Upper Campus Eval

Sutherland Tour Room

- As we see an example of a typical Sutherland room, you can see that this is suite-style living with semi-private bathrooms - each floor is co-ed by suite equipped with study and TV lounges - Each room has amenities that include individual climate control, wooden furniture that is moveable, an Ethernet port per person, wireless internet, over 90 HD channels, comcast HD, and a firewall on every 3rd wall. You can also have an option to bring a mini-fridge. If you are unable to but still want a fridge option, you can rent a micro-fridge. This includes a compact refrigerator, a separate freezer, and a separate microwave. This option costs a total of $220 for both the fall and spring semester. So, if you divide it with your roommate, the cost only turns out to be $55 per person, per semester. On each floor, there is also a resident assistant (or RA). - Tour room code: 8905

Introduction

- Athena Bruess - Sophomore - Double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Chemistry and a Conceptual foundations of medicine certificate - From Dallas, TX - Explain what they'll see on the tour

Athletic Buildings

- I would like to introduce you to some of our Athletic buildings - First I would like to introduce you to the Peterson Sports complex. Opening in 2011, this complex provides a state-of-the-art home for the Panther's baseball, softball and men's and women's soccer teams. If you are wanting to watch one of these games, Pitt offers free admissions with a Pitt student ID. - There is also the Pitt Sports Dome. Opening in 2017, this $13.2 million sports dome houses three synthetic turf fields that are open to any organizations on campus. - There is Trees Hall. This is a multi-purpose student recreational facility. This facility houses many things such as 3 basketball and volleyball courts, a dance studio and a rock-climbing wall. This facility also houses Joseph C. Trees pool. Opening in 1962, this pool contains 770,000 gallons of water and remains to be one of the largest natatoriums in the nation today. - There is also the Cost Center. This facility houses indoor soccer and football fields. The football field serves as a practice football field for the Pitt Band. - Finally, there is the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse. Built in 1957, this facility houses track and field, wrestling, gymnastics and volleyball. - There are many opportunities for Pitt students to be active and involved in some type of sports. First, there is D1 sports. This is the top tier of sport which require the most commitment and time. You are competing with other colleges. Secondly, there are competitive club sports. These teams also compete against outside teams, usually other collegiate clubs. They involve a greater financial and time commitment. Some examples of the club sports we have are football, softball, gymnastics and swimming. Lastly, there are intramural sport. Here, there are games being play between other teams on campus. This is a great way to engage in physical activity while playing a sport that you love. Intramural don't involve a great time commitment. Some of the sports include volleyball, touch football, and co-ed softball. - I'm currently on an intramural volleyball team and I'm having a wonderful time there. This allows me to stay physically active and play a sport that I love with my friends. I also don't have to worry about this sport taking away time from my academics

Sutherland Lobby

- In the lobby area, there are many amenities. - First you have The Perch, which is an all-you-can-eat dining hall. - You also have Quick Zone, which is a store were you can get food, drinks and other essentials. In Quick Zone, there is also Hill O'Beans coffee cart. There is also a Computer lab, mail center, police station and Panther Central office all located in the lobby as well

Housing

- Now lets talk about upperclassman housing - for eventually when you want to move off campus, there is the Office of Off-campus living. This office is located on Bellefield Avenue and is there to assist students in the transition to off-campus living. The office provides roommate and subletting service, an apartment directory and apartment listings. Another aspect of this office that I really like is that you can make appointments to have the office look over your lease. - I actually utilized this office myself. I currently live in Panther Hall, which we will see on this tour, and my roommate and I decided to live off campus next semester. With this office, I got the help I needed to make sure our lease was valid and didn't have any traps that would affect us next semester. - If you don't want to live off campus but still want to live in an apartment style housing, you have three options to housing. The first one is Ruskin Hall, this dorm is a gender-neutral housing option on-campus. It accommodates one, two or three students per room. Some amenities include central A/C, furnishings, private bathrooms and equipped kitchens. - The second option is Centre Plaza. This option allows for single, double, and triple style apartments. Lastly, there's Forbes Craig. This residence hall accommodates about 100 honors-college upperclassmen and have single and double rooms.

