The internet is dead… and Verizon killed it

February 13, 2014 Admin

The title is not a joke.

If Verizon has its way, a recent ruling by the United States Court of Appeals could give Verizon – and other internet providers like Comcast and AT&T – the power to shut down or restrict access to the internet. The internet is dead and Verizon killed it.

Just a few weeks ago, on January 14, the federal Court of Appeals struck down a prior ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that had, in the past, been used to protect the neutrality of the internet and the rights of users to freely access any information therein. The case in question – Verizon Communications Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission – ended with the court striking down the FCC’s protections on the internet. The FCC had previously ruled that the internet was protected under a “common carrier” rule (a ruling that forces phone companies like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile to treat all calls equally without preference) that prevented internet service providers (ISPs) from slowing down data.

If the ruling stands, ISPs will be able to pick and choose what traffic can travel over their servers, and what their customers’ speeds will be during internet usage. If a customer wants faster speeds for certain services, it is very likely that they will be forced to pay extra or simply go without. This ruling destroys what was once a level playing field where a single consumer would get the same treatment as a major corporation.

What will this mean for those affected?

In the beginning, it probably won’t mean much. Comcast has publically, and rather grudgingly, stated that it will maintain net neutrality until 2018. They are only upholding net neutrality for another four years due to FCC guidelines that they agreed to during their acquisition of NBC two years ago in 2012. Other companies not bound by similar guidelines and contracts, such as Verizon and AT&T, may start using the newfound lack of restrictions and adequate guidelines to strip internet services from paying customers as soon as possible.

Services once freely enjoyed on the open internet could, in the near future, disappear include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even the Chatham e-mail service, which is a part of Microsoft Online. If these services don’t disappear from the ‘net for good, it is also very likely that they will be rolled into packages that ISPs can charge their customers for on top of monthly internet access fees.

Despite the rather bleak outlook for everything but library card catalogues, there is growing resistance to the idea of losing fair access to the internet. While there is skepticism that online petitions work, there are numerous iterations of petitions currently available, urging the FCC to challenge the decision of the appeals court. The petition with the current largest number of signatures is hosted on whitehouse.gov, urging President Obama to take a stance on the issue in favor of the consumer instead of the corporations. At the time of this writing, the article has over 104000 signatures and is still open for responses from more interested parties.

The internet is dead. Long live the internet.

Active Pittsburgh connects community to all things active

February 13, 2014 Admin

For those attempting to navigate through the plethora of events and activities in Pittsburgh, Active Pittsburgh’s Jason Miller has a solution.

Miller’s startup company, Active Pittsburgh LLC, is a website that promotes local sports and recreational opportunities. Miller’s idea for activepittsburgh.com started in October 2012. The website launched on September 1, 2013, and formally became a business in November 2013.

Currently, Miller owns and operates Active Pittsburgh in his spare time while working as the Assistant Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Intramurals and Recreation. Through his work at the university, Miller began to search for other resources and recreational opportunities to provide to students. The idea began as a simple list, and is now a functional website that receives several thousand page views a week.

Active Pittsburgh is a comprehensive directory that contains local events, activities and promotions. Users can search for listings by date via the Events Calendar, or find specific attractions on each activity page. Active Pittsburgh also features a blog and an apparel shop. “My driving force was if there was anything that relates to being active, then I think it should be on the site. That’s why if you go to our website you’ll see anything from CrossFit to running to biking, down to bowling and hockey,” said Miller.

When the website first started, Miller compiled all of the listings himself. As the website grew, organizations began contacting Active Pittsburgh to be included in its directory. Miller attributes most of Active Pittsburgh’s recent success to business partner Michelle Ingari and his “A.P. team” of interns.

All of Active Pittsburgh’s basic services, which include event, activity and promotion listings, are free. “The reason why we do that is to try to stick true to our mission of creating a site that’s a one-stop shop for all things active. As soon as you start charging for a service, you’re going to shut a certain population of people out,” said Miller.

