9-8-17

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September 8, 2017

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PANTHERS NEED PRESS Narduzzi’s blackout is unnecessary and limits coverage.

by Ryan Zimba | Sports Editor

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wo weeks ago, the alteration of Pitt football’s biggest tradition — singing “Sweet Caroline” at the end of the third quarter — left the program searching for a new tradition to take its place.

Thanks to Head Coach Pat Narduzzi, they may have found it.

Narduzzi and the Pitt football program announced Sunday night it would lock out the media from talking to the team’s players ahead of the second matchup in the four-game series against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

“It’s a big game, I mean it really is,” Narduzzi said at his weekly press conference. “I want our guys locked in. It’s an in-state rivalry, at least for us, and we’re going to prepare for it that way.”

This is the second year in a row Narduzzi has initiated this policy, and although he took criticism for it last season, he opted to do it again. But while it’s hard to argue with the results, it’s not the right path for the program to follow.

First, it’s hypocritical with what Narduzzi says every other week of the year. Take last week, for example, when the coach said he was all focused on Youngstown State despite them being a relatively low-caliber team.

When asked questions about the Nittany Lions, Narduzzi dismissed them, saying the Penguins were all that mattered and that every game of the season was equally important. With the blackout — which only happens during the biggest week of the season — he completely goes against that claim.

By blacking out the media, Narduzzi is telling his players that the Pitt-Penn

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State game is bigger and more important than all the others. That’s the wrong message for the players, and it could potentially lead to lackluster efforts against other teams — like last week’s 28-21 overtime win over a non-BCS Youngstown State.

To be honest, this game is the biggest one of the season by far, but it’s only fair to think that way as fans. Narduzzi, his staff and Pitt’s players should not approach the game this way. This is particularly important considering their top goal coming into the season was to make it to the ACC Championship Game.

This out-of-conference contest has no effect on that lofty task and will only damage the team’s overall record — even though a loss might allow for Penn State fans to gloat for a year.

While the record could be in trouble, there are other shaky aspects of the program. Its place within the Pittsburgh sports landscape is another part which has suffered in recent years.

For years, the team has struggled to find a place among the city’s three professional teams, both with fans and the media. Even on their flagship radio station, 93.7 The Fan, the Panthers rarely get brought up. Right now, the media would rather talk about preseason Steelers games and roster acquisitions than Pitt. It’s hard to blame them, since that’s what the city’s sports fans want to read and listen to.

The Pitt football program — and the athletic department in general — need this to change. The media blackout won’t help.

In its most important week of the

year, when the city actually cares about the team, the media’s restriction of what it can say and do is going to have a negative impact. This week, for once, they would actually talk about the Panthers — and they may still, but with a reduced scope.

The main point is this should be the exact opposite of what this week is for the program. Narduzzi and the players should be building this up as much as possible.

Say something (mildly) controversial, tell us how much you hate the school and its culture or build some tension.

Anything to generate a positive buzz and conversation about the program.

Very few Pittsburghers cared when the Panthers knocked off the eventual national champion Clemson Tigers in November of last year. The spotty crowd of 35,425 the next week against Duke proved that.

On the other hand, the team sold out Heinz Field for the Penn State game, drawing the largest crowd ever for a Pittsburgh sporting event.

Pittsburghers care about the PittPenn State game. Most don’t care about Pitt football. It’s time the program wakes up to that and starts to capitalize on its opportunities, even if they are few and far between.

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Narduzzi decided to lock out the media from talking to players ahead of the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. TPN FILE PHOTO

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PREDICTION: LIONS LOOM OVER PANTHERS

Former Pitt running back James Conner rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers’ 42-39 victory over Penn State last year.

David Leftwich Staff Writer When Ryan Lewis hauled in the last season’s game-clinching interception against Penn State, he secured a year of bragging rights. Regardless of Penn State’s ultimate Big Ten success last year, Pitt fans could flaunt their 42-39 triumph.

But as the renewed rivalry with Penn State approaches its second season, it looks like these bragging rights are not going to belong to the Panthers for much longer. Not only is Penn State the favorite, they may just decimate Pitt.

When the Panthers squared off against the Nittany Lions last year, Pitt only saw a preview of the offensive show then-sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley and sophomore running back Saquon Barkley put on during the season.

In last year’s matchup, the Panthers

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managed to hold Barkley to 85 yards, but he still found his way into the end zone a whopping five times. Through the air, McSorley torched the Panthers defense for 332 yards and a touchdown, but undermined the team’s efforts with four fumbles and an interception.

During the rest of the season, the two developed into one of the most explosive offensive duos in college football. Barkley racked up over 1,800 total yards and 22 touchdowns, while McSorley threw for over 3,500 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading the team to the Big Ten title.