Sutherland Hall

- Now we will be discussing Sutherland Hall. - Built in 1992, Sutherland Hall is named after famous Pitt alum and head football coach, Jock Sutherland. - This hall houses approximately 737 first year students. - There are two wings that make up this hall. - The west wing is a 10-story wing that houses Freshman Honors LLC (explain what an LLC is) and is a requirement for all freshman students in Pitt Honors. - The east wing is an 8-story wing that houses other freshman and is home to freshman athletes. - Each wing has a fitness center and laundry facility. - Each wing is separate with its own security station but are conjoined by a lobby area on the ground floor.

Mid Campus

- Now we will go to mid campus which houses many of the university's academic and administration buildings - The first building we'll see is the Learning Research and Development Center. This building focuses on research projects to reform and restructure schools and the learning process. There are many research labs that students can get involved with or participate with in research. For example, I was in a Intro to Psychology class and for many psychology courses, students are responsible for completing a certain number of 'research hours'. This means that students can choose simple, noninvasive tasks or may be subjects in physical experiments. My freshman year, I choose to be a subject in an experiment that was being conducted in this building. It was an amazing learning experience as a psychology student on how psychological studies are being conducted. - Next, you'll be Benedum Hall. This building houses the Swanson School of Engineering, named after alumnus John Swanson who donated money towards the $150 million renovation of Benedum Hall. With the Swanson School of Engineering, freshmen students follow a regimented schedule during the first year, which includes an engineering seminar designed to introduce new students to each discipline before declaring a major in March of your spring semester. The students can choose from a total of 10 disciplines that have no caps within each discipline. Some examples of the disciplines are bioengineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering and engineering physics. Also within this building, there are computer labs, a library and even an Einstein Brothers Bagel Shop. - Next we'll talk about Thackeray Hall. This hall is the home of the new Financial Aid Wellness Center where students can meet privately with financial aid counselors. Thackeray is also the home of the Math Department and the Dietrich School Advising Center. - Next, there is the Academic Resource Center located in the O'Hara student center. In there you can find the Math assistance center (or MAC for short). The MAC is a tutoring office geared specifically for math help. It offers walk-in help and no appointments are needed. - another resource provided is the Writing center. The Writing Center is a place for students to brainstorm, edit, and engage in peer critiques. Students can schedule their appointments online for either a half hour or one hour, one-on-one help. This service is free to all Pitt students. - The resource center provides opportunities for peer tutoring and skill workshops. One resource that provides this is study lab. This lab is through the Dietrich School and provides tools and resources for you to discover the most efficient and effective ways for you to study. I personally have used this resource for my Chemistry classes and this has definitely improved my performance in this subject. I was able to better understand the topics I needed to know and I was also given tips on how to learn new topics in Chemistry more efficiently. - Next, there is the Chevron Science Center. This building houses the chemistry department, classrooms and research labs. There is also a new electronic reference library and a cafe called the Bunsen Brewer.

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial

- Now you see the Soldier and Sailors Memorial of Allegheny County - This building commemorates the men and women from Allegheny County who fought in the United States' nine major wars and conflict. This memorial is the largest memorial building in the United States dedicated solely to America's fighting personnel, representing all branches of service while honoring both the career and citizen soldiery. - A fun fact about this memorial is that parts of "Silence of the Lambs" were filmed here. Scenes included Hannibal Lecter's escape from this cell and the elevator scene.