Active Pittsburgh recently launched premium services, which offer organizations featured activity listings, page advertising, and individualized marketing packages.

Miller’s goal is for Active Pittsburgh to become everyone’s go-to site for any active opportunity. Eventually Active Pittsburgh may look to expand its model to other cities.

According to Miller, a great way for people to stay engaged with the active community in Pittsburgh would be to follow Active Pittsburgh through its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

From women’s empowerment to global awareness, Jennifer Potter exemplifies Chatham’s ideals

February 13, 2014 Admin

Alumna Jennifer Potter wants to show Chatham students how to be well rounded, cultured, successful and empowered women. She graduated with a degree in Political Science in 1966 and in 2003 was the founding CEO of the Initiative for Global Development (IGD), which focuses on the reduction of poverty in Third World countries, mostly in Africa.

Between the administrative staff, human resources, fundraising staff, and the communication and marketing departments, IGD has offices around the world. Commenting on her 10 years at the company, Potter said that leadership and the ability to cooperate are key points to every successful venture. The positions called for hiring people who were highly organized and goal-oriented.

Potter’s responsibilities included hiring and conducting interviews. She commented on the need for writing programs like those at Chatham because of her experience conducting those interviews.

A key attribute to a successful interview is demonstrating that you can compose a, “persuasive, literate, and grammatical email,” to ensure efficient and accurate communication, given the company’s number of locations. In fact, communication skills are a major aspect of the position.

While CEO of the company, Potter also sat on the leadership council of the organization. Members of the council took personality tests that measured their communication skills. After taking the tests, she said the results were helpful when it came to discovering each person’s role in the company.

The test pointed out the peacemakers, the enforcers, and leaders within the company. Once these roles were clear, cooperation within the company was strengthened. “Two heads are better than one, four are better than two and 12 are even better,” Potter said.

After retiring as CEO last year, Potter was approached by another board with similar aims. She is now working on the board of a company called Landesa. Landesa’s mission is to aid in securing land rights for the impoverished of the world. Potter’s background in global poverty and business made her a perfect match for the company. Landesa has very influential supporters such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Potter still cares about the welfare of others, so she is serving on another board this year. For 2014, Potter will serve as the President of the Board of Trustees at Chatham University. She said that all of her endeavors are important, “but that Chatham takes top priority.”

Potter has not forgotten her love of Chatham and understands that the school helped her to achieve her goals. She spoke of the importance of a liberal arts education. She pointed out the need for core psychology, sociology and philosophy courses in order to understand the multiple facets of life. Also, these courses carry over into the workplace when working with other people.

She went on to explain that the need for cooperation and leadership in the workplace can be formed at Chatham University through rigorous classes and extracurricular activities. She also said that women are underrepresented in many fields including business and some academic arenas, but hopes that will change with a new generation of inspired students. Potter went on to explain her theory that it is important to “not only do well, but [do] good,” as in good in the world.

The sweet sounds of Reggae create a party in Welker

February 13, 2014 Admin

On Saturday, February 1, Reggae artist Delroy Clarke, nicknamed Zap, performed in Welker room at 7 p.m. as a kickoff for Black History Month. The name of the performance was Zapology. The name originates from Zap’s love of technology. Prior to going out on his own, Zap acted as the lead vocalist and keyboardist for the S.W.A.M.M.P. BAND. Zap incorporates different styles into his shows and from The Roots, Dancehall, Hip Hop, R&B and traditional Reggae, there is something for everyone.

Zap put on a sweet show complete with lighting, sound effects and of course his smooth vocals. He played songs from Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley and other favorites.

“My favorite part of performing is the audience. Seeing them smiling and dancing makes putting on a show worth it despite the crowd,” Zap said.

The event did have a low turnout, but that did not stop them from having a good time. Audience members gave good reviews, although most were not regular reggae listeners. Crowd favorites were the “Mission: Impossible” theme song and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by UB40.

“He was really good. It was a fun evening listening to music and dancing with my friends. I was glad he performed the way he did despite the turnout.” Laurin Lee said.

