9-5-18

The Pitt News

T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | september 5, 2018 ­| Volume 109 | Issue 16

SGB LOOKS TO PRODUCE RESULTS

ROSA DAVIS EMPOWERS WOMEN IN RECOVERY

Kieran Mclean Staff Writer ies.

Student Government Board President Maggie Kennedy leads SGB’s first public meeting of the semester Tuesday night.

Bader Abdulmajeed | staff photographer

CAMPUS GROCERY STORE ON THE MENU AT SGB KICKOFF MEETING Brian Salvato Staff Writer

The Student Government Board welcomed new and old faces alike to Nordy’s Place Tuesday evening for its first meeting of the semester. The meeting moved smoothly as board and chair members introduced themselves and their plans for the coming months to a crowd of approximately 30 students.

While introductions took up the majority of the meeting, some board members and committee chairs used it to announce and promote initiatives and plans for the next year.

Board member Albert Tanjaya made a notable announcement about his focus for the semester. Along with improving the user accessibility of Saferider, the late-night transportation service available to students in Oakland, Tanjaya

is looking to help the grocery store installation to Pitt’s campus.

Following the meeting, junior and accounting major Emma Francisco, academic affairs chair member, provided further details about the soon-to-be grocery store located on Forbes.

“There were some delays with the construction process over the summer, but as of now, the construction is set to be done mid-October,” she said. “After that, it will take one or two weeks to actually get the produce in there.”

Francisco then described what the grocery store plans to include.

“There’s going to be a section for fresh produce, a deli section, some parts of the Oakland Bakery and there should be a grab-and-go section for students who need to grab something quick,” Francisco said.

Jessa Chong, who is a vice president and Chief of Cabinet, added an announcement about this year’s neighborhood block parties in Oakland. The block parties are a continuing event from years past oriented toward increasing interaction between college students and existing residents surrounding campus.

“Each part of Oakland has a specific block party that it’s assigned to, and it’s really just to get all the residents out to see each other,” Chong said. “I think it’s really beneficial for not only the residents, but also the students because it’s important to understand that it’s not just a college campus.”

The next block party will take place Sept. 12 in Central Oakland at Oakland Square on Dawson Street. The event will run 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

See SGB on page 2

Rosa Davis starts her workday with obituar-

Madelon Edelstone, the development director at POWER — the Pennsylvania Organization of Women in Early Recovery, where Davis is executive director — cuts the obituaries of people who died of alcohol and opioid addictions from the Post-Gazette and leaves them on Davis’ desk before she arrives to work.

According to Edelstone, Davis saves them in a folder and sometimes brings them to meetings about the opioid crisis in western Pennsylvania.

“She’s an incredibly brave and hardworking woman,” Edelstone said. “She’s so dedicated to her work.”

POWER was founded in 1991 and provides trauma-informed care to women across Allegheny County. It runs a 25-bed halfway house, offers in-home drug and alcohol assessment and counseling, provides personal and group therapy sessions and has an intensive outpatient program.

Davis was hired as the executive director in 1991 after graduating from Pitt with a master’s degree in social work in 1986. Before POWER, she worked as a youth advocate and a juvenile justice probation officer, and in the Allegheny County foster care system.

Under Davis’ leadership, POWER grew from eight staffers in 1991 to more than 70 today. She will receive an award on Oct. 3 as one of Pitt’s School of Social Work’s 2018 Outstanding Alumni.

“It’s a real honor,” Davis said.

Davis may work among it every day, but even joining POWER she was no stranger to adversity.

See Davis on page 2

CORRECTION: In yesterday’s story “PennEnvironment hosts rally for clean air,” The Pitt News incorrectly reported that Ashleigh Deemer referenced DTE’s Shenango coke plant as a contributor to Pittsburgh’s pollution. Deemer referenced Clairton Coke Works.

News

Piazza’s parents reach settlement with PSU Beta Theta Pi pittnews.com

Davis, pg. 1

When she was 14 months old, a family friend accidentally set her on fire.

