University Times

Arrival Survival: Faculty & staff help sought for annual ritual

WANTED: Faculty and staff volunteers to help ease the transition of incoming freshmen into on-campus housing.

From Aug. 21-24, thousands of Pitt students will swarm Oakland for the often-exhausting process of moving in for the upcoming semester. The only thing standing in the way of chaos and long lines of traffic in Oakland is an annual volunteer program called Arrival Survival.

Approximately 450 student volunteers and 50 faculty and staff volunteers will help parents and students to unload luggage and will direct students to their new living quarters. Volunteers also will provide entertainment and food and drink in the Schenley Quad area for students and parents.

Changes in the routing of traffic will create more space for unloading. "From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bigelow Boulevard between Forbes Avenue and Fifth Avenue will be closed off and used as an unloading area for students in the quad area dorms," said John T. Morgan of the Department of Parking, Transportation and Services. "Schenley Quad will also be used for unloading."

Meters along Forbes Avenue will be bagged and the parking lane will be used for cars that are lining up to be unloaded on Bigelow, Morgan said.

"Last year we had no backups on Forbes Avenue or Fifth Avenue and we hope to see the same results this year and eliminate traffic for parents and students," he said.

Morgan estimated that Arrival Survival assists more than 4,500 students and parents each year.

Pitt has been offering this type of program for years, he said.

"I've been here for 10 years and it's been going on every year that I've been here," Morgan said.

Arrival Survival 2002 has enough student volunteers, but staff and faculty volunteers are still needed. Each volunteer will receive an Arrival Survival T-shirt and a $50 Pitt funds card for purchasing meals. To volunteer for Arrival Survival, e-mail Lee Slater at arrival@bc.pitt.edu.

For more information on Arrival Survival access the website at www.pitt.edu/~arrival. Starting on Aug. 1, a special link will appear for Arrival Survival on the Pitt homepage (www.pitt.edu) that will allow users to instantly access the Arrival Survival website.

–David Wicclair