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@thepittnews
Vol. 105Issue 124
Monday, March 2, 2015Pittnews.com
Seven historically black fraternities and sororities, such as the Beta Epsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi (above), competed in the 18th annual Step Show competition on Saturday night. Nate Smiith | Staff Photographer
As fraternities’ and sororities’ shouts drowned out the announcer, Alpha Phi Al-pha stomped its way to triumph in superhero garb.
Pitt’s National Pan-Hellenic Council, the Interfraternity Council and the Collegiate Panhellenic Association hosted the 18th annual Steel City Step Show in Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday night. The Step Show “o! ers an opportunity for historically black Greek letter organizations from across Pittsburgh to interact and compete for the title of best fraternity and best sorority performance.”
Seven historically black Pitt fraternities and sororities competed in the event and took
turns stepping — an African-American form of percussive dance. Steppers use their bod-ies to produce rhythms through footsteps, hand claps and spoken word. According to the Student A! airs website, dancers “might even play characters in small skits between steps ... [and] many routines incorporate the precision and power of military drills.”
According to Stepafrika.org, stepping is based on a long and rich tradition in Afri-can-based communities that use movement, words and sounds to communicate allegiance to a group.
“The stepping tradition in the United States grew out of song and dance rituals practiced by historically African-American fraternities and sororities, beginning in the early 1900s,” the website says.
Alpha Phi Alpha came out on top and
took the stage after playing a video spoof of a trailer for“The Avengers,” which portrayed the group as superheroes. The dancers wore matching black shirts with “The Avengers” logo.
“It was a way to get people hyped,” Rob-ert Timmons, a senior majoring in electrical engineering — who dressed as Iron Man — said.
Although individuals can perform step-ping, the dance is typically performed by groups of three or more.
The NPHC raised more than $5,000, which will go into the NPHC bank account and help to pay for the event , according to Haleigh Stapleton, a sister of the Zeta Phi Alpha sorority, who was responsible for mak-
Students step for heritage, competition
Alex Leighton Staff Writer
Patrick Gallagher’s long wait fi nally came to an end with his o" cial installation as Pitt’s 18th chancellor by the Board of Trustees.
Although Gallagher assumed the role of chancellor in August, he was o" cially inau-gurated almost seven months later, during the Honors Convocation in the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh Music Hall on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Hall, which seats 1,950, was full to capacity. After Galla-gher delivered the keynote address, Kathy Humphrey, senior vice chancellor for en-gagement and chief of sta! , presented the Omicron Delta Kappa Seniors of the Year, the Emma W. Locke Award and recognized the University Scholars.
Gallagher said although he is “not sure why we waited seven months before inau-gurating me,” he used the time to explore the campus and talk with students and faculty. He expressed that the date, Pitt’s 228th anniversary, was a fi tting, “special day” for his installation. The process of installing Gallagher as Pitt’s chancellor was one of Stephen Tritch’s fi nal acts as the Board of Trustees’ chairman. Gallagher said Tritch’s last full meeting in the posi-tion occurred the day before, and he will step down from his position during the following meeting in June.
“Steve presided over one of the largest changes the University has seen,” Galla-gher said. “A change in leadership that followed a remarkable tenure of stability and success.”
Gallagher o! cially
installed as chancellor
Alex Leighton Staff Writer
Step 2 Read the rest online at Pittnews.com.
2 March 2, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
ing sure the event ran smoothly. “It’s a show that ends up paying for itself,”
said Stapleton, an undeclared sophomore.For the second year in a row, Alpha Phi
Alpha took home the trophy for best frater-nity performance.
“But the team changes every year,” Tim-mons, one of Alpha Phi Alpha’s six new mem-bers, said. “So the win is still exciting.”
Although the night predominantly fea-tured fraternities, two sororities also com-
peted. Because of the limited number of so-rority performances, there was no third place winner. Sigma Gamma Rho sorority won fi rst place while Zeta Phi Beta won second place.
For the fraternity competition, Iota Phi Theta won second place. The group took the stage with aggressive attitudes and Kevlar-like vests. Performing cartwheels and human pyramids, the group often saluted themselves and the audience.
“Who’s the competition?” one of the per-formers asked.
“There is no competition,” the others replied in unison.
Third place went to Kappa Alpha Psi,
which used dance movies and faux-news segments projected on the screen behind them to demonstrate the e! ects of a zombie apocalypse. As a hip-hop variant of “The Walking Dead” theme song blared over the PA system, the dancers shu" ed around the stage like members of the undead.
