Play club, intramural sports to stay active

column PLAY CLUB, INTRAMURAL SPORTS TO STAY ACTIVE

Zack Gibney

Staff Writer

From sunrise to sunset, Division I student athletes are tasked with balancing a full academic workload with morning workouts, practices and other program activities. While some students may have loved being a high school athlete, they may not have the time or abilities to carry that over to the college level.

Fortunately, Pitt has a plethora of options that allow students to stay active without having to make the same degree of commitment to play a Division I sport. Whether you’re looking to play competitively or just to pass time with friends, there is no shortage of opportunities at Pitt.

Club sports are a way that students can play in an organized and competitive fashion without varsity-level commitment. Club teams generally involve high school-like attributes such as tryouts, practices and traveling to games, but don't have the intense competition and time commitment of varsity sports. While the time commitment for each club sport varies, it typically involves several practices a week on top of games scattered throughout the semester.

Club teams compete against other clublevel teams from other universities in the area. Pitt frequently plays other big-name schools from the region such as Penn State, Ohio State and Robert Morris universities.

For those looking for a more laid-back setting, intramural sports are another popular on-campus option. Pitt Campus Recreation o ers intramural sports such as cornhole, dodgeball, kickball, pickleball and volleyball. Intramural sports are generally See Club sports on page 62 Club and intramural sports, such as men’s club lacrosse, are a popular way for students to stay active and continue to play the sports they love.

Kaycee Orwig senior staff photographer

sity College London and a master’s degree from the University of London. The National Endowment for the Humanities, the Rockefeller Foundation and the U.K. Arts and Humanities Research Council funded her research, which includes topics such as race and state formation in Ecuador and Caribbean migration to South America.

Tyler Viljaste, a rising senior politics and philosophy and finance double major, served as the only student on the search committee — which consisted mainly of professors. Viljaste said after the interview process, he felt that Foote could be a role model for him and other students.

“She’s not only really charismatic and down to earth, but she’s also just so accomplished and so brilliant and the way she carried herself made it seem like she’s someone that I feel like a lot of students will be able to look up to, myself included,” Viljaste said.

Viljaste — who has been an Honors College student since his first year — has seen and experienced the changes made to the UHC by previous deans. Viljaste said he is interested to see how Foote’s vision will transform the college.

“That’s sort of the interesting part of where this honors college might go or transform into in the next couple of years,” Villjaste said. “She has a really exciting vision, she’s here to not maintain the status quo, but to try new things and have it be sort of transformative and a leader in the Honors College space.”

From a student perspective, Viljaste — who is also heavily involved in Student Government Board and is an incoming co-chief of staff — said he values deans who are “open, accessible and inviting,” and enjoys meeting students and listening to student feedback and input. Viljaste said he’s excited by Foote’s appreciation for student input and dedication to meeting students.

“The thing that really excited me about Nicola when she talked, was like student input is super core to the way she operates, like that’s how she operates at Arizona State University at Barrett,” Viljaste said.

Dave Hornyak, assistant dean of the

Honors College, said he also admires Foote’s focus on student feedback and looks forward to working with her.

“I admire her student-centered focus and her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the personal characteristics I’ve already seen in her enthusiasm and approachability,” Hornyak said. “I cannot wait to begin working with her on a daily basis.”

Hornyak said Foote wants to meet as many students as possible, and is brainstorming ways to interact with students. These include meeting students in residence halls, informal “get-to-know-you” meetings, summer research programs and taking advantage of Zoom and Microsoft Teams’ accessibility.

As Foote nears the start of her time

as Pitt’s Honors College dean, she said she is excited to lead and work with Pitt Honors students, who have proven their resiliency despite the challenges of the pandemic.

“Students and faculty have been challenged like never before, but through their resiliency were able to still accomplish their goals, pursue meaningful internships and fellowships and be awarded prestigious national scholarships,” Foote said. “I look forward to the opportunity to lead continued innovation and growth at Pitt Honors, and to work with some of the most talented, hardworking and socially engaged students in the nation.”

Nicola Foote, incoming dean of Pitt’s University Honors College.

Image via University of Pittsburgh

Council and scored an interview. I proceeded to absolutely bomb it, putting the kibosh on my political aspirations.

While this was happening, I was unable to nd a way to play tennis — I’m not nearly good enough to play club tennis — and my experiences with Pitt’s environmental clubs were ne, but hardly inspiring. I felt by October like I had wasted my rst few months blowing opportunities and failing to get involved in any meaningful way. In no derogatory fashion towards the glorious sport of table tennis, Ping Pong Club was my lone success.

