from your NEWS NEIGHBOR
THE NEXT STEP IN ‘BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR’
How a Pitt team is helping students navigate new neighbors and new experiences after moving off-campus
One of the best parts of Anna MacKinnon’s job is getting to watch the University’s Oakland Community Ambassadors grow—as students, but mostly as leaders.
The Oakland Community Ambassadors, a group of students that was originally co-created with the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Engagement Affairs (ECA), now fall under Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS), a newly formed part of Student Affairs. MacKinnon, previously a Graduate Fellow in ECA, serves as the inaugural Associate Director of Off Campus Experience within OCSS.
Under OCSS, the Ambassadors have spent the past year engaging in and with the Oakland community and Pitt students in a variety of programming and outreach activities, including trash clean-ups, tenant town halls, a Chalk the Walk competition, and more. They have also been working to increase their visibility and connections throughout Oakland, including getting more students involved as volunteers, so that they can hit the ground running in the Fall 2024 term.
“[The Ambassadors are] the students who are already excited about and invested in this work,” said MacKinnon. “We’re working now on how they can be the leaders that bring that same excitement to other students who may not have thought about this work before.”
SPRING 2024
CONTINUED >>
What is News From Your Neighbor?
Arriving to your mailbox throughout the year, this newsletter is just one of many ways for Pitt’s Office of Engagement and Community Affairs (ECA) to be more transparent, accountable, and accessible with the Oakland community.
ECA, and all of Pitt, is committed to being a good neighbor that contributes to Oakland’s shared success.
This newsletter highlights the programs, initiatives, collaborations, and relationships built in, with, and around our community that support our belief that Pitt is a partner in our region’s progress—progress that belongs to everyone. Want to learn more? Visit community.pitt.edu.
THE NEXT STEP IN ‘BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR’ << CONTINUED FROM FRONT
Beyond the Ambassadors, OCSS is also committed to ensuring that students have the information and tools needed to successfully reside in off-campus accommodations. OCSS offers services for students to find housing, resources to safely live off-campus— including a course on “off-campus fundamentals” and legal resources should students have questions or concerns regarding their lease—and, importantly, the support and education that students need to be a responsible neighbor.
But while OCSS caters mostly to students, they also welcome non-student Oakland residents to visit them in their offices or by connecting with them online at any time to talk about upcoming programs, how to get involved, or just to chat.
“Come ask us any question you have,” said MacKinnon. “The door is always open.”
Visit the Off-Campus Student Services office: William Pitt Union, Suite 923, 3959 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Learn more about Off-Campus Student Services online at ocl.pitt.edu.
TURNING A CENTRAL OAKLAND HOUSE INTO AN INNOVATIVE LAB FOR AGING IN PLACE
Not every older adult can move to a home suited for their needs, and only 10% of U.S. homes are ready to accommodate older populations. Pitt’s Healthy Home Lab is finding solutions to help more older adults make their current homes safe and accessible, while maintaining their agency and quality of life.
Purchased in April 2022, the community laboratory is an actual house — a quintessential Western Pennsylvania home in Oakland built in 1860, complete with a long walk from on-street parking, stairs at the entrance, and three floors to climb inside.
Led by the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Pitt researchers from the School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Swanson School of Engineering, and beyond are collaborating with community partners such as the Area Agency on Aging in the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Women for a Healthy Environment, Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh, and the UPMC Health Plan.
With these partners, the University is conducting hands-on research to develop and improve assistive and smart-home technology to better support older adults and people with disabilities. Research in the lab culminates in home assessments designed to combine evidence-based support services, inexpensive home modifications and technology to create customized solutions older adults can bring into their own homes.
Those solutions focus on access, mobility, safety, independence in daily activities and smart-home technologies, which often involve universal rail systems and reactive support and powered assistive devices for stair climbing. Other approaches include smartphone applications that help with environmental assessments and tasks like medication management.
Learn more about the Healthy Home Lab in Pittwire: pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/healthy-home-lab
2023 BLOCK PARTIES 650+
CHRISTMAS DAY AT PITT
750 MEALS SERVED ON DEC. 25 BY 136 PITT VOLUNTEERS
487 GIFTS DISTRIBUTED TO YOUTH SPRING 2024 CLUTTER FOR A CAUSE
22,460 POUNDS OF MATERIAL COLLECTED [11.7% MORE THAN SPRING 2023 MOVE-OUT]
2,800 DISTRIBUTED TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN OAKLAND, THE HILL DISTRICT, HOMEWOOD, AND GREATER HAZELWOOD MEALS
618 GIFTS
TOTAL ATTENDEES 57% PITT AFFILIATES 43% NON-PITT GUESTS
COMMUNITY
REWIND
BUILDING UP OAKLAND: CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
The University’s Planning, Design, and Construction team oversees campus development, such as campus planning, architectural design, construction, signage, and space planning services. Here’s an update on some of the projects currently underway in Oakland:
• Heinz Chapel: Restoration of the spire expected to complete in Fall 2024.