Sigma Gamma Rho, like Alpha Phi Alpha, also dressed as superheroes. At the start of its performance, the dancers ripped o! their lab coats to reveal capes and blue shirts with its sorority’s lettering underneath.
The sorority also gave an o! stage shou-tout to audience members, literally. Al-though all fraternities and sororities yelled
and chanted throughout the evening, Sigma Gamma Rho’s high-pitched screeching was the loudest.
Stapleton said she’s happy with how the event went, but, even after 18 years, she said she and other organizers still look for ways to make the event better. Some of the improve-ments Stapleton mentioned include more collaboration between the three councils on the event.
“[The Step Show] went really well. We heard from a lot of people who enjoyed it,” Stapleton said. “There are little things we start to learn each year about how to make [the event] better.”
STEPFROM PAGE 1
E ditors note: On Thursday, Feb. 26, The Pitt News reported inaccurate statistics in a graphic accompanying a story titled, “Club sports respond to allocations changes.”The Pitt News reported numbers from the 2014 to 2015 fi scal year. This is inaccurate, as the numbers refl ected the 2013 to 2014 fi scal year. The Pitt News reported that 43.85 percent of the Student Activities Fund for the 2014-2015 fi scal year goes to formula groups , which include Pitt Program Council,
WPTS-FM and PittServes. This is inaccurate, as 43.85 percent of the $1,048,716 the Board allocated to student groups during fi scal year 2013-2014 went to formula groups.The Pitt News reported that 21.15 percent of the Student Activities Fund goes to academic clubs and other organizations. This is inaccurate, as 64.89 percent of the
$1,048,716 the Board allocated to student groups during fi scal year 2014 went to academic clubs and other organizations.The Pitt News reported that 35 percent of the Student Activities Fund goes to club sports. This is inaccurate, as approximately 35.11 percent of the $1,048,716 the Board
allocated to student groups went to club sports. The Pitt News reported that for teams with 50 members or less, the Board can allocate up to $10,000, and for teams with more than 50 members, the Board can allocate
up to $15,000. This is incorrect. For rosters with less than 50 students, the Board can allocate up to $10,000. For rosters with 50 to 59 students, $11,000. For 60 to 69, $12,000. For 70 to 79, $13,000. For 80 to 89, $14,000. For more than 90 students, $15,000.
The Pitt News regrets these errors.
3March 2, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
OPINIONSOpen-source
textbooks make the grade
EDITORIALEDITORIAL
With the price of education rising, more students should acknowledge the benefi ts of open-source textbooks, especially for introductory courses.
Open-source textbooks are written through a collaboration between professors and experts under an open license. Students can download them for free or print them at a low cost, according to The New York Times. Compare that to the average cost for books and supplies per year at a typical four-year college — between $1,200 and $1,300.
We understand that open-source textbooks can-not entirely replace traditional textbooks in higher-level classes, in which material is often nuanced and students are pursuing a degree in the subject.
However, why should English majors have to pay hundreds of dollars for textbooks in their general education requirement classes, and, considering universities force students to take such classes, why should they or professors force them to pay for supplies that are not necessary with the option of open-source books?
They shouldn’t. Some professors, however, do not agree.
Greg Mankiw , a Harvard economics professor and author of the popular economics textbook “Prin-ciples of Economics,” notes, “Would you keep do-ing your job if you stopped being paid?” Mankiw’s question refl ects the issue of incentive in writing these open-source books. However, many qualifi ed professors have collaborated to produce inexpen-sive, open-licensed books that help to educate col-lege students on the foundations of many courses, including microeconomics and sociology.
Universities should not sacrifi ce education at the college level for the profi ts of a select group of academics. Such academics and their textbooks are certainly valuable, but, at the introductory level, stu-dents should take greater advantage of open-source textbooks, as should their professors.
We often talk about the importance of making college a! ordable. Here is a solution. Let’s pursue it.
ASK ANTONIOASK ANTONIO
TNS
Dear Antonio,I am currently going through an
issue with a girl from home. As you know, spring break is coming up, and my old flame from high school wants to hang out and “talk” over break. We dated for about eight months in high school until we broke up senior year, but contin-ued to hook up until a few months ago. We have been on decent terms and talked regularly over the past two months, but, since then, I have fallen for someone else. I know that she wants to talk about getting back together, but I don’t have any desire to rekindle that flame. However, I am nervous about telling her. Every
time she asked me if I had been with someone else, I said no because I don’t want to hurt her. What should I say to her, and how do I even go about it?
