10-1-14

Vol. 105 Issue 41

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Lego Cathedral up for vote as Americaʼs next top toy model Meagan Hart Staff Writer It took construction workers roughly eight years to build the Cathedral of Learning. How long would it take you to build yours?

Josh Hall, blogger, IT manager and Lego enthusiast, wants the “Cathy” to have its own readymade Lego set, and he’s seeking votes to make it a reality.

Hall, 31, started his campaign for Lego to package a Cathedral Lego set and sell it to the mass market in May 2014 on a Lego Ideas website, on which fans can vote for the models they want to see as sets. As of Sept. 30, Hall had 1,227 votes of the 10,000 he needs for Lego to consider producing it.

Hall has 210 days left of his oneyear timespan to secure the votes.

“I went to Pitt for two years,” Hall said. “I loved the nationality rooms and the architecture.

I love how anyone can just go in and appreciate it. You don’t need permission or a pass.”

Hall won a local Lego-building contest in the spring of 2012 in Squirrel Hill with his model of the Cathedral and said people asked him almost immediately afterward if they could buy one

Josh Hall’s proposed design of the Cathedral made with Legos. | Photo courtesy of Josh Hall

or if he could give them directions to build their own. Around that time, he became familiar with Lego Ideas online proposals.

The company sponsors the Lego Ideas website, which allows contestants to submit their own ideas about possible Lego sets.

If an idea gets 10,000 votes, it goes into the next stage called Lego Review, where the Lego Review Board decides whether the

idea is good for the market. Some factors include playability, safety and level of difficulty, according to Lego’s website. If approved, the idea becomes a reality — Lego designers build it and ship it to stores.

One of the most recent Lego Ideas creators to have her project produced was Ellen Kooijman — creator of the Female Minifigure set, which will be called Research Institute Lego Ideas Set according to the Lego website. Kooijman’s set became available for purchase online and in stores August 2014.

Some of the most supported idea proposals on the Lego Ideas site include a Natural History Museum set and a pirate ship for the 30th anniversary of the movie “The Goonies.”

Lego’s media department did not return an email or multiple calls this week regarding Hall’s Lego idea or how the process to get ideas accepted works.

Daniel Walker, Pitt grad student and part-time instructor of computer sciences at Pitt, said he thinks the initiative would be beneficial in two main ways.

“Firstly, it inherently pro-

Lego

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Student Government

Board sets tasks to fight sexual assault

page 2

Can you even?

Starbucks’ marketing is hard to resist

page 5

Running for the win

Meet a top cross country runner at Pitt

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October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

Correction: The Pitt News published the article “Board proposes elections code revisions” on Sept. 10, 2014. This headline is incorrect. Student Government Board Elections Committee Chair Lauren Barney introduced the changes to the Board. The Pitt News regrets this error.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

NEWS

SGB takes pledge to fight sexual assault on campus Abbey Reighard & Dale Shoemaker Pitt News Staff

The Student Government Board took the “It’s On Us” pledge to raise awareness and help prevent sexual assault on campus.

All eight Board members and President Mike Nites took the pledge at public meeting Tuesday. The pledge is part of the “It’s On Us” White House campaign to stop sexual assault on college campuses, which President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden launched Sept. 19, according to whitehouse.gov.

The pledge is a “personal commitment to help keep women and men safe from

sexual assault,” according to its website, and it’s a promise to “not be a bystander to the problem, but to be a part of the solution.”

The pledge has four steps: recognizing non-consensual sexual assault, identifying situations where sexual assault may occur, intervening in situations where consent has not been given and creating an environment where survivors are supported and assault is unaccepted.

Nites and Board member Ben West introduced a resolution explaining the Board’s plans to “Take the Pledge” at last week’s public meeting.

In the resolution, which the Board approved in a unanimous vote last night,

Nites and West laid out their plans to work with the Wellness Committee to accomplish a list of tasks.

The Board hopes to create an “informative” Student Affairs Marketing video, assist other student organizations with campus events related to sexual assault prevention and encourage other Student Government Board members to take the pledge.

