3-27-24

The Pitt News

JENNY ALLARD KNOWS PITT SOFTBALL MUST ‘DIG DEEP’ TO COMPETE IN THE ACC

Pitt softball’s first-year head coach Jenny Allard sought a new challenge at Pitt. After 29 seasons of success at Harvard, the legendary coach contemplated retirement.

With nine Ivy League championships, 688 career wins and an NFCA Hall of Fame induction,  she accomplished it all. She could complete her third decade as Harvard’s head coach and ride off into the sunset.

Her plans changed after receiving texts from Pitt athletic director, Heather Lyke — her friend and former softball teammate at Michigan.

“I had been in the Ivy League 29 years, I was looking to retire in two to three from coaching,” Allard said.

“Then here comes Heather Lyke texting me about the Pitt opportunity. For me, this opportunity gets you to the pinnacle of college softball in terms of competitiveness. And that’s exactly what drew me to Pittsburgh.”

The challenge of playing in the ACC continued this

past weekend, as Pitt softball (8-21, 0-9 ACC) hosted No. 18 Florida State (21-9, 4-2 ACC) for their homeopening series in front of three sellout crowds.

“It was great to be in Pittsburgh this week,” Allard said. “I think the fans were great. They showed a lot of dedication when the game yesterday got delayed an hour while sitting in the cold. We’re just super excited to be home to be playing to start to settle in here.”

Florida State best represents the allure of competing in the ACC. The Seminoles made the NCAA cham-

pionship two of the last three seasons while winning six ACC conference titles and eight ACC tournament championships this decade. They utilized their experience and elite talent to sweep the Panthers in three games that ended by the mercy rule.

“We talked to the team about Florida State being a perennial ACC champion and top of the conference team,” Allard said. “They are the perfect team to challenge us and push us. They showed us what we need to See Softball on page 4

Alex Porter Staff Writer

Junior pitcher Adriana Romano (16) pitches the ball during Saturday afternoon’s game against Florida State at Vartabedian Field. Kaylee Uribe | Senior Staff Photographer

‘THESE AREN’T LITTLE FURRY PETS’:

CHESTERFIELD TENANTS DISCUSS LOCALIZED RAT INFESTATION

Amanda Yu Staff Writer

Chesterfield Road, on a steep hill in West Oakland, is home to many things: dozens of Pitt students, longtime residents, UPMC workers and, most notably, an extremely localized infestation of hundreds of rats.

Eloise Clark, a Chesterfield resident for 24 years, said she’s seen this before.

“When I was younger I lived a couple houses up, when my kids were small,” Clark said. “There was a

rat problem then, but the city stepped in and got rid of them. Then years passed and I moved back onto the street, same rat problem.”

Clark recalled certain nights where different street animals would fight with the rats, which she could hear from her home.

“These aren’t little furry pets,” Clark said. “You could hear the rats fighting with the cats out here at night. And you would think the cats would win, but it was the rats that were winning.”

Clark said she believes the rats are caused by certain student tenants mishandling trash. She called the mayor’s office several times, asking them “to please put some bait down,” but received no response.

“You get the few who really just don't give a damn,” Clark said. “They throw garbage everywhere, and they just don't care. I want the city to step in like they did some years ago and get rid of [the rats].”

Audrey Nagata, a sophomore pharmacy major who has lived on Chesterfield since August, said the rats change how she does daily tasks like taking out the trash.

“When we're taking our trash out sometimes, we're afraid to pick it up, so we'll kind of just kick

it and stand there for a little bit,” Nagata said. “Sometimes we'll pick it up and be walking, and there will be one inside, and it's really scary.”

Like Clark, Nagata attributes the infestation to the immense amount of trash accumulation.

“When we first got here, the trash trucks weren't coming down the street for some reason, and the trash was just out for like four weeks,” Nagata said.

According to Nagata and other residents, the hot weather and pileup made it the worst in the fall.

“In the first like two months we were here, you could hear them at night trying to tip the trash cans over,” Nagata said. “I live on the lower floor, so they'll just be outside my window sometimes crawling on the trash,” Nagata said.

Nagata’s landlord requires her to put out and clean up trash during specific hours, which she finds helpful.

Spilled trash cans on Chesterfield Road in Oakland.

“I wish people on the street, like the landlords, would make a stricter rule for how you keep trash,” Nagata said.

