The NiteSpot is a hub of student activities. From studying to playing pool to attending an event hosted by your favorite organization, something to do can always be found.
01/11/2018
By Ollie Gratzinger | Features Editor
Welcome back to the Bluff!
With winter break now a thing of the past, the time has come to pack away your sugarplum dreams, bundle up and brave the new year. But worry not! When stress levels call for an intermission in studying and you find yourself seeking refuge from all things academic, a plethora of events can be found both on campus and beyond, and there’s sure to be something out there that appeals to you.
NiteSpot, Masquers and More!
Kick off the spring semester with Welcome Back Bingo on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. in the Union NiteSpot. With a little luck, you could walk out with a gift card in your pocket.
Besides Bingo, the NiteSpot is almost always buzzing with something new to do. If entertainment is your thing, head down there at 9 p.m. on Jan. 24 for a game of Werewolf, in which players work together to pinpoint the “werewolves” in the group and save their town before it’s too late.
Every Thursday, the NiteSpot offers a tamer alternative to the classic “Thirsty Thursday,” providing drinks such as Root Beer Floats or Hot Chocolate, and Service Sundays offer students an opportunity to help out their community in a few different ways. On Jan. 21 at 9 p.m., stop by to make blankets for babies born prematurely in the NICU. Also at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, you can bring your old (clean) T-shirts to the NiteSpot to rework them into quilts that will help keep Pittsburgh’s homeless community warm during cold winter nights.
Every Friday hosts DUNite at 9 p.m, sponsored by the Duquesne Program Council (DPC) and offering up new and interesting activities each week. On Feb. 2, unwind with DIY Spa Night, and a week later on Feb. 9, channel your inner child and make your own furry friend through Build-A-Bear workshop. Other DUNite activities coming up this semester include succulent planting on March 23, Pottery Painting on April 6 and much more!
Catch up on the year’s newest and most popular films with the DPC Film Series in the NiteSpot, Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively throughout the semester. Coming up on Jan. 19, you can catch Spiderman: Homecoming, and in the approaching weeks, brush up on titles such as Daddy’s Home 2, Wonder, Justice League, Thor: Ragnerok and Coco.
Maybe you like movies, but you’ve already seen 2017’s biggest hits. If that’s the case, don’t miss the Human Rights Film Series hosted by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in 105 College Hall, you can watch relevant and eye-opening films that focus on real issues going on around the globe. Starting on Jan. 17, filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s 13th “explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the face that the nation’s prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans,” according to the film’s synopsis. Also included in the series will be An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, which explores humanity’s proximity to an energy revolution and the truths of international climate policy, and Constructing the Terrorist Threat, addressing how Muslim individuals have unfairly become the new face of terrorism in the wake of rising Islamophobic sentiment.
Keeping up with the theme of current events, April 26 will bring the Spread the Word to End the Word Concert in the Union Ballroom at 6 p.m. With performers, raffle baskets, speeches and dancing, the event aims to bring students together for a common cause: eradicating the derogatory “R” word from everyday vocabulary. Instead of tickets, admission is a T-shirt, which can be purchased for $10 during the days leading up to the event.
Jumping from screen to stage, the Red Masquers are back at it again with Macbeth, starting on Feb. 17 and running until Feb. 25. Later in the spring, on April 28 and April 29, they’ll be hosting Equus, a 1973 play that tells the story of an existentially dissatisfied psychiatrist’s attempts at treating a young man after his compulsive, religious preoccupation with horses has led him to blind six steeds.
Beyond the Bluff
Pittsburgh may be known to some as The City That Always Sleeps, but make no mistake: There’s a little something for everyone if you know just where to look. The Andy Warhol Museum, an easy 20-minute walk from campus, is offering Free Good Fridays for the month of January. Between 5-10 p.m., you can check out the local legend’s artwork free of charge, while enjoying some music and a cash bar. For the rest of the year, admission to the museum will be half-priced on Friday evenings.
In addition to the Warhol Museum, Oakland’s two Carnegie museums also have some good stuff to offer. A quick bus ride, drive or Lyft from Duquesne, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History will be free to enter on the third Sunday of each month throughout 2018.
The Duquesne Program Council will also be sponsoring discounted tickets to a few shows around the city. First up is Wicked the Musical at the Benedum Center on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m., and you can grab a ticket for $25. Considering the fact that a quick check of the Benedum’s website shows that the lowest available ticket price is $44, the DPC has really come through on this one. Tickets are limited, though, and only available to students with a Duquesne ID. They become available on Jan 22, so be sure to pick yours up ASAP!
Also sponsored by the Duquesne Program Council, discount tickets to RENT the Musical will be available for $15 starting on March 12. The show itself is at Heinz Hall on March 28 at 7:30 p.m. The lowest available ticket price is twice that being asked by the DPC, at $30.
Of course, there’s always other events and activities popping up over the course of the semester. Be sure to scope out the Spring Organization Expo on Jan. 22, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Union Atrium, to see what goings on student clubs have planned for 2018.
Mark your calendars with things that pique your interest, and don’t be afraid to try something new!
