June 4, 2014

Vol. 105 Issue 5

78°|55°

@thepittnews

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Pittnews.com

Physics team OFF THE WALL builds adaptive technology Ilya Yashin For The Pitt News The cost of ingenuity is hard to measure. In Brian D’Urso’s case, it’s thousands of dollars in savings.

In the past year, D’Urso, an assistant professor of physics at Pitt, and his students have developed inexpensive substitutes for expensive instruments frequently used in his lab, as well as in several other undergraduate physics lab courses. “Lab-in-abox” is one of the tentative options for the project’s name.

D’Urso is the head of the six-person Nanomaterials, Structures and Phenomena Research Group in Pitt’s physics department, a group that investigates physical properties of materials such as graphene — a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon honeycomb lattice — on the scale of one-billionth of an inch.

D’Urso said he had high hopes for the upcoming semesters in his lab, but first had to address the high costs of lab equipment, which can be thousands of dollars if purchased fully assembled from manufacturers.

D’Urso said he got the idea to create more affordable lab equipment in 2011 when Everett Ramer, a technology developer in the physics department, suggested that he take a look at Arduinos — simple microcontroller boards that fit on a hand and costs about

Laboratory

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Pitt student Joey Cervone launches off a wall while practicing a new parkour technique. Theo Schwarz | Staff Photographer

University email switch introduces new features Sarah Police For The Pitt News

For Peter Moe, an outdated layout and 250MB of online storage for email is simply not enough.

Moe, a graduate student studying English, was happy to find out that Pitt would be changing its current email system on July 19.

The University will update the email platform currently used by students, faculty and staff on July 19 from EnterpriseMail to Microsoft Office 365.

With the change comes a number of new features that will be made available to users, including an online calendar, the option to import personal contacts and access to a new University directory including students, staff

and faculty at Pitt. Users will also be able to schedule online video conferences with each other using Microsoft Lync, an online conferencing and instant messaging service, reply to emails online, compose emails while offline, set out-of-office notifications, install web apps and receive alerts before sending emails with a forgotten attachment.

On the current email system, students are given 250MB of storage. Once the update is complete, students will have access to 50GB of storage.

“I didn’t like the layout, and the storage wasn’t very big so I just stuck to my [personal] email,” Moe said. “I think it’s great that they’re updating the system.”

Dan Menicucci, an enterprise architect for the Computing Services Software Development Department, said there will be several changes after July 19.

All Pitt students will have an empty inbox in Office 365 that will be used as their new My Pitt Email, accessible through My Pitt just as the old email service was. Faculty and staff will be given a mailbox that will be hosted on-site at Pitt’s University Network Operation Center.

After July 19, CSSD will begin to move student and faculty mail from the old system into their new, respective mailboxes.

According to Menicucci, CSSD will move roughly 47,000 mailboxes over the course of

Email

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FROM PAGE 1

June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

LABORATORY $40. Ramer suggested D’Urso incorporate them into the Analog & Digital Electronics course he was going to teach that spring.

Guided by a computer with special software running, an Arduino collects information from instruments, processes it and sends information either back to the computer or to control other instruments.

Like a computer, an Arduino is not limited to any one task, but can adapt to whatever task it is programmed to do.

Last summer, D’Urso and Jocelyn Sunseri, a 2014 Pitt graduate with a degree in condensed matter physics, made an Arduino behave like a “lock-in amplifier,” an instrument that picks out and amplifies the FROM PAGE 1

EMAIL

a 30 day period, moving a sizable chunk of the mailboxes each day. Students will receive an email to their new account when their old mailbox has been successfully transferred.

According to CSSD’s website, students will still be able to access their old emails through My Pitt (Webmail) while the University works on moving them.

Additional changes include different email spam filters. Postini — the email security service that Pitt currently uses — will switch to Exchange Online Protection, which is Microsoft’s email security service. Students will also have free access to Office Pro Plus, an online version of Microsoft Office,which will allow them to use Microsoft’s Office Mobile product on iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices.

Menicucci said that CSSD didn’t choose Microsoft 365 for one reason — it was a com-

D’Urso’s computer next to a shield and an Arduino microcontroller board. Courtesy of Brian D’Urso

needed signal — like muting all people at a party except for the one you’re talking to.

D’Urso uses the amplifier for numerous

different applications in his lab.

The amplifier can be used to enhance some experiments in the lab courses as

bination of factors.

“We really wanted to take a hard look at what we were doing and revamp the exterior,” Menicucci said. “We wanted to reduce complexity both for users and on our end and to offer the service we wanted to move the University to, using a single email platform.”

Menicucci said Microsoft 365 was the best way to offer students more functionality while letting professors have something they are familiar with.