Places Nearby

- One aspect that definitely drove me to coming to this university is the surrounding areas around Oakland. - For starters, there is Craig street. This off-campus street runs through North Oakland between Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University and is filled with local businesses. There's a great Italian restaurant called Lucca Ristorante that I highly recommend y'all to try out. - Another amazing area around Pitt is Shadyside. This is a neighborhood about 5-10 minutes from campus. It offers non-University affiliated housing for students. There are two main attraction points there, Walnut Street and Ellsworth Avenue. There you can find amazing shops and restaurants. - I usually would walk there or ride a bike and would love to explore Walnut Street. I highly recommend Prantl bakery for something sweet and the yard for an amazing lunch for dinner. - Lastly, there is Squirrel Hill. This is another neighborhood that I love going to. There are also cool shops that restaurants in this neighborhood as well. If you are in the neighborhood and is craving something sweet, I highly recommend this French bakery called Gaby et Jules. If you are wanting to grab an energy boost and want some coffee, I highly recommend Commonplace Coffee. - As you can tell, I'm a major foodie. So if you want any recommendations or anything, I can stay after the tour and can give you some.

Fitness and Health Living

- One thing that I love that Pitt promotes is healthy living. - One place where students are able to workout is the Baierl Recreation Center that located in the Peterson Events Center. This is the largest fitness center on campus and houses two racquetball courts, free weights, and cardio equipment. This center is open to Pitt students only. - Students are also open, but not required, to taking one credit fitness classes. Some examples of these classes are karate and yoga. - Student also have an option to take HealthyU Classes. These classes are run by the Division of Student Affairs and is designed to help you realize your optimal state of wellness. These classes can be purchased at the beginning of every semester. Some examples of classes that you can take are advanced swimming, boot camp, yoga and zumba. - other than these centers and options, there are also many places to stay active on campus. for example, there are trails through Schenley park where I would usually bike or jog through.

Medical buildings and UPMC

- Salk Hall, named after Jonas Salk who discovered the polio vaccine right here at Pitt, houses the School of Pharmacy (which is ranked 9th in the nation) and the School of Dental Medicine. - There is also Scaife Hall which houses the University's School of Medicine which is ranked 14th in both research and primary care national. - Right on campus, there is the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, or UPMC for short. This hospital is ranked 14th of America's best hospitals and ranked 2nd best hospital in the state of Pennsylvania. - There are a total of five UPMC hospitals in the Oakland neighborhood itself. There is the Ear and Eye Institute, Presbyterian, Montefiore, Magee Womens, and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Due to how big UPMC is, there are numerous volunteering and job opportunities for both pre-med and non-pre-med students. - There is also Victoria Hall which is home to the School of Nursing. This school is ranked 5th in the nation and others a structured program that has clinical work embedded. Actually, by the time the students graduate, they'll have completed a total of about 945 hours of clinical work. - With in this area of the university, there is Lothrop Hall. This residence hall houses a total of 600 freshman and upperclassmen, as well as the Nursing LLC.

Upperclassmen Housing

- The first upperclassmen residence hall is Panther Hall (where I live). This hall houses about 500 students in three-person and five-person suites, as well as doubles - The second upperclassmen residence hall is K. Leroy Irvis Hall, named in honor of K. Leroy Irvis who is a Pitt alumnus, emeritus trustee and legislative leader. This hall houses 420 upperclassmen in four person suites or doubles. - On each floor, both of these halls have laundry facilities, lounges, and quiet study areas - Both of these halls are also equipped with air conditioning, mail centers, fitness rooms. - Near Panther and Irvis Hall, there are fraternity housing. These are for people involved with Greek life which make up 13% of the undergraduate population.