Previous initiatives by the city have attempted to address the massive amount of garbage pileup, such as the annual Garbage Olympics. Last fall, according to the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, 482 volunteers collected 926 bags of trash throughout the city.

The Department also recently issued changes to Pittsburgh’s normal trash and recycling collection schedule, according to WPXI. Cardboard boxes will no longer be collected during non-recycling weeks in an effort to ensure recyclable materials don’t go to landfill.

With these changes, some residents say educating the student population on proper disposal rules is the solution. Clark said students should be “be reeducated about how important it is when you're living close like this.”

The Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC) created an initiative to educate students living in Oakland on proper trash and recycling disposal. Volunteers went door to door in Oakland, distributing fridge magnets with a QR code leading to a student resource page with collection schedules, disposal guides and other resources.

Despite these efforts, accumulation remains an issue for students like Maggie Galvin, a sophomore

Sullivan | Staff Photographer media and professional communications major, who would often see a “freshly run-over rat” regularly.

“[The trash accumulation was] the worst when we first moved in,” Galvin said. “There was a lot of trash buildup from the students who had just moved out.”

Galvin’s roommate Leah Brush, a sophomore biology major, cites the city’s collection schedules as the main issue.

“Pickup is once a week and recycling is every two weeks, so it’s hard to avoid. We get new trash cans and they chew holes through them,” Brush said.

Joseph Suzow, who has lived on Chesterfield for 15 years, also said the main issue is trash containment.

“The primary issue definitely is containment,” Suzow said. “If the rats can’t get to the trash, they don't have anything to eat, they're gonna leave.”

Suzow built a fence around his front lawn to prevent rats from damaging or knocking his trash cans into the street. Like many other residents, he’s struggled with rats damaging his property and eating through the cans.

“The regular trash cans that you get, they'll eat right through the bottom of it,” Suzow said.

For those without a protective fence, “Once the rats do get in the trash, it’s littered on the sidewalks and it just sits there marinating,” Galvin said.

Chesterfield Road in Oakland. Liam Sullivan | Staff Photographer

Liam

PITT DANCE MARATHON RAISES OVER

$357,000 FOR UPMC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

Ryleigh Lord News Editor

Pitt Dance Marathon held its 18th annual fundraiser on March 23 in the Cost Sports Center. According to PDM President Anna Jacobs, a senior nutrition and dietetics major, the success of the event is due in large part to the network of supporters who raise money and attend the marathon.

“Our network is certainly my favorite part of PDM,” Jacobs said. “We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them.”

The dance marathon is a 10-hour-long event that serves as the culmination of months of fundraising for the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation. This year, PDM raised $357,084.52 through individual donor drives and fundraising efforts.

The event started at 10 a.m. on Saturday

with performances from the Pitt Dance Ensemble, Club Cheer, and other student organizations who donated their time to be there. Participants and “miracle kids,” the children for whom the money is raised, made friendship bracelets and tutus and danced to silent discos throughout the day.

Jacobs thanked the students who participated and helped PDM reach the amount they raised.

“I would also be remiss not to mention all of the amazing students that registered to participate,” Jacobs said. “Without their dedication and excitement about our cause, we wouldn’t be able to raise such a large sum of money for the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation.”

The event was put together by a staff of

over 120 students who Jacobs said “assist with fundraisers, participant recruitment, sponsorships, main event planning and so much more.”

The hundreds of thousands of dollars raised is dispersed throughout UPMC Children’s, going to “where it is needed most.”

“Whether it be for bedside art and music therapy, preemie baby diapers, therapy dog visits, holiday and birthday celebrations, research, medicine and even transportation to the hospital, every dollar has a huge impact on our miracle kids’ and families' lives,” Jacobs said.

Photos by Alex Jurkuta, Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Pamela Smith and Ethan Shulman

POINT COUNTERPOINT PITT AND DUQUESNE SHOULD PLAY IN CITY GAME

Aidan Kasner Staff Writer

From 1932 to 2018, Pitt men’s basketball and Duquesne faced off in an annual basketball game. This game was not only a way for each team to fill their out-of-conference schedule with competition but for the entire city of Pittsburgh to come together and root for their respective university.

Pitt fills their early schedule with teams from smaller conferences. Fielding Duquesne into their schedule would grant Pitt the opportunity to continue playing outof-conference teams, but now with a bit more strength. Duquesne is far better than teams such as Purdue Fort Wayne and Canisius, hence their higher NET ranking and current NCAA tournament berth.