Her father, Salvatore, was a tailor who immigrated from Rome to Rochester in 1958 to supervise the Genesco factory floor. Her mother, Giacomina, met him in Italy and followed him to the New World. They had Rosa the following year, and while at work, would leave her in the care of a family friend for lunch semi-regularly.

One day, that friend accidentally set some cement glue ablaze in the process of remodeling his kitchen. On his way to throw it out, he dropped it on the infant Davis’ head.

“I don’t remember it, but it destroyed my mother,” Davis said, citing their relationship as the template for her dedication to POWER. She underwent 35 surgeries after the fire between ages two and 15, and her mother accompanied her to every hospital visit. Despite Giacomina’s imperfect command of English, she learned the specific medical terminology of Davis’ injuries and kept up to date on her progress with every doctor.

“She was always my biggest advocate. She’d sleep in the hospital chair,” Davis said.

Davis carried her mother’s lessons into her work at POWER. In one specific case, she was able to do so with another burn victim.

Mary*, whose name was withheld due to HIPAA regulations, was a patient at POWER’s halfway house in Swissvale. Her husband set her on fire a year before she started treatment at POWER, and she suffered high-intensity burns over her face and body. Davis met her on a trip to the halfway house.

“I don’t remember anyone who looked like me growing up,” Davis said. “The first time I met someone who looked like me, who was in a fire, was at POWER.” When Mary came to POWER, she met Davis and had the same experience.

“She looked up at me, and I remember feeling like she was relieved to meet someone who looked like her,” Davis said. “I felt the same.”

Davis later informed POWER staff how to appropriately work with Mary’s specific trauma.

Mary would avoid public outings that the staff

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Rosa Davis currently serves as executive director of POWER, a women’s addiction treatment center based in western Pennsylvania. photo courtesy of rosa davis encouraged her to attend, saying that she felt like a “monster” due to her burns.

“I used to say the same thing to my mom as a teen,” Davis said. “I told the staff, ‘You have to give her time to grieve.’”

According to Davis, 60 to 90 percent of women with substance use disorders have a history of trauma — and the gender-specific nature of those traumas can interfere with treatment in mixed-gender facilities.

“The most common traumas we see are physical and sexual abuse,” Davis said. “If you’ve been abused at the hands of a man, and you’re in a mixed-gender facility, can you imagine talking in a group therapy session about that?”

Davis also said that women face specific stigmas in how their addictions are perceived compared to those of men. She compared two hypothetical patients, John and Kathy, who have families and otherwise identical addictions.

“Did you hear about John — he finally went to rehab! What a great thing for his family,” Davis said.

She contrasted that with common perceptions of female patients she’s encountered.

“Did you hear about Kathy?” Davis said, lowering her voice to a theatrical whisper. “She checked into rehab. How could she leave her kids?”

Deni Rust, a former POWER patient and

current employee, experienced the stigma personally.

Rust struggled with alcoholism after her husband, Rich, died of cancer in 2004. Child services took custody of her children after she missed two after-school pick-ups.

“I knew that all the other parents were looking at me, but I had to walk into that school with my head held high,” Rust said.

Rust eventually checked into POWER’s intensive outpatient program and successfully recovered. She credits Davis as being an inspiration to her.

“You’d look at Rosa and think, ‘I want to be like that,’” Rust said. “She was always so down to earth and available ... even as she was running this whole place.”

Rust now works as an assessment claims specialist after being hired by POWER last year. She goes into homes where the Office of Children, Youth and Families has reason to believe there’s a parent with a substance use disorder. If she finds evidence the claims are true, she recommends them for treatment.

Sometimes she tells them her own story.

According to the U.S. surgeon general in 2016, nearly 21 million Americans struggle with substance addictions. Davis thinks that number underrepresents the number of women who struggle with addiction due to gender-specific stigma.

“They’re ashamed when they talk about it,” Davis said.

