9-12-2016

The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | September 12, 2016| Volume 107 | Issue 23

UNRIVALED

News MILLENNIALS CONSIDER THIRD PARTIES Bernie Sanders is coming to CMU on friday. see online for details.

Casey Schmauder

d a t e s ,” the voters don’t even know who they are. c a n d i So how are they going to get known? How B orick are they going to use hundreds When it comes to this year’s presideno f millions of tial election, Chris Orantes refuses to sacrifice his ideals or conform to a two-party system.

“If I don’t think that Clinton or Trump is the answer, I’m not going to vote for the lesser evil,” Orantes, a Pitt senior, said.

“I’m not going to vote for the problem.”

Although millennials — that cohort of Americans born between 1980 and 2000 — tend to lean Democratic, this election said. season has seen an increase in college“Thereaged students turning to candidates from fore, I think dollars minority third parties. in this electo get known In Pennsylvania, Libertarian candidate tion cycle, across the Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate you’re gocountry?”

Jill Stein have both made the ballot. When ing to have votYet severe Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presiers giving these partisanship this dential race, Johnson marketed himself to third-party canelection cycle has Bernie supporters as a viable replacement. didates a much tighter caused millennials to And both are trying to appeal to millenlook than you might open up to third-party cannials like Orantes, who has moved to the otherwise see in a presidential didates. fringes looking for political inspiration. race.”

In a Harvard Institute of “This year, our generation has pretty Green Party candidate Stein Politics survey in the spring decent representation, and we think the tries to appeal to millennial votof 2016, 61 percent of millenparty system is broken, and we’re realizing ers by using the power of the fednials said they favored Clinton there are other ways around it,” Orantes eral government over the banking and 25 percent said they favored said, adding that he plans to vote for Johnindustry to forgive all student Trump, with the remaining 14 person in November. debt, a platform similar to cent saying they were undecided.

As of Sept. 2, Johnson has only been Sanders’, according According to the same polling at 6 percent in Pennsylvania and to Carl Romanelli, survey, however, 48 Stein at 2 percent, according to realcampaign coordipercent of millennials clearpolitics.org. While Stein is polling nator for Stein in said they believed toat roughly her national average, Johnson Pennsylvania. day’s politicians to be is polling at about 10 percent, indicating “There are incapable of solving he has less support in Pennsylvania com42 to 43 million the nation’s problems. pared to other states. These and other people who are Chris Borick, a polls indicate that third-party candidates encumbered pollster and political will have a hard time catching on in Pennwith this crazy science professor at sylvania, even among young voters. student debt Muhlenberg College, According to pollster and Franklin and that only said the “historiMarshall College professor G. Terry Mabenefits the cally high negative donna, that’s unlikely to change before bankers,” Roopinion” of both November. He doubts either will receive a manelli said. candidates from significant following by then. To even ap“If Stein were the major political pear in a presidential debate, a third-party president, she parties could afcandidate needs to reach a 15 percent nawould bail out fect the chances of tional polling threshold. all of those students.” other candidates.

“The campaign is so sharply drawn Libertarian Party “It clearly opens between two candidates,” Madonna said. candidate Johnson, on the door for alternatives “For third-party candidates, 95 percent of Raka Sarkar STAFF ILLUSTRATOR the other hand, manages in the form of third-party

Staff Writer

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September 16, 2016

to appeal to both liberal and conservative millennials with left-leaning social policies and right-leaning economic policies.

Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, wants low taxation and low regulation. According to Borick, these values may especially appeal to millennial voters who lean conservative but do not support Trump.

Pitt graduate student Matthew Zarit, who is studying American politics, said Pittsburghers vote will be important in the election because Pennsylvania is neither solidly Democratic nor solidly Republican.

“Pennsylvania, traditionally, has gone Democrat. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia carry the Democratic vote, and everything in between is solidly red,” Zarit said. “So people have to turn out in Pittsburgh for sure if Clinton is going to take Pennsylvania.”

Even when third parties don’t win or “spoil” an election, they have a history of bringing new issues to the forefront.

Though third party candidates historically don’t win elections, they can influence the candidates of the two major parties. Ross Perot forced both Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush to talk about debts and deficits in the 1992 election.

“There have been scores of third parties, but those that stay often influence the course of an election by getting everyone to focus on an issue,” Madonna said.

“When Clinton ran against Bush, Ross Perot ran as an independent and caused Bush and Clinton to talk about debts and deficits.”

While neither third party candidate has much of a chance at winning, the support for Stein’s focus on student debt and Johnson’s focus on low taxation may bring those issues further into the political limelight.