The Board also plans to work with student organizations to set “target numbers” of members who have taken the pledge, provide online resources and work with

SGB

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ALLOCATIONS Pitt Club Cross Country: $2,291.38 Pittsburgh Club Baseball: $1,207.08 Panther Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness: $1,003.06

October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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LEGO

motes the Cathedral as an architectural masterpiece and generates recognition for the structure outside the Pitt community,” Walker said. “Secondly, the initiative inherently promotes the Lego modeling hobby.”

Both Walker and Hall are members of the Steel City Lego User Group, a social group formed to connect adult fans of Legos in Western Pennsylvania and allow them

October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com to build, admire and discuss building with Legos.

“I personally find the hobby very fulfilling, and the community, at least from my experiences in Pittsburgh, is both supportive and engaged. These benefits are realized whether Lego ultimately accepts the model or does not,” Walker said.

According to Hall, success has come in waves.

“When Pitt and Mayor Peduto shared my project on social media, there was a huge upsurge in votes. Now I need to focus on

finding new ways to gain attention. I’ve been trying to get in contact with big groups connected to Pitt and go from there,” Hall said.

Ashley Kamp, sophomore and pre-pharmacy major, remembers playing with Legos as a child and hopes the initiative will be successful.

“I don’t know whether the Cathedral is popular enough for Lego to build a set, but I think it would be great for Pitt if a company as big as Lego endorses the Cathedral. I’d be proud to see our Cathy being sold on Target’s shelves,” Kamp said.

FROM PAGE 2

SGB

University and city police to raise awareness about reporting policies.

West said he and Nites have not contacted all the student groups they plan to work with on campus events yet.

Board member Graeme Meyer left during the meeting to attend a meeting with the Campus Women’s Organization to discuss the pledge with the group.

“It is really important to make a public statement,” Meyer said. “We want to show the student body our commitment and encourage the rest of the student body to join us. We think this is something the whole student body should embrace.”

October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

EDITORIAL

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OPINIONS

Auto lender tactics call for government action

If you have a bad credit score, and you try to take out an auto loan, there’s a chance you’ll end up as a test subject for a new technology lenders are using — whether you like it or not.

Auto lenders are outfitting vehicles they loan out to subprime borrowers with “starter interrupt devices.”

Through these devices, lenders electronically disable the ignition if the borrower misses a payment.

They also use GPS technology on the device, allowing lenders to track their borrowers’ locations and movements. The goal is to eliminate the need for repo people to hunt down those who miss a payment.

But, other than the job security of repo people, what actually is at stake is the borrower’s dignity.

These devices are a constant reminder to drivers of the financial stress they are under — the devices even emit warning beeps that become more and more persistent as the due date of the loan payment approaches.

As Robert Swearingen, a lawyer with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri in St. Louis told the New York Times, it’s like “there is a debt collector right there in the car with them.”

It’s an incredibly dehumanizing experience for these borrowers whose lenders can affect not only their finances, but their lifestyles.

Imagine suddenly not being able to start your car before going to work. What do you tell your boss? That you missed a loan payment, so you couldn’t make it to work that day?

Or, imagine not being able to make it to a doctors appointment

because you missed a loan payment.

The bottom line: Lenders should not have this much power over a borrower’s life. Yes, borrowers are contractually obligated to make payments, but there is a fine line between financial and personal punishments.

While these devices are an unnecessary burden on borrowers’ lives, there is a way to keep lenders from resorting to using them: stop giving out high-risk loans.

Of course, it’s unlikely that lenders will stop giving out highrisk loans. They reel in substantial profits because the lower the borrower’s credit score, the higher interest rate the lender can charge.

Thus, lenders can accumulate more and more interest every time a borrower misses a payment.

Meanwhile, they can make money from these high-risk borrowers by keeping them on a financial hook for the rest of their lives.

Because of this financial appeal, lenders aren’t likely to stop doing this. But the government can step in and more effectively regulate the industry — setting a lower limit on the amount of interest lenders charge, disincentivizing them from giving out high risk loans. Right now, annual subprime interest rates average 14 percent and, according to The Economist, it is not uncommon for lenders to charge up to 25 percent interest.

Until the government sets a lower limit on private lenders’ interest rates, they’ll continue to seek as much money as possible.

Look for actual cameras to appear in leased vehicles in the near future.