Headed into their junior campaigns, the two are expected to continue with that kind of success. They both are among the 10 players selected as preseason All-Big Ten, and both are on the Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.

While these honors are all preseason speculation, they showed their worth in

the Nittany Lions’ 52-0 rout of Akron last weekend.

Barkley mowed through the Zips’ defense, compiling 172 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on just 14 carries. McSorley threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, not to mention the Penn state defense, which completely stifled the Zips, holding them to 159 total yards for the game.

Penn State is a legitimate force this season and a much stronger team than they were when they squared off against the Panthers early last season.

This doesn’t look good for the Panthers whose play has faltered.

With many positions to fill after last season, there looked to be drop-offs on both sides of the ball in the Panther’s first game of the season Saturday against Youngstown State.

When Youngstown State made adjustments and stifled the Panther running attack in the second half, the

September 8, 2017

TPN FILE PHOTO

offensive line and redshirt senior Max Browne showed their weaknesses.

Browne abandoned ineffective screen passes in favor of deeper routes, but didn’t have time to make many plays because the offensive line struggled in pass protection.

Even when Browne was given time to make plays, he couldn’t connect with his receivers, made bad decisions with the ball, and only finished with 140 passing yards.

On the defensive side, the Panthers don’t look to be in much better shape.

After shutting out the Penguins in the first half, the defense gave up 21 points in the second half, and the Penguins outgained the Panthers by 70 yards for the game.

The defense struggled to generate a pass rush, only recording one sack. They also struggled to cover the Penguins’ See Prediction on page 7

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Party in the parking lot Pitt students recount tailgating stories and prep for the trip to State College for Saturday’s game against the Panthers’ in-state rivals.

by Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor

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or Keith Miller, the best part of tailgating is giving out food to strangers and listening to “dad

music.”

“I’ve got a huge grill that barely fits in my SUV that I bring to games, and I always share the hot dogs and hamburgers that I make with people passing by,” Miller said.

“And I like the classic songs. You know, songs like ‘Come On Eileen.’”

Miller, a senior information science major, said he usually is the person to host the tailgates in his friend group since he owns a car. Now he can continue the family tradition.

“My parents would host at games, and I saw how much fun they were having with their friends and wanted to do stuff like that with mine someday,” he said. “And then last year I finally brought my car to campus, and was like, ‘I can do this now.’”

Although Miller does enjoy getting to

Outside the stadium, Panther and Nittany Lion fans tailgated together before the 2016 Pitt vs. PSU game. TPN FILE PHOTO

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spread grilled goodness among Pitt football fans while rocking out to Dexys Midnight Runners, he said tailgating at Pitt is really about getting to show off school pride.

“Day to day, you can wear a T-shirt or something, but at tailgates you get to park outside the stadium and sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ together and stuff,” he said.

Tailgating at Heinz Field is a pregame pastime that hundreds of Pitt students participate in before they file into the stadium to cheer the Panthers on. Many, like Miller, see it as a way to start showing off pride for their school hours before the main event begins.

Some do it to catch up with friends before screaming

themselves hoarse in the stands.

Senior education major April Wismer falls into the latter

category.

She first got into tailgating when she transferred to Pitt as a sophomore and joined club field hockey, whose members would tailgate at every home game.

“I just loved the social aspect of it,” she said. “It brought a lot of my friends from different groups into the same place, and even now, I can just hop around tents at games and hang out with all of them.”

Junior psychology major Kayla Nitka said she also got into tailgating through club field hockey. During her first year at Pitt, she and her roommate would go to every home game and meet up with the rest of the team in the parking lot.

“I really liked being able to get together with all of them,” she said. “I like how you’re there with your friends and the rest of the school, celebrating the same thing.”

Nitka said what she enjoys most about tailgating is how she and her friends try to wear as much Pitt gear as possible when they tailgate. They also like to play cornhole

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Fans break bread at a tailgate before heading into Heinz Field Stadium last year. TPN FILE PHOTO and eat hot dogs and buffalo chicken dip. Her favorite tailgate memory was during a game last year around Halloween when lots of attendees arrived in costume.

“My one friend dressed up like Jackie Moon,” she said. “It was freezing out and he was wearing short-shorts. It was hilarious.”

Some students are now veteran tailgaters — like Senior economics major Mike Chew, who is entering his third year tailgating. He’s always been into sports, but said he never tailgated before he came to Pitt and got really into it.

“I’ve been lucky. I know a lot of people with cars,” he said. “We do the usual stuff, just play good music and grill, play KanJam.” Chew said he’ll be one of the students heading to Penn State Saturday to meet up with friends at a tailgate. Afterwards, Chew plans to watch the game from the safety of a bar outside the stadium in an effort to avoid See Tailgating on page 13

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Amid trash talk, some promote unity Mackenzie Rodrigues Assistant Sports Editor Usually college football rivalries bring out the absolute worst in fans.

