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April 18, 2013

Kennywood Day returns

“Breaking news: Kennywood Day is coming back,” announced Staff Association Council Vice President J. P. Matychak at SAC’s April 10 meeting.

Pitt’s SAC-sponsored Kennywood Day has been held annually since 1982 but was canceled last year due to budget constraints. This year Pitt’s Kennywood Day will be July 14, and the University once again has secured pavilions for attendees to use.

“It wasn’t that we couldn’t necessarily afford it last year,” said Matychak. “It was just a decision we made as officers during a time we were fighting with Harrisburg for dollars. We made the decision it wasn’t good to hold such an extravagant event.”

This year, most staff have been affected by having fewer co-workers, due to the Voluntary Early Retirement Program, he said, and are feeling stretched for other reasons as well. In deciding to bring back Kennywood Day, SAC was thus conscious of  “how much they liked the opportunity to see their friends and relax with their colleagues” at the annual gathering.

Tickets for Kennywood Day include an all-day parking pass and a meal at the University pavilion. Also, participants will be able to purchase tickets toward prizes and gift baskets; an auction of larger prizes is planned. The day includes children’s activities and bingo.

Tickets will be available at the William Pitt Union ticket office. Some proceeds from the tickets, as well as all proceeds from prize tickets and auctions, will aid the SAC book fund, which assists some children of staff members attending Pitt, as well as the new SAC campus beautification fund, “to help leave a legacy on campus and enhance the campus environment,” Matychak said.

SAC still is seeking donations of gift baskets as prizes for Kennywood Day and is looking for volunteers to help.

In other news, staff were notified of a 20-percent discount on a maximum of 10 football season tickets per staff member. A payroll deduction plan can be used to pay for the tickets, as well as for optional North Shore parking at $15 a game, or $105 for the season.

—Marty Levine

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