The University’s online technology training service, which can be found at lynda.pitt.edu, will feature several tutorials about the update that include Outlook Web App 2013 Essential Training, Outlook 2013 Essential Training, Office 2013 New Features and Up and Running with Lync Online. There will also be help sheets available online that explain how to get connected. The CSSD experts at the University Store on Fifth will also be able to assist students in the transition.

CSSD wants to move as many people as

possible to the new platform. In terms of how they are making the transition, Pitt will treat different parts of the University separately than others, Menicucci said.

“For students, we are automatically making an inbox in [Office] 365 and automatically moving the mailbox for them and moving the mail. For faculty and staff, we are asking them [what they would like to do],” Menicucci said.

Beginning July 29, faculty and staff will have to notify CSSD if they would like to update their platform or have their mail forwarded to another email account such as a Hotmail or Gmail.

They also have the option to stay on the legacy email system. Surveys will be sent out via email prior to July 29 to the faculty and staff to collect information.

“Depending on how the staff and faculty answer [the survey], if they want to read [their email] on the Pitt email box or forward it, we’ll take care of that for them,” Menicucci said.

University spokesman John Fedele said CSSD is using multiple communication chan-

well, but D’Urso said the problem is that a new amplifier costs upward of $4,000.

What D’Urso and Sunseri made cost about $90 plus the cost of the computer used to run the software.

Sunseri wrote the code for most of the software and D’Urso made a “shield” for the Arduino that cost $50. A shield is a circuit board that plugs into an Arduino and, coupled with the proper software, makes it behave like a specific off-the-shelf instrument. It’s like temporarily turning a generic robot into a cab driver or a surgeon.

D’Urso said their $90 creation can handle multiple inputs, thus behaving more like multiple off-the-shelf lock-in amplifiers. D’Urso said there are now at least a dozen Arduino-based instruments doing “a thousand different things” around his lab.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com. nels to get the word out, such as the Responsibility Center Account Administrators, which helps manage the University’s computing resources and information technology professionals within the University.

Additionally, Menicucci said CSSD would like the different departments at Pitt to assist in communicating with students about the new system..

“We are meeting to really get the message out, and if they want to take that message to communicate to their users that’s great, but we’re not going to rely solely on that,” Menicucci said.

Will Shoener, a junior math major, said he was happy with the news of the switch.

“The email system now is very difficult to maneuver, so I think this is going to make Pitt email a more primary source of communication. I barely use Pitt email because of how inconvenient it is, especially on my phone’s Internet browser,” Shoener said. “I’m looking forward to the increase in functionality.”

June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS

Obama’s stance on coal presents benefits for Pittsburgh Pittsburgh is becoming greener and greener everyday. With bike routes making increased appearances around the city — including a proposal for a bike path connecting North Oakland and the Strip District — and with some of the country’s most environmentally sustainable buildings dotting the skyline, the Steel City appears to be an epicenter for ecological progress.

But there is still an age-old, invisible threat that continues to undermine Pittsburgh’s environmental progress — the little black rock known as coal.

Coal has been making national headlines as of late, considering the Obama administration’s announcement earlier this week of first-ever federal controls on coal-fired power plants, which will dramatically limit the amount of carbon emissions they are allowed to produce.

The announcement is good news for Pittsburgh — even though you can’t find the stuff burning within city limits, Pittsburghers experience the aftereffects of the coal burning process everyday.

Dozens of coal-fired power plants surround Pittsburgh and, because the city is located within the Allegheny River Valley, Pittsburgh residents are vulnerable to the foreign pollutants spewed by the plants. The pollutants travel down and collect within the valley.

Because of coal, Pittsburgh is currently ranked sixth in yearround particle pollution among U.S. cities by the American Lung Association, leading to 88,000 cases of chronic bronchitis with-

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in the Pittsburgh-New Castle area and 47,000 diagnoses of asthma among local children, not to mention the exacerbation of heart and lung disease it has caused.

What is frustrating is that there is little to nothing Pittsburgh residents themselves can do to stop this. We can push for more bike lanes and we can carpool to work, but we can’t move our city away from the toxic clouds coming towards us. We can’t physically keep these clouds of soot from entering the city, either — unless we constructed a giant fan to simply blow the unwanted air pollution away.

Thankfully for us, if the federal controls proposed by the Obama administration are able to pass through Congress, a giant fan won’t be necessary.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the curbs on coal emissions will reduce airborne particle emissions by more than 25 percent, which will have the potential to provide up to $93 billion in climate and public health benefits — benefits that will include the reduction of asthma and lung disease diagnoses in Pittsburgh.

Consequently, Pittsburgh may one day be able to have its air quality match the standard of its residents’ green desires.

In the meantime, although we can’t do anything physically to stop the air pollution from accumulating, we can put pressure on our representatives to allow the proposed initiative to pass through Congress.

Then we will see if the voice of big coal continues to overshadow the voice of the Steel City.

