Noted author, playwright and poet Ntoiake Shange as she speaks to nearly 100 students in the Gallery Lounge Much Risks for female alcoholics far exceed those of their male counterparts Anne Boyd Of The Weekly Collegian When it comes to alco- hol, women are not quite equal to men While it is common knowledge that women gener- ally have a lower tolerance of alcohol, many may not know why that is or what it means to the female body. In addition to getting drunk faster, research shows that alcohol consumption puts women at higher risk for breast cancer and liver dam- age, among other detrimental effects. "Drinking during a woman's earlier years has the greatest effect in promoting breast cancer," said Charles S. Fuchs, assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, who pub lished a study on women and alcohol in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1995 Although cancer develops over a long period of time, the late teens and early 20s are the most vulnerable periods because tissue growth is highest, Fuchs said. Different tolerance levels between genders is not just because of lower body weight Women metabolize alcohol less efficiently than men because the female body has less alcohol dehydrcge nase (ADH), the enzyme that interacts with alcohol in the The Capital Times Editor Jody L. Jacobs Assistant Editor Deborah Mask AstrAisinsalcingsm. Key Thomas Business Manager Joleen Simak Layout & Design Jody L . Jacobs and Keiey Thomas "1 •1 I li i.• •.• • .. s:. Jeff Warren Wendy Hers Ann E. Meese Miriam Tutpack Massa .ago Jeff W0M917 Mandy Sour:hack Nicole Lynn Mecir Amy Reeder Chnst' opher Stolz Diana I Reed Lynn L. &kb The Capital Times is published by the students of Penn State Harrisburg. You may reach The Capital Times at Penn State Harrisburg, Olmsted Building, W-341, 777 W. Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057 or by calling 948-6440, or by fax GIP 948-6008, or via E-Mail captimesgpsu.edu, All materials - articles, photos & artwork - are property of The Capital Times. No parts of this paper may be reproduced without permission. Concerns regarding the content of any Issue should be directed to the editor. Opinions expressed are those of the author and are not representative of the college, administration faculty or the student body. The Capital Times welcomes signed letters from readers. No unsigned submissions will be printed; however a writer's name may be withheld by request. The Capital Times does not endorse its advertisers. Ni: stomach before it enters the blood stream. into is a higher vulnerability to liver damage have a higher rate of cirrho sis (of the liver) than men (alcoholics)," Fuchs said. Fuchs' study exam ined the possibility of bene ficial effect of light-to-mod erate alcohol consumption for women. While 1 ight-to-mod- erate drinking among men is thought to reduce overal l mortality rates, primarily due to reduced risks of coro- nary heart disease, the same level of alcohol consumption among women is more compli cated by the increased risk of breast cancer and cirrhosis only women who are at higher risks of coronary heart dis ease who might benefit from moderate drinking, Fuchs said. These women will bene fit more from reducing other risk factors, such as cigarette smoking and obesity, he said. When females con- sume one to two drinks a day, their risk of developing breast cancer increases by 20 to 40 percent. More than two drinks a day on average increases the risk of dying of breast cancer by 67 percent, Fuchs said But many college females who consume alcohol, often engage in binge drink- Jody L. Jacobs .k.haen Simak Amy Reeder What this translates "Women alcoholics Despite myth, it is ing on the weekend, as opposed to drinking a few drinks on a daily basis. This raises serious questions for researchers While no one has studied these issues with respect to binge drinking, Fuchs said research is under Health Works at main campus sponsors a program, "Women and Alcohol" to edu- cate students about the social and physical implications of alcohol use. "We emphasize what happens when you are drink- ing, not so much the long- term effects," said Katie Yavorka, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs educator for Health Works "It's much easier to get drunk right before your period," she said. The program also points out that women who drink heavily have more gynecological problems, greater risk of developing alcohol-related diseases and are more likely to deal with infertility, miscarriages still birth and fetal alcohol syn- drome Anne Boyd is a Collegian staff writer. Her article, which appeared in the Collegian's Feb. 26, 1997 edi - Lion, was reprinted with per - mission. SSE- IJo YOV ITZg WIG CAPITAL 2212 L E P Cali Photographer Jeff Warren at 717-657-2114 NEWS .-. ,•-•:"., ',,,, • • ..• .- .... ... ... ... ~ , '!..:: . -1 :;•.:., , -., : . ::....., ....., .......... - ..... .....- . - ...,..........:... . ~. ~, ......., .-... ...: -.. .x...,.. / . ...... \ ..4•:"." ...‘..4::::, 1. - .. k 1 ' , I t ... I :- .", .; ....!:.i! Campus to celebrate Earth Day Deb Mallek Assistant Editor Day i s Penn State Harrisburg's theme for this year's annual Earth Day Expo on Friday, April 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will take place on the lawn in front of the Olmsted building. The first Earth Day celebration was held on April 22, 1970, as an attempt to educate and involve the American public in environ mental concerns. As a direct result of the first Earth Day, the United States Congress passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act revi- Earth Day Expo Sock Drawl Ntozake Shange speaks to PSH community Jeff Warren staff Reporter On Thursday, March 19th poet , play - wright and performer Ntozake Shange, became another name on the long list of presenters featured in the Gallery Lounge. "I was impressed with the poetry reading because of how much she loves what she is doing - it made me excited about poetry, and it made me reconsider some of the views that I already had," Amy Reeder, junior Humanities/Communicatio ns major said. Wear Green for Earth Friday, April 18, 1997 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Bookstore Shange is an accomplished performance artist who incorporates poetry, dance and music to illustrate stirring images of what it is to be black, and a woman in America. Reeder - who attended Shange's evening performance at the Capital Union Building- said she enjoyed the varied per spectives the artists brought to her work - such as a poem written from the 1 ife of a lizard in South America. think about life in a more creative, poetic way," sions. By the end of that Expo to win. year, the Environmental WPSH will also be Protection Agency was creat- broadcasting live from the ed. Twenty-seven years later, Earth Day is still cele brated around the country and around the world. Penn State Harrisburg's celebration will house a wide variety of displays, including an Endangered Species Program by Zoo America, a Solar Cooking Display, and a seed and herb exchange to name just a few The bookstore will be holding a drawing for Earth Day. The winner will choose from one of the special Earth Day collection books, but the winner must be present at the ..),S AT I:). - . 'v A "1. , ct.•:` C) - ,6 - ,-/-Th,.. 'S). • \ -, ..1.a ' t -.4 • .....----_, 7- n gip ' , A 13 .?. a j c . 0 111 1ai-iBOT 4 ) An Equal Opportunity University Seed and Herb Exchange CAPTIMES March 27, 1997 "She made me Reeder said Born Paulette Williams, Shange aban- doned her birth name and adopted her Zulu name in 1971 because, "as a femi- nist it was ridiculous to be named after a boy." She earned her B.A. from Barnard College and her M.A. from the University of Southern California. She taught humanities, women's studies, and Afro-American studies at California colleges from 1972 to 1975. In 1975, she achieved widespread noto- See Shange pg. O. event "We are excited about participating in the Expo to increase student awareness of WPSH and to increase student involvement in campus events like 1997 Earth Day Expo," station manager Kelly Quinn Alumni and special events coordinator James Maim said he invites the entire campus community to join PSH's 1997 Earth Day Expo - and to Wear Green for Earth Day!
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