MCT Campus

COLUMN

Pumpkin spice craze an example of effective marketing Thomas Helgerman Columnist

Autumn is a wonderful season — it’s undoubtedly the most colorful, and it offers a welcome change from the oppressive heat of August.

But nothing is really quite as “fall” as the pumpkin spice latte (PSL). Since it first entered the market in 2003, the drink has become increasingly more popular each year, earning Starbucks $80 million in revenue last fall, according to Forbes Magazine.

But, what’s most impressive is not the quality or novelty of the drink, but the moves that Starbucks has made to ensure its popularity.

Before diving into the details, let’s take a brief look at the drink’s origins.

While pumpkin spice lattes are now commonly found at most major coffee joints, a Starbucks team led by product manager Peter

Dukes developed the company’s version drink in 2003. But it was actually available at smaller stores before Starbucks ever popularized it..

Out of 20 possible flavors, the company chose four drinks to develop for its fall drink lineup, including the PSL. However, as Dukes recalls in an interview with the Seattle Met, when the company surveyed people online about what latte they would be most interested in amongst the four options, the PSL fared the worst.

But, as a result of Duke’s insistence, the company produced it anyway, despite its poor reception. The rest, of course, is history.

Assuming reasonably that the Starbucks team is good at its job, why has the PSL became so wildly popular despite the poor survey results?

The answer lies in the expertise of the presentation and

marketing of the product, both

by Starbucks and others.

First, only offering the beverage in the fall creates an artificial shortage of the product, propping up demand. No, I’m not talking about the actual PSL shortages that have happened in the past.

Many companies offer products at certain times of the year, for various reasons. Some, like the PSL, are seasonal and make sense on face. For example, a Halloween costume store that operated year-round would undoubtedly be in the red November through September.

It is not this clear cut for others. Take the McRib, for example.

Why is it that McDonald’s only offers the sandwich at seemingly random times, creating the need for a website providing the location of branches serving it?

Some have speculated that the sandwich is only offered when

Helgerman

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October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

FROM PAGE 5

HELGERMAN pork prices are low enough, allowing McDonald’s to bring in larger profits. Regardless, sales of the McRib certainly benefit from how sparingly it is available.

When the product is reintroduced, it creates excitement in the local area, as fans of the sandwich are able to satisfy their craving. Additionally, since it’s not available for long, people forgo other fast food restaurants in favor of McDonald’s. Burger

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King’s Whopper is available year-round, so if you can only get a McRib during the next week, McDonald’s will be your choice.

Starbucks creates this same excitement for the PSL, as it is only available in the fall.

And, consequently, it has made the drink synonymous with the season.

While reporting on shortages of the sauces used to make the PSL in 2012, the Wall Street Journal interviewed a PSL fan who said, “It just tastes like fall.”

When people aren’t able to get their latte in the fall, severe disappointment ensues. In what reads almost like an article

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in The Onion, one person who wasn’t able to purchase the drink told the WSJ, “I just left, depressed.”

All of this excitement builds up demand for the PSL that wouldn’t be there if the drink was available year-round, allowing Starbucks to charge higher prices and bring in more revenue.

But, this isn’t the only reason the company can do this. By focusing on creating an environment that mimics a continental coffee shop, Starbucks has convinced its customers that it is a step above its cheaper competitors, like Dunkin’ Donuts and Mc-

Donald’s.

As a result, it can charge higher prices for its drinks, as consumers are more willing to pay for higher priced coffee at a notable establishment. Accordingly, Starbucks is certainly able to harness this status to charge higher prices for the PSL come fall.

Without a patent or any sort of intellectual property protection over the product, Starbucks has managed to profit enormously off the drink it developed despite competitors introducing their own version of the drink. Funny how that works.

