Khushi Rai Staff Writer
Meg Anderson is considering never drinking again — even after Dry January ends.
“I think for me, I’m considering not drinking at all again after this because I feel really good,” Anderson, a senior finance and information systems major, said. “I’m saving money and I’ve had a lot of fun without it.”
While alcohol consumption is fairly regular on college campuses, some students will remain sober this month to partake in Dry January, an initiative that invites participants to abstain from alcohol. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says around 53% of full-time college students drank alcohol in the past month and estimates 33% of students engaged in binge drinking.
Christina Mair, an associate professor in the department of behavioral and community health sciences, said some of the risks associated with alcohol consumption are not widely known.
“Alcohol is related to lots of cancer incidences,” Mair said. “It’s a really strong risk factor for breast cancer and I don’t think a lot of people understand that … For a long time, there was this idea, especially in the 90s, that having a glass of wine was really good for you. First of all, that is not true. Even setting that aside, it still causes cancer.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, alcohol consumption — particularly binge drinking — can lead to higher risks of head and neck, liver and breast cancers. The National Cancer Institute defines binge drinkers as women who consume four or more drinks and men who consume five or more drinks in one sitting.
Mair said lots of people drink the most during their twenties, adding that a “shocking” number of college students could be classified as having an active alcohol use disorder.
“It sort of peaks at that age,” Mair said. “There are these interesting consequences, such as those who go on to develop long-term alcohol use disorders versus those who don’t.”
“Even sporting events are usually drinking atmospheres,” Anderson said. “If more people were considered role models on campus or more organizations and student groups pushed events and activities that don’t involve drinking, then maybe people wouldn’t feel as pressured to do it as often.”
Mair also said the heightened availability of alcohol during college could play a role in high alcohol consumption in younger people.
consumption’s effect on behavior and said alcohol may be involved in nationwide violence on college campuses.
“So there are also lots of behaviors related to either alcohol consumption or places where people drink and socialize,” Mair said. “So much of the sexual violence, sexual assault and partner violence there is on college campuses, alcohol is there in some sort of way.”
Olivia Studnicki, a junior chemistry major and president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said she is interested in allocating resources on campus for students struggling with addiction. She said SSDP works to promote educational and rehabilitative policy.
“Combating alcohol use disorder among college students should follow a rehabilitation model where students aren’t punished for misuse, but instead given the help they need,” Studnicki said. “Part of giving students the help they need is helping them feel safe and comfortable enough to recognize when there is a problem, and feeling secure enough to reach out.”
A student places a can of alcoholic seltzer into a fridge. TPN File Photo
Anderson said abstaining from alcohol has been a personal discipline test, and it would be easier for students to drink less if fewer weekend activities for college students involved alcohol.
“I remember anecdotally, as a college student, the measures said that four or more drinks were considered binge or heavy drinking,” Mair said. “That’s a lot of alcohol consumption. As an adult, I can’t remember the last time I drank that much, but as a college student, four drinks was just a normal Thursday night.”
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol may encourage violent behavior and aggression. Mair warned about alcohol
Mair said because she is a social epidemiologist, she often thinks about the politics and social characteristics that lead to the disorder.
“There are genetic predispositions to an alcohol use disorder,” Mair said. “That’s not an unimportant bit, but so much of it is situations, circumstances, and contexts that you are in … For example, childhood traumas and adversity are strongly related to current alcohol consumption as an adult. Those aren’t weaknesses of character. Those are circumstances and life events that have placed you at a higher risk.”
Spring semester is in full swing and winter is well underway, but Pittsburgh is still bustling with plenty of upcoming events. Here is a compilation of arts and entertainment activities to look forward to in February and March.
In the spirit of Black History Month, Pitts burgh Public Theatre is reimagining this Shakespeare classic to include elements of Black culture and African spiritual traditions. Discounted tickets are available through PittARTS for this production, which runs Feb. 1 to Feb. 19 in the O’Reilly Theatre.
This concert series returns on Feb. 11 and Feb. 25, featuring professional musicians performing contemporary pieces for $15 general admission. Ensemble Dal Niente, a Chicago-based chamber ensemble, will perform at The Warhol Theater on Feb 11. If you prefer to stay on campus, musical ensemble No Exit performs in Bellefield Hall on Feb. 25.
