We had a great conversation with Jody Bechtold, CEO of the Better Institute and a globally recognized expert in gambling addiction.

Jody talked about some of the trends she’s seen in recent years, including the impacts of regulatory upheaval that has legalized sports betting across much of the country. We get an inside look into the often stigmatized issue, and there’s nobody better to educate us on gambling addiction than Jody. While it’s clear that gambling addiction is a much bigger problem than many might realize, we also get a view of what people like Jody are doing to combat the issue through treatment, as well as potential movements to increase consumer protection against predatory practices in the gambling industry. We thought this was a particularly informative interview!

Listen to the interview: Jody Bechtold

Credits:
Archan Das, host, researcher, audio engineer, audio editor
Recorded October 22, 2024; WRCT debut November 19, 2024

For this week’s episode we chatted with Max Gonzales (also known as GEMS), who is a Pittsburgh based graffiti artist.

Max brings a unique perspective on the art scene, since they were arrested in 2016 as Pittsburgh’s most wanted graffiti artist and now work as an artist and muralist. The conversation covered Pittsburgh’s graffiti art, the regional differences and history of the art form, and their current work on murals. Well worth a listen!

Listen to the interview: Max Gonzales

Credits:
Archan Das, host, researcher, audio engineer
Kate Smigie, host, researcher, audio engineer
Riona Duncan, audio editor
Recorded October 22, 2024; WRCT debut November 12, 2024

Recently we discussed free speech and academic freedom with Richard Scheines, the Dean of Dietrich College here at Carnegie Mellon.

Dean Scheines talked about the importance of having conversations about difficult and controversial topics, the restrictions that apply to free speech on campus, his experience working on CMU’s Commission on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression, and more! It was a very intriguing conversation about a topic that’s perennially relevant.

Listen to the interview: Dean Richard Scheines

Credits:
Riona Duncan, host, audio editor, audio engineer, researcher
Recorded October 11, 2024; WRCT debut November 5, 2024