Email Thomas at teh18@pitt.edu

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The Pitt News Crossword, 10/1/2014

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ACROSS Parody Infant Homeless child Songstress Lena Geometry class calculation 16 Throw hard 17 According to 18 *MTV staple 20 D-flat equivalent 22 Territory that became North and South states 23 Mauna __ 24 Syst. with hand signals 26 “Blazing Saddles” director Brooks 27 Baseball hat 30 Nine-digit govt. ID 31 *Oral indication of anger 34 Nickname of AA co-founder William Wilson 35 Word before limits or space 36 Home for a bird 39 Home for the Heat 42 Dermatologist’s concern 43 In front 45 Prophet whose name sounds like a mineral 47 *Trip to somewhere you’ve been before 50 “I need a short break,” in chat rooms 53 Brit. bigwigs 54 Vote of approval 55 Explosive initials 56 Egg cells 57 Either “Bye Bye Love” brother 60 Comprehends 62 *Selling point of a home on the Hudson, say 65 Take the part of 66 Fancy pitcher 67 Actor Morales 68 Mowing the lawn, e.g.

69 Small horse 70 Spanish muralist José María 71 Distance runs, briefly

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10/13/14

By Carol Hacker

DOWN 1 Crude dwellings 2 Western bad guy chasers 3 “Little __ Annie” 4 Top draft status 5 Classic Italian sports car 6 Happy hour spot 7 N.Y. Yankee suspended during 2014 8 Turned into 9 Gabbed 10 Slightest amount 11 Chutzpah 12 Anger 13 Mel’s Diner waitress 19 Swedish automaker 21 Biblical song 25 Actress Taylor 28 Top poker pair 29 Sassy 32 Hindu teacher 33 “That’s painful!”

34 Boyfriend 36 Fish that complains a lot?

37 “Can I get a word in?”

38 Exacts revenge

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

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40 41 44 46 48

Fine spray Cake topping Washer’s partner Draw, as flies Uneasy “bundle” contents 49 Suitcase 50 Marathon city 51 Place for Winnebagos ... and for the answers to the starred clues?

10/13/14

52 Lowest choral parts 58 Exceptionally 59 2014, for one 61 Hurt 62 Sales staff employee 63 __ Jima 64 Quickness of mind

October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

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SPORTS

MEN’S SOCCER

Shutout win over RMU evens Panthersʼ season record Mark Powell Staff Writer

While a 4-1 loss to the nation’s now-eighthranked team is a tough result from any angle, the men’s soccer team knew they couldn’t afford to dwell on the weekend loss heading into its next game on Tuesday.

And they didn’t, as the Pitt men’s soccer team put together a strong effort against Robert Morris to beat its cross-town rivals 2-0, evening its record in the process.

The win gives Pitt an overall record of 3-3-3.

Comparatively, after nine games last season, the Panthers were 0-6-3.

The win was a far cry from their blowout loss to Louisville last week, as they got off to a disastrous start and didn’t show much offensive potential until they were down 4-0.

“We didn’t make critical mistakes at critical times [like the Louisville game],” coach Joe Luxbacher said. “It was a good win for the guys.”

The Panthers came out strong in the first

half after their disappointing loss to the Cardinals. Pitt was able to control tempo and take advantage of its opportunities on the counterattack.

While Pitt and Robert Morris were even in shots with six at the end of the first 45, the tally wasn’t indicative of either side’s level of play.

In the first five minutes, Robert Morris looked much faster than Pitt, especially on the wing. Colonial forward Neco Brett nearly put RMU ahead early, hitting the crossbar in the second minute.

However, the Panthers made an adjustment, keeping their left and right backs on defense and focusing on the counterattack.

“Defensively we tightened up,” Luxbacher said. “Overall this [was] a good team effort.”

In their last time out, the Panthers were embarrassed by then-ninth-ranked Louisville, so it was important for them to get off to a fast start, and forward Hamish Law helped them Pitt beat cross-city rival Robert Morris 2-0 on Tuesday. Jeff Ahearn | Assistant Visual Editor

Soccer

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CROSS-COUNTRY

Lone senior runner improves team, self in new season Logan Hitchcock For The Pitt News

While many students begin their day at Pitt rolling out of bed and stumbling to a morning class, Cullen Davis’ day starts differently.

As one of the top runners on the Pitt men’s cross country team, and the only senior on the team, he naturally begins each day with a lengthy morning run.

Davis, a senior majoring in sociology, is currently enjoying a successful start to his final campaign as a runner for the cross country team. After holding off 41 other runners to finish in first place during the team’s first University meet at Buffalo on Sept. 6, and finishing 14th two weeks later in the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, Davis has helped the team to a hot start. The team has already started better than it did last season,

winning its first two meets—as opposed to its third-place finish at the Spiked Shoe Invitational last year.