For Duquesne, this game would serve as a major opportunity for the Dukes to add a Power Five matchup into their schedule, giving them a major proponent into their strength of schedule factor come March and to prepare themselves for higher-seeded teams during the season.

For the city of Pittsburgh and its basketball fans, this is a fun rivalry that brings people together. Pitt and Penn State fans had a heated feud when the two teams brought great entertainment during the Keystone Classic. A matchup between the Panthers and Dukes would work in the same fashion.

Some skeptics might say that Pitt would have a cakewalk in this clash of local schools, but when examining Pitt’s out-of-conference record from this year, this is not the case.

In their seventh game of the season, the Panthers fell to Missouri, a team that boasted a 0-19 conference record to finish off their season. Considering this loss, there is no matchup unworthy for Pitt, and for the Panthers to place themselves on this imaginary pedestal is silly and shallow.

Pitt only holds a two-game win streak in the series, and Duquesne even holds the largest margin of victory between the teams.

I am all for fun rivalries, and I truly think they are a crucial part as to why college sports are so enjoyable and the fans are so passionate. When two teams near one another play, the atmosphere is intense.

Take Duke and North Carolina, for example. By no means am I saying this rivalry could project a level of excitement similar to that of the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, but the values of the “big game” and all its built-up history hold true.

The amount of history that this competition holds is immense, and considering the last matchup was held only six years ago, now is the time to regain a once-historic rivalry and grow its importance and excitement before it is too late.

Pitt forward Ryan Luther during the Panthers’ 2016 loss against Duquesne in the City Game. TPN File Photo

THE CITY GAME IS POINTLESS

Jermaine Sykes Assistant Sports Editor

What was once the City Game held between Pitt men’s basketball and Duquesne is a storied rivalry with over 87 games played. While some may argue that the game should return after a six-year hiatus, I believe it is a waste of time for the Panthers.

If I am honest, the game never really had much of a purpose. Pitt leads the all-time series 55-32. From 2001 to 2015, Pitt won 15 consecutive City Game contests. True parity has not existed between the two Pittsburgh programs since 1978.

Now, parity doesn’t have to exist in every college rivalry. For example, Penn State leads Pitt 53-43-4 in football. But the landscape of college basketball has changed dramatically.

Pitt was kept out of the NCAA tournament this season primarily due to non-conference strength of schedule. Many cite the Panthers’ loss to Missouri this season, but hindsight is 20/20. At the time when Missouri beat the Panthers, the Tigers sat at 6-2.

Also, the Tigers play in the SEC, a conference that placed eight teams in the NCAA tournament. Pitt is better off playing against SEC teams than playing against Duquesne. The Atlantic 10 would have only placed one team into the NCAA tournament if it weren’t for Duquesne stealing a bid by winning its conference tournament.

The idea of Pitt playing Duquesne sounds better than it actually is and really gives Pitt nothing other than bragging rights. The Panthers defeated West Virginia this season, and it did not help their NCAA tournament resumé. Heated rivalries add unnecessary stress and pressure to an already packed ACC schedule. Pitt already has the Backyard Brawl, so they don’t need another rivalry.

Duquesne made strides this season by making the NCAA tournament as an 11 seed and defeating a Big 12 foe in the first round. Their journey was eerily similar to its Pittsburgh counterparts as the Panthers had the same route last season.

But this is where the similarities end. Duquesne is an inferior conference. If Pitt had played Duquesne this season and defeated them at a neutral site, it would have counted as just a Quad 2 win.

The City Game is great for the culture of Pittsburgh. But for Duquesne the benefits are plentiful, and the same cannot be said for Pitt. Pitt should pull a Penn State and end the rivalry until it is more rewarding for them.

Softball

do and where we need to get to.”

Despite the rough stretch and starting winless in conference play, the Panthers know they need to continue working hard to break through finally.

“They wanted to elevate,” Allard said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “They wanted to be pushed. They want to develop. They want to be really successful. They want to have a great strategy. They want to continue their strong culture of support for each other and having coaches that really can push them and develop them.”

Allard learned from over three decades of experience in collegiate softball that tough love becomes necessary for the Panthers to earn their first ACC win.

“My job isn’t to make their life easier,” Allard said. “My job is to make your life better, elevate you, and get you to realize your true potential. That means holding people accountable. That’s how you know you’re doing your job the right way.”