Stein’s campaign coordinator still thinks that millennials have the potential to challenge the status quo in this year’s election.

“I certainly would not rule winning out when the opportunity is there,” Romanelli said. “We’re available to the voters. If a message is reached and resonates, anything could happen.”

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BILL CLINTON CAMPAIGNS IN HOMEWOOD

Macey Zafina

For The Pitt News On a stage in Homewood, surrounded by union workers and community members, Bill Clinton declared that Hillary Clinton knows better than anyone how to bring working class Americans together.

“If we’re not willing to live together and work together, we’re not going to grow faster and grow fairer,” Bill Clinton said. “Hillary’s slogan ‘Stronger Together’ is about more than a campaign slogan.”

At the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum in the Homewood North neighborhood, Bill Clinton spoke to the crowd about student loan debt, Wall Street reform and the economy. With 32 days until the voter registration deadline, Bill Clinton encouraged the crowd to register to vote and show up at the polls in November.

The crowd of about 725 people filled the community hall, most of them standing in front of the circular stage as campaign staffers wove through the crowd, urging people to get involved. Attendees heard from U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and U.S. Rep. Ed Gainey, D-Pa., before the former president began his speech, 35 minutes after the rally kicked off. Cheers of “Hillary” met Bill Clinton’s entrance onto the stage.

Not everyone supported Clinton’ speech, however, or his wife’s candidacy. Several protesters stood outside the rally holding signs that read “Corrupt Hillary.”

Some attendees said they wished Clinton’s speech had covered some more sensitive topics. Regent Square resident Pat Schuetz, 69, said Hillary Clinton’s email scandal, a dark

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cloud still hanging over the Democratic candidate, was one topic she hoped Bill Clinton would address.

In March 2015, it became publicly known that Hillary Clinton had used her personal email account and server for official government correspondence, potentially including classified conversations. In July, the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to press charges against the presidential candidate, aligning with the recommendation of FBI Director James Comey.

“Put that whole mess to rest,” Schuetz said.

Bill Clinton chose instead to focus on Hillary Clinton’s plan to address the burden on America’s young adults. This plan includes allowing students to refinance accumulated student debt, as well as giving students access to debt-free or even tuition-free college.

In addition to lowering student debt, Bill Clinton emphasized infrastructure programs and opportunities for college-educated workers, as well as for those who do not have fouryear degrees.

“They’re going begging because there are no high-quality training programs,” Bill Clinton said of employers who hire workers without a four-year degree. “[Hillary Clinton] wants us to invest in labor union training programs.”

Without mentioning the scandal, Bill Clinton left the Homewood community with a hopeful message of unity from his wife.

“We really are stronger together,” he said.

“So if [Hillary Clinton] wins, she’s going to fight for you too..

The Pitt news crossword 9/12/16

Bill Clinton spoke in Homewood Friday. Wenhao Wu SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

September 16, 2016

3

Opinions

column

from the editorial board

9/11 coverage fails to commemorate victims After 15 years, we still cannot escape the harrowing aftermath of 9/11.

On September 11, 2001, the United States lost 2,977 men, women and children in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The terrorist attack forever changed our country and the state of national security.

Yesterday’s 15-year anniversary gave us the chance to pause and reflect on how we want to remember the victims who were killed. It gave us the opportunity to celebrate the servicepeople who bravely helped the survivors to safety and to consider how the attacks affected our unity as a country. Furthermore, it served as an opportunity to assess the state of our continued engagement overseas and to acknowledge the way we handled and continue to handle the most prolific attack on American soil since the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

But judging by yesterday’s news coverage of 9/11, we as a country failed to properly commemorate the ones who were truly impacted by the historic event.

In the midst of a New York ceremony for the anniversary of 9/11, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton fainted and later announced she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Online, calls for Clinton — and Republican nominee Donald Trump — to release detailed medical records drowned out tributes to 9/11 victims and survivors.

Yes, Clinton’s health scare is breaking news. But her pneumonia diagnosis is unrelated to the 9/11 memorial she was attending. The circus of this year’s election cycle twisted what was supposed to be a tribute to a tragic moment in American history into an opportunity to once again fuel the wildfire that is this presidential campaign.

Meanwhile, MSNBC broadcasted the

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gruesome 3 ½ hour footage of Sept. 11, 2001 on the Today show as it has done every year since the attack. The footage shows the live coverage of smoke encompassing the World Trade Center, families frantically running for help and a city in dark chaos after multiple terrorist attacks.