Davis has had a love for running for many years. After his “fitness fanatic” father introduced him to cross country in seventh grade, Davis decided to try cross country to pass the time during the fall. Always a competitor, he was motivated to succeed by the friendly competition with his twin brother Kyle, who runs for the cross country and track teams at the U.S. Naval Academy. As the seasons passed by, and more races came to a close, Davis began to see a future in the sport.

“I knew my junior year of high school that I was going to be able to run competitively in college,” Davis said.

As the only senior on Pitt’s cross country team, Cullen has progressed in his own running this season but also helps the younger

members of the team.

“He sets a good example for how to train.

He’s incredibly dedicated to running,” teammate Mike Runco, a junior, said. “He’s at it all the time.”

Davis’ coaching staff has also noticed growth in his contributions to the team, even outside of meets.

“He’s a great kid, a very hard worker,” assistant coach Jim Lear said. “He’s willing to go above and beyond in everything he does.”

But Pitt was not the original endpoint for Davis’ college career. He elected to attend Temple University on a running scholarship after high school, and, prior to attending his first practice, he already had doubts about running.

“I had no idea what I was getting into,” he said. “I didn’t think I had to work hard, and I barely ran the summer going into my

freshman year.”

Early into his college career at Temple, his lack of conditioning contributed to injuries, last place finishes and waning confidence. He knew that as soon as he got himself in shape, he could compete.

A semester passed, and as the spring track season began, Davis noticeably improved and knew improvements and eventual first-place finishes would soon come.

“I think my big breakout was my sophomore year of cross country — that’s when I started to train seriously,” Davis said.

During his sophomore season at Temple, he built a relationship with Adam Bray, former Temple and current Pitt assistant cross country and track and field coach.

Bray joined the Pitt coaching staff in Janu-

XC

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October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com

CLUB SPORTS

Club sports enjoying strong performances to start year Ashley Drwal For The Pitt News

While varsity sports typically are best known for fiercely competitive games, Pitt also has plenty of successful competitive sports outside of the Division-I level.

The University has more than 20 different men’s and women’s club sports, ranging from hockey to soccer and from fencing to Quidditch that take place throughout the academic year. Three such club sports include women’s soccer, gymnastics and cross country.

For some, club sports provide a different atmosphere and environment than varsity sports would. They typically have smaller crowd sizes, and they have less exposure so while the focus remains on competition, there is still the sense of enjoyment and camaraderie.

“I love the sense of being a part of a family,” said Angela Beck, the center defender on the Pitt women’s club soccer team. “As a

T P N S U D O K U

team, we support each other both on and off the field, and the friendships I have created with the players are some of the closest I have made since coming to Pitt.”

Women’s Soccer Pitt women’s club soccer is 6-0 in the team’s season, even after losing its starting goalie and another senior field player. But hard work pays off as the team practices Monday nights from 10:30-12:30 a.m. and Wednesday from 9 to 11 p.m.

This year, the team faced West Virginia in its important games, which the team already won 3-0 and Penn State on Oct. 5. The team has won the regional tournament three years in a row and set a goal of defending that title.

“Our expectations are high after coming off last season,” said Emily Marvill, a striker.

“We found out that we had a lot of fight in us and that we can truly compete against any team we face.”

Gymnastics The Pitt club gymnastics team takes pride

Today’s difficulty level: Very Hard Puzzles by Dailysodoku.com

in its team relationships and competitiveness. The season begins in early November and continues until April with the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs Nationals, (NAIGC), which is next spring in Philadelphia from April 8 to 11.

“We have a good outlook on the season.

We gained a couple good new girls this year and believe we’ll do well,” said Naley McKamish, vice president of Pitt club gymnastics.

“At our first meet last year we placed third and intend to do just as well, if not better, this November at the Hokie Classic.”

The team practices Monday and Wednesday evenings as well as Sunday afternoons, doing basic stretching and warming up before separating into the workouts for the four different events — vault, bars, beam, and floor. When the season approaches nationals, the team will add an additional practice to step up its game.