Comedy meets mystery in August Wilson’s production “Seven Guitars” presented by Pitt Stages. This event is $15 with a student ID and runs from Feb. 17 through Feb. 23 in the Charity Randall Theatre.
This open mic night spotlights Black talent and takes place in the Cathedral of Learning’s new Understory space on Feb. 23 from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Performers will address themes including the Black experience, Black joy and resistance.
Pitt Tonight, Pitt’s late night comedy show, returns on Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Richard E. Rauh Studio Theatre. Free of charge, this show includes plenty of comedy sketches performed in front of a live studio audience.
The Westmoreland Museum of Art opens a new art installation from Feb. 26 to May 28. The exhibit features modern Native American art, and admission to the museum is free.
Many Pittsburghers have strong Irish lineage, so the annual St. Paddy’s Day Parade is always grand — this parade will include about 20,000 participants. The route begins on Liberty and 11th Street and continues 1.4 miles through Downtown.
Visit the Monroeville Convention Center from March 17 to March 19 for one of the region’s largest arts and crafts events. Vendors will offer handcrafted jewelry, painting, candles, clothing and more.
The Pittsburgh Cultural District and the Carnegie Mellon Humanities Center are hosting the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival from March 24 to March 26. This event will feature local artists, performers, activists and academics promoting dialogue on various social issues. Location TBD.
A frantic saxophone and wild trombone duet onstage, moving their instruments in spiraling motions. The stage background features an abstract painting that displays a mess of vibrant colors and oblong shapes. Upon closer look, one sees a variety of expressions ranging from anger to joy.
City of Asylum hosted a concert on Sunday featuring jazz music of the late Thelonious Monk accompanied by the abstract paintings of Norman Klenicki in an exhibit titled “Music, Visual Art, & Mental Health: Klenicki Meets Monk.” The event addressed themes such as mental health and the legacy of trauma caused by the Holocaust.
City of Asylum on the North Side is an organization that seeks to provide refuge to artists and writers who faced persecution in their home countries. The organization also hosts a wide array of free-to-attend arts events.
Lisa Parker, who hatched the idea for the “Klenicki Meets Monk,” is the director of Pitt’s center for bioethics and health law. She said the event ties together is-
sues surrounding the stigmatization of mental health as well as intergenerational trauma.
“The exhibit brings together ethical issues surrounding mental health and its treatment … with ethical issues surrounding the Holocaust, which is part of
the legacy of research ethics and bioethics because of the experimentation that occurred,” Parker said.
Klenicki and Monk have both faced challenges caused by bipolar disorder, a condition where one experiences swings between emotions of mania and
depression.
Klenicki said his art is a vehicle for expression, an intuitive process that allows him to put himself in each piece. He added that during his manic phases in particular he became extremely productive with his art.
“I worked always intuitively, I felt like a conduit for a universal energy, you know, it’d just come through,” Klenicki said. “In the ’90s… the medicines weren’t great and had side effects so I stopped taking medication. Pretty much, I was on fire. I painted day and night, I produced 300 to 400 paintings.”
Monk displayed similar patterns due to his condition, Parker said.
“Monk had the same experiences as far as we know… You can watch a film with him, and watch his agitation and his animation and excitement as he’s composing and performing,” Parker said.
Parker added that by uniting the work of two artists with similar lived experiences, the exhibition hopes to highlight the similarities between those with disorders and those without.
A little bit less than a year ago, I was on my way to Carnegie Mellon’s campus to pick up a Valentine’s Day gift. It was super bright out and the air wasn’t too chilly — I don’t even think I was wearing a jacket. I was walking along Forbes Avenue next to the Cathedral, truthfully not paying much attention to my surroundings, when all of a sudden I heard multiple cars right next to me start to honk. I looked to my right to see a young man bolting in front of cars driving on Forbes, and before I knew it he was standing right in front of me. I reached into my pocket and realized the pepper spray I’ve never used was gone —- I had forgotten it at my dorm.
Thankfully, the man had stood far enough away from me to keep my racing heart from falling outside of my chest. The only reason he ran across Forbes Avenue was to tell me that “I looked good” and to ask if I was single. When I told him no, he simply said okay and quite literally sprinted off in the other direction.