Peterson Event center

- This is the former location of the Pitt football stadium who play there from 1925-1999. The last game played there was against Notre Dame where we won!! Now, the Pitt football stadium is shared with the Pittsburgh Steelers are Heinz Stadium on the North Shore. - Now, the event center is home to Men's and Women's basketball - for the basketball games, the tickets work as a lottery system. Students earn loyalty points for attending men's and women's basketball games throughout the season. When the popular games are played, students with many loyalty points are more likely to get tickets. Tickets can also be requested, claimed, and printed online through the athletics website. - A really fun aspect of the basketball games are the Oakland Zoo. The Oakland Zoo is the student cheering section. This is a fun way to be up close to the game and to be rowdy and full out cheer with other Pitt students. - The Oakland Zoo is actually my favorite aspect of Pitt athletics. I always have an amazing time every time I attend a game. One fun thing about the Zoo is that, at the beginning of each game, every student gets a news paper that is torn up and thrown after Pitt scores their first basket of the game. One game, after Pitt scored their first basket and everyone threw the torn up newspaper, the refs called a foul that made the point invalid. As results, everyone was on the ground picking up the pieces of paper for the next basket that Pitt made. It was funny to see everyone just scrambling on the ground, trying to pick up as many pieces of paper as possible before the next point. - Other than basketball games, The Petersen Event Center also houses the student activities fair. This happens at the beginning of fall semester is houses the 600+ number of student organizations. Some organizations at the fair that I'm a part of is the Red Cross Club, the Doctors Without Borders Club, and the Stunting and Tumbling Club.

Drive to Upper Campus

- explain the difference between Upper and Lower campus - describe the importance of the Heart of Campus Tour - Lets get into some cool history about the University of Pittsburgh - University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1787 as a small, private school, the Pittsburgh Academy - originally located in a small log cabin downtown near Pittsburgh's three rivers (Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio) - Currently, University of the Pittsburgh covers 132 acres which is just a little under 0.25 miles - Nice because you have the feel of a big campus without the major distance between each building - One cool aspect about the history of Pitt is Schenley farms. In 1905, Franklin Nicola conducted a plan for the development and the beautification for the Oakland region along Bigelow Boulevard and ran through the heart of the neighborhood. This plan centered on a series of monumental buildings created in styles evoking ancient Greece and Italian Renaissance. Two buildings that you can see that was a product of this plan was Soldiers and Sailors memorial hall and University of Pittsburgh's Alumni Hall. - One last historical and cool aspect about Pitt that I'll discuss for now is Schenley High School. This school is the first public school building to cost over a million dollars. Its located in the North Oakland neighborhood of Schenley Farms and a notable graduate is artist Andy Warhol. This last graduating class of this school was the class of 2011. Currently, the High School is renovated into luxury apartments for the community. A cool thing about these apartments is that many of the original artifacts of the building are still in use today, such as original slate chalkboards, classroom doors and long hallways. - The University of Pittsburgh has a total of just under 20,000 undergraduate students - Great because you get the resources of a big university with a medium university feel - One great aspect of this is the transportation system at the University of Pittsburgh - During the Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring breaks Pitt has chartered buses that depart from Bigelow Boulevard. The buses go to different towns and cities around Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Washington DC, and New Jersey - Another aspect of Pitt's transportation system is the campus shuttles. They depart from Bigelow Boulevard every day until 3am. They cover the entirety of Upper Campus and are distributed throughout North and South Oakland. This is great for when the weather is cold outside or if you're up late studying at Hillman Library. Or you can be like me and take the shuttle just because I don't want to walk up that dreaded cardiac hill. - For those cold winter days, there is also a Ride Systems app which allows you to track the locations of the shuttles so that you can wait inside until the last possibly minute before catching a shuttle. - There is also accessibility shuttles that are available on campus for students as well. These operate on a schedule based on pre-submitted requests and are fare free to Pitt students with their Pitt ID. - There is also a system called Safe Rider. These shuttles operate during the late evening and early morning hours. With this, students can call the dispatcher for door-to-door transportation within the Oakland area if the destination is not on a shuttle route. Every Pitt student is allowed a maximum of 25 rides per semester and it's a "no questions asked system". This system is one of the aspects that promotes safety for the students at Pitt. - Lastly, you may have noticed that there isn't a football stadium on Pitt's campus. This is because our football team shares Heinz stadium with the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. On game day, Pitt provides game-day shuttles that transport students to and from the stadium beginning 3.5 hours before the game and beginning to take students back to campus after the 1st quarter.