Ariyonia Henderson also enjoyed Zapology but wished he played one of her favorites: “Three Little Words”.

Zap wanted to thank his audience and the Chatham Community for a great night and hopes he let off a positive vibe and gave students a break from the hustle and bustle of academia.

Pittsburgh welcomes new show “The Chair” with an event at Point Park

February 13, 2014 Admin

Have you ever wondered what your favorite movie would be like if it had been directed by someone else entirely? Hollywood producer Chris Moore certainly has. Zachary Quinto and Corey Moosa, from production company Before the Door, are joining Moore in a new television project called “The Chair”.

“The Chair” is what Moore likes to call a docuseries. It will follow two directors as they separately film a movie from one script. The show will be filmed this year in Pittsburgh and the two directors for its premiere season are Shane Dawson (of internet fame) and Anna Martemucci (who has worked with Quinto in the past).

Moore denies that “The Chair” is a reality show, stating, “I think that the term reality is that to me there is an implication that we as the producers of the show, or the series, are affecting the outcome somehow—we are creating challenges. On “Project Runway” they make you design a t-shirt in half an hour, but nobody in real life has to design a t-shirt in half an hour.” We’re not doing any of that. These guys are getting the money to go make their first movie and all we’re asking them to do is let us have access to shoot it like a documentary.”

Photo Credit: Natalie Szewczyk
Corey Moosa and Chris Moore speaking at Point Park

Moosa said, “Reality shows don’t depict actual reality at all. I don’t want to be associated with those shows. They do have story editors on, who are basically making things happen in a dramatic sense. Reality television is more fictionalized probably than fictional television at this point.”

According to Moore, Dawson begins filming February 10 and Martemucci starts on February 26. Both directors will receive a working budget of $850,000 for their movies and will be able to assemble their own crew. When the films are finished, they will be released theatrically and the show’s audience will be able to cast votes for their favorite film.

The producers will have no say in who the winner is. This is partly one of the reasons the producers do not see it as a reality show or competition, like shows such as “American Idol” or “America’s Next Top Model”.

Moore said, “The only thing the competition does is give the audience perspective on ‘you did it one way’ and ‘you did it the other way’. What we’re trying to say is that the documentary nature of it is different than these reality competition shows because we haven’t set up any rules. They’re making their movie however they want—they even get final cut. They get to decide how the movie is going to finish. They should be able to put up their vision for the audience to think about.”

Possibly the most interesting thing about this project is its ties to Pittsburgh’s Point Park University. Over 100 Point Park students and alumni are involved with the television series, which is why on February 3 Chris Moore and Zachary Quinto were scheduled to come speak to Point Park students.

Unfortunately, Quinto was unable to make the event, but he did send a video apology for the audience. In his stead, Corey Moosa came to speak about the project. Moore and Moosa spent roughly over an hour in the GRW Theater, which was overflowing with interested students. Some even stood outside the door to hear.

Photo Credit: Natalie Szewczyk
Corey Moosa and Chris Moore speaking at Point Park

The event was streamed live on Point Park’s YouTube channel and had Moore and Moosa covering the topic of producing and their work in Hollywood. Moore is well known for his 22-year career in the industry, producing films like “Good Will Hunting” and the “American Pie” franchise. He has created “Project Greenlight” and co-founded The Media Farm, as well as forming LivePlanet with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Sean Bailey.

Moosa is a producer and actor who founded Before the Door with friends and fellow actors Quinto and Neal Dodson. Before the Door has been involved with films such as “All is Lost” and “Margin Call”. He is an alumni of Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama and, being a longtime fan of “Star Trek”, helped Quinto prepare for his recent role as Spock in the new J.J. Abrams reboot.

The last half of the event was used to answer any questions from the audience, and many students of all majors jumped at the opportunity. Eventually though, they did run out of time. However, Moore and Moosa promised to return soon (with Quinto) when they begin working on the show.

As far as expectations go, Moosa said, “I don’t want to root for anybody. One of the ideas that we were trying to get with these two people is to have such vastly different ideas of what the story is and how it can go, that hopefully, they’re almost incomparable in terms of ‘you can’t like one more than the other’. They’re just different.”