Davis will also undergo surgery for breast cancer this coming week. She said that addiction, in comparison, is treated as a moral failing — highlighting a stark difference in care.

“They valet-parked my car at the hospital.

All of my appointments, my MRI, were made for me,” Davis said. “I can’t imagine [having a substance use disorder] and having to schedule your own appointments, to navigate the hospital system on your own.”

But to Davis, that type of quality treatment should be the standard, not the exception — including in cases of addiction.

“I’m grateful to everyone who’s treated me like this,” she said. “We need to start treating addiction like an illness, too.”

September 5, 2018

SGB, pg. 1 and will include food, T-shirts and more.

Tabitha Barnes, junior and communication rhetoric major and the diversity and inclusion chair, offered her own ideas toward promoting student interaction across all backgrounds on campus. Barnes leads the 12 members of the diversity and inclusion committee in its inaugural year.

Barnes said the committee is looking to focus on advocacy, education and awareness. On the advocacy side, Barnes said the Pitt police liaison within the committee looks to start a new dialogue between campus officers and students.

“What we plan to do, and hope to do with that, is increase positive experiences with the Pitt police on campus and increase relationships and open dialogue between police and students,” Barnes said.

The committee’s goals also include educating the student population through both passive and active media. The diversity and inclusion blog, abbreviated D&I, will be one of these media where students can discuss diversity and inclusion in a passive setting.

“One of the main problems is that often [diversity and inclusion] initiatives engage with people actively, so people who are not normally included in diversity conversations are too nervous and left out,” Barnes said. “So the goal of [the diversity and inclusion] blog is so that you can be on your laptop, in your own safe space, and you can still engage with the principles of the committee.”

The committee will post every week on the blog with current event topics, social justice topics and student spotlights for users to discuss over the forum.

President Maggie Kennedy said after the meeting that the turnout was an exciting sign for the year to come and that she is excited for her tenure as president.

“I’m really excited because we had a pretty large turnout at our first public meeting. It’s really exciting to hear from some student leaders in the audience share about what’s going on in their organizations,” Kennedy said. “I’m really looking to a great year with SGB.”

2

Opinions

column

from the editorial board

Pitt’s new surveillance cameras well-intentioned, short-sighted The Allegheny County District Attorney’s office announced this week the completion of a new, expansive surveillance project in and around Central Oakland, which includes the installation of 60 surveillance cameras on campus — a project that cost $95,000. It was inspired by the death of Pitt student Alina Sheykhet, whose then-boyfriend Matthew Darby is currently on trial for her murder.

Increased surveillance may seem like a step in the right direction — it could bolster security in Oakland where thousands of Pitt students reside and attend class. But Oakland isn’t in dire need of more security — and installing cameras will hardly combat domestic violence, which is one of the primary reasons they were implemented in the first place.

“I want this to be a deterrent to someone getting hurt,” District Attorney Stephen Zappala said in last week’s press conference announcing the cameras. “This is a much more comprehensive effort, and Alina’s death had a lot to do with it.”

To the extent these cameras can actually reduce crime, they won’t reduce domestic violence at all — which is notoriously difficult to catch because it happens behind closed doors. If Pitt and the DA really want to prevent incidents like Sheykhet’s death from happening again, there are several organizations in Pittsburgh — like the Women’s Center and Shelter — that could have used that investment to support women in crises.

There was another variable at play in Sheykhet’s death — a month before her death in October, she filed a protection-from-abuse request against Darby,

pittnews.com

in which she described how Darby had broken into her house because she stopped returning his phone calls and recalled past incidents of “grabbing, pushing” and “emotional abuse.”

In the aftermath of her death, Pitt’s Student Government Board passed a resolution that urged the passage of Pennsylvania Senate Bill No. 196, which would allow judges to require subjects of PFAs to wear GPS trackers. Right now, according to the Pennsylvania Legislature website, the bill has sat in the House since December 2017.

But instead of protecting women and bringing criminals to justice, these cameras could just infringe on the privacy rights of ordinary citizens.