Allard uses not only her experience as a coach but also as a player to help the Panthers improve. Allard dominated at third base and on the mound during her four seasons at Michigan. Her junior campaign especially impressed, as Allard had a 0.79 era and 64 strikeouts in her first season pitching consistently at the collegiate level. She also averaged .351 and had 29 RBIs, and was named Big Ten Player of the Year.

In the series, the Pitt pitching conceded 15 home runs and 40 runs total, revealing a significant area for improvement.

“We just need to keep the ball in the ballpark right now,” Allard said, “So we really need to work on the spin, change of speed, locating, all of it. The pitchers just really have to dig deep. We’ve faced some tough opponents in our conference schedule right off the bat. We’re learning to dig deep and execute pitches.”

During the series finale, Pitt’s offense showed improvement. After going down 8-2, home runs by senior outfielder Cami Compson and sophomore catcher KK Esparza put the Panthers within reach at 8-6. However, the Panthers' pitching faltered and conceded nine runs over the next two innings.

“And I think today we had a little bit of a breakthrough,” Allard said. “Because our bats started to fight harder. We started to fight the level we needed to, to be in the game.”

Unfazed by the Panther’s initial struggles, Allard remains confident in the Panthers' improvement this season.

“We talked about today taking what we did offensively with our bats — scoring in several innings against Florida State and being able to bring that fight and that mentality every time we play,” Allard said. “I think we got to go back to the drawing board with the pitching and make sure the pitching can keep us in games longer. So that's where we are. But I think just in terms of my experience in just doing this for years and years. I know how to figure out the strategy of how to solve different things we need to, to keep fighting and winning more games.”

REDHEADS RACE THROUGH OAKLAND FOR ‘GINGER RUN’ AT SEMPLEFEST

The brisk, breezy air in Oakland simmered in the seconds before a horde of redheads bolted down Semple Street. Varying shades of red hair, from natural redheads to bright orange wigs, flapped through the wind as the runners sprinted down the street, flanked by a cheering audience bathed in green.

On Saturday afternoon, the Ginger Run kicked off the annual SempleFest, an informal spring holiday in Oakland dating back to the 2000s. This year’s festival doubled as a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, since many Pitt students were returning to campus after spring break the weekend of March 17.

By 1:30 p.m., partygoers crawling the streets of Oakland began to congregate in the 300 block of Semple, where members of the Pitt Irish Dance Club held posters about 100 meters apart indicating the start and finish line.

The president of the Irish Dance Club, Shauna Meehan, stood at the corner of Semple and Bates streets holding a megaphone. The club, which danced at Oakland bars Bootlegger’s and Phat’s the night before, organized the race and offered a $50 prize to the winner. Word of the event spread through social media — though they pushed the starting time back a half hour when Pitt Barstool publicized an incorrect time on Instagram, Meehan was enthusiastic to get the race under way.

“We’ve seen other universities do it, and I’m from Boston, and I have two Irish parents. Very Irish town, lots of Irish heritage and whatnot. We wanted to bring it to Pitt because Pitt’s a very Irish university and city as well,” Meehan, a junior psychology and sports studies major, said. “As the Irish Dance Club, we want to promote Irish culture, especially in the month of March.”

Jonathan Roth, a first-year rehabilitation science major, stretched against a wall near the starting point. Wearing a T-shirt adorned in Irish flags complementing his orange hair, Roth had his sights set on first prize.

“I actually was more ginger, and my hair has slowly gotten darker over the course of my life, but I’m still a ginger to this date,” Roth said. “I’m really relying on my high school track days … I hope muscle memory kicks in and I can run again.”

Brooke Bowen stood with her running coach at the starting line. Bowen, a senior public service major, has been a redhead for 22 years. She managed her expectations about winning the race but ultimately relished the chance to celebrate her fellow redheads.

“Don’t get last. But also not second, because Abby Lee Miller said second is the first to lose,” Bowen said. “I want to be a ginger for as long as I can, but if I turn white, that’s fine. Aging is great. Low-key, I hate getting sunburnt indoors.”

With a few minutes left until the race began, Meehan said she welcomed all redhead and redhead-adjacent runners, regardless of their natural hair color.

“Anyone who wants to race can, as long as they somehow have ginger in their hair. A wig even counts. We just want people to have a good time,” Meehan said.