Moore said, “I know how they’ve rewritten the script, I know the crew they’ve hired, I know the look that they’re going for. I would say they have very different styles of how they want to make the movies. I think Anna is a little bit more drawn to a little more dramatic comedy. I think Shane, and if you look at his stuff online, you can get a sense that he’s a little more R-rated, he’s a little bit more over the top. With some of the comedy, he’s broader.”

“I think it will be a great experiment in the sense that I think the audience will realize that it reveals more about who you are by which kind of movie you like,” said Moore. “It’s not going to be like there’s one which is obviously better than the other. The audience will define itself more by what they like.”

Watch the discussion here!

Senior Class to restore Rea Coffeehouse

February 13, 2014 Admin

The Rea Coffeehouse will no longer be a location reserved for the occasional Glo-Dance or rave. As their senior gift, the class of 2014 will restore the coffeehouse to its former glory.

When the Rea Coffeehouse opened its doors in 1967, it had a piano, a jukebox, vending machines and was furnished to look like an English pub. Before long, the coffeehouse was attracting students from neighboring universities, and local bands and performers graced the small stage on a regular basis.

Today, the coffeehouse sits mostly dark and empty, and students rarely have access to it. “In the last five years that I’ve been here, we’ve used it on and off probably once or twice a semester to host events…but the space hasn’t been kept up as it should have cleaning wise, so there’s a lot of debris down there, dust and some of the old furniture that needs to be removed,” said Ruben Henao, associate director of student affairs and a member of the Senior Gift Committee.

The push to restore the coffeehouse comes after increased demand from students and alumnae that the space be reopened. So far, facilities has checked all units to make sure it will be safe for future use.

The Senior Gift Committee has also planned a clean up day for March 1 where faculty, facilities and students will work together to clear the space.

Once restored, the coffeehouse will feature three sections. The room near the main entrance will be set up like a coffee bar station with tables and seating for students. Though it has not yet been finalized, the committee has discussed installing a juice bar. Events and shows will be held in the next room over containing the stage, and the last section of the coffeehouse will be furnished with tables to resemble more of a study area.

Photo Courtesy of Chatham Archives

The walls of graffiti will be cleaned with a gentle cleaner to avoid erasing decades of history, much to the relief of Emily Stimmel, a Chatham alumna from the class of 2003 who has advocated for reopening the coffeehouse in the past.

When Stimmel was a student, the coffeehouse was very active, and she was on the committee for planning its events. After graduation, she founded the “Rea Coffeehouse House History Project” Facebook page and began researching the history of the coffeehouse.

She, along with two other alumnae, visited the Chatham archives and combed through yearbooks and old issues of the student newspaper to piece together a history of the coffeehouse. Much of the information, flyers and photographs they found are posted on the Facebook page.

One of the most exciting discoveries Stimmel made was that Pittsburgh’s first punk show was played in Rea Coffeehouse. John Shanley and his band, the Shut-Ins, had managed to book a gig at the coffeehouse. As they played, the crowd grew so wild, the police shut down the show.

“When you think of punk as such an iconic movement and a well-known phase in music and in Pittsburgh there’s so many other venues that we had at the time where it could have launched, and it was at Rea Coffeehouse,” said Stimmel.

Stimmel also made the shocking discovery that in 1972, the Coffeehouse hosted Chuck Berry during a 50s themed weekend. Chuck Berry was a famous musician and considered one of the pioneers of rock and roll.

Considering its rich history, there are many people rooting for the coffeehouse’s restoration. If all of the work is finished in time, the Senior Toast will be held in the coffeehouse and Alumni Relations is hoping to host a reunion event in there.

“When you have such a cool, unique space, it’s silly not to utilize it,” said Caiden Fratangelo, senior class president and a member of the senior committee. “There’s so much history that Rea Coffeehouse has, but by opening it up again, we’re adding to that history for generations to look back on.”

