Welcome to the New Student Guide

The thing about welcoming new students to Pitt is that everyone else already has, so I’m not… The thing about welcoming new students to Pitt is that everyone else already has, so I’m not really doing anything special, except it’d be pretty rude not to welcome new students, seeing as how this is the New Student Guide.

So, new students, welcome to Pitt.

There, that’s over. Now we can get on to business.

This is The Pitt News, Pitt’s financially and editorially independent student newspaper. That means all of the content you read in this paper was put together, approved and funded 100 percent by students. And it’s only been at Pitt 97 years longer than you have. My name’s Greg, I’ll be your host.

This guide is meant to orient you, as best 82 pages can, to the head-spinning universe that is Pitt. We’ve included all the things any new student should know, as well as a whole bunch of things we wish somebody would have told us when we were new to this campus.

Since you’re the smartest Pitt class in history, you’ve no doubt noticed that I used the pronoun “we” when referring to the paper. That’s because The Pitt News is comprised of about 100 student staff members on the editorial side, along with about 25 more that make the money we spend putting out a paper every year. And the first piece of unsolicited advice I’ll give you (I’ll allow myself three more later) is that you should become one of those 125 people. We need writers, photographers, comic artists, writers, sales people, copy editors, Web guys, and did I mention writers? And no one here cares what your major is; I’m one of the many non-journalism majors working at The Pitt News. We need smart, dedicated people to help us put out a paper every day, and one of those people could be you. So come up to 434 William Pitt Union and apply.

OK, the shameless self-promotion is over now.

Regardless of whether you wind up working for us, The Pitt News is put out for you. Without readers, we’re not worth much. So I care about what you think, because it’s my job to care. So send me an email: editor@pittnews.com. If you liked something, think I’m an idiot, or just have a news tip, let me know, and I’ll be happy to talk about it. We’re always looking to improve, and we can’t do that without you.

All right, you’re getting free advice from everywhere on Earth about now, so I’ll join the party. I’ll limit myself to three pieces, and feel free to pay absolutely no attention to them.

1. Use this guide, and don’t throw it out.

I think this is the best resource available to new Pitt students, and really anyone new to University life in Pittsburgh. We spend a lot of time and effort putting it together, and that’s mostly because we take a great deal of pride in helping new students to have the best college experiences possible. But it is 80-some pages, and that’s a lot to take in at once. So read through it, learn something, and throw it under your bed or on your nightstand for a while. At some point during the year, you may be in a position where you need to look something up, and it’s likely to be in this guide.

For example: You’re in a study group that meets in 5K56 Posvar Hall. So you flip around in ye olde NSG and find out that that’s just code for the fifth floor. Then you get to your study group to find out that the room’s locked, and you need a new place to go, so you open up the guide again and find that Kiva Han is a wonderful place to sit and hang out and study. Then, on the way, one particularly attractive colleague asks you what you think of Larry Fitzgerald’s chances in Arizona this year. And, having read the New Student Guide’s section on Pitt athletes of the past, you field the question with aplomb and earn the undying affection of the study hottie of the moment. Ah, The Pitt News, bringing people together since 1906.

2. Don’t let school get in the way of your education

There are a lot of things about college that make it wonderful, and great classes are only one of them. There’s a terrific city, a ton of people your age, and a lot of time to screw things up on your way to figuring out where you’re supposed to be. Don’t get rushed, don’t get pressured, and try to keep it all in perspective. No one expects you to have all the answers, and some of those answers you can’t get from your professor. But neglecting school will get in the way of your education, as well — failing out or getting straight Cs isn’t going to go over well when the rest of your life comes in — so remember that, while there’s more to college than school, school’s pretty important, too.

3. Pitt is a good place

No place is perfect, and as the person who has to oversee the reporting of all the dirt on Pitt we can find, I can assure you Pitt isn’t that close. But that’s OK, because it’s still an incredible place. There are first-rate academics, one of the best cities in the country and a tradition of healthy respect for a hard day’s work. In this paper, if you continue to read the 156 other issues, you’ll see a lot of criticism of things Pitt does. That criticism is born of love and respect; we want this campus to improve because we want it to be the best college it can be. Never stop expecting your money’s worth from the University, and never hesitate to tell people when you get it.

OK, that’s all for me. Congratulations, class of 2008, and welcome to Pitt. Remember: your future is going to be inevitably tied to that of this college, so take an interest in everything that happens here. When all is said and done, I hope your college career has been a tremendous success, and that Pitt has been every bit as good to you as it has been to me.

Hail to Pitt!

Greg Heller-LaBelle