I didn’t know what to think of the situation and after a few moments of standing there in shock, I carried on with my mission. I went straight home after my trip to CMU to tell my roommates what just occurred. We spent the night joking about it, and in retrospect, it was a little bit of a goofy situation. But I learned a valuable lesson that day. And since then, I have never left home without my pepper spray.
While my experience was ultimately outlandish and wild, there’s no doubt it could have gone significantly worse. I was in broad daylight with cars driving beside me, but ultimately I was alone on that street without any method to defend myself. I was all by myself. Luckily, it wasn’t a much worse situation.
If you see a woman walking by herself, at any time of the day, simply do not interact with her. It’s one of the easiest tasks, but even the smartest of men fail. Women can never be sure if they are safe with a stranger. Even if they mean well, that is a risk most of us are not willing to take. My coldness may hurt your feelings, but I would rather ignore you than trust the wrong stranger and be put in a terrible situation I can’t get out of. My safety comes before your feelings.
I’ve had other odd and even terrifying interactions with men while walking alone since that moment last year. In fact, it was only a few months ago when the string of sexual assaults took place around campus and last year when
the “blanket guy” became the talk of campus. It was just a few weeks ago when my roommate was waiting at her bus stop when a random man tried to put his arms around her. It has never been 100% safe to be alone.
The unfortunate reality is that we do have to worry in order to keep ourselves safe. Here are some ideas my friends and I do to stay safe while out and about in the city — calling each other on the phone, carrying pepper spray, keeping whistles on us and, if need be, taking SafeRider or calling the Pitt Police to take us home. Until we can trust the world outside of our homes, precautions must be taken in order to keep ourselves safe.
One step that can be taken until then is to stop talking to women who are walking by themselves. It’s a small and easy step to take on and a standard we should start setting as a society. Women can only protect themselves so much. It is up to others to change so that we can comfortably walk by ourselves and live our lives in peace.
Fikayomi Olagbami | Staff IllustratorThere are many reasons for women to be afraid when walking alone in a big city. So, if you — the person reading this column right now — want to do something to somewhat quell the fear that many women face on a daily basis while out living our lives — please do not talk to us.
According to statistics from the End Violence Against Women organization, one in every two women feel unsafe walking in a dark, busy and public place. This data increases to four in every five women feeling uneasy when walking alone in a dark open space. Luckily, Pitt’s campus after dark is relatively lively. But as someone who lives off campus, the walk from Cathy to my apartment building is always a little terrifying. Even the walks to some of the further dorms on the outskirts of campus can make anyone a little uneasy.
If walking alone in the place we live already puts women on edge, you know what makes it worse? Strangers talking to us.
Do not, under any circumstance, walk up to a woman who is walking alone by herself. This rule
should apply to all times of the day, especially at night when we are already on edge. If you are in desperate need of assistance, seek out a larger group of people. People should actively try to make each other feel more safe and more comfortable while out and about living our lives. There is already so much to stress and worry about. Fearing that someone might randomly walk up to us and hurt us shouldn’t add to that list of fears.
Livia LaMarca mostly writes about American political discourse and pop culture. Write to her at lll60@pitt.edu
FRI, jan. 27-THURS, feb. 2
Women Talking (PG-13)
Fri: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Sat & Sun: 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Mon & Tue: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Wed: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
Thu: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30
A Man Called Otto (PG-13)
Fri - Tue: 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:35
Wed: 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:35 Thu: 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:35
M3GAN (PG-13)
Fri: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40
Sat & Sun: 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40 Mon & Tue: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40
Wed: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40 Thu: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40
Living (PG-13)
Fri: 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20
Sat & Sun: 12:40, 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20 Mon & Tue: 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20
Wed: 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20
Thu: 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20
It’s hard to pinpoint a head coach across the NCAA volleyball landscape who’s found as much success in the transfer portal as Pitt’s very own, Dan Fisher.
Of course, he’s a savant at developing players as well — just look at former players such as Kayla Lund and Chinaza Ndee and current players such as junior setter Rachel Fairbanks and junior libero Emmy Klika. But it’s safe to say that Pitt volleyball doesn’t achieve back-toback Final Fours without their transfer stars.