“It feels these institutions are using these cameras to watch the community under the guise of safety,” Anais Peterson, a student activist at Pitt who briefly wrote for The Pitt News, said about the cameras.

Even if Pittsburgh’s authorities don’t have ill intent behind installing these cameras, granting the government this much access to our daily lives should make Pittsburgh residents nervous — especially when the cameras’ license plate-reading technology and high-definition footage makes it easy to profile anyone who traverses Oakland on a regular basis.

Ultimately, this project fails accomplish what it intends to — it doesn’t protect women from domestic violence, nor is it revolutionary in bolstering security around Pittsburgh. At best, this project was a short-sighted investment — and at worst, a serious threat to citizens’ privacy.

COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN WON’T IMPROVE GREEK LIFE CONDUCT

Sylvia Freeman staff illustrator Hayden Timmins For The Pitt News

At Pitt, recruitment functions for Greek organizations are the most fun, painless meetings of the year. But on a frigid night last January, a member of Pitt’s Sigma Chi fraternity lay limp in the hospital from a “serious alcohol incident” after an off-campus recruitment event.

In response to this alarming occurence, Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner suspended the fraternity and banned the presence of alcohol at all Greek life events for an unspecified time period — he lifted the modified social probation last week after working with community members to draft a much anticipated community action plan.

The new plan requires sororities and fraternities to register all events with University officials and record the types of food and drink at their events, and it strictly prohibits the consumption of

September 5, 2018

hard liquor. These are great first steps, but not nearly enough to eradicate these appalling drug- and alcohol-related “accidents” at fraternities — many of which turn fatal.

Timothy Piazza, a pledge in Penn State’s Beta Theta Pi fraternity, died as a result of hazing during the 2017 recruitment season. His case, which reached a settlement yesterday, included a 17-point reform program that will eliminate drugs and alcohol from all chapters of that frat by 2020.

This is exactly what Pitt should do in response to Sigma Chi’s alcohol incident — only a blanket ban on drinking at Greek functions can put an end to Greek-related alcohol abuse for good.

According to Pitt’s 2017 Policies and Procedures Manual for Fraternity & Sorority Life, hard liquor was already prohibited at Greek events when this incident happened — so reiterating an See Timmins on page 4

3

Timmins, pg. 3 existing clause of the Greek life manual won’t do a thing to combat alcohol abuse at Pitt or other universities.

The community action plan was specifically drafted to address fraternity recruitment functions — but these recruitment functions were already expected to be alcohol-free, so nothing outlined in this policy would have prevented the Sigma Chi incident from happening in the first place.

Although it may seem unfair to punish all fraternities and sororities for something that only one fraternity did, Pitt’s approach to regulating alcohol needs to become much more heavyhanded to ensure these incidents don’t happen again. But Dean Bonner’s prescription for remedying the issue suggests that Pitt’s administrators aren’t ready to take an active step in reducing binge drinking at all.

“At some point, you’re all adults, you’re all leaders, you’re all responsible people — and I think reasonable people,” Bonner said. “And you have a responsibility to manage your organizations.”

This is the kind of complacency that’ll just land more students in the hospital.

Greek students — at Pitt, Penn State and across the country — have proven they aren’t responsible enough to handle alcohol. Sigma Chi’s members broke blatantly written policies and seriously endangered their classmate as a result.

Although the University is attempting to make consuming alcohol safer, it’s still failing to protect students. The community action plan relies heavily on reducing the percentage of students who have access to alcohol, but it only takes one problematic drinker to influence others. According to a study from NYU, peer pressure is a major reason why so many college students binge drink.

“Students are highly susceptible to peer pressure,” the study reads. “Perceived drinking norms influence a college student’s level of drinking through the observation and comparison of their peers’ drinking levels.”

This recent hospitalization of Sigma Chi’s new recruit shows that Pitt is far from immune to peer pressure issues. As long as students have access to alcohol and have a few bad examples in their

pittnews.com

September 5, 2018

lives, they’ll fall into the binge drinking trap as well.