Hopefully, incoming rst-year students nd a bit more success their rst semester than I did. It’s possible that you might nd an extracurricular calling right away. I sincerely hope you do, but it’s also possible that you get to campus and strike out on clubs and activities. is isn’t to discourage you from getting involved — quite the opposite, actually. Your rst year is the time to dip your toes into a dozen di erent activities knowing full well you may only stick with two or three. I’m not advocating for overwhelming yourself, just keeping an open mind and a willingness to try new things.

As I was building a formidable collection of losses from the convenience of my dorm room, I was also beginning to dabble in writing again. I never wrote for my high school’s newspaper. Funny enough, my most recent work in journalism prior to joining e Pitt News was probably blogging about Brawl Stars, a mobile game that I admittedly have a residual a nity for.

But as of the fall semester, I was an opinions columnist without a home, writing and submitting a handful of op-eds to this publication that are rotting in a spreadsheet somewhere in cyberspace.

I nally snagged a proper position as an opinions columnist here in mid-January. I wrote several columns — some good, some about the Pittsburgh ag — and made a few friends. en I became an editor, and I’ve since written a bunch of editorials, a few more columns and, between getting to know my desk better and working with the editorial board, made a whole bunch of friends.

I wouldn’t have gotten this sleep-depriving, amazing opportunity if it wasn’t for the disappointment that riddled my rst semester here. If my simultaneously self-indulgent and half-hearted hall council campaign worked out I de nitely wouldn’t be writing this article, and I probably wouldn’t be writing for e Pitt News at all.

Likewise, I probably wouldn’t have stuck with Free the Planet, an environmental club on campus that I joined early last fall. We’ve made progress on some really impactful work surrounding air quality and I was even able to — get this — meet some of the members in person, many of whom I consider friends.

My early extracurricular failures were pretty crushing, especially as my friends seem to nd success or at least contentment around every corner. But if I hadn’t come to college with an open mind and even a bit of legacy anxiety spilling over from high school, I likely would have missed out on my favorite college experiences thus far. I encourage everyone to avoid the anxiety part, but keep the open mind.

College is a license to try things, fail at things and achieve things that seemed far too ambitious just a short time before. Take that license and run with it. ere’s a pretty good chance you’ll nd — as I’ve repeatedly described joining and writing for e Pitt News — the coolest thing ever.

Jack Troy writes about politics, SGB and being tired of capitalism. Write to him at jpt40@ pitt.edu.

At least, it will begin that way, but humanity has an incredible ability to adjust to its circumstances. Both the seeming end of the pandemic and arriving at college highlight how new and wonderful the world can be, but I worry that we will begin taking our reclaimed freedoms for granted all too soon.

And besides our tendency to adjust, college may be incredibly difficult. I was told that college is an amazing experience and guaranteed to be the best time of my life. I’ve come to hate that idea. It doesn’t hold true for everyone, and I’ve seen and felt firsthand how difficult it can be to flourish right out of the gate.

At some point, almost every student’s classes get too difficult, or they experience crippling anxiety about what to major in or trouble finding extracurricular activities they like. Socially, I was incredibly lucky to find a group of amazing friends on my floor in my first year at college, but it really was luck. There’s a chance that, on top of studies, new and returning students need to put in extra effort to find the people that they’ll connect with.

It all depends on your socializing style — some people need to find one or two people to develop deep friendships with, others need a wider-ranging group of friends. It’s not always easy, but life is better when you get to experience it through someone else’s eyes, too. It’s not necessary to work through the difficulties of college alone.

Through these difficulties, college can feel like it takes a long time, but again, it’ll also feel like it’s over in a flash. Anyone, no matter where they are in life, would be well-served to preserve the feeling of awe that comes with new experiences.

Whether you’re a new or returning student, if you find yourself becoming bored with the college experience, find a way to spark that feeling again. Oakland, and Pittsburgh in general, have a lot of ways for you to do so if you look for them — there’s not a whole class called “Secret Pittsburgh” for nothing.

Visit one of Pittsburgh’s surprising amount of great coffee shops, such as Redhawk, De Fer or Commonplace. Visit a part of Schenley Park you’ve never been to before, pet a cat or dog if you encounter one on the street, become a regular somewhere or find a favorite study spot. If you’re like me and sometimes need a push to get out of Oakland, take a bus Downtown, even if it’s just to find a bench somewhere and watch people pass by.