COLUMN

MCT Campus

Hashtags: activism of the future Eli Talbert For The Pitt News This column is satirical. #Yolo is probably the most annoying hashtag ever, while #selfie is arguably the most cringeworthy. But, unless you live under a rock or are older than 70, this is hardly news.

In contrast, new and more morally aware hashtags, such as #BringBackOurGirls and #YesAllWomen, have recently made headlines over the controversial debates they have ignited. #YesAllWomen has attempted to tackle sexism and misogyny one tweet at a time, and #BringBackOurGirls has provided enlightening discussion on American imperialism and African politics — all in 140 characters or less.

Despite my lack of expertise in African politics and feminist ideology, I would still like to applaud how these campaigns serve as shining examples of a positive

new trend and why we should all embrace it. Social media campaigns, such as #BringBackOurGirls and #YesAllWomen, have finally shown us the way to make activism easier . No longer will activism require such time consuming things as writing to Congress or tiresome activities like waving signs.

Rather, all it takes is a cool hashtag. While some decry this as slacktivism or point to it as another symptom of our technology-obsessed culture, I eagerly look forward to using #payraise@ ThePittNews to show how my fellow columnists and I are being exploited. The hashtag is simply the new and better activism of the future.

Take for example the effect of #kony2012. The use of this hashtag successfully prompted a Senate resolution condemning Joseph Kony’s actions and an influx of 5,000 troops from the African Union to help catch the now-infamous Kony.

Two years later he still has not been caught. But it’s the thought — and the hashtag apparently — that counts. After all, good intentions — no matter how misinformed — always lead to good results. Just look at the success of Communism.

In a recent study published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, researchers found that part of the reason why #kony2012 sparked such a huge reaction was because of its simplification of complex issues.

The study found that it is easier to incite moral outrage when there is a clearly defined problem and solution because people simply lose interest when presented with a more complex problem.

Hashtags effectively do this and have the undeniably positive effect of prompting action — and as we all know, shooting first is always better than asking questions.

Talbert

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June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 3

TALBERT

you will get a clear image of the strategy it represents. No filler, it just gets straight to the point, #BringBackOurGirls. Just do it, OK? Obviously effective, another great aspect of hashtag activism is its inclusivity. It empowers those without a voice, that is, as long as the voices are active on social media and have an Internet connection. The extensive reporting of the use of #BringBackOurGirls by regular people — like Michelle Obama — can make a difference.

Unlike traditional activism, which is usually organized by a strong leader, the use of hashtags is totally driven by the masses.

Finally, regular people with Internet ac-

Still, there are those who disagree, such as the recent conveying of senior operations commanders of various U.S. special forces that felt they would be “tweeted” into combat, despite the questionable effectiveness of such an operation. Yet, any reasonable person can rest assured that this would never happen — a hashtag such as #BringBackOurGirls is not, as it may first appear, a one-dimensional demand.

Rather, it is advocacy for a realistic solution to a complex problem.

If you stare at each tweet long enough,

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cess can have influence over those cocky policy experts.

Another more subtle benefit of hashtags is the capacity for anonymity. In real life, you can be accused of supporting a cause merely to improve your image, while on the Internet, you can anonymously advocate.

Twitter is all about anonymity and not at all focused on self-aggrandizement or trying to look good. Because of this, hashtag activists are a lot more likely to be selfless and are not simply looking for attention.

Everything has its drawbacks, but it is quite clear that for hashtag activism, the multitude of benefits outweigh minor points cynics may have. In this new, inter-

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connected world, awareness is everything.

While no one has come up with a catchy hashtag for raising the 46.5 million who live in poverty in the United States out of it, or for reducing the over 1 million instances of violent crime per year, I am sure it is a mere matter of time.

The possibilities of hashtag activism are endless, and it is clearly the most obvious and straightforward solution to our societal ills. If you want to change the world, forget protesting, fundraising or even voting. The most effective way is creating a trending hashtag.

With that in mind, #payraise.

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June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Giles, Bolden and FitzGerald are contentiously ‘Waiting for Godot.’ Christine Lim | For The Pitt News

ʻWaiting for Godotʼ

aims for humor over easy answers Richard Koppenaal Staff Writer While preparing for their performance of “Waiting for Godot,” director Aoife Spillane-Hinks and her cast often found that the best judge of quality was a 5 year old — the brother of a young actor in the play.

“He’s the test,” Spillane-Hinks said.

“And if a 4- or 5-year-old can laugh, then you know you’ve got it. We’ll be running the play, and we have all of these jokes, and you hear [him] from the back of the theater.”

“Waiting for Godot,” the classic 1953 play written by Samuel Beckett, will be presented by Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre Classic Theatre starting Thursday, June 5 through the 21, at the The Charity Randall Theatre. Starring Martin Giles, James FitzGerald, Ken Bolden and Alan Stanford, the absurdist and tragic comedy

tells the story of Didi and Gogo, as they wait, wait and wait some more for Godot.