And while Pitt’s Sigma Chi member was lucky to survive after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, many students — like Timothy Piazza — weren’t so lucky. According to a study from the National Institutes of Health, alcohol causes 1,400 student deaths per year — so lackadaisical policies like the ones listed in the community action plan could normalize problematic behavior and ultimately cost students their lives.

The dangers relating to alcohol abuse — especially in fraternities — are immensely clear. So, why, after all these months with no improvements in student conduct, was the modified social probation lifted? For fear of offending wealthy Greek alumni.

According to Kris Kindelsperger, Sigma Chi’s chapter advisor for 18 years, Greek life alumni represent the largest group of lifetime donors to their alma maters and donate almost four times as much as alumni who did not participate in Greek life.

“Antagonizing fraternity alumni, who are often as loyal to their chapter as to their school, may be especially dicy at a time of unpredictable market returns and pressure to restrain tuition increases,” Kindelsperger wrote in a 2013 Bloomberg article. “The risk is that you alienate people of every generation, going back to the oldest generation of alumni.”

But Pitt isn’t in desperate need of money — it has a nearly $4 billion endowment, making it the 27th richest university North America. In fact, Pitt froze tuition for in-state students this year because it has managed to keep its operating costs low — by contrast, public four year colleges raised tuition by an average of 3.2 percent.

Bonner and other University officials shouldn’t worry about a slight reduction in donations — especially if it promotes student safety. But the administration’s lackluster response to Sigma Chi’s “incident” shows that’s exactly what they’re doing.

Instead, Pitt needs to foster a community that’s opposed to these harmful, potentially deadly habits. To amend binge drinking issues embedded in the culture of fraternities, we need to eliminate alcohol from their events entirely.

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Sports TAKE 5 :

The Pitt News Staff

MACK, MIAMI, AND MINNESOTA

With college football kicking off last week and the NFL season on the horizon, there’s much to discuss in the realm of football. The Pitt News staff gives its take on some of the biggest storylines that emerged from the past seven days.

Bears raid Oakland of Khalil Mack Since entering the league as the fifth overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, Khalil Mack has developed into a top-three defensive player. In his first four seasons, Mack accumulated 40.5 sacks with nine forced fumbles, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2016. He has been a dominant, imposing force who is considered by many to be one of the best players in the entire league — many meaning everyone except his former team, the Oakland Raiders.

In a puzzling move Saturday, the Raiders sent their star defensive end to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a plethora of picks, including two

first-rounders. The trade came after the Raiders and Mack’s representatives were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension.

Immediately after completing the trade, the Bears signed Mack to a six-year, $141 million deal — the largest deal for a defensive player in NFL history. The Bears landed a top-tier defensive wrecking ball in his prime, while the Raiders just look stupid.

The price tag may have been high, but you always pay the man. You don’t trade away such a coveted and talented player because he wanted money. Mack earned his payday, and if the Raiders wanted to be cheap they shouldn’t have given QB Derek Carr his awful extension in 2017.

Now Chicago has its defensive star of the future, while Oakland may have let a generational talent slip away. Classic Raiders!

-Cale Berger Kenny’s curse on the U

Last college football season, it seemed as if “the U,” or the Miami Hurricanes, were back on top after failing to meet the program’s championship standards over the past decade.

Miami started its 2017 season 10-0 and seemingly on their way to the College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes even started the turnover chain, which they would give to whoever forced a turnover during the game.

Then they came to face Pitt and first-year quarterback Kenny Pickett in what many assumed would be a blowout by Miami. But the Pitt defense stifled the Hurricanes and Pickett played fantastically, throwing for 193 yards and rushing for two touchdowns as the Panthers ended the Miami’s perfect season and upset the No. 2 team in the country for the second straight year after beating Clemson in 2016.

Miami took a downward turn after that game and it looks like it has continued into this

season. They got run over by Clemson in the ACC Championship game, 38-3, which ended their hopes of a playoff berth, and then lost 3424 to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl, giving them a 10-3 record on the year.