Although this week’s Pitt-Penn State game has generated its fair share of tasteless trash talk, some people are trying to use the contest for some good.

If you spend any time on social media and you have any friends or followers claiming some stake in Saturday’s game, you know how intense the comment section can get. The comments escalate as tempers flare, and soon the topic turns from healthy trash talk to topics not even relevant to the game.

Barstool Penn State announced on Sept. 2, “IT’S OFFICIALLY PITT HATE WEEK.” Of course, the hate erupted from both sides. This carried on for a while, with fans from both teams chalking up points for each dig.

Pitt sophomore neuroscience major Ryley Handyside had enough of the dis-

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respectful posts on her Twitter feed.

“One night I saw on Twitter all

ing people,” Handyside said.

Handyside decided to create a

Elise Lavallee LAYOUT EDITOR the Pitt-Penn State hate, and I wished people could get this excited about help-

GoFundMe page and call on all Pitt and Penn State fans to donate money

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to Hurricane Harvey relief. She wrote a note explaining what she was doing and reached out to both the Barstool Pitt and Barstool Penn State Twitter accounts.

“It was out of the blue,” said Connor from Barstool Pitt, who asked that his last name be concealed for privacy. “There’s a first time for everything though!” “@PSUBarstool and I have decided to put our differences aside for a good cause, RT and donate #HurricaneHarveyRelief,” Barstool Pitt tweeted on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 11:18 a.m. The tweet then linked to a Handyside’s GoFundMe page.

Fans are encouraged, on the donation information page, to donate the monetary equivalent of their team’s points. The goal is set at $10,000 and, as of Thursday night, fans have raised $410. The funds raised will be donated to the Houston See Unity on page 7

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Unity, pg. 6

Prediction, pg. 4 receivers. YSU made the Panthers pay the price, putting up over 300 yards through the air last Saturday.

Ejuan Price and Shakir Soto held last season’s pass rushing roles, but those remain unfilled. The suspension of junior starting defensive back Jordan Whitehead has hurt the defense’s ability to defend on the outside.

All of these team struggles came against a good FCS team in Youngstown State. But the Penguins are nowhere near as talented as Penn State.

For Pitt to have a shot against Penn State, they will need to slow down Barkley and McSorley. Whether this be through turnovers, as it was last year, or stifling their production, Pitt cannot afford big performances from these two.

On the offensive side, Browne and his line will need to pick up their game to produce against the Penn State defense. Veteran contributors such as junior wide receiver Quadree Henderson and redshirt junior running back Qadree Ollison will need to have huge

games for things to go the Panthers’ way.

PREDICTION: In last year’s game, the Panthers grabbed an early lead and exploited Nittany Lion turnovers to hold on in a thriller. This year, there is no home field advantage, the Nittany Lions are a stronger team, and the Panthers are reeling from losses all over the field.

If the Panthers commit to stopping Barkley, McSorley will exploit a weak Panthers secondary and Barkley may still go off. He’s that good. Pay too much attention to McSorley, and Barkley will inevitably hurt the Panthers’ defense. Either way, the Nittany Lion offense is in for a big day.

The Panther offense will try keeping pace with the Nittany Lions, but Penn State will focus on stopping the Panthers’ strong running attack. If they can slow it down, Browne will not be able to make plays.

With big games from Barkley and McSorley, the Panthers offense will not be able to keep up, leading to the first loss of the season.

Panthers 20, Nittany Lions 42.

The Pitt news crossword 9/8/17

Food Bank.

This is Handyside’s first time raising money for something as big as this. She volunteered in high school and went on medical mission trips, but she’s never done something like this.

Her recent efforts are also in line with Penn State President Eric J. Barron and Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, who penned an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to share some words of unity — and PR. The duo acknowledged how the upcoming game forces fans and students to choose a side. Even though the story was more intended to draw attention to the schools’ academic successes and gain state funding, it’s obvious why these two leaders would broach the subject of the rivalry.

“It is a game where spectators take sides — and the winning team earns a year of prized bragging rights in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” they wrote.

It’s likely Gallagher and Barron

are aware of the depths of hate their students’ minds will enter when typing a poorly thought-out tweet. While they didn’t directly address the negativity from their students, they briefly mentioned how the tradition has “simmered.”

This wasn’t their first time addressing the Pitt-Penn State contention. Last season, the school leaders penned a piece for the chancellor’s official Pitt website. The letter focused more on how students could make their schools proud.

“Let’s showcase the best versions of ourselves to help support our respective teams,” Gallagher and Barron wrote.