Sincerely,Spring Break Blues
Dear Blues,Well, your first mistake is going
home over spring break. My first prescription is a trip to Cancún, instead. Throwing back a couple of Coronas down in Mexico doesn’t sound so bad, does it? At least you wouldn’t have to endure that awk-ward conversation, pal. Just jok-ing, of course. Sometimes, it is refreshing to return to your roots over break and surround yourself with loved ones and old friends.
However, going back home some-times means that we have some old problems waiting for us. Nonethe-less, Dr. Antonio has the remedy and a few tips on how to approach cutting ties with your old flame.
I am going to start you off with a prescription of confidence and a heavy dose of honesty. Breaking hearts can be one of the most dif-ficult things to do because, some-times, we hurt ourselves more than we hurt the other person. We often mask what we need to say because we fear hurting someone who loves us. This is where the con-fidence comes in. Be sure to sit up straight and look her dead in the eye. There is no doubt that she de-
Ask Antonio: Spring Break BluesAntonio Blundo
For The Pitt News
Antonio 4
4 March 2, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 1 0
Editorial PoliciesSingle copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around
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Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns, car-toons 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 a!liation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to [email protected]. 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.
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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 sta", fac-ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito-rial o!ces of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.
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serves your full attention when this hap-pens. And, as for the honesty, notice I said heavy dose. Do not beat around the bush. It is already bad enough that you lied to her and said you haven’t hooked up with anyone else. As a ma-ture individual, I would advise you to be completely honest with her and tell
her everything. In the long run, she will respect you much more when all of the smoke clears.
The next prescription is going to seem like common sense, but should never be avoided. When entering this conversation, please understand that she is not going to be happy. It is more than likely going to crush her. Please be sympathetic and be prepared for anything she responds with. Remain honest and calm and remember that this
is someone with whom you were once close. You’re going to want to level with her and attempt to make the process as smooth as possible.
Before I close this out, I also want to prescribe you with two milligrams of happiness. Remember, your happi-ness is key. It is impossible to go around pleasing everyone, because we will just end up crushing ourselves. You cannot make anyone else happy unless you, yourself, are happy. So be honest, level
with her and remember that you are not breaking it off because you are some evil heartbreaker. You’re doing it to make yourself happy. And, sometimes, that is all that we can do. Oh yeah, and it is 83 degrees in Cancún right now. You might want to rethink your plans next year.
Best of luck, Blues,AntonioEmail Antonio at [email protected],
or, if you are electronically inclined, tweet at him with @TonyxMafia.
ANTONIOFROM PAGE 3
5March 2, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.com
SPORTSWOMEN’S BASKETBALLWOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Three Panthers took their fi nal shots as college athletes at home on Sunday. But, for much of the game, it seemed as if their fi nal home game would result in a loss.
The Pitt women’s basketball team (19-10, 9-7 ACC) sent o! seniors Brianna Kie-sel, Cora McManus and Monica Wignot with a 61-56 win over the Clemson Tigers (9-20, 1-15 ACC) in their last regular sea-son contest on Senior Day at the Petersen Events Center.
Kiesel, who passed Mercedes Walker for fi fth on Pitt’s all-time scoring list with 1,884 career points, has spent much of her four years at Pitt on the losing end of games. But this regular season ended with much more success than past seasons, including the comeback win on Sunday.
“To leave here on a win defi nitely feels good,” Kiesel said. “The University of Pittsburgh has been phenomenal to me, so just to be able to come out here and get a win in our last home game of our senior year really feels special to us.”
Kiesel was quick to praise head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio and cites her coaching as the reason Pitt achieved what it did this season: a possible NCAA Tour-nament berth.
“[I knew this type of season was pos-sible] when coach got here,” Kiesel said. “She’s just done everything that you could possibly want from a coach. It only took her two years to give us a chance to go to the postseason, and I think that says a lot about what kind of coach she is.”
McConnell-Serio has led the Panthers to exceed all expectations this season after facing the challenge of a projected last place fi nish in the ACC, and she credits her seniors for playing a large role in the team’s unexpected success.
“When you come in and take over a program, you immediately go to the up-perclassmen to establish leadership,”
Kiesel leads Pitt to Senior Day win over ClemsonKevin Wheeler
Staff Writer
Alyson Derrick | Staff Photographer
W Hoops 6
Leaving on a high noteA victory on Sunday afternoon was the perfect send-off for these three Pitt seniors.
Brianna Kiesel
Monica Wignot
Cora McManus
Points Rebounds Assists
22
3
0
7
3
0
6
10
1
6 March 2, 2015 | The Pitt News | www.pittnews.comMEN’S BASKETBALLMEN’S BASKETBALL
Most analysts said Pitt would have to finish its season 3-0 to have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament. With a loss at Wake Forest on Sunday night, the Panthers will have to hope the analysts were wrong.