The Hurricanes took on LSU at AT&T Stadium Sunday night and not much changed from the end of last season. They trailed 27-3 at halftime and eventually lost 33-17 thanks to two interceptions from quarterback Malik Rosier and only 80 team rushing yards.

Strangely enough, it seems like the Panthers and true freshman quarterback Pickett halted Miami’s return to dominance and sent them back to mediocrity with last November’s upset.

Unless the Hurricanes can turn it around soon, that loss against Pitt may be one the program remembers for a long time.

See Take 5 on page 6

column

KEYSTONE CONTEST: PITT AND PENN STATE'S FOOTBALL RIVALRY THROUGH THE YEARS

Ben Zimmer Staff Writer

The long-standing rivalry between Pitt and Penn State is a centerpiece of more than a century of college football. Of the 98 games played so far, Penn State holds the advantage with 51 wins to Pitt’s 43, with the teams also tying four times. With the 99th edition this Saturday, fans of both teams are gearing up for yet another electrifying and crucial game that will prepare both teams for the season ahead. The reemergence of this in-state rivalry in 2016 after a 16-year hiatus brought an increased focus to the game and its impact for both teams.

In honor of Saturday’s upcoming game, here’s a look at some of the most pivotal points of the series since its inception in 1893.

pittnews.com

Western University of Pennsylvania — the school was not named the University of Pittsburgh until 1908 — and Penn State took the field in State College to face each other for the first time Nov. 6, 1893 — four years after students Bert Smyers and John Scott founded the WUP football team, and six years after the Penn State team was founded. Penn State won decisively, 32-0, in the first installment. This victory embodied the early stages of the rivalry, as Penn State would go on to dominate the series for the first 15 years, winning 12 of those matchups.

Pitt showed its worth in the rivalry when the team kicked off a victorious era in 1922. A 14-0 Panthers win Nov. 30, 1922, began a 14-game win streak that lasted until 1938. The streak is still the longest by either team in the series. This 16-year span

began the evolution of the Pitt football team into a college football powerhouse and one of the most influential teams in the eastern United States, highlighted by five National Championship victories. The team reached its pinnacle with an undefeated, National Championship-winning season in 1937.

Nearly 40 years passed before the Panthers had their next shot at a championship. Ranked No. 1 and undefeated in 1976, Pitt just had to beat Penn State to secure its place in the Sugar Bowl and a shot to play Georgia for the national title. An evenly played first half ended at 7-7, but Pitt came out in the third quarter intent on victory. Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett racked up 173 second-half rushing yards, leading the Panthers to a crucial 24-7 victory.

The teams’ 1981 matchup perfectly dis-

September 5, 2018

played the back-and-forth nature of the rivalry. Just as in 1976, Pitt came in undefeated and needing to beat Penn State in late November to secure its place in the National Championship. The game was tied at halftime once again, 14-14 — but this time Penn State came out hungry in the second half.

The Nittany Lions silenced the Panthers’ Dan Marino-led offense during a dominant second half on their way to a 48-14 win. This victory sparked a run of success for Penn State, as they won the National Championship in both 1982 and 1986.

In their last meeting before the 16-year hiatus — which occurred due to conference restructuring and obligations — Pitt claimed a 12-0 victory on Sept. 16, 2000.

See Pitt-Penn State on page 6

5

Pitt-Penn State, pg. 5 The ensuing period seemed to bring a lack of tenacity in the play of both teams with the absence of the rivalry, as an entire generation of fans on both sides didn’t get to experience the crucial late-season games that brought about bragging rights and a feeling of greatness.

That all changed in 2012, when Pitt Athletic Director Steve Pederson announced a revival of the rivalry through a four-game series in 2016 to 2019. An air of excitement returned to both fan bases with the prospect of inaugural bragging rights on the line. The rivalry resumed at Heinz Field Sept. 10, 2016, and did not disappoint.