Things to keep in mind before every tour

- remind families that tours will take approximately one hour. Ask if they have any time constraints - preview about what is coming up on the tour - always have a microphone, nametag, Pitt gear, and a bright smile - off your families ponchos if it is raining/thunder storming - do not crowd other tours - keep your tour to 60 minutes

Upper Campus Tour Route

- take the shuttle from Alumni Hall to upper campus - get off the bus at Sutherland Hall - stand outside of Sutherland Hall and introduce the building - go inside, talk about the features of the lobby - sign in to Sutherland East and show the tour room - leaving Sutherland Hall, use the side door and use the crosswalk new Panther Hall - walk backwards toward the Peterson Event Center Patio - Take the escalators down to the lobby area - walk outside and down the remainder of Desoto street - turn onto O'Hara street and continue down the sidewalk until the intersection of O'Hara and Bigelow (across from soldiers and sailors) where you will end the tour

Finishing touches

- tell pitt story - ask for final questions and answer all questions - Whenever you're on Pitt's campus, I highly recommend for you to visit the University Story on Fifth for Pitt gear or you can always order your gear online. - thank the group and wish the students good luck with their senior year and with choosing a college

Upper campus accessibility tour route

1) ride through O'Hara 2) turn right onto DeSoto and up to the Petersen Events Center. Have your van driver park as close to the level part of the sidewalk as possible 3) exit the van to enter the bottom level of the Peterson through the front handicap ramp 4) After speaking about the Jumbotron, the Zoo, the ticket office and the team store, take the elevator to the Concourse Level and show the Baierl Recreation Center and the Peterson food court. Ride the elevator back down, speak about the Health Sciences and get back to the van 5) You'll ride up Darrah St. Mention the Darragh St. medical student apartments 6) as you turn onto Centre from Darragh, point out the athletic facilities 7) have your van driver wait while you show the Sutherland tour room 8) return to Alumni Hall via North Oakland. On the way back, give any information about Middle campus that you didn't have time for one the drive through O'Hara

Do students use the green space on the Peterson Lawn?

Absolutely, students can either sit there and do homework on nice days. They can play games with other friends. The lawn is usually a lively place where many students come and hang out.

What are the benefits of living on upper campus?

It is quieter to live on upper campus. You are also closer to Peterson events center which has amazing places to eat such as Chick fil a and Shake Smart, which is a smoothie place. You are also closer to the Baierl Recreation Center which is convenient for when you want to work out.

Can students have a car on campus? Where would I park?

Students are able to maintain a parking permit. There are parking structures and parking lots that the car can be parked in. The parking structure that's by the Cost Center and Sutherland, the OC Parking Lot, is a popular place where student park their cars.

What about the city of Pittsburgh's sports teams? Can students go to those games?

There are the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Pirate. Students can absolutely go to those game. They'll just have to provide their own transportation to and from the games and get their own tickets.

How do students get from the main campus to upper campus?

There are two main options. You can either walk up Cardiac hill, which is the hill right next to UPMC Presbyterian. Or you can take that Pitt shuttle which you can board on Bigelow Avenue.

Can you tell me about the services the university provides if I wanted to move off campus?

There is the Office of Off-Campus Living. This office assists students in the transition to off-campus living and provides roommate and subletting service, an apartment directory and apartment listings. You can also make appointments to have the office look over the lease for them.

How could I get involved in a sports club on campus? Are there try-outs?

There's usually a club and intramural sport fair at the beginning of fall semester. You can also look on the University of Pittsburgh website for more information about join sports clubs. Usually for club sports, there are tryouts but usually those who don't make it to the team form an intramural team instead.

Where is the office of off campus living located?

This office is located on Bellefield Avenue

Who cleans the bathroom in Sutherland Hall?

You are responsible for cleaning your own bathrooms

Could I get involved in research during my first year at Pitt? How?

You definitely but its not common though. There are resource that you can look into on the University of Pittsburgh website. One resource that Pitt offers is the First Experiences in Research. This program matches you with a research project and mentor. This provides a great introduction to research for students who might be address research for the very first time.