“I don’t know what the bounds are of ginger. As long as it looks reddish orange, that works for me.”

Dozens of redheads lined up at Semple and Bates awaiting their cue. Upon the signal, they launched into a feverish sprint, tearing and tumbling down the street toward the finish line. Onlookers cheered as Flynn Dymkowski, a senior industrial engineering major and natural redhead, emerged victorious wearing green face paint and a GoPro. Competitors collided with the green mass of partiers as the crowd filled into the street, interspersing with the redheaded runners.

SempleFest had begun. Rowdy attendees danced in the street, blasting festive songs like “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” and “There’s No One as Irish as Barack Obama” on Bluetooth speakers. In the frigid 35-degree weather, Pitt students bundled up in green sipped from borgs, plastic jugs awash with alcohol and mixers. A few unlucky cars attempted to drive down Semple, meeting the mob and inching down the block. Partygoers climbed on fire escapes and roofs, with one mooning the crowd and pouring a kelly green borg from a chimney three stories high.

Local law enforcement has been wary of SempleFest since 2008, when the unpermitted event devolved into rioting and arson, resulting in dozens of citations and warnings from police to Semple residents. The controversial festival led to the Pittsburgh City Council voting to quadruple open container fines and ban outdoor couches to discourage fires.

Within 10 minutes of the Ginger Run, the police arrived. Four squad cars rolled down Semple, parting the sea of green only for the crowd to fill in behind them. After a few passes, police cars settled at the end of the block as the revelry persisted. Half an hour later, a fleet of 12 police cars snaked down Semple, sirens aroar — this time parking in the crowd, choking out the street festivities and driving partygoers into the alleyways and backyards of houses.

Meehan said she’s looking forward to sending the redheads down Semple Street again next year.

“Next year, I’d love to coordinate with [Barstool] and really make it a bigger event, and maybe sell T-shirts, fun stuff like that,” Meehan said. “As for this year, I think there was a little lack of coordination, but that’s OK, because you know what? It’s getting done, and there’s tons of people here.”

After the crowd died down, the speedy Dymkowski reflected on his triumph.

“Winning the ginger race was like finally finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow — except the rainbow was Semple Street and the gold was a $50 Amazon gift card,” Dymkowski said. “It was a fiery victory amidst a sea of drunks, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be crowned the dominant ginger at Pitt.”

Flynn Dymkowski crosses the finish line at the Ginger Run during SempleFest on Saturday afternoon. Pamela Smith | Managing Editor

Victims do not owe us their stories from

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024) Image via IMDB

Max’s docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” aired one week ago, exposing the sexist, abusive and predatory conditions of the people working for Dan Schneider on ‘90s and early 2000s Nickelodeon TV shows. It covered almost everything from Schneider’s sexually suggestive physical comedy to the alleged sexual abuse of Drake Bell by dialogue coach Brian Peck.

But it left some key questions unanswered, driving many online to search for the answers themselves.

Most notably, Amanda Bynes, star of “The Amanda Show,” did not appear in the docuseries. Many former cast members interviewed in “Quiet on Set” suggested Schneider took a particular liking to Bynes, and recently people have dug up old Twitter posts supposedly posted by Bynes under a pseudonym claiming she became pregnant at 13 by her boss.

Many ran with these pieces of information without concern for the larger consequences. Online detective work and speculation ultimately do little to uncover the truth and do a lot to harm the subjects of the speculation. If these actors have decided not to share their stories publicly, they certainly do not want to see people trying to piece together their difficult past.

As much as we may want justice or to set the record straight, it is not anyone’s place to pressure victims of abuse into telling the world their story. A large part of Bell’s story in the docuseries centered on how desperately he did not want anyone to know he was a victim when Peck was finally arrested. These actors

deserve as much privacy now as they did on the sets of Nickelodeon. It takes a long time to heal, and having strangers on the internet beg you to relive the trauma publicly only prolongs that process.

Support for these actors is a wonderful thing to offer, but people still often use it as a Trojan horse to deliver their real message — asking for information. “Kind” words encouraging Bynes to write an autobiography because everyone would love to buy her books and support her work are not genuine, caring comments. They are a prettier way of saying, “Tell me what they did to you as a child for my own entertainment.” Words of support should only offer love without asking for anything in return, even implicitly.