“Last year at nationals we had three girls qualify for second day individual finals,” said

Kelly Wingen, the president of the club. “The year before we had two girls qualify for individual finals, and we qualified as a team and actually placed seventh. We’re hoping to qualify to compete in finals again this year as a team and place again.”

Cross Country The Pitt club cross country team, consisting of both a men’s and women’s team, is another sports club also aiming for higher levels of achievement in their competitions.

“It is only our third season in existence,” said Matt Getty, the club’s president. “We are still working toward reaching the top level of competition. Both teams hope to improve our national rankings.”

Last season, both teams finished in the top 25 teams in the country, with the men’s team placing 20th and the women’s team placing 23rd. This season, which began on Sept. 13 with the Nittany Lion Invitational,

Club Sports

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October 1, 2014 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com FROM PAGE 8

CLUB SPORTS hosted by the Penn State club cross country team, Pitt club XC will run in the few existing “club only” races as well as some D-II and D-III races. The club wants to compete in as many races as possible, and in these divisions, they are able to hold their own. This all culminates in the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association (NIRCA) nationals on Nov. 15.

To prepare, the runners meet for practice every day at 5:30 p.m. in Schenley Plaza. Their workouts consist of increasing mileage with distance running and working out once or FROM PAGE 7

XC

ary 2013, and Davis followed him after experiencing a chaotic spring semester at Temple.

After completing his transfer to Pitt and reuniting with Bray, he said, “I’ve just been getting better and better.”

Bray agreed.

“It’s awesome to have him here and have him be a part of our program,” he said.

Since his transfer to Pitt, the program has been trending in the right direction, and Davis is at the forefront.

“One thing I’m proud of is transferring to Pitt and being able to turn the team around,” FROM PAGE 7

SOCCER do just that.

After several opportunities, the Panthers were able to break through in the 22nd minute, when Law struck from long distance on a shot that deflected off a Colonials’ defender.

“It was really important [to get off to a fast start],” Law, a freshman, said. “There’s been a couple of games of late where we haven’t.”

Pitt has not gotten much good fortune this year, especially on the road. In the team’s last two games away from Ambrose Urbanic Field, it was outscored 7-1 by Louisville and North Carolina.

The Panthers picked up where they left off early in the second half, recording the first three shots. Pitt nearly added to its lead in the 51st minute off a corner, but Robert Morris goalkeeper Branden Alfery made a sprawling

twice a week to improve their strength and speed.

“The best runners on the team are those who train the hardest,” Katherine Subosits, a runner on the women’s team, said.

And that’s exactly what these sports club aim to do. They train hard and reap the benefits, all while creating personal relationships and a fun environment.

The best example of that easygoing environment is in Subosits’ response when talking about what qualities the team’s best “players” have.

“The best PLAYERS on the team? Pretty much all the guys are players ... They reel in the ladies like no other, and I would be hard-pressed to pick the best one,” she said.

Davis said.

Davis’ training has helped him meet his goal of competing with the front pack in each of his first two races this season. But the year has just begun, and Davis knows what he wants by the season’s end.

“My goal for this season is to be in the front. To belong in the front,” said Davis.

Although he knows that this season is likely his last of competition, Davis isn’t worried about the future, because he will always have running.

His goals don’t stop at Pitt — after his competitive career comes to a close, Davis plans to run a marathon.

“The beauty of running is that you can do it for the rest of your life,” he said. save on defender Stephane Pierre’s attempt.

The Colonials’ best chance in the second half once again came from Brett, who blew through the center of Pitt’s defense, only to be foiled on a great save from Pitt goalkeeper Dan Lynd.

The Panthers put the game away in the 71st minute on a goal by Dan Prete, who was assisted on a pinpoint cross by Andrew Wright.

The goal marked Prete’s third of the season.

The goal raised concerns about Robert Morris’s defense, as Prete was uncovered at the far post, with multiple defenders in the box.

Unlike recent games, Pitt was able to finish strong by keeping the pressure on Robert Morris and staying compact defensively.

The final stats accurately reflected the outcome of the game, as the Panthers dominated the shot total 16-9, forcing Alfery to make five saves.

Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.

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