced an uplikes to hill battle going for a ease fresh- repeat at the national title, losing all but one of men into their championship team’s the college starters. | Photos courtesy of Pitt game, given women’s club lacrosse how big of an increase in the level of play it iss from th the he high school level, even for the most ost tale talented ented players. defiAs a result, they rarely ely star start rt right away. n i t e l y Neft said the last timee a freshman freshman started n o t to consistently was four ur seas seasons sons ago, last the degree year’s graduating class’ ass’ firstt season. that they did,” From the beginning ing to th the he end of this Studenmund said campaign, at least three ree or four foour freshmen, of the rookies. “We sometimes more, took ok the field e as starters just wanted them to get each game out of necessity. cessity.

Lacrosse 13 “I was expecting them too play well but

May 13, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 12

LACROSSE enough confidence to feel that we could get back to Nationals, and we could win.

And I definitely feel like they felt that way.”

Also contributing to the squad’s depth were those who had played reserve roles last season. The then-veterans made their future replacements better every time they faced each other in practice. The extent of this effect went unnoticed until this year, though, according to Neft.

What resulted was a balance that was present for much of the season, as seven players finished the season with more than 40 points (goals or assists). Studenmund credits this balance with allowing the team FROM PAGE 11

SOFTBALL The team set a program-best win total with 35 victories, while junior infielders Shelby Pickett and Maggie Sevilla tied for the best single-season hit total with 67.

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to have the success that it did. Opponents keying on one player, she said, didn’t stop the offense because someone else would step up.

In its first game of the tournament on Thursday, Pitt played No. 11 seed University of Delaware and won 14-9. Eight different players scored, and a trio split the assists. Pitt would have multiple scorers and assisters continue in its next three games as well.

In the quarterfinal the next day against No. 4 Texas, Pitt held a 6-4 halftime advantage, but lost, 11-9.

With the loss, Pitt dropped into the consolation bracket, where it would lose to Colorado-Boulder, 10-9, on a buzzer beater in double overtime.

In its final game of the weekend, Pitt

avenged an early season loss to Santa Clara, defeating the No. 1 seed 14-11 to secure seventh place, the program’s third highest-ever finish.

Paul Ohanian, who covers the WCLA tournament for Lacrosse Magazine, saw portions of the Panthers’ games over the weekend and much of their title run last year. He said one takeaway from watching them was the team’s ball movement.

“It did look like they spread the wealth,” Ohanian said. “I think there’s a cohesiveness element to their game, and I think that, again, reflects on the success they had through the whole season.”

According to Studenmund, the team’s play during its fall season was shaky, but the team improved its chemistry before the regular season began in February by

hanging out as a unit as often as possible off the field.

“So when the spring season started up, the team definitely did click really fast,” she said.

In early April, Pitt gave then No. 1 Michigan, and eventual national champion, its only loss of the season.

“They came together,” Neft said. “As the year kept going, our expectations kept getting higher and higher.”

Those expectations shouldn’t dwindle any time soon, because according to Ohanian, this team isn’t in danger of falling off in the near future, with the team only losing three seniors from this year’s roster.

“I think Pitt has established itself, at this point, as one of the premier teams [in the country].”

As a freshman, shortstop McKayla Taylor set a single-season program high in RBI with 56. King broke her own single-season program record for wins, tallying 20 on the year.

While the team has thrived all season and has been hot of late, they aren’t overlooking the challenge of the Golden Bears

they will face on Friday. Still, Aprile wants the team to stay loose, despite the stage.

“I told them yesterday, we don’t need any special efforts, anything different,” Aprile said. “We just need the same kind of consistency we’ve been bringing.”

King, who will start the game on the mound against Cal, is looking to put her

coach’s words into practice in the first contest.

“I know names [of Cal players], but I don’t really know too much,” King said.

“I’m just going into it personally, going on the mound and attacking each batter and pitch my game, while not really worrying too much about them.”