Student’s swim for prizes at the the kickoff of Chatham’s annual Hall Olympics

February 13, 2014 Admin

Living on campus does not only mean having to walk reduced distances to reach your classes, the dining hall or the AFC. Chatham Residence Life Office always knows how to make the students’ stay on campus enjoyable.

The past week had been an entertaining one for the students who live in Chatham’s various residence halls. It was the Hall Olympics week, arranged and implemented by Residence Life. The Underwater Egghunt was the opening of this chain of events which took place on Monday February 3 in the AFC pool.

Photo courtesy of Tatum Risch

The events were held Monday through Friday in the different facilities of the campus, and by the end of the week the points earned by every residence hall were added up and the winning house/hall got a pizza party.

The Underwater Egghunt event was about collecting floating eggs from the pool. The eggs were filled with money or little slips of paper for gift cards and over a $100 worth of prizes. Each residence hall (Laughlin and Rea, Fickes, Woodland and Chatham Apartments) was competing. The points collected were expected to contribute to the overall Olympics score by the end of the week.

“It’s just to build camaraderie among the halls and fun activities throughout the week,” said Tatum Risch, Laughlin GRD and MBA & Professional Writing Graduate at Chatham.

Anyone who lives in the residence halls could take part in these events. Shannon Ward, Rea RA and a Creative Writing and Women’s Studies senior at Chatham said she was actually the one who proposed the event: “Residence Life asked the RAs what kind of events they would like to see on campus and asked for ideas, and I found this one and thought it was really cool.”

Catherine Giles, Environmental Science junior at Chatham and a Chatham Apartments RA referred to the Hall Olympics as a great event that enables more utilization of the campus facilities.

Photo courtesy of Tatum Risch

Since not many people attended this event, Residence Life decided to count attendance towards the total score of every residence hall.

The results of the Underwater Egghunt event were: Laughlin and Rea in first place as they gained 216 points, then Fickes with 95 points, Chatham Apartments in third place as they earned 70 points, and Woodland with 16 points.

Board of Trustees to vote on proposed tuition increase

February 10, 2014 Admin

On Friday, February 14, The Chatham University Board of Trustees will vote on whether or not to enact a proposed university-wide tuition increase of between one and three percent.

This comes, as Dean Zauyah Waite explained, in response to a nationwide trend among small liberal arts universities. She further emphasized the fact that the cost of living is constantly increasing, and that, unlike public schools, Chatham is a “tuition driven institution.”

According to Dean Waite, Chatham’s tuition, even with the increase, will be comparable to other similar institutions in the Pittsburgh area. “We’re no different from any other institution with the same issues,” she said, and “smaller enrollment means that, to make it, you have to ask for more from the individual.”

In response to this, the Chatham Student Government (CSG)–whose official stance on the subject is in opposition to any increases in tuition–met on February 6, to discuss plans to take action on behalf of the student body against this proposed increase.

While nothing has yet been voted on, these plans tentatively include sending a letter, drafted by the executive board of the CSG, to the members of the Board of Trustees. This letter will explain the financial difficulties that students are already facing, which CSG feels are valid concerns that need to be addressed, even in light of administration’s counter argument referencing the extensive scholarships that are awarded yearly. As Claire Swauger, mentioned, “the next bubble in our economy is expected to be student loans.” This supported her point that an increase in tuition is, at this time, neither realistic nor ethical.

The CSG also released a statement saying that they will be “assembling a petition with signatures from the Chatham College for Women students in opposition to the potential tuition increases.” This petition will be presented to the Board of Trustees by way of President Esther Barazzone, whom representatives of the Student Government will meet with to discuss the issue at hand.

Additionally, an ad hoc committee, chaired by Caiden Fratangelo, was created to look into other methods of addressing the upcoming vote.

Further ideas on the subject included presenting the board with hard facts on the issue, by talking to admissions, talking to alumni, and looking into the adverse impact of increasing tuition in other schools in similar situations. Things like a decrease in retention rate and future enrollment, as a result of the tuition increase, were on the forefront of the Senate members’ minds.