Vivian Mercier attested in her famous review of the two-act play in The Irish Times that Beckett “has written a play in which nothing happens — twice.” But according to Stanford, “Waiting for Godot” has been profoundly important.

“This is the most significant play of the 20th century. It changed the way everything was written,” Stanford said. “The influence that this play has had on writers, from Pinter to Mammone to Albee, they all acknowledge that, but [if not] for this play, their writing would not have been what it was.”

Steve Guinn, who will be giving a lecture about the play before the performance on Wednesday, June 11, echoed these remarks.

“I think it’s one of the most important plays,” said Guinn. “It shows that you can

present life, tragedy and comedy really in a simpler format.”

Despite their differing genres, Stanford said “Godot” has influenced some of the most iconic horror films, such as “Night of the Living Dead.”

“You have people in a situation where they have fear and they have hope,” said Stanford. “They are waiting for one of two things to happen: They are waiting for Godot to come or night to fall. Godot, in that sense, is help.”

Since its earliest performances, the play has prompted several questions, including the identity of Godot and if, or when, he might show up. Spillane-Hinks’s production doesn’t seek to provide clarification.

“What is Godot? It’s what you’re waiting for. In other words, it is your expectations.

And we all spend our lives waiting. From the moment you’re born to the moment

you die, you wait,” said Stanford. “What the play is doing is putting a canvas up and saying ‘This is what you do all your life. You work it out.’”

Despite the play’s prestige and complicated themes, Spillane-Hinks encourages audience members to not be intimidated.

“You could be tempted to despair because it’s so overwhelming. It’s oh so overwhelming and complicated and too smart for you, that you can’t actually go into it.

But, that’s not true,” said Spillane-Hinks.

Rather than over-thinking the role or identity of Godot, theatergoers can instead immerse themselves in the play’s purity and humor.

“One of the ways that people deal with life and waiting is humor,” said Guinn. “Life can have its absurd elements, but we’re born and we wait and we die. It’s a play all about life.”

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June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

MacFarlane’s latest features nearly ‘A Million’ stale and uninspired gags Shawn Cooke A&E Editor

“A Million Ways to Die in the West” Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson Directed by: Seth MacFarlane Grade: CSeth MacFarlane takes a beating in “A Million Ways to Die in the West.” He’s punched in the face, shot, dragged around by his horse, knocked out cold by a stone and, worst of all, urinated on by a sheep.

This sort of self-inflicted pain – MacFarlane also cowrote and directed the movie – probably sounds like it could have been ripped from a late-career Adam Sandler picture. But “A Million Ways” is only MacFarlane’s first starring vehicle (in human form — he provided the voice of the eponymous teddy bear in “Ted”)

and his second turn in the director’s chair.

The story’s a simple one: Albert (MacFarlane), a wimpy cowboy reeling from a breakup with his deadbeat girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried), seeks to win back her affections and assert his manhood by learning tricks from Anna (Charlize Theron), a mysterious and seductive gunslinger. But just after Albert’s affections begin to shift to Anna, he discovers that she’s married to the most notorious outlaw in the West (Liam Neeson), who wants Albert killed.

MacFarlane’s directorial debut, “Ted,” was so unexpectedly excellent that it sets some unfair expectations for a guy who’s famously laughed his way to the bank with a show that relies more on pop culture references and cutaway gimmicks than raw jokes. “Ted” strayed from some of MacFarlane’s more grating stylistic tics to tell a bawdy, inventive, unpredictable, but ultimately heartwarming, comic tale.

Though “Ted” was far from a quiet movie, “A Million Ways” makes it look like a Michael Haneke film. MacFarlane’s latest is about as subtle as a 50-car pileup.

As the title suggests, the movie explores hilarious and grisly ways to kill off some of its most minor characters. Often gratuitous and prompting some uncontrollable chuckles, these quick moments serve as a reminder that MacFarlane can still be a master of physical comedy – an R-rated brand of the Marx Brothers or “Tom and Jerry.”

“A Million Ways” also features all of MacFarlane’s worst tendencies in spades: extension of jokes long past the punchline, recurring gags that should just be one-offs, stale and uninspired racial comedy and, last but not least, a newfound fascination with bodily humor — there’s more onscreen feces, urine and semen seen here than in most hospitals.

Trapped in all this lowbrow sludge is a pleasant enough supporting cast, but they’re relegated to scraping the bottom of MacFarlane’s container of leftovers. Neeson is given exactly one strong line, near the film’s end.

Theron seems to be trying her best to keep up with MacFarlane’s antics, while Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi are forced to try a bit harder with a one-note recurring gag that plays

much better in the trailer — She’s a prostitute, he’s a virgin and they’re dating.