Victims will come forward when they are ready and want to. There are people in their personal lives who have the ability to help them recover and offer advice on whether or not to bring their stories to the public. As unfortunate as some may find it, a random 20-something tweeting that going public is what’s best for the former child star probably does not know as much about Bynes as her trusted friends or mental health counselors.

The best we can do for all the possible victims of Schneider’s reign who did not share their stories in the docuseries is to treat them like the kind of people they are — that is, people you don’t know. You would never ask a stranger to share their abuse, and a celebrity status should not change this principle.

HOW NOT TO DIE WHILE TRAVELING SOLO

Anna Ehlers Contributing

Editor

Before I left to study abroad last semester, I knew I wanted to visit Ireland. So after a few trips around the UK with friends, I planned a trip to Galway with one other person … only for that person to cancel. Nevertheless! I steeled my resolve. I would travel solo. I’m an adult! I can do things like that!

Confident in my travel abilities, I set out for Galway on the second to last day of November … and by the end of the next day, was wildly sick and bedridden. On my own. In a strange city. With no one to help me.

But a few days later I made it back to my London flat, alive and with all my belongings, so clearly I pulled through. Below is my advice for how to survive while traveling solo.

1. Don’t forget pain relievers and a snack

There is nothing quite so humbling as being sick in a hostel. Nothing. And I say this as a person who embarasses myself quite often. There I was, lying on a top bunk in a hot attic room, soaked in sweat, wondering how exactly I’m meant to broaden my horizons in this foreign country when I’m so sick I can’t even get myself to eat before I take my ibuprofen.

When I say thank god I had my ibuprofen on me, I mean it. Once I finally mustered up the energy to eat a snack I had on hand, I took my ibuprofen and started to feel better. Without my ibuprofen and food, I don’t know how I would have gotten by — I couldn’t imagine having to leave the hostel for a convenience store in that state. Additionally, different countries sell pain relievers differently. When you’re in a moment of need, you really don’t want to be figuring out if you must speak to a pharmacist, or how to say “ibuprofen” in the native language. It’s much easier to keep a stash of pain relievers — and a snack — on you at all times.

2. Stay in a hostel

I know, Airbnb is calling you. Listen — it’s not easy to stay in a hostel, and my story about falling sick is not a good argument to convince you otherwise. I mean, I didn’t even have the dignity of privacy while trying des-

perately not to barf my brains out. But when traveling alone, it’s hard to justify the price of an Airbnb. Additionally, in a hostel, you can meet other solo travelers! Hostels are designed to bring people together. You don’t have to be social, but you have the opportunity, and it’s always lovely to meet people in the same position as you when you’re alone. Plus, staying in a hostel is a quintessential experience. If you think about it, it’s actually super admirable that you’re sacrificing sleeping and bathing comfortably so you can spend money on mindenriching activities like museums and local cuisine instead. So brave and academic of you, Connell Waldron.

3. Spring for the all-female dorm

Toward the end of my semester abroad, I was feeling pretty stingy about money. No joke, traveling is expensive. So when planning my Galway trip, I decided to save a few pounds and reserve a bed in the mixed dorm rather than the all-female dorm. This was a successful endeavor if you consider staying up all night to discover just how loud grown men can snore one of your priorities when traveling the world.

Something I didn’t realize before I arrived was that Galway is a party city. People drink in party cities. People snore after they drink. And the most impressive men who snore can give tractors a run for their money. Yeah, I didn’t sleep much between the hours of 4 a.m and 7 a.m., when the partiers got back.

Also, drunk men aren’t the smartest. I don’t mean to scare you, but I do think it would be helpful to know that one night I woke up to hear two men having a conversation that went something like this:

“Isn’t this my bed?”

“Nah man, your bed’s over there.”

“...I think I was in this bed.”

“Dude, she’s been sleeping there all week. That’s her bed, not yours.”

Yikes. Luckily, they weren’t talking about me, but the girl sleeping on the bunk below me. Regardless, that was the moment I decided to never sleep in a mixed dorm again. I am just not about dealing with drunk men in the wee hours of the night, and I hope I never have to wake up from my slumber to a strange drunk man peering

over me, wondering why I’m in his bed. Only all-female dorms for Anna from now on. I think you should consider the same.