The annual tradition is marketed as a recognition of 9/11 that serves as a reminder of the tragedy. But let’s be honest, it’s a ratings grab. People will tune in, like rubberneckers passing a car crash on the highway, to watch the day’s terrifying events unfold.

How can the haunting images of wounded citizens and a broken city on the screen benefit those who witnessed and lived through the event? Victims, survivors and relatives can easily be devastated by the coverage that can bring back traumatizing flashbacks.

Younger generations who have not lived to see the attacks should watch the footage — it is a historical event, after all — but the benefits end there and people young enough to not remember Sept. 11 are certainly not the Today show’s target audience.

On Sunday, the media chose ratings over responsibility.

If we want to remind people what the country was like during and after 9/11, we should be focusing on the victims’ and survivors’ stories. We should be restoring humanity in a country that has used the event to divide, politicize and weaken its people.

Since we only spend one day a year honoring the people who died that day, it is our responsibility to do so the right way.

Next year, we should emphasize the firefighters, police, servicepeople, victims, survivors and families that all took part in healing our nation at its most vulnerable.

Let’s give our attention to 9/11 victims with grace and integrity — not political distractions and shock value.

EID AL-ADHA HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR RECOGNITION

Observing a mosque in Jordan. Courtesy of Amber Montgomery

Amber Montgomery Columnist

Today is not just another Monday.

Today, I can’t wait to see pictures on Facebook, stories on Snapchat and to send WhatsApp messages to my friends celebrating the major Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, all around the world.

Eid al-Adha, known as the Greater Eid, literally translates to “festival of the sacrifice” and commemorates Ibrahim’s devotion to God by his willingness to sacrifice his son. Today, Muslims celebrate this historical offering by slaughtering an animal and sharing the meat among friends, family and the needy. The start of Eid is dependant on the lunar cycle and the Islamic calendar, but most countries follow the Saudi Arabian declaration for Eid hol-

September 16, 2016

idays, marking Monday as the first full day of Eid al-Adha this year.

Last summer during my time studying in Jordan, I made Muslim friends that introduced and celebrated the “Lesser Eid,” Eid al-Fitr — which denotes the end of Ramadan — with me. It was an opportunity to learn about a religion and a culture far removed from the one I was brought up in. Seeing the celebrations halfway around the world makes me nostalgic for those times, and I find myself wishing there was a larger presence of Islamic celebrations at Pitt.

Unfortunately, the celebrations here will never compare to those abroad, and the lack of awareness of the religious holiday should not be commonplace in a See Montgomery on page 5

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Montgomery, pg. 4 school that touts diversity and inclusion.

Pitt Arabic professor Rasha Al-Hashimi marks both holidays in her classroom, but said she doesn’t hear much about the second celebration elsewhere in the United States.

“I always felt like students and Americans in general do not know much about Eid al-Adha,” Al-Hashimi said. “Most people know about Eid al-Fitr, which comes at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, because it is well covered in the media.”

Countries in the Arab world vary on how many days they take off from work and school for Eid — ranging from three days in many countries and up to as many as 12 in Saudi Arabia, where the Hajj takes place. Islam is the second largest religion in the world, expected to surpass Christianity by 2017, according to the Pew Research Center. Despite America’s vast Muslim population of 3.3 million, nowhere in the United States, barring New York City, officially recognizes either Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr or Eid alAdha, as a federal public holiday.

In Al-Hashimi’s Arabic department, Arabic and Islamic culture are tied into studies on language. But in most other departments and schools at Pitt, there is very little mention of the Muslim religious holidays other than a disclaimer in syllabuses noting that students can take off for religious holidays.

take the morning off to have time for Eid prayers and to get together with friends and family,” Al-Hashimi said. “This way, my students also have the opportunity to learn more about this occasion and to join in the celebration if they wish to do so.”

Eid also marks the time of the Hajj season when Muslims make the pilgrim-

It’s an important day for more than 3 million Americans that hardly gets any recognition.

Finding a professor that takes nonWestern religious holidays into account when planning exams and assignments is rare. Students who celebrate “less common” holidays have to ask to be an exception to most professors’ “no makeup” policy for taking tests.

“This is the reason why I feel strongly that I should take the day off, or at least,

age to Mecca — an essential part of Islam where every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, if he or she has the means must make the trip. Day of Arafat is the day before Eid, also known as the second day of the Hajj season. Customarily, Muslims who are not on pilgrimage will fast on this day until sunset when Eid al-Adha officially begins.

It’s an important day for more than 3 million Americans that hardly gets any recognition. With 3,168 international students at Pitt, we should acknowledge the swath of religions our students follow and respect the diversity that comes with different backgrounds.