It’s tough to shift the spotlight away from MacFarlane, who seems to solely view “A Million Ways” as an excuse to test out his oncamera presence and make out with Theron.

He’s charming enough, with charisma to spare, but ultimately gives the impression that he’s straining to prove himself as a leading man.

Instead, he occasionally comes off looking like an amateur comedian at one of his first open-mic nights.

This persona comes to fruition in perhaps the film’s most painful moment, when Albert explicitly clarifies the meaning of a joke after a botched duel with Seyfried’s new mustached beau (Neil Patrick Harris). Though it aims to comment on the town’s dimwitted residents, the scene simultaneously suggests that MacFarlane might also feel this way about his fans.

His shiny face and twinkly eyes suggest that MacFarlane was made to be an onscreen movie star, but “A Million Ways” confirms that he’s better off as a cartoon than a plastic cowboy action figure.

June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Oakland Restaurant Week offers cheap trials of fast and fresh eats Dan Willis For The Pitt News When talking about Pitt’s nearby campus eateries, two words come up again and again: fast and fresh. Oakland is no place for a sit-down restaurant. Profit here comes from midnight snacks and hurried, between-class lunches.

But that doesn’t mean students have lowered their standards for the food.

As local, organic and vegan offerings continue to transcend fad status, local restaurants are stepping up their games by proving to the community that students can get the highestquality ingredients without draining their bank accounts or waiting in line for hours.

Now, due to popular demand, the Oakland Business Improvement District is holding an encore of its January Oakland Restaurant Week from June 2-6. The fastest and freshest are participating to offer daily $5 meals.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out and experience all the great restaurants that Oakland has to offer,” Mary Davidson Williams, OBID’s Marketing and Communications Coordinator, said.

One such restaurant is Sushi Fuku, which offers customizable sushi and rice bowls, prepared assembly-line style to be ready in a matter of minutes.

But there’s more to this restaurant than speed — Sushi Fuku is also known for its dedication to customer satisfaction. After receiving complaints that the restaurant’s sushi trays looked like french fry trays and that its takeout bowls were non-biodegradable, Sushi Fuku took the initiative to purchase entirely new containers.

Sushi Fuku will be offering a new $5 roll or bowl each day of Restaurant Week.

In spite of the restaurant’s prime real estate in the center of campus, Sushi Fuku still roots for the little guys.

“Restaurant Week is important because it gets people to try out restaurants that aren’t just on Forbes or Fifth,” Ron Oliver, Sushi Fuku’s store manager said. “For $5, people can try things they may not have tried before.”

And those lamenting the lack of adventurous food on Forbes may have skipped over one of the thoroughfare’s few independently owned restaurants, Red Oak Café.

“We take care of a lot of different kinds of people from vegetarian to vegan to gluten-free.

We try to do our best with dietary restrictions,” Dave Gancy, Red Oak Café’s manager, said.

Red Oak Café is the master of cruelty-free cuisine with offerings like pickled seitan Reubens and oatmeal breakfast smoothies on the menu.

But the restaurant is not all kale and quinoa. Just take the Red Oak Club, which takes the already hearty and decadent club sandwich, and stacks it onto a warm, buttery croissant.

Red Oak Café’s $5 offering is their blue plate special, which varies from day to day, according to whatever ingredients are fresh and in season.

But if you’re craving greasy food, the Original Hot Dog Shop has you covered. This week, you can get a hot dog, a drink and a small serving of their famous French fries for just $5.

Other participating restaurants include Joe Mama’s, Hello Bistro, Pamela’s Diner and the Pittsburgh Pretzel Sandwich Shop.

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June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

SPORTS

Three recent graduates take part in The Basketball Tournament

The Pitt senior had been looking for Krmpotich for two weeks. They had crossed paths often before at Trees Hall playing pickup basketball. Now Fisher had an offer for the 6-foot-6-inch Krmpotich, but didn’t know his last name, creating a seemingly unsolvable problem — until fate intervened at Garage Door Saloon.

Fisher had no intention of going to G-Door, but went to the local Oakland bar that night to see his girlfriend when he ran into Krmpotich.

“I walked in, and lo and behold, Matt’s standing there,” Fisher said.

Fisher needed to find Krmpotich because he had begun to put together a basketball team, and wanted Krmpotich to join. Fisher’s proposThe team’s logo is fitting for an under- al was not just about any pickup or intramural dog. (Courtesy of The Basketball Tournament) team. Rather, he was making a basketball team to play in The Basketball Tournament.

Jasper Wilson The Basketball Tournament is just what the Sports Editor name suggests — a mix of amateurs and pros When Pat Fisher found Matt Krmpotich, it was in 32 squads will compete for free this weekend a coincidence. at Philadelphia University for a $500,000 cash

prize, offered by a Boston-based investment group headed by founder Jon Mugar, for the champion. This is the inaugural year for the event. Three recent Pitt grads will be among the players.