After gaining a 28-7 lead, Pitt allowed a late Penn State comeback and just barely held on for a nail-biting 42-39 victory. It was a highly competitive contest in an extremely charged atmosphere, as the 69,983 fans in attendance marked the most in Pittsburgh history. The game showed a new generation the impact of the rivalry and its importance to Pennsylvania and college football as a whole.

Take 5, pg. 5 -Dominic Campbell Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Kneeling and the anthem debate. The vaguely defined catch and helmet collision rules.

Countless injuries to some of the biggest names in the game.

These are a few of the issues plaguing the National Football League, which has seen a sharp decline in quality and viewership the past few years. A large number of people don’t want to watch a sport become political, while many others have no desire to watch a sport where the referees aren’t consistent and don’t seem to know the rules of the game.

With NFL ratings down a whopping 10 percent last season, there is one thing to get excited about this fall — the return of fantasy football.

Fantasy football gives viewers a reason to care about the NFL when they don’t even want to. Participating in a fantasy league is thrilling, strategic, exhausting and maybe even financially rewarding. It is the roller coaster ride that the real NFL lacks. In a league where you often know who will win week in and week out (cough, cough, New England), fantasy makes things interesting. You never really know which Joe Dirt player will come out of nowhere to go

pittnews.com

Penn State took the second game of this new series decidedly at Beaver Stadium, winning 33-14. Penn State’s attitude toward the revival has generally been one of dismissal, with head coach James Franklin even stating it was “just like beating Akron,” dismissing it as though it were just any other game on the schedule.

Despite what Penn State fans say, this matchup tends to have a huge impact on both teams’ season outcomes. There is a direct correlation between the results of the rivalry games and how each respective program performs that season. Pitt’s greatest era from 1922 to 1938 featured complete dominance in the games against Penn State. Conversely, Penn State outplayed Pitt in the series (going 32-13-2) between 1952 and 2000, and also became more nationally relevant with two national championships.

Saturday’s game will undoubtedly add to this rich history — but even more exciting, the game has the chance to directly affect how both teams perform this season, as has happened year in and year out since the rivalry’s inception more than 100 years ago. bonkers, or which star player will drop a dud and cost you the week. There is no greater glory than putting together a team that you can gloat to your friends about when you sit atop the standings at the end of a four-month period that took years off your life.

An estimated 75 million Americans participated in fantasy football in 2015, and that number has certainly grown and will continue to do so. This fantasy season is shaping up to be one for the ages. Star players like David Johnson and Odell Beckham Jr. are returning to action, but will they return to form? Can Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara build on their rookie years? How will Saquon Barkley do this year?

Fantasy football is the greatest part about the NFL. It could end in heartbreak or it could end in happiness. Either way, you won’t regret the decision to partake in the only thing keeping many football fans invested in the National Football League.

-Nick Carlisano Captain Kirk ready to lead Vikings on a trek This offseason, quarterback Kirk Cousins signed a three-year deal worth $84 million with the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins spent the first six years of his career with the Washington Redskins, and the last three of those

The Pitt and Penn State football teams face off in Pitt Stadium on November 27, 1958. image via wikimedia commons as their starter. In those three seasons since taking over as the full-time quarterback in the nation’s capital, Cousins compiled 13,176 yards, 81 touchdowns, 36 interceptions and a 67 percent completion rate while leading a dysfunctional Redskins organization to a 2423-1 record.

Cousins will now join a talented offensive personnel that includes two stellar receivers in 2017 Pro-Bowler Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, who combined for over 2,100 yards last season. He’ll also have second-year running back Dalvin Cook, who was on pace for a 1,000-yard season in 2017 before getting hurt in week four. The Vikings’ supporting cast marks a major upgrade from the one around Cousins last season, when Samaje Perrine led the Redskins with just 603 rushing yards and Jamison Crowder with 789 receiving yards.

If a journeyman like Case Keenum can help take last year’s Vikings team to the NFC Championship, I don’t see why Cousins, a clearly superior player, can’t take essentially the same team to the Super Bowl this year — and put up impressive numbers along the way.