Fisher’s team was already loaded with All-American talent headed into the 2021 season, but he still saw room for improvement, recruiting Missouri outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh and Penn State middle blocker Serena Gray. Despite already having impressive resumes going into their first seasons with the Panthers, the two players put together stellar years, each bringing home All-American honors and playing massive roles in Pitt’s first-ever Four run.
Last season, the Panthers looked poised for a rebuilding year after losing program mainstays Lund and Ndee while Member-Meneh moved onto professional volleyball in Italy. But again, he utilized the transfer portal and recruited graduate student right side hitter
Courtney Buzzerio and sophomore outside hitter Julianna Dalton.
The two had fantastic years, but Buzzerio in particular was a revelation for the Panthers, earning first-team All-American honors and guiding Pitt to its second consecutive Final Four in her lone season with the team.
While the 2023 season is still months away, the transfer portal is already alive and thriving, with several All-Americans already finding new homes within weeks of the 2022 season’s conclusion.
It’s inevitable in college sports that star players will graduate and teams must find adequate replacements for them — but once again, the Panthers’ losses leave gaping holes in their lineup. It’s once again time for Fisher to address these spots and build a competitive roster.
The reality of winning and having tournament success year-after-year is increased expectations from your fans — for Fisher and Pitt volleyball, those expectations are as lofty as ever. Here’s an analysis of the program’s returners, recruits and areas of need as they progress through the 2023 offseason.
While Pitt’s departing players from last season’s team might not seem as impactful as losing Lund, Ndee and Member-Meneh, they might actually have a similar impact on the team.
The most glaring departure is Buzzerio, who needs no further introduction. In her one year with the Panthers she brought pure dominance to the right side of Pitt’s attack. At 6 feet, 5 inches, she was a force, quite simply overpowering opposing blocks and imposing her will on defenses, especially in close games.
Statistically, Buzzerio stood head and shoulders above her teammates attack-wise, recording a team high 461 kills with a remarkable .320 hitting percentage. In terms of both production and presence, replacing her is a near-impossible task.
In the middle, the Panthers suffered two devastating losses in Gray and former middle blocker Chiamaka Nwokolo. The two blockers were mainstays in the lineup, but were most valuable in their leadership abilities. When the team hit lulls in a match, both Gray and Nwokolo often took the role of vocal leader, boosting their teammates morale when they needed it most.
Last season, Gray had a career year for the Panthers, earning first-team All-American honors and leading
the team with 131 blocks. In addition to her defensive abilities, she was stellar offensively, recording 248 kills and 26 aces. Nwokolo also reached triple digit blocks, notching 105 on the season.
Losing two first-team All-Americans in one year is both a blessing and a curse — on one hand, it shows that the program is undoubtedly in the upper echelon of college programs, recruiting and developing high-level talent. It shows potential recruits that they will have success and improve as a player at Pitt and under Fisher.
On the other hand, they lost two first-team AllAmericans. Replacing them doesn’t happen overnight.
Sure, Pitt lost some of its best players in program history to graduation this year — but that doesn’t mean it lost everything.
Headlining the core of returning players are the setters — Fairbanks and graduate student Alexis Akeo. Last year, the best passing teams went the furthest in the tournament, and the Panthers were no exception, often playing at their best with two setters in Fisher’s 6-2 system.
Fairbanks is one of the most exciting players in the country — she can play every rotation, setting a hitter on one play and attacking from the right side on the next. Her unpredictability is a weapon for the Panthers, always creating opportunities for her teammates.
Attacking-wise, Pitt returns outside hitters Dalton and senior Valeria Vazquez Gomez. Like Fairbanks, Dalton can do a bit of everything. She’s always playing above the net, frequently blocking and attacking from the left side but also excels defensively in the back row.
Her counterpart Vazquez Gomez had a career year in 2022, earning second-team All-American honors after catching fire late in the season. As of now, she’s the Panthers’ most promising weapon offensively, as she ranked second on the team with 359 kills last year.
The Panthers also return senior outside hitter Cat Flood, who should see an increased role in 2023. Regardless of how much time she spends on the floor, Flood is a weapon on serve, posting 16 aces with a remarkable 1.45 ace-to-error ratio.