Sometimes I think about that sense of awe I felt when first arriving at college, watching helicopters land on a huge building with strange people, and I catch myself thinking that I’ve somehow wasted and exhausted my precious naïveté. But the world of things to know and experience is vast, far too vast for one person to exhaust. In the first year of a post-pandemic Pitt, seize your opportunity to understand what you have and enjoy what you can lose.

Lucas DiBlasi writes primarily about politics, economics and music. Feel free to email your opinions on Weezer (or whatever else) to him at LND28@pitt.edu.

Bagels in Benedum Hall is better than the one in Posvar Hall. Both take dining dollars, both serve a delicious plain toasted bagel with cream cheese and yet only one serves specialty coffee drinks to get you through the required collegiate algebra class that nearly took me out during my first year. Even if you’re one of the lucky ones that never has to set foot in Benedum Hall, I’d venture to say that the bagels and drinks are worth the trek up the hill.

Beware the buses

Picture this. You’re late to class. It’s a normal Thursday morning in Pittsburgh, which means the sky is the color of coal and it's thunderstorming. You’re running down Fifth Avenue, dodging pigeons and Pathfinder tours. Suddenly, you see it. But it’s too late. A giant red bus is plummeting down what you formerly believed to be a one-way street, on course for a pothole filled to the brim with murky water and a single Five Guys receipt. Before you can leap out of the way, a tsunami of gray water crashes on the sidewalk. You cannot escape. I’ve spent many morning recitations wringing out my jeans in a Cathedral bathroom after being the victim of a Port Authority soaking. Beware of your surroundings.

Hillman naps are a thing

Finals week is a special breed of brutal. Hillman library fills up quickly and chaotically, bursting with sleep-deprived students running on dining hall coffee. Securing a table is a noble feat, not to mention the pride one feels being able to hang on to this prime real estate for the entire day.

For those mid-day slumps when giving up a table to make the cold, dark trek back to the dorm feels impossible, taking a 20-minute power nap in Hillman is not only acceptable, but I’d go as far as to say it is encouraged.

Don’t be afraid to leave Oakland

Don’t get me wrong, Oakland is great. I love the restaurants, green spaces and, of course, Miss Cathy. But my affinity for the Steel City increased exponentially once I worked up the courage to venture to another one of Pittsburgh’s 90 different neighborhoods. Shadyside and South Side are prime destinations for shopping and restaurants. Lawrenceville has everything from bowling to an old church where you can get pierogies and beer. Downtown has the best views of Pittsburgh’s beautiful stadiums in the North Shore and world-renowned theatres where you can use your Pitt ID to get discounted tickets to all kinds of live events. By far the cheapest and easiest way to get around the city is using your Pitt ID and the Transit app to get free, simple transportation to any neighborhood in Pittsburgh.

Julia writes primarily about sociopolitical issues, but also sometimes bagels. Write to Julia at JRK142@pitt.edu.

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school together, and I never saw this side until we ran around to every Welcome Week event just to get free tote bags, fanny packs, food, Amazon gi boxes and more. is applies to everyone, but commuters especially — take advantage of the free stu you get as a college student. Your Pitt ID works as a bus pass, and Pitt’s Commuter Student Programs will have events at the beginning of the fall semester with plenty more free useful things like portable chargers and really nice Pitt script lunch bags to keep your packed lunch cold all day long.

You will lose a certain amount of time of your day to the commute

I spend nearly 2 hours a day commuting back and forth to campus. In the very beginning of college, I used to try to go back home in the middle of the day during the gap between my classes, because that’s what most non-commuters did — they had dorms to retire to for an a ernoon nap. A er about two weeks I realized how painfully stupid it was and just accepted that I had to get used to being on campus for 12 to 14 hours a day.

My advice — take advantage of the commute. In my case, I usually use the time to take a quick nap, listen to an audiobook or even do work on my phone. Pulling out a laptop on a crowded bus just sucks, but some people do that too. I prefer to just take advantage of the Canvas, Google Docs, Drive and Slides apps. By the end of the day, I’ve gotten two hours’ worth of work done just by sitting on the bus.

