January 26, 2017 Volume 96 Number 19 THE DUQUESNE DUKE www.duqsm.com PROUDLY SERVING OUR CAMPUS SINCE 1925 Duquesne students join Women’s March DU law Craig Taylor staff writer profs. WASHINGTON, D.C. — At 4:15 a.m. on Jan. 21, Duquesne speech reject AG pathology graduate students Sarah Leech and Jessica Arruda loaded a charter bus headed on nominee a four-hour trip to Washington, D.C. for the Women’s March on Washington. Raymond Arke “I just think it was something asst. news editor that I think I’ll never forget and A new president means a new I hope that one day I get to tell administration. Sometimes, how- my kids about it or my grandkids ever, appointees can draw plenty of about how I went,” Arruda said. controversy. The Women’s March on Wash- Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, ington was organized to bring the nominee for Attorney General, light to social issues surrounding has garnered significant scrutiny gender, race and religion in the since he was picked for the job. On United States. Held the day after Jan. 10 and 11, he faced in his hear- Donald Trump’s presidential in- ing a national letter of over 1,000 auguration, nearly 500,000 pro- law school professors opposing his testors surrounded the National nomination — two of whom are Mall by that afternoon, according from Duquesne. to The New York Times. Tiffany Sizemore-Thompson is Leech and Arruda joined the thou- an assistant clinical professor and sands of others in the streets of D.C. supervises several law clinics at heading to a rally, which would be Duquesne. She decided to sign the followed by the march itself. Many letter opposing Sessions because wore pink knitted “pussyhats,” while of his stances on civil rights and others held picket signs criticizing to support other professors who President Trump. Craig Taylor/Staff Writer shared her opinion. see MARCH — page 2 A group of picket sign-carrying Women’s March protesters move toward the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Jan. 21. see SESSIONS — page 3 Event to discuss current Pa. legislation on police body cameras Brandon Addeo rector of Pennsylvania’s Office of more trust in policing and govern- news editor Open Records and Duquesne Asso- ment by private citizens and the me- ciate Law Professor John Rago, who dia and more solid evidence in the An event at Duquesne this Friday helped draft a bill on body-worn adjudication of criminal and civil will discuss the balance between cameras (BWCs) currently in the complaints,” he said. protecting privacy and protecting state legislature. SB 976 passed the state Senate police investigations. Pennsylvania Senate Bill 976, 45-5 on Oct. 19, and is now being The Cyril H. Wecht Institute of first introduced in 2015, seeks to considered by the House of Rep- Forensic Science and Law is hosting change wording in the Wiretap Act resentatives. The state House is “Balancing Safety, Justice and Pri- — which makes recording an indi- also considering objections to vacy: Body-Worn Cameras, Foren- vidual’s voice without their consent the proposed bill from members sic Evidence and the Right to Know” a third-degree felony — to protect of the media and the American Jan. 27 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in police officers who capture audio in Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Power Center Ballroom. a private residence. who took issue with the “current The talk will cover the history of “Currently, the Wiretap Act does near-impossibility” for members how police record encounters with not permit officers to enter a private of the public to access audio and suspects, current legislation re- residence with an activated body- video from body-worn cameras, garding body camera use and “the worn camera,” Sen. Stewart Green- Courtesy of West Midlands Police/Flickr according to Wecht. competing interests of public safety, leaf (R-Bucks), the bill’s primary Police body cameras will be discussed at the event, a part of the Cyril H. Wecht According to the bill, citizens privacy and the ‘right to know,’” ac- sponsor, wrote in a 2015 memoran- Institute’s “Forensic Fridays” series, along with a pending bill in the state House. will not be able to access audio and cording to Ben Wecht, program ad- dum to the Senate. “My legislation video recordings under Pennsylva- ministrator for the Cyril H. Wecht will permit officers to do so, because tect the privacy of the occupants Wecht said SB 976 has many po- nia’s Right to Know Law. Instead, Institute. so much of their work involves re- of the residence, and the re- tential benefits. a requestor must make a written Speakers at the event include sponding to incidents taking place cordings will enhance any pros- “If passed, it is expected that this request to the police department in Pittsburgh Police Cmdr. Clarence inside a residence. ecution of wrongdoers inside the bill would