Commuter students can often be found hanging out, studying, or sleeping in the second floor lobby of Lawrence Hall, but last Wednesday from 12-2 p.m., some gathered in the multi-purpose room across the floor eating and playing Jeopardy at Campus Activities Board’s (CAB) Commuter Lunch.
“I want to try and get out and take advantage of as many of these kinds of events as I can,” Danielle Mahl, senior sports, arts and entertainment management (SAEM) major, said in an interview at the lunch.
Mahl said she lived on campus during her first two years at Point Park, but moved back home to Greensburg to save money. She said that commuting isn’t the easiest routine, but had the benefit of keeping her on schedule and motivated to journey downtown.
“There are a variety of commuters here, and we wanted to have this lunch for them so it’s easy for them to get to and have some free food,” Louis Spanos, junior SAEM major and CAB’s Experience Pittsburgh coordinator, said at the event.
Spanos said the idea came from himself and CAB’s public relations coordinator and sophomore advertising and public relations major Nicole Miller, who are both commuters, thinking that it’s hard to go through the day with limited food options.
“Bringing a lunch every day can be a problem, so bring snacks—lots of snacks,” Spanos said.
As such, the rewards for participating and winning in the lunch’s game of Jeopardy included gift cards to Chipotle and Delicious Raw. A Point Park lanyard was also a reward.
“I came because CAB has fabulous events like this and for the free food,” Topher Williams, a senior theatre major and commuter from Oakland, who won the lanyard, said.
Another concern that Spanos had for commuters was involving them in campus activities, groups and events, so this lunch was marketed specifically for commuters so they could get involved. Autumn Barszczowski, a freshman advertising and public relations major who commutes from the South Side, said she makes a conscious effort to be active in the university’s community.
“I didn’t want to be someone who just came down for class and not have any friends, so I do as much as I can to stay involved,” she said at the lunch.
To do this, Barszczowski has gotten involved in several school organizations, such as the Honors Student Organization, the Feminist Collective and the Rainbow Club in her time at Point Park. She said she has no future plans to move on campus so she can get out of school as debt-free as possible. She has lived on the South Side her whole life, so she knows the ins and outs of public transportation.
“It’s not difficult to get downtown, but sometimes the weather can be troubling,” Barszczowski said.
The lunch was catered by Giant Eagle and included a buffet style table set with chicken, macaroni, rolls, cookie cake and pop which were all available for eating. People started filing in almost right when the doors opened.
The game of Jeopardy, which was designed by CAB major Kayla Damazo, featured categories with questions about areas around PIttsburgh, such as the Strip District and Oakland. Teams of tables shouted answers in the classic Jeopardy "what is…" format as the question popped onto the screen.
"If we got just one commuter fed for free and enjoy him or herself, we would have been happy," Spanos said.