Defensively, the Panthers boast rising talent with both junior libero Emmy Klika and sophomore middle
blocker Rachel Jepsen. Klika took a huge step forward last season, taking over as starting libero late in the season and showing glimpses of her potential. She was crucial on serve-receive in the postseason and is only getting better.
Jepsen didn’t see much time on the floor due to the talent in front of her at middle blocker, but she has a very high ceiling. She’s physically imposing, standing at 6 feet, 4 inches, and was a top-100 recruit out of high school. Replacing someone like Gray is incredibly difficult — but Jepsen is a potential star in the making.
Fisher’s 2023 high school recruiting class is the best in program history. Ranked No. 8 in the country by PrepVolleyball.com, the Panthers boast four top100 recruits, three of whom are hitters.
Right side hitter Olivia Babcock and outside hitter Torrey Stafford impressed at the Under Armour All-American game, both winning MVP of their respective teams. Stafford is the No. 7 ranked player in the country, and Babcock is ranked No. 35 nationally.
Pitt’s other two recruits are outside hitter Blaire Bayless, who’s the No. 44 ranked recruit, and setter Haiti Tautua’a, who’s ranked No. 66. Bayless also played in the All-American game, and Tautua’a is the No. 1 ranked player in Hawaii.
Fisher’s class is incredibly deep, and while the players might not produce right away, they are a sure sign that the program is still on an upward trajectory. But looking at the current situation, the Panthers still have several areas of need that they must address in the transfer portal if they want to compete for a national championship this season.
They addressed one of their needs in the portal on Monday, when former Virginia Tech libero/ defensive specialist Logan Mosley announced her commitment to Pitt. The senior has over 1,000 career digs and provides Fisher with much needed depth defensively. At the very least, she will compete with Klika for the starting spot while providing a spark on both sides of the serve-receive.
The team’s biggest current need is at middle blocker. They have Jepsen, and she has incredible potential, but at the very least they need one more established player for depth. Last season, the Panthers had four middle blockers on their roster — they can’t go into this season with just one.
While the incoming recruits provide a huge boost to the offense, an experienced hitter certainly wouldn’t hurt. A piece similar to Buzzerio or Member-Meneh would provide a level of maturity and poise to a very young team that won’t always know how to react in high-pressure situations.
There’s still plenty of offseason left for Fisher and his staff to make their mark on the transfer portal for the third season in a row — if they can add two or three talented players with high-level experience, there’s nothing holding this team back from competing for National Championships next year and beyond.
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“It’s good for others without a mental health condition to know that people with mental health conditions engage in the same sort of creative and intellectual activities,” Parker said. “That makes someone with bipolar disorder much like you and me.”
Klenicki expressed a similar sentiment, stating his hope that art can make mental illness less frightening.
“Making my situation and Monk’s situation public, and relating to the music and the painting, could make it less stigmatized,” Klenicki said.
Klenicki’s website is centered around educating others about mental illness as well as addressing generational trauma.
“The main thing for me is the website because the
website is teaching about the Holocaust, because both of my parents are survivors, as well as mental illness. I hope that is making people more aware about both things.” Klenicki said.
Thomas Wendt, the drummer for the event, chose to play Monk’s compositions such as “Bright Mississippi” and “Criss-Cross.”
“I let the paintings tell me about what I was going to choose,” Wendt said. “I would look at the paintings and think of one of Monk’s melodies. It added a whole new dimension to [Monk’s] music.”
Klenicki also shared that his parents were Holocaust survivors who experienced the horrors of Auschwitz.
“It’s a miracle that they were even able to have
family and move on in life. For instance, my mother would wake me up in the night screaming, and would have nightmares about it,” Klenicki said. “My mother actually got grand mal epilepsy because of a beating she took from a German SS guy and that was a constant reminder.”
Despite his struggles, Klenicki persevered and produced work that he is proud of. He said he has access to better medication and now has a better relationship with his mental health.
“I work slower, because I’m not coming from the same place. Now I’m better, medicated, so I’m calmer, so it’s different,” Klenicki said. “I work every day, three or four hours. It’s my therapy, my meditation in a way.”
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