create greater account- Trapp; Erik Arneson, executive di- “Measures can be taken to pro- residence,” he added. ability by law enforcement agencies, see CAMERAS — page 12 opinions features sports a & e Follow us on... Hot Gabon and Down goes People’s Choice water communism Pitt Awards Earth’s tempertature We dug up Ice Hockey team 43rd iteration of hits record Duquesne history sweeps rival Panthers award show highs ... in CIA docs ... on the year ... kicks off ... @theduquesneduke PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 9 2 THEDUQUESNEDUKE bluff briefs ‘Split’ criticized for portrayal of mental illness Annual Founders Week Hallie Lauer me about how complex their comes back to Duquesne layout editor minds can be, and how hard it can be living with a disorder like This Sunday, Jan. 29, kicks off M. Night Shyamalan’s new mov- that,” Reilly Zimmerman, a fresh- Duquesne’s annual Founder’s ie “Split” hit theaters Jan. 20, and man journalism major, said. Week. The theme of this year’s while Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 75 For students like Zimmerman events is “To the Ends of the Earth,” percent rating, many movie goers and freshman international rela- which will focus on the Spiritan were displeased with the movie’s tions major Gordon Turley, the mission of international service. portrayal of individuals who suffer movie was an eye-opener. A variety of events will be held, from mental illnesses. “On the surface it demonized starting with mass at 11 a.m. on Many online health awareness mental illness, but if you look Jan. 29. Other events during the communities, including U.S. mental past that you realize that this guy week include a luncheon examin- illness support group The Mighty, is grappling with an illness [that] ing Duquesne from World War II were displeased with the portrayal no one thinks he has,” Turley to present, an event featuring Fr. of the antagonist in the movie. said. “I thought it was more in Ray French interviewing President The film’s antagonist, Kevin — time to start discussions and con- Gormley, and a concert featuring played by James McAvoy — is a versations about the unknowns of music from around the world. man living with dissociative iden- mental illness.” On Wednesday, Feb. 1, there tity disorder (DID), previously According to NAMI, one in five will be a local beer flight with hors Courtesy of Universal Pictures known as multiple personality dis- adults are living with mental ill- d’oeuvres featuring Spiritans dis- Kevin (James McAvoy), the antagonist in Shyamalan’s “Split,” who suffers from dis- order. He has 23 different person- ness, and in the past year 60 per- cussing their various world travels. sociative identity disorder. Mental health advocacy groups have criticized the film’s alities, one of them being referred cent of those adults did not re- The event is 21 and up only and an portrayal of mental illness in a character defined as the villain in the horror film. to as “The Beast.” ceive mental health services. RSVP is required. The cost is $25. The plot also revolves around Because of this, mental illnesses A closing vespers service will ie was “twisted” and “awesome.” acting this way,” Samantha Prin- him kidnapping three young are often highly misunderstood. be held on Friday, Feb. 3 at 4:30 “However, it did enhance the gle, assistant to the director of girls, creating a villain out of the “The movie is portraying it in p.m. in Trinity Hall and a recep- bad stereotypes of mental illness the Wellness Center and licensed one character in the movie with a a horrific way that is scary and tion will follow. RSVP is required because it implies that everyone social worker, said. “Mental mental illness. traumatizing,” Pringle said. “I for the reception. suffering from the multiple per- health is still a stigma, so when a The Mighty wrote a letter Dec. sonality disorder is insane and movie has similar elements it can would be very empathetic to the 29 to Shyamalan saying that “‘Split’ terrible,” Ebbert said. be upsetting.” people affected by this movie.” represents yet another gross par- According to the National Alli- Many other independent blog- She said, however, that it POLICE briefs ody of [those with mental illness] ance on Mental Illness (NAMI), gers took up the same cause, should not be taken too seriously. Cousin PB has been hearing based on fear, ignorance and sen- about two percent of the U.S. agreeing that this portrayal was “Mental health is such a stigma a lot of talk lately about “fake sationalism, only much worse.” population suffers from DID, offensive to people with DID, yet that, when it’s portrayed this way, news” and “alternative facts.” After seeing the movie, Stepha- making it one of the lesser known other movie goers, including some people are affected by that, but it Rest assured, Cousin PB’s re- nie Ebbert, a freshman elementa- mental disorders.