“We look to everyone to make wise choices and enjoy the game responsibly.”

Their show of unity probably won’t stop the bashing — the Barstool accounts returned to their regular Twitter trash talk soon after their Harvey tweets. But Handyside thinks some good will still come from the game.

“No matter who wins or loses, we’ll have something positive on both sides that comes out of this,” Handyside said.

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September 8, 2017

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RETRO OAKLAND:

PITT’S CATWALK OF FOOTBALL FASHION

BY LEXI KENNELL, CULTURE EDITOR

PHOTOS VIA UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS

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porting black long-sleeved turtlenecks and dark pants, Pitt’s 1899 football team looks like a bunch of brooding postmodern writers.

But the beatnik era didn’t happen for another 50 years, making our athletic predecessors look like fashion-forward icons.

1890 WUP FOOTBALL TEAM Back when the school was still WUP, the football team consisted of only a handful of players. According to Historic Pittsburgh, only three players had ever seen a football game played, and the team lost the only game it played in its first inaugural year.

But my personal favorite thing about this photo is the guy with the bowler hat in the back grumpily holding up a sign that says “Mascot.” He doesn’t look like a panther, but maybe back then a sign was enough to boost morale.

And as our school went from the Western University of Pennsylvania to the University of Pittsburgh, football fashion trends shifted. Gone were the days of our subdued, minimalist uniforms.

1910 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FOOTBALL TEAM

1899 WUP FOOTBALL TEAM If you look closely, the photograph spells Pittsburgh without the “H.” In the mid-1700s, the British captured Fort Duquesne from the French and established a new settlement, naming it after Prime Minister William Pitt. On a letter General Forbes wrote to William Pitt after the capture, the postage was marked from Pittsburg, a variant of the word “borough,” according to Popular Pittsburgh.

When Pittsburgh became a city in 1816, the “H” was dropped due to a printing error. And for almost 100 years, the spelling switched between the two, causing controversy. But in 1911, the “H” was added back by the United States Geographic Board.

So the University’s football team briefly went by “University of Pittsburg Football Squad,” and was actually good — the team won nine games in a row without letting their opponents score at all.

1930 PITT PANTHERS Ah, the black turtlenecks. I wish the Panthers had kept these uniforms — they’re a great way to intimidate the opposing team.

Much the same as the 1928 team, their record was six wins, two losses and one tie. This class also had uniforms with vertical stripes, which were much more noticeable than the ones on the uniforms two years prior. So it’s safe to say they spruced up those lines to make a statement — although I’m still not sure what that statement is.

1928 PITT PANTHERS The Pitt Panthers of 1928 weren’t too terrible either — the team won six games, lost two and tied once.

You can also tell that the amount of students interested in football exponentially increased — I’m sure most or all of these players had watched a football game or two before signing up.

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September 8, 2017

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column

Pitt line backer Saleem Brightwell (39) and Elijah Zeise (25) tackled YSU player last Saturday.

Anna Bongardino ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR

PITT DEFENSE DEMANDS NEW CHANGE Kevin Bertha Staff Writer

With victories over the national champions Clemson and Big Ten champions Penn State, the 2016 Pitt football team racked up some of the program’s biggest accomplishments in recent memory.

But to continue the success in 2017, head coach Pat Narduzzi will have to find different ways to win games — something which could make an already tough schedule even more difficult.

After losing 19 seniors and offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Panthers do not look like the team that had an impressive 8-4 regular season last fall.

Last year’s Pitt offense — led by quarterback Nathan Peterman and running back James Conner — blazed by defenses on its way to becoming one of the best groups in all of college football.

Canada was the guru of the group, enabling the unit to be both unpredictable

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and explosive by balancing Peterman’s deep-ball talent with Pitt’s power-run game. Conner didn’t see as much work as he did in previous years, but still gained 1,092 yards and scored 15 touchdowns on the year.

At season’s end, the Panthers averaged 40.9 points per game, good for 10th best in the country. And they needed every one of those points, as the team’s defense — particularly the secondary — was absolutely atrocious, giving up an average of 452 yards per game.

Pitt just didn’t have the players to compete on the back end last year — it’s that simple. While safety Jordan Whitehead was a star player, most of the other secondary was either inexperienced or inconsistent — or both. That combination led to a lot of busted coverages, and when Whitehead failed to cover for the rest of the secondary’s mistakes, trouble brewed.

The Panthers also struggled when matched up with bigger, physical wideouts. Case in point, in Pitt’s Nov. 12, win at Clemson, the Tigers’ 6-foot-4, 216-pound Mike Williams caught 15 passes for a whopping 202 yards against Panther cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and Ryan Lewis.