Krmpotich, of course, accepted Fisher’s offer.

The timing was impeccable, as rosters froze the next day, May 1.

“It was really unexpected,” Krmpotich said.

“I just thought it was so funny, I wasn’t even really gonna go out that night, I remember. All of a sudden my friends dragged me out. ‘Come on, it’s our last night you should probably go.’ I was just so tired. I’m really glad I made the decision to head out that night because I wouldn’t have run into Pat otherwise.”

Team Pup N’ Suds, its name inspired by the late ‘90s Disney Channel movie “Brink!,” plays Friday at 1:45 p.m.

Krmpotich, a varsity rower at Boston University before transferring to Pitt as a junior, had heard about the event back in February

TRACK AND FIELD

when the sports and pop culture website Grantland ran a story about the intriguing concept when it launched.

But the effort to get into the Tournament didn’t end with Krmpotich’s commitment, nor had it started there.

Social media had a large role in promoting the Tournament. A team’s qualification depended on its ability to recruit “fans” to the Tournament’s website to complete a quick and commitment-free signup. At the beginning of April, after finding out about the Tournament from a friend back home who had begun to get a team qualified, Fisher started and led his own effort for the team.

“I got my entire family to [join] and I have a pretty big family. And then I literally was on Facebook 24/7. I was messaging people from high school, people who were wondering why I was talking to them. ‘Hey, I need your help real quick,’” Fisher said.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

Best in the East, five Pitt athletes qualify for Nationals Megan Boyle Staff Writer

Twelve members of the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Jacksonville, Fla. to compete in the Division I Outdoor East Regional Championships.

East Regionals occurred over the weekend and consisted of the preliminary, first round and quarterfinal round for each individual event. Having a qualifying time in the quarterfinal round secures the athlete a trip to the NCAA National Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., held this year from June 11 to June 14.

Five Panthers qualified for the championships this year.

Representing the women’s team in Florida were sophomore sprinter Evann Thompson, senior jumper Ashley Corum and junior throwers Haley Springman and Taylor Slaney.

Out of the four, Thompson qualified to compete at Nationals. On the first day of competition, running the 400-meter hurdles, Thompson collected a personal and school record of 57.41 seconds. The original record, 57.45 seconds, was set during the same meet

by Julianna Reed in 2006. Thompson is seeded

10th for next week.

“I just kept pushing through the whole entire race,” Thompson said.

The sophomore took notice of her close positioning with the top-seeded runners during the last straightaway.

“I’m right in this. It’s either now or never,” Thompson said of her thought process during the final push.

Representing the men’s team were freshman thrower Ethan Shalaway and sprinter Desmond Palmer, sophomore sprinter Dustin Fuller, jumper Luke Gallaher and thrower Andrew Wells and senior sprinters Brycen Spratling, Micah Murray and Carvin Nkanata.

In the field, Shalaway impressed at the javelin throw. The freshman’s 64.72-meter toss landed him in the fourth place position in his flight. At the end of the competition, he placed Brycen Spratling won the 400 at East 15th, just missing inclusion in the top 12 javelin Regionals. (Photo courtesy of Pitt Athletics) throwers who will compete at Nationals. seeded 14th for Nationals.

Palmer, the only other freshman compet“Just being here, and making it to Nationing for Pitt during the meet, secured his place als,” Palmer said, “It feels great.” to compete at Nationals. Palmer first qualified The freshman will also compete in the men’s running the 400-meter high hurdles, running 4X400-meter relay at Nationals. Palmer and a personal best time of 50.73 seconds. He’s the senior sprinters ran an impressive time of

3:03.64 — only 0.2 seconds off their seasonbest record set earlier this year at the Penn Relays. They are seeded fifth for Eugene.

Also qualifying to compete in two events at Nationals were Nkanata and Spratling. Apart from the 4X400, Nkanata will compete in the 200-meter dash and his qualifying time of 20.61 seconds places him second overall for the Eastern Region. He’ll run from the No. 20 position out west.

Spratling ran the 400-meter dash in 45.09 seconds, achieving his primary goal.

“Win everything,” Spratling said. “Win my heat, win the entire meet.”

His time placed Spratling in first place and provided him an edge as he heads to Eugene.

The second place finisher, Vernon Norwood from Louisiana State University, ran almost a full tenth of a second behind Spratling.

Spratling is the first seed at Nationals.

Going into the final meet of his college career, Spratling wants to continue to decrease his time stating that he “still thinks he can go faster.”

Spratling and his teammates will travel to Eugene next week.

Gavin, Zanetta come up just short at USA Team Trials Jeremy Tepper Staff Writer

Pitt wrestlers competing at the USA World Team Trials narrowly missed out on representing their country in international competition.