-Michael Nitti Tua be, or not Tua be As a true freshman last season, Tua Tago-

September 5, 2018

vailoa stunned the nation when he stepped in for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide during halftime of the National Championship and secured the College Football Playoff trophy. Following Tagovailoa’s triumph, Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was peppered by questions from the media about who would be at the helm for the Tide in 2018. Saban found himself needing to choose between Tagovailoa and incumbent junior starter Jalen Hurts, who led the Tide to a 27-2 record over his previous two seasons as starting quarterback.

After week one of the college football season it appears Nick Saban’s questions have been answered. Tagovailoa showed that the National Championship was no fluke with a huge performance in his first career start. The Hawaii native completed 12 of 16 passes for 227 yards while racking up three total touchdowns — two passing and one rushing.

It’s clear now who Nick Saban prefers to quarterback his team and Tagovailoa’s shining play Saturday should leave no doubt. It seems pretty obvious at this point that Saban made the right choice and needs to start Tagovailoa the rest of the year if the Tide wants to make another deep College Football Playoff run.

-Adin Link

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South Oakland Before signing a lease, be aware that no more than 3 unrelated people can share a single unit. Check property’s compliance with codes. Call City’s Permits, Licensing & Inspections.

412-255-2175.

Great Deal in South Oakland - 2 + BR on Semple starting at $1000. Includes recent cosmetic updates and new in-unit laundry.

Call John CR Kelly Realty for details on available units: 412-683-7300 or visit: www.jcrkelly.com Great Deal in South Oakland - 2 + BR on Juliet starting at $950. Includes recent cosmetic updates and new in-unit laundry.

Call John CR Kelly Realty for details on available units: 412-683-7300 or visit: www.jcrkelly.com

Shadyside 3BR, 3 Bath apartment on Emerson St. Computer room, study room, kitchen, laundry. 1 parking space. Landlord will pay for sticker parking. No pets. No smoking. Available Aug. 1st. $1500/mo.

First month security deposit at lease signing. Preferred graduate student!

Classifieds

For sale

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

notices

services

• EDUCATIONAL • TRAVEL • HEALTH • PARKING • INSURANCE

Call Mike Dayton at 412-580-1612.

Squirrel Hill 3BR, 1BA sunny, spacious duplex. Full kitchen, balcony, storage, garden. Washer/ dryer in building, off-street parking, near bus-line. No pets.

Call for pictures/info 808-572-6699 after 3:00 pm.

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

Employment Employment Other Come join the La Feria family! Part time restaurant work, no experience necessary, we will train you. Apply in person at 5527 Walnut St. 412-682-4501

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

R A T E S

Insertions

1-15 Words

16-30 Words

1X

2X

3X

4X

$6.30

$11.90

$17.30

$22.00

$7.50

$14.20

$20.00

$25.00

5X $27.00 $29.10

6X $30.20 $32.30

Add. + $5.00 + $5.40

(Each Additional Word: $0.10)

Deadline:

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

ERMENT SELF-DEFENSE on campus!

October 7-28 (four Sundays), 10 am – noon at Falk School. $120. Financial assistance is available!

Questions and registration: LionessMartialArts.com or 412-241-6519

Notices Events Do Invite Yourself to find your own connection to God! Feel free to show up in jeans at the Friends Meetinghouse, Sunday, 9/9/18, 10AM. Coffee, tea, homemade goodies... sorry, no oatmeal!

Nearby at 4836 Ellsworth Ave. quaker.org/pghpamm

House cleaning - $15/ hour, 5-6 hours per week- Oakland.

References required.

Text 412-414-7290 for details

Services Services Other The Phlebotomy Training Center www. justphlebotomy.org 2 evening classes weekly, 5 weeks + excellent Clinicals.

Call 412-521-7334.

WOMEN – EMPOW-

September 5, 2018

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pittnews.com

September 5, 2018

8