Still, with the offense to carry them, the Panthers managed to win eight games in the regular season and probably would have won the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Northwestern if Peterman and Conner weren’t injured.

This time around though, the team is a lot different. Canada is gone after accepting the same job at LSU for a reported $1.5 million according to The Times-Picayune, while Peterman and Conner are now in the NFL. With the position changes on the offensive side, Pitt should look to slow the

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tempo down by using its still-impressive stable of running backs. Even though Pitt lost Conner, the Panthers still have a lot of talent at the running back position with players like redshirt junior Qadree Ollison, sophomore Chawntez Moss and junior Darrin Hall.

This will definitely help to lighten the losses, and it should help the offense come closer to where it was a year ago.

In fact, it could help out on the defensive end as well.

You can’t score if you don’t have the ball, right? And if the Panthers can eat up clock using a solid running game, they can keep their opponents — and the defense — off the field for a majority of the game.

Even if the offense succeeds at keeping the ball away from its opponents, the See Defense on page 11

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column

Don’t punt on LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports Henry Glitz

Opinions Editor When Pitt’s football team faces off against Penn State tomorrow at Beaver Stadium, both teams will continue a tradition which began in the 19th century — but in a vastly different culture.

At the teams’ first meeting in 1893, Pitt had yet to integrate, and Penn State had never admitted a black student.

Women in Pennsylvania would have to wait over two more decades before winning the right to vote, and the Commonwealth was in the process of tightening already draconian anti-sodomy laws.

The world of college sports today is beginning to reflect social changes since the days of Victorian mores. This fall’s collegiate football season counts among its participants the highest number of openly gay athletes playing simultaneously in history — six. This year also

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marks the first time the NFL will have an openly LGBTQ+ individual serve as a pro football coach, Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers.

While none of these athletes hail from Pennsylvania, it’s impossible to deny that the country’s sports culture as a whole is moving closer and closer toward LGBTQ+ inclusion. That athletes can feel safe enough in their teams to be open about their sexuality is without a doubt a victory for equal rights.

But in a society where rights for gay Americans are still far from complete, it’s hard to say that the progress already made is enough. While these first isolated cases are vital steps to integrating LGBTQ+ people in the sports world, it’s not true that gay and straight athletes are treated equally now. And portraying mere acceptance from straight athletes as exemplary lowers the bar for how LGBTQ+ athletes are treated in the future.

The way the LGBTQ+ community is

treated in the culture of sports — collegiate as well as professional — has changed significantly, even over the past few years.

Xavier Colvin, a sophomore on the football team at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, became the sixth openly gay player in the NCAA this August when he stood up on a stage with a microphone and came out to his teammates. And the team accepted him for it.

Colvin cited, among others, former NFL defensive end Michael Sam as one of his inspirations in gaining the courage to come out to his team. Sam, who visited Pitt in March 2016, was the first openly gay NFL players in history.

His visibility was a positive, giving an example to closeted gay players like Colvin.

Another athlete, Jace Anderson, who participates in track and field at the University of Nebraska, described his coming out to the rest of the athletic

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community at his school last year as full of anxiety.

At an off-campus party, Anderson was on a patio by himself when members of the university’s football team approached him and “confronted” him about his sexuality. When Anderson confirmed he was gay, the players let him know that they thought “that’s awesome.”

Obviously, this kind of interaction between a gay athlete and straight athletes is considerably more positive than what used to happen. Ed Gallagher, an offensive lineman for Pitt in the late 1970s, felt so strongly about a sexual experience he had with another man that he threw himself from the top of a dam in an attempted suicide. And while Gallagher inflicted this punishment on himself, it’s nevertheless indicative of how those in the sports world here in Pittsburgh viewed homosexuality a mere See Glitz on page 11

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Glitz, pg. 10 40 years ago — as totally unacceptable.

It is an exceptionally low bar where we point to improvements like athletes beginning to feel comfortable enough with their teams to be who they are — as opposed to killing themselves rather than outing themselves to their teams.

Yes, a team’s acceptance of gay athletes among their ranks is a huge step forward for those individuals. But when we look at these examples of team tolerance as exceptional, it has the effect of making teams where LGBTQ+ members are afraid of coming out the norm.

To an extent, then, this narrative has an element of truth. With a total of over 70,000 football players currently, the NCAA’s six openly gay football players make up less than .01 percent of the association’s population. Assuming a similar ratio in the sports world as in the population as a whole, most LGBTQ+ participants in collegiate football either don’t want to or can’t come out publicly.

We need to get to a point where acceptance of another player’s non-

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straight sexuality is seen not as an act of kindness and compassion, but as an element of basic decency. Until the sports world reaches that point, LGBTQ+ athletes will remain on the periphery of the discussion, notable only for their perceived novelty.

