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The Pitt News

The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | January 24, 2018 | Volume 108 | Issue 96

PITT SUSPENDS SIGMA CHI

John Hamilton Managing Editor

Second-year medical student Paolo Vignali demonstrates routes of administration for Narcan at Pitt Trauma and Emergency League’s Narcan Training Tuesday night. Sarah Cutshall STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students learn to administer Narcan Anish Salvi Staff Writer As an Emergency Medical Technician of four years, Anthony Lupinacci is no stranger to administering Narcan — and knows the difference the drug can make. “Especially when I have worked in this area, out in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, we see overdoses fairly often,” Lupinacci said. “I can say that Narcan works as a wonder drug for people that have overdosed on any sort of opiate whether that be heroin, fentanyl or over-the-counter, more traditional opiate medications.” Lupinacci, a junior studying in Pitt’s Emergency Medicine Program and President of the Pitt Trauma and Emergency League, saw the need for students to learn more about the drug. So, PTEL

hosted a Narcan Training event Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in room 548 of the William Pitt Union. The lecture was in collaboration with the Addiction and Medicine Interest Group, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pitt’s School of Pharmacy and the Pittsburgh Poison Center. Event attendees listened to Pitt medical students provide background information on Narcan, an opiate reversal agent, and watched as they demonstrated its administration on a human dummy. “[PTEL] saw it as an opportunity to [give] some students some perspective on what’s going on in our community. Western Pennsylvania has a very serious problem with opioid abuse,” Lupinacci said. “Our theme this year for the Pitt

Trauma and Emergency League has been recognizing, educating, creating awareness about the opioid epidemic.” Pennsylvania has become a national leader in the past decade in deaths related to opioid abuse. According to a 2017 report from Pitt’s School of Pharmacy, the state had a fatal overdose rate more than twice the national average. The epidemic has become so uncontrolled that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf declared it a “disaster emergency” earlier this month. Lupinacci also said it’s important for people to understand the opioid epidemic issue in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania because it affects their See Narcan on page 2

Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner suspended Pitt’s Sigma Chi chapter after a student was hospitalized Thursday because of a “serious alcohol incident.” Pitt spokesperson Joe Miksch confirmed Tuesday that the fraternity allegedly involved in the alcohol incident had been suspended, pending the results of an ongoing investigation, but he wouldn’t confirm it was Sigma Chi. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday that Sigma Chi’s national office said Pitt’s chapter was suspended. The national office didn’t answer a call The Pitt News placed Tuesday evening. “Sigma Chi International Fraternity is aware of the incident that took place with our chapter at the University of Pittsburgh in which they apparently violated several provisions of our policy on alcohol and drugs,” Executive Director Michael Church told the Post-Gazette in an email. Sigma Chi’s president at Pitt has not responded to emails and Facebook messages regarding the incident. Bonner placed all of Pitt Greek life on “modified social probation” after the incident, meaning they cannot “host, sponsor or participate in any social activities in which alcohol is present,” Miksch said. As part of the probation, he said, Greek life will make an “action plan for creating change in social activities.” “This situation serves as a reminder of the expectation that members of the Pitt community seek help for each other in times of medical need,” Miksch said. All Greek life leaders attended a meeting Saturday with Summer Rothrock, the director of the Office of Cross Cultural and Leadership Development, which houses Greek life. Rothrock said the meeting was to inform the Greek leaders about what being on social probation meant. Miksch said Pitt doesn’t comment on a student’s medical condition, but said Saturday the student’s family was notified.


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