Panthers prowl at night

It takes more than rain to stop a panther from prowling, as “Panther Prowl 2004,” a new… It takes more than rain to stop a panther from prowling, as “Panther Prowl 2004,” a new freshmen orientation event, proved when it went ahead as planned despite a thunderstorm Sunday night.

Freshmen received flashlights and followed Student Government Board members and upperclassmen volunteers on a walking tour of Pitt. SGB members Liz Blasi and Joe Pasqualichio, and Chris Kenny, a volunteer from Lambda Chi Alpha, led one group.

The tour took students from the William Pitt Union and Posvar Hall to the top of the Cathedral of Learning.

On a stop at Hillman Library, Kenny told students about Scotty, a man who sells food to students from a cart on Forbes Avenue.

“He is the coolest guy I have ever met, and the hot dogs are amazing,” Kenny said. Kenny also warned the freshmen about putting off studying for midterm exams and finals until the last minute.

“Don’t end up here at 3 a.m., studying before finals, because it’s not going to work,” Kenny said. Blasi took a moment to talk to some freshmen about Greek life on campus, sharing her experiences in a sorority.

“You do a lot of good stuff, and you have a lot of fun,” Blasi said. “I really recommend looking into it.” Kenny shared some wisdom with the freshmen on what classes to take and how to build a schedule using the Web site “Pick A Prof,” at www.pickaprof.com.

“Never, ever, ever, ever, ever take political philosophy. I wanted to stab myself every day.It was absolutely horrible,” Kenny said.

The tour led students around Posvar Hall and Bouquet Gardens before arriving back on Forbes Avenue. Melissa Neely, a freshmen engineering student, had to leave early to prepare for an 8 a.m. class the next morning. Neely appreciated the tour and efforts made by Pitt to help incoming freshmen.

“It was informative, and if we could stay longer, we would. It’s helped quite a bit,” said Neely, who moved to Pittsburgh from a more rural area and is trying to adjust to life at Pitt.

“It’s a huge switch,” she added. “I used to live on the edge of nowhere. The fact that it’s in a city is something I am not used to.”

The Cathedral of Learning was the last stop on the tour, and freshmen were shown the University Honors College area, which covers two floors near the top of the building.

“You can come up here and study anytime,” Pasqualichio said, pointing out a couch in the commons area. “I have slept on that couch for long periods of time in the morning. It’s really comfortable.”

Steve Klabnik was interested in what the tour guides had to say about Pitt and college life.

“It felt like there was someone I could ask a question to. They seemed really knowledgeable,” Klabnik said. “High school really doesn’t prepare you for college. Knowledge is power.”

Pasqualichio was pleased about the turnout, but the rain may have driven some students away.

“At first, I was a little worried. We were talking about cancellations. I think there were a lot of people who wanted to [come], who didn’t end up doing it,” Pasqualichio said.

Blasi hopes to make the tour a permanent part of freshmen orientation at Pitt.

“I hope it continues as a tradition for years to come. Other schools have things like this — why not Pitt?” Blasi asked, shaking a bag of unused flashlights. “All I know now is that we have enough flashlights for every freshman.