You will spend so much money on food

I beg of you, for the sake of your wallet, pack a lunch. Yes, sometimes we all need to cry in Panera during nals week over a bread bowl lled with mac ‘n cheese, and sometimes that Roots salad is just too good to resist because you saw someone else with one in Hillman and now you can’t stop thinking about it and also Five Guys Cajun fries just need to happen sometimes. Don’t even get me started on the Milkshake Factory — that place is dangerous. But regardless, always pack a lunch, snacks and even dinner if you can t it. Commuting burns a lot of calories, because you’re doing a lot more walking and standing around than non-commuter students. Out of boredom, hunger or just plain studying and forgetting that you’re eating, you will eat constantly. I eat breakfast before I leave my house in the morning, and pack a full lunch and dinner in my cooler bag, along with a large variety of snacks. To maximize food space, I only put food that needs to be refrigerated in my lunch bag, and everything else goes in a separate bag in my backpack.

Commuting is sort of like backpacking

Your backpack will be massive, and that is okay. I travel and hike a lot, so I am fortunate enough to have lightweight gear that can easily be transferred from hiking bag to school bag. I actually have a sort of packing cube system in my gigantic green backpack, because it just makes things so much easier. When you’re on campus for so long every day, crash at a friend’s place for a night or pull an all-nighter at Hillman, you really have to be prepared — or at least I do, because I don’t like to be caught without everything I need on me. I even use a lot of the same items I would while backpacking or traveling that are lighter weight than their full-size counterparts. I always carry a full mini toiletry kit, a mini rstaid kit, a lock, a tote bag, an extra layer and a change of comfortable clothes and shoes along with my school supplies, food and a big water bottle. Carrying all that stu on your back gets exhausting, so if you would prefer to rent a locker on campus to keep things as well, there is always that option.

People will judge you for living with your parents — don’t let it get to you

If you do choose to live with your parents and commute from home, people will judge you all the time. It’s sad, but it’s true. e best piece of advice I can o er is to just not let it get to you. You get home cooked meals, an emotional support system and you’re making the best nancial decision of your undergraduate career. e money you save by commuting can go toward building a future for yourself. When you get to take that money and put it toward a house or grad school or a trip to Hawaii, you won’t regret commuting.

Dalia Maero writes primarily about issues of psychology, education, culture and environmentalism. Write to her at DAM291@pitt.edu.

note sometimes and that’s OK. The key is to keep playing and strumming.

Keep adding more range to your symphony. Eventually you will end up with a neat group of people to surround yourself with — folks with whom you can unfurl a picnic blanket on a warm night in Schenley Plaza, go on a trip to a nearby park, eat at a new restaurant on the other side of town or even go and see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra through Pitt’s reduced price program. Save and cherish this eclectic crew, and the special music you all make together.

To help introduce you to life at Pitt and get you started on your college journey, we at The Pitt News have compiled this New Student Guide. Our amazing news writers have compiled a guide of the year’s key dates, ways to get involved on campus and more. Our wonderful columnists have written numerous advice columns, offering their hard-won wisdom about different ways to approach your time here at Pitt and resources you may find useful. The culture desk has some suggestions on escapes from the hustle and bustle of the City and some Pittsburgh pop culture history. And our sports writers have all the information you need on Pitt Athletics so you’ll be fully stocked on your Panther trivia.

Beyond this 64-page special edition, we hope you will stay tuned to TPN through the summer and this tumultuous time for the latest news about Pitt and the Oakland community. We have teams of student journalists focused on covering nearly every aspect of campus and how it is changing during the pandemic and this time of social upheaval. The best way to keep in touch is to subscribe to our email newsletter at pittnews.com/newsletter — you’ll know about the news as soon as we do, which is even sometimes how administrators hear of it. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @ThePittNews and like us on Facebook.

As readers and new members of the Pitt community, we want to hear from you, too. Feel free to reach out with story ideas, things you think we should be covering, responses to articles or any questions about our 111-year-old newspaper. Nothing is too big or too small.

If you are interested in helping to tell the story of the Pitt community, we would be honored to have you join our staff. We are always looking for our next team of editors, reporters, columnists, photographers, videographers and copy editors to work at our award-winning newspaper. No prior experience is necessary to join — I joined my first year barely knowing how to format a quote properly, and now the chancellor knows me by name. If I can do it, so can you — if you’re interested in joining our team, you can apply at pittnews.com/application.

I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your summer as best you can, and we’ll catch you around Oakland sometime soon. Remember to keep in touch with us for updates as August gets closer.

All my best, Jon Moss Editor-in-Chief

editor@pittnews.com 412-648-7985