4. Sacrifice a pair of socks for the shower

Did you just cringe at the idea of wearing socks in the shower? Okay, justified. But the idea of contracting a foot disease in a foreign country should probably make you cringe more. You can always bring shower shoes, but quite frankly, it’s much easier to pack a pair of socks than a pair of extra shoes — unless you’re traveling with more than one bag, like some agent of the bourgeoisie. Just make sure to dry out your socks after showering, because it would be truly tragic to lose them to mold.

5. Bring a portable charger and an extra charging cord

Portable chargers are travelers’ gold. If you don’t have one and you’re traveling soon, order one immediately. Definitely do not wait until you’re in the airport to buy one, unless supporting price gouging is some kink of yours.

While an extra charging cord may not seem necessary, I learned the hard way it is when mine stopped working. While I was battling fever dreams in a hostel, my phone stopped charging unless I jammed the cord in the port, which had me thinking thoughts any person born after 2000 cannot be expected to stomach, such as — how many hours will it take for me to die without my phone? Is it worth using my last 2% of battery to google that? Luckily, my issue was a charging cord one, not a phone becoming a useless brick one, and I was able to buy a new cord for the simple, reasonable charge of £28 at the airport. Price gouging is not my kink, but a fully charged phone is.

5. Get a pop socket with a ring

Don’t be a victim of drive-by scooter thefts. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to admit that you lost your phone to some guy zooming by on a Spin scooter. That’s an ick, for sure. People love to say “Don’t hold your phone out when going places! Memorize your directions!” But it’s also fairly impossible to do that. Even native Londoners have their things stolen sometimes. So keep your belongings attached to you. Get a pop socket with a ring, or at least keep your fingers around three edges of your phone and hold it close to your chest. When sitting down at a restaurant, put your leg through the strap of your bag. Don’t bring your laptop if your phone will suffice. When sleeping in hostels, keep your wallet, phone and passport inside your pillowcase at night.

I take pride in the fact that I had nothing stolen off me during my three months abroad despite my scatterbrain qualities. Keep constant stock of your belongings and don’t flaunt your wealth, and you are entirely capable of holding onto your things.

6. Share your location with someone

This might be a given, but it’s incredibly important that you don’t forget this. Make a plan with a friend or parent who isn’t busy to check in with you during your trip, and share your location with somebody you trust. I stopped sharing my location with my parents after I got

to college, hoping for some independence, but I obliged when my dad asked me to share for this trip, knowing my safety is more important than the knee-jerk contrarian attitude that I tend to have whenever my parents express concern for me.

I’m incredibly lucky that if I was truly in a crisis, I have a father who would come get me out of it. So without anyone by my side, I knew I had to keep in contact with the person who would save my ass if something went drastically wrong — which luckily did not happen. And at the very least, it’s nice to have someone to listen to your complaints over the phone about how your throat hurts like hell — and for them to remind you to take your painkiller, gosh darnit, Anna.

Conclusion

All things given, my solo trip to Galway was actually quite lovely. I hiked Inishmore, befriended another American traveler, chatted with locals, wandered through a Christmas market and listened to live performances in pubs. Knowing I survived being sick on my own in a hostel — in a room full of men rumbling like backup generators, no less — is a badge I wear with honor.

Traveling alone is difficult, but it shouldn’t stop you from going if it doesn’t have to. Do your research and plan ahead, and you are entirely capable of a successful solo trip. Even us females can do it.

Anna tries every day to convince herself that living in Pittsburgh is just as nice as living abroad. It has never once worked. You can reach her at ane45@pitt.edu. Manor

Fri, Mar. 29-thu, Apr. 4

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (PG - 13)

Fri: 2:25, 4:45, 7:10, 9:30

Sat & Sun: 12:05, 2:25, 4:45, 7:10, 9:30

Mon, Tues, Wed & Thu: 2:25, 4:45, 7:10, 9:30

Love Lies Bleeding (R)

Fri: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40

Sat & Sun: 1:00, 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40

Mon, Tues, Wed & Thu: 3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40

Dune: Part Two (PG - 13)

Fri: 3:15, 6:30, 9:45

Sat & Sun: 12:00, 3:15, 6:30, 9:45

Mon, Tues, Wed & Thu: 3:15, 6:30, 9:45

Problemista (R)

Fri: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:35

Sat & Sun: 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:35

Mon, Tues, Wed & Thu: 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:35

Civil War (R) Coming Soon

Anna Ehlers poses for a photo in Inishmore, Ireland. Anna Ehlers | Contributing Editor