In a country where anti-Islamic sentiment is growing rapidly, placing emphasis on and creating opportunities for understanding Islam should be paramount.

Don’t get me wrong, I love walking into a nationality room and seeing one of the festive Christmas trees in early December. But I would also love to see lights and lanterns representing Muslim holidays during their respective times as well.

There won’t be any decorations in your favorite academic buildings, but there are organizations around Pittsburgh who will be celebrating, such as an event hosted by the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh.

And for students who know little about Eid al-Adha, look more into it. Be aware of any and all religious holidays to facilitate a more inclusive atmosphere on campus.

Every holiday has an identity worth celebrating, and Eid is no exception.

The Pitt News SuDoku 9/12/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

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September 16, 2016

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Sports

WOMENʼS SOCCER

MENʼS SOCCER

VOLLEYBALL

Kent State 2 Pitt 1

Louisville 2 Pitt 0

Panther Invitational Penn State 39 Pitt 42 2-1, Pitt

FOOTBALL

IS PITT PSUʼS RIVAL NOW? Ashwini Sivaganesh Assistant Sports Editor

QB Nathan Peterman looks for a touchdown opportunity against Penn State Saturday. Jeff Ahearn SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Pitt vs. Penn State Key Play

Q u i ck H i ts

see full recap online

Facing a second-and-9 from Pitt’s 31-yard line and trailing 42-39 with just over a minute to play, Penn State was in position to attempt a game-tying field goal from just inside the 50 yardline.

Rather than play it safe, Nittany Lions first-year quarterback Trace McSorley took a gamble and went for the win. Panthers senior cornerback Ryan Lewis made him pay, leaping into the end zone for a game-clinching interception.

Key Player Redshirt junior running back James Conner was in vintage form with 146 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, but sophomore dynamo Quadree Henderson was Pitt’s best player for the second week in a row. Henderson totaled 58 rushing yards on four carries, 57 receiving yards on three catches and 96 yards on two kick returns to finish with 201 total yards and a touchdown.

Key stat

The 81 combined points scored by the two teams set a record for the highest-scoring game in the rivalry’s 123-year history.

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Saturday’s Pitt vs. Penn State game exceeded all expectations, especially for Penn State fans who were skeptical about the scope of the historic clash. But after the game, the Panthers who took the field had only one thing to say.

The rivalry is back — and it’s real.

A record-breaking 69,983 people watched the Panthers clinch the 42-39 victory over the Nittany Lions at Heinz Field. The game was both the highest-scoring game in the duo’s history and the biggest sporting event in Pittsburgh history. If the Lions thought the Panthers weren’t skilled enough to be their rivals Saturday morning, they were reconsidering by Saturday afternoon.

Leading up to the return of the matchup, many Penn State fans took to social media to say that they didn’t consider the Pitt vs. Penn State game a rivalry, inspired by a column on the blog “Onward State.”

Even some Penn State players echoed those thoughts, including first-year quarterback Trace McSorley and offensive guard Ryan Bates.

“No, I’m not going to say it’s a rivalry,” McSorley said in a Tuesday press conference.

From the beginning, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi differed starkly in their approach to Saturday’s face off. Franklin said the Keystone Classic was just another game on the schedule for Penn State, reinforcing his player’s insistence that Pitt wasn’t worthy and downplaying a contest Pitt touted as the return of an important rivalry.

“I think you have to be very careful when you tell your players that this game is more important than another game,” Franklin said in a press conference last Tuesday. “Then I think you have a tendency to come out and play inconsistent. Guys will be emotionally high one game and low the next. So keep our process the See Rivalry on page 10

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HENDRIX, ZEISE OUT FOR SEASON Steve Rotstein Sports Editor

Though Pitt head football coach Pat Narduzzi said the status of defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and Star linebacker Elijah Zeise’s health was “day-to-day” during the week, he confirmed Saturday after the Panthers’ 42-39 win over Penn State the two key defensive players are out for the season.

Redshirt sophomores Dewayne Hendrix and Elijah Zeise suffered a foot and ankle injury, respectively, in Pitt’s 28-7 season-opening win against Villanova, but Narduzzi did not rule either player out for the game against the Nittany Lions. When Saturday came, neither player suited up.

After sitting out last season as a transfer from the University of Tennessee, Hendrix was expected to make a big impact at defensive end for Pitt in 2016. Instead, he was unable to complete his first game as a Panther and will miss the rest of the season because of an injured foot.

Zeise started the first game of the season at the star linebacker position despite being listed behind former North Allegheny Senior High School teammate Oluwaseun Idowu on the depth chart going into the season.