• Hillman Library: Phase 4 of the Hillman renovation is underway, with a focus on the corner-facing segment of the library. The sidewalk detour and front access will return to normal operations in Spring 2025.
• Arena & Sports Performance Center (ASPC): The ASPC will be the new home for Pitt volleyball, gymnastics, and wrestling. Foundations of the facility are finishing up now, with the full facility anticipated to be ready for the Spring 2026 season.
• Fifth and Halket: The newest ground-up construction effort for Pitt Health Sciences, this new facility will support classrooms, offices, research, and lab space beginning in 2026.
For more information on construction efforts on and around Pitt’s campus, visit pdc.pitt.edu/projects.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: THE PITT VACCINATION AND HEALTH CONNECTION HUB
The Pitt Vaccination and Health Connection Hub offers vaccination, health screenings, and health care connection services to the University community and its neighbors.
Did you know The Hub offers much more than adult COVID-19 and flu shots? Here are some highlights:
1. Pediatric flu and COVID-19 vaccines for ages 3 and older in a welcoming, kid-friendly space.
2. All vaccinations for adults including RSV, shingles, pneumococcal, and more.
3. Pre-travel health consultations and any travel vaccines for adults.
The Hub is open to the public. You don’t need to be affiliated with Pitt. If you aren’t sure whether you are up to date on your vaccines and have records in Pennsylvania, they can tell you what you may be due for and provide it at The Hub. You will need to bring your health and pharmacy insurance information for vaccinations.
PITT VACCINATION AND HEALTH CONNECTION HUB
SUMMER HOURS:
• Mondays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: 4041 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
LEARN MORE: www.healthhub.pitt.edu
Top: Architectural rendering of the Fifth and Halket facility. Bottom: Restoration of the spire on Heinz Memorial Chapel.
FRESH FACES ON CAMPUS AND IN OUR COMMUNITY
Join us in welcoming these new community-engaged staff to the Pitt community:
Caitlyn Crowder
Assistant Director, Community Affairs, Engagement and Community Affairs
Lorraine Craven
Assistant Dean for Student Experience, Student Affairs
Natalie Jellison
PittServes Outreach Coordinator, Student Affairs
Anna MacKinnon
Associate Director of Off Campus Student Services, Student Affairs
Gretchen Natter
Assistant Dean for Community and Inclusion, Student Affairs
Shatara Murphy
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Anchor Initiatives, Engagement and Community Affairs
Jamelle Price
Associate Director, Learning and Development, Engagement and Community Affairs
Anita Quagliani
Program Assistant, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Pitt, Engagement and Community Affairs
Samantha Varela
Program Manager, Gismondi Neighborhood Education Program, Engagement and Community Affairs
GET CONNECTED & GET INVOLVED
There are five easy ways to connect with Pitt’s community engagement team.
1 2 3 4 5
Learn about our community engagement efforts by visiting community.pitt.edu.
Visit us at our Oakland office: Cathedral of Learning, 17th Floor 4200 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Contact us directly:
» Lina Dostilio Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Community Affairs ldd20@pitt.edu 412-624-7719
» Jamilah Ducar Assistant Vice Chancellor of The Engaged Campus jamieducar@pitt.edu 412-624-7709
» Justin Dandoy Director of Community Affairs justin.dandoy@pitt.edu 412-624-6531
» Caitlyn Crowder Assistant Director of Community Affairs cmc395@pitt.edu 412-648-9589
Sign up for our email newsletters for info on community outreach activities, available volunteer opportunities, news from our CECs, and more at community.pitt.edu/sign-up.
Say hello! Our team attends every Oakland neighborhood association meeting that is open to the public. We are excited to meet you if we have not already.
4200 Fifth Avenue
1700 Cathedral of Learning Pittsburgh, PA 15260
412-383-5600 communityinfo@pitt.edu community.pitt.edu
JUNE 28
JULY 12
Summer Clutter for a Cause (open to residents)
Summer Clutter for a Cause (open to residents)
Fall Term Classes Begin AUG. 26
Block Party: North Oakland AUG. 27
SEPT. 3
SEPT. 10
SEPT. 17
SEPT. 24
Block Party: South Oakland
Block Party: West Oakland
Block Party: Oakland Square
Block Party: Oakcliffe
MARK YOUR CALENDAR