Ideas about re-analyzing the school’s budget to find other sources of money were also mentioned, and will be passed on to President Barazzone and the Board.

The difficulty with this course of action, however, lies in finding the information necessary to make a case. When it comes to hard facts and statistics, the CSG is essentially in the dark regarding the specifics of the situation. With relatively little access to any pertinent information about the tuition increase, the Senate is unable to make any progress without resorting to speculation, a course of action to which they are obviously opposed.

While the Senate still has yet to make final decisions on the measures which will be taken, students are encouraged to take an active role by signing the petition, and making the Board aware of the importance of this issue to the students of this institution.

For further information, or to offer feedback or suggestions, feel free to contact the Chatham Student Government at csg@chatham.edu, or the CSG Executive President Mareija Bibbs at mbibbs@chatham.edu.

Despite difficulties, Chatham softball perseveres in 2014

February 2, 2014 Admin

Chatham University’s Women’s Softball team is facing a year of transition. In 2013 the Cougars posted a record of 8-28 and finished 10th in the President’s Athletic Conference. The Cougars also graduated seven seniors, and coach Kelsey Knapp left the program.

This year the Cougars are facing uncertainty. With only five returning players, fielding a team with game experience is going to be a challenge.

“Everyday is a struggle at practice. You can only go so far with your individual skills. It comes to a point where you need the rest of the team to work together,” said senior Jenn Stefano.

“We are trying to create a pitcher out of the five players we have. We don’t have a recruited pitcher either,” said senior Anne Marie Brnardic.

First Year Kate Lewis was recruited to pitch for Chatham this year but had to leave the school due to unrelated reasons. Lewis was surprised by how small the team was but despite the small numbers, felt support from the Chatham community.

“The girls on the team were very welcoming. We were like our own little family. However, there was poor communication and a lack of organization. The other coaches were great by helping us out before they hired a new coach, and the other athletes were very supportive by offering to join the team,” said Lewis.

To fill out the roster, the Cougars are going to need to find students willing to play. Other student athletes at the school have stepped up and volunteered to join the program.

Coach retention has been a major problem for the Chatham softball program. The seniors currently on the team have now had three coaches in four seasons. It is hard to recruit and build a team when the coaches are not staying long enough to help.

On November 1, 2013, William “Bill” Gilbert was hired to coach the softball team. Gilbert has experience coaching at the Division I and II levels, as well as experience coaching the National Junior team in Sweden.

A new coach brings new hope to the Chatham program. Gilbert has his eyes set on the 2015 season. Athletic Director Terlynn Olds said of Gilbert, “He has begun recruiting and he is attending tournaments.”

2014 is going to be a rebuilding year for the Cougars, but with a new coach, the future of the program looks optimistic.

Open letter to the Department of Public Works: keep our streets clean

February 2, 2014 Admin

On Tuesday, January 21, the most recent amount of snowfall hit Pittsburgh and caused a lot of problems on the streets. Like always, Public Works claimed–before the snow arrived–that they were prepared for the impending snow and that the streets would be taken care of. However, when I woke up on that Tuesday morning the streets were not even touched. They were terrible and very dangerous.

The reason why I think this happened was because Pittsburgh Public Schools and most of the other schools around the city were closed due to the weather. Public Works must have felt that since the children were not going to be in school, it was ok to not take care of the roads. This mindset is unfair to all of the people who still had to go to work and to all of the college students who still had school. For students who commute, like myself, it was rough getting to school that day. Traffic was backed up for miles and it took a lot longer to get to Chatham than it usually does.

I saw later on the news that there was an accident on a street that I had been on just a few hours earlier. This is scary to think about because it all could have been prevented if the roads were treated properly. Public Works should take care of the streets regardless of whether Pittsburgh Public Schools are in session or not. The fact that winter is far from over means that Public Works should take responsibility for their actions and make sure that they truly are prepared for what’s to come. They should do less talking and more doing.

*Edited 2/18/14: Penndot changed to the Department of Public Works