What is probably most striking about the celebration of stories of acceptance like with Anderson or with Colvin — as important and positive as they are — is the startling uniqueness with which they’re painted. For a straight athlete, acceptance of one’s sexuality is so much of a given that it likely never even crosses the mind.

Of course, it can be difficult to see openly gay athletes as normal while there are still so few of them in the public eye. This isn’t the athletes’ fault — if anything, it makes their bravery in being honest about themselves all the more commendable.

But that doesn’t mean that nothing can be done to put LGBTQ+ athletes fully on the same playing field as straight athletes. We should strive to give LGBTQ+ athletes the same respect and right to privacy as anyone else.

Defense, pg. 9 defense will need to drastically improve its play to win. That could be tough to do with all the new players.

Maddox — a starter in six games his first year, all 13 his second, and nine his junior year — is the only senior in the Panthers’ secondary and will likely be one of the better one-on-one defenders in the conference.

Junior Phillipie Motley will likely start opposite Maddox while junior Dennis Briggs will look to start at safety at the start of the season while Whitehead is suspended along with two others.

In any case, Narduzzi will surely be looking to young, inexperienced players to fill the vacant positions, and a number of them will need to grow up especially fast.

Among them are redshirt freshman Phil Campbell and sophomore Damar Hamlin, who were both highly sought after recruits coming out of high school.

But the most intriguing prospect of all might be true freshman Paris Ford, the No. 52 player in the class of 2017 according to 247Sports.

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A product of local Steel Valley High School, Ford led the Ironmen to the school’s first PIAA title last year, recording six touchdowns on interception returns in that season alone. There are some issues to deal with though, namely his academic standing with the NCAA. Narduzzi has been hoping to have Ford declared academically eligible all summer long, and if he is, it would be a big help to the Panthers’ worst unit.

Either way, the Panthers won’t be able to win with the combination they had last year. The offense will almost surely take a step back and won’t be good enough to make up for poor defensive performances.

They’ll need their defense to play aggressively and make big stops to get off the field on third down. Without that, the team won’t come close to continuing the success they had last year and will sink down into mediocrity, at least momentarily.

Fans can be excited about the young talent, though, as the secondary will undoubtedly be elite come 2018. The unit’s — and the team’s — future is bright, but the only issue is that the future isn’t now.

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PA LAWMAKERS ANNOUNCE BILLS TO COMBAT SEXUAL ASSAULT

John Hamilton Managing Editor

Gov. Tom Wolf expanded the “It’s On Us PA” campaign Wednesday, announcing legislation aimed at ending sexual assault in schools across Pennsylvania.

Joined by college students in the Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pa., Wolf and state lawmakers announced six new bills focused on improving reporting for sexual assault and harassment in public K-12 schools and colleges. Wolf called on the rest of the state House and Senate to support the bills.

“This legislation is the result of students, parents, advocates, education leaders and people across the commonwealth working together to improve reporting and response standards for sexual assault,” Wolf said.

One of the six bills — sponsored by Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks County, and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery County — would require all colleges in the state to give amnesty from drug and alcohol offenses to students who reported a sexual assault. Pitt already has a policy in place — the Respon-

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sible Action Protocol — which protects students who report sexual assault or alcohol emergencies from facing disciplinary action.

“Because the University understands that fear of possible actions may deter requests for emergency assistance or reporting,” the policy says, “the University has adopted a Responsible Action Protocol to alleviate such concerns and promote responsible action on the part of student.”

Lawmakers also announced bills Wednesday that would expand the Office of Safe Schools and publish an annual “report card” for all K-12 schools and colleges. Other bills would require colleges to adopt affirmative consent standards and provide anonymous online

“

reporting for sexual assault. Pitt currently has an online reporting form through the Title IX office.

Max Kneis, president of Pitt’s Student Government Board, expressed support for the new bills in an email Thursday, saying improving sexual assault reporting is a “vital step in the fight to eradicate sexual assault from every campus.”

“I applaud Governor Gov. Tom Wolf Wolf for the steps he continues to take on this issue and urge the PA legislature to swiftly pass the bills introduced today,” Kneis said in the email, adding that an amnesty policy and an online reporting option would improve reporting across the state.

...these proposals will ensure that all Pennsylvania students have the information, resources and support they need.

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At Pitt, more than one in five women said they have experienced some form of sexual assault during their four years on campus, according to Pitt’s 2015 AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct report. The survey found 55 percent of students thought a victim would be very or extremely likely to be supported by students in reporting an assault, with 56 percent believing a campus official would be very or extremely likely to take a report seriously.

Wolf announced the “It’s On Us PA” campaign in 2016, following a national “It’s On Us” program launched by former Vice President Joe Biden, who visited Pitt in 2014 to call on students to speak out against sexual assault.