A couple of sloppy turnovers in the final minute of the game by junior guard James Robinson and sophomore guard Josh Newkirk cost Pitt late. The loss en-sured that Pitt will now likely need a strong showing in the ACC Tournament next week to have a chance of finishing on the right side of the NCAA Tourna-ment bubble.
Pitt (18-10, 8-8 ACC) couldn’t close out against Wake Forest (13-16, 5-11 ACC) on Sunday night and lost 69-66.
Sophomore forwards Michael Young and Jamel Artis led Pitt with 22 points
and 19 points, respectively. But a strong second-half effort from junior guard Codi Miller-McIntyre guided the Demon Deacons to a win. He scored 13 points and chipped in a team-high seven re-bounds and five assists.
While Pitt led for most of the second half, Wake Forest came on strong late in the game, as Miller-McIntyre stole the outgoing pass from sophomore forward Sheldon Jeter and made the game-tying jumper with 3:16 remaining in the game.
A few seconds later, Miller-McIntyre passed the ball to freshman forward Kon-stantinos Mitoglou, who hit a 3-pointer to give Wake Forest a three-point lead as part of an 11-1 run.
Pitt’s late turnovers doomed the team, and its minus-five differential throughout the game did not help . The Panthers also only managed eight points from their bench: four from sophomore guard Chris Jones and four from senior
center Derrick Randall.Randall provided uncharacteristic
offensive production early on. With Wake Forest out to a 24-17 lead, Ran-dall caught an offensive rebound and quickly brought the ball back in, getting fouled in the process to set up a three-point play.
One area that Pitt dominated in the game was offensive rebounding. Pitt grabbed 17 offensive boards, compared to Wake Forest’s five, leading to 10 more second-chance points than the home team.
Both teams shot the ball well from beyond the arc , combining to shoot 48 percent from long range.
Wake Forest made five of its first seven 3-pointers, helping the Demon Deacons take a 37-35 lead into halftime.
Pitt next plays Miami back at the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at the team’s Senior Night.
Road loss wrinkles Pitt’s NCAA Tourney caseChris Puzia Sports Editor
McConnell-Serio said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group in my second year to be leaders on this team, not only for what they bring on the court, but more importantly what they bring o! the court.”
Pitt started cold on Sunday, entering the second half down by eight. Kiesel started especially poorly in her fi nal ap-pearance in the Pete, shooting 1-8 from
the fl oor in the fi rst half for a lowly four points. While she fi nished with a team-high 22 points, that came o! of an inef-fi cient 5-of-21 shooting e! ort .
Knowing that a loss to a nine-win team might ruin Pitt’s hopes for an NCAA Tour-nament bid, McConnell-Serio tried to wake her team up at halftime.
“I jumped them at halftime,” she said. “I challenged them and attacked their pride a little bit. I talked about this season and just letting something special slip away, and we wouldn’t let that happen.”
The Panthers came out fi ring in the second half, led by Kiesel, who scored 18 of her 22 points to end her fi nal appear-ance in the Petersen Events Center in an appropriate fashion.
Wignot fi nished with only three points, but she grabbed 10 rebounds in addition to three assists.
Senior guard Nikki Dixon paced the Tigers with 22 points.
While Clemson led for nearly 30 of the 40 minutes in the game, Pitt used several short runs to retake the lead for good with just under fi ve minutes left in the game.
Pitt clinched the seventh seed in the ACC Tournament with the win over Clem-son.
“[The players] have bought into the underdog role that I instill every single time we step out on that fl oor, because ev-ery coach we’ve played against has picked us to come in last,” McConnell-Serio said. “It starts with these [three seniors].”
McManus said she enjoyed playing on a team that accomplished a winning season for the fi rst time in her career.
“It’s been amazing,” McManus said. “It’s been even better to do it with this group of girls. Me and [Kiesel] have been here for four years, and it’s been a really long journey. To end on a high note is unspeakable, and it defi nitely makes me realize how much I’m going to miss this program and this city.”
Pitt will face the winner of N.C. State vs. Virginia Tech after receiving a fi rst-round bye in the conference tournament. A loss in any game from here on out could mean the end of the Panthers’ unantici-pated success this season.
“It’s been an exciting year,” McCon-nell-Serio said. “And I don’t want it to end.”
Pitt will play in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m.
W HOOPSFROM PAGE 5