Keith Gavin, a Pitt alumnus who graduated in 2008, placed second in the 86 kilogram class, while rising sophomore Nick Zanetta finished third in the 60 kilogram class. Both came up short at the USA World Team Trials, which took place last weekend in Madison, Wis. Only the champions of each weight class earned spots on teams, so Gavin won’t go to Uzbekistan for the World Championships in September and Zanetta won’t travel to Croatia in August for the Junior World Championships.

Gavin, who finished 33-0 in his senior year, was the top seed in his class, having won the U.S. Open. Thus, he was automatically placed in the finals.

But Ed Ruth, a 2014 Penn State graduate, proved a tough opponent. Gavin won the first match 7-5, but Ruth took the next two, the first on a fall call, and the next 11-7.

“In the first match I was able to impose my will, and in the next two he was able to do that,” Gavin said.

Gavin, a wrestler who thrives on controlling a match and wrestling close — as opposed to an outside position — said Ruth was extremely quick and used his feet often and effectively.

Zanetta’s path was a bit more convoluted.

His efforts to finish in first place came to a quick halt when he lost to Jack Hathway 4-3.

Still, Zanetta recovered to place third by way of wins over Brandon Jeske, Nate Thomas and George Fisher in the consolation finals.

Zanetta took the first two matches by injury default and the finals match by decision, 10-5. He was especially happy to get the victory over Thomas, to whom he lost in the Junior National Championships in Las Vegas.

“It’s awesome to see the best wrestlers in the world wrestling on the same mats as you, and get an idea where I’m at against these guys,” Zanetta said.

Gavin was also humbled to have the opportunity to go against the best and have the chance to represent the United States.

“You go to tournaments throughout overseas and you represent the U.S. over there, but the World Championships are different because every country’s there,” Gavin said.

In wrestling, the World Championships is the highest level of competition besides the Olympics.

“It’s everything,” he said. “There’s no professional outlet for wrestling, so this is it.”

Both Gavin and Zanetta said tournament — freestyle wrestling — is different from college, folkstyle wrestling. The two differ in scoring and strategies, especially in control, which is more important in folkstyle.

“There are different types of techniques and tendencies and strategies and tactics that you have to learn and adjust to in freestyle,” Gavin said.

Zanetta said freestyle wrestling has helped improve his folkstyle wrestling. He has used summer tournaments, along with constant workouts — many with his brother, J.J. — to better himself for college wrestling.

“Anytime I ask him to get a workout in he’s always happy to. He’s a big part of my success,” Zanetta said.

J.J. and Anthony, another brother, wrestled at Mercyhurst and Pitt, respectively.

Gavin has mostly trained at the Ohio Regional Training Center at Ohio State University since graduating from Pitt. He trains there every day except Sundays, twice a day. The training center, USA Wrestling and sponsors like Asics support him financially.

“Wrestling is my job,” he said.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Gavin lifts in the morning and wrestles in the afternoon. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, he does conditioning training in the morning and wrestling in the afternoon.

Gavin trains by wrestling in live matches and practicing various, often inopportune, situations he might find himself in during a match.

Since graduating from Pitt, Gavin has continued to improve his physical strength — namely in controlling matches — as well as his mental strength by taking on tougher competition.

Gavin said he hopes that his training will allow him to reach the highest levels of wrestling as he prepares for next year’s trials and his ultimate goal of making the 2016 Olympics.

The Pitt News Crossword, 6/4/2014

WRESTLING

June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com ACROSS 1 Corp.partnership hybrids 5 Turkish title 8 Prepare for a trip 12 Icy-road application 13 Intravenous substance 16 Final or midterm 17 Reader of product instructions 18 Fool check writers?

20 Verbalized 22 “Do unto __ ...”

23 Hoodwink companies?

25 High spirits 29 Take out, as text 30 Award recipient 31 “Give it a shot” 32 Papal crown 35 Bank teller’s call 36 Swindle court appointees?

39 Pail-of-water fetcher of rhyme 42 Japanese cartoon art 43 Kenny G’s horn 46 Como or Crosby, notably 49 Infuriate 51 Prom attendee 52 Mislead groups of vacationers?

54 Visit briefly 56 Certain 57 Pull a fast one on proctors?

61 Evens up 63 Away from the wind 64 Dog-__: folded at the corner 65 Grabs a bite 66 Change direction 67 Classified messages 68 Word before fall or ball DOWN 1 Pelican State sch.

2 Cowboy using a rope 3 In a tidy way 4 Bitter discord

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6/10/14

By Jerry Edelstein

5 Org. with Titans and Chiefs 6 Doom partner 7 Em and Bee 8 Income sources for retirees 9 Cut with a pink slip 10 52-Down, for one 11 Metric measures: Abbr.