As part the campaign, Wolf also announced $1 million in grants to support sexual assault education and reporting.

“We are making progress to combat sexual violence, and these proposals will ensure that all Pennsylvania students have the information, resources and supports they need,” Wolf said.

12

Tailgating, pg. 5 fallout from the ensuing rivalry.

“One of my friends goes to Penn State and he had an extra ticket for the student section,” Chew said, “but he said he didn’t want me going in there since it would probably be a pretty hostile environment for me.”

Likewise, Wismer and Nitka both said they’ll be going to the Penn State game to tailgate and then to a bar afterwards to watch the game. Miller said he’ll be going to a bar in the North Shore with his parents and will watch it

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from there.

“It’d be cool to go, but it’s kind of expensive and farther away,” he said.

Penn State’s allotment of 21,000 student tickets sold out in just 89 minutes this year. The university’s other season ticket packages sold out for the first time since 2008, with more than 9,000 new season tickets sold in addition to a 95 percent renewal rate by existing season ticket holders.

For Pitt students without tickets who are still hoping to make it to the game, the Pitt Program Council is holding a cornhole tournament Sept. 9 with a grand prize of two tickets

plus bus transportation.

The event — called Tailgate After Dark — will take place on the William Pitt Union lawn from 10 p.m. to midnight and will also feature food, activities and Tee decorating.

According to Joe Rood, marketing director of Pitt athletics, 100 lucky students will already be heading to the game with free tickets in hand courtesy of an online contest sponsored by the athletic department. The department awarded two tickets to 10 winners per week for five weeks starting in early August.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t allow them to bring 10,000 plus so everybody could go,”

September 8, 2017

Rood said. “Penn State wouldn’t have liked that.”

Wismer said she would love to keep tailgating after she leaves Pitt.

“Tailgating is a great way to get in touch with a lot of people and celebrate something you all care about, and I would love to keep coming back here to celebrate as an alumni with other alumni,” she said.

Miller said tailgating is something he does not plan on giving up on anytime soon either.

“I’m hoping to tailgate at Pitt games as long as I stay in the city,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll keep tailgating for the rest of my life.”

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The Pitt News

Editor-in-Chief ASHWINI SIVAGANESH

Managing Editor JOHN HAMILTON

editor@pittnews.com

manager@pittnews.com

News Editor RACHEL GLASSER

Opinions Editor HENRY GLITZ

news@pittnews.com

opinions@pittnews.com

Sports Editor RYAN ZIMBA

Culture Editor LEXI KENNELL

sports@pittnews.com

culture@pittnews.com

Visual Editor KYLEEN CONSIDINE

Layout Editor ELISE LAVALLEE

visuals@pittnews.com

layout@pittnews.com

Online Editor MATT CHOI

Copy Chief KYLEEN PICKERING

tpnonline@gmail.com

copy@pittnews.com

Kim Rooney | Assistant Copy Chief Janine Foust | Assistant News Editor Caroline Bourque | Assistant News Editor Copy Staff Christian Snyder | Assistant Opinions Editor Alexa Marzina Kelsey Hunter Mackenzie Rodrigues | Assistant Sports Editor Amanda Sobczak Mia DiFelice Anna Bongardino | Assistant Visual Editor Rachael Crabb Wenhao Wu | Assistant Visual Editor Danah Bialoruski | Assistant Layout Editor Jaime Viens | Online Engagement Editor

Editorial Policies

The Pitt News SuDoku 9/8/17 courtesy of dailysudoku.com

Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration.

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

Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com.

The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left.

The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and

student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer.

Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.

Business Manager JILL BALDAUF advertising@pittnews.com

Sales Manager MATTHEW HOUCK

Marketing Manager KATIE BOZZO Production Manager MAYA PUSKARIC Account Executives

Rachel Buck Isabel Scrabis Andrew Restrepo Paige Franjione

Kavi Galal James Gavaghan Dave Barone Sean Hennessy

Cover photo by John Hamilton MANAGING EDITOR Cover design by Kyleen Considine VISUAL EDITOR pittnews.com

September 8, 2017

14

I N D E X

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

For Rent North Oakland Offering housing in North Oakland in exchange for working 12-15 hour/week with active senior man needing personal care and assistance with therapy at home and daily pool exercise.

One block from Pitt, very large estate.

Great opportunity for health and rehabilitation science students. Experience not necessary. Day and evening hours, also overnight available. Contact Mike 412-901-4307 or felafelman@gmail. com.

South Oakland 1,2,3,4 BR. Apartments, prices range from $450-$750 per person. Some include utilities, some you have to pay. Call Jarrad 814-403-2798 2 bedroom house available starting September 1st 2017 for $800/month. Five minute walk to Pitt.

