Services
Housing more than 6,800 undergraduate students on an urban campus is a challenge, but we’re committed to making on-campus living as safe, comfortable, and convenient as possible.
Housekeeping
Cleaning
Our housekeeping staff cleans communal bathrooms, lounges, hallways, and stairwells. You are responsible for cleaning your own room and the bathrooms in suites. Residents of apartment-style accommodations are responsible for cleaning their own apartments.
Residents should place trash in a container lined with a plastic bag within the accommodation. Residents are responsible for disposing of their trash bags on a timely basis in the designated receptacles provided by the University.
Furnishings
The University provides each resident student with a twin-sized bed with a mattress, desk, chair, dresser, wardrobe or closet. Rooms also have a telephone and window curtains or blinds. Desk lamps and bed linens are not provided by the University.
Laundry
All University housing buildings have washers and dryers that operate with coins or with Panther Funds stored on your Panther Card. Students using Panther Funds will be charged $1.00 per load of laundry, whereas students using cash will be charged $1.25 per load.
Malfunctioning washers and dryers should be reported immediately to Mac-Gray Intelligent Laundry Systems via their online customer service request. If your problem is related to the Panther Funds reader, report it to Panther Central in Litchfield Towers lobby. You can also call 412-648-1100 or e-mail pc@bc.pitt.edu
Lost and Found
Check for lost articles in these four locations:
- Hillman Library—ground floor lending desk
- Panther Central
- Wesley W. Posvar Hall—Room G1N30 (University police)
- William Pitt Union- Information Desk
Maintenance and Emergency Repairs
Residence hall residents should call Panther Central immediately to report emergencies and problems. For routine maintenance, fill out an online maintenance request.
Residents of apartment-style accommodations (Bouquet Gardens, Centre Plaza, Forbes-Craig, and Oakwood Apartments) should call the Department of Property Management at 412-624-9900 for routine and emergency repairs.
Recycling
Residence halls recycle cans, glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, batteries, and toner cartridges. Apartment-style accommodations recycle glass, cans, and plastic.
For more information concerning recycling procedures in University housing accommodations, see the Residential Handbook.
General Services
Cable TV
Basic cable television is provided in each room or suite in every residence hall and each bedroom and/or living room in every apartment-style accommodation.
Check out the University cable channel lineup »
Fitness Centers
There
are nine fitness centers located across campus for students' use.
Six of these facilities are located within the residence halls and
you may access them according to the residence hall in which you reside:
- Amos Fitness Center (residents of Amos, Brackenridge, Bruce and Holland Halls)
- Tower
A Fitness Center
(residents of Litchfield Towers) - Lothrop Fitness Center (residents of Lothrop and Forbes Halls)
- Panther Hall (residents of Panther Hall)
- Pennsylvania Fitness Center (residents of Pennsylvania Hall)
- Sutherland East Fitness Center (residents of Sutherland Hall—East wing)
- Sutherland West Fitness Center (residents of Sutherland Hall—West wing)
Other fitness centers are located in nonresidence buildings and are available to all students.
A valid Panther Card is required for access to all fitness centers.
Your individual campus mailbox corresponds to your room and bed number. You receive the mailbox combination when you arrive on campus. The University operates resident student mail centers, which are conveniently located within the residence halls. Residents of apartment-style accommodations receive their mail through the U.S. Postal Service. A complete description and instructions on mailing is available at student mail or the Residential Handbook (PDF).
MicroFridge
Students in the residence halls may rent combination refrigerator/freezer and microwave units specially designed for residence hall use. For rental information or service visit The Melvin Group or call 1-877-870-6098.
Network Connections
Each residence hall room and apartment-style bedroom (with the exception of Centre Plaza) is equipped with an Ethernet connection that links you directly to the University network and the Internet. Centre Plaza residents connect to the University’s network and the Internet through the University’s modem pool. Network configuration, assistance, and support is available through the Residential Networking (ResNet) Program by calling the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-4357 (HELP).
Parking
On-campus parking is
available to full-time resident students. Due to the limited number
of available spaces, permits are distributed by lottery. Parking must
be paid in advance for the same academic term as the housing contract.
Resident Directors, Assistant Hall Directors, Resident Assistants, and Program Coordinators:
All residence halls are staffed with resident directors (RDs), resident assistants (RAs) and program coordinators (PCs). Sutherland Hall also has an assistant hall director (ADH) on staff.
RDs are full-time professional staff employees who work with students and staff to provide leadership for the building. One RD is on staff in each residence hall. AHDs are graduate students who work closely with the RDs. There is one RA per residence hall floor or wing. RAs are upperclass students who have been trained to assist students with personal, social, academic, and environmental concerns. PCs provide leadership to students and RAs in the areas of community development and educational programming. There is one PC per residence hall.
Telephone
Each room in the residence halls and each bedroom in the apartment-style accommodations is equipped with a touch-tone phone that features automated voice mail and call waiting at no cost to residents, and unlimited local on-campus calling.
Transportation
The University’s bus and shuttle system serves each residence hall seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Our SafeRider services provide on-request drop-offs and on-call van transportation in the evening and early morning.
Other Amenities and Services
Several of our residence halls offer a variety of other convenient services and amenities, including recreational facilities, computer centers, e-mail kiosks, coffee carts, and dining facilities.
Residence Life
The staff of Residence Life provides information and programs that support the academic goals and contribute to the personal growth and development of residence hall students while you are at the University. The Residence Life office is in Bruce Hall.
Resident Student Association
The Resident Student Association (RSA) is the governing body of students who live in the residence halls. The RSA provides input to the University on any an all aspects of on-campus life.
Special Living Communities
Within several residence halls, certain floors are designated as Special Living Communities. These are for students who wish to live with others who share a special academic or personal interest. The following communities are available:
- Quiet Living Communities
- Civic Engagement and Community Service Living Learning Community
- College of Business Administration Living Learning Community
- Engineering Living Learning Community
- Engineering Research Living Learning Community
- Entrepreneurial Experience Living Learning Community
- French Language and Culture Living Learning Community
- International Living Learning Community
- Italian Language and Culture Living Learning Community
- Nursing Living Learning Community
- Nursing Research Living Learning Community
- Research Experience Living Learning Community
- University Honors College Living Learning Community
For more information, visit Residence Life on the Web.