Less than five minutes into the game, Zeise suffered a season-ending ankle injury when a Villanova lineman accidentally rolled on top of his legs.

Idowu took over as the starting star linebacker and made six total tackles against Penn State, while junior Rori Blair filled in capably for Hendrix as a starting defensive end by posting a pair of tackles and a sack against the Nittany Lions.

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Layne Van Buskirk (7) and Kelsey O-Neill (11) go up for a spike against Costal Carolina.

Edward Major STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PITT GOES 2-1 IN HOME SERIES David Leftwich Staff Writer

Coming off an undefeated weekend at the UCSB Thunderdome Classic in Santa Barbara, California, the Pitt volleyball team made its regular season home debut at the Fitzgerald Field House over the weekend.

The Panthers welcomed Coastal Carolina, American University and No. 22 University of Michigan for the Panther Invitational tournament Friday and Saturday. After a 3-1 series loss to a strong Coastal Carolina team Friday night, Pitt responded with a 3-1 series win over American Saturday afternoon and capped the tournament off with a five-set victory over Michigan Saturday night.

In their matchup against the 5-1 Chanticleers Friday, the Panthers struggled to get the ball on the other side of the net because of some sloppy plays.

Match one To start the match, the Chanticleers throttled Pitt and its sputtering offense. Despite only hitting 10 kills, Coastal Carolina played efficiently and capitalized on nine Pitt errors to easily take the first set, 25-17.

“Sometimes we resort to making tentative swings, and that’s when we make errors,” senior middle blocker Jenna Potts said.

Pitt found some consistency from the center in the second set through Potts and first-year middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk, and Coastal Carolina racked up 7 errors. Pitt made quick work of the Chanticleers and took the set, 25-14.

Coastal Carolina consistently made the big play or big kill on the backs of two-time Big South Player of the Year Leah Hardeman and senior middle blocker Annayka Legros, and the Panthers ended up dropping the last two sets with a combined 16 errors to lose the match, 3-1.

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“Our mental state wasn’t where it needed to be,” Pitt head coach Dan Fisher said after the match. “Both of our middles played pretty well, but it was a completely different team than a week ago.”

Match two As quickly as the Panthers fell into the depths of offensive struggle, they pulled themselves out against American University Saturday, achieving a 3-1 match victory on the back of some gaudy offensive statistics.

Three Pitt players hit 10 or more kills in the match, with Stephanie Williams leading the team with 25 kills on 44 attempts.

As a team, the Panthers never hit below 16 kills in a set — a far cry from their high of 14 kills against Coastal Carolina.

Find the full story online at

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Rivalry, pg. 2 same, focus on the results of being successful and not things that are outside of your control.”

Narduzzi approached the game by specifically treating it differently than the rest. By not allowing players to talk to the media in the week leading up to the rivalry, he acknowledged the importance of this particular game.

Following the game, several Panthers told the press they were motivated to win this game even more after spending the week listening to Penn State fans downplay the competition.

“I like seeing all of the Penn State fans there so we could shut them up,” Pitt fullback George Aston said after scoring two touchdowns in the win.

It can be argued that Penn State only lost by a three-point margin, which doesn’t assert the Panthers’ dominance as the superior team on the field. But Pitt has now won two straight in the teams’ histories and with such a close record in the all-time series, Penn State can’t legitimately claim the Panthers aren’t a worthy opponent.

Penn State fans placed themselves on a pedestal after sweeping all six games played in the ’90s. After 97 games played in the series, the Nittany Lions hold a 50-43-4 edge.

But 16 years ago, Pitt’s team could be described as mediocre at best. With a new team and new coaches, that was not the case Saturday.

In 2019, when the intra-state competitors face off for the fourth year in a row, questions about the rivalry’s existence can be revisited, but the record-breaking attendance numbers and round-the-clock media coverage suggest that the fans are hungry for a Pennsylvania clash — and that’s not likely to change.

Wide receiver Quadree Henderson put on an inspired performance that proved Pitt’s capability as a team in 2016. The 5-foot-8, 190-pound sophomore racked up 201 total yards, including a dynamic 84-yard kickoff return to set up Pitt’s final touchdown.

“Just the fact they’re Penn State [made it a bigger game],” Henderson said in the press conference, adding that “Coach Narduzzi said [Penn State is] arrogant.”

Narduzzi’s 10-5 start in his first 15 games as head coach tied Jackie Sherrill for the best 15game start in program history.

We were ready and we wanted this win, and I think it showed out there,“ quarterback Nathan Peterman said after throwing three touchdowns in the win. “Hopefully they think it’s a rivalry now.”

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