No pets. 1 year lease ending July 2018. Call 412-983-5222.

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

South Oakland 3 BR. House, with one and a half baths. Available immediately. $1700/ mo. Completely remodeled. geonjr@ gmail.com.

3,4,6 houses Available now. Lawn St. Ward St. and Juliet. Call 412-287-5712.

3BR house Orpwood St., 2 kitchens, 2 laundries. $900/mo. + utilities. 412-477-1992 5 bedroom house available starting September 1st 2017 for $2000/month. Five minute walk to Pitt.

No pets. 1 year lease ending July 2018. Call 412-983-5222.

7 bedroom house available starting September 1st 2017 for $2800/month. Five minute walk to Pitt.

No pets. 1 year lease ending July 2018. Call 412-983-5222.

House for Rent.

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

Equipped kitchen, new carpeting, washer/dryer, 2 bathrooms, full basement, fenced-in back yard, security system.

Looking for 3 students to share/or single fam-

Classifieds

For sale

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

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

ily. Discount on first month’s rent. Security deposit required. Students require adult co-sign. Available September 1st, $1600+ all utilities.

No pets. For more information, please call 412-303-5043.

Email: dtm1003@ comcast.net.

Squirrel Hill 3 BR. house, 1 bathroom, living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, basement, garage, and porch. All kitchen appliances, washer/dryer, and central air included. $1550 a month plus utilities. Available October 1st. Please call BEFORE 7PM anyday of the week 412-421-7548.

Professors or medical residents only please.

Rental Other 3 bedroom house 3 miles from campus. $1000. 412-225-8723.

HOUSE for rent Mt. Washington. 4BR, 2BA, newly renovated, A/C, carpet, tile, and hardwood floors. Appliances including washer/ dryer. Front/back porches. Garage.

Near bus. Great location. $1100+ utilities.

412-882-3845.

notices

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

Employment Employment Other AAA EAST CENTRAL is looking for energetic, driven, and talented individuals to join our Emergency Road Service team at our East Liberty location, 5900 Baum Boulevard. We are looking for Full Time Phone Counselors.

Candidates must be computer proficient and available to work evenings, weekends and holidays. The salary range is $10.95 to $14.60 based on call center experience.

Link to apply: https://acecareers. taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=16304&lang=en&sns_id=mailto#.

WZ3mx0GNJXs. mailto Busy professional seeking personal assistant 5 hours per week. Please email: nykkiyeager@gmail. com General labor, maintenance, and landscaping for private home in North Oakland. Call 412-901-4307.

NOW HIRING Looking for fun, part-time employment with flexible scheduling, working

R A T E S

Insertions

1X

2X

3X

4X

5X

6X

Add.

1-15 Words

$6.30

$11.90

$17.30

$22.00

$27.00

$30.20

+ $5.00

16-30 Words

$7.50

$14.20

$20.00

$25.00

$29.10

$32.30

+ $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

Two business days prior by 3pm | Email: advertising@pittnews.com | Phone: 412.648.7978

concerts, NFL/NCAA football and other major events in and around Pittsburgh?

Contact Landmark Event Staffing @ 412-321-2707.

Pamela’s Diner looking for part-time line cook and dishwashers. Daylight hours.

Must have weekend availability. Apply in person in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, The Strip, & Mt. Lebanon.

Personal, professional masseuse needed.

Long term position.

2X/week. Washington County location.

Call 724-223-0939 or 724-229-8868 any time.

WAITER/WAITRESS, DISHWASHER/COOK: 20hr/wk, great working environment. Cafe Sam, 5242 Baum Blvd.

Apply Monday-Friday 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

For Sale Furniture FOR SALE: Miscellaneous household items and furniture.

Perfect for college students. Near campus. 412-760-9524

September 8, 2017

For Sale Other Instant cash paid for: baseball cards, sports cards. Game used sports items.

Bats. Gloves. Jerseys.

Goudey sports cards.

Antiques. Gold. Silver. Coins. Diamonds.

Watches. Paper money. Old toys.

Trains. Comic books.

Huge collections.

Entire estates. We will pick up and pay CASH! Call Scott at (513) 295-5634.

Services Services Other WOMEN – Improve your safety, strength and confidence!

Self-Defense class October 1-22 (four Sundays) 10am – noon at Falk School. $120, financial assistance available.

Registration limited.

LionessMartialArts. com or 412-241-6519

Notices Events Dr. Morris E. Turner Medical Scholarship For Minority Students $1,500. Deadline date for submission: October 15, 2017.

Sponsored by the Highland Park Tennis Club (HPTC).

Please go to www. hptc.info, look under “Events” for details.

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September 8, 2017

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