14 “Kinda” suffix 15 California’s San __ Padres 19 Nana 21 “Me, too” 23 Ill. summer hrs.

24 Jockey’s strap 26 Before, to Byron 27 Nickname on the range 28 Nevertheless 30 Big name in spydom 33 Partly open 34 Hosiery mishap 36 Religious place of seclusion 37 Black cat crossing one’s path, to some 38 Rates on Monopoly deeds

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

(c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

39 Store founder Penney and golfer Snead 40 Wrath 41 Actor Chaney 43 Lizardlike 44 Go along with 45 Ballot box fillers?

47 Quick message 48 Unevenly notched, as leaves

6/10/14

50 Paths to take 52 1980s-’90s Olds 53 When right turns may be allowed 55 Educ. fundraiser 57 Ohio NBAer 58 Cheer for a matador 59 Born, in wedding announcements 60 ’60s activist gp.

62 U-turn from NNE

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June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

North Oakland, Craig Street, Small 1 BR, Air Conditioning, Laundry, Great Location, $695+ electric, 412-271-5550

North Oakland, Craig Street. Safe, secure building. 1 bedroom, furnished.

Newly remodeled, wall-to-wall carpeting, no pets. $775 and up. Heat included. Mature or Graduate students.

412-855-9925 or 412682-1194.

1, 2, 3, 4 BR available August 1st on Bates Street/Melba St. Close to campus.

Clean, living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and porch. Call 412-4229734, 412-780-8909, or 412-521-7121 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 bedroom houses, 2 baths, 2 kitchens, hardwood floors. Available August 2014. Please call 412-287-5712.

1-9 bedroom houses, wall-to-wall, washer/dryer, dishwasher.

Available Fall 2014.

Call 412-609-4340.

2 Floors. 4 BR apartment. Prime location, 300 block of Atwood Street, totally renovated.

Available Aug. 412-414-9629.

A large one-bedroom efficiency located on Oakland Ave. Available in August/September.

Call 412-877-6555 Bates St. 3BR, livingroom, dining-room, eat-in-kitchen. $995+ utilities. Senior/ Graduate students. Available August 15th.

Call Ralph 412-6082543.

June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

House for Rent. Beautiful 3-BR house newly renovated-Allequippa Street. Close to Peterson Center & Pitt Dental School.

Equipped kitchen, new carpeting, washer/dryer, 2 bathrooms, full basement, fencedin back yard, security system. Looking for 3 students to share/or single family. Discount on first month’s rent. Security deposit required. Students require adult co-sign.

Available August 1, $1650+ all utilities.

No pets. For more information, please call 412-303-5043. Email: dtm1003@comcast.net.

Newly Remodeled Rental, 3379 Parkview Avenue, This recently renovated South Oakland property has 5 bedrooms and 2 bedrooms, a newly remodeled kitchen, updated bathrooms, a large common area, and hardwood floors.

Monthly rent is $2,400. One parking spot is included. Pets are allowed.

Please contact Rachel Rhoads at 412-2214400 if interested.

Shadyside/Bloomfield, 2 bedroom, full bath, large living room, 2nd floor, carpeted, fullyequipped eat-in kitchen, coin laundry, rent $900, Call 412687-2661 or 412-4961014.

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Available August 1st.1 bedroom, large furnished 3rd-floor apartment. Near campus buslines. Large living room, kitchen and bath.

Bright and sunny. Great location.

Grad students preferred. $800+ gas & electric. CALL AFTER 2:00 PM. 808572-6699.

Looking for datenight babysitter for 3 children-7 years, 4 years and 2 months.

412-421-1011

Sacred Heart School in Shadyside is looking for responsible adults interested in volunteering their time to coach girls' volleyball teams. Positions available for JV (grades 5th and 6th) and Varsity (grades 7th and 8th).

Practices will begin late July 2014.

If you are interested, please contact Alyssa Ilov at alyssailov@gmail.com.

All volunteer coaches must secure necessary clearances.

AMF Playmaster pool table, best offer, will deliver for $. 412-4801918

Private Suite on 50 yard line Heinz Field, 2 Tickets for 7 Pitt home games, Parking Pass, Food and Beverages. $3,500. Call 412-761-7696

Chucks. Blow guns.

Cuffs.

Billies.

Knives. Swords. BB, Stun Guns.

Sais.

Crossbows.

Kamas.

Throw Axes. Gold, Silver Chains. Diamond Rings.

MARY'S SHOPPE. 4114B Clairton Blvd.

30 Minutes from Pitt.

412-881-2948.

*ADOPT* A Young Professional Couple (stay-home-mom) excited to give your baby LOVE, Laughter Opportunity.

Expenses paid 1-800-352-5741 *Laurie & Lawrence*

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June 4, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com